Pangolin Lasershow Designer 2000 Tips...

**Stuka** · 11-22-2009, 20:58

For those of us still learning various aspects of the LD2000 suite, I was thinking it might be helpful to post some tips from the "epiphanies" we've had along the way working with the software.
Whether or not the tips are obvious or not doesn't really matter -

I, for one, could use all the help I can get!!

So here's my first offerings (BTW - I run a QM2000.net):

AutoPlay 2000 v5.02 Tip # 1

Show preload works GREAT - however, the QM2000 frame buffer needs to be empty if loading a lot of shows!
I run LD2000 to set my zones and clear the frames, then leave it running when I launch AutoPlay.
After preloading all the shows, I scroll through the playlist and make sure the end times are correct for each show loaded.
If any changes are made to the playlist, it seems to work best if you edit the playlist, go back to LD2000 to clear the frame buffer, then completely reload all the shows on the playlist.

AutoPlay 2000 v5.02 Tip # 2

The timing of preloaded shows seem to be very sensitive to other things going on simultaneously on your computer.
I run a fairly high-end desktop computer, but I was having problems with frames dropping out during AutoPlay playback, even though I wasn't running any other applications other than LD2000.
Finally, I turned off the laser preview in AutoPlay, and my frame dropouts and timing problems seemed to have gone away.

Next....?

**Stuka** · 12-26-2009, 12:39

AutoPlay 2000 v5.02 Tip # 3 -
Multiple AutoPlay Playlists using Batch Files

Here's a procedure I've used successfully several times now to setup multiple AutoPlay playlists in advance, then load the desired lists at "show time" using batch files.
It take a few minutes to set this up the first time, but after that creating and switching playlists is a snap!
This comes in very handy in situations where you might want to preload one type of shows (for example, a QM2K card full of Pink Floyd and other classic rock graphics shows

), then during a brief intermission, clear out the memory of the QM2K and preload a bunch of beam shows.
Using batch files is MUCH quicker than manually deleting and adding a list full of shows!

My batch files work around the fact that AutoPlay 2000 uses a single .ini file to store all its settings:
C:\WINDOWS\LDauto2k.ini
Any playlist or setup changes made in AutoPlay 2000 are written "on the fly" to the LDauto2k.ini file. For multiple playlists to work, you need to save and swap this file, with all its changes, on demand.
I have used my batch files quite successfully on Windows XP, and I assume they will work on VISTA and Windows 7 as well...I think!

For demo purposes, we'll assume you want to have a graphics playlist and a separate beams playlist - although you could expand this procedure to include as many playlists as you want. Also, as mentioned previously I always keep LD2000 running minimized in the background, which makes it quick and easy to clear out the QM2K memory between playlists, and also adjust or call up projection zones as needed.

Start out by creating a folder to gold all your custom playlist configurations -
for simplicity, let's call it C:\autoplay_config. Within that folder, create two additional folders labeled graphics and beams.

For each type of playlist you create in advance, you'll need two batch files - one to SAVE your playlist, and one to LOAD your playlist.
The batch files work quite simply like this:
The SAVE batch file copies the active C:\WINDOWS\LDauto2k.ini to the custom folder you just created to store your playlist configuration.
The LOAD batch file copies the LDauto2k.ini file from your saved playlist configuration folder, makes it the active C:\WINDOWS\LDauto2k.ini, and launches AutoPlay using your selected playlist.

Simple!!

So, here's a sample SAVE BEAMS batch file, with extra comments added for some interactive options during use.
Save this batch file in your C:\autoplay_config folder:

************************************************** ***********************
@echo off
rem
rem Batch file to save current LDauto2k.ini file for custom session of Pangolin AutoPlay 2000.
rem
rem This batch file saves custom BEAM show list for Pangolin AutoPlay 2000.
rem
echo.
echo This batch file saves current AutoPlay 2000 session as BEAM show list
echo.
echo.
echo " <CTRL> <C> " to exit
echo.
echo OR
echo.
pause
echo.
@echo off
xcopy C:\WINDOWS\LDauto2k.ini C:\autoplay_config\beams\LDauto2k.ini /q /y
echo.
echo Copy complete
echo.
echo.
pause

************************************************** ***********************

For a SAVE GRAPHICS batch file, copy this same file and simply change the \beams\reference to \graphics\.
Save all the batch files in the same C:\autoplay_config folder.

Here's the LOAD BEAMS batch file to go with these:

************************************************** ***********************

@echo off
rem
rem Batch file to load selected custom LDauto2k.ini file for current session of Pangolin AutoPlay 2000.
rem
rem This batch file loads custom BEAM show list for AutoPlay 2000.
rem
echo.
echo This batch file loads custom BEAM show list and launches AutoPlay 2000
echo.
echo.
echo " <CTRL> <C> " to exit
echo.
echo OR
echo.
pause
echo.
@echo off
xcopy C:\autoplay_config\beams\LDauto2k.ini C:\WINDOWS\LDauto2k.ini /q /y
echo.
echo Copy complete
echo.
start C:\LD2000\Auto2000.exe

************************************************** ***********************
For a LOAD GRAPHICS batch file, copy this same file and simply change the \beams\reference to \graphics\

Putting these batch files to use:

To save your GRAPHICS playlist, run AutoPlay, setup all the graphics shows and options you want as part of this playlist, then run your SAVE GRAPHICS batch file.
To save your BEAMS playlist, setup all the beams shows and options you want as part of this playlist, then run your SAVE BEAMS batch file.
Easy!

To use the playlists, simply run the LOAD GRAPHICS or LOAD BEAMS batch files.
Be sure to preload all your shows within Autoplay after it launches.
Also, to help prevent memory-related "surprises" during playback, between playlists it is a good idea to close Autoplay, clear the QM2K memory (easy if LD2000 is running in the background), setup the next appropriate zones, then run your next playlist batch file.

One additional thing you may want to do before saving your playlists (SAVE batch files) is to edit the actual C:\WINDOWS\LDauto2k.ini file so the title bar in AutoPlay reflects the name of the currently loaded playlist.
Under the [Names] section, edit the Large text name= entry to display your desired text.
After editing, mine look something like this:

graphics.JPG
beams.JPG
Hope some of you will find this helpful!!

PS -

These batch files were written using the default directory structure for Windows XP.
You may need to "tweak" the file locations referenced for things to work as expected under Vista or Windows 7

DZ · 12-26-2009, 15:01

Hey Stuka, thanks for posting this, I've never really taken the time to figure out autoplay, this will be a great start!

**Pangolin** · 12-26-2009, 22:03

Looks great Randy!!

By the way, using something similar to the technique implemented by Randy, it would be easy to add playlist capability *directly* to Autoplay itself. We give the source code for Autoplay so that others can make their own Autoplay versions. People have done this. Some have made players that were simpler than Autoplay (for example, dedicated player programs at Disney and Universal Studios), and others have made more complex player programs (for example, Laserlight Showcontrol).

We haven't added this directly ourselves because some clients have asked us specifically to keep Autoplay as a simple program...

Anyway, great work Randy and thanks for sharing this!

Bill

**Stuka** · 12-28-2009, 19:37

Simple is good, for sure!

If I ever get around to diving into programming again (one of the many "fun" things on the "to do" list!), I would like to play around with the source code and try out some customizing!
For now, I'll stick with the batch files - at least until I get this whole "abstract generator" thing figured out...

**buffo** · 12-29-2009, 13:49

"Figuring out the abstract generator" isn't as difficult as you might think, but there is no substitute for spending time in front of your computer playing with it. Once you've done a dozen or so different abstracts, you start to get an idea as to what works and what doesn't.

Adam

**allthatwhichis** · 02-01-2010, 19:33

I actually hesitated putting this up as it can be very hard on any scanner set used. Attempt at your own risk.!!! My ct6215s don't have mush problem but there is a lot of flicker.

I have posted two Youtube video tutorials on how to set up projections zones in LD2000/Showtime to simulate 5 projectors from one projector. This is also a few steps away from a multi-projector projection zone set up when you have multiple QM2000s. All you have to do is change the scanner the zone is set to from scanner 1 to scanner n. I started this as a way to plan out multiple projector shows in Showtime and have grown to like watching shows this way. Let me know what you think and it I missed anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrvosZD5fqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR0cuuJDWUY

DZ · 02-02-2010, 00:38

Nice job on the tutorial allthat!

Originally Posted by allthatwhichis

I actually hesitated putting this up as it can be very hard on any scanner set used. Attempt at your own risk.!!! My ct6215s don't have mush problem but there is a lot of flicker.

I have posted two Youtube video tutorials on how to set up projections zones in LD2000/Showtime to simulate 5 projectors from one projector. This is also a few steps away from a multi-projector projection zone set up when you have multiple QM2000s. All you have to do is change the scanner the zone is set to from scanner 1 to scanner n. I started this as a way to plan out multiple projector shows in Showtime and have grown to like watching shows this way. Let me know what you think and it I missed anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrvosZD5fqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR0cuuJDWUY

**prodjallen** · 02-02-2010, 03:04

Hey Guys & Girls,

Has anyone figured out how to make a very slow moving sine wave on the abstract generator? (QM2k) I've been trying to make a wide sine wave, sorta like a liquid sky, but it tends to move wayy too fast, and unable to make it go slow... any ideas?

-Allen

**allthatwhichis** · 02-02-2010, 09:50

I know Bill showed us at one FLEM; I just forget how he did it.

I will play around today and see if I can figure it out.

**Stuka** · 02-02-2010, 12:36

Originally Posted by allthatwhichis

I actually hesitated putting this up as it can be very hard on any scanner set used. Attempt at your own risk.!!! My ct6215s don't have mush problem but there is a lot of flicker.

I have posted two Youtube video tutorials on how to set up projections zones in LD2000/Showtime to simulate 5 projectors from one projector. This is also a few steps away from a multi-projector projection zone set up when you have multiple QM2000s. All you have to do is change the scanner the zone is set to from scanner 1 to scanner n. I started this as a way to plan out multiple projector shows in Showtime and have grown to like watching shows this way. Let me know what you think and it I missed anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrvosZD5fqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR0cuuJDWUY

Awesome...thanks for posting this!!

**allthatwhichis** · 02-20-2010, 19:34

Originally Posted by prodjallen

Hey Guys & Girls,

Has anyone figured out how to make a very slow moving sine wave on the abstract generator? (QM2k) I've been trying to make a wide sine wave, sorta like a liquid sky, but it tends to move wayy too fast, and unable to make it go slow... any ideas?

-Allen

Frame 100 in the Budabar (Rupert Morse) show. Change the top waveform to to blanked Sawtooth and it is a two hump, slow moving wave.

Promise me you will only play it in private or on a varienced projector.

**prodjallen** · 02-21-2010, 05:24

Hey Thanks for that

I Promise! Also, I think I've also seen it in another show as well, but I was curious if it was possible to get that effect via the abstract generator, by manipulating settings or no?

**Stuka** · 02-22-2010, 10:26

**soforene** · 02-22-2010, 11:46

I was experiencing an issue whereby, when running a show in the preview window of Showtime, the show "carried on" after the end until I manually stopped it.
After querying it with "The Mighty Bill" he mentioned that Showtime contnues to play (even if there's nothing to display) until it reaches the last event.

it turns out there was a "Reset Track Frame Zero" effect further along the timeline, way past where my show ended.
I know I didn't add this last effect so maybe it's added by default (at 4:00 mins) when you start creating a show so if you experience the same issue then it's worth zooming out on the timeline to find the last event.

Hopefully this'll stop others scratching their head about why their shows don't stop in the playback window.

**Stuka** · 02-22-2010, 12:25

Originally Posted by soforene

I was experiencing an issue whereby, when running a show in the preview window of Showtime, the show "carried on" after the end until I manually stopped it.
After querying it with "The Mighty Bill" he mentioned that Showtime contnues to play (even if there's nothing to display) until it reaches the last event.

it turns out there was a "Reset Track Frame Zero" effect further along the timeline, way past where my show ended.
I know I didn't add this last effect so maybe it's added by default (at 4:00 mins) when you start creating a show so if you experience the same issue then it's worth zooming out on the timeline to find the last event.

Hopefully this'll stop others scratching their head about why their shows don't stop in the playback window.

That solves issues I've had with a few shows - thanks for posting!!

**buffo** · 02-23-2010, 08:41

Here is a little tip that might help you out if you're creating a complex show with lots of cues and effects. Pangolin's Showtime editor has a maximum limit on the number of "events" in a given scene. Running into this limit while you're creating a show can be very frustrating, but you can avoid this by planning the show better from the beginning.

First, a little review: remember that a scene is the smallest division on the time line, followed by module and show. All of the cues and effects are added in the scene editor, while the module time line stitches together several scenes, and the show time line stitches together several modules.

Where people get into trouble is when they consider a "scene" to be a whole song. This is not the way the software is set up. A scene is only supposed to be *part* of a song. A module is one complete song. And yes, sometimes the whole show is just 1 song long (that is, only 1 module), but you can also have multiple modules (songs) in a show.

So if you start creating a show and decide that you only need 1 scene, you might have a problem, because if the show is very complex, you'll run into the built-in limit for the maximum number of time line events in a single scene.

I think the limit is 600 events per scene. It might be slightly more than that, but I know the limit is close to 600. Now, that sounds like a lot of events, but if you're doing a beam show to a song with a fast beat (think just about any dance tune), then you're probably going to have lots of cues and effects crammed into the time line. Also, everything you drop on the time line counts, even if it's only a "reset track" effect.

So what ends up happening is that you get 2/3ds of the way through with your show, and suddenly you can't add any more cues to the time line because you've reached your limit. And you're usually right in the middle of a complicated series of effects when this happens. ARGH! Now you've got to create a new scene and cut and paste some of the events from the old scene to the new scene until you can end up with a smooth transition from one to the other. (Be sure to save it before you do this, because it's easy to mess up the timing for everything if you accidentally change the length of the first scene.)

To prevent this from happening, all you need to do is divide the song (module) into two or three scenes right at the start, before you begin placing cues on the time line for the first scene. Set the transition points between scenes to coincide with passages in the music where you plan to be in-between effects so you don't have to try to span two scenes with a continuous effect. (This is very difficult to do.) As a general rule, 1 scene per 1 to 2 minutes of audio works quite well.

I've hit this limit on nearly half the shows I've created, so it *is* something you need to be aware of. But a little pre-planning ahead of time will keep you in the clear.

Adam

**Stuka** · 02-23-2010, 09:52

Originally Posted by buffo

Here is a little tip that might help you out if you're creating a complex show with lots of cues and effects. Pangolin's Showtime editor has a maximum limit on the number of "events" in a given scene. Running into this limit while you're creating a show can be very frustrating, but you can avoid this by planning the show better from the beginning.

First, a little review: remember that a scene is the smallest division on the time line, followed by module and show. All of the cues and effects are added in the scene editor, while the module time line stitches together several scenes, and the show time line stitches together several modules.

Where people get into trouble is when they consider a "scene" to be a whole song. This is not the way the software is set up. A scene is only supposed to be *part* of a song. A module is one complete song. And yes, sometimes the whole show is just 1 song long (that is, only 1 module), but you can also have multiple modules (songs) in a show.

So if you start creating a show and decide that you only need 1 scene, you might have a problem, because if the show is very complex, you'll run into the built-in limit for the maximum number of time line events in a single scene.

I think the limit is 600 events per scene. It might be slightly more than that, but I know the limit is close to 600. Now, that sounds like a lot of events, but if you're doing a beam show to a song with a fast beat (think just about any dance tune), then you're probably going to have lots of cues and effects crammed into the time line. Also, everything you drop on the time line counts, even if it's only a "reset track" effect.

So what ends up happening is that you get 2/3ds of the way through with your show, and suddenly you can't add any more cues to the time line because you've reached your limit. And you're usually right in the middle of a complicated series of effects when this happens. ARGH! Now you've got to create a new scene and cut and paste some of the events from the old scene to the new scene until you can end up with a smooth transition from one to the other. (Be sure to save it before you do this, because it's easy to mess up the timing for everything if you accidentally change the length of the first scene.)

To prevent this from happening, all you need to do is divide the song (module) into two or three scenes right at the start, before you begin placing cues on the time line for the first scene. Set the transition points between scenes to coincide with passages in the music where you plan to be in-between effects so you don't have to try to span two scenes with a continuous effect. (This is very difficult to do.) As a general rule, 1 scene per 1 to 2 minutes of audio works quite well.

I've hit this limit on nearly half the shows I've created, so it *is* something you need to be aware of. But a little pre-planning ahead of time will keep you in the clear.

Adam

Glad you posted this -
After we talked about this idea yesterday, I split my TSO show I'm working on into two scenes, so I should be safe from the max event limit!

I found that the key to splitting an existing scene falls right in line with the post Soforene made yesterday - provided the (default) automating show times settings aren't changed, the last event in the timeline will specify the end of the scene / module. So, to specify a split point in an existing scene / module, simply drop a "Reset Track" event where you want the split to occur. Cut all events AFTER that, and paste them into the new scene / module.

When the show is saved, the scene / module lengths will automatically adjust. Cool!

You know, if we keep sharing these tips, a lot of us are really going to be well on our way to really figuring this stuff out.!!

Scary......

**allthatwhichis** · 02-23-2010, 11:11

I just started a new show and hit the 600 event limit within the first 45 seconds...

I know have 4 scenes in the first minute of the show.

I knew about that limitation after finding on my first show and have learned to only work on 8 to 15 seconds of your show at one time.

**buffo** · 02-23-2010, 13:14

Originally Posted by allthatwhichis

I just started a new show and hit the 600 event limit within the first 45 seconds...

Holy Crap! 45 seconds! Wow... That's got to be one hell of a show. (That means you've got an average of more than 10 events per second!) I can't wait to see this monster...

I typically hit the limit at about 2:30 to 3:00 minutes into a 4:00 minute show. But now I've learned to split the show up into smaller chunks (scenes) to prevent the problem.

You know, I just realized that you're probably writing a show for multiple projectors, which means you're using more tracks and more simultaneous effects, so yeah, I guess I can see how you might hit the limit earlier. Still though, the first 45 seconds? Damn, Arron, you're hard core!

Adam

**allthatwhichis** · 02-24-2010, 11:07

Originally Posted by buffo

Holy Crap! 45 seconds! Wow... That's got to be one hell of a show. (That means you've got an average of more than 10 events per second!) I can't wait to see this monster...

I have to correct my figure; I had to go to scene two at 00:00:14:50... There are 427 events and I wanted to copy and paste enough to go over 600. I have 8 horizontal lines to represen piano keys and when the song hits a key I make that "key" pan down and fade out then fade in as it pans back up. Now that I am looking at it more closely, scene two has 531 events, and I have made 3 copies of scene two and have 4 scenes for the first 00:01:09:xx... and this is a slim version where I am just setting things up; basiclly set up a beat to one of the reptitous beats and pasted it out over the time so far. I can't have over a minute of just piano keys... I will go back and change things but it is looking to be a bit complicated. Ths is for one projector at the moment. Might have to rethink my scene set up.

**buffo** · 02-24-2010, 13:23

I think Peter Heyt's "Again" show has 16 scenes...

Though truthfully it doesn't need them, as it's not nearly as filled with cues as your show. Still, there's nothing wrong with having many scenes if it makes it easier for you to program the show...

Adam

**Stuka** · 07-31-2010, 14:53

BUMP....

Added link to Buffo's thread for Multiple projector show planning...

**Stuka** · 01-29-2011, 18:51

Adding some good QuickShow 2.0 links to the list:

Virtual DJ Walk through:
http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...J-Walk-Through

Trigger Cues based on Audio Input
http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...on-audio-input

**decix** · 01-30-2011, 05:30

QS is not LD2000 so there should be another thread for that.

Thread: Pangolin Lasershow Designer 2000 Tips...

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Pangolin Lasershow Designer 2000 Tips...

Multiple AutoPlay Playlists using Batch Fles

Question on QM2000 Abstract Generator

Method to avoid the "maximum number of time line events exceeded" problem.

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