Configuration Issues with Vision 2023 and ETC Nomad 3.2.5 - MacBook Pro

[Bruce The Original]

I need assistance getting Vision 2023 Student and ETC Nomad 3.2.5 to talk to each other on a MacBook Pro.

 

I am running MacOS v12.7 (Monterey) on an M1 MacBook Pro with 64gb memory.  I have updated my EOS Nomad software to the latest version and updated the fixture library.  I am running SP4 on Vision 2023.

 

I have exported a 3D model out of Vectorworks 2023 with one fixture in it (Clay Paky Scenius Profile, 37 channel mode).  Channel number in Vectorworks OIP is 1, dmx universe and address are set at 1/1.  Exporting into Vision using the Send To Vision command from Vectorworks.  Fixture and model seem to load just fine into Vision.

 

For ETC, I have sACN set to Enable, ArtNet set to Enable, and Local DMX set to enable.  I have tried all variants of setting Default with no results.  Launching ETC Eos Family using Offline w/viz option.  Created single fixture, patched to Universe 1 Channel 1, assigned to channel 1 in the console, with correct 37-address configuration for a Clay Paky Scenius Profile.  I go to Live, and bring the fixture up to full, and change a few parameters.  Switching to Vision, there is no activity with the light whatsoever.

 

If I open the DmxView, setting it to either sACN or ArtNet, the window opens, and at the bottom I get the message Starting sACN Provider or Starting ArtNet Provider, and it just sits there, doesn't show any activity on any address or at the bottom of the window.

 

So, is this a networking issue on the MacBook Pro?  I used to be able to use the ETC Nomad software with just about any configuration to run Vision 2019, no connectivity problems.  Having DMXView not see any activity has me puzzled.  Is this a configuration issue with Vision?  Or is this in the ETC software?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

[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.

[klinzey]

Yes, that's the biggest thing I have seen with ETC Nomad on Mac and Windows is that it needs a network. Form what I have seen ETC Nomad needs a DNS server somewhere in the system even if you are in loopback. There appears to be multiple systems running in ETC Nomad that all require a unique IP address.

[TomWhiteLight]

You can also use this on WiFi without the need for a physical loopback.

Best thing to do is to ‘ping’ (flash) Address 1 Thru 512 from the ETC Nomad and then check the DMX viewer.

[Bruce The Original]

Thanks all for the tips and info.

 

About a week ago I tried the suggested idea of flashing address 1 through 512, and I managed to get some control.  Now, under the exact same circumstances, Vision is still not seeing any DMX from the ETC Nomad software, not on sACN or ARTnet.   Not a blip.

 

This is becoming extremely frustrating as I am teaching a class in previz, and for the last several fall semesters I have wanted to do a Vision section on the class, but I keep running into either issues with getting the students their licenses in a timely manner, or with malfunctions like this.  If there are additional programs that we could download that might help us mitigate this issue, that would be very helpful, something that might create the virtual network bridge we need to have ETC and Vision talk to each other.  Anything at this point would be great so I can teach this section of the class.

[klinzey]

@Bruce The Original Are you working on university controlled machines?
Universities are notorious for being very heavy handed with locking down network protocols and firewalls that would limit communication, even if the communication is internal to the machine.
One thing to try is another application to send data.
You can try something like QLC+. It would eliminate some of the complexities introduced by the ETC network.

You can also try some independent 3rd party network viewers for ARTnet and sACN.
In a real setup I would just use another copy of the ETC software to look at the ARTnet or sACN data on the network.

The other thing to remember is if the machines are on a network all these protocols are broadcast protocols, so all machines on the network will see the signals.

[Bruce The Original]

It is a university wifi network, but the machine was bought by the department.  It's also occurring on two student machines which are not university machines.

 

 

[TomWhiteLight]

There are many moving parts here.

In the UK when we visit a University we take our own hardware onsite to teach vision. Or we encourage the students to use and bring their own machines.

This is because the University machines have various admin controls, security settings (Firewall/Anti V) and restricted network access. Historically I have also taken in my own router to create a computer to computer wifi network to use.

In my experience frequently the University IT support specialist will not understand what needs to happen to enable the course to be delivered.

If you can't bring in your own hardware then I would suggest you get the onsite IT guy to contact our tech support team as I don't think its just an issue with Vision and Vectorworks.