LJ/README.md

LJ v0.7.0

By Sam Neurohack, Loloster, Cocoa

LICENCE : CC BY



![LJ](http://www.teamlaser.fr/thsf/images/fulls/THSF9-33.jpg)

A software server with gui for up to 4 lasers live actions. Think creative like Laser "battles", planetarium,... 

No .ild file here, you run your client that generate/send point lists to LJ. Any redis capable programming langage is fine.

Needs at least : an etherdream DAC connected to an ILDA laser, RJ 45 IP network (gigabits only !!  no wifi, 100 mpbs doesn't work well with several lasers)

Nozosc : Semi modular synthetizers from Nozoids can send a lot of their inner sound curves and be displayed in many ways, i.e VCO 1 on X axis and LFO 2 on Y axis.


The server approach is based on redis. One process per etherdream is spawn to : retrieve the given point list from redis, warp, resample and manage the given etherdream DAC dialog.


#
# Features among many others.
# 

(Doc in progress)

- Automatically hook to Midi devices IN & OUT seen by OS. Very cool : LJ can script or be scripted by a midi device : Triggering different musics at given moments,... or in opposite, you can make a midi file with an external midi sequencer to script/trigger laser effects.
- Interactive (mouse style) warp correction for each laser.
- Web ui : In your browser open webui/index.html. Javascript is needed.
- Status every 0.5 seconds : every etherdream DAC state, number of buffer points sent,...
- "Optimisation" points automatically added, can be changed live for glitch art. See 


#
# External devices 
#

(Doc in Progress)



#
# Introduction
#


You need to update mainy.conf to your network/etherdreams IPs and Be sure to check command arguments : python mainyservers.py --help

LJ is meant for Live, so a lot of parameters can be changed via OSC/midi, webUI,...


Program your own "Client" :
-------------------------

- Read the Introduction part in this readme.
- Carefully read all comments in clients examples.
- Generate at least one point list array (say a square). 
- Feed your point list string to redis server 



#
# Install 
#

In terminal type :

./install.sh

Check the bind line in /etc/redis/redis.conf :

- If client and laser servers computers are the same, use 127.0.0.1
- Client and laser server are different, use the laser server computer IP.

In webui/index.html change the ws ip adress to the server IP or 127.0.0.1 if client computer = laser server computer.

Using the same idea check all ip address in mainy.conf.

For network Gurus : bind to all network interface scheme is not working yet.



#
# To run
#

Always start the laser server first. 

Case 1 : the laser server computer is the same that the computer running a client :

python mainyservers.py

Open/reload in browser webui/index.html. (javascript must be enabled)

Check in your client if the server IP is the good one

Run your client

to monitor redis server :

redis-cli monitor


Case 2 : Server and Client computers are different :


Say the laser server computer (running LJ) IP is 192.138.1.13, the client computer is 192.168.1.52 

On the server computer :
edit /etc/redis/redis.conf
python mainyservers.py -r 192.168.1.13

on the client computer for all features :

to just generate and send list points
node testredis.js

to monitor redis server :


redis-cli -h  monitor



#
# Todo
#

(Doc in Progress)

- kpps live modification for glitch art.
- Improve Bhoreal & LaunchPad inputs 
- Improve WebUI with simulator.
- Warp corrections should not used warpdestinations default values in conf file.



# 
# Ether dream configuration
#

![Etherdream Laser DAC](https://www.ether-dream.com/ed2-external.jpg)

This program suppose that the ether dream is configured in a certain way especially for its IP address. For ether dream 1 : write an autoplay.txt file inside an SD Card within the ether dream DAC, with the following lines you can adjust i.e for pps or fps. Yes, there is a builtin DHCP client in the ether dream DAC but if you run multiple lasers, having a fixed dedicated network makes you focus on laser stuff.

/net/ipaddr 192.168.1.3

/net/netmask 255.255.255.0

/net/gateway 192.168.1.1

/ilda/pps 25000

/ilda/fps 25

About hardware setup, especially if you have several lasers : ILDA cables are insanely expensive. You may consider the Power Over Ethernet 'POE' option. Buy a very small ILDA cable, a POE splitter and connect everything to the ether dream fixed near your laser. You can have then a simple and very long network cable and use a Power Over Ethernet injector or switch closed to the driving computer. Beware some vendors use 24V POE Injector : POE injectors and splitters must match.


#
# Coordinates if you use the proj() function
#

3D points (x,y,z) has *0,0,0 in the middle* 
A square centered around origin and size 200 (z =0 is added automatically) :
([-200, -200, 0], [200, -200, 0], [200, 200, 0], [-200, 200, 0], [-200, -200, 0])

Pygame screen points are 2D. *0,0 is top left*
with no 3D rotations + 3D -> 2D Projection  + translation to top left:
[(300.0, 400.0), (500.0, 400.0), (500.0, 200.0), (300.0, 200.0), (300.0, 400.0)]


Pygame points with color is fed to laser renderer
[(300.0, 400.0, 0), (500.0, 400.0, 16776960), (500.0, 200.0, 16776960), (300.0, 200.0, 16776960), (300.0, 400.0, 16776960)]


Laser points traced

Because of blanking many points are automatically added and converted in etherdream coordinates system -32765 to +32765 in x and y axis.

16 (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0), (-1500.0, 1500.0, 0, 0, 0)
8 (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, 1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0)
8 (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0)
8 (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0), (-1500.0, -1500.0, 65280, 65280, 0)