SOFTWARE VERSION 3.8 WWW.PRG.
AutoPar®, Bad Boy®, Best Boy®, MBOX®, Nocturne®, PRG Series 400®, V476®, V676®, and Virtuoso® are trademarks of Production Resource Group, LLC, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Mac®, QuickTime® and FireWire® are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All other brand names which may be mentioned in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. This manual is for informational use only and is subject to change without notice. Please check www.prg.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction About This Manual........................................................................................................................................................................ Important Note About Consoles!.................................................................................................................................................. Additional Documentation .............................................................................................
Layer Guidelines ......................................................................................................................................................................... Parameter Mapping .................................................................................................................................................................... Pro Lighting Fixtures.........................................................................................................................
Overview.............................................................................................................................................................................. Scale-To-Fit vs. Arbitrary Fit ............................................................................................................................................... Creating a Digital Gobo with Adobe Illustrator CS5........................................................................................................
Chapter 5. Pixel-Mapping Basic Pixel-Mapping Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................... 116 Setup ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 117 Advanced Pixel-Mapping Creating Custom Fixtures ...............................
Mbox Daemon .......................................................................................................................................................................... Starting Mbox Remote ............................................................................................................................................................. Adding Servers........................................................................................................................................
REVISION HISTORY This manual has been revised as follows: VIII Version Release Date Notes 02.9800.0001.36 January 8, 2013 Initial release. 02.9800.0001.36 A May 22, 2013 Updated to software version 3.6.1 02.9800.0001.37 January 6, 2014 Updated to software version 3.7 02.9800.0001.38 May 9, 2014 Updated to software version 3.
INTRODUCTION About This Manual This manual provides necessary information regarding product safety, installation, and operation for the following PRG product: + Mbox® Media Server This manual applies to Mbox Designer software version 3.8. Familiarizing yourself with this information will help you get the most out of your PRG product. WARNING: It is important to read ALL accompanying safety and installation instructions to avoid damage to the product and potential injury to yourself or others.
Training Videos Mbox Media Server Training Videos are available on the PRG website. The following is a list of videos that apply to Mbox Media Server: + Introduction: http://www.prg.com/mbox-media-server-training-video-1/ + Hardware Set Up- Front: http://www.prg.com/mbox-media-server-training-video-2/ + Hardware Set Up - Rear: http://www.prg.com/mbox-media-server-training-video-3/ + Patching: http://www.prg.com/mbox-media-server-training-video-4/ + CITP - Streaming Feedback & Thumbnails: http://www.prg.
1. OVERVIEW This chapter provides an overview of Mbox features, components, and operations.
GENERAL OVERVIEW Important Terminology When discussing the Mbox Media Server, it is important to understand the terminology which distinguishes the hardware components from the software. These concepts are as follows: + "Mbox Designer" refers to the software. + "Mbox Extreme" or "Mbox Extreme server" refers to the rental hardware which runs the Mbox Designer software. + The term "Mbox" may refer generically to one or both.
Mbox Designer Feature List + Single-server rack with integrated UPS, I/O module, and Auxiliary Input panel. * + Digital Dual I/O Module with built-in DMX-to-Art-Net conversion and Ethernet switch. VGA (RGBHV), DVI, and SDI (SD/HD) stage outputs, DVI preview output. * + Dual video output per server with multiple operating modes: Single Output, Dual Independent, Panoramic Wide, and Panoramic Dual. + Accepts live video input SDI (HD/SD), composite and FireWire® (DV). + 1080p HD Video playback.
Concepts of Operation Basic Function The basic function of the Mbox Designer software is to control dynamic media - such as movie clips, still images and 3D objects - during a stage show or other performance. The resulting visual imagery is output to a display device such as a projector, LED wall, plasma screen or low-res LED lighting fixture. Built-in features allow the media to be manipulated "on the fly" so that changes can be made during the actual performance and immediately projected.
COMPONENTS Note: This section deals with Mbox Extreme hardware and may not be pertinent to a computer-only installation.
Dual I/O Module The function of the Dual I/O module is to provide video conversion, final dimming of the video signal, and to send EDID information to the Mac computer. The module also handles DMX512 and Art-Net input for the computer. The module functions as a "dual" unit since it provides two independent output sections. These sections are noted in the drawing below as "Server Output 1" and "Server Output 2." Note: This is intended to be an overview of the Dual I/O module components.
DMX Input Ports - The DMX512 XLR ports are used to receive DMX512 data from an external console or other controller. The left DMX512 port is automatically configured as Art-Net universe 0, while the right DMX512 port is configured as Art-Net universe 1. (DMX512 cables can only carry one universe of data at a time, and in some cases the Mbox Designer software requires two universes.
Auxiliary Input Panel The Auxiliary Input panel provides input/output connectors for signals other than video and DMX/Art-Net. + Ethernet - This port is used when networking multiple Mbox Extreme servers together. + Audio Out - The XLR audio outputs are balanced. The mini plug audio output is unbalanced. + SMPTE In - The SMPTE input will accept balanced or unbalanced signals. + MIDI In/Out - The MIDI input currently accepts MIDI timecode.
Mac Computer The Mbox Extreme Media Server contains a Mac Pro computer which has been customized by PRG. The Mac computer is used to operate the Mbox system and store the media. It also provides standard computer connectors such as USB and FireWire® for the purpose of importing or exporting media data. + Hard Drives - The Mac computer contains four hard drives: one which is used to boot the system, and three which are arranged in a striped raid array (treating them as a single drive).
The v3.5 Mbox Extreme rack contains upgraded and new components as shown below: Mac Rear Detail (v3.5) optical in audio out 1 2 Ethernet Card (v3.5 only) USB Ethernet FireWire Audio SPDIF Audio In/Out Video Capture Card (upgraded in v3.5) Genlock Card Graphics Card Figure 1-7: Mbox Extreme v3.5 Components Note: Version 3.5 racks can be easily identified by the "v3.5" label on the top of the Mbox Extreme rack case.
FIXTURE DESCRIPTIONS Mbox Environment Concept In order to get the most from Mbox Designer, it is important to understand the overall concept of the Mbox environment, which is essentially a building platform for "virtual scenery." The final "look" of this virtual scenery is comprised of multiple layers. These layers can be made up of backgrounds, 3D objects, camera angles, and lighting, all of which are controllable elements within the Mbox environment.
Fixture and Layer Overview The Mbox environment is based on the concept of layers. The system supports up to 12 active layers at a time, each having its own particular elements and parameters. The elements include a choice of still images, movies, or 3D objects. The parameters include settings such as opacity, texture, intensity, color, blending, rotation, and many more. The combination of all 12 layers results in the final "look" of the virtual scenery.
LAYERS Fixture: Texture (2D) + Effect 1 with Controls A & B + Effect 2 with Controls A & B + (Opacity + Color: Red, Green, Blue + Texture Folder Number + Texture File Number + Playmode and Playspeed + In-Frame + Out-Frame + Sync Stream and Sync Offset (Timecode and Layer-to-Layer) + Aspect Ratio + Frame Blending + Crossfade Type and Timing + X, Y, and Z Positions + Scale Fixture: Objects (3D) + X, Y, Z Rotation, Spin, and Scale + Object Folder Number + Object File Number + Animation Speed + Animation 1 and
Fixture, Layer and Parameter Details Ambient Light and Spot Lights 1 - 4 The Ambient and Spotlight fixtures are used to light 3D objects or digital gobos and have no effect upon textures used as backgrounds. Each lighting fixture has an intensity parameter along with color controls for red, green and blue. Guidelines: + If no lights are turned on (i.e., have an intensity level above 0), then 3D objects will not be visible on the screen.
The tile mode, tile scale, and tile overlap controls allow it to automatically subdivide or "tile" a single image to play on multiple display devices. With the tile mode control it is possible to select a 2 x 2, 3 x 3, or 4 x 4 array and the grid position within that array which corresponds to the desired position for each server’s output.
OPERATING MODES Mbox Designer Modes Mbox Designer has four modes of operation: Single Output, Dual Independent, Panoramic Wide and Panoramic Dual. The primary purpose of the operating modes is to configure the screen arrangement and required Art-Net universes. The Mbox Setup tab, covered later in this manual, is used to change the operating mode. (Refer to "Setup" on page 50). The four modes function as follows: Single Output Mode The Single Output mode provides one video output from the software.
Panoramic Wide Mode The Panoramic Wide mode provides two video outputs from the software. The two outputs create a single display surface and the overlap and blending between the two outputs can be adjusted. Outputs can be arranged either horizontally or vertically. The two outputs share one set of lighting, camera, shutter, and keystone fixtures. Any of the software's 12 possible content layers can be displayed on either screen or across the overlap with a portion on each screen.
Notes 20 MBOX® MEDIA SERVER USER MANUAL
2. INSTALLATION AND POWER-UP This chapter provides instructions for setting up the Mbox server and powering up for the first time.
SAMPLE CONFIGURATION DIAGRAMS Overview There are many possible configurations for setting up single or multiple Mbox Extreme servers. The following illustrations show just a few of the many possibilities. While the example details the use of the Mbox Extreme server rack and its included Dual I/O Module, the same examples can be applied to a computer running the Mbox Designer software.
Art-Net Input Configuration: Network Switch and Multiple Media Servers In the following configuration, Art-Net control signal is distributed from one control console to one network switch. The network switch then distributes the control signal to all Mbox Extreme servers.
Output Configuration: Single Media Server with Plasma Display and LCD Projector In the following configuration, a Plasma Display and LCD Projector are connected to a single Mbox Extreme server.
HARDWARE SETUP Basic Setup and Connections To interconnect the case components: Step 1. Remove front and back covers from case (Figure 2-4). Step 2. Remove keyboard and trackball from case. Step 3. At rear of case, verify that Monitor (2), USB (3), Ethernet (2), Video In (2) and Power cables are connected to computer.
Connecting the Stage Output The stage output should be connected to one of the outputs ports on the front of Dual I/O module. This will vary depending on the type of output device. (Refer back to "Dual I/O Module" on page 8.) Guidelines: + Adapters or converters may be required to convert these outputs to specific needs. + All DVI connectors on the Dual I/O module are DVI-D (digital only). There is no analog signal present on these connectors, therefore, a DVI-to-VGA adapter will not work.
GETTING STARTED Note: The software installation sections below only apply to the purchased version of Mbox Designer, not the rental version. Before You Start It is strongly recommended that you install and test the Mbox software on your computer before purchasing a license! Mbox requires OSX 10.6.7 or greater to be installed on the computer and a minimum of 100MB on the Boot Drive with additional space for any custom content. The user who installs Mbox must also be an Administrator of the machine.
Licensing Mbox Software CAUTION! Always install the Mbox software before licensing! Hardware License USB Key (Dongle Drivers) If you purchased a USB license key direct from PRG, then the drivers must be downloaded and installed from the link on the previous page. Once the drivers are installed, Mbox will recognize the license key. If the Mbox application fails to recognize the USB key at any point after the drivers are installed, please contact PRG for assistance.
Power-Up Overview When an Mbox Extreme server is powered up, it will typically launch the Mbox Designer application. (If for some reason the application does not start automatically, locate the Mbox Designer icon on the Apple® dock and click once). If the software was installed on your computer, then find the Mbox Designer application in the /Applications/ Mbox Designer folder and launch it as you would any other application. When launched, the Mbox Designer software will initially show a splash screen.
Power-Up Procedure Use the following procedure to power up the Mbox Extreme server. Step 1. Ensure UPS is powered up. Step 2. At front of rack, press Mac computer power button (Figure 2-6) and allow computer to boot. Step 3. Press power button of any connected preview monitors. Step 4. Allow Mbox DEISGNER software to launch. (The software should start automatically. If it does not start automatically, click on the icon in the dock.
PATCHING FIXTURES Patching Overview In order to control Mbox, it will need to be "patched" to a control console. Patching allows channels to be mapped to the controllable elements of the Mbox environment. Use the following guidelines when patching: + One Mbox server running Mbox Designer software requires at least 466 DMX512 channels. + At least one DMX512 universe per server is required for Single Output, Panoramic Wide, and Panoramic Dual modes. (Refer to "Operating Modes" on page 18 for more information.
Parameter Mapping All 16-bit values are in Big Endian format. For example, the value 23 would be presented as 0 in the first channel and 23 in the second channel.
Summary: Dual Output - Panoramic Wide Start Size Type 1 4 5 Summary: Dual Output - Panoramic Dual Universe Start Size Type Ambient Light 1 4 Ambient Light 4 Spot Light 1 5 4 Spot Light 1 9 4 Spot Light 2 9 4 Spot Light 2 13 4 Spot Light 3 13 4 Spot Light 3 17 4 Spot Light 4 17 4 Spot Light 4 21 32 Camera Control 21 32 Camera Control 53 20 Shutter Control 53 20 Shutter Control 1 73 22 Keystone Control 1 95 20 Shutter Control 2 1st 466 Total Channels 73
Summary: Dual Output - Independent (Universe Offset +0) Summary: Dual Output - Independent (Universe Offset +1) Start Size Type Start Size Type 1 4 Ambient Light 1 4 Ambient Light 5 4 Spot Light 1 5 4 Spot Light 1 9 4 Spot Light 2 9 4 Spot Light 2 13 4 Spot Light 3 13 4 Spot Light 3 17 4 Spot Light 4 17 4 Spot Light 4 21 32 Camera Control 21 32 Camera Control 53 20 Shutter Control 53 20 Shutter Control 73 22 Keystone Control 73 22 Keystone Control 95
Pro Lighting Fixtures Up to five (5) professional lighting fixtures may be patched in Mbox Designer. Like the Ambient and Spot fixtures, they have adjustable intensity and color controls. Also, while the Ambient and Spot fixtures are in fixed positions with a pre-determined beam spread, pro lighting fixtures can be moved and also adjusted between spot and ambient beam spreads. Guidelines: + Enabling one or more pro lighting fixtures will disable all of the standard lighting fixtures.
Playing Back Video - Quick Start Once a console has been connected, the Mbox fixtures patched, and the display device turned on, video can be played back. To immediately play back video: Step 1. At console, select Camera fixture and set its intensity to full. Very Important! – the Camera fixture’s intensity controls the built-in hardware dimmer on the I/O module. If this channel is at 0, there will be no output from the stage outputs on the I/O module – though there will be output on the preview outputs.
Step 4. At this point, adjust the folder and file parameters to scan the stock media content. For example, changing to Texture Folder 11,Texture File 1 will result in the following clip: Step 5. To apply an effect to the layer, for example, set the Effect 1 parameter to 2 (sepia tone) and set the Effect 1 Control A to 255 (full).
Notes 38 MBOX® MEDIA SERVER USER MANUAL
3. OPERATION This chapter provides instructions for configuration and operation of the Mbox server.
MEDIA CONTENT File Type Specifications The Mbox server supports Apple QuickTime® technology for rendering and playback of images and movie files. The following file types are supported: Still Image Files JPEG (.jpeg or .jpg), PNG (.png), TARGA (.tga), TIFF (.tiff or .tif) for still image files. + For still images not requiring transparency, JPEG is the best choice. + To use files with transparency, PNG is the best choice. Movie Files QuickTime format (.mov) for movie files.
Typically, movie files should not have embedded audio tracks, although embedded audio tracks in movies can be made to play. To remove audio tracks from movies, use your preferred application to re-render or export the movie without its audio tracks or try dropping the file onto the Mbox File Converter application, making sure the "copy audio" checkbox is not checked (see "Mbox File Converter" on page 168). If the file extension of a DV movie file is changed from .mov to .
At startup, the Mbox Designer software performs a media scan to search all folders that reside within the Mbox/Media and Mbox/Models folders on the Mbox server’s RAID. External media can be attached to these folders using aliases, provided the following guidelines are observed: + Aliases must link to folders on the supplemental media. They cannot be aliases of files. + An alias cannot refer to another alias. + The /Mbox/Media, and /Mbox/Models folders cannot be aliases.
Folder 000 in both the Media and Models folders is reserved and should not be used. The stock PRG movies and still images are located in Media folders 001 - 038 and 248 - 254. Media folder 255 is reserved for video inputs and layer copy functionality. The stock PRG 3D objects, animated gobos, and digital gobo files are located in Model folders 001 - 006. CAUTION! File names (after the numerical prefix) should not start with numbers, as this confuses the media indexing. For example, a file name such as 001.
Adding Media Content When adding content files, it is recommended that new, unique folder numbers be created for the custom content. It is possible to have more than one folder with the same numerical prefix, however, as long as the content files within such folders do not have the same numerical prefix. CAUTION! Numbered content files will be assigned a folder number that is equal to the numerical prefix of their immediate parent folder. Therefore, using folders without numbers requires caution.
Grouped Content Description The Mbox applications support the use of "content grouping" in order to allow servers to have content for all servers stored on their hard-drive, but to allow each server to play only the content desired for its own output(s). In this manner, content synchronization can ensure that all show content is on all servers (allowing for one server to take over for another). When programming, selecting a folder and file will cause content (with the matching folder.
Note: Because the panoramic output modes are treated as one larger output when placing and sizing content for playback on a server's layers, their output is treated as only one content group by the Mbox server. The identity setting for the server's second output (Output 2) will affect keystone, warp, and projection mapping for that output, but in panoramic modes, different content will not (and cannot) be selected automatically based on the Identity for Output 2.
Creating and Viewing Content Thumbnails The Mbox Designer software will create thumbnail images of the content. To force the creation of new thumbnails in Mbox Designer, press [ T]. Thumbnail images are stored in a standard location on every server and are grouped with HTML files that allow any networked computer (Mac or PC) to use an HTML browser to view the thumbnails on the server. Individual thumbnails can also be used by consoles connected to the server.
Viewing Thumbnails in a Browser Another way to view media thumbnails on an Mbox server without a CITP-connected console or Mbox Director, is to use the web browser of any computer connected to the Mbox network. Enter the following into the browser: + If using a browser on the local Mbox sever, the address http://127.0.0.1/Mbox can be used to view the local thumbnails. + To view the thumbnails on a remote machine, enter that machine’s IP address. For example: http://192.168.0.
APPLICATION WINDOW Overview The Mbox application window allows the server’s output to be viewed in either Window or Fullscreen mode on the preview monitor. Fullscreen - While in Fullscreen mode, the server’s output (i.e., video) will be displayed at "full screen" without any user interface showing. In this mode, the output will also be visible on the Stage output of the Dual I/O module. Window - While in Window mode, the application’s user interface will be displayed.
Setup The Setup tab of the Mbox application window is used to: + Set the operating mode and Art-Net universe for the Mbox server. + Set the application to start in either Window or Fullscreen mode. For Window mode, the window size can be set. For Fullscreen mode, the resolution can be set. + Input License Key to authorize the application. + Set a width and height for Textures.
Setup: Control The Control section is used to set the operating mode, protocol, address and layer count for the server. + Mode - use this pop-up menu to select the desired mode. (Refer to "Operating Modes" on page 18 for detailed information about each mode.) It is important that the operating mode match the console profile that is being used.
Setup: Fullscreen Mode The Fullscreen Mode section is used to set the resolution, frequency, and aspect ratio of the rendering context that Mbox uses. It is not uncommon to change the Fullscreen Mode settings since, for example, a standard definition projector would require different settings than an HD projector, etc. Getting pixel accurate results from any Fullscreen mode setting requires the computer to be receiving EDID information that matches the Fullscreen mode settings.
Note: The EDID from the Mbox Dual I/O Module provides EDID with accuracy to two decimal places (e.g., 59.94Hz). However, the Mac Displays Preference window rounds these frequencies to no decimal places (e.g., 60Hz). Functionally, Mbox is still able to request and receive the correct frequency when entering Fullscreen mode, but it is difficult and confusing to set the desktop to the same frequency.
Setup: Rendering Mbox will always try to output video frames to the Mac graphics card at the same rate as the current output frequency. However, in some circumstances (e.g., a heavy load), Mbox is unable to deliver the full number of frames per second, and must automatically reduce the number of frames it delivers to the graphics card. At the default setting of x1, Mbox will automatically adjust its update rate.
Setup: Network The Network section is used to configure the Sync, Management, and CITP settings when connecting two or more Mbox servers. + Sync - sets which port the server will use for layer-to-layer and network timecode sync. + Management/CITP - selects the port that the Mbox Daemon application uses for communication with consoles and the Mbox Remote application. When changes are made here, it will be reflected 4-5 seconds later in the Daemon screen.
Setup: I/O Module Note: This functionality only applies to Mbox Extreme hardware versions. The I/O Module section is used to verify the configuration of the connected I/O module output sections. This is important when using Dual Independent mode, as Mbox must know which output to dim with Camera 1 and which output to dim with Camera 2. When using Dual Independent mode, if Camera 1 dims Output 2 and Camera 2 dims Output 1, then the output sections are reversed.
Setup: Media Log (Media Errors) The Media Log button opens the Mbox Media Report window, which contains a list of all indexed content (textures, objects, effects, and transitions). When Mbox performs a media scan, it also looks for files with timecode links, errors, or other conflicts and reports them. For example, two media files with the same number would be reported as an error in the log. If a file does not appear in this list, then Mbox will not attempt to play it.
HEADS UP DISPLAYS (HUDS) Overview Mbox Designer provides Heads Up Displays (HUDs) that contain detailed information about the server. There are two methods for calling up most of these HUDs: the Camera fixture control channel or the keyboard. Refer to the chart on page 224 for a listing of discrete values for the Camera Control Channel.
Using the HUDs The HUDs can be very useful during programming to view the values for fixtures and parameters. When making changes to the parameters, the values will be immediately reflected in HUD screens. For example, when making changes to parameters on the Layer 1 Fixture, they can be viewed in the Layer:Texture HUD (F2). The following screen shows Layer 1 with the default levels: This next screen shows Layer 1 after some modifications have been made to the effects, color and position.
DUAL I/O MODULE Operation Overview Note: For an overview of Dual I/O module components, refer back to "Dual I/O Module" on page 8. The function of the Dual I/O module is to provide video conversion, final dimming of the video signal, and to send EDID information to the Mac computer. The module also handles DMX512 and Art-Net input for the computer.
Connected Display Devices and EDID Overview Without special hardware or software, a typical computer can only output video resolutions and frequencies that are supported by the display equipment that is connected to it. Display devices communicate their required input configurations via EDID (Extended Display Identification Data), which is essentially a communication protocol used between a device and a computer.
Switching Between Modes The Mbox server can operate in one of three default EDID settings, or, if the default sets are not appropriate for the connected display devices, then a custom EDID setting may be captured. Default EDID Sets - Three default sets of EDID data stored within the Dual I/O module provide the necessary information to work with standard computer display resolutions and frequencies, and typical SD and HD-SDI resolutions and frequencies.
Switching Between Standard EDID or Capturing EDID The EDID set can be changed using the Stage Blackout and Preview Dim switches located on the front of the I/O module. The combination of these switch settings (as either Yes or No) will determine the default EDID set - or, if a custom EDID will be captured - when the EDID Capture switch is engaged. To switch between the three standard EDID sets: Step 1.
Step 8. After four seconds, the LED will stop flashing and will remain on for about two seconds. During this time the EDID data is being captured. Step 9. Once the external capture is complete, the LED will again flash, but more slowly than before. At this point, release the switch. Step 10. At Mac Displays Preference window, click Detect Displays button. The computer will re-sync the outputs and the new EDID will be applied. (You can connect your display devices at this point.) Step 11.
Step 6. After four seconds, the LED will stop flashing and will remain on for about two seconds. During this time the EDID data is being captured. Step 7. Once the external capture is complete, the LED will again flash, but more slowly than before. At this point, release the switch. Step 8. At Mac Displays Preference window, click Detect Displays button. The computer will re-sync the outputs and the new EDID will be applied. (You can connect your display devices at this point.) Step 9.
Note: Many standard resolution/frequency combinations can be selected in the Fullscreen mode section of the Setup tab. To use a resolution and/or frequency that is different from the standard choices, select "Custom" on the pop-up menu and manually enter the resolution and frequency in the fields below the pop-up. Refer to "Setup: Fullscreen Mode" on page 52. Example - To get Mbox to output 720p/59.94Hz, do the following: Step 1. Open Mac Displays Preference window. Step 2.
The Mbox Genlock feature uses an additional connection between the rear of the I/O module and the Genlock card in the Mac computer. This card is located next to the Graphics card and has two LED indicators - one red and one green - which function as follows: optical in audio out 2 + When the card is receiving data (i.e. when a genlock input is connected to the I/O module), the red LED will turn off and the green LED will turn on. 1 + If the card is receiving power but no data, the red LED will turn on.
ENHANCING MBOX PERFORMANCE Recommended Practices Use the following recommended practices to enhance the performance of your Mbox system: + Disable any screen-savers. + Disable File Sharing and Remote Management (any and all sharing, in fact). + Turn off automatic software updates. + Disable Spotlight on all connected hard-drives by placing them in the Privacy table. + Set Energy Saver settings to disable computer and display sleep, and to stop hard-drives from being put to sleep.
4. ADVANCED FEATURES This chapter provides instructions for using the advanced features of the Mbox Designer software.
3D OBJECTS AND DIGITAL GOBOS About 3D Models and Digital Gobos (Objects) 3D Model and Digital Gobo files are arranged into individual folders within the /Mbox/Models folder. Lighting All 3D models and digital gobos require some amount of lighting to be properly visible. If the object file is used without turning on one of the Mbox lighting fixtures or without using Drawmode 1 (Light), then the object will appear on the screen as a black silhouette.
All appropriate files in the Models folder will be compiled automatically the first time Mbox Designer is started (and successfully locates them). Thereafter, files in the Models folder will only be compiled if they are new or if they have been modified since the last time Mbox Designer was used. Compiling all of the stock files in the Models folder takes some time, but this task only needs to happen once in the background, allowing all other functions to be available during this process.
If you create an object that is scaled to match a particular piece of 2D content (which is measured in pixels), and you want Mbox to treat generic units as pixels, add the suffix ".pixels" to the file's name before it is compiled. Example: a file named - 001.NewObject.obj should be renamed as - 001.NewObject.pixels.obj In this case, an object that is 200 generic units tall will appear as 200 pixels tall within Mbox. And a piece of 2D content that is 200px high would fit exactly when applied to that object.
Creating Custom Digital Gobos Overview Custom digital gobos can be created in two formats: SVG and AI (Adobe Illustrator®). Adobe Illustrator is the best application for creating custom digital gobos because it provides the best toolset for features that Mbox Designer supports. SVG files are the most compatible and they provide better functionality than AI files. Mbox Designer's vertex array compiler pays attention to "object fill" information in these file types.
Step 2. Use the various drawing tools to compose the gobo. The most useful tools are the objects (ellipse, rectangle, polygon, or star), the paintbrush, the linear tools (line, arc, spiral), text tool, and the pencil. All of these tools, except the line tool, will create a filled object. Filled objects will be compiled as solid areas in Mbox and will be the areas that accept a texture, if one is applied. Text Lines Objects Paint Brush Pencil Tool Options Step 3.
Step 4. To expand an object, first select the object, then choose Expand from the Object menu. This will open a pop-up window. You don't need to change any of the options in the window, just press OK. Add more objects as desired. (You can use multiple layers, if required.) Step 5. Use the text tool to create text as desired. Use the Character options to set font and size.
Step 6. Text is a special case, and must be converted out "outlines." Switch to the Selection Tool and select the text. Select "Type" in the menu bar, and then select "Create Outlines." You cannot make outlined text (stroke only), it has to be filled. Step 7. If you are creating an SVG gobo, you need to apply a crop area to the document. The size and location of this crop area will determine whether your digital gobo will fall under Option 1 or Option 2.
Step 8. Before you saving the file, consider where the center of the file should be. By default, the center of a digital gobo will appear in the center of the Mbox Designer window and the gobo will rotate around that center point. If you save the file as an AI file, you can set the center by modifying the origin of the file in Illustrator.
Animated Digital Gobos Mbox animated gobos are similar to SVG gobos, but they have built-in functions which have their own controls. Animated gobos, saved as .dgob files, are located in the /Mbox/Models/002.Animated_Gobos folder (rental version) or /Mbox/Models/000.Objects (purchased version). Unlike normal digital gobos, these files do not need to be compiled so there will be no corresponding .vtxa files. Like other digital gobos, the animated gobos are treated as objects and some of them require lighting.
TV Screen v1.4 The TV Screen animated gobo allows a texture to be placed onto a plane in 3D space and manipulated it as a 3D object. The texture can rotate and spin on all three X, Y, and Z axes. (A texture on its own will only rotate on the Z axis.) The TV Screen will automatically light itself and Drawmode 1 does not have to be set for it to be visible.
Snow v1.2 The Snow animated gobo is somewhat complicated. In order to have complex snowflake shapes, a folder named "snowflakes" must be created within the Mbox folder and numbered .vtxa files (1 to 254) must be placed into it. .vxta files can be copied from the model_cache folder into the snowflakes folder. In the example below, the left-hand image shows the default (000) snowflake shape: a round flake. The right-hand image shows several different flake shapes: the shape is set to random (255).
Tunnel v1.1 The Tunnel animated gobo is a virtual tunnel made up of rings. The shape can be rotated. Animation Speed controls the rate and direction in which the rings move. + The A modifier controls the number of rings. + The B modifier controls the thickness of the rings. In the following example, the X and Y rotation has been adjusted so that the shape can be seen more clearly. The Tunnel’s default position is directly head-on to the camera. Flag v1.
Ring Stripe For the Ring Stripe animated gobo, Animation Speed controls the scale. + The A modifier sets the segment thickness. + The B modifier sets the number of segments (= value +1). Stripe Ring For the Stripe Ring animated gobo, Animation Speed controls the central diameter. + The A modifier sets the line thickness. + The B modifier sets the number of lines (= value +1).
CylinderScreen The Cylinder Screen animated gobo provides a similar surface to the TV Screen gobo that can also bend around its Yaxis. Animation speed (default = 127) controls the amount of the curved surface that is covered by the texture applied to the layer. Adjusting this control makes it look like the texture is being scaled up and down, however, notice that the apparent curvature of the texture changes as it fills more of the curved surface.
Fit To Screen The Fit To Screen animated gobo can be used to force any content to fill the screen in one of three ways: Horizontal, Vertical, Horizontal & Vertical. The layer's scale parameter must be at their default values for the fill to work correctly. The FIt To Screen gobo requires no lighting. The A modifier selects the fill mode: + 0 - 63: Image is scaled so both width and height are >= screen size (i.e.
ANIMATED TEXTURES Using Animated Textures (Animations) Animated Textures are found in folder 248 of the Media folder. They are similar to the Animated Gobos in the Models folder, but are controlled differently and cannot have a texture (movie, still image, etc.) applied to them. Each animated texture has white areas and transparent areas. The white areas can be colored using the RGB controls on the layer.
LAYER COPY Using Layer Copy At times, there may be a need to play the same movie content on more than one layer at the same time. The same content can be requested on multiple layers, but doing so causes the content to be read from the hard-drive more than once, as well as being decompressed more than once. This is a waste of resources if you intend to display the same frame of the same movie on multiple layers at the same time.
DRAWMODES Using Drawmodes The Drawmodes feature provides control over how a 3D object is lit and how it interacts with other layers. Drawmode has its own control channel with several modes: + + + + 0 = Idle 1 = Light 2 = Cut Stencil 3 = Cut plus Light + + + + 4 = Cut and Draw 5 = Cut, Draw plus Light 6 = Draw Thru Stencil 7 = Draw Thru plus Light + 8 = Draw Onto Stencil + 9 = Draw Onto plus Light + 16 = Orthographic View For a complete channel map, refer to "Draw Mode" on page 228.
Drawmode 16 - Orthographic View Drawmode 16 causes 3D objects to be drawn using orthographic projection. Typically, when 3D objects are drawn in Mbox, they all share one vanishing point, which is a fixed point at the center of the screen (assuming the camera is in its default position). Because of this, any object that has depth will show some amount of perspective shift as it is moved around the screen or as the camera moves.
The Stencil To explain the Drawmodes other than "Light" requires an explanation of the "Stencil" and what it means to cut it, draw onto it and draw through it. The Stencil is an imaginary layer that can be cut, as if cutting holes in a piece of paper. The Stencil can then be used as a tool to tell other layers how their textures are applied: either onto the areas where the stencil is whole or the areas where the Stencil has holes in it.
The following shows an example of using the Stencil to affect a higher numbered layer. The left image shows a digital gobo on Layer 1 in Drawmode 1 (Light) so that it can be seen. The right image shows a movie clip on Layer 2 in Drawmode 0 (idle). The movie on Layer 2 obscures the gobo on Layer 1. In the example below, on the left, Layer 2 has been set to Drawmode 6 (Draw thru Stencil) and on the right it has been set to Drawmode 8 (Draw onto Stencil).
The benefits of the various Drawmodes become more apparent when the holes cut into the Stencil are used to affect more than one layer. Interesting results can be achieved by using a movie with a transparency effect to cut the Stencil. In the example below, the left-hand image shows a movie playing on Layer 1, and on the right, that same movie with the White Alpha Effect (056) turned on.
LAYER BLENDING Layer Blending Modes There are seven layer blending modes. Many of these layer blending modes have been chosen to best replicate common modes found in commercial image editing software (e.g. PhotoShop®, After Effects®). The modes and their values are: + 32 - Additive: layer’s colors are added to underlying colors (blacks appear transparent). + 64 - Screen: similar to above, with less of underlying color (blacks appear transparent).
SPECIAL EFFECTS Decay The Camera fixture includes controls for a Delay effect. Since it operates from the Camera fixture, the decay is applied to the composite image created by all 12 layers. In the example to the right, a gobo has been given a Z-spin value and decay has been applied. It is important to note that Decay applied from the Camera will only work against a background of "nothingness." This means the absence of content (no texture or object).
Fog The Camera fixture also includes control for the Fog effect. Like Decay, it works on the composite picture created by all five layers. However, fog only has an effect on 3D objects (or digital gobos) if they have been lit. The objects can be lit by the Ambient fixture, any of the four Spot fixtures, or by having their Drawmode set to one of the modes that includes lighting.
TEXT FILES Support for Text Files Mbox can display text using RTF (Rich Text Format) or TXT (Text) files. Both files will work, but the RTF format will result in higher quality. .rtf An RTF file can be created by using the TextEdit application on the Mac computer. Simply type some text into a document and then save as an RTF file. Be sure to give the document a numerical prefix, make sure it has a file extension of .rtf, and place it in the Media folder.
AUDIO Audio Output Features Overview In addition to movies, still images, and 3D objects, Mbox can also play audio files. Audio can be played back by any of the following methods: + The Mac computer’s internal speaker. + The Mac computer’s SPDIF audio jack. + The XLR connectors (for balanced output) or 3.5mm jack (for unbalanced output) on the Auxiliary panel. Balanced XLR Audio Out (Left and Right) ETHERNET LEFT RIGHT Unbalanced Mini Plug Audio Out (3.
External Audio Tracks (Associated AIFF Files) AIFF audio files can be placed in the Media folder with texture files. They are triggered when a content file with the same folder and file number is played. Guidelines: + To play any associated AIFF audio files, the AIFF Playback checkbox must be checked on Mbox Setup tab (refer to "Setup: Options" on page 56). Remember that for this preference to take effect, the Mbox Designer application must be restarted after this change is made.
Audio Volume Control There are two overall methods for controlling audio volume with Mbox: + The master volume control provided by the Camera fixture. (Refer to "Camera " on page 16.) or... + Individual layer volume controls. When controlling the audio volume on individual layers, two sub-options are available: 1) Using opacity. 2) Using added Art-Net channels.
SYNCHRONIZATION Timecode Synchronization (Timecode Sync Playmode) Mbox allows movie playback to be synchronized to external SMPTE or MIDI timecode, or a simple internal clock. The timecode sync works with both 30 fps non-drop and 30 fps drop-frame timecode and requires the use of either the TC Reader application (explained later in this section) or the Mbox Remote application (refer to "Mbox Remote Application" on page 171).
To create a Media Timecodes file: Note: The specifics of the Property List Editor application as presented here only apply to the rental Mbox Extreme versions, and not to a user’s own computer. Step 1. Locate Property List Editor alias in /Applications folder and double-click on icon. An Untitled window will open. Step 2. At window, make sure the root item is selected, then click Add Child button. At Key field, enter a number which is library.file number of the media file. Be sure to include leading zeros.
TC DMX Controls In addition to assigning timecode values to individual media elements using the .plist method (refer to previous page), the timecode start value for a specific layer can be modified by patching additional control channels on any control universe. Note: The TC Default preference also assigns a default timecode start time to all movie files even in the absence of other timecode start time settings.
Using Timecode Sync Playmodes Timecode Sync does not control any properties of a layer except the playback position and rate. All other functions must be programmed separately. If a movie is set to one of the three Timecode Sync playmodes, it will sit, paused on the in-frame until the appropriate time is reached. Thereafter, the movie will play based on the selected Timecode Sync playmode's characteristics until it reaches the out-frame, upon which it stops on that frame. It will not loop or fade out.
Receiving MIDI Timecode MIDI timecode input is achieved through the MIDI In connector on the Auxiliary Input panel. This connector passes signal to a MIDI/USB adapter, and from there into the Mac computer. ETHERNET LEFT RIGHT MIDI In MIDI Out MIDI IN MIDI OUT SMPTE IN Y IN SDI IN R - Y IN B - Y IN (COMPOSITE) BALANCED AUDIO OUT Figure 4-3: Auxiliary Input Panel (v3.4) Setup for Timecode Input The TC Reader application is used to set the preferences for incoming timecode.
+ For receiving timecode for show purposes, the use of TC Reader is recommended over Remote. You should run TC Reader on each Mbox that needs to receive timecode and then connect the timecode signal to each Mbox separately. CAUTION! The TC Reader application will display the perceived timecode variety at the top of the window. When timecode is being received, a number in parentheses will be shown to the left of the Auto-Start checkbox. (See sample screen below.
Layer-To-Layer Synchronization Mbox offers the ability to synchronize playback of a designated master layer on one server to a layer on another server. A layer on one server can sync to the same numbered layer on another server, or one of 16 sync streams can be selected for both sync mastering and slaving.
PLAYMODES Kiosk Playmodes Several Kiosk Modes are available for controlled playback of files. + 180 - Kiosk Mode non-looping, pause on last frame of last file - this is the same as the range of 180-184 in Mbox Extreme v3.3. + 181 - Kiosk Mode non-looping, loop last file - this mode will loop the last file in the folder using the layer's currently selected crossfade type and time.
ALIGNMENT RECTANGLES Using Alignment Rectangles Oftentimes there is a need for program content to conform to a particular area of the output. This is especially true when outputting to a device that will crop the video signal or when using one server to drive multiple LED screens using one layer per screen. In this case, Alignment Rectangles can be used to aid in the placement of content on the Mbox video outputs.
These features rely on additional information stored in the alignment.plist file. The Mbox Remote application is able to create these additional properties and edit them after they have been created. The supplemental application called "Mbox Alignment Rectangles" can also help create and edit these more complex Alignment Rectangles. Alignment Rectangle properties: + Color & Opacity – any rectangle can be assigned a custom color and opacity value.
EFFECTS AND TRANSITIONS Effects and Transitions with Additional Input Files Effects and transitions that require additional image input files will use numbered files placed in a specific location inside the Mbox folder on the RAID hard-drive.
Adding Custom Effects or Transitions Mbox provides the ability for users to add their own effects and transitions or to make custom versions of existing effects and transitions. This process is quite complex and the following information only outlines the process. If you wish to modify existing effects or create your own effects, the process should not be attempted without talking to a PRG representative for further instruction.
This is what the plist information for this transition looks like: MBOX® MEDIA SERVER USER MANUAL 111
All the various properties of this transition have been expanded to show their "children." It is critical to get all of the properties set to both correct types and appropriate values - with the only real exceptions being the Thumbnail and UserVisibleName properties. If you fail to use the correct type or an appropriate value for a property, then it is likely that the entire effect or transition will fail when used with Mbox.
PROJECTION MAPPING Overview Projection Mapping is an advanced feature within the Mbox Remote application (separate from Mbox Designer). This feature, in its basic form, can used to configure output settings for simple keystone, warp, and multi-head output. Projection surfaces (Topography files) and more complex projection mapping settings can also be created, applied, and adjusted for use with Mbox Designer.
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5. PIXEL-MAPPING This chapter provides instructions for setup and operation of the Mbox pixel-mapping feature.
BASIC PIXEL-MAPPING Overview The Mbox software allows mapping of certain functions of Color Kinetics KiNET or Art-Net-controlled fixtures (RGB, Intensity, CMY, etc.) to each of the pixels in the composite video image. Pixel-mapping data is generated from the screen image and is output from an available Ethernet port of the Mac computer.
The following guideline assumes that you are using a second Ethernet port to output pixel-mapping and that the first Ethernet port will be set to receive Art-Net to control Mbox. + Mbox pixel-mapping now uses the concept of Destinations (Dests) rather than universes. Dests may be numerical Art-Net universes 0-255, numerical designators (257-999) for KiNET_DMXOUT power supplies, and numerical designators with a port number (257.1 - 999.99) for KiNET_PORTOUT power supplies.
Setup tab, or twice that size if one of the Panoramic output modes is being used (see "Setup: Fullscreen Mode" on page 52). The pixel-mapping context’s origin is at the bottom left of the grid and that origin is position (0,0). In the illustration above, a 50 x 50 context has been applied over a fullScreen size of 800px x 600px. Each rectangular subdivision of the context will be (800px/50) x (600px/50), or 16px x 12px.
CAUTION! You should always avoid re-using any Art-Net universe anywhere on your system. Never duplicate Art-Net universe numbers between incoming data and outgoing data. Also avoid duplicate output universes unless you are running a backup system and have some means of merging data or taking control from one server or the other. (Use the "Backup Mode" setting in Mbox Remote to suppress Art-Net output from a backup server. Refer to "Server Control Commands" on page 192.
For KiNET_PORTOUT only, you should enter the three-digit Dest number followed by a port designator (Dest.Port) of zero (e.g., 303.0). This entry causes Mbox to automatically route data for all Dests using that three-digit number to the appropriate port of the KiNET device with the designated IP address. Thereby eliminating the need to have multiple Dest entries in the table for a single IP address. After entering the Dest and Protocol, enter the IP Address.
Go back to the Pixel Map tab and adjust the slider for the DMX Ghosting control. Reduce the level of this control to about 30% and then return to the Window view. Now, the patched fixture view will display patched fixtures at full brightness and unpatched pixels at a reduced intensity. This enables you to better visualize the result of your setup (both context sizing and fixture placement) without needing to set up the rest of your equipment.
Suggested Ethernet Setup for Art-Net Output + Port 1 (receiving Art-Net for control) - IP = 2.1.0.123 Subnet Mask = 255.255.0.0 + Port 2 (sending pixel-mapping Art-Net) - IP = 2.0.0.123 Subnet Mask = 255.0.0.0 + Pixel-map destination IP address for default Dest - 2.255.255.255 or Ethernet 2 The above setup ensures that the computer can receive Art-Net on the first port, and that it will also send pixelmapping Art-Net out from the second port.
ADVANCED PIXEL-MAPPING Creating Custom Fixtures Mbox Designer allows you to create custom fixture profiles for use in your patch. At the Pixel Map tab, click on the Fixture Type pop-up menu and choose Create New Profile. A window will open to enable you to set up a new fixture profile. You can select the shape of the pixels (rectangle or circle) that your new fixture will display on the screen, the type of fixture (RGB, CMY, CYM, and so on), and its rotation (in degrees).
depend on the fixture and its orientation. Finally, you select if the scan is linear (moves across one row and then across the next in the same direction) or if it is zigzag (moves across one row and then across the next in the opposite direction). Go ahead and create a new fixture profile. Give the profile a name and then a width and a height. Select a shape for the pixels in the fixture and then a pixel type and a fixture rotation if desired.
The second task is to determine the portion of the context grid onto which each screen sample will be mapped. Without Sample Areas, the entire screen image is mapped directly to the context for conversion to Art-Net - so something at the top of the screen will always be mapped to fixtures that are placed at the top of the context grid.
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6. PIXEL REMAPPING This chapter provides instructions for the Mbox pixel remapping feature.
ABOUT PIXEL REMAPPING Overview The Pixel Remapping functionality of the Mbox software allows the creation of one or more two-dimensional rectangular objects for use on a layer. Each object can be textured by content used on the layer and can have properties that act upon its entirety or smaller regions thereof. Configuration options for Pixel Remapping allow for opacity changes, texture position changes, rotations, and object position changes.
PIXEL REMAPPING TUTORIAL Training Videos: Pixel Remapping (9 videos): http://www.prg.com/mbox-training-videos/ Overview The concept of Pixel Remapping can be best explained using a tutorial. The example provided in the following tutorial will use a square that will be broken into nine smaller squares. The following image represents this square: The tutorial will create two configurations.
Projected Mapping Pixel Remapping is configured using the MultiScreen Editor application. To open the MultiScreen Editor, locate its icon in the MboxExtreme/Utilities folder and double-click. Upon opening the MultiScreen Editor application for the first time, you are presented with two windows and a blank workspace: + MultiScreen Editor (main) window - allows numerical data entry to set up the configuration and the screens. + Preview window - a scalable view of the selected configuration and screens.
You can see the added the entry in the list (the one that says "[000] {720, 480}"), this is your first configuration (with index 0). You can have more than one configuration (by the end of this tutorial we will have two) with each having the same screen objects (same size/position of screens, etc.), but each configuration may have different pixel remapping, scaling, or additional controls. All configurations get saved into the same MultiScreenData.
Note: You can adjust the Editor's window size by dragging the bottom-right corner. Step 5. Click on the small, blue pop-up handle again (with configuration [000] still selected) and choose Add Screen from the list. You'll see a small disclosure arrow appear to the left of the configuration's entry in the listbox. Click on this arrow to expand it.
Note: The text field at the top of the Preview window shows the current scale of the view and information about the selected screen. Step 7. Reduce the scale and center the background within the view. The selected screen appears at the top-left of the background, with the screen's top-left corner (the selected screen's origin) indicated by a red diamond.
alongside the 2D screen objects. For previsualization purposes, the viewing perspective of 3D screen objects can be altered by repositioning the Mbox Camera fixture. + Z-Pos: Used with 3D screen objects to adjust the distance of the screen object from the camera in order to correctly position multiple screens (to represent their position in the real world) or to ensure that screens that can overlap look correct when doing so. Unlike the Active and Texture values, the Z-Pos value is not scaled in pixels.
Step 9. Before adding the other eight screen objects, you're going to add some controls to the first screen object. Remember that we said you would need Opacity, X Position, and Y Position controls for each screen object. With the Square 1 screen object selected in the MultiScreen Editor app, click once again on the small popup handle at the top right of the window. This time select Add Control from the list. As when you added a screen object, a disclosure arrow will appear in the listbox.
b. Control Type Pop-up: This is where the property of the screen that is to be controlled is selected position, texture position, rotation, etc. Refer to "Screen Object Control Types (Units, Typical Scale Value)" on page 146 for more details on the control types. c. Scale/Counts Pop-up: This switches between the two methods of scaling the incoming Art-Net data to apply it to a control.
Step 14. After adding the opacity control press the Save button; then you can add the X and Y position controls. Here's where you can speed things up by using copy and paste. Make sure that the opacity control is highlighted in the listbox, press [ C] and then [ V], and you'll get a copy of the opacity control. Rename it "tX position." a. For the Texture X position control, the universe is the same, the address is 2, the data type is "8-bit 127", stride is still 27. Two complex decisions remain though.
There is a Control Test Value slider on the main window that changes scale based on the selected control's data format, and allows you to test linear controls (e.g., position, opacity) within the MultiScreen Editor application. If you look at the Preview window, the text field at the top will show you both the screen object's location and the texture location. As you move the slider, you should be able to see these values change and also check to see if the direction is correct. Step 16.
Step 17. To test the configuration you have created on Layer 1 - select Object folder 2, file 9 for the MultiScreen object, select the sample PNG as the texture on the same layer, and also supply the correct additional ArtNet data (for the opacity and texture X & Y position) on Universe 5. You should see something like this: Note: Since the texture X & Y position controls default to 127, you will need to set them to that value to see the portion of the texture in the illustration above.
Step 19. On the main window of the MultiScreen Editor application, uncheck the box labeled "Ortho" in the Display section. You should end up with this: Step 20. You can use the Control Test Value Slider to mimic what will happen when this multiscreen object receives data. Because the Texture X Position and X Position controls (likewise the Texture Y and Y position) use the same address, when you move the slider, the 3D screen object moves and the texture moves on that object.
b. Whereas the 2D representation will look like this, with the graph paper moving around, but the outline of the complete MultiScreen object staying the same. Note: In both the 2D and 3D representations, the pink coloring is used to show a portion of the screen object that has no texture (i.e., where the screen object is fully transparent) due to the either the object's texture origin/width/height or the received control values.
The 3D representation will be positioned across the boundary between the two screens and it will occupy some of the same screen area as the 2D representation. As mentioned previously, you should place the 3D representation onto the second output so it doesn't get in the way of the images being send to the LED panels. Step 22.
And if you then make some adjustments to the various controls for each of the nine squares, you might end up with something like this: Note: In the 2D representation, the screen objects don't move but the texture does, resulting in a jumbled image. In the 3D representation, the screen objects move, but the overall texture is not jumbled and is viewable where the screen objects are. The edges of the screen objects are not visible/shown, only the portion of the screen object that has texture on it.
ADVANCED CONTROL The following section covers advanced Pixel Remapping features. If you are unsure about how to use these features, contact PRG support for assistance. Triangle Strips and Triangle Fans (3D Vertex Array Screen Objects) In order to support non-rectangular shapes and/or to allow screen objects to be rotated in 3D space, standard screen objects may be converted to Triangle Strip screen objects or Triangle Fan screen objects.
By editing the X and Y coordinates of the triangle strip, you can create differently sized triangles. Editing the tX and tY coordinates adjusts the texture mapping to the vertices of the screen object. Textures will be stretched as required to match the coordinates, be careful, otherwise your texture may be distorted! The + and - buttons allow you to add or delete individual vertices to as to create shapes that are not four-sided.
GLOSSARY Screen Object Control Types (Units, Typical Scale Value) 1) Texture X Position - Left/Right position of the texture on screen object. (pixels, varies) 2) Texture Y Position - Up/Down position of the texture on screen object. (pixels, varies) 3) X Position - Left/Right position of the screen object. (pixels, varies) 4) Y Position - Up/Down position of the screen object. (pixels, varies) 5) Dimmer - Brightness (fade to black, not transparent) of texture on screen object. (0 - 1, 0.
23) Opacity (Global) - Transparency (fade to transparent) of texture on all screen objects. (0 - 1, 0.00390625) 24) Origin X - Moves the origin X from the default origin (top left corner) of a screen object. This is a sticky control. (pixels, 0 - use offset) 25) Origin Y - Moves the origin Y from the default origin (top left corner) of a screen object. This is a sticky control.
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7. VIDEO INPUT This chapter provides instructions for the Mbox video inputs.
EXTERNAL VIDEO SIGNAL INPUT Overview Mbox supports three types of external video inputs: PCIe cards, Blackmagic UltraStudio Thunderbolt, and USB/ Firewire devices. For best performance, Mbox has native support for the Blackmagic (Decklink and UltraStudio) and the Active Silicon Phoenix products. Other PCIe cards that support QuickTime streaming may work, but not as well. USB/FireWire devices must output a QuickTime stream. Mbox Designer allows up to four video inputs per server.
Blackmagic Decklink and Active Silicon Phoenix Video Capture Cards (PCIe) Mbox has been optimized to provide the best possible video input (quality, framerate, latency) with Blackmagic Decklink and Active Silicon Phoenix PCIe cards. Note: At present time Mbox does not support the Decklink 4k capture card, or the Active Silicon LFG cards.
Step 4. At Blackmagic Design Decklink window, click on "Set input" pop-up menu to select an appropriate input type. The three possible selections are: SDI Video, Y, R-Y, B-Y Video, and NTSC/PAL (Y in). These correspond to SDI, Component, and Composite video input types. Because Mbox does not use the audio input on the Decklink Video Capture card, the audio type in each of the inputs can be ignored. Step 5. Close Blackmagic Design Decklink window.
a. Decklink card: At Video Inputs window ,set input type pop-up to "Blackmagic," then set input number pop-up to match the input you will be using on the card. Always use 1 for HD Extreme and use 1-4 for Quad. Finally, set the input format pop-up to the correct type. b. Phoenix card: At Video Inputs window ,set input type popup to "Phoenix," then set the input number pop-up to match the input you will be using on the card.
Blackmagic UltraStudio Devices (Thunderbolt) Mbox also supports the UltraStudio Mini Recorder, Express, and 4K. To obtain the best performance with these products, make sure that the Thunderbolt bus has enough available bandwidth for the capture device and any other connected Thunderbolt devices. Latency with Thunderbolt devices may be slightly higher than that obtained with PCIe cards. Note: At present time Mbox does not support input resolutions larger than 1920 x 1080 from UltraStudio devices.
Step 4. At Blackmagic Design Decklink window, click on "Set input" pop-up menu to select an appropriate input type. The possible selections may include SDI Video, HDMI Video, Y, R-Y, B-Y Video, and NTSC/PAL (Y in), and will depend on the UltraStudio device installed. Because Mbox does not use the audio input on the UltraStudio device, the audio type in each of the inputs can be ignored. Step 5. Close Blackmagic Design Decklink window. To configure Mbox video inputs for UltraStudio card: Step 1.
Step 3. At Video Inputs window, set input type pop-up to "Blackmagic," then set input number pop-up to input 1. Finally, set the input format pop-up to the correct type. Step 4. The edit fields labeled T, B, R, and L can be used to enter a crop (in pixels) to the incoming video signal. Step 5. When enabled, the Sub checkbox will cause Mbox to display a substitute image if a video input is not available. The default substitute image is a blue rectangle with the input type number and format listed.
QuickTime Streaming Devices (PCIe or USB/FireWire) Mbox also supports all other capture devices that conform to the QuickTime streaming format. Such devices include USB and FireWire cameras, and some PCIe capture cards. Setup on Mac: QuickTime streaming devices may require driver software to be installed. Check with the manufacturer and install the most current version. Additional setup may be required depending on the device. To configure Mbox video inputs for QuickTime streaming device: Step 1.
Step 7. Make sure Texture Size width and height settings are as large or larger than the camera input resolution width and height. Failing to set the Texture Size correctly will result in an unusable image when the video input is requested for display. Texture Size is entered at the Setup tab of the Mbox Setup window. Step 8. In some cases, you may need to restart the Mbox software after changing the video input settings.
SYPHON VIDEO INPUT Using Syphon Mbox Designer includes the Syphon framework, which allows Mbox to either send or receive real-time, full-framerate videos or stills between applications on the same machine. For example, it is possible to place the video output from Quartz Composer, Unity 3, or other applications onto a layer within Mbox. Note: For more information on the Syphon framework, refer to the webpage: http://syphon.v002.
Step 4. Once you have identified the application and source names, copy and paste the App:Source pair into a Syphon Sources item in Remote Preferences to reserve that source for a specific Syphon input (refer to "Setting Mbox Server Preferences Remotely" on page 191 for more information).. When Mbox next finds that App:Source pair, it will automatically allocate it to the configured Syphon input. Guidelines: + Mbox Designer has a limit of 12 Syphon inputs.
8. CONTENT CREATION AND UTILITIES This chapter contains information on the proper formatting of content for playback on the Mbox server, along with content management and conversion utilities.
CREATING CUSTOM CONTENT Creating Movies and Audio Files As mentioned earlier in this manual, Mbox will try to play any QuickTime movie -no matter what codec it may be however, movies using non-preferred codecs may not play as well as movies that use the preferred codecs. While Mbox will do the best job possible to play any movie content, if the file is not optimized specifically for Mbox, poor results may occur.
+ Other codecs, when treated as non-preferred, are played in a QuickTime "wrapper" rather than natively in Mbox. Because of this, playback may be poor, playmodes other than FWD Loop and FWD Once may not work, movies may not loop unless the in/out points are rolled inwards slightly, frame blending will not work, and some transitions and effects may not work properly. On the plus side, embedded audio tracks in movies with nonpreferred codecs may play when the movie is played.
of either file (especially the movie file) once the two have been separated. (You can always shorten the movie or play portions of it by adjusting the in and out points.) AIFF audio files for playback on Mbox must be encoded as 2-channel (Stereo: L & R), LPCM, 16-bit Integer (Big or Little Endian) at a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. Other sample rates will play, but will not play at the correct speed. Mbox cannot play more than one AIFF audio file at a time. The most recent file requested will play.
Alpha Channel in Movies – the Animation and ProRes 4444 Codecs It is often very useful to be able to add areas of transparency to a layer when using Mbox. This will make it possible to see other layers behind, to create a "knockout" for IMAG, or to properly display a movie that uses green-screen technology. When creating content, there are several QuickTime codecs that allow an alpha channel (transparency information) to be embedded in a movie.
MEDIA UTILITY APPLICATIONS Note: The Mbox Media Lock utility only applies to the Mbox Extreme rental product. Mbox Media Lock The Mbox Media Lock application provides a way to lock (copy protect) custom content on the Mbox server. Media Lock will work on .mov, .obj, .ai, and .svg files. CAUTION! Before going any further, please note that you should never lock your original copy of any content.
CAUTION! There is no undo function! Once content is locked, it cannot be unlocked. Step 4. Once a unique username and password has been entered, click Add button. Step 5. To remove a username, click the up/down arrows until your username appears in the field and click Remove button. (Once again, do not remove any usernames other than your own!) Step 6. Once your username has been entered, you can begin to lock your content.
Mbox File Converter In some cases, Mbox may not be able to play custom QuickTime movie content. In this case, as long as the "No Diagnostics" option is not checked in the Setup tab (see "Setup: Options" on page 56), Mbox will display the broken movie image (shown at right). This image indicates that there is a problem with the movie file. If the broken movie image appears or if poor playback is experienced, first confirm that the movie uses one of the Mbox preferred codecs.
+ Use PMA: This setting is only used when converting Animation movies. If left unchecked, the application will not pre-multiply each pixel’s color values by its alpha value. If checked, each pixel’s color will be pre-multiplied by its alpha value. + Delete Gamma: This setting will cause the Gamma information saved with the file to be removed. In many cases, this will result in a movie that does not have the same colors as the original, and should therefore be used with caution. + Copy Audio.
Notes 170 MBOX® MEDIA SERVER USER MANUAL
A. MBOX REMOTE APPLICATION This appendix provides operating instructions for the Mbox Remote application.
GENERAL OPERATION About Mbox Remote The Mbox Remote application is used for remote monitoring and management of the Mbox application. The Remote application is included with the Mbox software and can also be used on any Mac® computer (running Snow Leopard® OSX 10.6.7 or greater) to monitor/manage from a remote location. Mbox Daemon It is important to note that Mbox Daemon software is required on all servers to enable remote feedback to both Mbox Remote and to CITP/MSEX-enabled devices.
Starting Mbox Remote Before opening the Remote application, ensure that your computer is on a network with one or more Mbox servers. Ensure that each Mbox servers’ instance of Mbox Daemon, and optionally, Mbox applications, are running and that Mbox / Daemon CITP ports are set to the same Ethernet port that the Remote application is connected. When Mbox Remote starts, it will either resume with its previous state or start with a blank configuration.
Step 2. At Remote Preferences window, double-click on any available Mbox servers in the list. They will be added to the main window. Step 3. When at least two servers have been added, click red X button to close Preferences window. Servers will be displayed in the Servers column of the Remote main window. Servers that can now be managed Note: No matter which tab is selected in the window (Status or Content), the Servers area on the left will always display the list of managed servers.
Setting Mbox Remote Preferences Open the Mbox Remote Preferences window at any time by clicking the Edit Servers button on the main window or pressing [ ,] on the keyboard. Monitor HUD + Enable - The Monitor HUD can be toggled on and off by clicking the Enable checkbox in the Preferences window or by pressing [ M] on the keyboard. It will show a floating window of the Breakout View that is currently selected (designated by a surrounding white box) in the main window.
Server Status The Status tab of the Remote window shows, by default, the server’s master output and individual layer streams. Setup The window provides options for how the icons are displayed. Click the size icons and/or use the View dropdown menu to customize. Icon Size Options Status Tab Display Options Server status can be setup by dragging components into the status area.
More-detailed layer information can be viewed by dragging a layer icon to the bottom of the status area.
Indicators The Mbox Remote window has several indicators that provide system information. Server Name and IP Server Status Indicator Layer Opacity Playback Position Timecode Server status - The color-coded dot in the Servers column indicates the running status of the server: + Green – Server connection good, Mbox running in Fullscreen mode. + Green/Yellow Flashing – Server connection good, Mbox running in Window mode. + Yellow – Server connection good, Mbox not running. + Red – No server connection.
Flags "Flags" are another type of indicator that may appear to the right of a layer thumbnail during operation. The flags indicate various conditions, some that need to be resolved for proper playback. Flag indication types: 1) Movie Mode - Any movie that is a) not a preferred codec (see list on page 162) but is thread-safe, or b) that is playing audio will have this flag. Resolution: If not playing audio, re-encode move using preferred codec.
CONTENT MANAGEMENT Overview About Mbox Remote Content Management The Mbox Remote Content Management system allows quick and easy management of content between Mbox servers.
in the server list with a letter between a-z and a light colored background. For example, Master of Collection "a." is the icon for the + Member - The Member server acts as the "destination" for Content Management in a Collection; This means that the Member will be synchronized to mirror the state of the Master in the Collection. Members are denoted in the server list with a letter between a-z and a dark colored background. For example, is the icon for a Member on Collection "a.
Managing Content In order to manage content, servers must first be added to Mbox Remote. Refer to "Adding Servers" on page 173 for instructions. Configuring Network Bandwidth There are two properties that control the available network bandwidth which the Content Management system will utilize to transfer content. To configure the bandwidth, open the Mbox Remote Preferences window by clicking the Edit Servers button on the main window or pressing [ ,] on the keyboard.
Configuring Server Master/Member Roles In order to start using Content Management, a Master server must be assigned for a given Collection. By default, all Mbox servers are in the same collection (a). IMPORTANT! The Servers area on the left will always display the list of managed servers. After the Collection has been configured, the Status/Content tabs and file detail/history columns at the right side of the window will reflect the content of whichever server is currently selected.
Selecting Content to Sync In order to synchronize files between Master and Member servers, folders must first be added to the managed folders list. To add a folder to the managed list: Step 1. Select Master server. Step 2. Do one of the following: a. At a content folder row (in the Content Tab), mouse-over the blank Sync column. The sync icon will highlight (and a tooltip will appear in the bottom-left corner of the window). Click on the sync icon to manage this folder. b.
Synchronizing Content After a folder has been added to the managed folders list (see previous page), content can then be synchronized. The window allows for synchronization of a single file, a single folder, or multiple folders. Step 1. To start synchronization from the Master to the Member servers, do one of the following: a. At a folder, click its white Sync icon to synchronize all files in that folder. b.
Note: A file’s new sync status will be reflected in the window approximately 10 seconds after it has been changed. Note: Files with extensions not recognized by Mbox will not be indexed. These will be placed at the bottom of the file list. File(s) not indexed Organizing Content Files Organization of a server's media files is completely under user control using the Mac Finder, rather than a large opaque database. Any changes to name, index number, or file extension can be done using the Mac Finder.
Sync History The History button, available at the top-right of the window, will display status information for all pending and past synchronization tasks. To view the History, first select a folder, then click the History button. Clear History or Refresh the information by clicking the applicable button. History Information History Button Note: On the Master and Member servers, there is a status area within Mbox Daemon that displays the status of the current and past file transfers.
Content Management Archive Each server can be configured to use a specific percentage of the free disk drive space to store archived content files as result of deletions or replacements during synchronization. Archives will be stored in the /Mbox/archive// / where the file name will be a time/date stamped version of the archived file. When the archive runs out of space, the oldest files (by date) are deleted from the archive until there is enough space available.
File Conflicts During synchronization, file conflicts can occur as a result of the following: + Two files in the same folder with the same Index number. + Two folders with the same Index number having files with repeated Index numbers. Other issues can be caused by: + Folder permissions. + Insufficient disk space.
Monitor and Manage Modes Mbox Remote includes two modes for managing and monitoring the Content Management system. + Manage - allows the Mbox Remote application to perform Content Management actions. (Only one instance of Mbox Remote on the network can be set to this mode.) + Monitor - allows the Mbox Remote application to monitor Content Management operations. (Any number of Mbox Remote instances on the network can be set to this mode.) Mbox Remote automatically assumes the Manage role.
SETTING SERVER PREFERENCES Setting Mbox Server Preferences Remotely If you select a server or layer on the Remote main window and then press [ P], the Mbox Server Preferences window will open. This window allows you to remotely set the preferences of the server: Art-Net Universe, Number of Layers, Alignment Rectangles. To edit a setting, click inside the box that surrounds the name of the setting. The preference will become active so that it can be edited.
Step 6. Use Line field to enter a lineweight for the rectangle. (The default lineweight is 1.) Step 7. Use Col (Color) pop-up to specify a color. Step 8. Specify a Screen and Group as required. Step 9. Press "Set" button to apply rectangle settings. If rectangles are not currently being displayed, all rectangles in the selected group will appear briefly to show the location of the new rectangle.
Timecode Window To toggle the Timecode window on and off, press [ T] on the keyboard. + Source – choose the appropriate source for timecode: Generator, Audio In Left, Audio In Right, or MTC (MIDI timecode). + Output – Local (internal routing only), or an active Ethernet port (for sending timecode over the network to Mbox servers). + Auto-Start – enabling this will cause timecode be active as soon as the Remote application launches.
PROJECTION MAPPING Projection Mapping is an advanced Mbox feature. If you are unsure about its operation, contact PRG support for assistance. Overview The Mbox Remote application can used to configure output settings for simple keystone, warp, and multihead output. Beyond those settings, projection surfaces (Topography files) and more complex projection mapping settings can be created, applied, and adjusted for use with Mbox Designer and Mbox Studio only.
Step 3. Press [ P] to open the Mbox Server Preferences window and scroll down to the settings called "Output 1 Identity" and "Output 2 Identity." (You may have to click off then back on the server in the browser window to refresh the Server Preferences window.) Step 4. By default the Output Identity preferences will both be set to a value of "0". Do one of the following: a.
Step 6. Press [ E] to open the Projection Editor window. At the top of the Projection Editor window, you will see the name of the selected server and the two Identity values in parentheses - e.g. "Mbox123 (1,2)". On the left side of the Editor window you will see a column listing the two Output Identities belonging to the selected server. To edit the settings for an output, select the appropriate Identity in this column.
Basic Mode Setup of Output and Keystone/Warp In Basic Mode, the first step to configuring the output is to select the number of outputs that each physical video output on the Mbox server computer is using. Depending on the computer used, each Mbox server can have up to two (2) physical video outputs. Through the use of multi-head adapters, each of these video outputs can be split into up to three (3) outputs. (For this purpose, use a dual/triple head adapter product such as Matrox TripleHead2GO.
Step 4. On the Output Setup tab, you will now see a pop-up labeled "Output 1 of 2" that allows the selection of each output for editing. Below this pop-up is a label stating the actual output size of this output. In a Dual Output setup, this will be ½ of Mbox's FullScreen Mode resolution. Below this you will see two tabs labeled "Texture" and "Keystone/Warp." The Texture tab will be set correctly for you, but may be edited as required to adjust image position and scale.
Note: Reducing the Sample width or height will result in the image becoming larger on the corresponding axis. This is because less of the texture is being displayed, but since the Context has not changed size, fewer pixels will be stretched across the same area. When a positive overlap is entered during output configuration, the outputs will be offset along the X-axis to create the necessary overlap. The Vignette settings are used to apply a vignette (i.e. edge-blend) to each output.
that area of the keystone surface. Keystone mode allows you to adjust the four corners by changing the position of the four corner points and to adjust the linearity of the entire image by changing the position of the center point. The smaller points will reposition themselves to remain on a straight line between adjacent corner points. You cannot edit these intermediate points. Click inside the rectangle that contains the area you want to adjust.
Multihead Setup First, connect the multihead adapter to the computer and confirm that the computer sees the adapter and that you are able to output the desired resolution from the desktop. If the desktop can't run at the desired resolution, then Mbox can't either. (Some devices may need additional software to tell the computer what to do or to reprogram the EDID in the device.) Next, determine the resolution that needs to be sent to the multihead adapter.
At this point, the settings can be adjusted to affect the overlap between the two halves, the blend, the aspect ratio, and the orientation. A keystone or warp may be added as described in the previous section (refer to page 199). To reset the settings, you can either press the Configure button again and enter some other multihead and overlap settings, or return to the Options pop-up and select Clear Output Settings.
Advanced Mode (Mbox Designer/Studio Only) Advanced Projection Setup The Advanced Projection mode is enabled by checking the checkbox in the Mbox Remote Preferences window. (Open the Remote Preferences window by clicking the Edit Servers button on the main window or pressing [ ,] on the keyboard.) Projection > Output Setup In Advanced Projection mode, the Output Setup tab is the same except for the addition of a field for entering a model (i.e. object) file for use as the keystone rendering surface.
CAUTION! Models created by external 3D modelling applications may not be appropriate for use as shutters or as keystone rendering surfaces. Great care must be taken in UV mapping such objects when they are created. This functionality is best matched with the simpler Topography (topo) objects created by the Mbox system. If you are using model files on individual playback layers within Mbox as a tool for projection mapping, it is not recommended that you also try to use a keystone model.
Camera Control Descriptions: + Orthogonal checkbox: disables perspective rendering and forces camera position to center. Used for flattening view, affects aspect and texture mapping on 3D objects. + Bearing: camera's horizontal angular offset from the Z axis. + Distance: camera's horizontal distance from the origin. + Eye Position: camera location. - X: camera's distance from the origin along the X axis. - Y: camera's distance from the origin along the Y axis.
The initial step in using topo file is to create the base object. With the Topography > Geometry or Topography > Texture tabs selected, select New Topography… from the Options pop-up. In the window that appears, there are five settings to configure for the new topo file. + Folder.File: 8-bit index number for the topo object file that you are creating. This must be a unique index that does not currently exist.
Topography > Geometry The Geometry tab allows you to define the position, rotation, size, and curvature of the selected topo file. + Origin pop-up: anchor point for the topo object's position coordinates. + Vertical checkbox: rotates the topo object 90° around its X axis as drawn through the origin point. + Position: object's home position in 3D space. + Size: object's size. W refers to width, D refers to depth, T refers to thickness.
Topography > ModelInfo > Properties ModelInfo settings for a topo file are used to define core functions of how the topo object reacts to layer scaling and positioning, UV mapping, external Art-Net control (e.g. for remote control of positioning), and keystone/warp. The Properties tab has four settings. + Fixed Position checkbox: causes the object's position and scale to be disconnected from Art-Net control.
To add a control, click on the "+" button. To remove the currently selected control, click on the "-" button. If more than one control exists, use the up/down arrows or Control pop-up to toggle between the controls. Next, use the Source pop-up to select the type of control data being received - Constant, DMX (Art-Net), or SADI. + Constant - offset values set on the Controls tab will affect the parameter, but there is no external control.
+ Counts -number of steps of incoming data that equal the Travel setting's value. For Example: Using an unsigned 8-bit (u8) parameter with a range of 0-255, if you want your topo object to move 2 meters across the range of 0255, you would enter a Travel of 2.0, and Counts of 255. + Vector (X/Y/Z) - direction of travel described as a directional vector -1.0 - 1.0. X is left<->right, Y is up<->down, Z is towards<->away.
Vignette The Vignette tab provides the controls to create custom rectilinear edge masking that can be used on any object. Refer to "Projection > Output Setup" on page 203 for more information on the adjustment of vignette settings. Vignettes created here can use any arbitrary size. The blend amount is reconfigured automatically when the size is changed. Therefore on screen, there is little or no visual difference between a size of 100 x 100 with an amount of 5.0 and a size of 1 x 1 with a size of 0.05.
+ Z axis is away from<->towards from the viewer, away from is negative and towards is positive 3D Modeling Application (Blender) Mbox Most 3D modeling applications swap the Y and Z axes when compared to Mbox. The Y axis now being the towards<>away and the Z axis being up<->down. When exporting obj files from your modeling application for use in Mbox, make sure to swap the appropriate axes to ensure the model appears with the correct orientation within the Mbox 3D environment.
B. MAINTENANCE This appendix contains procedures for extended care of the Mbox Extreme server.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE Cleaning or Replacing the Air Filter The air filters, located at front of the computer, should be cleaned or replaced as needed. To clean/remove air filter: Step 1. Disconnect power from case. Step 2. At front of rack, remove six screws to release grill. Step 3. Remove grill and air filter. Step 4. Clean filter with compressed air (or water, if allowed to fully dry). Step 5. Re-install.
Removing the Computer The Mac Pro® computer can be removed from the case to be cleaned or replaced. To remove computer: Step 1. At rear of rack, disconnect all cables from computer. Step 2. At front of rack, remove grill and air filter. Refer back to Figure B-1 on page 214. Step 3. Carefully slide computer out of case (Figure B-2). Step 4. Remove side brackets from computer.
Notes 216 MBOX® MEDIA SERVER USER MANUAL
C. PARAMETER MAPPING This Appendix contains tables for the combined parameter map, as well as, additional controls such as playmodes, tiling, shutter shapes, aspect control, blending control, texture effect, transitions, and built-in shapes.
Parameter Mapping Charts One Mbox server running v3.6 software or greater is made up of between 14 and 22 fixtures depending on the operating mode. For ease of use, some consoles may split the Layer fixture into two separate fixtures. Previous operating modes have significant differences in the arrangement of parameters. In all cases, a show programmed to run in one particular operating mode will not be compatible with a server running another mode.
Summary: Single Output Start Size Type 1 5 9 13 17 21 53 73 95 157 219 281 343 405 4 4 4 4 4 32 20 22 62 62 62 62 62 62 Ambient Light Spot Light 1 Spot Light 2 Spot Light 3 Spot Light 4 Camera Control Shutter Control Keystone Control Layer 1 Layer 2 Layer 3 Layer 4 Layer 5 Layer 6 1 63 125 187 249 311 62 62 62 62 62 62 Layer 7 Layer 8 Layer 9 Layer 10 Layer 11 Layer 12 Universe 1st 466 Total Channels 2nd 372 Total Channels Summary: Dual Output - Panoramic Wide Start Size Type 1 5 9 13 17 21 5
Summary: Dual Output - Independent (Universe Offset +0) Summary: Dual Output - Independent (Universe Offset +1) Start Size Type Start Size Type 1 5 9 13 17 21 53 73 95 157 219 281 343 405 4 4 4 4 4 32 20 22 62 62 62 62 62 62 Ambient Light Spot Light 1 Spot Light 2 Spot Light 3 Spot Light 4 Camera Control Shutter Control Keystone Control Layer 1 Layer 2 Layer 3 Layer 4 Layer 5 Layer 6 1 5 9 13 17 21 53 73 95 157 219 281 343 405 4 4 4 4 4 32 20 22 62 62 62 62 62 62 Ambient Light Spot Light 1 Spot
Mbox Parameter Descriptions (Continued) Mbox Parameter Descriptions Fixture Parameter Intensity Ambient Light Red Green Blue Intensity Spot Light 1 Red Green Blue Intensity Spot Light 2 Red Green Blue Intensity Spot Light 3 Red Green Blue Intensity Spot Light 4 Red Green Blue Fixture Description The ambient light washes 3D objects evenly from all sides, no shadows Red subtractive Green subtractive Blue subtractive Spot 1 washes 3D objects from top right, casting shadows Red subtractive Green su
Mbox Parameter Descriptions (Continued) Fixture Parameter Shape Shutter X Shutter Y Red Green Blue Shutter Scale Shutter Edge Shutter 1A Shutter Shutter 1B Shutter 2A Shutter 2B Shutter 3A Shutter 3B Shutter 4A Shutter 4B Shutter Rotation Description Mbox Parameter Descriptions (Continued) Fixture Selects the shape of the shutters from four modes Moves the shutters left and right Moves the shutters up and down Red additive Green additive Blue additive Curve Keystone X Keystone Y Tile Mode Tile Overla
Mbox Parameter Descriptions (Continued) Fixture Parameter Texture Effect 1 Modifier 1A Modifier 1B Texture Effect 2 Modifier 2A Modifier 2B Opacity Red Green Blue Texture Folder Layer Description Mbox Parameter Descriptions (Continued) Fixture 2D effect applied to the layer Parameter Z Spin First modifier Second modifier X Rotation 2D effect applied to the layer First modifier Second modifier Transparency of the layer Red subtractive Green subtractive Blue subtractive Selects numbered content fold
Camera Control Ambient and Spot Lights Chan Size Function Default Snap 1 2 3 4 1 1 1 1 Intensity Red Green Blue 0 255 255 255 N N N N Pro Lighting The pro lighting fixtures are optional and should only be patched when the Pro Lighting feature has been configured. (Refer to "Pro Lighting Fixtures" on page 35.) One fixture should be patched per fixture count in the configuration, using the specified universe and start addresses.
* Special commands require that the value be held for three seconds, followed by an immediate change to 0 (without any other values in between). ** When the control channel stays at this value for three seconds, the Camera Fog and Blur controls are mapped to Blend and Overlap respectively. These controls are used to make changes to the blend for use with the Wide Panoramic mode.
Tiling Positions are in row major order (rows are filled in order).
Layer (Continued) Chan Size 51 52 1 1 53 1 54 55 56 1 1 1 57 1 58 59 1 1 60 1 61 62 1 1 Function Anim Control 1 Anim Control 2 Object XFade Type (see Object Transitions) Object XFade Timing Object XFade Angle Draw Mode Effect 3 (see Effects) Effect Control 3a Effect Control 3b Effect 4 (see Effects) Effect Control 4a Effect Control 4b Default Snap Play Mode 0 0 N N Values 0 Y 0 127 0 Y N Y 10 11 0 Y 12 0 0 N N 20 21 0 Y 22 0 0 N N 30 31 0 1 2 32 Sync Stream Values M
Video Input and Utility Draw Mode Texture Library 255 is reserved for special uses such as selecting live video inputs and the Layer Copy function.
Effects (Refer to notes at end of Effects table.
Effects (Continued) (Refer to notes at end of Effects table.
Effects (Continued) (Refer to notes at end of Effects table.
Effects (Continued) (Refer to notes at end of Effects table.
Transitions ID Transition Description 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Dissolve Dissolve2 Wipe Right Wipe Left Wipe Down Wipe Up Wipe Diagonal Wash Right Wash Left Wash Down Wash Up Wash Diagonal White Right White Left White Down White Up White Diagonal Through Black Through White Through Red Bright First Dark First Dots Big Dots Burst Flash Slow Dissolve Slower Dissolve Rotate Left Rotate Right Rotate Down
Transitions (Continued) ID 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 101-110 111-120 255 * Transition Description Split Right Split L/R Center Split Down Split Up Split U/D Center Split XY Bar Swipe Right Bar Swipe Left Bar Swipe Up Bar Swipe Down Page Curl 1 * Page Curl 2 * Custom Hard Wipe 1-10 ** Custom Soft Wipe 1-10 ** Object Fade old image splits and slides to the right old image splits and slides left and right from the center old image splits and slides down old image splits and slides up old image sp
Mbox® Media Server User Manual Version as of: May 9, 2014 PRG part number: 02.9800.0001.
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