ShowCAD Architect 3

[Jay Ashworth]

One of the houses I work in -- a small muni performing arts center (say it with me now) converted from a church -- has a bunch of dimmed PAR cans, and a bunch of some sort of LED fixtures, of which I'll attach a couple photos shortly, though it likely doesn't matter what they are.

The titular software appears to be what someone thought was a good idea to put in here, and I haven't read the whole manual yet, but I'm inclined to think it's either overkill, or not the proper category of DMX control software for a PAC stage; anyone else got experience with it, and hence a more informed opinion on that?

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Correction: 6 S4s on the front electric, plus 4 yoke movers; there are also 2 S4s and 2 movers on each side truss...

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[venuetech]

The S4 in the first photo is upside down. it should be hung so the color frame is held in by gravity. the safety clip is not intended to be the primary support of the color frame

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I find myself unsurprised.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[derekleffew]

The S4 in the first photo is upside down. ...

That's so it matches the LED PARs, which are also upside down.

Back to the question: if a PC solution works, fine. But looks like an ideal venue for SmartFadeML, Cognito, StageCL, 250ML, etc. to me.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I was thinking SmartFadeML too; do those handle the RGB PARs too?

 

[Jay Ashworth]

[ Punchline: I googled the software's name again tonight, looking for any user commentary that might be helpful... and this thread now googles *higher than the manufacturer's website for the package*. I guess our work here is done... ;-) ]

 

[jglodeklights]

Yes, the SmartFadeML will handle LED PARs. It will basically handle anything you can throw at it other than fixtures requiring pixel mapping (maybe media servers, too?). The biggest limit is the 24 LED or intelligent fixtures limit. This doesn't necessarily mean you are limited to that number of fixtures in your rig. What it means is your are limited to controlling 24 groups of fixtures. As long as they can all do the same thing, a group of fixtures can be addresed the same and only take up one fixture.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

So, effectively, you're saying I get 24 'channels' of specialty light fixture and each channel can include any number of 'dimmers' which is to say physical light fixtures.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[jglodeklights]

The SmartFade ML has 48 channels of intensity control. You can patch multiple dimmers to an intensity channelc have 24 Device channels(Moving Lights, LED Fixtures, dimmer/scrollers). These channels include multiple parameters using additional addresses. They are only designed to have one intensity channel/address. You could use other addresses to control intensities and physical dimmers, but they operate in LTP versus HTP mode.

If you have multiples of the same fixture in your rig, you can address the fixtures identically. Doing this means you lose individual control of them, but, for example, if you want all of your front light LED PARs to do the same thing, but have like 30 of them, you wouldn't eat up all your Device channels. Can be less useful with moving lights, depending on what they do, but very useful if creating washes with LED's.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Got it. Mostly. Have Manual: Will Travel. Tnx.

Sent from my SPH-L720