Video Transcript
UCI Deployment
7m 12s
0:08
Welcome back – we’ve shown you a few ways to integrate some simple elements into your UCI,
0:13
and now let's take a look at some of the advanced cases.
0:17
Now, here we have a simple but effective application – you’ve seen how you can pull a custom image into your
0:22
background, but let's take it a step further.
0:25
This background is designed to make the UCI look more like a physical mixer deck.
0:31
It has some labeled plates around the faders,
0:33
and at the bottom of each one there’s a fake masking tape with some hand-drawn labels
0:37
that really give it that live show feel.
0:41
The functionality of this UCI is pretty simple – just some faders, meters, and mute buttons,
0:48
but the style of the design gives it a great feel.
0:51
These buttons are actually custom images with a transparency in the text,
0:55
and they’ve used custom scripting so that when you click on the image,
1:00
the button beneath it is triggered – so it looks like the word Solo is lighting up.
1:04
On the next page, we’ve made their own buttons for some simple actions controlling our Audio Player,
1:09
which is a pretty easy thing to do and you can keep your buttons in-line with the aesthetics of the rest of the UCI.
1:14
Another common use of UCIs is to create a ground plan of your venue that gives quick access to specific areas.
1:21
Now, for this we took a line-drawing blueprint of their arena
1:25
then built a series of polygons to represent the different sections of it.
1:29
We've applied the mute button controls to these polygons,
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which means they can quickly mute different sections of their arena just by touching that part of the blueprint,
1:38
or by using these presets on the side which are linked to the different Snapshots.
1:42
We did the same thing for their Concourse that goes around the Arena,
1:45
but this time using simple buttons rather than polygons and then they put the master controls right here in the middle.
1:52
You can take this idea even further if you want to by getting even more detailed images.
1:57
If you use Google Sketchup, for example, you can build a 3D model of your venue.
2:04
For a stadium like this, someone may have already done the work for you and all you have to do is just download it!
2:09
And then you can then find an angle that you like, let's say, right here, and then export an image of it,
2:17
use some editing software like Photoshop to create some transparencies in the areas you want,
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and then use that to create an interactive design. Take a look at this completed one
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the underlying buttons are still simple polygons, but with the image on top having the sections already cut out,
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you can get some great detail or effects like this shadow from the upper deck.
2:42
Now, the last thing I want to show you isn’t necessarily mind-blowing, but I think it's pretty useful.
2:46
There’s a component in the layout branch of your Schematic Library called the Popup Button.
2:52
This is intended specifically for UCIs, and you can use it to create another window
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that expands or collapses when you click the Popup Button.
3:00
This gives you quick access to either hide or show some controls without having to navigate to a different page.
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Maybe you could use this in one of these sections of the stadium
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and you could fill the Popup window with the status information on the amplifiers in that area.
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You can make the Popup window as large as you want and pull it on any side of the original button.
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You can see that with a little creativity you can create some visually compelling UCIs that are easy
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and intuitive for your end user to operate. By putting only select controls into the user’s hand
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you can turn pages and pages of complicated schematics into a simple device that anyone can use.
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And remember - if you don’t want just anyone to use it,
3:40
you can restrict access to certain UCIs using the Q-SYS Administrator.
3:44
Check out our Administrator tutorial for more information on that.
3:47
Until then, thanks for watching and we’ll see you next time.
Lesson Description
UCI Deployment
7m 12s
Employ advanced button customizations methods and pop-ups windows.
Tips and Definitions
UCI Deployment
7m 12s
Pop-up button: The Pop-up button is used specifically for UCIs. It provides the user with a collapsible window where user controls and status information can be stored and easily accessed.
You can download simple pre-built models here: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/
Downloads and Links
UCI Deployment
7m 12s