[ANSWERED] Lighting for beginners ?

mark

The most commonly used device at this point is the Enttec DMX USB Pro. (Note that users have had issues with the newer MK2 version because of the serial drivers required to work with it; I'd stick with the one I've listed here.)

We have example patches for both sending and receiving from this device.

Here is the demo that shows how to send DMX, updated to v3. (Will not load in v2.)

enttec-user-actor-demo-v3.izz

This patch uses the powerful Matrix Value Send/Matrix Value Receive actors to allow crossfades that stay in sync with your patch as you go from scene to scene. Those actors a somewhat complex (mostly the Maxtrix Value Receive) but they are all set up for the Enttec. Read the comments in the files to learn more about what's going on and how to use them.

Best Wishes,
Mark

JJHP3

What timing... after reading all I could about which interface box, including everything I could find on the Isadora forum/site, I bought the Mk2 version yesterday - arriving Monday. Send it back??

Thanks, John

sommerdi

I am using the MK2 via artnet/wlan ... it is working fine for me

Fred

@ril as complex lighting like chasers and expanding fixtures is not so fast with Isadora I like to just send commands to other software or hardware. I use the free QLC+ quite a lot as it can receive midi, osc, artnet and DMX and transmit these back to Isadora. Things like adjusting a show for a larger room and adding more fixtures per scene at any address range and having fine control over chasers becomes a lot easier this way, and you can keep it all in one laptop (but qlc runs great from a raspberry pi so you have a pretty powerful lighting system for a very cheap price).

I also use midi show control a lot as it let's you pick cues from many lighting desks easily.

For shows with more complex lighting or ones that need to adjust to new rooms fast for touring it's much easier to use dedicated lighting equipment and let Isadora pick cues from a stack, it works a treat. There are some posts on the forum about communication with other lighting desks such as tricking Isadora into sending UDP to etc consoles.

mark

@jjhp3 said:

I bought the Mk2 version yesterday

Well, I may not be up to date on this -- I didn't mean to scare you. There was trouble with the serial driver when it first came out. @primaldivine was one who I know experienced this. Maybe it's solved? If you're not using it via the serial port (as @sommerdi mentioned) then you'll be fine I wouldn't send it back. Just check in here if you find you're having trouble.

Best Wishes,
Mark

jhoepffner

Hello,

I completely agree with Fred, Building light and sending information of changing cue can be a chalenge for computer and USB link. Personally I own a lanBox, old light computer but all the cues are inside the box, I send only some "go to cue" and the lanbox manage all the calculation and timing between cues. I think that managing light inside Isadora (or any sound or video software) is interesting only if you have very simple lighting task or if you want to drive LEDs from images played in Isadora. For bigger task I think its much more efficient to use real light desk and find the way to communicate or use dedicated software as QLC+ or D::Light and communicate via OSC, on the same computer or another computer.

RIL

@mark thanks a lot ! That is a great starting point.

Best,

RIL

@jhoepffner and @Fred I see your point and take notes for more complex set ups.

Thank you all !!

Best,

crystalhorizon

@ril I have used very succesfully a small device by DMX King. It was always very reliable

https://dmxking.com/usbdmx/ult...

RIL

@crystalhorizon I will check it too. Thanks for share !!

Best,

bonemap

@ril

One of the things I absolutely love about Isadora is the ‘all in one package’ approach to projection and lighting. In particular the possibility to develop interactive projection and light shows for non-traditional performance space. This means having the ability to program performances in out of the way places like parklands and car parks, lane ways and abandoned buildings. With Isadora and a dmx interface box (I am still using LanBox) along with a bunch of RGB lights I can augment an ambient environment around an outdoor projection. I can sync light colour to projection and any number of other instances of creative data. So my greatest and most interesting use case for working with dmx protocol inside Isadora is when extending production off the beaten track. In that situation when there is only 8 - 20 RGB lights and no need for dimmer racks, I really appreciate the intimacy of Isadora’s functionality. In fact some of the inspiration for working off-site like that has come from the efficiencies possible with Isadora’s ability to realise many technical protocols in the one package.

Best wishes

Russell

RIL

@bonemap yes Thats what we like about Isadora !!

Best,

mark

@ril said:

Someone who wants to show/tell some basics between Isadora and lighting?

On the other hand, somewhat more complex to use and understand is ArtNet. We have dedicated actors for this on our Plugins page (64 bit actors for Isadora 3 are here), but you'll need devices that receive ArtNet instead of DMX. This is commong for LED walls, but for actual lighting fixtures you'll need dimmer packs that receive ArtNet or else an ArtNet to DMX converter.

Best Wishes,
Mark

RIL

@mark thanks a lot for all of this info !!

Best,

Woland

@mark said:

Note that users have had issues with the newer MK2 version because of the serial drivers required to work with it; I'd stick with the one I've listed here.

Can confirm. My MK2 is now a brick and every time I needed to get it up and running (back when it did work) it was a hassle.

DillTheKraut

Hello,

regarding DMX devices, I just bought this ArtNet <-> DMX Converter by Chauvet. I tested the Enttec ODE MK2 ArtNet <-> DMX controler before with QLC+. It worked immediately without any drivers or additional software out of the box. The Chauvet is pretty much the same, but cost less money. I didn't yet try the direct way out of Isadora with the ArtNet actors.

Best
Dill

DusX

PS: I have recently added 2 User Actors to the Plugins page, to help with DMX control using Enttec compatible interfaces.

see: https://troikatronix.com/plugi...
and https://troikatronix.com/plugi...

JJHP3

Wonderful! Thanks so much for this, and all the other contributions you make!

John

keftaparty

@jjhp3

I also suggest going the Artnet node way.

Lighting has a standart ( Artnet ) that is now supported by most of the light manufacturers, and that is compatible with a simple network card on a computer.

There you have no restriction of use, from Raspberry, to MacPro, to Android phone, to 50k$ lightdesk etc... Not so bad I feel !

All usb devices are driver & OS dependant.

One other big advantage of an Artnet node when working in a venue, is that with a simple wlan acces point, you can go wireless for example during focus. That's not possible with a usb device.

Best

Mehdi

Michel

@keftaparty

To make things a bit more complicated there is not only ArtNet there also sACN. At the early days of ArtNet we first used it at our theatre but our network was often overloaded so we switched to sACN. ArtNet is UniCast and sACN is Multicast. But I think ArtNet solved lot of the problems of the early days.

Best Michel