Tutorial #9: Artiste Grouping

I have personally detected 6 major features for choreographers that dictate visually, movement and space centered around solo and group dancers that can be augmented by tool-featuers:

1. Dance Sequencing –  controls local dancer motion (dance-to-dance)
2. Formation Creation  and Transitioning – controls (non in-place associations)
3. Single-Dancer-Movement – controls global horizontal and vertical stage-space use of a single user
4. Grouping – controls local groupings (in-place associations)
5. Couples Pairing – control pairing and synching of 2 dancers
6. Segmentation

How these are chosen and combined seem to define the characteristics of choreography and level of sophistication. This, again, is just my own personal observation.

This tutorial discuses how the Artiste has chosed to address one of the elements. Grouping.

Grouping evolved in the Artiste from how I detected RL grouping…to how people have chosen to implement it in SL. From binary-grouping in real life to custom-multiple-grouping in SL.

Artiste Grouping

There are a maximum of 4 CORE groups in the Artiste.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D

NOTE: As soon as you provide more “types of something” than what you think anyone would need, someone comes along with a need for more. Aura wanted more groups for an idea she has but fortunately envisioned a solution of using Palettes to proxy new Groups.

Palettes can hold their own dance routines  up to about 20 dances. They can be triggered from autofx or from inside one of the 4 dance-sequences.

 So by naming Palettes with the same name, multiple Palettes can be triggered to dance their own “sequence of dances” disguised in moves that may or may not move anywhere. Triggering from inside a core sequence gives tighter sync control

An advanced method is a Palette triggering one or more other Palettes.

Meanwhile….back at the ranch…

Each group is assigned a dance sequence. 
Group A = Sequence1
Group B = Sequence2
Group C = Sequence3
Group D = Sequence4

Pretty basic.

Dancers are assigned to one group at a time

A particular assignment of groups to dancers is called a “set” or “division”; A division is simply a  series of Groups that will be assigned to dancers depending on the Grouping-Method.

An advanced feature of Grouping is that the set or division can be dynamically changed at showtime midway thru a performance.

So dancers could be assigned thusly (2 couples or boys vs girls)

Division/Set 1 (couples)
Archie  = A
Anne = A
Bob = B
Brenda = B

Division/Set 2 (gender)
Archie  = A
Anne = B
Bob = A
Brenda = B

There are currently a maximum of 9 dancers per HUD so you could assign groups in a division as an example:

From 2 dancers: AC
To 9 dancers:  ABABCABAB
Or in between:  CBABC

NOTE: For completeness  I want to address the issue of Artiste dancing large groups. Because we have employed HUD-2-HUD, a Master HUD can control, say, 11 Slave-HUDs. Each Slave-HUD could dance 9 dancers for a total of 9×11=99 dancers + the Master’s 9 dancers for a total of 108 dancers at a time. The most avatars I have seen on a sim is about 103 at one time.

A second method would be to embed the dance sequence into a Palette and rez 100 Palettes. This avoids the tedium of issuing and accepting invites.

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Meanwhile….back at the ranch…again…

There are 3 ways to assign groupings to avatars:

For simple small groups of 2 or 3 Invit-Order might be the preferred way:

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1 – Invite Order – this always assigns the HUD wearer to the 1st group. So for ecample if our Division is BAC then the HUD wearer would be assgined to Group B (sequence#2) and the 2nd person to accept an invite would be assigned to Group A (sequence#1), etc.

This is a quick and dirty method when you have 2 or 3 dancers in your group and say maybe only 2 groups, you the leader as group A and everyone else group B.  You can change the  Division assignment of the default assignment dynamcially by sending a Division command via *autofx

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2 – Troupe – this hard-assigns groups to avatars by their name/key. So if Mary is assgined Group D then she will perform sequence#4 until there is a GroupSetChange issued during mid-show. Mary can have more than one Group assigned but only ever one at a time.

Example:   Mary,(uuid),DBDA

Here we set an elaborate scheme to allow for 4 DivisionGroupChange alterations during our routine. Mary is assigned to Group D at the start then when DivisionGroupChange is 2, she will dance Group B. DivisionGroupChange 3 she would dance Group D again, and DivisionGroupChange 4 would be Group A. DivisionGroupChange is the command sent via *autofx to change the division assignments dynamically.

The good things about this method are:
1) Independent of invite-order
2) Does NOT require Palettes
3) If Palettes ARE used for other needs, Group assignments are unaffected. This allows for Sit-2-Sit Palette transfers without worry of dance-groups being affected.

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3 – Palette – this method is probably what you are used to. Group assignments based upon your relative position in the ‘line-up’. Each Palette has a letter in its name, A thru H. Divisions are assigned to those letters respectively. Assuming Palettes are laid out left to right A thru H.

So if you had 5 dancers and a Custom Group Division of say  CBABC, then Palette A would be assigned to Group C. Palette B would be assigned to Group B. Palette C would be assigned to Group A, etc.

ABCDE = Palettes
CBABC = Division

Here is a link to a video Aura: Easy As ABC – The Penguinettes
She uses CBABC as the Division and you can plainly see the 3 groups working independently mid-way thru the video.

And here is a write-up from Aura herself on the making of the video:
As Easy as ABC

did that demonstrates the Division CBABC. I forget which method, Troupe or Palette, that was used in this video but i recall we tested both in rehearsal satisfactorily.   UPDATE: She used the Troupe method.

You can change Palette-Division assignments dynamically for the Palette method as well by using the DivisionPaletteChange *autofx command.

 

There is another special command that simplifies group-swapping.

Advanced

ABOrder can flip the assignment of dance-sequences.

ABOrder = AB  (Default) means GroupA dances to Sequence1 and GroupB dances to Sequence2. But if you send an ABOrder dynamically in prior to the next dance change and its value is ABOrder= BA….then GroupA will dance sequence2 and GroupB will dance sequence1.

Same thing can ge done for Groups C & D.   ABOrder = CD and ABOrder = CD.  Of course you could accomplish the same by changing the division accordingly using the dynamic division commands learned above.

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Also new is a notification that an invite failed, even if the invitee accepted. It happens. While it won’t tell you who failed, you will know that you need to re-invite someone.

You can use the Rollcall to see who the HUD has successfully accepted and figure out who needs to be reinvited. There are also 2 other methods as double safety-checks as to which avatars the dancer-scripts believe the groups are assigned to. Rarely will you need this but they can be helpful diagnostics when an invitation fails.

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I hope you are now more comfortable knowing Artiste has a Grouping solution and are a bit more familiar with how it is implemented.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, Virginia, you can use the Artiste for that

A month or so ago, I decided to focus on learning/re-learning the Artiste HUD and associated products.

I’d used the Artiste before, both in its incarnation as the SILVER and as the GOLD.  I did a Christmas routine last year with the GOLD (which I’m hoping to revamp and share before the end of this year).

However, after that routine, I wasn’t dancing as much and so the Artiste was left to languish in my inventory.

This year, I began doing routines that were a hybrid – using the Artiste HUD and a different mover.  But I wanted to get to know this system a lot better – learn all the ins/outs, especially since I will be teaching classes on it in 2016.

So I set out to use the Artiste HUD and palette system exclusively for several routines.  I’m proud of how they turned out.

It took a bit of re-learning things I’d used before, as well as learning some new things, as Yummy is always adding new and fancy features.

I managed to find time this weekend to have my husband film one of the routines I created.

If you can’t see the embedded video, click the link here to watch it.

I wanted to see if I could accomplish all the same things with the Artiste that I could using various other products.

In this routine, I wanted to be able to chat commands, in order to fade the sets in/out.

I was going to be adding/removing items, including a costume change, as well as various particle effects.

I would be moving around the stage, so I needed a mover.

I was able to do everything I needed with just the Artiste HUD and the palette.

The HUD handled my dance sequence, my chat commands for fades and particle effects, as well as all of my costuming adds/removes.  If I had done emotes for this routine, it would have handled those as well.

The palette was used as a mover for this routine.

Using the Artiste does require you to do some thinking and planning up front.  I spent probably an hour or so planning out my costume changes and other add/remove items so that the changes would be as seamless as possible.

For those of you who have wondered what you can do with the Artiste system, I hope the video demonstrates what is possible.

And this isn’t even a very complicated routine!  One HUD, one palette, and a rezzer, and you too can make your imagination come to life. 😀

What Second Life Means to Me Video

Well, I’m a little late to the party, as usual, but I got inspired to make a video for ‘What Second Life Means to Me.’

It took me longer than I intended, but it’s done.

Please bear in mind, I’m no expert filmmaker, but I wanted to contribute in my own small way.

Here’s a little happiness for your Monday!

If you can’t see the embedded video, here’s the link:

What Second Life Means to Me

Sequence #1 – Ballet

This post ended up being a lot of things all rolled into one.

I’ve been having so much fun taking photos in costumes, and I came across my Black Swan costume from Boudoir.

I love it, but just never got around to using it in a routine.

So I decided to go take some photos in it.

While I was taking photos, I began hunting around in inventory for an old ballet sequence I could use in the photo shoot.

Then I decided I would post the sequence.

But I wanted to do a short little video, so that everyone could see what the sequence looked like.

Hubs and I got to talking and he wanted to upgrade our video editor/recorder.

So while he spent hours finding the program he wanted, I got busy taking photos and getting a quickie little dance put together.

I’ll include the details for the outfit at the bottom of the post.

The sequence was originally set to other music, but I think it turned out pretty well for something I threw together in a couple of hours.

Kisses to my sweet husband, who shot the video and edited it for me. ❤

Black Swan

Sequence #1 – Ballet

DW Ballerina 17|8
My-BALLET-06|29.1
My-BALLET-13|23.1
My-BALLET-14|27.1
My-BALLET-16|29.2
My-BALLET-18|27.3
My-BALLET-24|36
DW Ballerina 3|6
SPIRIT Ballet Photography Pose 2|8

Ballerina poses are from Diesel Works and ballet dances are from MyANIMATIONS.

Costume Details:

Hair: Truth – Amelie – Black&Whites07

Costume: Boudoir – Black Swan Ballerina Dress

Ballet Shoes:  SLink – Paloma Pointe Ballet Slippers White

Makeup:  Lazyburn – Black & White Swan Makeup

Skin: Laqroki – Martina – Mocha

Shape: Laqroki – Glow  (modded)

Eyes: IKON – Utopia – Pale Cerulean

Spot On Stage Manager

I came across this video in my Google feed.

SpotOn Stage Manager

The new set rezzer/stage manager from SpotOn has a couple of features I thought were cool.

I like the ability for it to remember more than one stage – if you are a performer who does acts at more than one venue, that alone will be a huge timesaver.

I also like that the position/location of where you put the rezzer/manager doesn’t matter (unless I misunderstood the video).

For locations where you can’t ‘restore to last,’ trying to figure out where to put the rezzer can be a headache.

And then you have to move the rezzer and your set around until you have it placed correctly.

You can already include your movers as part of your set with other rezzers, though personally, I don’t like doing that.

With most rez boxes (including this one, from what I could tell), you can only rez one set at a time.

So if you like to rez your movers ahead of time in order to cache dances and get everyone in place, that’s not possible if you include them as part of your set.

I have seen some dancers use two rez boxes, one for sets and one for movers.

I’m not sure exactly when this will be available or what it will cost.

But it’s another option for those of us who perform.

Tiny Dances

I came across this video on my Google feed and found it interesting.

Ten Tiny Dances

It’s amazing what you can do, even in a small space. 😀

Success!!

This is how I felt after finishing this routine!
Image Source: http://www.timothysykes.com

As many of you know, I have spent the last several weeks trying to learn a new system.

I was going to call it a HUD, but it’s really so much more than that.

The Artiste is a suite of products to help you, as a performer, do more.

Is it easy?

No.

Is it fast?

No.

Is it rewarding?

YES!!!!!

For me, this is a trailblazing product.  With the tools provided in the Artiste suite of products, I now have so many more creative options at my disposal.

Things that, previously, I would have had to either purchase, beg, borrow, steal, or sleep with a scripter to get.  😛

I have spent the few weeks on a roller coaster – up when I was successful at something, and down again when things didn’t go right.

Sometimes the downs weren’t my fault, most times they were.

I persevered.  Pure stubbornness.  Refusal to give up.

Sometimes I would have to walk away.

But I always came back.

After finally completing a routine, I am so excited about the many tools I still have left to learn.

What I accomplished may not seem like much to some.  I am so proud of this routine – because when I watch it, I see all the successes and failures, and how much I learned along the way.

Plus, I finally get to use these ADORABLE gingerbread avatars I got from the MadPea Scrumptious Sweets hunt.  (Created by Chandra Meehan at deviousMind – the hunt is still on, so head over there and pick them up yourself.  The HUD is $100L, but well worth the price, for these avatars alone!)

I hope you enjoy this little holiday routine as much as I do.

It’s Cold Outside

Merry Christmas!

Dance Experiment – Video #6

All good things must come to an end, they say.

And sadly, this video is the last of the submissions for the dance experiment.  Siren (kiushu rau) gives us her interpretation of Broken Ones.  As always, any faults in the video lie with me, not the dancer.

Broken Ones – Siren

Now that all the videos are done, I will be putting them on one page on the blog so you can find them all together.  Many (most) of the dancers chose not to watch the other videos until they were done filming their own.  I am blown away by the generosity and creativity of these dancers.

On a scientific note (because this was an experiment, after all!), I think it proves my point that dance in SL is art.  Although they each used the same music, there were varied interpretations from the dancers.  From Siren’s ‘alone in a crowd’ performance to Baby’s abandoned toys to Winnie’s human trash, each performance was unique.

I again want to give these dancers a big hug and a giant Thank You! for volunteering for this little experiment of mine.

Dance Experiment – Video #5

Things continue to move along at light speed, and I am running around like a maniac trying to keep up!  The dancers who volunteered for the dance experiment I proposed have gone above and beyond to help.  The latest video offering I have for you is Winnie’s contribution to the experiment.

Broken Ones – Winnie

The creativity of these dancers is just amazing.

Once again, if there are any flaws in the video, the fault is mine, not those of the dancer.

The dance experiment is fast drawing to a close, so if you have enjoyed these videos, please make sure you tell the dancers when you see them around the grid!

Dance Experiment – Video #4

The dance experiment continues!  This latest video is from Red Queen (queenie.acacia).

As always, any flaws in the video are my fault, not the dancer’s.  Enjoy!

Broken Ones – Red Queen

There are still a few more videos left for this experiment, so stay tuned. 🙂