Nutcracker: What effects would you like to see?

[garyh]

I'd like to see a choose of font sizes on the text effects.  5 x 9 works on some matrixes, but on larger ones it's small.  Also an option to only show one row and not two would be nice for those with smaller/wider matrixes.

[smeighan]

I'd like to see a choose of font sizes on the text effects.  5 x 9 works on some matrixes, but on larger ones it's small.  Also an option to only show one row and not two would be nice for those with smaller/wider matrixes.

i have a larger font ready, about twice as big. just need time to finsih.

one row vs two is already there.

put nothing in the second text line and you will just see one row. you can center that 1 row in the middle of your tree.

[garyh]

Since LSP doesn't do well with text on a matrix, I'm using nutcracker.  The only problem I have is my matrix is 35 x 48 so 9 pixel high letters are short.  Sounds like your bigger letters might be dead on using two lines 

Thanks again Sean for your time!

[frankr]

Hi Sean,

Just a couple of ideas bouncing around inside my head. I think they will be difficult to put into words but here it goes...

Spirals are great but on a flat matrix they are just vertical lines.  What about a 'spiral' effect, or maybe its a pinwheel, that starts at some point, center by default but possibly user selected or even random, and spins a number of lines around that point.  Bonus points if the lines can start by drawing from the initial point to the edge and then turn. Additional bonus points if they can wipe to fill the entire model (similar to my idea below).

Next, I like spirals but I would like to see the ability to have the width of the spiral grow and shrink and even stop rotation.  Thinking on the flat matrix as that seems easier for me to visualize.  This would be a vertical line that gets thicker or shrinks.

For the bars effect offer more direction choices so the bars can move diagonally.

While I have been typing I started thinking that an iris effect could be very cool. Either center in or center out.

Anyways just bouncing ideas around.  Love the tool!

frank

[smeighan]

Hi Sean,

Just a couple of ideas bouncing around inside my head. I think they will be difficult to put into words but here it goes...

Spirals are great but on a flat matrix they are just vertical lines.  What about a 'spiral' effect, or maybe its a pinwheel, that starts at some point, center by default but possibly user selected or even random, and spins a number of lines around that point.  Bonus points if the lines can start by drawing from the initial point to the edge and then turn. Additional bonus points if they can wipe to fill the entire model (similar to my idea below).

Next, I like spirals but I would like to see the ability to have the width of the spiral grow and shrink and even stop rotation.  Thinking on the flat matrix as that seems easier for me to visualize.  This would be a vertical line that gets thicker or shrinks.

For the bars effect offer more direction choices so the bars can move diagonally.

While I have been typing I started thinking that an iris effect could be very cool. Either center in or center out.

Anyways just bouncing ideas around.  Love the tool!

frank

all good ideas and none are very difficult to implement.

i have these things first
1) build megatree this weekend
2) finish coro star with 60 rgb elements
3) finish 16x128 strings for eaves, windows and arches
4) get my edm transmitter and antenna setup
5) sequence some songs

and then

6) fix 2 color spiral when speed less than 1. when speed is below 1 second color drops to black. Your barberpole becomes RED/BLACK instead of RED/WHITE
7) fix direction in single strand effects. after save, goes back to right
Create horizontal matrix. People have built horizontal matrix (before nutcracker came out). They cant really use it until i get them a target model
9) Make sure projects is rock solid. This is going to get used alot by me.
10) make project copy. i will want this so i can get copies of songs others have done. this copy will copy all of the effect sused on a song and all of the phrase markings.

and then

add new effects, these will probably happen the last two weeks before christmas (stretch goal)
11) U have a font for text that is twice as big as todays font.
12) Add random color sparkles to single strand.
13) Add effect that has effect start on one segment and continue going to the next
14 add effects that are mentioned in this thread

and then, after christmas

15) Make mega project where megatree, eaves, windows and arches are all shown in the project editor.
16) much more



so, this weekend i will try and get my hardware to start to get put out. This next week i will build arches, windows and eaves.

[frankr]

Sounds crazy overambitious!  I wish you much luck in these endeavors.

I am by know means demanding these features Just want to get the ideas on 'paper' while their fresh.

Frank

[smeighan]

Sounds crazy overambitious!  I wish you much luck in these endeavors.

I am by know means demanding these features Just want to get the ideas on 'paper' while their fresh.

Frank

Please put all ideas here. some might sonud hard, but they are actually only a few hours.

sometimes i go and create new effects to take a break from bug fxes and soldering.

please , post any ideas. this way i have a written record of the requests.

[garyh]

Sean, looking back above a few posts, did you get time to add different font sizes?

11) U have a font for text that is twice as big as todays font.

Thanks!

[smeighan]

Sean, looking back above a few posts, did you get time to add different font sizes?

11) U have a font for text that is twice as big as todays font.

Thanks!

It is on my short list since my current text is only 9" high on my 15' megatree. 7 pixels * 1.3" = = 9" high letters. CAnt be seen from the street.
Ths issue is my flex strips are so close. rgb strings have 3" spacing so one row of text is 27" high.

[hicksjo]

Did a quick scroll through and haven't seen this mentioned anywhere ... What about a synthesizer effect?

Trying to do this in vixen right now for the beginning of a song with a nice bass beat pattern

Much harder to do since I have folds in my strings

[kgustafson]

Sean, on the online home page for nutcracker you show two examples of vertical bands.  But I can not find them in the gallery to copy or any info on how to create them.  They would be a good start for straight up and down vertical chases that I would love to play with.  Can you provide info or copy to my library (123).  Thanks

I am not sure if you are asking for this effect jnealand, but I would love to see a 'chase' effect of a vertical bands.  What I envision is dividing my matrix into a series of bands (lets say 2 strings of 25 X 8 bands -- my matrix is 16 X 25).  Then I could chase these in options like top-bottom to bottom - top : top-bottom to top-bottom : bottom-top to top-bottom : bottom-top to bottom-top.  The chase would flash  a square of light up the band in the pattern chosen with a defined tail for the decay.  I guess you would need direction as well (left to right or right to left) and of course all the wonderful color and sparkle options that you have always provided.

Checkboard effect would be cool as well (I use a matrix so this one of the effects I have created and used outside of nutcracker).  Again as an add-on to the band concept, this would subdivide the matrix into smaller squares.  For example my 16x25 matrix could be subdivided into 16 - 4 X 4 squares (4 pixels down for strings across).  The effects applied to squares could be left-right wipe, right-left wipe, top-bottom wipe, bottom-top wipe, random squares (like sparkle it would randomly light up each square), etc.

Kurt

[MrChristmas2000]

Would it be possible to create an arch effect that would allow you to create an arch that chases (bounces) back and forth during a preset time (beat) interval

Further would it be possible to create a chasing arch effect that would move a number of pixels from one end of a row of arches to the other end over a set period of time such as across 1 to X number of beats.

Some of my arch manual effects are such as bouncing each arch back and forth to the beat, chasing a segment across X number of arches and back, etc.

I can provide videos of examples if you like.

Thanks,

[miw01]

Yes I agree

It would be great is we can have a lot more Single String Manipulation, I know Sean had complex strings to meet his needs this year but if the developed "Portfolio" approach (i.e. multi strings/projects merged together) we can get back to the real benefit of SS, i.e. true arch simulation/ping pong/binary counting/abacus simulation etc.

Great work in 2012 can't wait for 2013 developments

Would it be possible to create an arch effect that would allow you to create an arch that chases (bounces) back and forth during a preset time (beat) interval

Further would it be possible to create a chasing arch effect that would move a number of pixels from one end of a row of arches to the other end over a set period of time such as across 1 to X number of beats.

Some of my arch manual effects are such as bouncing each arch back and forth to the beat, chasing a segment across X number of arches and back, etc.

I can provide videos of examples if you like.

Thanks,

[smeighan]

Yes I agree

It would be great is we can have a lot more Single String Manipulation, I know Sean had complex strings to meet his needs this year but if the developed "Portfolio" approach (i.e. multi strings/projects merged together) we can get back to the real benefit of SS, i.e. true arch simulation/ping pong/binary counting/abacus simulation etc.

Great work in 2012 can't wait for 2013 developments

Would it be possible to create an arch effect that would allow you to create an arch that chases (bounces) back and forth during a preset time (beat) interval

Further would it be possible to create a chasing arch effect that would move a number of pixels from one end of a row of arches to the other end over a set period of time such as across 1 to X number of beats.

Some of my arch manual effects are such as bouncing each arch back and forth to the beat, chasing a segment across X number of arches and back, etc.

I can provide videos of examples if you like.

Thanks,

Yes, this is all planned.

More than half of my displ;ay will be single strand effects (arches, windows, eaves, candles, snowflakes, coro stars, fire poles). I will greatly expand the library of effects for single strand.

stay tuned for 2013. Also on my wish list is a wiki page or a users manual. 
improving the ease of using nutcracker. it is still way too technical. it takes work to make it easy and full featured.

[duane.mosley]

+1 for a users manual!




duane