Mark Eli

Mac OS can be a little weird with network interfaces. If you're on a wired connection, for example an ethernet cable plugged into a dongle that's plugged into a USB port. Shut down Vision and the Nomad software, then disable the wifi, and restart the software. For whatever reason, Mac OS will only show one interface if two are available, and it will always be the wrong one. If you're on wifi, make sure you're connected to something. Any kind of router/AP should work, and it doesn't have to be connected to the internet. When there's no connection, the OS disables all the network interfaces, including the loopback which is how EOS talks to Vision.

I think this is a combination of two things. The VL5 was originally created for version 1 of Vision, and used systems that have since changed to simulated the external dimmer Kevin pointed out. This is why the fixture is always on in Vision. So it will need to be updated in the future to include dimmer control. As a work around, I'd suggest using the VL5 Arc, which has an internal dimmer. The color will probably be different, but the modes and channel assignments are the same. The second part is with how MA deals with these types of fixtures. I don't know much about MA3, but I do know a bit about MA2. From the look of things, they handle external dimmers the same. In your screenshot on the left, you see Patch1 (1.059) and Patch2 (1.060). Assuming it's the same as MA2, Patch 1 is the external dimmer, and Patch 2 is the rest of the fixtures functionality. So it's assuming the dimmer takes 1 channel, and the rest of the functions take another 13, making the footprint 14, even though the actual fixture is only 13. You should be able to set both Patch 1 and 2 to 1.059, which should make things line up correctly. On MA2, it does show an error when I do this, but I ignored it and everything worked as I'd expect. Alternatively, you can use the VL5 Arc profile if it's available.

Unfortunately this is a bug. I'm not totally sure what's causing it at the moment, but I will be submitting a ticket so we can get it fixed. @mherslandI've tried everything I can think of, and I haven't been able to make any geometry disappear. If this keeps happening, please do let us know so we can look into it further. I have found a workaround for working for the fixtures you and @Ben59 mentioned. It may actually be an easier workflow for you. You'll create an empty file with empty layers that have your transforms set. When you open a new or modified file you're working on in vision, you'll merge in the file with the layer transforms by using File>Merge. Then drag and drop the fixtures you want to have dmx xforms into the layers. So you'll still have to assign all 81 xforms to 81 layers, but you should only need to do it once, and then after you can drag and drop. Just in case I'm explaining this poorly, I've made a file as an example. You should be able to merge this file into any other file, then move any fixtures or geometry into the layers and each layer is individually controllable. XFormLayers.vsn

I'll have to investigate if some fixtures not being transformed is intended behavior or not. I don't think it is, but first I'll have to figure out exactly why it's happening. The recommended workflow is, as @TomWhiteLightsaid, using layers. It's faster and easier to work with all around. Using layers also gives you the ability to nest transforms of all objects or subsets of objects within the parent layer, so it has quite a bit of flexibility. As for objects disappearing, I have not been able to replicate it. It could be something specific to the geometry you're using, or something I'm doing different. I'm not really sure. I have way more questions than answers, if you can share that specific file it would definitely make replicating the issue easier. If you're not comfortable sharing it on the forum, feel free to email us directly tech@vectorworks.net If neither is an option, I have a lot of questions. It looks like you were already sending DMX to the X channel when you entered the Delta X, what happens when you pull that channel to zero? What happens of you change the Delta X to something higher or back to zero? Does changing the Delta Y instead of X have the same or different effect? Did this happen with any other objects, or possibly it happens with all the objects with the same geometry? Does it happen after restarting your computer? In general using layers instead of manipulating individual objects should keep you moving forward in any project you're currently working on.

This happens with some GDTF files. Basically what's happening is that the light emitter is behind some part of the geometry. There's a couple of ways to fix it. The quickest is to, in Vision, select Root in the Scene Graph. Then in the Properties window, in the Globals section, change Render Shadows from True to False. The good, it's quick and easy. The bad, it turns off shadows for all the geometry in the scene. Another options is again in Vision. Go to Edit>Vision Preferences. Then under the Graphics tab, change Dynamic Shadows from Objects & Fixtures, to Objects. This will turn off shadows for fixtures. Meaning that your geometry will still have shadows, but your fixtures will not. Again, this effects all fixtures, not just the ones you're having issues with. If you're finished with your design and don't think you'll be updating it too much more, you can also fix the individual fixtures. Click the arrow next to the fixture names to expand the tree in the Scene Graph. In this example I'm using the P18MK2PRHC, and I've expanded unit 103. Select the Beam (Mesh) in the Scene Graph, then in the Properties window, change the Visible option from True to False as shown below. You can expand and select the beam mesh of multiple fixtures at the same time by holding the Control key on your keyboard. Then changing the visibility. After you've done this for all the effected fixtures remember to save your file. The beams may not update immediately. So if you change the visibility to false and nothing happens, don't worry. Move the fixtures pan or tilt, which will update the beam, and all should be good. Last, you can try editing the GDTF file to try to fix it. On windows only you can right click the fixture in the Scene Graph, and select Update Fixture Type, which will open a window to edit the fixture file. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what exactly is causing the issue, so I can't tell you what needs to be done to fix it. But, if you have the time and want to try, GDTF gives you that flexibility.

The P18 is not currently in Visions library. However, it is available for download on the https://gdtf-share.com/ website, which can be used in Vision.

In Edit>Vision Preferences, make sure your texture quality is set to high. IIRC that is a requirement to use alpha textures, and Visions preferences don't carry over from one version to another.

Hey Jesse, In the properties window, uncheck the "Use Alpha Channel" box. I'm not sure if it's intended to be that way or not. Either way, setting use alpha to false makes it look correct for me. Let me know how things work out for you.

@Jesse Cogswell is correct, to use MA-Net2 you'll need a Vision dongle. Artnet and sACN will work with both a dongle or serial number. For MA-Net3, you'll need the MA vis-key. Your distributor or customer service can assist you in switching to a dongle, if you decide you need it.

Yeah, Artnet has always been a bit of a pain to set up. If it's not something you want to deal with, I wouldn't blame you. My thought process is always to try to narrow down possible causes. If Artnet works as expected, at least we know it's specific to sACN. If it doesn't, then we're probably dealing with some outside cause. At least that's the idea. Whether or not it's worth the effort to do that, is entirely up to you. One thing you may try, the DMX Viewer is in the Vision Program folder. It's a standalone application, so you can launch it without starting Vision. That's why it doesn't default to the DMX provider that Vision is set to. The two programs are essentially unaware that the other exists. By starting the viewer without Vision, it should do two things for us. If Vision is somehow causing the issue, Vision isn't running to cause it and the viewer should see the sACN stream. If Windows is blocking the viewer from working because it's being launched by another application, starting the DMX viewer directly should stop that. If it still doesn't work, then the only real possibility is some kind of third party interference, or the MA3. Yes, I agree the idea of the MA having weirdness sounds crazy. It's far from likely, but it is a possibility. MA3 is still very new, and new things love to do unexpected things. I've actually had a similar situation in a personal project several months ago. I was using sACN in a program I was writing, and Vision wasn't seeing the stream and neither was the viewer. I did the exact same thing you did, and fired up sACNView, which saw the stream without issue. Unfortunately, it's been long enough ago I can't remember the exact cause. From what I remember I had set one of the bits high when it should have been low or something similar. Either way it was enough that the DMX Viewer had decided it wasn't an sACN packet and ignored it, but sACNView had no issue. Obviously, the MA engineers do a way better job than I do, when I'm goofing around on the weekends but, anything is possible. One of our guys should have an MA3 now. Hopefully he will be able to either reproduce the issue, or give us a different perspective on things.

Please contact support at tech@vectorworks.net so we can look into this further.

Try running the VisionUpdater in the Vision2021 application folder. Win10(default) C:\Program Files\Vision 2021 Mac Applications>Vision 2021 If that doesn't fix the issue, please contact support so we can provide you further assistance.

Hey AJ, Could you try setting vision to artnet, and then launching the DMX viewer with sACN? So, you'll have Vision set to artnet, the DMX viewer set to sACN, and the MA sending sACN as you have been. I'm wondering if something is causing Vision and the DMX viewer to be looking at different things. In the past I'm seen Vision not be able to pick up an interface because a third party software had taken exclusive control of it. Essentially, I'm wondering if something is blocking, and/or not sharing with, the DMX viewer, and the easiest place to start is by getting Vision out of the way. If you still don't see any DMX in the viewer, then it's either a third party blocking the viewer or something funky with the way MA3 is sending sACN. If you switch everything to use artnet, that should probably give us a better idea of what's going on. If the viewer is still not showing anything, it's most likely a third party issue. Antivirus, firewall, windows UAC, or maybe some other DMX monitoring software you have. Windows loves to block things without notification. If it operates normally, it's probably something with the MA. Sorry if this is kind of all over the place. These kinds of issues are the worst to troubleshoot, because there's so many variables.

Hey Thomas, Which fixture are you having issues with? It could be an issue with your library, but it could also be an issue on my end. In Vectorworks, you can assign any fixture mode to any lighting device by selecting the "Other" option in the fixture mode dropdown box in the OIP. When you select Other, you'll be given a dialog with all the fixture modes in Vision. You can then either pick from the list, or use the search bar below the list. If you don't see the fixture modes in the dialog, there's an issue with your library. If you do see the fixture modes, it's probably a typo on my part and I can fix it. Thanks, Mark

Hi Mark, When I checked the fixture on my end and everything looks to be working as expected. I'd start by making sure your library is up to date by going to Help>Update Library in Vision. Also, it's never a bad idea to double check that your patch is correct, both in Vision, and in your console. If you still can't get them working, please contact support directly Tech@vectorworks.net so we can provide further assistance.

Hey Scott, I'm assuming you're referring to pre-vizing a mirror ball in Vision. If I'm mistaken, feel free to ignore me. Currently there's no way to actually simulate a mirror ball in Vision. Light in Vision doesn't "bounce" the way it does in the real world, mostly because that's very calculation heavy. Basically, it would turn your frame rate from frames per second, to minutes per frame. Over the years, I've tried to figure out a way to fake it, but I've never found anything that looks good. The one thing that you could try is basically placing fixtures inside a textured ball facing out, and using a gobo to cast light. You can also hide the geometry of the fixture so it's not sticking out of your mirror ball, and use xforms to move the ball. The real issue with this method is that visions light emitters are always flat. That's not the best way to say it but, basically there's no way to make the light emitter follow the surface of a sphere. So if you look directly at the ball, it's obviously wrong. I've thrown together a quick demo file in case seeing it, makes it easier to understand. I've also included a video of what it looks like. I've just used some Source4 90degs, with a random dot gobo. Then I've got the xform in the parent layer so I can spin it. If you kind of squint and never look directly at the ball, I guess it sort of doesn't look terrible. As I said, this was the best idea I could come up with, and I've never actually been happy with it. Maybe this will give you an idea for a better solution. Thanks, Mark MirrorBall.v3s MirrorBall.vwx MB.mp4

Hi Thomas, If you ever have any questions about a fixture request, you can email the support team, and they will be able to assist you. Unfortunately, we are experiencing a higher than normal amount of requests and we are very far behind. I wish I had a time frame to give you, but there's just so many requests, I have no idea how long it will actually take. If you're pressed for time, you also have the option of using GDTF. You can go to the GDTF website and create an account, then you'll be able to search the existing database of fixtures, as well as create your own, which can be used in Vision. Yes, there is currently a bug in the updater. If you find that you're effected by this bug. Just email the support team, and they will be able to assist you with manually updating Vision. We do have a fix for this bug that is currently in beta testing, and we expect it to be released in the near future. Thanks, Mark

There's currently no way to adjust beams in vision. It's not unusual for manufacturers to not publish actual photometric data, so in those cases we'll either look to similar fixtures or make educated guesses. It's also not usual for different aspects of fixtures to change without notice. In the case of the Q7, my guess is that at the time the fixture was created, the information just wasn't available. This was actually brought to my attention last week, and I've already made adjustments to the fixture files. If you update your Vision library, you should see those changes take effect.

Hi Steve, Connecting the MA3 in MA2 mode to Vision, works exactly like connecting an MA2 to Vision. In fact, we had an MA3 in the booth at LDI, running in MA2 mode, and it worked great. As with the MA2, to connect the MA3 to Vision via MA-net, you will need a Vision dongle. This is a requirement that MA set for supplying the MA-net driver.

You probably missed it because, once you have a fixture mode selected, it removes the text box and reads the footprint from the vision fixture profile. I usually scroll past it at least once while looking for it. I've highlighted it in this screen shot for you. If you're ever unsure about a fixture profile, you can email tech@vectorworks.net, and we'll be able to answer any questions you have.

Just in case someone else comes across this post later, I can help with most of this. At the time the VLZ Profile was added to Vision, there wasn't a 56 ch mode. This is actually pretty common. On the Varilite website, you can check their DMX Map in the downloads, and it's version 2.01, which is a good indication changes were made. If you put in a fixture request for the mode, I can add it in for you. Unfortunately, this is the one bit of bad news I have for you. Vision does not currently support HSI fixtures. So I won't be able to fill any requests for those fixture modes. It's not that I don't want to, it's that there's no way for me to replicate it in Vision. Looking at the VL 1100 TID profile in MA2, and the VL 1000 T-TI in Vision, the profiles look the same so I don't think you'll have any issues there. The mac TW1s are kind of oddballs. They supported an external dimmer which, at one point, we replicated in Vision, and that's what the extended mode was. In the future we will again, which is why they are still in the library. As for seeing the DMX footprint, that's already available just in a different way. In Vectorworks, once you've selected a fixture mode, the object info pallet will show the number of channels used under DMX Footprint. In Vision, if you select the fixture, either by selecting it in the viewport, or selecting it in the Scene Graph, it will display the footprint in the Properties Window, under Num Channels. In the future, once GDTF is implemented in Vision, you'll be able to view, edit, and create your own fixture profiles. So, that is in the works.

LJ is correct. Since MA makes the driver, we have no control over what it does, or when it gets updated. I forget exactly what the MA driver is doing that's outdated but, I think it was a registry entry and maybe one of the DMX provider files on the Vision side. At one point we did have the driver installer bundled with Vision, but we removed it because it's a third party's property. That is correct, the MA requires the use of a dongle instead of the normal serial number, to be able to use the driver. Your sales rep should be able to help you get set up with a dongle.

Ok, the only other option I'm aware of, is that the MA driver overwrote something during its install. The easiest fix is to reinstall Vision.

After installing the driver did you setup the driver? The driver doesn't actually start working until you set it up and run it. You'll need to go to the Windows Control Panel, and select grandMA - ESP Vision Driver. By default the control panel is set to Category which won't display the MA driver, so you may need to change to icons at the top right by View by. Once you select the driver, in the window that comes up, you'll change the MA-Net Mode to MA-Net2(unless you're using an MA1) Station IP Address you'll set to 127.0.0.1 if you're using MA2onPC on the same computer that you're running Vision on. For any other setup, like an actual console, you'll pick whatever the other option is. It's different for each setup. Then for MA Session ID, you'll set that to whatever is in the MA, default is 1 for the driver and console. Then press Ok, and start Vision, you should see grandMA in the DMX Provider dialog.

Hi All, I've made some adjustments to the encore. You'll need to update your library in Vision and then restart the program to see the changes.