Getting Started

Welcome to Designer

FutureHoop Designer, FuturePoi Designer, and FutureStaff Designer allow you to customize the visuals, behavior, and organization of the patterns stored on your prop.

Your prop comes pre-loaded with patterns and default settings, so you can start playing immediately. You do not need to connect it to a computer or change any settings to enjoy it.

As you become more comfortable, you can add new patterns, organize them into groups, customize playback behavior, and even create your own designs.

Most customization happens through a simple USB connection. When connected to a computer, your prop behaves much like a USB flash drive. You can browse folders, copy files, and organize content using tools that are already built into Windows and Mac.

Good News: It’s Hard to Break Things

Designer was designed to encourage experimentation. Most customization involves adding, removing, or organizing files. If something does not work as expected, it can usually be fixed by restoring a file or correcting a folder location.

How Designer Is Organized

Designer stores patterns inside folders.

Think of it like a music library:

• Individual songs are Patterns
• Playlists are Modes

A Pattern is a single visual effect or image displayed by your prop.

A Mode is a collection of related patterns grouped together for easier browsing and playback.

For example, you might have:

• Gradient Mode
  • Rainbow
  • Sunset
  • Aurora
• Fire Mode
  • Flame
  • Ember
  • Inferno

This organization makes it easier to navigate large pattern collections while spinning.

Pattern Files

Each pattern is stored as a bitmap image, also called a .bmp file.

Bitmaps are a common image format that can be opened and edited in many image editing programs.

You do not need to understand bitmap editing to use Designer. Most users begin by downloading and adding existing patterns.

Settings Files

You may also notice text files stored on the prop.

These files control optional behaviors such as autoplay, transitions, and other advanced settings.

You can safely ignore these files when you’re first getting started.

Playing Without the Remote

Even if your remote is not available, you can still move between Modes by turning the prop off and back on again.

By default, most Modes have Autoplay enabled. This means the prop will automatically advance through patterns at regular intervals.

When the last pattern is reached, playback returns to the first pattern and continues cycling.

Most People Start Here

If you want to add new patterns to your prop, continue to the Loading Patterns section.