grandMA3 User Manual Publication

Features 2.5


The latest release of grandMA3 2.5 rolls out several enhancements that enrich your programming experience. Besides numerous improvements and enhancements, based on your highly appreciated feedback, many bugs were fixed and workflows refined. 

Color Theme

 Improved color theme:

Improved the current user interface to enhance visual clarity and user orientation. The color theme was optimized for use in dark control room environments, enhancing overall usability and visual comfort. In detail, non-selected UI elements – such as buttons, pool objects, and windows – are displayed with reduced intensity, while selected UI elements are clearly highlighted.

The default color theme (default.xml) was updated, and a theme (default_legacy.xml) was added so that users can revert to the look from the previous software version.

Masters Window

 Added in this release:

The masters window provides easy access to all group masters, world masters, speed masters, playback masters, and timing masters. It provides an overview to quickly determine the status of all masters and shows which masters are not at their default value.

Find the masters window in Add Window - More - Playback - Masters.

To open a temporary masters window:

  • Press and hold Group. The masters window opens in the Group Masters tab.
  • Tap  in the control bar. The masters window opens in the tab that was open last.

The masters window is split into six tabs. The first tab contains the master controls, each of the other five tabs contain all masters of one type.
The green number in the lower right corner of each tab displays the number of masters that are not at their default value and the total amount of masters in that category. 
Groups in the Group Masters tab are displayed if their mode is set to any value other than None. All created worlds are displayed in the World Masters tab. All speed masters, playback masters, and timing masters are displayed in their corresponding tab. 

Each master is displayed with its label in the title bar. On the left side below the title bar there is a fader to change the master value. On the right side, there are two or three buttons to quickly influence the value of the master. For speed masters, playback masters, and timing masters, a disabled master is indicated by a red bar above the label.

  • Use Full and Zero to set the master to 100 % or 0 % in playback masters or to 10.00 s or 0.00 s in timing masters.
  • Group masters and world masters have two sets of buttons. Tap Button Mode in the title bar to select either Full/Zero or Flash/Black. To set the master to 100 % or 0 % respectively, tap Full or Zero. To temporarily set the master to 100 % or 0 %, tap and hold Flash or Black.
    The button mode is set for both the group master and world master tab.
  • Speed masters have DS, HS, and Learn or Speed1. Tap Button Mode in the title bar to select either Learn or Speed1.
    Tap DS to apply double speed and double the value of the master. Tap HS to apply half speed and half the value of the master. Tap Learn or Speed1 to apply the dedicated function to the speed master.

In the tabs Group Masters and World Masters, if Label Action is set to Locate, tap the title bar of a master to execute the locate function and indicate which page and pool the master is located in. The title button starts to blink red and a temporary pop-up appears. In the temporary pop-up, you can select between Reset or Keep Page:

  • If you tap Reset, locate will be deactivated and the pop-up closes.
  • If you tap Keep Page, locate ceases and the playback bar stays on the currently selected page. Thus, it does not return to the page it was selected before executing locate. For more information on Locate see below.

If SelectFixtures is selected, tap the title bar of a world or group master to execute the SelectFixtures keyword for the fixtures of the respective master.

In the bottom of each masters tab, there are buttons to set all masters of one type to the same value. To hide the buttons, disable Button Bar in the window settings. 

  • Group Masters
    The buttons in group masters are specific to the mode of the group master.
    • All Positive Full
      Set all group masters with mode Positive to 100 %.
    • All Positive Zero
      Set all group masters with mode Positive to 0 %.
    • All Negative Full
      Set all group masters with mode Negative to 100 %.
    • All Negative Zero
      Set all group masters with mode Negative to 0 %.
    • All Scaling Full
      Set all group masters with mode Scaling to 100 %.
    • All Scaling Zero
      Set all group masters with mode Scaling to 0 %.
    • All Additive Full
      Set all group masters with mode Additive to 100 %.
    • All Additive Zero
      Set all group masters with mode Additive to 0 %.

    These buttons can also be addressed using commands in combination with the /Type option keyword.
    Use this syntax:
    FaderMaster Group ["Group_Name" or Group_Number] At [Value] /Type ["Type_Value"]

    Example:
    To set all groups that are in mode "Positive" to 100%, type:

    User name[Fixture]>FaderMaster Group * At 100 /Type "Positive"
  • World Masters
    • All Full 
      Set all world masters to 100 %.
    • All Zero 
      Set all world masters to 0 %. 
  • Speed Masters
    • All Speed1
      Sets all speed masters to 60 BPM, 1.00 Hz, or 1.00 s depending on User Settings Speed Readout.
    • All Double Speed
      Double the speed of all speed masters. The new speed value is displayed in the fader of each speed master. An asterisk (*) indicates that a multiplier or divisor was applied to the speed master.
    • All Half Speed
      Half the speed of all speed masters. The new speed value is displayed in the fader of each speed master. An asterisk (*) indicates that a multiplier or divisor was applied to the speed master.
    • All Learn
      Apply the Learn function to all speed masters. To do so, tap the button in the required speed.
  • Playback Masters
    • All Full
      Set all playback masters to 100 %.
    • All Zero
      Set all playback masters to 0 %.
  • Timing Masters
    • All Zero
      Set all timing masters to 0.00 s.

For more information on the status icons see Improved Status Center in Other Enhancements.

In the title bar of the masters window there are four buttons:

  • Label Action (Group and World Master tab)
    Locate (default): For more information see below.
    SelectFixtures: For more information see SelectFixtures Keyword in the User Manual.
  • DataPool (Group and World Master tab)
    Select from which data pool the masters window shows data. The standard values are <Link Selected> and All Data Pools. If All Data Pools is selected, other data pools in use will be indicated by x.y 'name'.
  • Non-Default Only
    When enabled, only masters that are not at their default value are displayed. The default value depends on the master type. 
  • Move Display Icon (when pressing and holding  Group)
    The window can be moved to other screens. For more information see Change Menu Locations in the User Manual.

To hide the title bar, disable Show Title Bar in the Masters window settings. To hide the button bar, disable Button Bar. The title bar can be organized in the Edit Title Bar settings.

Locate Function

 Added Locate keyword:   

For one, it is possible to locate pool objects that are assigned to executors and also locate objects in pools. Repeatedly executing Locate cycles through all pages the pool object is assigned to. If the object is located in numerous pages, a cycle count will be shown as long as you keep the object pressed.

To do so: 

  1. Press and hold List and tap the pool object you want to locate.
  2. A temporary pop-up opens displaying Reset and Keep Page. The pool object displays Here with a pulsating background in the page it is located.
  3. Repeat steps 1 through 2 to locate the pool object on the following page.

Or use this syntax in the command line:

Locate [Object] ["Object_Name" or Object_Number]

Secondly, the page can follow the located object. That is, the object that is assigned to an executor can be located in its pool. Once the object is located, the object will start pulsating in red and the pool of the object will display a red and dotted frame.

To locate the object in the pool:

  • Press and hold List and tap the executor. The frame will be displayed as long as you keep the key pressed.

Or use this syntax:

Locate Page ["Page_Name" or Page_Number]Executor ["Executor_Name" or Executor_Number]

Locate Page ["Page_Name" or Page_Number].["Executor_Name" or Executor_Number]

If Locate is active, the executor label starts to blink.

To cancel locate altogether and return to the spot before executing locate, tap Reset.

To stay on the same page you are currently in, tap Keep Page.

Or use this syntax:

Locate Reset (/KeepPage)

It is possible to latch List in the temporary command controls menu to execute  Locate.

Recipes

 Improved recipes:

  • Phaser Recipes can be created with the Edit Recipe Mode. For example, to create a phaser recipe: enable  Edit Recipe, tap a group pool object and then tap a position pool object. Then tap Next Step () in the encoder bar and tap another position pool object. A phaser recipe line is created. For more information, see Recipe Editor Window.
  • Phaser recipe lines are named after their selection and shape, and standard recipe lines after their selection and value.
  • X, Y, Z, and Shuffle are now located at the top left corner of the recipe grid.
  • A group and a recipe template can quickly be combined in the programmer to store a new recipe. To do so, select a group pool object, then tap the recipe template. The group and recipe template are both added to the same recipe line. If an MAtricks pool object is selected after selecting a group and before tapping a recipe template, it is also added to the programmer and recipe line. 
    Hint:
    This only works if you select a single group pool object and if no group or MAtricks has already been stored in the template recipe. Any selection or MAtricks information already stored in the template will override the current programmer selection and MAtricks in the resulting recipe.
  • In recipes with more than two steps, the shape editor now has left and right arrows below the 1D layout to skip through the steps.
  • Added Normal and Strict to the pool tab of the selection context area to change the selection mode.
  • Added DataPool to the title bar of the MAtricks selection pop-up. Tap to select which data pool the pop-up displays MAtricks values from.
  • Added all buttons of the MAtricks editor to the editor in the context area for MAtricks.
  • Added Reset to the MAtricks editor in the context area to delete all MAtricks values.
  • Selecting a standard recipe line in the recipe editor (Edit Recipe is enabled) highlights the selected recipe line with a rotating dotted green frame and marks the last selected preset pool object with a rotating dotted green frame.
  • Added  to the tool bar at the left side of the recipe editor. Tap  to recook the selected recipe line. This is particularly useful for phaser recipes and standard recipes with timing values.
  • Added SpeedMaster column. Additionally it is possible to select a speed master in the Speed columns. Tap and hold the SpeedX, SpeedY, or SpeedZ  cell and select a speed master on the left next to the calculator or select it in the context area tapping SP on the top right. If a speed master is set for the phaser recipe, the master is indicated in the bottom right corner of the Speed cells.
  • If the "Name" cell is selected, the context area displays essential settings to quickly edit a recipe.
    These are the columns of the context area:
    • General:
      General settings of the phaser recipe.
      • Enabled
        Toggle to enable or disable the recipe. Disabled recipes are grayed out and have a red font color.
      • Lock
        Toggle to lock or unlock the recipe. If a recipe is locked, UL is displayed in the Lock column. As long as the recipe is locked, all properties of a recipe cannot be edited anymore.
      • Tags
        Tap to open the tags editor and assign or unassign tags. For more information on tags and the tags editor, see Tags.
    • Shape:
      Set up a shape for the phaser recipe.
      Shape displays the selected shape. Tap to open the shape editor and select a shape.
      The first six shapes in the pool are available as buttons. 
      The 1D view visualizes the selected shape.
    • Time:
      Set timing values for the phaser recipe.
      • Speed X
      • Measure
    • Playback:
      • Playback NShot
      • Playback Direction
      • Adaptive Measure
      • Adaptive Width
    • Phase:
      Set an individual phase by tapping Phase X, or select a default phase value and shuffle value below.
  • Only feature groups that are included in the selected world are displayed for absolute and relative values.
  • The context area of the Curve column now displays a 1D layout of the shape. The selected steps are highlighted and can be changed using the buttons above the 1D layout.
  • Added buttons for the available values to the context area of Speed Master, Direction, Adaptive Measure, and Adaptive Width. Added the edit rotation clock in the context area of Adaptive XY Rotation.
  • Added a calculator to the Editor tab of the context area for Value Absolute and Value Relative.
  • Added a context area for the Part, SpeedX, PhaseX, Measure and NShot column. The context area displays the calculator, as well as special values and slide controls where applicable. The NShot context area additionally displays a 1D layout of the shape. The measure context area additionally has a button to enable or disable Adaptive Measure.
  • Added Pause at End to the context area of NShot. Enable Pause at End to set the programmer to the values at the end of the determined NShot cycles. This allows for a quick and easy adjustment of the NShot value, showing the output state where the phaser will stop. To do so, use the slide control for NShot. Pause at End is a tool that is only used in the programmer and cannot be stored. 
  • The pools in the context area now all display the pool name and icon.
  • Added Maximize to the bottom left of the context area. Tap Maximize to only display the pool, sheet, or editor in the context area and hide the buttons to the left and right. To return to the default view of the context area, tap Exit.
  • Cleaned up the Sheet tab of the context area. Now, the sheet only displays the No and Name column for objects. 
  • Added column Link Steps in the Value Source header. This function is only available for phaser recipes with two steps.
    If Link Steps is set to Yes, complementary values in the shape are adjusted at the same time. Linking affects the properties width, acceleration, and deceleration.
    In the shape editor, enable linking by pressing Link Steps   in the middle of the control area. If linking is enabled, the slide controls below the 1D layout for acceleration, deceleration and width display  in the upper right corner.
    • Increasing the width of one step decreases the width of the other step and vice versa, so the overall width of the two steps stays consistent.
    • Changing the acceleration value in one step sets the deceleration value of the other step to the same value and vice versa.
    Set the default for Link Steps in Menu - Preferences and Timings - Global. To enable Link Steps by default, set Phaser Recipe Step Linking to Linked. In new shows, Phaser Recipe Step Linking is set to Linked.
  • Added Make Other Symmetrical to the calculator of transition values for phaser recipes with two steps. Tap Make Other Symmetrical to set the other step of the phaser recipe to a matching transition value so the transitions of both steps look symmetrical. The calculated transition value depends on the transition value in the selected step and the width of both steps.
  • Added Turn into Phaser Recipe to the editor of universal phaser presets to easily convert the universal phaser preset into a recipe. The new recipe preset is selective.
  • If a world is selected, cooking a recipe in the programmer only cooks the channels in the selected world. Once the recipe is stored all values, including values that are not active in the selected world, are stored as fully cooked.
Restriction:
If you use PSR, locked shapes cannot be overwritten during import. Use custom shapes to achieve the desired result.

New Graphics Platform

 Added Vulkan graphics platform:

grandMA3 now supports Vulkan as its graphics platform, replacing the previous OpenGL requirement. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to keeping grandMA3 up to date and ready for the future.
As part of this update, there are changes to the system requirements. For more information, please refer to the updated System Requirements grandMA3 onPC in the User Manual.

Channel Map

 Improved patch:

Added a new channel map to the Insert New Fixture dialog and the Fixture Type Import dialog. This enhancement displays the attribute of each DMX channel and makes fixture types with identical footprints easier to distinguish by providing clear visual differentiation.
The channel map is displayed on the right side of the menu and is presented in a structured grid view. A Channel Map toggle button has been added to enable or disable the channel map. It is enabled by default.
The channel map offers two viewing modes: Channels (default) and Structure. Users can switch between these modes via Sort By located in the top-right corner of the channel map. The structure mode is sorted by ID and displays the fixture type hierarchy based on the geometry of the fixture type.