Happy Memorial Day Weekend, everyone! One of the things that has been keeping me busy lately, besides graduation, is a new exciting pro-level laser show software I have been working on, called LaserShow Xpress (LSX) which is officially publicly available, starting today. This is a full-featured show software suite with a frame editor, multi-projector timeline, MIDI (novation) style control capability, a full color and animation control suite, a live interface, and more.
The software is built around a simple principle: build features (such as true color ILDA export, powerful interface, full abstract generation, and universal DAC compatibility) that the user community wants, and they will come!
The background: As a hobbyist, years ago I was offered a deal on a version of Laser Design Studio (LDS) in trade for a custom laser module. Seeing its price and capability, it was a no-brainer and I was happy to experience my first 'pro' level show software at a fraction of the retail cost. Over the years since then, despite its power, the many oddities and limitations it had began to grate on me, and the author had seemed to loose interest. Eventually, the opportunity to create these improvements myself presented itself, and after a lot of development and hard work improving what was already pretty powerful software, here stands LSX today.
New features: There have been over 125 new features and fixes added to LDS Pro, and the list keeps growing. One of the exciting new features (to me) is the ability to control, manipulate, and define frames in real-time using arbitrary mathematical expressions and scripts. The complete real-time generation and control offered here with regards to frames, color, and movement - and with input sources such as music, MIDI control surfaces like the Novation Remote Zero SL, and the mouse - I have not seen in any other laser show software, except Digisynth. Don't worry, if you aren't comfortable with math, there are many presets and more are being created all the time.
Usability improvements were a primary concern, and with the help of C Favreau and others (thank you!), LSX is getting easier to use all the time. Improvements such as drag-and-drop DAC selection, a better organized setup menu, non-modal context-sensitive editing dialogs, full event group cut, copy, paste across timelines and shows, help pop-ups local help buttons, and the ability to 'Undo' are some of the things that make the use of this software more of a pleasure than a pain.
Depth: The features of this software are broad and deep. While the pro version comes with over 100 shows, for those that are interested in creation, give yourself some time to learn all of the features and capabilities of the software. Your investment will be rewarded with the ability to make amazing shows. Not every aspect, such as dynamically evaluated expressions, need to be mastered right away, or even at all. The animator and frame drawing tool bring you simple animation capability just a few clicks away. The feature list is so long, I won't bother to list it here, let's just say that users of other pro software here on the forum were very impressed, and found several things LSX could do that theirs could not.
Versions: My goal with versioning - Lite through Pro - was to set feature levels such that any user would have the same art creation capability (no color limts, abstract limits, track limits, etc) but the higher levels would get you more 'pro' required features such as more projectors and advanced features such as target worlds and show protection/encryption. With this goal, even inspired hobbyists will have the chance to create the same caliber artwork as the pros. The full Leveling list is available on the purchase page.
Animations: If you have ever looked at a static frame and wished you could move it and twist it while spinning it and stretching it, and recolor it all live to an amount determined by a slider(s) in your hardware MIDI controller, LSX is the software for you. If you've ever wished for the ability to synchronize your animations to a visualization of the music which shows volume AND pitch, LSX is the software for you, too. If you've created a cool animation effect and wanted to save it to a preset for later use on other frames, LSX has you covered. If you've ever wanted to apply a single animation set to sets of frames all at once, including a live abstract, you can do it with LSX. If you've ever wished to use an unlimited set of animation effects, even of the same type, of different effective timeline lengths, all applied and added together simultaneously, join the LSX users group and you'll be satisfied!
Pricing: LSX is offered at a loss-leader introductory pricing rate for the first 30 days. During this break-in time, development will continue and I'll put out updates on a regular basis as user feedback comes in. Each license can be tied to a dongle, RIYA controller (recommended), QM controller (in testing), or computer. As with ILD SOS and LaserCam, updates will be issued as they are created and tested, and you'll receive an email informing you of the new update availability and what's in it. Please don't wait to join the fun, the sooner I get your feedback, the better LSX can get.
Support: There are help buttons in various places in LSX to assist you and clarify operation in complex areas. Please read these! There is also a user manual and tutorial videos under development. I could use help with these, please contact me if you are interested. I have also created a support forum for LSX intended to be the best place for your questions to be answered, and also the best place where you can share your presets, animations, and shows:
http://lasershowforums.comAlso included in that forum are sub-forums where DAC compatibility (listed by name) and use can be discussed, as well as your projects. Everyone is welcome to join, not just LSX users.
Sorry this ended up getting so long. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Links:The Sale Page
The New Support Forum
