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David "Rex" Whalen

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Posts posted by David "Rex" Whalen

  1. I rise to my feet and begin a standing ovation with a slow clap; thanks for keeping this format as close to 'reality' as can be achieved.

     

    I believe this format and sACN to be the real future of entertainment lighting as I cast an eye forward. Heck, architectural as well...DMX had it's place in the Sun, from mid-80's till about 2000, it's time to move on, as it were.  To get all control structures recognizing objects in the same way, seems truly beneficial to everyone in the long term...imho.

  2. My pleasure, Brothers...enjoy 'programming' since I learnt Basic, so many summer fields ago in Computer Science class; the first such curriculum in my high school in `81, that's right; last century...

    I also have a very quick and detailed eye, gets things done, as they say...and under budget, ;).

    Stay healthy!!

    Rexy

  3.  

     

    Try this as well for 'beam' output in visualizer...there shouldn't be any output until you parse the Geometry Type as a 'special' type, not just 'normal' 3D object.

    BeamGeometry.png

  4. A lot of modes on the fixture, and only a quick glance, but the only thing that seems a bit off is some of the Default DMX values for ColorsRGB. Some colors have a full 255 DMX as a default[green for example], seems this would leave green color attribute at FULL as default, causing physical output of Green as default.

     

    Also, polyon numbers seem a bit large on the source 3D model for such a simple 'shoebox' type fixture with a square source. The Body of the object with the heat sink fins looks like an enormous amount of polys/verts...and most likely doesn't need the level of detail the numbers generate. No ouput may be the type of geometry the 'Beam' 3D object is. Not 'normal' needs to be a 'Beam' for output.

     

    Good luck!

    • Like 1
  5. ...kinda looks like a MA3 Viewport detail setting not quite right.  The high detail 3DS model is not appearing in the Scene....just a low rez 'collision' type mesh.  Or....it's listed as a generic LED in MA, without pointing to the 'custom' model.

  6. Just from a quick and dirty looky-loo after channel check here; you seem to have many beam objects and only the very first one[Beam 1] is under control of the Dimmer attribute in the DMX Tab....plus it's a LED fixture with DIM and perhaps your DIM encoder is not at FULL?? and then adjust color values with RGB??....and the RGB attributes are again, only linked to the Beam 1 Geometry object...

     

    I'm at a gig at the moment and that is what I see as a reason why your fixture is not visualizing as you intend/expect....

     

    I'm sure someone will likely chime in with other observations...good luck!

     

    Rexy

  7. Exactly what types of mistakes is the builder making?  I just built a 'luminous human figure' in GDTF web builder and it functioned as I expected a 'luminous' human figure to react in MA3 3D window?  The very quick and dirty steps were:

     

    1. Import intended 3D model into the builder, named it "Luminous Human Figure".

    2. Added a New Top Level Geometry[Geometry Type: Beam] and linked the 3D model[Luminous Human FIgure] to it.

    3. Added a DMX Mode, named it "Luminous Human FIgure", linked my Geometry "Luminous Human FIgure to it.

    4. Added a DMX Channel to the Top Level Geometry with the Attribute 'Dimmer'.

    5. Filled in the values for the Attribute: Resolution[8bit] Coarse[1]

    6. Added Multiple Channel Sets[2]; giving the first empty channel set the name of "Min" with values of 0/0 and the second empty channel set the name of "Max" and the values of 255/255.

     

    At this point it's time to evaluate the profile. I Uploaded it to the Share site, generating the .gdtf formatting and then placed a copy of the GDTF file into the MA3 tree structure and I was able to Patch a unit into the console and view it in the 3D window. As I brought the DIM encoder up, the beam appears at the figure's feet and the body of the figure begins to illuminate from 0-100%.

     

    Perhaps if you share the file in question, I could see what is incorrect with it's structure??

     

     

  8. No, no...not that button[Auto-fill Channel Sets]. Sorry if I'm misunderstanding...the process.

    I'm speaking of the "Add Multiple Channel Sets" button  and the dialog that pops with 2 as the default value, assuming for a min-max range setup? The first slot browser autofills/suggests and each subsequent entry field does not when you add multiple presets for the range of DMX? So I end up having to fully type 'max' for example when I'm in slot2, when slot1 I only have to type 'm' and I'm presented with my previous entries...  I wasn't dividing up the Attribute into separate ranges/functions, assuming that is what the feature is intended for? As in a Shutter, where 'off' is one function of the Channel, 'strobe' is another, etc...I'm not doing that.

     I've never utilized a 3rd party manager for copy/pasting, hmmm....I do like to see a populated list though, for selection, on the fly when I'm already in an active entry field. As it is, I left hand the text entry bits and right hand the mouse for click selection and 10-key entry, ;), PC gamer style...swapping tween mouse and 10-key. This KB actually has a set of 18x3 pages of 'hot buttons' to map to functions as well, so a 10-key AND an 18-key, FTW. More is always better, no? LOL.

    Thanks!

  9. It may be my system or browser, but I seem to observe that the 'autoFill' feature of 'added' Channel Sets do not autoFill any previous entry. The first block will suggest previous entries, but any subsequent entry will not suggest the same values I keep inputting into those slots??

    Ex: on a rotation attribute I want a [min-home-max] set of presets, I'm always inputting "-180 Degrees" in the first slot and it always autoFills when I've got a few characters typed and I see more than a single entry[as I would expect], but in the second slot, which would be a 'home' or "0 Degrees" entry name, it never suggests anything to help save a few keystrokes...or the final channel set.  I'm always fully typing the name.  I guess I could Copy/Paste Channels??

  10. I've never utilized Blender, may have installed it once eons ago. I'm a C4D user and that is where I can set my Import/Export units...

     

    LOL, not 'weird' to me at all, the jank coming out of Max with any plugin/modifier stack.  Ya, bypass Autodesk and find ANY other 3DS exporter!

    ...the issues are probably with the FBX handshake and back out again.  I do like FBX, but there seems to be so many flavours of it??  Enjoy!

  11. When I manually input: 470, 340, 101 for X/Y/Z, set my Export 3DS to mm, the model now visualizes in the web builder with no figgling with entry fields.

    The 'from Max' model is not rendering at all for me..even with manually inputting dimensions??  Pfffttttt.....Max? my experience with funky plugins and Max leaves me not surprised with the result...just sayin'.

     

     

    Good luck and good modeling!!

    ViperBase_3dsFromBlenderC4D.3ds

  12. I Imported the 'fromBlender' 3DS file and it appears in the UI for me, just incredibly small/tiny[.47,.34,.1] when the default mm units is displayed?  The dimensions are off, even with 'use file dimensions' is checked when I checked the 3DS file exported from C4D. When I input the correct values, the 3D model/Geometry scales up and is visible in the Scene...??  This is normal for any model I export outside the mm units preference in my modeling programs. I learned early to set my modeling program to what the web builder can easily digest...

    When I manually input: 470, 340, 101 for X/Y/Z, the model now visualizes in the web builder.

    Interact with the builder's entry fields and see what happens!

     

  13. If you are referencing 'bracket' as a 'rotational' component of a fixture type...whether you want the vector to be 'Pan' or 'Tilt'--never really a 'Roll'/3rd rotation vector on real world fixtures...unless you've created something really funky, or like the S4 barrel 'roll'...

    Give the 3D model a Geometry Type of [Axis], that will make the 3D model/Geometry a 'rotational' object in the visualization.

    Now...depending upon your 3rd party visualizer, how that 'movement/rotation' is accomplished[manually--outside of DMX patching], remains to be seen[GUI encoder, entry field, etc]...the spec of the format will make the Geometry/model a 'rotator' by the Geometry Type definition.

     

  14. GDTF seems to provide metaData for visualizers to render...so if there is an obvious rendering issue in your visualizer, I would begin inquires at the rendering software sites..."Vision", et al; ask what they say about how their software is rendering the GDTF data....  It could be that your 'Physical Value' range is borked, but even if it's 0-1[DMX 0-255], there should be a curve over the encoder range of DMX values...just a quick thought without examining the provide example.

     

    I'm using MA3, at the moment, to visualize the GDTF data...and at this point in MA3 builds, not all visualizing elements render; making it a tad tricky to sort through issues such as yours...DIM, PAN,TILT,GOBO[n],Color[N] seem to be all that MA3 can handle at the moment....have no experience with Vision and GDTF.

     

    Good luck!

  15. Strange, but true...that the same file was read in different ways?!?

    I went ahead then and constructed the entire fixture in MA3, and it all rendered out well--using the same 3DS files that came in with the GDTF Import. I like the ChannelSet range entries in MA3, you only need to input the beginning of the range, the end is automagically configured. Although, it takes about 5 times longer to construct a fixture within the console--scrolling with a tab and mouse is...ugh.  And if some entry fields are not edited, the console doesn't calculate the DMX and give the fixture a DMX footprint and thus is unviewable??  Very time consuming process, but you do get to visualize the resulting Attributes. There is always a give/take in our lives on this planet, no, or so it seems?? lol, at least for me...

    I much rather like the UI for GDTF at the builder site...only took me about 20 minutes or so to run through all the Tabs and generate the fixture!  The live update on Geometry positioning is the real time saver, great work!  To visualize any edits in MA3, you need to leave the Patch and view the 3D Viewport, then go back into Patch to continue iterating...very tedious and slow.

     

    Cheers!

  16. @petrvanek Glad to hear of an update! I'm curious, as MattG states above with regards to visualizations; what environment for visualizing do/are you utilizing? I ask because with the latest version of the builder...I'm using MA3 as a checker/visualizer since it is, without VW I believe, the only renderer of .GDTF files.  I'm not suggesting that a visual upgrade is needed to the assembler[it's great!], I'm just wondering how these things are checked as the iterations roll out.

    The TakeAway from this:

    I took a newly generated GDTF file and Imported it into the current release of MA3 v1.3.1 and checked it against an Import into MA3 v1.0[same file] and there was an incredible offset with the Beam:Geometry location as compared to the Beam:Attribute[cone of light] location....devs take note? I'm fairly certain the chokepoint is within MA3 renderer.   I noted it here:

    https://forum.malighting.com/thread/4571-current-version-of-ma3-reading-current-version-of-gdtf/?postID=11060#post11060

    CrazyOffset+Size.png

  17. I just checked; this is very easy to get visualizing...Patch 2 MovingPath Fixtures, then use MA3D to bring into the Scene/StageView your 'screen' model and your 'moving riser' model; you can use the Plane and Box Primitives as models from the MA3D database. In MA3D, simply DragNDrop your models onto each corresponding Moving Path fixture, easy-Mcpeasy. These MP fixtures are under now control of the desk/DMX...so can be written into lighting cues, etc.

    Are these moving objects on the stage actual automation under control of an operator/desk/console, or being manipulated by stagehands?

    Good luck! Shouldn't be too hard or take long to get this working...literally took me like 5 minutes to see something moving in MA2+MA3D, networked together.

  18.  

    Saying you used 'default' visualizations...then.

    Well...again, I would have to venture a guess that it is the end user platform[Visualizer--VW--you don't diagram your control config] not correctly reading how the file is structured....and it then becomes a question to those parties...Vectorworks, Vision, etc...

     

    I am working under this axiom: This site and the share site are being produced and maintained by those parties involved with pioneering the formats and thus; if things are visualizing here and not in the end of your workflow chain...well, the problems are lying somewhere in between the two programs. It is incumbent upon Manufacturers accepting the format to be following the development of GDTF...afterall, it's in their best interests.  Have you inquired at your visualizer or at Vectorworks forums/support??

    These types of glitches will be around until all parties get on the same coding page...and the format is utilized more; that's software development, not a bug; just an unintended feature!

    Good luck!

  19. When you constructed the fixture in the webBuilder...and when you Imported your 3DS files[if custom], did you see the model rendering in the builder?  Did you use default fixture models?

     

    I'm gonna speculate that it's Vision and/or VW reading the MVR file incorrectly.  The web builder references the 3DS files and packs them up in the MVR/suitcase/container, so, if you extract or unpack the MVR file you'll find the 3DS in a nested folder...seemingly just fine.  I think Vision and/or VW is not finding the nested asset...within the MVR structure.  Just my guess, though....since it is not physically rendering.

  20. Currently, uploading is the only way to generate a copy of the GDTF file, it dupes the file, one for public Sharing...one for your 'desktop' or other location of storage.  Upload to generate the file, then go to public Share site and delete your upload...heavy handed but the only way at the moment to get a 'hardcopy' of your work in the proper format.

     

    Good luck!

     

    NB: deleting in this manner 'should' keep your work somewhat proprietary and under your control. Once it's at 'Share', for any period of time...it's exposed to the General Public on the interWeb.  Anyone can take your work, edit it, and call it their own...slightly unsettling, eh? It's especially so, when you generate custom 3D artwork models....;).

  21. Yes, I have observed the same thing in how the builder does not respect the Export's Size or Dimension.  You need to build/EXPORT your 3DS files in MM instead of Meters[at least in my personal experience].....the builder seems to default to MM when bringing in a file, no matter how you check the boxes.

     

    I utilize Cinema4D for all my 3D modeling work.  Doesn't matter how I 'freeze' the Transforms, the web builder has a mind of it's own with respect to Units used.

    Good luck!

     

    NB: I have done lot's of Conversion work before....drop me a PM and we'll chat about terms?!?  I have a valid Driver's License for C4D, lol.

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