Beyond 101 question -- creating lumia

This will be the most simplistic Beyond question ever asked. ;)

I took a torture tube from @CountFunkula and taped it horizontally to the front of the X-laser Mobile Beat Mirage projector (see first image).

Eventually I'll get a proper low RPM motor hooked up, but in the mean time, I'm trying this method.

I'm trying to create a simple cue that is just one single beam which shoots it through the glass tube.

I want the cue to move very slowly left and right, and up and down (independently and at different speeds) so it isn't just a circle or a flat oval.

I've created a new 'shape' cue (see second image) with three effects. The color effect works how I want it to work with slowly changing the color over time. But I just can't find the right oscillating X/Y effects to use to simply move the beam really really slowly in X and Y dimensions.

The ones I found I can slow down by turning up the "Time" value to 32 (which is counter-intuitive), but even that's not slow enough. I've tried many of the other oscillating effects, but still can't find one that starts at speed zero and allows me to step it up in very small increments to my liking (and again, X and Y speed and bounds independently). Also, the cues/effects I've found, when I do speed them up, they become dots on a line instead of just a solid line (which is what I'd want).

I know this is probably a no-brainer for most of you, and I've spent a few hours trying all kinds of different cues, shapes, modes, effects, etc and just can't hit on the right combination to do what I want.

Any pointers in the right direction (even to just eliminate the wrong paths) would be most helpful. Thanks!

The result I'm getting now is some very nice lumia, but I think it moves too fast. See video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVLz7ZpEtUw

To get a solid line : At the Primary shapes select any of the shapes on the top left

To get slow movement : You may do that in Timeline

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HankLloydRight

I'm trying to create a simple cue that is just one single beam which shoots it through the glass tube.

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You can also do this in the LD2000 style abstract generator. I believe you can map the FM of X and Y to different midi inputs like on an APC20. You can set the limits too. For example, X and Y can be set to have a limit of .01hz to .10hz over the range of the sliders (these limits can be set to anything though). You can even set the AM to different sliders so you can have independent control over X and Y freq as well as how much X and Y will move (amplitude). This is, of course, if you want live control. If you don't want live control and just want automated movment, you can manually set the FM of X or Y to whatever freq you want for that cue, the lowest is .01hz though.

I have done similar mappings with the AM for X,Y, and Z on multiple oscillator banks so that I can have preset harmonics in my abstract cues but I can live control the AM of the elements with my APC20 to give it that "planetarium" laser show feel of each show being controlled live.

This also works if you want the first oscillator bank to display a line or a circle or square (remember you can also import frames into LD2000 abstract too). You can then use the second oscillator bank to move said shape in a slow fashion.

The other cool thing about using the LD2000 abstract generator is you can also have the colors modulate at slow speeds as well, again .01hz being the lowest.

Thanks! I'll give the LD2000 abstract generator a shot.

you can also try setting your beam speed to 0 and using the oscillating X and Y effects for your movement...