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Thread: SELEM 2019 first time attendee - looking for tips/suggestions

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by hobbybob View Post
    hopefully will be meeting Telemonster again
    Due to conflicts at work, Ethan may not arrive until Wednesday or Thursday. Right now he's shooing for Wednesday afternoon, but it's not settled yet. Rest assured though, he *WILL* be there!

    Flying in on Tuesday 6th to Charlotte International Airport, arriving at 15.32 (eh i believe that is 3.32PM called in the States)
    We actually use the colon : to separate hours and minutes, rather than a period. But either 15:32 or 3:32 PM is fine.

    The venue is about 50 minutes by car from the Charlotte Airport. So my guess is that you'll probably get into Newton around 5 PM or so, accounting for the time it will take to get the rental car and get clear of the airport.

    It's likely that we will still be working on setup when you arrive. We can stay as late as 9 PM on Tuesday if we need to, but typically we finish between 6 and 7 PM. So I would plan to just go to the venue when you get to town. Note that once load-in is completed we all take a break to go to the hotel and get settled, and then we all go out for a "pre-SELEM dinner party" at a local restaurant. No idea where that will be this year yet. (Maybe the Blue Moon Tavern downtown like we did last year?)

    Give me a call on my cell phone at (843) 324-0735 if you get into town and get lost.

    I will probably just be bringing my laptop plus FB3 as to not having to lug stuff around on my few days of NY before, so travelling light...
    That's a smart plan. Traveling light makes things much easier!

    Are there any outlet shopping centres so i can buy some stuff (Nike shoes, Jeans, shirts...) Just some stuff to have an After-Selem-Feeling ("I bought this during Selem 2019!")...
    There are some local shops downtown that sell touristy-type things (shirts, hats, etc), and there are a few larger retail chain stores like Target, WalMart, etc near the highway that sell more common things like Nike Shoes, Levi's Jeans, and so on. But if you want to go to a big shopping mall you would be better off doing that in downtown Charlotte. Charlotte is a big city (close to 1 million people), while Newton is very small (only 13 thousand people).

    If you just want something small that you can say "This came from Newton, NC when I was there for SELEM", then yeah, you can surely find that in town. But if you actually want do some serious shopping for goods, then Charlotte would be the better choice.

    Does the local supermarket sell the M&Ms Caramel edition (the blue bags with orange letters caramel), i love those and want to bring some home...
    I'm not sure. I didn't know they made Caramel M&Ms! The best chance to find them in Newton would probably be either WalMart or Sam's club near the hotel. We usually make several trips to these stores to buy food and drinks for the event; I suggest you try to ride along on one of those trips to look for these candies.

    i am hyped up like an energizer bunny!
    Yup! We all are! It's going to be a crazy, awesome, exciting, exhausting, fun week!

    Any tips, tricks?
    Experience everything. Watch shows. Take a turn on a live console. Watch someone hook up and fire an ion laser. Play a VR game. Talk to everyone you can. Exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Keep moving. Ask questions. Take pictures. Tell stories. Tell jokes. Laugh. Remember to eat something.

    Write down quick notes, either on your phone, in a notebook, or on a tablet or laptop, whenever you get a cool idea or see something new that impresses you. Seek out the people in the hotel who are willing to stay up late: each night when SELEM ends be sure to meet up with those late night folks (even if it's just for 30 min) to soak up even more knowledge as people share their stories. Have a beer or two if you want. But be prepared: you will probably not get enough sleep because there's just too much cool stuff to do.

    And when you get back home, gather all your friends and fellow laserists and explain to them why they should come to SELEM for themselves.

    Adam

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Yup! We all are! It's going to be a crazy, awesome, exciting, exhausting, fun week!

    Adam
    Don't forget that once the SELEM vortex opens time runs at roughly 2-3x normal speed. Make sure to pause regularly and take it all in

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by hitekvoop View Post
    Don't forget that once the SELEM vortex opens time runs at roughly 2-3x normal speed. Make sure to pause regularly and take it all in


  4. #14
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    Thanks for all your advices, private messages and tips. This is gonna be fun!

    Does someone by any chance bring a Kvant projector with fb4 that is not directly in the truss / used for shows ?
    Wattage is unimportant, it's the combination Kvant/fb4/beyond ultimate.

    I want to try out something which has causes me headaches for the past 2 years and still remains unsolved in Beyond.
    Hopefully we can test it on SELEM to prove i am not crazy and it is really not working as it should ?
    I didn't fail !
    I just found out 10,000 ways that didn't work.

  5. #15
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    I'll check around for the M&M's. I know I've seen them locally.

    I also suspect there will be a Kvant with an FB4 in it floating around you can do your test with - even if we need to pull it down to check. (I don't own one - imagine that!)
    PM Sent...

  6. #16
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    Also can’t wait to experience my first SELEM. I’m flying out from California and will arrive late Tuesday.

    Quote Originally Posted by hobbybob
    Does someone by any chance bring a Kvant projector with fb4 that is not directly in the truss / used for shows?
    Quote Originally Posted by hobbybob
    Wattage is unimportant, it's the combination Kvant/fb4/beyond ultimate.
    I’m bringing a Kvant with Saturns but unfortunately it’s the classic version without the fb4. You’re still welcome to use it though.

    How is Beyond ultimate? I’m an essentials user but I’ve been drooling over ultimate for a while now...

  7. #17
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    Lyra Letourneau will only be at SELEM on Saturday and part of Sunday, but if you have questions about Pangolin's Beyond software, she is probably the best resource available for answers.

    Personally I think the sweet spot for Beyond licenses is the middle (Advanced) level - mostly because it gives you the "Also-to:" feature for zones. The 3D stuff that comes with Ultimate is great if you're into that sort of thing, but I don't know too many people who use it.

    Adam

  8. #18
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    Boy, I wish there was a Beyond Essentials Plus that only added "Also-to:". Advanced is too expensive for my blood just to get that one feature.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Lyra Letourneau will only be at SELEM on Saturday and part of Sunday, but if you have questions about Pangolin's Beyond software, she is probably the best resource available for answers.

    Personally I think the sweet spot for Beyond licenses is the middle (Advanced) level - mostly because it gives you the "Also-to:" feature for zones. The 3D stuff that comes with Ultimate is great if you're into that sort of thing, but I don't know too many people who use it.
    Thanks for the advice. I am definitely interested in learning more and hearing about personal experience. The main reason I'm interested in Beyond is actually the 3D animation program because I love that type of effect and suck at drawing traditional frames.

    I can't say I'm too familiar with Beyond's zone features since all my shows run through one graphics zone on one projector. I've just never had a need to go Beyond that (excuse the unintentional pun). I presume this feature is useful for controlling multiple projectors?

  10. #20
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    The zone features aren't nearly as important if you're only using a single projector. Although there are some very cool things you can do with zone chasing even with one projector, the real power of zones is unlocked with multiple controllers and multiple projectors. Lyra can probably give you many more examples than I can though, so be sure you get a chance to speak to her.

    Regarding the 3D engine, yeah, if you really want to do work in that environment then you need the Ultimate license. You also get a bunch of other cool features with Ultimate, but it sounds like the 3D editor will be the biggest draw for you. Unfortunately, an Ultimate license isn't cheap.

    While you're saving up for that, you might want to look into some alternatives for building ILDA frames using other 3D tools. There are ways to convert 3D files from CAD software, or from some structured drawing programs, to ILDA. I'm pretty sure ILDA S.O.S. can convert files from Corel Draw, and I think it will also convert .dxf files from various CAD programs. If you can find a free or low cost 3D modeling program that will output a .dxf file, that should allow you to get the files into Beyond. Of course, this is a time consuming and cumbersome process, and you won't be able to preview your work on the projector, but it's a way to get started at least.

    Adam

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