Nutcracker: What new effects would you like to see?

Sean just a quick question will you add the spin effect , where 1 could select # of strings and set color and direction of cw or ccw
 
Sean, how about enhancing the text effect to scroll the text at an angle? Also would like to see pictures have some way of being off the matrix, then scrolling onto it from top, bottom or angle.
It really seems that you can take everything within your setup and make it so much more detailed (as examples above). Thank you for everything you have provided to us!
Wayne
wayne@nevadachristmas.com
 
WayneKremer said:
Sean, how about enhancing the text effect to scroll the text at an angle? Also would like to see pictures have some way of being off the matrix, then scrolling onto it from top, bottom or angle.
It really seems that you can take everything within your setup and make it so much more detailed (as examples above). Thank you for everything you have provided to us!
Wayne
wayne@nevadachristmas.com
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These are on my todo list.


I also plan on having images (png,gif,bmp) to be able to be given a vector (direction and speed). This would, for example, allow gif's of music notes to fall down from the top of the tree.
 
smeighan said:
Also plan on having images (png,gif,bmp) to be able to be given a vector (direction and speed). This would, for example, allow gif's of music notes to fall down from the top of the tree.
Click to expand...
That would be incredible! While you are at it, you may want to consider adding a spin option. Imagine snowflakes falling and spinning (slowly) during the fall. Too cool...
 
Rather than building a mega tree or rectangular matrix, I was wondering if anyone has thought about building a globe/ball and using Nutcracker with it. I envision something along the lines of the globe used at Disneyworld Epcot for Illuminations. Could the globe pixels be laid out for sequencing using Nutcracker?
 
Denny said:
Rather than building a mega tree or rectangular matrix, I was wondering if anyone has thought about building a globe/ball and using Nutcracker with it. I envision something along the lines of the globe used at Disneyworld Epcot for Illuminations. Could the globe pixels be laid out for sequencing using Nutcracker?
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This pretty easy.

Imagine vertical strands starting at the top of the sphere and running down to the bottom. If you build a megatree and take those strands and wrap it on a sphere, all of my effects would work.
 
For me the best effect would be 'real time' text input. On my show I love to go out often dressed as Santa and greet all of the cars who come to visit our display often answering their questions. Having myself greeting the cars and keeping civality and order on the street allows my neighbors to 'tolerate' my display.

I think it would be great if it would be possible to enter a childs name and have that name appear scrolling on a matrix or megatree in 'real time'. "Merry Christmas Sally Smith" or something similar.

Imagine talking to a family in their car and radioing back to an operator of the display in the house with a walkie talkie. On the weekends our display already requires several 'greeters' and we have already use walkie talkies to stay in contact with each other.

I have to first decide if this is politically 'correct'. I would like some opinions if my idea is politically correct.

Sometimes I have advanced knowledge of a family, co-worker, or friend that will be visiting our display at a specific time and it would be great to welcome the 'Smith Family' by having their name appear scrolling on as matrix.

Thoughts?? Political correctness?? --Greg--
 
Greg.Ca said:
For me the best effect would be 'real time' text input.
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Great idea......wonder if there is a way to combine it with a phone app......"Make a donation and then enter text?"
 
Greg.Ca said:
For me the best effect would be 'real time' text input. On my show I love to go out often dressed as Santa and greet all of the cars who come to visit our display often answering their questions. Having myself greeting the cars and keeping civality and order on the street allows my neighbors to 'tolerate' my display.

I think it would be great if it would be possible to enter a childs name and have that name appear scrolling on a matrix or megatree in 'real time'. "Merry Christmas Sally Smith" or something similar.

Imagine talking to a family in their car and radioing back to an operator of the display in the house with a walkie talkie. On the weekends our display already requires several 'greeters' and we have already use walkie talkies to stay in contact with each other.

I have to first decide if this is politically 'correct'. I would like some opinions if my idea is politically correct.

Sometimes I have advanced knowledge of a family, co-worker, or friend that will be visiting our display at a specific time and it would be great to welcome the 'Smith Family' by having their name appear scrolling on as matrix.

Thoughts?? Political correctness?? --Greg--
Click to expand...


I use the Splashtop app on my ipad. It allows me to have full control of my laptop show computer in the basement while i am outside.


we could set up that you enter text and create an animation from it. To make it so that it overrides the animation on the fly would be a little challenging.


The simple way is to create a sequence that loops the text and apply it to a new song. Then stop current song, start new. it would take about 30-60 seconds to generate new animation.
Then restore show sequence.


I am also looking to make it so what people touch can modify the actual show. Something like a finger paint program. Coarse enough drawing so that people could not spell on the display, just make amorphous shapes.


we will see later this summer what happens
 
Might be a dumb question, but what if there were a button to create annomated gif files from the effects you create? I am running out of names for my effects and can't remember exactly what each effect does, not to mention trying to read the names in clipboards. You might already have this and I just haven't found out about it yet.
Thanks in advance for your time. GREAT PROGRAM!
 
JCMarksafb said:
Might be a dumb question, but what if there were a button to create annomated gif files from the effects you create? I am running out of names for my effects and can't remember exactly what each effect does, not to mention trying to read the names in clipboards. You might already have this and I just haven't found out about it yet.
Thanks in advance for your time. GREAT PROGRAM!
Click to expand...


I agree. xLights needs some enhancement to handle when you have hundreds of effetcs. In Nutcracker 2.0 , i had 400 effects. I also want to make animated gifs so that the preview is closer to the brightness of your tree.


All on the to do list..


sean
 
How about a new model? I was able to make a radial star with spokes very easily.


Video here:


8 spoke x 30 pixel star


I did some sequencing under nutcracker pretending it was a pixel plane, but would be nice to have a radial star model so that you could do the realistic simulation on the PC. Also, I think some pinwheel and spiral effects for the star could emerge if we had a model to visualize it with.


Awesome program. Many thanks!


Rob
 
Two things I mentioned in other locations:


A slider for overall intensity. Using an input to the HSV conversion, hopefully could control the intensity without dramatically affecting the actual color.


and, for a Matrix (horizontal or vertical), an input in the Model creation for the pixel aspect ratio. Currently it assumes a 1:1 aspect. If your pixels are 33mm apart horizontally (like on a flex strip), it assumes that the distance is also 33mm the other direction. If you put your strips/pixels at 50mm, then text can get stretched and hard to read. (like a funhouse mirror). But, if it allowed a Horizontal and Vertical distance entry, it could compensate.
 
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