New Animation Sequence Dialog

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The Sequencer's New Animation dialog is used to create a new animation sequence (a sequence with no music).  The New Animation dialog can be reached several ways:

 

Selecting File > New > Animation Sequence from the main menu

Clicking the "New Animation Sequence" link on the Start Page

Right-clicking on a preview in the Previews window and selecting "New Animation Sequence" from the pop-up menu

Using the keyboard shortcut Alt-N

 

For detailed help, please refer to the following sections:

 

Sequence Author

Preview

Sequence Length

Use Loops

Initial Timing Grids

Number Of Motion Effect Rows For Pixel Props

Save these choices as defaults.

 

The New Animation dialog

The New Animation dialog

 

 

Sequence Author

 

If you wish, you can put your name here.  It will be saved with the sequence, and will be displayed on the Sequence Information screen. Once set, even if set to a blank value, it cannot be changed.

 

 

Preview

 

A preview is a representation of your light display. It specifies all of the props that you can apply effects to in your sequence. It also specifies all of the channels your sequence will be able to control.

 

Normally, you will select a preview that you have already created on the "Existing Previews" tab. However, you can use the Quick Preview feature to create a new preview on the fly.

 

After assigning a preview here, you may continue to update the preview and those updates will be automatically reflected in the sequence (for example, adding a new prop). You can also later assign a different preview to the sequence; although if you do that, the new preview should be substantially similar to the originally assigned preview.

 

 

Sequence Length

 

This allows you to specify the duration of the sequence.  You will be able to change the value later, using Change Sequence Length in the Sequence menu.

 

The time can include hours, minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second.  For details on the format used to specify various lengths of time, please see Time Format.

 

 

Use Loops

 

If you check the "Use Loops" check box, the newly created sequence will automatically include a loop level, which can be used to insert loops into the sequence.

 

If you create an animation sequence without having selected "Use Loops", and you later decide that you do want loops in the sequence, you can add a loop level by selecting "Loop Level" from the Add New menu, available on the Sequence menu and the Grid View menu.

 

 

Initial Timing Grids

 

This allows you to tell the Sequencer to automatically insert timings into the new sequence.  Timings are the spots in time where you can easily place lighting effects - for example, turn a string of lights on, or have it twinkle, or have it fade down.

 

If you don't know how far apart you want timings to be, just take a guess.  You can always insert, delete, or move timings later.  Note that although the New Animation dialog only allows you to set timings up at equal lengths from each other, timings in general can be any length from each other.  For example, you could later add a timing three seconds away from another, and a third timing half a second away from that one.

 

If you select "Custom Interval", you can enter any length you want, rather than one of the defaults.  This value must be entered using the standard Time Format.

 

 

Number Of Motion Effect Rows For Pixel Props

 

If you have a Pro level license, then you can use motion effects to sequence your props that utilize RGB pixels. You can also have multiple motion effects playing on a prop at the same time. This setting specifies how many motion effect rows should be created for every pixel-based prop. Typically 1 or 2 is a good choice to start. And then you can add more rows to specific props as your sequencing needs dictate.

 

 

Save These Choices As Defaults

 

If you turn this check box on, your answers to the questions in this dialog will be saved so that whenever you create a new animation sequence in the future, those answers will automatically show up in this dialog as the default answers.