Hi. I am very new to this software but find Quickshow very user friendly as I have had some exposure to autocad and the concept is very similar. I have only one issue though - I am trying to display text using quickshow and an Animator 1400SD projector but cannot get the text to display as it appears on the "Enable projector" screen of Quickshow. Is this a function of the software or hardware? Any help would be much appreciated as I am trying to display Christmas greetings for local children and groups. Thank you.
Text display issues
- Thread starter maxma
- Start date
MeaningOfLights
Active Member
Hi,
I too am new to the software, I've used it for parties before but this is my first time programming a show of animations.
Have you tried the "Animation Speed" and "Animation Scanrate"? Does that assist in anyway?
I've found if the projector has a max of 25K PPS scan-rate then large projections with (ie 70+) complex paths end up flashing. I would also like some help on this topic.
Could someone kindly tell us their strategy to reduce flicker when creating Frames?
Edit: Sorry, I just saw the post 5 questions down with the exact question: http://www.pangolin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2236 - it is possible I have duplicated points, I know how to copy and paste the points but if 2 points are on top of each other how do I see/detect that?
Edit 2: Ok I think I am getting down to the problem after reading these two posts, I'd still appreciate an answer to my first edit question, ta.
http://www.pangolin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1927
http://www.pangolin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1565
Edit 3: I tried lower scan rates < 25000 PPS and the Frame of custom drawn text looks worse. I tried 30,000 PPS (even though my Dune is rated at 25,000) and the output looked much better, not 100% but a lot lot better, why is this? Is the 0-30,000 applied as a ratio on your projector?
I too am new to the software, I've used it for parties before but this is my first time programming a show of animations.
Have you tried the "Animation Speed" and "Animation Scanrate"? Does that assist in anyway?
I've found if the projector has a max of 25K PPS scan-rate then large projections with (ie 70+) complex paths end up flashing. I would also like some help on this topic.
Could someone kindly tell us their strategy to reduce flicker when creating Frames?
Edit: Sorry, I just saw the post 5 questions down with the exact question: http://www.pangolin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2236 - it is possible I have duplicated points, I know how to copy and paste the points but if 2 points are on top of each other how do I see/detect that?
Edit 2: Ok I think I am getting down to the problem after reading these two posts, I'd still appreciate an answer to my first edit question, ta.
http://www.pangolin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1927
http://www.pangolin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1565
Edit 3: I tried lower scan rates < 25000 PPS and the Frame of custom drawn text looks worse. I tried 30,000 PPS (even though my Dune is rated at 25,000) and the output looked much better, not 100% but a lot lot better, why is this? Is the 0-30,000 applied as a ratio on your projector?
Last edited:
Aaron@Pangolin
Staff member
Hey Guys, making laser content is an art form, mainly because of the "issue" you are running into, graphics flickering due to the number of points in your image and the speed/quality of your scanners. It is an art form that can take years to understand, much less perfect.
The first thing I would do is to research this web page of ours that explains scan angles: http://www.pangolin.com/userhelp/scanangles.htm
Once you understand scan angles you can begin to determine how well your projector draws graphics at "what" speed and can set you projector up correctly to what it is specified for. Then I suggest looking at the "Logos" page (in QS or BEYOND); click on these logos to see what flickers and what doesn't. Some frames will flicker a lot, some won't. Once you see what flickers and what doesn't, right click on some of the frames and choose "Edit..." to open the frame editor. In the lower left corner of the editor interface there is a value, frame points, that will tell you how many points are in the frame/animation. That number is important, but only as important as the comlexity of how the frame was drawn. If you look at the "IBM" logo, it has just over 200 points, but flickers a good bit. That is because the logo is drawn with a bunch of boxes making up the letters. These boxes are being drawn one after another which takes time and causes flicker.
The main way to get around clicker (and part of the "Art") is limiting the point count in your image. This is done by hand drawing/tracing your image and knowing where you can add/remove points to get the best image with as few points as possible. This isn't really something that can be taught; you really have to do it enough to "know".
The first thing I would do is to research this web page of ours that explains scan angles: http://www.pangolin.com/userhelp/scanangles.htm
Once you understand scan angles you can begin to determine how well your projector draws graphics at "what" speed and can set you projector up correctly to what it is specified for. Then I suggest looking at the "Logos" page (in QS or BEYOND); click on these logos to see what flickers and what doesn't. Some frames will flicker a lot, some won't. Once you see what flickers and what doesn't, right click on some of the frames and choose "Edit..." to open the frame editor. In the lower left corner of the editor interface there is a value, frame points, that will tell you how many points are in the frame/animation. That number is important, but only as important as the comlexity of how the frame was drawn. If you look at the "IBM" logo, it has just over 200 points, but flickers a good bit. That is because the logo is drawn with a bunch of boxes making up the letters. These boxes are being drawn one after another which takes time and causes flicker.
The main way to get around clicker (and part of the "Art") is limiting the point count in your image. This is done by hand drawing/tracing your image and knowing where you can add/remove points to get the best image with as few points as possible. This isn't really something that can be taught; you really have to do it enough to "know".