Problem creating sequences.

[crystalsound]

Hello all!

I'm having a problem in FS. I've gotten my fixtures created and setup. I can click on any fixture, change color, position, gobo, etc. with no problems.

However, when I create a sequence is the problem. I've reviewed the create sequence procedures a few times, and I think I'm doing things right.

Let's say I set my lights to some particular look.. I click on create sequence, and the window comes up. Maybe I make a tweak... Again, all lights are responding properly. I click on the "+" button to add a step. Make some changes (lights do their thing), click the "+" again to add a step. I'll click the "save as", give it a name, and make sure the two checkboxes for "add to cue" and "add to buttons" are checked. (Oh yea, and I've been in "snap" mode this whole time).

The sequence now appears in my fast cue switcher.... I see it on step 1 of 3 steps... So, I click play - I see the "1:3" change to "2:3" and "3:3" and back to "1:3" - so I know my sequence has the 3 steps I set, and it is running. However, my lights do *nothing*.

Now, if I go to edit my sequence, the window comes up, and shows my 3 steps. Down at the bottom half of the sequence screen is the grid of numbers (that I"m assuming is channel values). All of the values, in all of the steps are ZERO. Also, I have noticed, if I scroll down to what appears to be channel 169, when I hover my pointer over the box for channel 169, the popup info says it's channel 179.

Am I doing something wrong? Did I leave out a step or something important? Or, did I find a bug?

FYI - I'm running the latest version of FS, Windows Vista Home Basic SP1, with an Enttec Open DMX USB interface on an eMachines D620 Athlon 2650e 1.6GHz, 2GB Ram.

If I left out a detail or something is unclear, I'll be happy to clarify.

TIA!

[LJ_krede.dk]

Let's say I set my lights to some particular look.. I click on create sequence, and the window comes up. Maybe I make a tweak... Again, all lights are responding properly. I click on the "+" button to add a step. Make some changes (lights do their thing), click the "+" again to add a step. I'll click the "save as", give it a name, and make sure the two checkboxes for "add to cue" and "add to buttons" are checked. (Oh yea, and I've been in "snap" mode this whole time).

Always remeber to open the "create sequence" window before you begin adjusting your fixtures. then you know all your adjustments are "recorded" and programmed to the step. try to look at the topic Can only create cues "offline" and having fade issues?. , where I have answerd another user who might had the same problem.

I hope that helps? otherwise write again.


/Kristian

[remco_k]

The normal way to do this, is *first* start the sequence editor, then edit the lights.

If you edit the lights before starting the sequence editor, then it does not know what changes on what channels you want to 'record' in the sequence.
However, you can 'tell' the sequence edit that, by manually setting the button from 'Off' to 'Snap' or 'Fade' on the channel that you would like to be recorded by the sequence editor, in the current step. (This happens automaticly when the sequence editor is open and when you change the value of the channel).
On the other hand, setting the button to 'Off' takes out that DMX channel from the current sequence step.

So, both ways work. I use them mixed.

1. Start sequence editor, change lights, add step, save...
2. Change lights, start sequence editor, set channel buttons to fade or step, (and/or change lights), add step, save...

[crystalsound]

Thanks to all that have replied.

I followed the link in the first message to the other thread about the gentleman who could manually edit and get things to work. I never tried doing that, but having tried, I can get that to work.

I've opened the create sequence window. I'm in transparent mode (BTW). I've selected my lights, made adjustments, set some to snap others to fade, clicked the add scene button. Another step appears. (Now I have 2 steps). I've noticed that some of my boxes, which were now all red, some are yellow and green. These channels that are red/yel/grn, the colors *DO* correspond to my light settings, but the boxes still all contain zeroes, in both steps.

FYI - just for test purposes, at every step in the process, I am basically changing *every* parameter of *every* fixture, that way I know things are changing each way... IN other words, every step in a sequence has completely different settings from the previous, and my first step has different settings from my starting point when i opened the create sequence window.

One question: When i have a sequence editor window open, and it's displaying the field of DMX channel values, as I change a fixture's parameters (say color, gobo, etc), shouldn't I see those values displayed "live" in the sequence window, as well as my fixture's window?

Thanks again for all the help.

[crystalsound]

I think I found my problem....

It seems that if the DMX values portion of the create sequence window is showing, then values don't save. If it isn't visible, things seem to work as described.

Another quirk of the software, I guess.

Thanks to all, again!

[remco_k]

Oh hell, that sucks.
The good news is that a new version of FS is on its way.
In that version the matrix with all the red, green and yellow DMX values is removed. Not sure that I know why. I know that there were various problems with it.