3D complex custom prop questions

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OptykMuse

New member
I've noticed that most (maybe all) of the custom props I've seen are either flat coro models and simple vertical string cone trees, but I've began working on some 'different' trees... and this is my very first attempt at building something with pixels!

I have eight of the old 4.5' white wire incandescent bulb fold-up (hinged branches) trees they used to sell at K-Mart years ago and want to add pebble pixels to them. These trees have seven levels of fold up branches with the bottom five levels having six branches each, then four on the 6th & 7th levels up, then a top piece. Each level is rotationally offset to make it look more tree like.
I've already modified one of my trees to test how it might be done and what the light spacing and brightness looks, 254 pixels total. I just used a small ESP32 board running several RGB color patters to get an idea of how it would look and work. I like what it's doing so far and want to try to build up a custom prop for it, but here is where I'm scratching my head as to how I can come up with a good prop representation.

I did methodically lay out the pixels so they are the same on each branch (going around the level then up, then repeat) so I can actually assign a pixel number to each one in order and be consistent going up the tree but haven't figured out how to graphically represent the tree without it turning into a huge jumble of pixel dots that don't really look like a tree. I was thinking of laying out a level at a time then assembling them after completing all the levels but not sure if there is a way to do that. Of course these have width, depth and height so would have to be tilted slightly to see all the pixel locations... you see how complex this is going to get.

Any and all suggestions on how to proceed will be greatly appreciated! Once I have completely tested this one tree in Vixen I will 'pixelize' the rest of the trees and add them in. BTW, I kept all of the incan lights on these trees just to keep them more versatile. The little pebble pixels went on the tree with ease (and lots of zip-ties) and still allow it to fold up and fit into its original box!
 
Here's a closer view of how each branch is done... pixel 1 is at the base of the left foreground branch, goes out and back (10 pixels / branch on these lower ones) then over to the next branch, etc. then up to the next level after the 6th branch.
20230929_130157(half-size).jpg
 
You have a good problem to solve. I think my first attempt might be to stack mega trees inside each other. It looks like you might have 4 7 pixel by 6 strand trees and then a couple 6x6 and a couple 5x6. It WILL be a jumble of lights but you could play with it for effects and see what you can do.

A second attempt might to use the mega tree view from the top looking down and use wreaths or something.

I forget...does Vixen import xLights models? If so, maybe you could use the Generate custom model from xLights to get a model.
 
MikeKrebs, thanks for your thoughts!
I'm super intrigued by the XLights model generator, didn't know such a capability existed. Vixen does have an xlights model import in the prop editor, so I'm anxious to give this a try! If this works it will be a fantastic time saver and I will probably use the method more in the future.
It will probably take a few days but I will post back here with my experience generating this pixel tree prop using this method.
 
OptykMuse said:
MikeKrebs, thanks for your thoughts!
I'm super intrigued by the XLights model generator, didn't know such a capability existed. Vixen does have an xlights model import in the prop editor, so I'm anxious to give this a try! If this works it will be a fantastic time saver and I will probably use the method more in the future.
It will probably take a few days but I will post back here with my experience generating this pixel tree prop using this method.
Click to expand...

Vixen can import XLights custom models. You can also model it in the Custom Prop editor in Vixen as well. It will be a bit of a challenge to model that. Using stacked mega trees might be the easiest, but you will likely still have a lot of overlapping lights. A close approximation will generally work out.
 
Well, I finally have a custom prop for my trees... I tried for about half the day with the XLights Model Generator and although I had high hopes, it was just too difficult to get a video with all of the pixels showing properly and individually. I tried several angles, different lighting, everything I could think of, and each attempt netted models with incorrect string paths and many missing pixels. At least I learned how to use the tool though, and it could be useful for some less complex 2-D props.
I finally decided to cut my losses and go back to the Vixen Custom Prop tool and manually map out the pixels. I took several pictures of the tree and used the best one as a background to apply the pixels over. It took me the rest of the day to get it done, finishing about 9PM. It's a labor of love I guess otherwise I'd have given up. I haven't yet applied the prop to the preview to see how it will look so will probably do that tomorrow.
I watch the custom prop youtube video multiple times to be sure I got the grouping done properly as best I could. This tree prop will still look a bit jumbled, but I think it will do for this year at least. What's really going to be fun is seeing the real trees out in the display!
 
I am really frustrated now that these exists and I threw out my trees like these because they just quit working years ago. My wife was just mentioning how she misses these trees the most. These pebble pixels could be used for a lot of old incandescent props.
 
Yes, I love the wire trees and hope they last quite a bit longer. I think I've probably replaced at least several thousand incan.bulbs over the years I've had these trees and all the other incan props I have. If you let the bad bulb count get too far along before replacing them then the string will quickly progress to a total cascade failure of every bulb. I've kept a supply of new strings with various voltage bulbs just to use for spares on my existing decorations.

I've gotten all 8 of my wire trees upgraded with the pebble pixel strings and even tested them with the wifi controllers, so they are going out to the display area this thursday or friday. I have the AP set up only a few feet away from the trees so they all receive the best wifi signal possible. I'm hoping they all continue to work through december and I don't need to replace any pixels.

As I was building each of the trees I did end up needing to replace about 8 pixels... there must have been bad connections within the epoxy blob as the strings started working past the replaced pixels. That was a little tedious but worth the effort if these things last a few years. At some point I started testing the strings progressively as I cut the string at the end of each level to add cable to transition to the next level. It was a good way to spot the bad pixels early and replace them before I completed each tree. Once completed they did fold back up nicely and fit easily within the original boxes, which was one of the goals of the project.
Can't wait to see these in operation on the first night! I've been feverishly adding these pixel trees as well as a new megatree to all of my existing sequences. That's going to take a while but I'll probably have them all done (hopefully) before the end of this holiday season. I just try to finish one each day and then usually end up doing some adjusting after viewing the sequences in action. Each year each sequence gets a little better.
I've learned quite a bit about getting pixels to work over the last four month or so and many thanks to the guru's here in the forum!!
 
Somehow I missed this post, but could you have modeled each branch level as a group of single strands model and then grouped all the levels together? Like spokes on a stack of wheels. It would basically be 8 custom models but grouped together in the layout. Then you could light up individual levels by applying the effects to that layer model or a curtain effect by applying that effect to the entire group. Heck, you could even apply a random effect on the group to get a blinking tree effect and using a top camera angles, you could get waves on each level.
 
Braveit1 said:
Somehow I missed this post, but could you have modeled each branch level as a group of single strands model and then grouped all the levels together? Like spokes on a stack of wheels. It would basically be 8 custom models but grouped together in the layout. Then you could light up individual levels by applying the effects to that layer model or a curtain effect by applying that effect to the entire group. Heck, you could even apply a random effect on the group to get a blinking tree effect and using a top camera angles, you could get waves on each level.
Click to expand...

That was my thought too. I used the multi strand tool to map out cubes for three presents that go under one of my megatrees. They were LEDs but not pixels. I used bullet pixels and zip tied them. My pattern was a little off from actual display but worked. Should be able to draw a zigzag pattern for each branch layer and change the spacing at the tip to the next branch for the return wire, then group then together. Either that or start on the outside and make a V shape, then repeat for every 2 strands.
 
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