weigl animation and dmx lighting basic operation quickstart guide

Weigl Animation and DMX Lighting Basic Operation Quickstart Guide August 21st, 2013

VenueMagic 2.5.75 and higher is required for the directions in this manual, as is Firmware versions 1.37

and higher (gen 2 devices only). While many of the features described in this manual are applicable for

the older WEMC-1 and ProCommander 2 devices prior to 1.37, not all features will perform exactly as

described. Where possible, please always upgrade to the latest firmware via the network bootloader as

demonstrated in the documentation for your specific Weigl device.

VenueMagic is available both at www.weiglworks.com/downloads and www.venuemagic.com

This document is provided to get your VenueMagic and Weigl system up and running as soon as possible,

with the least amount of configuration where applicable. These instructions particularly pertain to the

creation of animatronic and lighting shows which contain less the following attributes in nature:

512 Channels of DMX lighting

4 Analog Outputs

4 Servo Outputs

2 channels of Audio

16 Digital Outputs

Triggered on startup automatically or via up to 16 contact closures or IR signal

1 timeline active at once

If your show contains more than the above configuration, please refer to additional documentation for

the specific unit you are using.

http://www.weiglworks.com/downloads

http://www.venuemagic.com/

Animation Quick Start 2

Basic Configuration

Step 1: Connect the Weigl ProCommander or Pro I/O device to the same network as your PC that

you will be using for both configuration and programming.

Step 2: Verify the IP address of your computer. You’ll find this information under your network

settings or through various free websites, if connected to the Internet.

Step 3: If your unit has a joystick on the front panel, set the IP address to match the range of the

unit. (192.168.1.xxx). Do not set it to the same address as your machine. Further information in

regards to setting this IP address via the joystick can be found in the menu flow diagram or the

user manual for that specific unit. (Please note that the ProCommander ES and ProCommander 1

/ WEMC-1 units do not have device configuration settings and will have to be configured using

the configurator steps below).

Step 4: Run the Weigl Hardware Configurator Utility (Version 1.0 Production or higher)

Step 5: Scan for devices

Step 6: Note the IP Address after the scan. Double – Click on the unit you wish to configure for

use. The control port defaults to 5555 in, 5556 out. If you don’t know what this means, that’s ok

too, generally the ports configure themselves in most typical applications.


Step 7 (alternate or for ProCommander ES or ProCommander 1 / WEMC-1): Attach a serial

connection if your unit is equipped with a DB-9 serial port, or attach a USB cable to the device.

This is included with some models and connects from a USB-A (PC/Mac side) to a Mini-USB

(ProCommander Side) connection. When using a serial connection, ensure that drivers for your

machine serial port, or the USB serial adapter are installed as applicable. Windows should see

this device in control panel regardless of the connection type. When using the USB direct

connection on newer ProCommander units, ensure that the USB2Serial driver .inf file has been

installed by your Microsoft Windows operating system. Further instructions on this are found in

the manual for your unit. This file is universal to all Weigl products and included in each firmware

download package.

** THE WEIGL USB CONNECTION REQUIRES AN .INF DRIVER TO BE ACTIVE IN WINDOWS FOR USE

BY THE CONFIGURATOR SOFTWARE**

Step 8: Test any of the output parameters (digital inputs / outputs / DMX etc.) as desired in

configurator before closing the Window.

Step 9: Close Configurator and Launch VenueMagic.

** YOU CANNOT HAVE BOTH THE WEIGL CONFIGURATION UTILITY AND VENUEMAGIC OPEN AT

THE SAME TIME WITHOUT ADVANCED CONFIGURATION**

Step 10: Open a New Project. This also opens a new timeline.

Step 11: Save the timeline and your new project.

Step 12: Navigate to the drop down menu > Devices | Setup Devices. It make take a few seconds

to open this window.

Step 13: Open the Supported Devices tab.

Step 14: Highlight the Weigl Devices (WEMC1 in older versions) check box and click Properties.


Step 15: In the Select Weigl Devices click the Pro Commander 2_1 check box and the Pro

Commander should be found automatically if it’s on the same subnet.

** If anything in these windows is dramatically different, such as the device not being detected

here, please close VenueMagic and return to configurator for additional troubleshooting **


Step 16: Close both windows by clicking OK twice and now the ProCommander should be listed

under the Fixtures tab:

** Please note that if you connected a Pro I/O or ProCommander ES you may see slightly different

information in this window, generally either truncating audio or I/O outputs. This is normal **


Step 17: Double click anything on the fixture (ProCommander or Pro I/O) from the media pool

on the left hand side and the Edit Fixture Settings window will pop up:

**Here, you can rename the axes, and also test them using the slider on the right **

Step 18: Create “Lamp” tracks for the outputs you want to control in your timeline. You can do

this either through the Insert | Lamp Track drop down or using the Icon:

Step 19: Drag a ProCmndr control channel (like DigiOut01) to the “Lamp” track (you can drag

multiple outputs onto a single track):

Step 20: Drag a “Level Control” Envelope from the Lamp Effects folder to the track.

Step 21: Edit the length as needed. Make sure that the “Enable Device Communications”

button is pressed.

These above steps are all it takes to begin building your complete Weigl driven show experience. From

this point, each application will be unique, but you should have the ability to control any of the hardware

elements attached to your Weigl device.

The remainder of this Quickstart guide contains documentation specific to lighting control, as well as

animation programming using external hardware and recordable level control envelopes.


Additionally, brief instructions are included to export your show from the PC used to program, to a

MicroSD flash card for standalone playback.

** For theses specific exceptions to the Weigl ecosystem, please see additional documentation on our

website for further explanation **

ProCommander LTC operation

ProCommander LX operation and multi-channel audio export

Advanced Programming Interfaces for ASCII commands internal and external to the Weigl control

system

Additional Pro I/O expansion modules used in conjunction with any ProCommander (stand alone

Pro I/O modules will follow these same instructions)

DMX Lighting Control via a Weigl Hardware Device First, make sure that your DMX output settings are connected properly to the Pro Commander.

** If using a ProCommander 2, you may have options to insert the DMX input into your project

via a lighting console or legacy control system. **


Then, to add fixtures, navigate to the drop down for: Devices | Fixtures and open this screen:

Patch your channels as needed by selecting the fixture on the left and then dragging it to the

patch space on the right. This is essentially a fixture based soft patch utility.

Multiple fixtures can be patched at one time and will reflect in the media pool upon exit from

this Window.

The VenueMagic team is constantly adding fixture profiles into the VenueMagic fixture library. If

your device does not exist, or is slightly different from the included template, options also exist

in this window for custom fixtures and editing abilities.

Close this window and return to the main layout / timeline.

Create a lamp track from the drop down menu or the icon bar at the bottom of the screen. The

icon to add this lamp track is this:

.

Drag a fixture or ProCommander device attached to a lighting fixture to the lamp track and

release:


Drag a Level Control envelope or other effect onto the timeline.

From the Edit Envelope window, press the little icon to enable live editing.

Additionally, you can record this information live using an external MIDI, Joystick or Keyboard

input. DMX mapping and recording options exist for all devices other than the ProCommander

ES.

Importing Audio Right Click on the Audio Folder in the browser and click “Import Audio File” to bring in any audio

files you want to use. It will take a few seconds to process the file.

Drag an audio file to the audio track, and right click on the Audio Track 1 configuration zone on

the left to bring up the track properties. Click “Master Sync Track” so that the files will export

properly.

Test your track—the audio will come out the built-in audio output on your computer (not the pro

commander).

Again, prior to exporting the track, ensure that you have the master sync track enabled. It will

turn green and show “Master Sync Track,” below the track header.

Additional audio tracks can be added for preview purposes, but will not be mixed down at this

time. Programs such as Audacity and others can be used to record the system output of your

machine and recreate your live mixed effects for the purpose of recording to the MicroSD card

output (see later sections in this quickstart guide).


** If additional audio tracks are being added for the purpose of multi-channel export, DO NOT

select master sync track and refer to the Weigl device manual for your supported multi-channel

device. **

Getting Started with Recording a Level Control Envelope

Any type of animation or movement is controlled in the timeline by inserting a Level Control Lamp

Effect. Inserting a Lamp Effect onto a track tells VenueMagic you plan on using that track to define

motion and eventually route it to an output channel. When a Lamp Effect is added to a track the Level

Control is what defines the actual “level” of motion. The graphical representation of the animation is

called an Envelope.

Envelopes are designed (or shaped) in the timeline or using the Envelop Editor. Precise control and fine

adjustments are more easily achieved in the Envelop Editor and often performed after initially

recording is performed live. The following sections recommend easy ways to record, freeform and edit

your channel data through the use of these envelopes.

Configuring Level Control Properties

Although it is possible to completely define motion using the timeline and envelop editor, it is usually

more efficient (and fun) to record in real-time using an input device. The first step for recording your own

animation is to setup what type of input device you will be using and map it to the correct output

Channels. You have the option of using a DMX, MIDI or joystick input devices.

SELECTING CHANNELS TO RECORD

Selecting which channels will be “recordable” is a two-step process:

1. Activate Levels for a Channel.

2. Enable recording for active Levels.


The Select Recordable Channels list shows all of the output Channels available for a selected Level

Control effect. This number will vary based on the connected device being controlled with that Level

Control. Select the box on each Level# for which you want to activate. When you do this, the activated

Level will appear in the Select Channels to Record list below.

In the lower, Select Channels to Record list, check the output Channels you wish to enable for

recording during timeline playback. Unchecked Channels will not record new data, but will playback their

pre-recorded data (if any) when the timeline is running. If you do not want a channel to playback then

leave it unchecked.

Assigning Input Channels to Lamp Tracks

Perhaps a little clarification is needed at this point. There are two types of Channels in VenueMagic.

• Input Channels receive data from an external controller and are used to capture control data

to a Level Effect.

• Output Channels send data out from a Level Effect to an animatronic, light or other device.


The Channels you selected in the previous section are defining the Output Channels. The next step is to

specify which Input Channel controls which Output Channel while it is being recorded.

1. Select an Output Channel in the Select Channels to Record list and click on the Select Input

button.

2. This brings up the Select External Control window from which you can select an Input Channel

to use to control that channel.

While the timeline is recording, this functions similarly to the Channel Router in that each Output

Channel is controlled directly by its assigned Input Channel.

Recording a Track in Real-time

In most cases you will only want to record a few Channels at a time. To define which channels will be

recorded, check the Enable Recording. When you close the Level Control Properties window, you will

see that the Level Control clip’s title bar has changed to red and the clip title now includes “(Record

ENABLED).”

You can also enable recording by right clicking on the clip and selecting Record Channels.

To enable recording for all selected Level Control Clips on which recording has been setup, clicking on

the shortcut button in the timeline toolbar.

SELECTING A RECORD TRIGGER

The Record Trigger buttons select how recording is initiated for a clip when timeline playback has

started. The following trigger modes are available:

• Timeline Playback: Recording begins immediately when the timeline is run.

• Manual Recording (Ctrl-R): is toggled on/off (while timeline is running. This functional is

available in all modes.


• First Data Change (auto punch-in): Recording begins when the first input data is received. This

applies to all channels. If you are controlling channels with several sliders, moving one of the

sliders will start recording for all channels in the clip.

When a record mode has been defined the effect title says, “(Record WAITING)”.

As soon as recording is triggered the clip’s appearance changes and says, “(Recording…).”

Recording of selected channels will begin when the time cursor reaches the clip. When timeline playback

stops, the newly recorded data will appear in the clip.

RECORD LOCK When the timeline stops after a recording, the clip is automatically taken out of record mode. This is

done to prevent accidentally recording over data. If you want clips to remain in record mode after the

timeline stops, click on the Record Lock button in the timeline toolbar.

For more information on real-time recording, see Real-time Recording and Editing of Channels and Level

Control topics in the VenueMagic user manual.


Recording from External MIDI Controller Plug in a MIDI device and ensure that it’s configured properly.

Start Venue Magic and navigate to the drop down for Devices | Setup Devices

Click the MIDI Tab. It may take a few seconds to open this window.

Select your device.

Close this window (it may take a few seconds to process).

Navigate to the drop down menu for Tools | Monitor MIDI Input. Hit some keys on your device

and make sure the MIDI Messages are coming in correctly. Note the messages of the keys you

want to use. Close this window.

Right click on an envelope on a track. This will open the Level Control Properties window. Select

the Setup Recording tab, select the channel you want to control, and then double click where it

says Control Input. This brings up the Select External Control window. Select the appropriate

input channel:

Click OK, then click enable recording and then click OK again to close.

This can be applied for ANY device that shows up in the selected input device in this menu.

Depending on the hardware connected to your computer and the Weigl hardware being used,

this includes the following: PC keyboard, MIDI device, DMX input by channel or batch capture,

USB Joystick, USB D/A device, ProCommander input (real-time), Serial Device and other USB

human interface controls. All of the following steps below apply the same regardless of the input

device being used and can be changed at any time during recording without effecting the

recorded data within the track.


Your track should then show Record ENABLED:

Press the space bar to start recording. Note: The track will not show any new data until you stop

recording. This is the standard method of recording and works for most simple shows. Please

note that you have many options within the record properties and each is specific to a type of

output. For animation, we encourage users to try the “first data change,” option as this allows

you to record lock (remain in record) and allow the system to only record data when new

information comes in, leaving your animation intact for playback and loopable timing and review.

Particularly useful in animating mouth movements, this is a powerful tool.

** Additional methods are marker based in/out points and keystroke and external command

structures to record and playback data. For more information, refer to the VenueMagic help topic

on this particular point. **


The follow envelope editor can be access via double-clicking the envelope or through various

icons or drop down menus.

This allows for specific, frame accurate manipulation of show data and how it interacts with the

track around it.

Note: To edit this recorded data envelope you use a different set of tools then if you edited the envelope

directly using the mouse. These tools only become active when you have selected a recorded track:

You then highlight part of the track and select the appropriate recorded data editing tool.

Right clicking on an appropriate envelope in the Show Envelopes window also brings up the

Adjust Envelope window that can do a lot of things, including importing an audio file to get the

background. (This only works with .wav files).

Note: Turning off the Select Recordable Channels in the Level Control Properties window disables

the recorded data but shows the directly programmed (with the mouse) data.


Exporting to the Weigl Pro Commander for Stand Alone Playback

(VenueMagic Version 2.5.100 and newer) Save your project.

Under the “File,” drop down menu, select the item for “export project”

Create a folder on your local hard drive and then browse to it. Make sure all the Export boxes

are checked:


Click next on the next window to take the default settings. Assign Audio 1 on the HW Audio

Output window (ProCommander LX requires additional configuration here):

Finally, you’ll need to add your timelines to the Ad-Hoc export window:


This window (invoked upon pressing “add” or later “edit”) allows the addition of up to 999

timelines in repeating, unique fashions to help facilitate the easy creation of complex logic

events. From this window, you can add additional shows or edit existing ones in the list that is

saved within the project file itself:

The most basic operation would be to add your timeline from the list (auto populates from your

project) and select auto start and loop. This allow for your show to play back to back without

additional configuration.

Additional options direct from this menu include interrupt and start options, as well as

assignment to digital inputs or IR remote functions and variable dependent trigger options.

These variables can relate back to a timeline to check for playback conditions or other playlist

and interactive driven functions.

For additional programming and export options in this project based export format, please see

the documentation included within VenueMagic and the Weigl ASCII protocol for direct control

of devices.

Finally, in advanced applications, this export functionality can be integrated with the

VenueMagic event track for the creation of playlists and interactive applications. Please see the

VenueMagic documentation for event tracks and the try specifically the commands within the

ProCmdr Control Event shown here:


Once you are happy with the layout of your export, click Finish and the show will export, and

command line window will open up as the audio is converted. Close the export results window.

The system creates two folders: Audio and Shows, and a control.ini file:

The Audio folder should contain converted audio files:


The Show folder will contain at least one show, yours and also possibly show 50, which is the

playlist itself in legacy applications using the VenueMagic playlist function (prior to version

2.5.100).

Insert your MicroSD card (you will need an SD-MicroSD adaptor. Copy these two folders and the

.ini file into the root directory of the card. Power off the pro commander and insert the card.

Power up the ProCommander unit and you can use the front panel controls to run the show. Up

arrow brings up the Start Show dialog. Pressing the control in twice should start the show. Long

pressing the control will allow you to stop a running show.

If your show contained any autostart shows, they will now activate on their own.

If you show contained any digital input or IR remote driven shows, attempt to test that

functionality at this time.

If your system is connected to an external control system such as AMX, Crestron, Medialon or

other management systems, you may now try the related UDP or serial command from our ASCII

control protocol system.


Exporting to the Weigl Pro Commander for Stand Alone Playback via the

Playlist Method (Required in versions of VenueMagic prior to 2.5.100 and

optional in versions 2.5.100 and newer)

** This export format requires an existing .vml (VenueMagic Playlist) file or the creation of one from the

file drop down menu. While this is considered a legacy feature, it may have benefits for those customers

utilizing the same programming in multiple locations with slight variations. For more information

regarding playlists, please see the integrated VenueMagic help file **

You can export VenueMagicSC+ Playlists to supported formats by selecting Files Export.

The Select Export Type window lets you select from available export types. Select the type you desire

and click next to activate the export wizard.

EXPORTING VENUEMAGIC PLAYLISTS TO THE WEMC-1 PROCOMMANDER


VenueMagic SC+ will let you export VenueMagic Playlist’s into a show file format that can be uploaded to

the Weigl WEMC-1 ProCommander show control device for standalone operation. The Playlist and all

associated timelines and audio files are converted into ProCommander-compatible files. All files are put

into a single folder that can be copied or uploaded to the unit. For more information about

ProCommander show files and standalone operation, please consult the ProCommander manual.

WEMC1 PLAYLIST EXPORT SETTINGS

Before you export you will want to set where and what will be exported.

• Export to path: Click Browse and select the folder that all files will be exported.

All additional folders will be created automatically inside the selected folder.

• Export Select: Determines which items will be exported.

• Master sync audio track: Check this box to export audio from all timelines into a playlist.

Only audio on the master sync audio track will be exported. Audio files added directly to the

Playlist are always exported. (See Important Limitations on

Exporting VenueMagic Audio for more information)

• Convert audio files: Audio files must be converted into the OGG format to run on the

WEMC1. This takes time to do and it doesn’t make sense to convert them every time you export


if the audio files haven’t changed. You can uncheck this box to suppress re-conversion only if

there have been no audio changes in the Playlist or any of the Playlists timelines.

• Lamp control: Check this box to export all lamp control tracks in all timelines in the Playlist.

• Events: Check this box to export all timeline Event tracks. Only Run Timeline and WEMC1

Control events are exported. All others are ignored.

• Time resolution (fps): Enter the desired time resolution in frames-per-second. Acceptable

values are between 0.1 and 100. The default of 30 fps is sufficient for nearly all applications.

• Click Next to bring-up the WEMC1 Playlist Playback Settings window.

WEMC1 PLAYLIST PLAYBACK SETTINGS

The next step is to specify the playlist playback settings.


PLAYBACK MODE

There are two ways that the WEMC1 can run the exported playlist:

1. Start on trigger mode: The WEMC1 waits for a specified trigger to start playing the

playlist. A default timeline can be setup to play continuously in a loop until the trigger is

activated.

2. Continuous loop on power-up mode: On power-up WEMC-1 runs playlist continuously

in a loop at a specified time interval.

The following settings apply when Start on trigger mode is selected:

• Start trigger: Select the condition that will trigger execution of the playlist. Available are the 16

WEMC1 input bits (input01-input16, either opened or close), and the remote control number

keys (0-0).

• Default timeline: Select the timeline that will run continuously in a loop until the start trigger is

activated. When the playlist has finished execution, the default timeline will restart. Any timeline

in the current project can be selected. If a default timeline is not desired, select None.

• Delay start: Specify how many seconds after power-up the WEMC1 should wait before starting

the default timeline (if specified). This can be specified in seconds or minutes:seconds (note ‘:’

used to separate minutes from seconds).

• Hold resume trigger: Select the trigger that will resume playback of a playlist that has

encountered a Wait block.

• E-Stop timeline: Select the timeline that should run in an “emergency stop” condition or None

of not required. For example, this is timeline could turn on the house lights and stop the audio

playback.

• E-Stop trigger: Select the condition that will trigger and E-Stop (see Start trigger for available

trigger selections).

START ON TRIGGER MOD E


following and E-Stop. See Start trigger above for available settings.

• Delay start: Specify how many seconds after power-up the WEMC1 should wait before starting

playback of the playlist. This can be specified in seconds or minutes:seconds (note ‘:’ used to

separate minutes from seconds).

• Loop interval: Specify the interval at which the playlist is repeated. If this value is less than the

length of the playlist, then playlist will restart immediately after playback. Specify time in

seconds, minutes:seconds or hours:minites:seconds (note ‘:’ used to separate values).

• Hold resume trigger: Select the trigger that will resume playback of a playlist that has

encountered a Wait block.

• E-Stop timeline: Select the timeline that should run in an “emergency stop” condition or None

of not required. For example, this is timeline could turn on the house lights and stop the audio

playback.

• E-Stop trigger: Select the condition that will trigger and E-Stop (see Start trigger for available

trigger selections).

If Continuous loop on power-up mode is selected, the available settings change:

CONTINUOUS LOOP MODE

• Restart trigger : Select the condition that will restart execution of a playlist

27

Click on Finish and exporting will begin immediately. A window will pop up to report of the progress of

the export function.

Important Note: Several Windows command windows may appear if you have selected the Convert

audio files option in the WEMC1 Export Settings window. This is normal.

Conclusion

Hopefully, by this point your solution is up and running in a comfortable and nearly completed state. We

do realize that with any technology, this is not always 100% possible. Help is always available from both

VenueMagic and Weigl as required. If you should have suggestions in regards to the integration of our

products, or their use within the themed entertainment realm, please contact us direct at

[email protected]

Full documentation on all of our hardware modules is located at

www.weiglworks.com/downloads

VenueMagic support is also included within the software and at www.venuemagic.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.weiglworks.com/downloads

http://www.venuemagic.com/

weigl animation and dmx lighting basic operation quickstart guide

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