Connecting to consoles

To use LIVE mode, you need to insert and connect to a control console or compatible offline editor. If you use a DMX console, you require a DMX interface device to connect to WYSIWYG. 

You must ensure that the patch you have created in WYSIWYG and the patch in your console are exactly the same for simulation to work properly.

To connect to a console

1. Connect the console to the computer with the appropriate hardware.
2. From the Managers menu, choose Device Manager.

Result: The Device Manager window appears.

3. Click New.

Result: The console library is displayed.

4. Navigate through the console library until you find the console or device that you are connecting to. Click the console name to highlight it.
5. Click Insert.

Result: The console appears in the Device Manager.

6. With the console name still selected, click Properties.

Result: The Properties dialog box appears.

7. From the Protocol drop-down list, select the protocol used by the console. For example, DMX, SandNet.

Result: The console model is displayed in the Model box. The name of the console is displayed in the Name box.

8. In the Address box, type the designated address of the console, if applicable.
9. A list of the output ports from the console appears in the Ports list. You must assign these outputs to WYSIWYG patch universes. Click the appropriate port to highlight it.

Notes:

• Motion control systems have a single port named “Motion.”
• If you are working with a motion control system, then you can assign only to motion universes; if you are working with a DMX console then you can assign only to DMX universes.

10. Select the desired Patch Universe, and then click Assign.
11. Repeat the above steps to bind all ports to their appropriate patch universes.

Notes:

• You cannot control a channel count exceeding that of the WYSIWYG Perform package that you purchased.
• You can define port ranges for sACN, Art-Net, and grandMA3 viz-key connections that support more than 256 DMX universes. For more information, please see Define_port_ranges.

12. Click Close to close the Properties box.
13. Click Connect.

Result: The status of the console changes to “connected.”

14. Click OK to exit the Device Manager.

Notes:

• Once the console is running and connected to the WYSIWYG drawing, operate the console as you would in the live venue. Run up channels and record cues using the console. Remember that WYSIWYG does not store or save cues—this is done in your console’s memory. Once the console information is set up, you can set WYSIWYG to automatically connect to the console every time the file is opened.
• You can also perform the above procedure through the Device Manager Toolbar. For details, see Device Manager Toolbar.

To unassign the patch binding settings of multiple ports

1. From the Managers menu, choose Device Manager.

Result: The Device Manager dialog box appears.

2. Select the console.
3. Click Properties.
4. Select the ports for which you want to change the patch binding.
5. Click Unassign.

Result: All the selected ports will become unassigned.

To patch multiple ports simultaneously

Note: When assigning multiple ports to universes, the selected ports will be assigned to universes in sequential order. The universe sequence is based on availability, then alphabetical order.

1. From the Managers menu, choose Device Manager.

Result: The Device Manager dialog box appears.

2. Select the console.
3. Click Properties.
4. Select the ports for which you want to patch.
5. Click Assign.

Result: The Quick Patch Assignment dialog box appears.

1. To have all universes available for patching, even ones that were previously assigned, select the checkbox by Show Assigned universes (Indicated by *). Otherwise, only unassigned universe will be available to patch.

6. In the Quick Patch Assignment window, from the Available Universes drop-down list, select the universe that will be assigned to the first selected port.

Result: A summary of the assignments are displayed in the dialog box. The summary notifies if there is a conflict with either a universe being unassigned or reassigned.

7. Click OK.

Result: The ports will be patched to universes. The first port selected will be assigned to the first universe selected. The next sequential port will be patched to the next sequential universe. This continues until all the selected ports are assigned, or there are no more available universes to assign.

8. Click Close to close the Properties box.
9. Click Connect.

Result: The status of the console changes to “connected.”

10. Click OK to exit the Device Manager.

To connect the Image Console

The Image Console is produced by CAST Software and ships with WYSIWYG. It acts like a lighting console, media, or video server, enabling you to control color, intensity, and the image display of all patched LED surfaces that you have created with the LED Wizard.

1. From the Managers menu, choose Device Manager.

Result: The Device Manager window appears.

2. Click New.

Result: The console library is displayed.

3. Double-click Consoles > Manufacturer > CAST Software, and then highlight Image Console.
4. Click Insert.

Result: The console appears in the Device Manager.

5. With the console name still selected, click Properties.

Result: The Properties dialog box appears.

6. Leave the defaults for Protocol, Model, and Name.
7. In the Address box, type the designated address of the console. Note that this address must match the Device Address that you type in the Image Console window. For details on configuring the Image Console, see To configure the Image Console.
8. A list of the output ports from the console appears in the Ports list. You must assign these outputs to WYSIWYG patch universes. Double-click the appropriate port to open the Quick Patch Assignment window.
9. In the Quick Patch Assignment window, select the appropriate patch universe, and then click OK.
10. Repeat the above steps to bind all required ports for your LED grid to their appropriate patch universes.

Note: You cannot control a channel count exceeding that of the WYSIWYG Perform package that you purchased.

11. Click Close to close the Properties box.
12. Click Connect.

Result: The status of the console changes to “connected.”

13. Click OK to exit the Device Manager. You can now control the patched LED grid with the connected Image Console. For details, see To control a patched grid of LEDs with the Image Console.

Define port ranges

The connection protocol of an Art-Net, sACN, or MA-Net with the grandMA3 viz-key features DMX universes (ports) that exceed the 256 that appear in their WYSIWYG Library profiles.

When connecting WYSIWYG to an Art-Net or sACN network, or to the grandMA3 viz-key, you can specify the range of ports exceeding the default 0-255 or 1-256. You can define up to sixteen ranges of ports in the Device Manager's Properties window for each Art-Net, sACN, or grandMA3 viz-key connection.

To define port ranges for Art-Net, sACN, or grandMA3 viz-key

1. From the Device Manager window, select Artistic License Art-Net, sACN, or viz-key.
2. Click the Properties button.

Result: The Device Manager Properties window appears.

Note: In the Properties window, the Define Port Ranges button will only be enabled if Art-Net, sACN, or grandMA3 viz-key is selected.

Important Note: The Define Port Ranges button will be enabled for grandMA3 viz-key if grandMA3 viz-key is enabled in the Additional Interfaces tab of Application Options.

3. Click the Define Port Ranges button.

Result: The Define Port Ranges window appears.

The text fields of Define Port Ranges window display:

• The name of the console/network/device and its corresponding total number of available ports.
• The first Output number defined in the Library Profile of the console/network/device as the default starting port number.

4. In the first field under Enter up to 16 ranges of ports to connect universes to, enter the starting port number.
5. In the second field, enter the ending port number.
6. Click Add.

Result:

The specified range appears in the table below and the Number of ports defined: <#> text field updates.

Notes:

• You can add ranges in any order: add a lower range (e.g., 1001 to 1024) after a higher range (e.g., 2001 to 2024) has already been added, even if the higher range was added in a previous session of this dialog box.
• A maximum of 16 port ranges can be set and shared between Art-Net, sACN, and grandMA3 viz-key.
• The maximum number of ports that can be defined is 512; this applies regardless of how many ranges are defined. For example, if a single range defines 512 ports, further ranges cannot be added; similarly, if the first range defines 100 ports, the second 100, and the third 311, a fourth range may consist of only one port, and a fifth range may not be defined.

1. You may click the Remove button on a row in the table to delete the added range.
2. You may click the Clear All button to remove all defined port ranges without warning.

Tip: You may click Cancel to undo the removal and bring back the ranges if Clear All was clicked by mistake.

7. Click OK to close the window and go back to the Properties window.

Result: The Ports column in the Properties window only displays the defined port numbers within the defined port range(s).

Important Note: Existing port bindings will be cleared once port ranges are defined, unless the ports in the newly defined range(s) were already bound.

To continue connecting to the console/network/device, see  To_connect_to a console.

Device Manager Toolbar

The Device Manager Toolbar simplifies your regular device connect/disconnect operations. You can use the drop-down list on this toolbar to select a device (Consoles, Devices, Networks), and then click the connect icon or the disconnect icon.

The “All Devices” option in the drop-down list enables you to easily connect/disconnect all devices with one click without opening the Device Manager.