How To Animatronics! ~ Part 2: Programming and Software
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- Опубліковано 2 вер 2019
- Programming! Yay!
**** The Stuff*********
.....The Joystick I use.....
Logitech Extreme 3D Pro: www.logitechg.com/en-us/produ...
^If it's sold out, you can try Amazon, but it'll probably be at a marked up price. Here it is on Amazon: amzn.to/2W4hoac (and that's an affiliate link, so I may make a commission if you purchase from it)
.....TrackSkull by MonkeyBasic (AKA LifeApe).....
Free 10-day trial: lifeape.com/downloads/
Buy the full version here: lifeape.com/product/monkeybas...
TrackSkull is a software that allows you to puppeteer animatronics and record those movements. You can then export that recording into VSA to be played back on loop.
.....VSA by Brookshire.....
Free Demo version: brookshiresoftware.com/vsa_do...
Buy the full version here: www.brookshiresoftware.com/vs...
VSA is a software that allows you to combine your servo movement recordings and play back those recordings on loop.
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Want to make a skeleton like that? Check out this tutorial! • How To Animatronics! ~...
Skeleton Parts List LIVESTREAM: • Parts and Questions - ...
Want to play multiple VSA routines? Use Helmsman Pro! • Use HELMSMAN PRO like ...
Help me feed and clothe this animatronic by supporting the channel on Patreon! ❤️ :)
/ catsmenagerie
Questions? Comment below!
#animatronic #diy #skull #howto #halloween - Розваги
How do you not have millions of subs? You're incredible!
Again, sorry everyone about the delay uploading this video. I've never edited something so complicated before and it really took me much longer than I was expecting. But I've learned some things so hopefully everything will go smoother/faster in the future!
It’s all hunky dory! Your videos are extremely helpful and give a lot of detail for your viewers to be able to utilize! It’s okay to take your time and go at your own pace, because the work you create is phenomenal and truly valuable!!!
(I may record/edit/post videos of my own about me building an animatronic; and you are a major part of why I am actually able to do so!!! Thank you!!!)
I hope that you are doing well, and that you have a fantastic existence!!! You deserve to be happy, and fulfilled; and you deserve to love yourself/treat yourself well!!!😸👍💜👍😸😊
You are a coding expert! 🤩
Thanks for the awesome videos! Do you, or anyone on the comments know how I would save/export my VSAs to a device, (like and Arduino uno, etc.) To be able to play previously recorded VSA routines without a PC and trigger them with say step pads or motion sensors? Is that what the RAPU 6.0 is for?
I found the ServoDMX interface from Fright Ideas is a perfect substitute for anyone wanting to control skeletons from other software. VCA is a bit aged and leans toward proprietary control software which didn't pan out well for me. figured I'd share for other enthusiasts who could benefit from DMX-based controls.
Your videos are really awesome! Makes me think I could do something!
Holy crap. You should see the monstrosity I created in order to create my story telling skeleton(hint it took hacking a VU meter and tying it into an RPi)! This is SOOOOO much easier! Thanks for the video!
I've learnt more from you than anyone! Thanks!
Really awesome video! I'm going to school to be an electrician and I hope to be wiring animatronics one day in the commercial industry. I subscribed to you and I will be watching for more awesome tutorials like this one! =)
You're a master at what you do
Another nice thing you should look into is using VSA to map the mouth servo to the voice of the audio. It worked a little better for me. Great job on the video.
these videos are great. I have a full realistic cemetery but havent started Animatronics yet but REALLY want to get into that. These videos will be VERY VERY helpful with that!
Track skull is soooo much easier than programming all that in VSA! Now I need to make another one so I can try your way. Thanks for sharing.
I am so seriously interested in making animatronic skeletons and there are not a lot of how to videos out there, so thank you for making yours. You are cool. You remind me of Sue Heck.
just that i am looking for!! in looove!
I just found your videos! Super cool! I plan to attempt these soon! I hope you're still at it!
wow, this is really awesome. I'm amazed
Thanks!
Omg this is going to help me so much thanks 🙏
What a great video.
OMG YOU DESERVE SO MANY MORE SUBS
Great videos. You get straight into showing what is required. Which edition of VSA are you running. Hobbies, Pro or Ultimate?
Hi tony. I can tell by the timeline that she's using pro or ultimate since theres a video view track. Do you use pro version? I do but i have problems with the video , i don't know how to configure external monitor. Any tips? Thanks.
Damn I was so into it that I forgot the time and might do it
Ok... I've got one skeleton completed...HUGE thanks to you! Question: How should I run the audio to my front yard about 50 ft away/ Do you just run an audio cord from the pc? Can you run audio through the ethernet at all? I'm just stumped on all this audio stuff for some reason.
Well now Halloween is going to be sicccc!! Thanks for the explanation! I am wondering if there is a way to write that vsa execution to like an arduino? So i wouldn't have to have a computer hanging out with me
Great, thanks, was thinking I needed to animate my pirate, Sandy Sailor, for next year! Now I just have to get all the bits and do all the work!! And win the lottery to afford it all!! In Australia hings can be a tad more pricey due to freight costs from China!
want to do this for this year, that it be pirates.I like yours videos. You are awesome. Congratulations.
You're incredible
Love the videos, very informative looking forward for your next one. I just received extreme 3D pro. Do you know the 4th button to use on the stick to control the 4th servo for a 3axis skull and how many AMPs does your 6 volt power pack use. Thanks for your help and great videos.
Thanks! For a 3-axis skull, I like to use the 3 joystick axes to do the 3 head movements and the trigger (button 1 on TrackSkull) to control the jaw. And the adapter provides 3A. Hope this helps!
I would legit pay you to make animatronics for the haunted house
Thanks so much for you videos, they're amazing and really easy to understand. I wanted to ask if you can also program other parts of the body, like arms for example, with trackskull or is it just for head and jaw movements?
Using the joystick, you can control anything. Just make sure the servo settings are right (correct pin number for the servo and the correct parameters) and you're good to go!
@@CatsMenagerie Thank you!! I'd like to ask you one more question; could you run more than one show at the same time with the same SSE32U and the same laptop? For example if you have the pirates scene in one part of the haunted house and you had a zombies scene (coordinated with a different audio) in another part of the house, would that work?
Sorry to bother again and thank you so much! I'm thinking on buying all this items, but i want to be sure first.
Because of the way the SSC32U talks to the computer, you wouldn't be able to run two different VSA routines at the same time. However, here's a way I think you could make that work, but it wouldn't be easy: You would need to have a speaker system that supports stereo audio. Pan one audio (like the pirate's audio) to the left and the other audio (zombies) to the right. The zombie and pirate audio are each their own separate mp3 file. This makes it so that the two shows are playing on two separate speakers (the left and right speaker) as long as you can physically separate the speakers far enough to reach the show areas. You can record the movements for each show and its respective audio in TrackSkull and import everything together into the same VSA routine(s). The hobby version of VSA supports up to two audio files, which would be the left audio (pirates) and right audio (zombies). It would be one whole show in the end running off of the one SSC32U and one computer but would look like two different shows in real life.
@@CatsMenagerie Good morning! Thank you for all your answers, they're super useful!! I wanted to ask if you think you could program a reindeer motor or a pneumatic cylinder instead of servo motors with this software?
Thank you!!! Greetings from Spain 😊
How have I not seen all these tools before!?!?
Hey Cat, I recently bought an animatronic that is suppose to lunge forwarded during a certain set of sentences. The survo is not working right and it keeps spinning in circles. Could the servo be bad or the circuit board ?
Now use a Raspberry Pi and Python. They are WIFI and Ethernet. Python does Text to Speech and speaking events that can drive servos.
Your videos are fantastic. What a creative person you are! Do you know if VSA can be triggered by another piece of software? And could you have multiple “shows” within one file which pause after eachother until re-triggered?
Thank you! And yes! There is a software by the same company that makes TrackSkull that will let you do that. It's called Helmsman PRO.
This software lets you put together a playlist of VSA routines and can take digital inputs to trigger a routine to play, start/pause/stop the playlist, play a random routine, etc. These triggers can be keyboard shortcuts or -- using a board called GateKeeper I/O -- you can take inputs such as motion sensors, pressure mats, etc.
I'm actually working on a video right now about this software, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested! In the meantime, you can find out more about Helmsman here: lifeape.com/product/monkeybasic-helmsman-pro/
Thank you so much! This is SO unbelievably helpful! I have been trying to work this out for a couple of years now before building 8 animatronic puppets for a new show I’m doing that will be seen by about 100,000 people per year (so it needs to be pretty damn solid!), but needed to decide which system to use and now this seems like VSA is the best route to go! Thank you thank you thank you!
Woah, that sounds like a big (and super cool) project! :) I’m glad I could help! Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions!
Hey Cat I need your expertise. I have the jaw movement working in VSA but having trouble exporting the head movement in the VSA program. Any tips?
Nicely done!!!! Have you done anything new?
Any ideas on making these activate via pressure plate?
Awesome instruct vids! Thank you. I have a 3 skelly setup following your vids. 2 questions.
1. Have you found any simple relays to use on the ssc32u to control simple on/off led lights using VSA?
2. I have an od symptom in VSA that when I activate all 9 of my servos the audio waveform and servo motion all get delayed like 2 seconds but eh actual audio playback is not delayed. Have you seen anything like that? I can disable 2 of the 9 and have 7 servos and everything syncs great.
Again, awesome work. Thank you.
I have the same problem. I’m now encountering problems with trackskull also; every time I save a vsa only hace of the file is been saved. Sometimes less
@@carlapanim4692 On my delay issue turns out I needed to bump the baud rate on the board and the com and the softwarte to 115k instead of 9600.
As far as trackskull I have not had an issue with saving other than the replay in trackskull did not play the button/jaw movement but after export and load into VSA it played fine.
Hey Cat: LOVE your channel! Do you know of any way to control a PCA 9685 using TrackSkull/VSA (assuming I provide a USB interface)? I don't see it listed among their supported control boards. Cheers, and keep up the good work!
Thanks!! The PCA 9685 is a kind of servo shield, meaning that it needs another controller to control it. You can hook it up to an Arduino. Here’s some good info on that: wiki.sunfounder.cc/index.php?title=PCA9685_16_Channel_12_Bit_PWM_Servo_Driver. If you know how VSA talks to the boards that it supports (SSC, SSC32, Maestro, etc.) then you can modify that example code for the Arduino to emulate one of those boards. For example, the SSC32u reads serial commands like “#0 P1500 S2000” as “move servo on pin 0 to position 1500 at speed 2000” so you could modify the arduino code to read in those commands and translate them into commands for the PCA. If you want to know more about the commands for the different boards a lot of them have manuals that you can find online. It would be a little bit of programming to get it to work but it’s definitely do-able!
@@CatsMenagerie Thanks Cat! The quick and comprehensive reply is much appreciated. I went ahead and ordered an SSC-32u. I think I'll follow in your footsteps with SkullTracker/VSA as well.
Hey can u do a tutorial on how to make animatronics with a wii nunchuck? It's all I can get rn.
Hi. I have followed your advice and im doing it good so far. I wanted to ask if you know a software that runs video synchronized with the servos?. I use director but only runs audio and servos. Thanks
Arturo
(EDIT 7/3/2021: Watch the stream here! ua-cam.com/video/lxaPpb7ETNw/v-deo.html)
LIVE STREAM INFO: Hey everyone! As you may know, I'm working on several live streams covering the full process of how to make and program a skeleton like this one! The first stream will be held on ** Saturday, June 26th 2021 at 3pm ET **
In that stream I will go over the full parts list and answer any questions you may have. All of the streams will be held here on this UA-cam channel, so subscribe to stay updated on those. See you there!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------- Parts List: www.patreon.com/posts/full-parts-list-52299892 -------------
This is amazing!!! I want to skull!
My skull was working great and after a couple sesions of programing the skull became very jerky any ideas on what might haved caused this. I can move the skull by hand with no binding. Thanks
How do you run both shoulder servos at a time? Im using vsa and i bought your same joystick but i only can record one servo at a time with the joystick
I also have a long audio track without events right away and there is no way to fast forward or drag the “trigger line” to wear I want to be 😤
I need help please....can u tell me how do i wire the ssc32u for power and what volt adapter...thanks
Have you used LifeApe's SceneBuilder? Any comments or comparison to VSA?
I have not, but it’s definitely something I’ve been meaning to try out. It certainly looks more user-friendly than VSA but I’m not sure you can import events into it (i.e. from TrackSkull) like you can with VSA. I could be wrong though.
Edit: I just found out that you CAN import recordings from TrackSkull into SceneBuilder.
so the free trial expired and i dont have the money to buy the full version any other software i can use?
can you tell me why when i set the settings for the servos and try to connect trackskull freezes
Hey Cat, you've really got me interested in making an animatronic of my own soon! I was just curious as to how you would be able to make them run on an alternative power source. For example, the corvus animatronic you made. What power source did you use since you would take Corvus around outside and have him be mobile? Thank you and keep up the awesome videos!
Cat, have you been to the Halloween convention in St Louis? If not you need to check it out.
I've always wanted to go, but unfortunately, it's only open to people involved in the professional haunt industry. Some day I'll get there :)
@@CatsMenagerie I am not a professional haunter, and I go every year. You just need to fill out the form.
Send in your business card, the one you have for Halloween UA-cam channel. That will show you have a Halloween business, that's all you need.
I’ll look into it. Thanks!
@@CatsMenagerie I watched your animatronics videos, I'm impressed with what you have done. It has got me excited to do it myself. Have wanted to add some movement to my shows but wasn't sure how to start. So thank you. Keep it up. And if make it to St Louis let me know.
Your videos inspired me to try to bring some of my skeletons to life. I've bought the software but I'm having a ton of issues. I have a wimotion 16 channel servo controller and I don't know if that may be the problem. I don't see that as an option in tracksuit v2. Can you help?
In the vsa program I get a message saying the system can't find communication port 1. I only have one user port on this computer.
These might be stupid questions but I've never done this before. 🙂
Tutorial on using a wii nunchuk to control it pls!??!!
Hi group. Im using VSA my servos start acting crazy when im recording, it's like the servo gets signal from other servos and starts shaking and moving different to what im commanding
How do you plug the skeleton into your computer
Ive used your videos to try a show for my animatronics, but, im having lots of problems synching movements with sounds. I spent days adjusting to get my movements synched but when i used the sending and receiving boards to cat6 everything's timing is so far off its worthless. any suggestions?
Does it sync up if only one or two servos are plugged in? If so, the baud rate might be too low.
Try setting the it to 115200 and see if that helps. Info on how to change the baud rate on the SSC-32U can be found on page 13 of the manual: www.lynxmotion.com/images/data/lynxmotion_ssc-32u_usb_user_guide.pdf#page19. You’ll also need to change the rate on VSA as well (under Tools->settings->port)
Basically, the baud rate is the speed at which the controller and the software communicate to each other, and if you’re controlling multiple servos, sometimes the board can’t receive all of those instructions fast enough. 9600 will work fine in some situations, but if you notice servo delays, I would try changing that first.
However, if everything works fine directly plugged into the board, but then gets off once you use the extensions, then that might be a different issue. How long are the Ethernet cables?
Only 25ft. I currently have a skeleton like yours (3 servos) and a raven (4 servos) but was planning on adding 3 more singing skulls and a doll display. (12 more servos). I tried changing the baud on the card (successfully) but VSA would not let me change it to match. I've had to scrap everything I programed and am starting over. I'm only still using VSA because the wouldn't give me a refund and I can't afford Venue Magic
Raven working before adding skeleton
ua-cam.com/video/V4PMjGx-Gag/v-deo.html
Hello, I have been working on the animatronic project in home for the break. I've put 2 hs-55s on the back and a hs-65hb in it's jaw, added all pieces just like you did. I got the 6 volt plugged in the control board on "VL" (It lit up). Then I got the pins (from outside to inside) black, red, and yellow, on 0,1,2. Connected it to the non boosted board. Then connected it to the boosted board with the ethernet cable., and plugged the motors in (Back 2 on 1,2. Jaw on 3). I then got trackskull V2, set all numbers and ports, controllers, baud rates, etc, correctly. Connected the joystick and the mirco USB, and yet when I hit connect. Nothing happened. I don't know why it's not working. I think it has to do with something with the wires connected to the non boosted board and the control board. Why isn't it working?
When you move the joystick, does the animated skull move? There is a button for connecting the controller and a separate button for connecting the joystick. Also, when you move the joystick, is there a flickering LED on the SSC32? That flickering light indicates that the board is receiving instructions.
Another thing you could try is to download the free servo controller software for the SSC32u from here: www.lynxmotion.com/p-895-free-download-ssc-32-servo-sequencer-utility-created-using-flowbotics-studio.aspx and manually move around the servos to determine if the problem lies with on the hardware or software side.
@@CatsMenagerie Yes, I have it connected and also did notice the flickering LED, but still nothing.
@@josephdibartolo326 I tried a couple things and I discovered a mistake in the first video. Connecting power to VL will not drive the servos on an SSC32u. The power should be connected to VS1 instead. Try that out and let me know if it works!
How does the jaw move on joystick
Can I use a keyboard instead of the joystick. I’m planning on only having a head left and head right on the character I’m making.
I think there is an option to use a mouse with VSA to record the movements.
So I have a question does it require that you always have it plugged into the computer or could you download it
Unfortunately, the controller board must be connected to a computer in order to run the show.
Anyone know why my txt file won’t import into VSA? It tells me ‘unrecognised file type’???
Hi Cat's Menagerie can you add lights to eyes?
The joystick you use seems to be sold out almost everywhere... is there a 2nd recommendation??
Check this new item. I already invested in Trackskull ans VSA but next year I will try this. ua-cam.com/video/ZmMF-aojtVY/v-deo.html
Steve Koci / Halstaff has tons of great videos and has written a great book on animatronics. You need to check him out. He is very knowledgeable and helpful.
anyone able to tell me if you can add more than 3 servos, if so this would be great, thanks!
Very good!! We are a company who make Pneumatic animatronics and tour work its very good!!!
How do you get the sound and lights out to the props.
For the sound, I just connect the computer to a Bluetooth speaker and put the speaker in front of the skeletons. As for the lights, right now I'm using some yard spotlights. Those are connected to extension cords that plug into a wall socket.
I bought trackskull 2 but how do i download it
what are the quietest servos
I don’t really have a definitive answer to that question because it will depend on a lot of factors such as load, gear material, and size of the servo, but I can say that digital servos will usually be quieter than analog servos. However, digital servos require more power than analog servos and won’t always be the right servo for the job. Also, better quality servos such as HiTec and Futaba tend to be quieter than cheap servos. I hope that helps!
Can you use a motion PIR sensor or a IR beam sensor to trigger the show?
Yes! You would need Helmsman Pro and GateKeeper IO. I’ve done a video on Helmsman here: ua-cam.com/video/RQFcXdxoTxc/v-deo.html and I’m working on a GateKeeper video using a PIR motion sensor right now.
@@CatsMenagerie Thanks so much!!! I love your control system idea and design!!
Which VSA would you buy to run 4 skeletons and one with arm movements too?
The major differences between the Hobby and Pro version of VSA are:
- The Pro version allows you to also sync a video file to the project, while Hobby does not
- The Pro version allows you to record 4 joystick movements at a time, while Hobby only does one.
- And the Pro version also lets you sync 4 audio files simultaneously, while Hobby only supports 2 audio files.
Both versions can program up to 128 servos.
@@CatsMenagerie whT is a good arm servo that does not fall down when the power is removed? Do you work with arms and legs?
Also what servo can I use to make the head move from side to side
I've found that the HS-425BB is a good standard servo that can be used in a lot of different applications.
is anyone else having trouble with importing the file because it keeps telling me that it was a unexpected file
I have a serious question so i don’t want to have my computer hooked up all the time is there a way i cloud like upload it to like a usb or something so it will do it automatically
Yes the same company that sells the software sells a controller to take the place of your computer
@@JeffreyReedy what is the company
Because i don’t want my computer hooked up to it so what would i need
@@JeffreyReedy thank you
@@JeffreyReedy it doesn’t give me a option to purchase it tho
Rough to follow
Do you know any more softwares
There's a few more softwares out there that people have used to control animatronics but I don't know much about them. There's Ableton Live, AnimServo, and Weigl Control to name a few.
It work with pneumatics🤔🤔
So I bought another computer just to download this software and control servos, I have downloaded everything that it says I need to download but it refuses to run. Somebody please help me, I can't find any other videos of this software. If you have any information about why it won't run then please tell me.
Edit: I learned how to and I will be buying a joystick soon.
Hello very good video,could you put subtitles please
She should do a fnaf animatronic
Tutorial on using a wii remote to do it pls? I want to make my own animatronic for a cafe I want to own someday
Hi
cant we just use a remote that records movement? and not have to pay the 60-70 bucks for the programs?
I am kinda disappointed with VSA hobbyist…I got the whole way here with the servos, track skull, but VSA is so antiquated I can’t believe I paid $80 for this. It doesn’t seem to have the highlight all events and shift them to the right function using command key anymore. If there tech line doesn’t get back to me I am stopping the payment on my credit card.
Five nights at freddys