Sequence Control In Manager

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Sequence Control In Manager

Postby florian » Wed May 23, 2012 4:35 pm

Hello,

I have found that I am often in need of triggering one sequence from another. I usually solve this using the Widget Designer and a TCP-Loop:
[Manager Serial Device] -> [WD Macro Parser] -> [WD Seq Control Script] -> [PBAutomation to Manager]

This is becoming a common workaround for me an at least one other colleague who also works in Theater. It would be VERY useful if this functionality could be directly integrated, so that you can drop a keyframe on the timeline in manager that provides GOTO Cue, SEQ State, etc. for another sequence in the same project.

Thanks!
florian
-flo

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Re: Sequence Control In Manager

Postby Markus Zeppenfeld » Wed May 23, 2012 5:15 pm

Hey Florian,

this is the exact right way to solve it at the moment, but it could be in fact easier. You are right.
I will set this to the list for future features.

As always, we cannot promise when this will be implemented.

Markus
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Re: Sequence Control In Manager

Postby florian » Wed May 23, 2012 5:41 pm

Hi Markus,

Thanks for your quick reply! :)

I was just thinking about this some more, and perhaps it would be a good idea to make this part of a more general Macro system in Manager. So that you could use WDP-style macros directly in Manager. Perhaps it would be a new type of Device that looks like the Serial Device, but the string it takes as it's parameter is passed to a Macro parser in the Manager.

Thanks again!
-flo

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Re: Sequence Control In Manager

Postby malkuth23 » Wed May 23, 2012 8:22 pm

Hey Florian,

I like using the new PB Device Parameter Input Node...

Take an unused graphic layer and make Opacity or some other attribute into the control variable that gets sent back to WD.

Still an awkward work around, but more stable than the Serial Devices that have to be restarted every time the computer restarts or disconnects for whatever reason.

I really like the idea of being able to send any script through a cue without having to have WD open.

-Matt
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Re: Sequence Control In Manager

Postby florian » Wed May 23, 2012 9:19 pm

Hi Matt,

this is a clever idea, but i see 2 possible problems with it:

1) it requires a tcp based pba link which is not always feasible.

2) if all of your control instructions from manager->wd are encoded in layer parameter values it will make the project very difficult for another operator to support. so on newsies, mike kohler can look at the sequence keys and see that there is an instruction like (WDMacro, "DoThisThing") an get a sense for what it does.
If instead I just use layer opacity all he sees are numbers 0-255 that link up to script nodes on the wdp. eventually you would end up with a huge number of these and have to go clicking through them all to figure out what they do. and if you happen to tween across a range of values that are mapped you would probably get a pretty funky reaction.
-flo

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Re: Sequence Control In Manager

Postby mkohler » Wed May 23, 2012 11:57 pm

I'm sure with clever enough labeling, I can figure anything out, but it would be great if this solution didn't require a separate computer / point of failure.
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