Sanity check on using submodels

[AAH]

I am using Xlights 2025.03 and had the same with 2024.17.
The screenshots are of a showstopper spinner which is the best model I have to show my "issue".
The submodel screens shows that there are 6 arms/node ranges/"strands" defined.
When I am sequencing I expected/would like to be able to drill down as deep as these node range levels to be able to have 1 arm red, 1 arm blue etc.
The 2nd screenshot shows on the sequencing tab that the Snowflake 1 definition can't be expanded on.
Have I changed a setting somewhere in the many years I've been using xlights to stop me being able to drill down deeper or am I doing something wrong. Currently I can't see any way of sequencing to the individually defined node ranges and as such there is no difference between the snowflake with 6 arms defined on 6 lines and all 6 defined on 1 line. Any tips on how it's possible to drill down to that level would be good. My other alternative would be to make vast quantities of submodels and group them.

 

[Mark_M]

View attachment 28696

If I'm comprehending right....
You want to view each one of these arms within the sub model 'snowflake 1'.
Having each of the 6 arms defined under one sub model does not allow you to drill down to a single line (e.g. line 5, or Top).

The reason this was probably setup as one sub model is so that it's easy to sequence all arms at once. You could try one at a time using the single strand effect set to Vertical per strand.
Setting multiple colours on an effect with 'vertical per strand' is a pain.... takes some tweaking with the single strand effect chase size & colours selected. The layer settings render style is your friend to adjust how an effect works on it.

 

[TRAVISTY]

Best to sub model each arm ie Snowflake 1 - Arm 1 to 6

 

[AAH]

Best to sub model each arm ie Snowflake 1 - Arm 1 to 6

Marks method would be a bodge to do the colour example like I listed but if for example I wanted even spokes to be a color and odd to have butterfly etc that's not easily done.
The sub model per arm method is the only way I could think of that would allow me to do what I want but I'm puzzled as to why there is multiple node ranges that can be defined per sub model but apparently no way to separately sequence/control them.
From my experimenting the render style of vertical per strand and horizontal per strand which can be selected for some effects is the only time there is any usage of the submodel node range definitions.

 

[merryoncherry]

xLights didn't change... Some vendors make multiple submodels, others make stranded submodels (and some do neither or both).

So, if you like the multiple submodels, click the stranded submodel and hit "split" to split it.

 

[Skymaster]

The sub model per arm method is the only way I could think of that would allow me to do what I want but I'm puzzled as to why there is multiple node ranges

Think of each arm being a row on a matrix. Then stack those arms to make a square.
Basically how you type it out in that grid.

Now, imagine you put a single line effect on it - the line will go from left to right across the matrix, basically giving you the arms with lights illuminating outwards in unison.
Now, with your render options, rotate the buffer 90*. The same effect will cause the arms to light up in sequence.

By changing the render style to say "single line" you'll get all arms placed head to tail. So the same single line effect will now cause each arm to light up, end to end, one at a time.

 

[AAH]

xLights didn't change... Some vendors make multiple submodels, others make stranded submodels (and some do neither or both).

So, if you like the multiple submodels, click the stranded submodel and hit "split" to split it.

The "split" is something new to me. That's probably the tool I wanted. Now I need to split the submodels and create some groups.