Smooth Ramps

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As discussed in the Balanced Color Mode / Full Color Mode section, the start and end setting of each color is adjusted by the Light-O-Rama SuperStar Sequencer so that the brightness is linear.  However, on a single fade, the SuperStar Sequencer cannot control the rate at which the brightness changes in between the start and the end.  To get around this, the SuperStar Sequencer can use "smooth ramps".  In smooth ramps mode, ramps that are one second long or longer are actually treated as ten short ramps.  In this way, the SuperStar Sequencer gains control of the rate of change of the ramp.  The fast change of ramps is not easily perceived for short ramps, but with very long ramps you will notice it.  To see the example, try the following:

 

Set Smooth Ramps mode
Add a non-smooth ramp
Add a smooth ramp
What are we doing?
Observe the difference
Summary

 

Set Smooth Ramps mode

 

Click on the Tools menu and select Configuration.
Select Smooth Ramps in the Configuration dialog box.

 

Add a non-smooth ramp

 

Launch the Scene dialog box.
Select pixels 0-10 on the pixel grid.
Set the time duration to 1.00 to 1.95 seconds.
Set the start color to red = 100.
Set the end color to red = 0.
Click on the Add button.

 

The scene will be added to layer 1.

 

Add a smooth ramp

 

Select pixels 11-20 in the pixel grid.
In the scene dialog box, set the time duration to 1.00 to 2.00 seconds.
Leave the start color at red = 100.
Leave the end color at red = 0.
Click on the Add button.

 

The scene should be added to layer 2 so that they both are stacked on top of each other.

 

What are we doing?

 

Both of the scenes cover almost the same time range.  The two scenes should be stacked on top of each other.  The pixels you selected should not collide (that is, each scene should turn on a different set of pixels).

 

Observe the difference

 

Click on the Play button.  The first scene added is of a duration less than one second, so the ramp will not be smoothed.  The second scene is a second long, and so the ramp will be smoothed.

 

Note that the top pixels (belonging to the first scene) will not drop in brightness as fast as the bottom pixels (belonging to the second scene).

 

Summary

 

When in Smooth Ramps mode, only ramps 1.00 second long and longer are smoothed.  Even if you are in Smooth Ramps mode, smoothing is not done for ramps less than 1.00 second.  This is because the smoothing of short ramps is not easily perceptible to the eye.  Realize that any ramp that is smoothed gets chopped up into ten ramps, and thus the number of commands is ten times greater, and the length of the exported sequence file is ten times greater for that effect.  This is why smoothing of short ramps is not done.

 

Smooth Ramps mode defaults to off, but you can turn it on, and then the setting gets stored in both your launch configuration file and in the .sup file.  It affects the export of a Light-O-Rama .lms or .las file, and as mentioned, exported files using smoothed ramps will be larger.