Projecting a logo

[DanBarlow]

Is the API stable enough that it could receive key events from a separate process?
Tool Command Language's Tk module is basically a platform independent "windows" already written.
I've used it to compose and send network packets to control equipment with good time accuracy.

[james]

It's an event loop. Inside of an infinite loop there is a wait for key that gets a key and uses it to switch to the appropriate function. Sometimes that function is to go into another key event loop (different menu). Just the TUI alone is actually a very large part of the whole code set of about 80K lines total.

If you are interested, you can look at it in the src folder.

I can try to answer questions about it.

I think you might be asking if there is a way to get between the raw keyboard and SDL2 's event detection. I don't know. But that would be in SDL2's code.

I tried to separate stuff that is specific to SDL2 from other stuff. All instantiations and calls to SDL2 functions are in the same header and implementation files. The generic concept of the tui does a lot of rendering of text and vectors into a bitmap memory object that has nothing to do with SDL2. But that bitmap gets mem-copied into the SDL2 window.

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Admittedly, the most confusing and sometimes aggravating thing about the TUI is that it is menus that lead to menus that lead to menus. Each menu uses many of the same keys to do completely different things. You have to know where you are at all times. Tapping the [Enter] key shows and hides the menu you are in. I screw up all the time, but I know how to recover. Esc Esc Esc...

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[Greg]

Don't mind me tumbling gasoline soaked straw thatches around the embers: Long live TRS-80! It's nice when every individual has what that individual declares as best as an option. I love the Esc, Esc, Esc business. I wish all software was like the LB interface, while having gui capability when actually warranted / wanted.


It was possibly on my request that James released a replace rainbow option. For me, this was all it took to make LB usable as a high speed low stress thought into state tool. Of course one has to ask James how the hell to do what ever it is one wants to do, but he'll tell you, because LaserGirl can. The main wince for me at this point, trivial as it is, is that I'm not a fan of gender exclusivity in product names. Is it a play on the chair thing LayZBoy?


I was impressed when a data logger was capturing XY-RGB data from the 6b rebuild, and James told me how to format the data so it could be brought in to LG. It worked. If one wants to turn the output of an analog console into ILDA frames, this is a way to that only requires an off the shelf data logger, LG, and a simple text reformatting function. But I don't use LG much only because I usually write my own tools. There's lots of stuff in there I would like to have a need for.

[james]

Ok. LaserPerson. Got it.

Thanks!

In actual fact, the name came from meeting Steve Roberts in 1996 or so. He wanted to get a dialup account but he had to run Windows 3.11 because his laser control software / hardware did not work in the brand new Windows 95 and no other ISP would help him set it up. So years later he was driving back from St. Louis with a Krypton tube he was going to pair with an Argon he already had. He knew I was a competent graphics programmer because he had previously asked me to create an LED reflector simulator. He wanted to know if I wanted to help put together a show for First Night Akron 2004. I didn't know anything about it but in about 2 months I created the core of LaserBoy and used it to make a 40 minute show. It was shown all night from the roof of the Goodyear Polymer Science building onto the front of E J Thomas Performing Arts Hall. For whatever reason, I got to calling him "LaserBoy"; not to him directly, but like whenever he was coming over I would tell my husband, LaserBoy is coming over! So now you know.

That logo came from not understanding any of it and doodling in Anarchy. I drew an ellipse, pulled some points out of it and saw the lines were still connected. Then I rotated it around and drew some circles for eyes. When I put in the pupils I got a bit frustrated because they were pentagons, not circles. I didn't understand why.... and then all of a sudden I got it all in an instant.

Point of trivia: LaserBoy is 8 ascii characters and fits perfectly in each ilda section header as the owner of the section. That's why there is no space and it's CamelCase.
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[james]

The written word "LaserBoy!!!" on this forum often includes one or more exclamation points at the end jusr because I'm that annoying.

James.

[masterpj]

logo can work on 30kpps at a good framerate.
However It comes at a cost to get it done.

That being said.. its important to know what projector you have to check if its really feasable. For example lasercubes have a bit of a bogus tuning that works great in the native software itself but not as great with high performance ilda content or at least the early ones that I tried.

regarding laserboy to do it: Sorry it will not cut it .. (just have to be truthfull here) the main issue is (and its been said so many times now) The interface and the fact you cannot use a mouse.

[dchammonds]

logo can work on 30kpps at a good framerate.
However It comes at a cost to get it done.

That being said.. its important to know what projector you have to check if its really feasable. For example lasercubes have a bit of a bogus tuning that works great in the native software itself but not as great with high performance ilda content or at least the early ones that I tried.

regarding laserboy to do it: Sorry it will not cut it .. (just have to be truthfull here) the main issue is (and its been said so many times now) The interface and the fact you cannot use a mouse.

http://laserboy.org/free_art/burning_spark.zip

Did anyone try this with a working set of 30K scanners?

[james]

That's just the first version. I'm sure it can be super tweaked for best results. I didn't scan it. My galvos are way out of whack.

Seriously, what is the point of telling people not to use LaserBoy?

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[dchammonds]

That's just the first version. I'm sure it can be super tweaked for best results. I didn't scan it. My galvos are way out of whack.

Seriously, what is the point of telling people not to use LaserBoy?

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Is there any way to optimize an individual ILD frame so it can be looped indefinitely without hard clicking (without rendering to wave)?

[swamidog]

That's just the first version. I'm sure it can be super tweaked for best results. I didn't scan it. My galvos are way out of whack.

Seriously, what is the point of telling people not to use LaserBoy?

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(spock eyebrow)