Building a "Directional Twinkle"

For an upcoming production, I will be programming an LED star curtain (single color nodes, not RGB) with 48 controllable points. In effect, having the ability to have the drop twinkle from bottom to top, left to right, etc. Creating the typical random twinkle like a fiber curtain will be simple, but any ideas on how to make a directional effect in which each star only turns on and off once?

Complicated step based effect that only runs once? Individual delays on each node? Absolute effect?

Any Ideas?

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  • Sounds like a 48-step step-based effect to me, duration 1 cycle.

  • Makes sense. For some reason I thought there might be a simpler way.

     

    Looking forward to building a LOT of steps.....

     

    Thanks.

  • This might be done pretty easily.  I was doing something similar with down lights last summer.

    I assume you'll have a grid of channels like 6X8.  First, patch them sequentially in left to right rows.  If you try this on the OLE, you might pick a grid of 48 Tombstones that are 6X8, then use the data key to watch the results.  Record these as a Group.

    Next, make two Intesity Palettes as your high and lows (zero and Full).  I generally put all my channels into these so I can have instant flash and trash whenever I'm bored.

    Now make an Absolute Effect that has two Actions- IP1 and IP2.  Copy this Effect four or five times.  Then start playing with the Spread and Trail of each one.  You'l find it impressively easy to make directional waves.  Once you get something that goes up,  you can make a copy that goes down by selecting reverse in the attributes field.  You can also do this with the offset softkey in Live.  [Group 1 Effect 1 Enter] goes one way, [Group 1 Offset Reverse Effect 1 Enter] goes the other. 

    Also,  if you put all your channels in the IP's, the Effects will do flashy things for any of your groups or systems, they just won't have the same patterns.  I think this is pretty cool.  Good Luck, B

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  • This might be done pretty easily.  I was doing something similar with down lights last summer.

    I assume you'll have a grid of channels like 6X8.  First, patch them sequentially in left to right rows.  If you try this on the OLE, you might pick a grid of 48 Tombstones that are 6X8, then use the data key to watch the results.  Record these as a Group.

    Next, make two Intesity Palettes as your high and lows (zero and Full).  I generally put all my channels into these so I can have instant flash and trash whenever I'm bored.

    Now make an Absolute Effect that has two Actions- IP1 and IP2.  Copy this Effect four or five times.  Then start playing with the Spread and Trail of each one.  You'l find it impressively easy to make directional waves.  Once you get something that goes up,  you can make a copy that goes down by selecting reverse in the attributes field.  You can also do this with the offset softkey in Live.  [Group 1 Effect 1 Enter] goes one way, [Group 1 Offset Reverse Effect 1 Enter] goes the other. 

    Also,  if you put all your channels in the IP's, the Effects will do flashy things for any of your groups or systems, they just won't have the same patterns.  I think this is pretty cool.  Good Luck, B

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