Driving content in our hobby?

[telmnstr]

Hello everyone,

I've been thinking about content for laser shows. Our community has a mixture of technical folks and artists, but at the end of the day there is only so much content available for our software of choice. I think in general we might be tipped way more heavily on the technical side.

I keep trying to think of a way to drive more content.

What do you all think of the idea of something like a community effort to put up some sort of stipends or prizes to help drive content creation? If I could, I'd be willing to pay say $10 a month for LSX and $10 a month for Beyond into a pot (hopefully joined by others), and if there was someone who had the time either run a content creation contest or monthly awards? These shows would go public domain.

(I don't have the time to administrate such a thing, but wonder has the idea been considered before?)

Just trying to think of ways to help drive content that is open to all. I realize a ton of work goes into a show, and shows are of various quality, and we all have different setups with different grades of hardware.

Just trying to think of ways to encourage more show creation.

I've always tried to talk my friends that are artists or that can draw into helping make shows, but so far haven't been successful.

Thoughts?

[planters]

I'm a technical guy. I am disappointed that the content is so limited, but without the skills I am not equipped to fix this and the rewards/prizes are never going to motivate me to try. I mostly build non projection laser equipment now, but this would change if the content was richer. I think the solution needs to be radical. Cartoonists no longer hand draw each frame of a show. This is so alien that each frame is now, often sold as pop art. The work involved in generating a couple of minutes of laser show with no hope of large numbers of viewers, doesn't make much sense to me.

[james]

Technology is what makes it possible for artists to create content.

Something as dry and boring as a method of converting DXF to ILDA is to some a very inviting portal to convert ideas into visual reality.

As far as I know there are no "general public" awards for anything in the realm of laser display.

One must be a member of ILDA to receive an ILDA award.

There are a lot of people who are not making their living in laser display, but still want to create art.

Art is a lot of things.

It is the finished product of a laser show, but it is also in the form of technology needed to make it possible for others to create finished laser shows.

Oscars don't just go to writers and actors, you know!

James.

[JohnYayas]

I like the idea of community crested content but this isn't the right community for that.

[james]

My favorite laser show material is always made from hand-drawn cartoon cells.

I guess that's because I have some idea of just how time consuming it is and that it requires the talents of a good illustrator.

Abstracts and other computer generated forms are nice. But real cartoons always stand out for me.

I wish I could draw a little better.

I remember when I made the animated Zippy that comes with LaserBoy. It took DAYS just to draw about 6 or 7 frames.

James.

[DanBarlow]

Hi James,
Do you have an algorithm for going from bezier curve control points to a series of ILDA points for a given projector tuning?
Say we standardized on 24kpps or 30kpps. How hard is it to model the ILDA points from the desired physical output?
I have already done this for Inkscape SVG to Gcode for my mill, so it should be possible to convert Inkscape SVG cartoons to ILDA. Theoretically.
-Dan Barlow

[swamidog]

dan - ildsos can do inkscape svg to ilda conversion.

Hi James,
Do you have an algorithm for going from bezier curve control points to a series of ILDA points for a given projector tuning?
Say we standardized on 24kpps or 30kpps. How hard is it to model the ILDA points from the desired physical output?
I have already done this for Inkscape SVG to Gcode for my mill, so it should be possible to convert Inkscape SVG cartoons to ILDA. Theoretically.
-Dan Barlow

[james]

Hi James,
Do you have an algorithm for going from bezier curve control points to a series of ILDA points for a given projector tuning?
Say we standardized on 24kpps or 30kpps. How hard is it to model the ILDA points from the desired physical output?
I have already done this for Inkscape SVG to Gcode for my mill, so it should be possible to convert Inkscape SVG cartoons to ILDA. Theoretically.
-Dan Barlow

I've been wanting to find the math to convert a DXF SPLINE drawing ENTITY to a series of vertices.

If you have any clues, I'd love to look at it and try to add it to the DXF reading capabilities that LaserBoy already has.

It would be much appreciated!

ildSOS can read the SPLINE ENTITY, but it only works for a 2D SPLINE.

Those illuminated signs look really nice!

James.

[OldNo7]

If you look at the tools that are included with OpenLase there is a python script to convert svg to ilda
https://github.com/marcan/openlase/b...ols/svg2ild.py

[masterpj]

I like the idea of rewarding creators the technology is inaccessible or seemed to be inaccessible to a lot of creators who stay out because of that or are let down with the limitations of laser display.
I've been away for a while but im about to make a show comeback. Most of the stuff I have done now has been commercial work really.