The team from from DIY Light Animation is heading up the “DIY Expo”, which covers all of the aspects of DIY in your holiday displays.  “I am very excited to be partnering with Lone Star Holidays to expand an already great event to include everything you could ever imagine wanting to know about DIY!” says RJ, owner of DIY Light Animation.  “I believe this will allow (attendees) to learn anything A to Z about holiday decorating from one event.  With the different groups working together I believe this will be the most talked about get together next year!” 

So you’ve heard of “DIY” and “RGB”.  Now is your chance to learn from the best at DIY Light Animation.  Take your displays to the next technical level with the courses in this track:

 

Smart String Basics:

Do you hear a lot about smart strings and want to understand what they are and how to make them work. What you need, what can you do with them. How do you set them up. Why is everyone so excited about it. This class will teach you this and more. Come learn the right way to get started in RGB lighting with someone who has been through it.

 

Smart Strings Advanced:

So now you know something about Smart Strings, Maybe you know a lot, maybe you think you know it all? Well I bet you don’t! In this class RJ will cover the parts of smart strings that you don’t. He will show you advanced layouts and how to better plan your setup. He will also be showing off some new stuff like the new Dumb String controller which is a really a smart string device. Confused? you want be after he gets done with the class.

 

Etherdongle and Conductor your New Best Friends (RJ):

You’ve heard about these for what seems like years. What’s the big deal? Why is everyone (even non-DIY guys)talking about them?  Do you really need them?  What are they going to do for you?  When can you get them?  How do you use them?  What’s it take and how hard are they to operate?  What’s new with them?  For answers to all of those questions, this class is for you!

In this two hour / two part session you will learn about, touch, and play with them both. You will learn to program and set them up. You will get to see the show we create run on them. and we will add in just a few more channels (32,000 on top of the 16,000) with some slave units wirelessly that is as easy as plugging in a set of lights. 

 

Lynx Past, Present and Future (A Talk With RJ):

This class is intended to show the progress over the years of the Lynx Hardware, whats going on now and will then you into where it is heading in the future.

 

Nutcracker: RGB Effects Builder (Sean Meighan):

Learn how to create massive RGB animations within a few minutes using the new Nutcracker software. This class will take you through building a target model for your RGB device. Megatrees, Matrices and RAys will be covered. After learning how to model your RGB device, you will next learn how to attach effects to it. The library of effects is constantly growing. In this effects section , you will learn how to customize the effects in the library to get just the effect you want. Finally , we will go over how to get this new animated sequence into your favorite sequencer. We will cover LSP, LOR and Vixen and prior knowledge of at least one of these sequencers will benefit you greatly.   After you leave this class you will be able to create animations using the Nutcracker software and load them into your favorite sequencer.

 

Nutcracker Advanced: Creating your Own Animations (Sean Meighan):

This talk will discuss how to create your own animations using the “user_defined” effect class. Some discussion of frames, RGB vs HSV color wheels and the dimensions of the RGB devices. The most complicated programs we will make will only be about a dozen lines long. Limits of animations on a small canvas will be discussed and how to work around them. We will create a fireworks display as the tutorial during the class.  Some prior programming language (basic,c,java,php) would be helpful before you take this course.  When the session is finished you will be able to write your own animation code and be able to customize the existing effects.

 

And You Thought Rudolph Controlled the Lights – Using Vixen to Animate your Light Display (Keith Siddell):

This class will be an introduction to Vixen software.  We will cover what it is, what it does, and how to use it to animate the lights (and possibly other items) in your display.  Topics will include installation, setup, terminology, sequences, profiles, music, plug-ins, programs, using the wizard, and more.  There will be a specific focus on version 2.1 of the software as well as do it yourself (DIY) hardware that uses DMX; however, other equipment will be referenced as well.  This will be an interactive live demo class.  At the end of the class, the attendee should be ready to set up a simple sequence.  Be sure that you have a good basis of computer skills so you can get the most from this course.

 

Kicking Rudolph to the Curb – Unleashing the Power & Functionality of Vixen (Keith Siddell):

This class will pick up where the intro class left off.  We will cover basic and advanced sequencing methods and introduce multiple tips, tricks, and techniques for working with Vixen.  Topics will include effects, add-ins, using multiple beat tracks, copying effects, combining effects, maximizing the adjustable preview, and more.  This will be an interactive live demo class.  At the end of the class, the attendee should be able to create a complex sequence consisting of multiple effects with relative ease.   Before attending this class you should be sure that you have either used Vixen previously or you have taken the Intro class.

 

Understanding DMX (David Moore):

DMX is the most wide spread and popular lighting protocol in the world and is the near de facto protocol used in the DIY lighting world today.  The Understanding DMX class provides background on how DMX operates, how its addressing system functions, how DMX compares with other protocols used in the holiday lighting arena, how to troubleshoot DMX, how effects are generated in DMX and the overall pros and cons of DMX.  This class will also briefly cover underlying transports upon which the DMX protocol can run, including RS-485 and E1.31.  75% presentation, 25% Q&A.

 

The Amazing World of Coro (David Moore):

Coro or corrugated plastic sheet is just about the most versatile material available to the holiday lighting community – strong, durable, light weight and cheap – coro can be fastened into an amazing array of items to accommodate not only traditional lights but also newer RGB lighting technologies.  Learn tricks of the trade from the presenter who has used thousands of sheets of coro in all types of holiday lighting projects.  This class will provide information on projects you can build using coro, how to source coro, how to cut and drill coro, how to best mount and attach coro and which tools make working with coro easier.  60% presentation, 40% Q&A.

 

Automated Sequencing with LSP (Alan Sielbeck):

As channel counts continue to increase and pixel-based animation becomes increasingly popular, the time it takes to program each channel remains the same.  When shows were regularly under 500 channels, it was feasible to create compelling shows using antiquated, circuit-based sequencing.  This process was tedious, time-consuming, and boring.  Simply stated, the old methods do not scale, and will never allow you to utilize the full potential of RGB nodes.

In this class, we’ll learn how to use custom, home-made videos to create incredibly intricate and compelling shows with today’s advanced RGB technology.  By using video as the basis of the sequencing, more time can be spent creating the show and less time using copy / paste.  By the end of the class, you’ll be able to create a 30 second, 4,000 channel show in under 15 minutes.

 

The Many Twists of the Helix Controller (Greg Bartlett):

When the Helix debuted in 2008 it was the first standalone DIY light controller and the first to use XBee radios for wireless networking.  Since that time it has gone through several revisions and remains one of the most advanced and versatile light controllers available.

With the Helix you can:

• Free yourself from needing a dedicated show computer

• Expand your display across the street or down the entire block

• Bridge the gap between commercial controllers and DIY controllers

• Reuse your existing investment in DIY controllers

• Have a virtually unlimited number of channels

Come learn the intricacies of the Helix controller from the developer and discover how it can take your display to the next level.

 

Working Together with LOR and DIY (Matt Brown):

You’ve been working on your animated display for years and you have alwaysused Light-O-Rama equipment.  You love the items you have and don’t want tostart over but you’re interested in getting into the DIY  side of things.  How can you make these two platforms work together?   How can you integrate new DIY ideas and applications into your already-existing Light-O-Rama environment?  If those are your thoughts you are not alone.  Matt Brown, a long-time LOR user who experienced the same thing, will be showing you how to make these two platforms work together, opening up new possibilities for your display without sacrificing everything you are already using.

 

Putting it All Together with xLights (Matt Brown):

What is xlights??  It’s simple really:  xlights is a cross-platform Christmas light show scheduler built on wxWidgets. It plays Vixen and LOR sequences and is compatible with LOR, D-Light, DMX, Renard, Pixelnet, and E1.31 controllers. Now, if that doesn’t mean much to you you’re in luck because Matt Brown, developer of xLights and a long time LSH member will be on hand to show you how to download, install, configure, and setup your show in xLights.  Bring your questions- let’s play “Stump the Developer!”

 

Soldering Basics for EVERYONE:

“Until a year ago I didn’t even own a soldering iron.”  This was made in a recent post by one of our long-time attendees and is a great example of the different levels of knowledge in our shared hobby.  We have some of the most creatively technical minds in the holiday industry attend the Academy each year but we also have people in need of a “square one” approach.  RJ from DIY Light Animation is coordinating this “workshop-style session to help everyone feel comfortable and open to asking questions. 

 

Soldering Advanced Topics:

When you get beyond the basics and need to further your knowledge base it becomes time to attend a more advanced level class.  This session will pick up where “Soldering Basics for EVERYONE” left off and continue the workshop-style teaching approach.  Several of the more experienced staff members from DIY Light Animation will be on hand to help show you some advanced techniques, such as surface mount devices, and guide you through them.  

 

 

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