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Answers to common questions about MacLux Pro(tm)
MacLux Pro and OSX 10.7 Lion
OS X 10.7 Lion does not include Rosetta. MacLux Pro will not run on OS X 10.7. LXSeries software, some of which is based on MacLux Pro, is written for OS X and other operating systems. LXBeams, which is similar to MacLux Pro is available in a 64bit Intel version. To learn more about LXSeries, click here.
Troubleshooting for v2.1/2.2 | Troubleshooting for v 2.0 and Earlier
MacLux Pro(tm) v2.1 is able to run directly under OS-X (up to 10.6) without requiring "classic." MacLux Pro(tm) v2.1 is also able to run on Intel hardware using Apple's Rosetta technology (not part of OS X 10.7).
MacLux Pro(tm) is based on a classic Macintosh application framework. While MacLux Pro(tm) v2.1 has been modified to run under the OS-X Carbon environment, there are some minor differences under OS-X. One aspect of Carbon that is different from classic is the Window Manager. Very occasionally, MacLux Pro(tm) will not activate a window correctly under OS-X. The solution is to click to the desktop and then back to MacLux Pro(tm)
MacLux Pro v2.1.6 and earlier have a problem where if there are windows minimized when you attempt to quit, MacLux Pro(tm) will crash.
PICT Files MacLux Pro only recognizes PICT files with the HFS File Type of PICT. Not all applications that create PICT files under OS-X set the HFS file type correctly. For example, the Preview application, which can be used to convert files from PDF into PICT, correctly sets the file type on 10.3.9 and 10.5 but NOT on 10.4. If your file appears grayed out when you click Import... in a PICT Layer dialog window, you may have this problem.
If you are sure that you have a PICT file but it appears grayed out when you click Impo class=smrt... (it doesn't have the correct HFS file type), you can use this utility (10.4 and later) to set the HFS type of the file.
Troubleshooting v2.0 and Earlier
My libraries are empty or missing.
The key library, color library, lamp library and frame list are stored inside the MacLux Pro Prefs file. When MacLux Pro(tm) is installed, this prefs file containing the libraries is placed in the Preferences folder inside your System folder. Typically, reinstalling MacLux Pro(tm) from the CD will solve the problem. You should remove any existing copies of the MacLux Pro(tm) application and the MacLux Pro Prefs file before installing. If this fails to solve the problem, it may be necessary to move the MacLux Pro Prefs file from the Preferences folder to the same folder as the MacLux Pro(tm) application.
My libraries are scrambled.
You cannot switch back and forth between MacLux Pro v2.0 and MacLux Pro v1.7!
If you open the v2.0 prefs file using v1.7, the file will be corrupted and cannot be recovered. If this happens, reinstall v2.0 from the CD. Delete the bad MacLux Pro Prefs file before reinstalling.
When I try to look at a light's beam, all the lights come on.
When you use the hand tool and click on a light and drag to set its level, you are actually setting the level of its channel. If you haven't assigned a channel, the light is effectively assigned to channel <blank>. When you set the level of channel <blank>, all the lights that have a <blank> channel are turned on. This includes the one you clicked on and any others without an assigned channel. Once you understand that the hand tool is setting the level of channel <blank> the solution is to set the level of channel <blank> to 0. Then, using the arrow tool, assign a channel to the light for which you were trying to plot the beam. (this could be a temporary value such as channel "x".) Once assigned a unique channel, you will be able to view the light's beam independently.
I turned on a light and I can't see its beam.
A light with a "white" beam can be hard to see on a white background (white on white!) So, there are a couple of options to make the beam visible. First, you can invert the background so that the white beam appears against black. (Display menu ->more choices->invert background). Inverting the background can also make it difficult to see the outline of light symbols. So, you can switch from filled beams to outline beams. Use the Beams dialog from the Controls menu. Make sure that the colored beams option is not checked. This will display an black outline around your beam's oval.
There are some situations where MacLux Pro cannot display a beam. One example is if the floor plane is raised above the height of the light. In these cases, MacLux Pro indicates that a light is on by putting a box around its symbol.
Why won't my new iMac / iBook recognize my old MacLux Pro(tm) floppy disks?
My new iMac / iBook doesn't have a floppy drive.
If you have access to an older Mac that will read your disks, you can copy the installer files and transfer them to your new computer. It is not necessary to use floppy disks to install MacLux Pro(tm). The only requirement for the older installer is that both parts be inside the same folder. The main installer is located on disk one and part two of the installer is located on disk two. These files are the only ones on the disks. Although MacLux Pro(tm) v1.7 will work on your newer Mac, you may want to consider upgrading to v2.0. Not only is it distributed on CD, it is also powerMac native and has many new features.
I got a new Macintosh and now my MacLux Pro(tm) doesn't work .
Older versions of MacLux Pro(tm) may require you to allocate more memory as monitors are now typically larger. If you get a not enough memory message when you try to start MacLux Pro(tm), you will need to allow it to use more memory. Select the MacLux pro(tm) application icon in the Finder. Choose Get Info->Memory from the File menu. Set the preferred size to 10000. Close the info window and try running MacLux Pro(tm).