Topic: ILD SOS 1.2.05

[drlava]

AVAILABLE HERE

It contains a lot of techniques I have worked on in the art of frame optimization, and its goal is to generate and facilitate the easy transfer and use of ILDA files for laser shows.
ILD SÔS optimization routines are intended to allow the use of any speed scanner with any speed and type of DAC.

What it is:
- An ILDA file format converter tool
- An LDS CAT format importer/converter
- A Lasergraph/LDS PIC importer/converter
- Animation previewer
- A tool that can produce very good non-shaded 3D animation when used with 3D Studio Max and the Illustrate! plug-in
- A tool that can also produce shaded 3D animation (shadows, etc) with the above pair
- An optimization tool for very good pathfinding, data reduction, and point optimization for all file types
- An animation tool that will calculate distributed fill points to keep a steady framerate (fixed FPS)
- A palette upconversion and downconversion tool for compatibility
- pal (Anarchy and LDS format) exporter for color compatibility conversion
- A real-time optimization tuner with laser display
- Standards compliant

What it is not:
- A frame editor
- Hard to use
- Expensive
- A generic DXF importer (DXF containing polylines only currently supported)

ILD SÔS is not supposed to compete with other professional 3D laser show creation software, it IS intended to bring this capability down (closer) to hobbyist price level.


ILD SÔS goes great with Spaghetti.
ILD SÔS utilizes Laserboy data structures internally (Thanks James!), however all of the functionality (including optimization/processing/reduction/import/export) in this program is unique.

ILD - Inconspicuous Laser Developer (SÔS is pronounced 'sauce')
Each processing step can be enabled or disabled via the button on top of the step.

Current DAC support: RIYA, EasyLase, EzAudDac, QM2000(untested)

User manual:
DOWNLOAD HERE

[drlava]

Updated to 1.2.05

- Beam effects preview,
- Individual color offsets when saving in V4/5 format
- Smoothing option
- Scaling option
- Preview Processing toggle for comparing before/after
- Minor bugfixes

[James]

- Individual color offsets when saving in V4/5 format

What is this?

This is WAAAAAAAY outside of any ILDA idea!

This is one of the main reasons why WAVE is a better working solution for this requirement.

DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD.

James. 

[drlava]

Lol I know, I hadn't included it originally, but it was specifically requested.  It's OK for personal processing use, but for any kind of ilda frame sharing, it's a BAD IDEA!
 Just to set the record straight on my opinion on that one.

[James]

"specifically requested"

by whom?

This is pure heresy; in so many ways!

THIS is EXACTLY why and where we need to deviate AWAY from the use of ILDA.

I'm actually quite serious about this!

Wave is the future!

If you use ILDA formats 4 & 5 this way, you are interpreting the meaning of the format WAY more than I ever did!

AND you are devaluing the reasons to use wave instead!

Please invite this person to our forum so that we can all openly discuss this.

James. 

[Fanny Pack]

There are at least a couple DACs that have SD readers in them so it makes since to optimize the frames before uploading them.  RIYA is one such DAC.  It does have settings in firmware to automatically do that but they aren't as advanced as what ILD SOS can do.  The RIYA can only read format 0 or 1 files, though.  Not sure about the others.  I know that they can't read WAV files, though.

[James]

My point is that binary data is binary data.

(I almost hate to type this...) The ILDA file format (ugh!) has no connection to time. The only way that shifting colors apart from positions works is if-and-only-if the data represents information over time! That is, each point of data is known to be at equal time intervals AND you KNOW what that interval is!

That is called WAVE!

There is no way to designate this information in an ILDA file.

Having to know the exact values of this information (not stored in the file) in order to make use of the data is not wise.

Talk to the programmers and hardware developers who need this capability and convince them to do it right.

Otherwise, we'll just end up with more information pollution and diluted methodologies.

I'll bet-cha' Dean has something to say about this too!

We call them wave sample offsets and we store them, per channel, along with other important information in the header of a wave file!

James. 

[drlava]

The ILDA file format doesn't have a way to specify sample rate that is true, but typically it is given.  '30k' has really become a standard sample rate, but with ILD SOS, it doesn't matter.  You can load any ilda file and re-optimize for another sample rate to fit your projector.  With many of the programs I use, they don't have good optimization, they load the ILDA file as-is for display (or work best that way), and they don't import wav.  So this is a tool to actually get lasershows done.  When sharing ILD files, I reccommend that one removes the offsets they use for their projector.

But think about this - THE ILDA test frame itself has blanking offsets built-in.

I am aware of your wav file spec, and might even include it as an output option in the future, but it 'might' be a while before common programs adopt it.

[drlava]

The RIYA can only read format 0 or 1 files, though.  Not sure about the others.  I know that they can't read WAV files, though.

The good news is that it can read pal files, so with the 'custom palette output' option in ILD SOS that's almost as good as 24 bit color.

[James]

Do you realize that you are creating a hole in the time-space continuum through which all manner of crap will fall?

Think of the potential of color shifted ILDA format 4 & 5 files leaking out of your program into the "main stream".

There will be no way to differentiate them from the good stuff.

That's WAY worse than a file with a proper format 3 in it; that just would fail to read.

The problem with your idea is that it would NOT fail to read!

There is already more than enough improperly done laser art out there!

People WILL use and show crappy busted art! We've seen it!

(PAID to see it!)

James.   

[drlava]

Ok, suppose that does happen, despite the warning not to, and some newB releases an ILDA file that is actually good and someone wants to use it (could happen!).  The fix is easy and straightforward.  The person who wants to use it can load up ILD SOS, turn off data reduction and optimization, turn on live preview, and re-shift the colors so it works with their system.  Problem solved, no image fidelity lost.

[James]

No way to properly designate critical information in the transport file!

NOT GOOD!

Wave (ADAT) recordings from unknown origin have this problem.

Why create more problems and pass them along?

If there is one thing I have learned from all of this (and there isn't) it is that people have A LOT to learn about how all of this stuff works before any of what we're doing makes any sence.

Take a lesson from the PL. People don't like to have to think.

James. 

[drlava]

ILD SOS allows you to FIX the problems that others might create.  Including ADAT
Instead of seeing it as a way to ruin output, look at it as a way to fix bad input, if necessary.  We all know there is plenty of bad input from all kinds of programs.

[James]

I have a pretty good idea of what can be done with your program.

I wrote most of it.

James. 

[James]

It's one thing to optimize a set of frames so that they look good coming out an "unknown laser controller".

It is something else to do the color to scanner time correction by sample shifting.

THAT is something that is entirely necessary when using a modified sound card.

If the "unknown laser controller" can not do its own color to scanner time correction, then it's a piece of crap for a "laser controller" of any kind!

If you want to do in-process, streamed sample shifting for color to scanner time correction, do it for a sound card ~ in a wave stream, where it belongs.

James.