Artiste SmartDancer has recently (Mid November 2020)  gone thru a major modification to allow up to 18 dancers, (up from 9)…in a combination of animesh and avatars.

Important:  This new feature has caused the Controller to be renamed from PE18j-r to PE18a-r

You can now create Animesh and/or Poseballs named ArtistePalette_01_A  thru ArtistePalette_01_I.

Targeting now allows for inclusion of letters A thru I

all is a new shortcut that equals: abcdefghijklmnopqr

Now that we have added A thru I there will be more short-cuts coming.

The FORM command has changed.  There are now 3 FORM commands and the old FORM command has been retired.

FORMJR – Formation change applies only to ArtistePalette_01_J thru ArtistePalette_01_R.

FORMAI– A formation change will only apply to ArtistePalette_01_A thru ArtistePalette_01_I.

FORMALL – A formation change will apply to ALL animesh/poseballs from to ArtistePalette_01_A thru ArtistePalette_01_R.  

There is a new field on the *channels nc inside the Controller. Example:
DefaultForms,LINEBLK,SINGLEFILE

NOTE: In example above, JR formation is LINEBLK and AI formation is SINGLEFILE

You always need at least the 1st formation name (in the example above this would be LINEBLK) other wise the 1st formation loaded will always be the last formation.  This 1st formation is used to initialize the formation upon reset for animesh/poseballs J thru R.

The second formation name will be used to initialize the formation of animesh/poseballs A thru I, upon reset, IF you are using A thru I.

***********

Some SmartDancer features, especially those in the Controller, will still only work on J thru R so sometimes it is beneficial to rename animesh/poseballs, temporarily.

Two new commands perform a series of commands to accomplish this:
ActivateAI and
ActivateJR

There are buttons for these on the new Expansion Menu.

IMPORTANT:  Copy the animesh/poseball name into the description field for each animesh/poseball.  NOTE: This is now done for you when you follow the AUTOMATIC procedure for creating animesh and poseballs.

is renames the Controller using the name in the description field

************

A new state called AutoJune allows you to specify whether or not you want Junes to automatically complete by re-issuing the current formation.  AutoJune on is the default but there is a command, AutoJune,(on/off) where you can change this function on the fly.  This allows for even more creativity by Juning out of one formation and into another.

But its main purpose is to allow for better synchronization of Juning more than 9 dancers by delaying the 1st formation June and issuing both formation commands at or near the same time after the Controller has been rotated.

This is a simple HUD that allows you to pull up the main menu of a

particular SmartDancer Controller based upon  ActivationId.  The default ID is 4. They must match.  All you have to do is click on it in a non-button area and your normal SmartDancer Controller Menu will pop up, assuming matching Activation IDs in the SmartDancer RELAY and SmartDancer Controller.

The PINK Arrow will PLAY the current (last-read-in sequence)

The BLUE&WHITE BOOK-READER will ReRead the current sequence AND PLAY IT.  Good after making nc changes.

The RED SQUARE will STOP the current SEQUENCE, if running, AND attempt to reposition the dancers to their default formations and orientations, also removing any effects.

The GREEN Arrow will PLAY the current (last-read-in PREPFORM)

The Girl in Blue reading  the book will  prompt you to SELECT one of 11 PREPFORMS to read in AND then PLAY it afterwards

The YELLOW & BLACK U-TURN button just  Stops the current Sequence

The button with the girl reading on top of a stack of books will Read And Play current PREP

The button in the middle that looks like DNA sequencing brings up a sub-menu where you can select a particular sequence.

Clicking anywhere BUT on the buttons will bring up the MAIN MENU

You place a matching ActivationId in the Description field of your Relay HUD that matches the ActivationId in the *channels notecard of your SmartDancer Controller.  The default is 4.( It is best to leave this value as using other values is considered advanced.)

This way you can have multiple relays able to control multiple SmartDancer Controllers.

FadeIn and FadeOut are instant action procedures that you can accomplish via the Controller Menu Buttons or via a Sequencer command.  FadeIn and FadeOut fade the full total linkset. Avi and its links.  Non-Animesh are NOT faded.  FadeIn and FadeOut are Target dependent and is part of the command.

Currently, FadeIn and FadeOut time is FIXED at about 2 seconds!

Examples:

ElapsedOrDuration,elapsed 
1,FadeOut,j-r | 0
2,FadeIn,j-r | 6  —  allow time for fadeout to complete 
or
1,FadeOut,lmno | 0
2,FadeIn,lmno | 6  —  allow time for fadeout to complete 
or
1,FadeIn,j-r | 0
2,FadeOut,j-r | 6  —  allow time for fadein to complete 
or
1,FadeIn,lmno | 0
2,FadeOut,lmno | 6  —  allow time for fadein to complete

Glow is an instant action procedure that you can accomplish via the Controller Menu Buttons or via a Sequencer command.

Example:
ElapsedOrDuration,elapsed
1,Glow,j-r,0.5 | 1.0

This example causes ALL animesh and avatars (if SkipAviOnEffect,off) to glow at half intensity in a *sequence nc at elapsed time of 1.0 seconds.

To turn it off, follow it somewhere down the line in your *sequencer nc with something like the following:
14,Glow,j-r,0.0 | 233

Another Example:
ElapsedOrDuration,elapsed
3,Glow,alt1,0.2 | 5.0

Causes dancers (jlnq) to glow at 0.2 intensity when 5 seconds have elapsed.

For the SD Controller you will need to specify the GlowAmount
[Options]==>[Effects]==>GlowAmount
Then press Glow button.

If nothing happens then it means you need to select a Target so use the Target button and specify a Target.

ClearTarget will set Target to j-r.

Your SmartDancer will come with 11  22 formations, BUT you can create your OWN custom formations using the Capture feature.
Align your dancers into the formation you want to create then press the CAPTURE button on the SD Controller via the [OPTIONS] submenu.  Output will look something like the following.
[01:47:39] PE18a-r – Artiste SmartDancer – Controller – v11.2 Blk – RC6: <-5.330,-0.163,1.1474>,<-4.084,-0.137,1.1054>,<-2.856,-0.116,1.1237>,<-1.556,-0.139,1.1115>,<1.2501,-0.132,1.1533>,<2.4784,-0.125,1.1606>,<3.7536,-0.150,1.1174>,<5.0753,-0.142,1.1372>,<-0.111,-0.145,0.6384>

Copy and paste this entry into the *formations notecard, prefixed by a name you wish to appear on a menu button.  This name should be from 10 to not more than 12 characters.  In the example below, I named this line formation LineBlk.  It must always be capitalized anywhere else you refer to it but I allow for mixed case here soits easier to read.

The *formations notecard is used exclusively for formations usable by dancers 01_J thru 01_R.

DDMoveTau,9
dancers,9
LineBlk,<-5.330,-0.163,1.1474>,<-4.084,-0.137,1.1054>,<-2.856,-0.116,1.1237>,<-1.556,-0.139,1.1115>,<1.2501,-0.132,1.1533>,<2.4784,-0.125,1.1606>,<3.7536,-0.150,1.1174>,<5.0753,-0.142,1.1372>,<-0.111,-0.145,0.6384>

or

LINEBLK,<-5.330,-0.163,1.1474>,<-4.084,-0.137,1.1054>,<-2.856,-0.116,1.1237>,<-1.556,-0.139,1.1115>,<1.2501,-0.132,1.1533>,<2.4784,-0.125,1.1606>,<3.7536,-0.150,1.1174>,<5.0753,-0.142,1.1372>,<-0.111,-0.145,0.6384>

The dancers entry is the number of dancers in your formation.

The DDMoveTau is the number of seconds it will take to complete a formation transition (from one formation to another formation).  This value can be overridden via the [Groupings] submenu using the MoveSpeed button.  Anytime you add or change a formation you must reset your SD Controller.

You execute a formation transition via the [Formations] button on the main-menu.  Simply pressing the button-name associated with the formation you want will cause the current formation to change into the newly selected formation.  All button names will be automatically be CAPITALIZED.

The sequencer command to cause a formation transition during show/run time is:  (Also, you MUST capitalize your formation name otherwise it will always use the LAST formation)

Example:

1,Form,LINEBLK| 0.1

A common mistake is not allowing enough time, in the example above, 9 seconds, for your formation to complete fully before doing the next thing.

A June is the term we use to describe a formation of dancers rotating around the location of the SD Controller around the Z-Axis.

The term is derived from June Taylor, and American choreographer and her June Taylor dancers who made group rotations famous back in the 50’s.

Junes can rotate:
left
right
45 degrees left
45 degrees right
semi-right (180 degrees clockwise)
semi-left (180 degrees counter-clockwise)
home

The best way to learn Juning is to simply try it.  Press the June buttons and see how the dancers perform. Try it using different formations because formations can change the look and currently Junes are always based upon the current formation.

Example Command:

1,June,Left | 17

Junes also have their OWN Targeting, which is different than Canon, Autos, and Effects targeting.  This means that you can select which dancers (J-R) that you want to participate in the June.  This can lead to some interesting looks depending on the formation and the targets.

Targeting specifies which dancers (A thru R) will be affected by subsequent Canons and Canon AutoEffects , and regular Effects  (Junes have their OWN targets separate). NOTE: A June Target if not reset back using ClearJune, WILL act as a target for subsequent Turns and Formations.

Remember that a Target command does not cause any immediate action!  It is a passive PREP (preparatory) command

But it needs to be known that Targeting also affects raw Turns (non-Canon turns).

Be sure and set Targets prior to running your routine.

SOME commands include a Target parameter that specifies the target commencing with that command.  That will change the target for all subsequent commands, so be aware.

Clearing a Target essentially creates a A-R (abcdefghijklmnopqr) Target.

Also, Turns can be restricted by Group (X,Y,Z)  so just be aware if you are Grouping and Targeting, they can work in concert or in conflict when performing raw turns

You can now change the default standing-animation from ‘standing’ to something else in 4 places.

#1 – at the animesh/poseball level.  It is ok to leave this field blank
Example:
StandingAnimation,P-Ok5

#2 – at the SD Controller level.  It is ok to leave this field blank.  This option OVERRIDES the animesh/poseball level
Example:
StandingAnimation,P-Ok5

#3 – dynamically at show-time using a Sequence command.   This option OVERRIDES the animesh/poseball level AND the SD Controller level
Example:
1,Standing,P-Ok5 | 23

#4 – dynamically at show-time using a PREP command.  This option OVERRIDES the animesh/poseball level AND the SD Controller level
Example:
1,Standing%P-Ok5