Hello,
I'm sure I must be missing something fundamental, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to patch intelligent lights with LXConsole, and haven't really found any documentation to explain it even though it must be possible (from reading other forum posts).
Looking at subchannels it's clear that the concepts are all there, but somewhere I'm missing the mapping of attributes from the individual moving light profiles to the standard sub-channel numbers.
I get the impression that at least one way of doing this is to define things in LXBeams and then transfer to LXConsole; if that's the best way I will invest in LXBeams and play with that, but I thought there might be a simpler way that I'm missing?
Thanks,
Dominic.
Patching moving lights
There are two parts to configuring a channel for an automated fixture. First, you have to define what sub-channels it uses. Next, you have to patch the sub-channels to DMX addresses. To save the setup that has the sub-channels and the relative order of DMX addresses, you export a .lxchannel file. This can then be used by importing it into other channels.
In order to create an .lxchannel file for a fixture, you might want to start with a blank document. It is easiest to create a model patch, export it and then import it into your actual file setting a new base address in the process.
First you right-click or hold down the control key and click on a channel. Select "Setup Channel" from the menu that pops up. In the channel setup sheet, add all the sub-channels used by the fixture. You do this by clicking the + button in the lower left below the sub-channel list. There should be enough pre-defined ones to choose from that you can probably do this without creating any custom sub-channels. If a sub-channel such as pan has a fine component, first add a subchannel for pan. Then, with that sub-channel selected in the list click the +fine button.
Once you have all the necessary sub-channels added to the channel, click OK to dismiss the channel setup sheet. The sub-channels will appear in the patch table in the lower half of the main split view. Open the split view to reveal this by dragging the divider upwards. You must define the order of DMX addresses. The easiest way to do this is to start with the first address in the manufacturer's table (probably in the manual) and assign it to address 1, the second to 2 and so on. For example, consider a fixture that has pan, fine pan, tilt, fine tilt, intensity and frame (color wheel or scroll). The sub-channels will appear in the patch table in their internal order. This may not be the same as the order defined by the manufacturer. In this example, the sub-channels will appear as intensity, frame, pan, fine pan, tilt and fine tilt. You want to assign addresses as follows:
5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4. It is easiest to do this starting from address 1. An actual fixture with the DMX fixture address 10 will patch as 14, 15, 10, 11, 12, 13. But, the offset will be taken care of when you export and import the channel setup.
Once the sub-channels are patched in order, you'll want to go back to the channel setup sheet to export the configuration as a .lxchannel file. You may also want to define specific DMX values for some of the sub-channels. This is done by selecting the sub-channel in the table and adding defined values to the table on the right side of the setup sheet. In the above example, the frame subchannel may have specific colors tied to DMX levels. If you define these in the channel setup, you'll be able to re-call them later to make programming easier. When you are done, click the export button below the Subchannels table and save your setup file.
You use the setup file by going to the setup sheet by right clicking the channel you want to use and again selecting Setup Channel... Now that you have the configuration saved, just click the import button below the Subchannels table. At the very bottom of the list of library channel setups is "Choose File" Select that and then open your .lxchannel file. You'll get an import options sheet that allows you to select what elements you want to import from the file and to specify the base address. Assuming that the fixture address starts with 10, put 10 into this field. Click OK for both the import options and to close the channel setup sheet. If you look in the patch table, you'll see the fixture correctly patched following the order of addresses you defined.
In order to create an .lxchannel file for a fixture, you might want to start with a blank document. It is easiest to create a model patch, export it and then import it into your actual file setting a new base address in the process.
First you right-click or hold down the control key and click on a channel. Select "Setup Channel" from the menu that pops up. In the channel setup sheet, add all the sub-channels used by the fixture. You do this by clicking the + button in the lower left below the sub-channel list. There should be enough pre-defined ones to choose from that you can probably do this without creating any custom sub-channels. If a sub-channel such as pan has a fine component, first add a subchannel for pan. Then, with that sub-channel selected in the list click the +fine button.
Once you have all the necessary sub-channels added to the channel, click OK to dismiss the channel setup sheet. The sub-channels will appear in the patch table in the lower half of the main split view. Open the split view to reveal this by dragging the divider upwards. You must define the order of DMX addresses. The easiest way to do this is to start with the first address in the manufacturer's table (probably in the manual) and assign it to address 1, the second to 2 and so on. For example, consider a fixture that has pan, fine pan, tilt, fine tilt, intensity and frame (color wheel or scroll). The sub-channels will appear in the patch table in their internal order. This may not be the same as the order defined by the manufacturer. In this example, the sub-channels will appear as intensity, frame, pan, fine pan, tilt and fine tilt. You want to assign addresses as follows:
5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4. It is easiest to do this starting from address 1. An actual fixture with the DMX fixture address 10 will patch as 14, 15, 10, 11, 12, 13. But, the offset will be taken care of when you export and import the channel setup.
Once the sub-channels are patched in order, you'll want to go back to the channel setup sheet to export the configuration as a .lxchannel file. You may also want to define specific DMX values for some of the sub-channels. This is done by selecting the sub-channel in the table and adding defined values to the table on the right side of the setup sheet. In the above example, the frame subchannel may have specific colors tied to DMX levels. If you define these in the channel setup, you'll be able to re-call them later to make programming easier. When you are done, click the export button below the Subchannels table and save your setup file.
You use the setup file by going to the setup sheet by right clicking the channel you want to use and again selecting Setup Channel... Now that you have the configuration saved, just click the import button below the Subchannels table. At the very bottom of the list of library channel setups is "Choose File" Select that and then open your .lxchannel file. You'll get an import options sheet that allows you to select what elements you want to import from the file and to specify the base address. Assuming that the fixture address starts with 10, put 10 into this field. Click OK for both the import options and to close the channel setup sheet. If you look in the patch table, you'll see the fixture correctly patched following the order of addresses you defined.
Brilliant, thanks so much for these steps. The key thing I was missing is the patch drawer which you have to drag out - then it comes much more obvious what's going on... I've only ever worked with one to one patching before.
Strikes me that your response would be worth including into the docs! (Or maybe just pinnig this topic).
Best wishes,
Dominic.
Strikes me that your response would be worth including into the docs! (Or maybe just pinnig this topic).
Best wishes,
Dominic.
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Johan Söderberg
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:35 pm
- Contact:
Hi !!!
Very helpful. But i'm dealing with a fixture maybe a little different and i'm a little bit confuse. Here is a link to Chromlech ELIDY-S:
http://www.chromlech.fr/media/support/m ... WV3_FR.pdf
I know the relevant informations are in pages 99 and 100. But i'm not sure how to configure the sub-channels.
I'm a big fan of TouchOSC. Works very well with LXconsole. I'll certainly endup with a layout to have total control of my 12 ELIDY-S.
Note that i'm not using ''user gif''
Thanks you so much to help so many of us!
Pascal from Montréal
Very helpful. But i'm dealing with a fixture maybe a little different and i'm a little bit confuse. Here is a link to Chromlech ELIDY-S:
http://www.chromlech.fr/media/support/m ... WV3_FR.pdf
I know the relevant informations are in pages 99 and 100. But i'm not sure how to configure the sub-channels.
I'm a big fan of TouchOSC. Works very well with LXconsole. I'll certainly endup with a layout to have total control of my 12 ELIDY-S.
Note that i'm not using ''user gif''
Thanks you so much to help so many of us!
Pascal from Montréal
Do you want to control the pixels individually or do you want to use one of the animation modes: 2, 4, 8 or 14 DMX channels?
If you want to control individual pixels, its all intensity which needs to be mapped 1 to 1 for each DMX address going to each pixel. LXConsole does not support pixel mapping like a media server.
If you are interested in one of the other modes, can you specify which one?
If you want to control individual pixels, its all intensity which needs to be mapped 1 to 1 for each DMX address going to each pixel. LXConsole does not support pixel mapping like a media server.
If you are interested in one of the other modes, can you specify which one?
The first step would be to define some subchannels. LXConsole allows you to define your own subchannels. Or, you can use existing an existing subchannel number and just set an alternate name for it. For instance, you could use F/X Speed (176) for the Bank A Speed. Or, you could use one of the custom subchannel numbers (50-99) and assign it to Bank A Speed. How you make this decision depends on other fixtures in your setup that you might want to either organize into similar subchannels or to keep separate. Heres how you just make your own custom subchannels:
Choose View->Setup.
Choose the Channels tab.
Click the + button. From the popup menu in the choose subchannel sheet, go all the way to the bottom of the list and choose "Other". Click OK.
Rename the new Other subchannel "Bank A" (The new subchannel is probably number 50 which is the first custom subchannel.)
Click the + button. From the popup menu in the choose subchannel sheet, go all the way to the bottom of the list and choose "Other". Click OK.
Rename the new Other subchannel "Bank A Speed"
Repeat for "Symmetry" and "Fade Out"
You should now have subchannels defined for
"Bank A"
"Bank A Speed"
"Symmetry"
"Fade Out"
Close the setup window.
The next step is to use the subchannels to setup a channel. Here are the steps to do that:
Click on a channel and choose Channel->Setup Hilited Channels.
In the channel setup sheet, click the "+fine" button to add a fine intensity subchannel.
In the table offset (+) column enter 0 for the 0 Intensity row and 1 for 500 Intensity (fine).
Click the + button and choose Shutter in the subchannel selection sheet. Click OK.
In the table offset (+) column enter 2 for 101 Shutter.
Click the + button and choose Iris in the subchannel selection sheet. Click OK.
In the table offset (+) column enter 3 for 6 Iris.
(Note that the subchannel table is organized by subchannel number so the + column is used to specify the order of DMX addresses)
Click the + button and choose Bank A in the subchannel selection sheet. Click OK.
In the table offset (+) column enter 4 for 50 Bank A.
Repeat this process for the remaining subchannels. Close the Channel setup sheet.
You can open the channels setup sheet and export the setup for your channel in a file. This allows you to use it to set up other channels and to automatically patch a channel from a starting address like you can with the built-in channel setups. (After clicking the Import button in the channel setup sheet, scroll to the bottom of the popup list and find "Choose File".)
On the LXSeries Website there is an area for user contributed files. There is a Elidy.lxchannel file that was created using the steps outlined in this post.
Choose View->Setup.
Choose the Channels tab.
Click the + button. From the popup menu in the choose subchannel sheet, go all the way to the bottom of the list and choose "Other". Click OK.
Rename the new Other subchannel "Bank A" (The new subchannel is probably number 50 which is the first custom subchannel.)
Click the + button. From the popup menu in the choose subchannel sheet, go all the way to the bottom of the list and choose "Other". Click OK.
Rename the new Other subchannel "Bank A Speed"
Repeat for "Symmetry" and "Fade Out"
You should now have subchannels defined for
"Bank A"
"Bank A Speed"
"Symmetry"
"Fade Out"
Close the setup window.
The next step is to use the subchannels to setup a channel. Here are the steps to do that:
Click on a channel and choose Channel->Setup Hilited Channels.
In the channel setup sheet, click the "+fine" button to add a fine intensity subchannel.
In the table offset (+) column enter 0 for the 0 Intensity row and 1 for 500 Intensity (fine).
Click the + button and choose Shutter in the subchannel selection sheet. Click OK.
In the table offset (+) column enter 2 for 101 Shutter.
Click the + button and choose Iris in the subchannel selection sheet. Click OK.
In the table offset (+) column enter 3 for 6 Iris.
(Note that the subchannel table is organized by subchannel number so the + column is used to specify the order of DMX addresses)
Click the + button and choose Bank A in the subchannel selection sheet. Click OK.
In the table offset (+) column enter 4 for 50 Bank A.
Repeat this process for the remaining subchannels. Close the Channel setup sheet.
You can open the channels setup sheet and export the setup for your channel in a file. This allows you to use it to set up other channels and to automatically patch a channel from a starting address like you can with the built-in channel setups. (After clicking the Import button in the channel setup sheet, scroll to the bottom of the popup list and find "Choose File".)
On the LXSeries Website there is an area for user contributed files. There is a Elidy.lxchannel file that was created using the steps outlined in this post.
WoW... Awsome !!!
Works perfectly. i'm getting better at LXconsole every day... Thanks to you!
I've made myself a touchOSC layout (see link). The thing i have not been able to figure out is the way that i could select several tiles simply by touching them. It's something that would be very useful... not only for this project.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cnkt0usq6m4cc ... 3.png?dl=0
Thank you Thank you Thank you... !!!
Pascal
Works perfectly. i'm getting better at LXconsole every day... Thanks to you!
I've made myself a touchOSC layout (see link). The thing i have not been able to figure out is the way that i could select several tiles simply by touching them. It's something that would be very useful... not only for this project.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cnkt0usq6m4cc ... 3.png?dl=0
Thank you Thank you Thank you... !!!
Pascal