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Quick Tip Tuesday: Modules & Instances

Cat — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:47:03 +0000

This week’s Quick Tip Tuesday comes from Aron Altmark (aka Aron the Intern).

When dealing with more complex fixtures with the grandMA2, there are two key elements of fixture types you should know about—Modules and Instances. These two elements make it possible to divide complex fixtures into sub-fixtures, allowing for very precise control and expanding the possibilities of many LED or multi-engine fixtures.

A Module can be thought of as the definition of a distinct part of a fixture, while Instances are individual occurrences of a module. In an RGB LED batten fixture, there is only one module—a single dimmable LED cluster containing red, green, and blue LEDs. However, there may be many cells in an LED batten—these are instances of the LED cluster module. Another fixture that would use modules and instances is the Wybron LitePod (formerly the FagPod by ArtFag). In one configuration, this fixture has two modules—an ACL blinder and a 3K strobe, with a large-format color scroller (doesn’t require additional module).

To access Modules and Instances, open your Fixture Type editor within Setup>Patch & Fixture Schedule>Fixture Types. Select a fixture with multiple cells or parts (such as a PixelRange Pixelline 1044) in the list and tap “Edit”, which opens the Channel list. Open the Module Manager—this contains grandMA 3D specifications for the fixture. Then, go back to the Channel list and open the Instance Manager. This is where you specify how many instances of each module type and their position in relation to each other. For our Pixelline 1044, there are 18 instances of the module “LED Cluster”, each with a patch offset. Each instance also has an X offset to account for the cells being in a batten configuration. For LED panels, there may also be a Y or Z offset.

The cool thing about Modules and Instances is that you can reference each instance of your complex fixtures individually. Once patched, if you look in your fixture sheet, you will notice that it displays each instance as a sub-fixture, adding a decimal to the fixture ID. For example, if I patched my Pixelline 1044 at fixture ID 1, then I would see displayed ID 1.1, 1.2…1.17, and 1.18. If you type in just the fixture ID without decimal, you’ll still select the entire fixture. However, if you add the decimal when selecting fixtures, you can select individual cells. Also, using next and previous will step through each instance.

This can be really handy for making chases within individual fixtures and really intricate effects over complex fixtures. Enjoy making your new flashy pretty!

Note: Keep in mind, you are providing most of this information purely for grandMA 3D. Your show will run just fine in real life, just as long as you provide the correct number of instances and the appropriate patch offset for each. But why not have it be flashy in real life AND 3D flashy? So much more fun.

Quick Tips are exactly what the name should imply. We’re adding these to our blog in an effort to help programmers and operators of all levels. If you’d like to suggest a Quick Tip, drop us a message on this blog, or on our Facebook page, or even via Twitter.

Quick Tip Tuesday: New Show Options on grandMA2

Cat — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:02:18 +0000

Loading a new show on grandMA2 gives you new options that didn’t appear when loading a new show on the Series 1. In addition to just giving the show a new name, you’re prompted with a list of options that you can choose to clear before starting a new show. In other words, how much of the current setup do you wish to disregard? If this is a console used in an installation setting like a theatre or church or nightclub, you might not clear as much each time as you would on a rental console that travels to different venues with different rigs.

www.actlighting.comwww.actlighting.comwww.actlighting.comwww.actlighting.comwww.actlighting.com
Here are the options and a quick breakdown of what they mean:

CLEAR SHOW DATA: Show data includes your fixture patch, Stage Setup, Presets, Cues, etc.
CLEAR TIME CONFIG: This is the time/date/timezone of the console.
CLEAR CONSOLE SETTINGS: This option clears items you find in the CONSOLE tab of the SETUP menu (desk lights, screen options, etc)
CLEAR NETWORK PROTOCOLS: This is specific to DMX over Ethernet options.
CLEAR NETWORK CONFIG: Includes IP/Subnet addressing and Session information
CLEAR USER PROFILES: Starts you with a new User Profile. Its important to note that this does not erase any User Profiles from saved showfiles.

New MA Lighting Software for August on ACTLighting.com

Cat — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:07:08 +0000

Today, you’ll find updated versions of software for the following products, along with Release Notes detailing the updates:

grandMA Series 2
grandMA2 Console Software Version 1.9.0.6
grandMA2 onPC Version 1.9.0.6

Visualizer
grandMA 3D Version [1.9.0][6.5] (compatible with today’s console software releases)

Please visit our Downloads page to access these updates and the Release Notes.

Thanks!
The ACT Lighting Software Team

Quick Tip Tuesday: Predefined Macros in grandMA2

Cat — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:15:49 +0000

One of the things that veteran grandMA Series 1 users look for on the grandMA2 is the Quikey Pool. Indeed, you’ll find that there is no longer a dedicated Quikey Pool. This is because the Quikeys have been streamlined into the Macro Pool.

To add a Quikey style Macro, simply press EDIT followed by an empty Macro cell. This will open the Macro Editing window, where you’ll find an on screen button labeled “Predefined.” Pressing this will open up a new window filled with various familiar looking options that you can scroll through. Once you find the predefined Macro you’re looking for, just click on it and you’ve got your button.

Quick Tip Tuesday: Parameters, Channels, Universes… Part 2

Cat — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:03:02 +0000

This is Part 2 of the series written by Michael Adenau of MA Lighting regarding parameter, channel and universe calculation on grandMA and grandMA2 consoles.

A grandMA1 session has a limitation of 64 patchable DMX universes. As mentioned before, this is handled separately from the parameter count. The user is welcome to patch instruments as desired to any of the 64 available universes. For another extreme example, imagine a show with only 64 standard dimmers patched, but with only one dimmer patched to each of the 64 universes. From a cabling standpoint, there will be 64 universes of data snaking around. But from the console’s perspective, this show only has 64 parameters; well within the 2048 parameter capability.

Once again, the grandMA2 goes a few steps farther by offering 256 patchable universes.

Adding NSP’s (Network Processing Units) to a grandMA1 session increases the parameter limit. There’s an upper limit of 16,384 parameters per session, which can’t be exceeded, no matter how many NSP’s are added. In addition to adding processing power, each NSP has four XLR ports on the back; each can be configured from the console to output any desired DMX universe. Also, any grandMA 2-Port Node added to the network provides two more XLR ports, which can also be configured from the console as any DMX universe output or input. 2-Port Nodes don’t add any parameter calculation, just ports.

The network communication in a grandMA2 session has advanced to the point where a NSP can no longer aid in parameter calculation. Instead, expansion is accomplished with the addition of NPU’s (Network Processing Unit). Each NPU adds 4,096 parameters and eight XLR ports to the network (twice the capability of a NSP at less than twice the price). The grandMA2 can also take advantage of 2-Port Nodes. And even though NSP’s can’t add parameter calculation, they can actually work as 4-Port Nodes in a grandMA2 session.

All of the above provides the user with the flexibility to patch a show however it best makes sense while maintaining reliably frame-synchronous DMX output. This frame-sync becomes ever more important with lots of LED fixtures running any snap change or quick chase.

Quick Tip Tuesday: Parameters, Channels, Universes… Part 1

Cat — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:59:48 +0000

We’ve talked before about how the grandMA console series deals with parameters, channels and universes differently than any other console. Adding the grandMA2 series to the family expands this capability, so we felt that this was a topic we should revisit. Recently, Michael Adenau of MA Lighting wrote a piece explaining how the calculation works and we are presenting that information here in two parts. Part 2 will be available here in one week.

The grandMA and grandMA2 have a very flexible method for dealing with parameter and universe limitations. Essentially, these consoles see a pretty distinct difference between a “parameter” and a “DMX channel.” At the same time, the DMX universe limitation in the patch is not coupled to the parameter limit.

A parameter is something like ‘PAN’ or ‘COLOR1′ or ‘GOBO2′.

On a grandMA1, a parameter can be 8-bit (for 256 steps of resolution) or 16-bit (65,536 steps of resolution), depending on the resolution. 8-bit means it uses 1 DMX-channel; if it is 16-bit, it uses 2 DMX channels.

Most lights use two DMX channels (16-bit) each for Pan, Tilt, etc. Most dimmer racks only use one DMX-channel (8 bit) per dimmer.

A grandMA1 full-size can process 2048 parameters without any additional equipment. Because the internal CPU calculation of a grandMA1 is always 16-bit, we count parameters in grandMA, not channels. So in an extreme scenario, we could patch 2048 16-bit parameters. This would actually require 4096 DMX channels to output. More realistically, Patching something like a Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500 requires 27 DMX channels of output, but since Pan, Tilt, and Dimmer are all 16-bit, it only counts at 24 parameters, leaving enough extra headroom in the parameter limitation to add one more RGB LED. On the surface, it may seem strange for the console to calculate 8-bit parameters at 16-bit, but it actually requires less internal conversion between resolutions and is therefore easier on the CPU and network.

As with all things, the grandMA2 ups the ante when it comes to parameter processing and limitations. Without any additional equipment, the full-size console can process 8192 parameters. On top of that, the grandMA2 software adds support for 24-bit parameters, using three DMX channels for the output of a parameter (for 16,777,216 steps of resolution). Admittedly, there are scant few instruments that currently take advantage of 24-bit parameter resolution, but it’s very possible we’ll see more in the future.

Quick Tip Tuesday: Making Effects Using Presets in grandMA2

Cat — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:00:33 +0000

This week’s Quick Tip comes from Aron Altmark, aka “Aron the Intern.”

The grandMA2 incorporates a very powerful effects editor that allows the user to make effects of all shapes, sizes, and levels of complexity quickly and easily. You may have played with this effect editor already, but in this week’s quick tip we’re going to talk about using presets within effects. While you may be used to building effects using Value 1 and Value 2, we are going to build our effect using presets as the referenced values. This way, updating presets also updates your effects! Yay, easy!

You can open the Effects Editor by pressing Edit and then touching an effect space in the Effects Pool (or typing Edit Effect in the command line). You will add lines to your effect here—adjusting the quantity of fixtures affected, desired attribute, mode, rate, value ranges, phase, width, and modifiers.

While you can use presets with any attributes, for our purposes here let’s say we want to make a Pan/Tilt effect. It will bring our lights from a band wash up and out to the audience in a nice smooth bally. Add two lines to your effect, one using Pan and one using Tilt as attributes. Note: Be sure to have your desired fixtures selected while creating lines—you should see the desired number of fixtures in the “Quantity” column on the left. If not, make your fixtures active in the programmer and press “Take Selection”.

Once you’ve added lines for Pan and Tilt and given them an appropriate rate (for a starting rate with pan/tilt effects, try 0.2 Hz or 12-15 BPM)—tap Edit Effect Line on the right-hand side of the screen. Underneath the bars for Value 1 and Value 2, there are buttons that say “Value 1 Simple”. Tap these until they say “Value 1 Preset” & “Value 2 Preset”.

Now, when you tap in the empty bar for the value, you can select your starting and ending position presets for your effect values. From here, select your desired waveform, adjust phase & width, and you’re good to go! When you look at the lines of your effect now, you will see the presets being referenced as values. Start your effect by double tapping the name of the effect in the Effects Pool and look at your pretty swoopy effect.

Note: When making effects that reference presets using Pan/Tilt and ColorMix, be sure to add lines for all parts of that attribute. Pan/Tilt must have two lines, one for Pan and one for Tilt, while a ColorMix effect must have one line for each color (three total for CMY/RGB). In the case of ColorMix effects using presets, each line has to be identical in all aspects, and all lines must reference the same presets.

Protip: Use Joe’s favorite waveform, PWM (pulse-width modulator) for the most control over your effect. With this one, you can also play with attack and decay times, giving your effect some added punch—good for smacking ravers in the face with effects.

New MA Lighting Software for June on ACTLighting.com

Cat — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:32:25 +0000

Today, you’ll find updated versions of software for the following products, along with Release Notes detailing the updates:

grandMA Series 1
grandMA Console Software Version 6.520
grandMA1 onPC Version 6.520

grandMA Series 2
grandMA2 Console Software Version 1.9
grandMA2 onPC Version 1.9

Visualizer
grandMA 3D Version [1.9.0][6.5] (compatible with today’s console software releases)

Video Processing Unit
grandMA VPU Software Version 4.5

Please visit our Downloads page to access these updates and the Release Notes.

Thanks!
The ACT Lighting Software Team

Visit us at 4 Wall Lighting today

Cat — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:14:04 +0000

ACT Lighting is participating in the Vendor Showcase at 4 Wall Lighting in New Jersey today. We’ll have a grandMA2 for you to poke!

From 4 Wall Lighting’s Press Release:
It’s back! 4Wall Entertainment, UsedLighting.com, and UsedAV.com will hold their Annual Vendor Showcase on May 20, 2010 at 3 PM at the 4Wall facility in Moonachie, NJ.

The event is free to the public and will include representatives from many of the hottest manufacturers in the lighting industry today.

Refreshments will be served, join us for a great time!

Vendors scheduled to attend the showcase include:

ACT Lighting, Altman, Arri Group, Chauvet Lighting, City Theatrical, Coemar, Color Kinetics, ETC, GAM Products, L&E, Lee Filters, Lex Products, Martin Professional, Morpheus Lights, Robe, Opus Lighting, Prism Projection, Rosco, SeaChanger, Strand Lighting, TMB, Vari*lite, Wybron Inc.

4Wall Entertainment- NY
2 Empire Blvd.
Moonachie, NJ 07074
201-329-9878

Quick Tip Tuesday: MA-Share

Cat — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:39:16 +0000

While this tip won’t be new information for everyone… we find that there are still some programmers and operators who are not aware of an extensive (free) resource online called ma-share.net.

This website contains a wealth of information relating the grandMA series of consoles. For example:

Fixture Share: find fixture profiles for new instruments not contained in the console. This can be a HUGE time saver.
Effects Share: custom effects created by programmers
Gobo Share: gobo image libraries
Forums: support and conversation relating the the grandMA
wikiMA: a user created wiki for grandMA programming

And, for those of you with a grandMA2, you’ll also have access to custom Macros that can be added to your showfile.

Please visit the site to learn more, or to submit your own content.
http://ma-share.net