Products - Key Features
Timeline
Hippotizers have always been obedient beasts that will execute commands from external devices or the Control Centre efficiently and accurately. But like all good parents we've spent some months teaching Hippotizer to tell the time! V3 comes with sophisticated tools to enable use of one or, (via HippoNet), multiple servers, to behave autonomously. We've added the timeline, a very powerful show controller built directly into the interface of the Hippotizer. It's now possible to create a sophisticated sequence of commands, state changes, fades; in fact anything V3 can do, related directly to the timeline. And if you are still using external control, you can now trigger predefined sequences and changes easily and with minimum drain on controller resources such as DMX channels or midi commands. Just programme on the Hippotizer timeline, save, then trigger playback remotely.
Users familiar with timeline programming will instantly feel at home. Those users new to the concept will soon discover how easy it is to build complex, creative sequences and will appreciate the display of commands and states in this format. Start with a blank canvas or drag and drop presets to build up your show. Assign fade times, apply global changes and get creative!
The timeline is not only restricted to Hippotizers, you can also add 'tracks' for controlling any external equipment via a host of protocols such as RS232, Midi and DMX making it possible to command the whole production from a single Hippotizer!
All elements of the timeline can expand or collapse to allow detailed views of all elements. Normally users see only the top level of the HippoNet network, showing Hippotizers and any other devices that may be connected such as VCR's, RS232 devices and so on. Expand the view with the arrow next to the item to access the next level of parameters for that device and repeat as necessary right through the hierarchy down to individual controls on Hippotizer such as rotate or position for a single piece of media. At any level, you can drag presets around, adjust the start times and the end times, or control fade parameters. Apply fade curves, linear fades and switches at any point giving you total control using node based handles. The play head can be moved manually to any point with real-time playback. And the timeline has zoom functionality allowing frame-accurate adjustments or a global view of your whole composition. You can easily preview your work either locally or, using the new drag and drop GUI and HippoNet, right across the grid.
At any point on the timeline you can insert "Timeline Logic", these are simple commands that allow you to control behaviour such as "Loop between points A and B", pause commands such as "Wait for a cue from the lighting desk before continuing" or "Start timeline X now". You can insert labels that mark important parts of the timeline such as scene changes or complicated programming points, so you can easily find them later or even tell the playhead to jump to another location if a certain condition is true.
You can embed other timelines into a master timeline. You can work on a separate timeline in isolation then just drag and drop it into the main one. Build up scene by scene with this approach then build your entire show in a visual and structured manner. You could create timelines as 'stings' dropping them in where needed. No need for a linear cue-list anymore. Rearrange your show once you've got all your elements in place.
We've worked on Hippotizer's language skills too and they can now talk to each other more fluently than ever. Whenever you play movies from the timeline, they synchronise precisely to the master timeline clock, even in a network consisting of many Hippotizers. All media and parameters will stay in perfect sync. Furthermore, the timeline itself can then accept sync from external protocols such as Midi time-code for situations where Hippotizer needs to follow and external show controller.
Hippotizer can now stand on its own four feet and think for itself. My, how they grow up so quickly!
