Show Programing Data

[RockafireGuy]

Nick said......


If the data is not in great shape, which it usually isn't coming from a tape-based source. There are easy ways to clean up the data once it is captured. There are quite a few "off-the-shelf" products that can do this if you are familiar with the encoding format of the data. If anyone needs more info about the data, we should start another thread.

Okay!!!! Let's go for it! Let the discussion begin!

Let's talk Data Encoding.........

[Billy Bob Brockali]

Hey,

From what I have gathered. The encoding is similar to SMPTE LTC. These "Time Code" signals were developed to keep video equipment in sync.

The particular offshoot is called "Bi-Phase Mark"

[RockafireGuy]

Cool. I actually took a Gemmy christmas animatronic character and rigged a control system for it. This doesn't apply to the Rock-afire... lets make a note of that....
Gemmy home animatronic characters (which are cheap and cheaply made) use servo motors. Anyway... I rigged a control using DTMFsignals (Phone system programing signals).
It actually worked pretty well. Rigging the control board isn't the main problem there..... the main problem is rigging a control box for the robot that will respond to the signals and respond correctly. That takes some work. I'm not sure if a MAC valve could be rigged to respond to DTMF.. may be able to.. I don't know if it's been tried or not. Anyway.... getting back on topic... lets talk about the Rock-afire........-

[DrCorey]

err, I thought SMTP was a email server protocol,
and DTMP was phone signals.

[RockafireGuy]

Yes Dr.Corey.. you're right... and I corrected myself. I was asleep when I wrote that last post...lol. SMTP is an e-mail server protocol...lol :b


DTMF signals or ("Dual Tone Multi-Frequency Signals" also known as touch tone)

I also used just regular Multi-Frequency tones (MF signals) and got some responses. It just takes some tinkering around....

[yorkmiss]

Here's what we have done....

youtube.com/watch?v=OAlztpkHAls (http://youtube.com/watch?v=OAlztpkHAls)


Let me know what you guys think!

[captslappy]

Very cool. Looks like your Looney used to be a pizza cam cuz he can't bobble. Only comments are open your flow control more on Billy Bob's strum hand and use Looney's eye cross a little more. You really had his facial expressions at the tail end of the song. The system is impressive and your programming looks really good.

[yorkmiss]

You are right - My looney bird doesn't wobble the way I would like him to... but he still has a spring for his neck... with some rubber stuffed in it. Can you tell me what they did to keep him from moving around? I dont want to pull that rubber out if it is something important.
thanks also for the feedback - it was only our second attempt - so we hope to get much better.
Have a great weekend!
Beth

[captslappy]

It was awesome regardless but especially for only a second try the programming looked great. I am not sure of the specifics but I believe the pole in his head was flexible and when he went up and down his head swayed. I do know that whatever that pole or support piece was was switched out in the head for a metal post. The original piece may have been rubber. They did not want the Pizza camera to move like Looneybird. Besides, he would make everyone dizzy when he filmed! :lol

[DrCorey]

I like it.
now if you can do something about the valve chatter.
sounds like he's playing the spoons.

[captslappy]

Looks like they are just temporarily set up. Once she gets a permanent stage to put her valves under that would not be an issue. I have a feeling this is more a situation she has set up to test her controller and characters.

[TreyTX]

yorkmiss, can you please tell us what you are using as your controller? your programming is impressive.

[yorkmiss]

It'sa home made system based off of a midi decoder board sold by Sound Research Inc and rund off of a software program called N-Track studio.
It controls up to 256 relays for solenoids or lights... so it can easily run a show.

Thanks for the kind words,
Beth

[RockafireGuy]

Nice programing Beth. 8)

[CEC3066]

How long did that whole song take to program?

[yorkmiss]

How long did that whole song take to program?

It was about an hour. What I do is listen to the song and "see" it first... then I play the music and record the important movements (the ones that have to be PERFECTLY timed such as mouth, foot tap) one at a time... retstart the song and start again with the next movement.
The keyboard I use is wireless - so I can "dance" with the music and hit the keys to the beat.... if you saw me it would look pretty silly.
The non-important movements like left/right sway and stuff like that can be recorded all at once...
All in all - to answer your question...
I had to listen to the song about 20 times... so I'd say less than an hour to program the whole thing.
HAPPY EASTER!
Beth

[CEC Kid Check]

wow! Great Job Yorkmiss. When I first watched it, I thought it was the real programming for the show, I had no idea you programmed it yourself.
The only thing I have to say is Billy Bob's mouth movement was kind of weird when he sang really fast. The programming was great for that, but his mouth moved like a 1cm up and then back down. When someone talks real fast, there mouth doesn't open all the way and then on there next word it stays open, it closes again to the next word. (:rollin I can see everyone that is reading this opening there mouth and talking!)
If this doesn't make much sense, re-watch the video and watch his mouth, and you might catch what im talking about here.
Otherwise, great job.

rund off of a software program called N-Track studio.
Yorkmiss, if you don't mind me asking, what software and build of N-Track studio did you download?

[TreyTX]

looks great Beth, I would only recommend that have Billy Bob's eye lids raise everytime he is either speaking or singing expressive...at the end of the sentence of the song or when his voice goes up...would use the body raise and turn also when singing or speaking expressive. When you start to add your light effects that will take away from the character. Good luck and keep us all posted, but you're doing great!!

[lildook]

I was told that someone posted on this forum once the bit chart for all the movements from the RAE manual, does anyone know where that chart is on here, my searching is exhausted!!! :)

Lookin for the bit chart, the chart that shows which bit in the data stream goes with which movement...

THanks!

[lildook]

Nevermind, i found it all... :)