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Thread: PlaybackMode and In Frame Question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Ashland, OR USA
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    PlaybackMode and In Frame Question

    I have a sequence that is not playing back as expected. Probably my error, but I can't figure it out. Please help.
    The Q sequence: (I am refering to console cues, not Catalyst cues)

    Q142 - Layer 4: Set playback Mode to "Display in frame" Set In frame to frame 150, Time 0. Playback Speed is set to 1 (Pause.) All other parameters are at "default." Level is at 0.

    Q145 - Layer 4: Level to full, Time 4, Set In frame to frame 150, time 0.

    Q146 - Layer 4: Set Playback Mode to "Play Once Forward." Playback speed is setn to 128 (full) Time .4. Also change In frame to 151, Time 0.

    What I expect to hapen:
    Q142 - Nothing visible - just loading the movie
    Q145 - Still image of frame 150 fades up in a 4 count
    Q146 - Movie plays forward from frame 150

    What actually happens:
    Q142 - Nothing visible
    Q145 - Still Image of Frame 1 fades up in a 4 count
    Q146 - Movie jumps from frame 1 to frame 151 and then plays forward.

    For some reason it seams like Catalyst is not getting the message that it should be in frame 150. Even though I send that DMX in both Q142 and Q145.
    The reason that I set the In Frame to 151 in Q146 is that I found that if I did not (ie left it at frame 150) the movie would play back from frame 1 in Q146 everytime.

    I am controlling the Catalyst through Artnet, with no CIB, (sorry to be redundant.)

    I have gone to the trouble to capture the Artnet packets at the cue times, and the DMX levels coming from my console are what I have described above.

    Layer 4 is used in the previous cues. The last time it is used it is displaying a .png, so the Playback Mode, In/Out Frame etc remain at default.

    Is there a specific order or timing in which Catalyst needs; relating to file selection, Playback Mode, and setting the in frame?

    Any thoughts on why the described sequence might be playing back as described? I am sure I am missing something simple, I am a "noob" after all.

    Thanx for your help.

  2. #2
    in cue 145 - you say you see frame 1 appear - not frame 150?

    which console is this?

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Yes Frame 1!

    Richard,
    Yes in Q145 the movie fades up in Frame 1 not frame 150 as I would expect.
    Console: is a homebrewed application that we wrote here at OSF. That is why I checked the actual Artnet Packets to make sure I was sending the correct DMX to Catalyst. Our app has worked for us for a couple of years as our moving light console, we adapted the code a bit to deal with Catalyst with a friendly GUI.
    MKM

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by longred
    Richard,
    Yes in Q145 the movie fades up in Frame 1 not frame 150 as I would expect.
    Console: is a homebrewed application that we wrote here at OSF. That is why I checked the actual Artnet Packets to make sure I was sending the correct DMX to Catalyst. Our app has worked for us for a couple of years as our moving light console, we adapted the code a bit to deal with Catalyst with a friendly GUI.
    MKM
    and what dmx values in what channels did you see?

  5. #5
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    DMx for Layer 4 in the described Qs

    Richard,
    Here is the DMX for Layer 4. Let me know if you want the entire DMX stream.
    Q137 Q142 Q145 Q146
    Chan DMX Chan DMX Chan DMX Chan DMX
    121 3 121 3 121 3 121 3
    122 3 122 77 122 77 122 77
    123 0 123 0 123 0 123 0
    124 0 124 150 124 150 124 151
    125 0 125 0 125 0 125 0
    126 0 126 0 126 0 126 0
    127 0 127 0 127 0 127 4
    128 0 128 0 128 0 128 128
    129 128 129 128 129 128 129 128
    130 0 130 0 130 0 130 0
    131 128 131 128 131 128 131 128
    132 0 132 0 132 0 132 0
    133 128 133 128 133 128 133 128
    134 0 134 0 134 0 134 0
    135 139 135 138 135 138 135 138
    136 221 136 99 136 99 136 99
    137 128 137 127 137 127 137 127
    138 0 138 244 138 244 138 244
    139 128 139 127 139 127 139 127
    140 0 140 112 140 112 140 112
    141 0 141 0 141 0 141 0
    142 0 142 0 142 0 142 0
    143 0 143 0 143 255 143 255
    144 255 144 255 144 255 144 255
    145 255 145 255 145 255 145 255
    146 255 146 255 146 255 146 255
    147 0 147 0 147 0 147 0
    148 0 148 0 148 0 148 0
    149 0 149 0 149 0 149 0
    150 0 150 0 150 0 150 0
    151 0 151 0 151 0 151 0
    152 0 152 0 152 0 152 0
    153 128 153 128 153 128 153 128
    154 128 154 128 154 128 154 128
    155 128 155 128 155 128 155 128
    156 128 156 128 156 128 156 128
    157 128 157 128 157 128 157 128
    158 128 158 128 158 128 158 128
    159 128 159 128 159 128 159 128
    160 128 160 128 160 128 160 128
    Thanks again for your help.
    Michael

  6. #6
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    Eek that looks like poo, what happened to my formatting? Let me know if you want me to send you a text file or something that is more legible.
    Michael

  7. #7
    I always find it best to try and change as few parameters as possible in a cue. In Q146 you change both the mode and the speed. A few possible solutions:

    1. Try setting the mode to "Play Once Forward" in Q142. This should be fine because pause should hold it. If pause is stopping it from presetting to frame 150, you could try playing at full speed and just bracketing frame 150 with in and out. So now it's basically just playing frame 150 over and over again until you change your outframe in Q146. <Edit: in order for this bracketing to work, you may have to set mode to "Play Loop Forward">

    2. Rather than changing play mode in Q142, try changing play speed to "full speed" in Q142. Now the only thing you are changing in Q146 is play mode, and also possibly the inframe from 150 to 151.

    I think option 2 here is going to be the cleanest solution.

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Location
    Ashland, OR USA
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    Thanx

    Josh,
    Thanx for the suggestions. Have you found that changing multiple parameters in cue(simultaneously) is problematic?
    I'll try your cueing suggestions and see what happens. I like the changing the out frame idea, I never would have thought of that option.
    I'll post my results.
    Michael

  9. #9
    what you have here is parameters that interact.

    I cant repeat what you see-

    but in this example you dont need to change the playback speed in any cue.
    'Inframe' playmode does not play. Leave playback speed at 100%

    Also suggest you check the commands you think you are sending to catalyst - using the catalyst GUI.

    For example when you say frame 1 - your user interface is using an offset from 1 - my user interface uses an ofset from 0.

  10. #10
    As Richard said the parameters are interacting, meaning...the behavior of one parameter is dependent on the setting of another. It's kind of like "gobo rotation" and "gobo function" in moving lights. The behavior of "gobo rotation" is dependent on which mode "gobo function" is set to.

    Also, the more parameters you change, the more processing catalyst has to do. This is especially applicable if you fade between two different values, even if it's on a layer that isn't visible. Basically you are sending 1000's of commands to catalyst over the course of a few seconds. It just can't process changes that fast. I often see choppy fades and video playback because of this.

    My rule of thumb is "change as little as possible, and do it as quickly as possible."

    Once again as Richard suggested, the GUI really is the best tool for figuring things out. It's far more intuitive than any lighting console interface. Play around with the GUI. Snapshot some presets that do what you want, then recreate those settings from the console.

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