How to create a movie

Issue

      You want to create a preview of your show.

Solution

      Using LD Play you can build AVI movies with animation of light fixtures and camera objects.

      After creating the show scene, draw a polyline for each object (fixtures or camera instrument) that you want to be involved in LD Play process. Each polyline, called motion path, must be a closed LWPOLYLINE entity created on LDPLAYPATH layer. The start point of path must be the same as the start/target point of instrument disbursement. A vertex of polyline will define one motion step.

     For camera instrument there are 2 motion path: one for camera moving and one for camera cone moving. Both path must be on LDPLAYPATH layer. Motion path of camera has the start and end points in start point of camera disbursemet. The motion path for cone has the start and end points in target point of disbursement.

      Select LD Play from Lighting menu or type _LDPLY in command line. In LD PLay window you have a Controls bar (controls work the same as the controls on a compact disc player). In Advanced window you can see how many instrumnets are involved in play process.

      If it's no fixture defined for playing process:

1. Select Define path button.

2. Select a fixture disbursement to define moving light.

3. Select a closed polyline as motion path for fixture disbursement earlier selected.

4. Repet the operation for each fixture that you want to involve in movie.
   
   

      If it's no camera instrument defined for playing process:

1. Select Define Camera button.

2. Select a camera disbursement to define moving camera.

3. Select a closed polyline as motion path for camera.

4. Select a closed polyline as motion path for camera disbursement earlier selected.

     To modify the cones motion paths:

• thaws the LDPLAYPATH layer.
• performs the changes.

          
      After selecting all instruments and their motion path set the motion speed of cones and for camera instruments. For minimum speed one motion step will be processed at every 1000 milliseconds (for fixtures disbursements) and at every 2500 milliseconds (for camera). For maximum speed one motion step will be processed at every 50 milliseconds (for fixtures disbursements) and 250 milliseconds (for camera instrument).

     You can see the cones movement using the play button from controls bar.

     Tip: To see the cones moving change on a isometric view.

     Now you can create a movie (select Create AVI button). A new dialog apear: 

1. Set the file path and name.
2. Set the file window size (in pixeles) .
3. Set AVI movie speed in frames per second (The range is 1-500).
4. If you want to include LD Assistant lights, gobos and images in render to file for AVI creation select the check box.
5. Select Create button.
6. Select a video compressor, modify the seting if you can and click OK button.

     To see the movie use Windows Media Player or any movie player.