Release Vixen 3.1 Released

adski

Dave Brown
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
203
Location
Two Wells, SA
There's a new version of Vixen 3 !!!

Just released - version 3.1 - this is a major improvement on the previous official release, and can be downloaded from ===> http://www.vixenlights.com/downloads/vixen-3-downloads/ <===

Enjoy
Dave
 

sck1ng

Apprentice elf
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
77
kudos to the developers.. look forward to start putting stuff together.. I start my testing next weekend and putting things together and aim for sequencing no later than mid-october...
 

adski

Dave Brown
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
203
Location
Two Wells, SA
Vixen Release Notes – 3.1.0

New Features

Main Application

* Profile Zip Wizard. This tool allows the user to select a profile, and all of the selected data and zip it in a file to the user’s choice destination folder.

Sequence Editor

* Lip Sync Feature. This tool allows lighted animation elements to be described and sequenced by the user.
  • Supports single String, Pixel String, and Pixel Matrix Animations
  • Import existing Papagayo sequences
  • Lyric to Phoneme conversion tool - understands over 125,000 words.
  • User dictionary to allow user to define words not understood by Lyric converter.
  • Mark Manager / Tapper support for automatic phoneme sizing.
  • Export/Import facial bitmaps for use on pixel matrices.
  • Facial animations can be quickly remapped from string, to pixels, to Matrices and vice-versa.
* Auto save

* Added Preset Library. This provides quick access to your favorite colors, curves and gradients. Also adds drag and drop ability of these presets directly to effects on the timeline

* New Edit/Draw Mode.
  • Draw Mode allows you to simply click on an effect in the effect library and draw the effects into the timeline by clicking where you want it to start and dragging it to the point where you want it to stop.
  • Edit mode is the new name for the old mode where mouse clicks on the timeline effects will select them for editing.
* Edit Mode Improvements
  • Control-Drag to duplicate effects
  • Shift click to select multiple effects.
  • Improvements to Drag Selection box:
* You can now use shift+drag to select additional "grouped" effects.

* You can now use the selection box to select individual stacked elements on the same row.

  • New Drag Box Filter. You can now specify which types of effects will be selected by the drag box.
  • Improvements to Effect Snap
  • Effect distribution alignment helper
  • Multi Effect Editor - Changing only the intended values when editing multiple effects
  • Improvements to Add multiple effects dialog
  • New Indicator line when moving and resizing effects, makes it easier to line up the selected effect with other effects above and below it by adding a vertical line at the end that is being resized or both ends when moving an effect.
* Curve and Gradient Improvements
  • New Color Collections for assigning random/sequential colors to effects
  • Curve editor and Gradient editor are now accessible from the tool menu instead of only in the effects.
  • When items in the curve or gradient library are edited, the new settings update linked effects in the timeline right away without having to reopen the sequence.
  • Curve editor enhancements. Ability to invert or flip a curve and edit the point values directly. Handles for the curve points are more prominent and mouse pointer changes when over them.
* Mark Collections can now be exported

* Improvements to Undo / Redo

* Screen size and placement settings are now saved and restored when the editor is closed and reopened.

* Sequence export to Falcon Pi Player, Vixen2.1, Vixen VIR, Helix, and CSV

Execution Engine

* Significant performance improvements, especially when playing and sequencing in the editor.

* Unnecessary engine processes are skipped when the controllers are turned off to provide a better experience while sequencing.

* Live Context is only started when the Web Server is active and stopped when deactivated to save polling it if it is not in use.

* General memory consumption reductions.

Display Setup

* When selecting Ok, the updated configuration is saved in the background rather than making the user wait at a hung UI.

* Stopping the controllers now actually stops them without a restart.

Preview

* New Smart Objects
  • Icicles
  • Multi String
  • StarBurst
* New Distribute tools and property matching to the preview.

* New Alignment tools

* Zoom. You can now zoom your preview.

* Setup Previews Configuration pane saving happens in the background now instead of locking UI.

Performance

* Editor should open significantly faster now especially for those with larger sequences.

* Editor Effect rendering speed has been improved for those with multi-core processors.

* Reduction of memory and CPU usage by the editor.

* Reduction of scheduled show startup time with faster pre-rendering on multi-core machines.
 

scamper

Dedicated elf
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
1,225
Location
collie
I downloaded this last week and set it up yesterday to do a simple test for my north poles but have a problem and am not sure if it is the new software or I have some other glitch.
I read that there is a lot of redundant code removed etc to speed up the program.
However of first try it seems to be slower.
I tried the old version with several 'dumb' displays and it tested ok on the old laptop I am using.
This laptop is one that my girls had before they got macbooks, so I deleted everything I didn't need and turned off wifi and virus scanners etc to try and stop unwanted traffic.
In the old version I did a whole sequence with all of my elements and tested it with 12 wired up and it worked fine.
However when I did a VERY basic sequence with only 4 elements at a total of 48 channels the output was extremely slow and jumpy.
I looked at several things before giving up.

I know this is very vague, but is this normal? do I need a faster computer? or is there something that I may have forgot in the setup that may have slowed it down to the point it is useless.
Do all of the outputs need to be setup properly? meaning if there is one that is not setup, will the program slow down looking for the problem etc?
I will try again and go through and set everything up but just thought I would ask here just in case.
 

battle79

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 8, 2012
Messages
465
Location
Chirnside Park, Victoria, AU
That is very unusual.

Everyone I've heard from has mentioned how much better it is. The lag on my 18k channels is gone and I can even have output and preview on and still get no lag. Previously I had to turn one off for the other to not lag.

I'd try a fresh reinstall first, and then maybe a fresh setup if the install doesn't fix it.

Cheers,
Rowan
 

scamper

Dedicated elf
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
1,225
Location
collie
Everyone can stop panicking now...
I have set up the controller correctly and the preview correctly and it seems to be fine.
I knew it would be a problem with my setup as I was a little short fused yesterday when I was doing it.
I had everything that could go wrong actually go wrong. I still have a 27ch dmx board that is faulty, a short cct scr, and the dm102 boards were setup with incorrect channel info, they are now fixed.
So after a day playing in the shed... AKA Santa's workshop... I have a bit more done and am a little closer to being ready for xmas.
 
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