Creating ILD frames

[smokeAndMirrors]

So: what PC software can I use to create nice ILD files for RGB projectors? I'd like it to be free, of course, but failing that, cheap will do

 

[ElektroFreak]

Ild sos

 

[c4r0]

Try out my simple and FREE program You can use it to convert BMP graphic files to ilda frames. You can download it from HERE, and HERE are some sample files. Please read the 'help' tab first to not get confused
Currently I'm working on an .ild file browser, also free and quite useful if you have lots of ilda files on your PC and you're looking for some particular frame that 'has to be somewhere here'

 

[Benm]

Any chance your software will do animations too?

I'd love something that would take a series of bitmap images and convert those into a ILD file.

 

[c4r0]

I'd love something like this too. There's "The hobbybob button" (named after PL forum user who asked for this function ) that does exactly what you want, but it uses automatic tracking which works crappy actually. The 1.1 version has the hobbybob button working and it can be downloaded HERE. When you select a folder with ilda files and click the button it will automatically track all files with a color selected before and put the result into one multiframed ilda file named THE_FILE.ild. This operation can take several seconds depending on how many and how big bmps you have and don't be surprised it the program suspends HERE are some example data for this conversion.

Here's a topic about this software at PL forum: link.

 

[Benm]

I've given it a try.. not viewed with a scanner but just on screen.

Does it convert color from the bitmap, or just draw lines at the color you select in the program?

See some attached bmp's that i'd like to convert (i had to make PNG files for the upload to work, but i have them as .bmp here too). Also, the scanning seems to be purely raster - is there any way to opmize this?

 

[Benm]

This is what it looks like in LFI with blanking view enabled...

 

[c4r0]

My program can recognize colors from bitmap, but:
1. it checks the color only once for every particular shape edge, so the first of your pics will be tracked with only one color.
2. it supports only 7 colors and there's no thresholding implemented, so it would be the best to use only 7 color bitmaps, that means, in 24bit bitmap file every of three RGB components is either 0 or 255, no other shades. At the moment I just don't know what exactly the program would do if you load bitmap with shaded colors, like your bitmaps.

I don't know how to explain it clearly, so here's a version of your circle that is ideal for this program:

This is a result of automatic tracking with color recognition:

And here's the same pic tracked manually:

 

[Benm]

Analog color would surely be nice to have - i'm not sure how much more difficult it is to do in software, but some blended colors always look pretty!

I think tracking could be improved by going to the closest shape instead of scanning a raster for shapes. That would not make it perfect, but a lot closer.

 

[Grix]

Can one draw/program own frames in ILD SÔS? I though it was only for converting/manipulating different ilda-types..

 

[ElektroFreak]

For drawing you would use Inkscape, just draw using the "draw bezier curves and straight lines" tool and render as a .svg or .dxf file then convert and optimize using ILD SOS.

You can also export whole 3d sequences directly from 3dsmax (and other 3d software, but the names escape me ATM), and then convert and optimize the sequences in ILD SOS.

 

[c4r0]

Hi!
I've been working on my new program since Friday, it's kind of ilda file browser. If you're interested you can download it from HERE

 

[ElektroFreak]

^Now that's awesome! I'll be trying that out shortly.. Thanks for posting the link!

 

[carmangary]

That does look like a nice viewer. By the way, that is exactly how Spaghetti started out. Just something to browse ILDA files. Maybe you will have the next laser show software.

 

[c4r0]

Hmm, who knows? Actually, programming support of soundcard DAC is not a big deal. I was also thinking of building a hardware as well, based on some AVR or other microcontroller and communication with PC via USB or even LAN (LAN would be an interesting way to go, don't you think?), but this is a looong way and, unfortunately, I'm not gonna have time for this in near future

 

[Things]

You can also download the Moncha package from showtacle.com and use MonchaDraw.