morphing

[support]

The current version of our software is:
- fixtures based - changing the DMX address of a fixture does not affect the lightshow
- pure* channels based - changing the order of the "pur" DMX channels does not affect the lightshow (program restart is required)

"pure means "without levels", like the channels "pan", "tilt", "red", "green", "dimmer", ...
(if you know a better word than "pure" to mention "without levels", please let us know)

The next software gives faster and smarter functions to generate automatically boards of buttons for levels of channels (like "open", "close", "strobe", "rotate", ...).
No need also to restart the next software to get the channels changes. Just switch off and on the running scene.

Our idea is.
The "pure" channels need oftenly personalized programmation. These programs are safe when you replace the fixture by a new one with the DMX channels at a different order.
The buttons in the section "Live" for functions like "open", "close", "strobe", "rotate", ... are basic. With the new software, you could re-generate them in a few mouse click.

[muscanto]

I'm not really following the "pure" part. Can you give a use case example?

[jason5d]

Hi,

we've got some new similar but better lights in same position as the old ones

Is there a way of changing the fixture without having to redo the the 50 odd programs from scratch?

It's called morphing heads in magicQ

Also how do I move program files and scenes between shows (same lights) - I used to know but can't find the post about it

thx

[support]

@ muscanto

The DMX channels "pan", "tilt", "red", "green", "dimmer", ... do not have specific functions at specific DMX levels.
We just dim them from 0 to 100%.
We call them "pure channels".

The other channels are for instance:

"shutter" because it has specific functions like:
- "shutter open" from DMX levels 0 to 15
- "strobe" from DMX levels 16 to 240
- "open" from DMX levels 241 to 255

Or "gobo" with these specific functions:
- "no gobo" from DMX levels 0 to 15
- "gobo1" from DMX levels 16 to 31
- "gobo2" from DMX levels 31 to 47
- "gobo_rotate" from DMX levels 128 to 255

If you know a better (and easy) word than "pure", please let us know.


@ jason5d

Is there a way of changing the fixture without having to redo the the 50 odd programs from scratch?

You will not have to redo the programs for the pure channels, and you will have to redo them for the other channels.
You have to edit the DMX fixtures in the section "Fixtures" in our software, and change the profile.
You have also to change the DMX addresses when necessary.
Then you have to restart the our software, and the "pure channels" should work same as before.

how do I move program files and scenes between shows

You have to manually move the files in the folder of your lightshow in the desktop of your operating system.

Caution: please make a safe backup of your lightshow before doing any change.

[dumbfungus]

The current version of our software is:
- fixtures based - changing the DMX address of a fixture does not affect the lightshow
- pure* channels based - changing the order of the "pur" DMX channels does not affect the lightshow (program restart is required)

"pure means "without levels", like the channels "pan", "tilt", "red", "green", "dimmer", ...
(if you know a better word than "pure" to mention "without levels", please let us know)

The next software gives faster and smarter functions to generate automatically boards of buttons for levels of channels (like "open", "close", "strobe", "rotate", ...).
No need also to restart the next software to get the channels changes. Just switch off and on the running scene.

Our idea is.
The "pure" channels need oftenly personalized programmation. These programs are safe when you replace the fixture by a new one with the DMX channels at a different order.
The buttons in the section "Live" for functions like "open", "close", "strobe", "rotate", ... are basic. With the new software, you could re-generate them in a few mouse click.

I guess I’m a little fuzzy on this. How exactly can we implement this? I’m about to update some fixtures and this would be really sharp. I see what you’re doing to minimize re-programming everything, and very grateful. But how to actually do it?

[support]

1. Edit the DMX fixture in the section "Fixtures", change the profile according to your new DMX fixture and save the profile.
2. Change the DMX addresse of the fixture if necessary.
3. Restart the software.

Reminder: only the programs for the "pure" channels will be safe ; you will have to manually redo the programs for the other channels.

Caution: please make a safe backup of your lightshow before doing any change.

[dumbfungus]

1. Edit the DMX fixture in the section "Fixtures", change the profile according to your new DMX fixture and save the profile.
2. Change the DMX addresse of the fixture if necessary.
3. Restart the software.

Reminder: only the programs for the "pure" channels will be safe ; you will have to manually redo the programs for the other channels.

Caution: please make a safe backup of your lightshow before doing any change.

So to provide a specific example: I have 6x intimidator scan 305 in my programming. I will be purchasing 6x intimidator scan 360. The channels are not in the same order, plus the newer fixtures have an extra channel.

What I need to do is to open showXpress and pull up my 305 fixtures, and edit their profile to make them match the 360 models.

Then a restart. Then just tidy up the “non pure” channels (strobe, prism, gobo, etc)

Yes? And that’s for the current software? or for the new version when it becomes available? Obviously my software will still have them named as the original 305 fixtures, but that won’t affect anything of course.

[support]

You have to:
- select one of the "scan 305" fixtures
- edit the profile
- make it match the "360" model
- save the profile (all the other "scan 305" in the list will be automatically linked to this new profile)
- change the DMX address of each fixture (because they have a different nb of DMX channels)
- restart the software
- redo the programs for the "non pure" channels (strobe, prism, gobo, etc)

This works with the current software.

Keeping the old name for the fixtures will not affect the procedure.

[dumbfungus]

Great news and thank you. Lastly , do we expect a better way to accomplish this task in v10 when it’s released?

[support]

With the next software, no need to restart it.

Regarding the "non pure" channels, the new software can, in a few mouse clicks, generate all necessary buttons to control them, with high personalisation of your needs.

The important thing is to basically make a clear (smart) programmation of your scenes. For instance in your pan/tilt or RGB scenes, move exclusively the pan/tilt or RGB channels. Then, to make your lightshow, mix the scenes in the boards, but do not mix the unrelated channels inside the scenes.