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Changes for page Pharos Configuration

Last modified by Alexander Mott on 2024/02/26 15:10
From version 1.34
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/05 20:29
Change comment: (Autosaved)
To version 5.1
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/05/09 21:21
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

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8 8  
9 9  = Pharos Project =
10 10  
11 +== Creating a New Pharos Project for ShowRunner™ ==
12 +
11 11  Pharos projects are created using the free Pharos Designer 2 software from Pharos Controls. When creating a project for use with ShowRunner™, ensure that API version 5.0 is selected for the project. Individual loads control from ShowRunner™ is achieved with group-level commands using the Pharos Controller API, so each Fixture Group defined in the Pharos Project should correspond to a single load in ShowRunner™. In addition to group-level commands, ShowRunner™ also supports mapping ShowRunner™ Scenes to Pharos Timelines.
12 12  
13 13  When creating a Pharos project for a ShowRunner™ installation, there are several things to consider:
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14 14  
15 15  * Individual loads defined in ShowRunner™ send commands to individual Fixture Groups in Pharos
16 16  * Scenes in ShowRunner™ can be mapped in order to trigger Timelines in Pharos
17 -* The Pharos API limits group-level commands to intensity, intensity/RGB, and intensity/CCT(% class="row" %)
18 -(((
19 -(% class="col-xs-8" %)
20 -(((
21 -(% class="table-condensed" %)
22 -|(% style="width:244px" %)**ShowRunner™ Load Type**|(% style="width:244px" %)**Pharos API Command**
23 -|(% style="width:244px" %)Single-Channel|(% style="width:244px" %)Intensity
24 -|(% style="width:244px" %)RGB|(% style="width:244px" %)Intensity/RGB
25 -|(% style="width:244px" %)Dynamic White|(% style="width:244px" %)Intensity/CCT
26 -)))
27 -)))
28 -* The Pharos controller does any necessary processing to adapt these commands for the fixtures
29 -** For example, if Pharos receives an RGB command for a group containing RGB, HSI, and HSIC fixtures, it will do its best to make sure that the output color is consistent across all the different fixture types
30 -** Certain manufacturer-specific fixture Profiles exist in order to help the Pharos controller achieve a consistent output across multiple different fixture types
31 -* If it is desired to control the white channel separately from the RGB channels of an RGBW fixture, then it must be defined in the Pharos project as two separate RGB and W fixtures that are in different groups
19 +* The Pharos API limits group-level commands to intensity, intensity/RGB, and intensity/CCT
20 +** Other fixture profiles are still supported: the Pharos controller will do any necessary processing to adapt the commands to the fixtures
21 +*** For example, if Pharos receives an RGB command for a group containing RGB, HSI, and HSIC fixtures, it will mix the DMX channels to achieve a consistent color output across all the different fixture types
22 +*** Certain manufacturer-specific fixture Profiles exist in order to help the Pharos controller achieve a consistent output across multiple different fixture types
23 +* To control the RGB and white channels of an RGBW fixture separately in ShowRunner™, it is necessary to define separate RGB and White fixtures in the Pharos project 
24 +** Add both a generic RGB fixture and a generic White fixture to the layout
25 +** Assign each fixture to a different group
26 +** Patch the RGB fixture
27 +** Patch the White fixture immediately following the RGB fixture (e.g., if the RGB is at address 1, patch the White fixture to address 4)
32 32  * Individual Fixtures can belong to multiple Fixture Groups, allowing ShowRunner™ to send different types of command (e.g. RGB vs CCT) to the same fixture 
33 33  ** Useful for certain situations, such as HSIC fixtures that need to be controlled as color-changing (RGB) in some situations but dynamic white (intensity/CCT) in others
34 34  ** In this scenario, one group would be defined in ShowRunner™ as an RGB load and one group would be defined as a Dynamic White load
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72 72  1*. Fixtures can be unpatched by right clicking them in the universe
73 73  1. If desired, navigate to the "Timeline" page and create timelines
74 74  
71 +== Editing an Existing Pharos Project ==
72 +
73 +If modifications need to be made to a Pharos Project that is already working with ShowRunner™, there are some things that should be taken into consideration in order to avoid breaking the existing programming:
74 +
75 +* ShowRunner™ does not pay attention to how Pharos DMX fixtures are addressed, only how they are grouped
76 +** ShowRunner™ provides direct control of Pharos fixture groups by their group ID. Avoid changing Pharos fixture groups or group numbers unless you are aware of how they are mapped in ShowRunner™
77 +** Adding newly patched/addressed fixtures to existing groups that are mapped in ShowRunner™ will allow those fixtures to be controlled without adding them to the ShowRunner™ configuration
78 +** Removing fixtures from existing groups that are mapped in ShowRunner™ will prevent those fixtures from being controlled unless they are also in another group that is mapped to a ShowRunner™ load
79 +** Renumbering a group that is mapped to a load in ShowRunner™ will prevent ShowRunner™ from controlling that group, unless the new number is also mapped in ShowRunner™
80 +** If a new group is created that has the same group ID as a group that is already mapped in ShowRunner™, then ShowRunner™ will control that new group using the old load unless the ShowRunner™ configuration is updated
81 +* ShowRunner™ maps Scenes to Pharos Timelines by their timeline ID
82 +** Avoid changing Pharos timeline IDs unless you are aware of how they are mapped in ShowRunner™
83 +** If a new Timeline is added that replaces the ID of an old Timeline, then the scene mapping in ShowRunner™ needs to be updated to prevent the old ShowRunner™ Scene from triggering the new Timeline
84 +** If an existing Timeline is deleted, it should be unmapped in ShowRunner™ to prevent errors when the mapped ShowRunner™ Scene is recalled
85 +
75 75  = Device Configuration =
76 76  
77 77  ShowRunner™ must be able to communicate with the Pharos controller via Ethernet in order for control to work. Pharos controllers ship in DHCP mode by default, but they will sometimes fail to get an address if the controller is powered up before the DHCP server is running. If this happens, or if there is no DHCP server on the network, then it is necessary to configure the controller via USB:
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109 109  
110 110  = ShowRunner™ Configuration =
111 111  
112 -In order to control DMX fixtures on a Pharos controller with ShowRunner™, it is necessary to make sure that the ShowRunner™ configuration has the correct settings for the Pharos controller. Under the "LightingControllers" section of the ShowRunner™ configuration, locate the entry for the Pharos controller. Under the prop
123 +ShowRunner™ is able to control fixtures in Pharos by sending group-level commands directly to Fixture Groups that are defined in the Pharos project, triggering Timelines that are defined in the Pharos project, or both. Note that ShowRunner™ does not receive feedback from the Pharos controller, so fixture feedback as shown in the ShowRunner™ UI is only accurate if ShowRunner™ sent group-level commands. Changes to fixture levels caused by a Timeline are not reflected in the ShowRunner™ UI. A video tutorial of setting up Pharos loads and configuring Scene Tracking is [[available on our YouTube channel>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y63C_vnATec&list=PLhxgcngAeiD_pCRxFDwX5eg0O56OjNdHf]].
113 113  
114 -
125 +In order to control DMX fixtures on a Pharos controller with ShowRunner™, it is necessary to make sure that the ShowRunner™ configuration has the correct settings for the Pharos controller. Under the "LightingControllers" section of the ShowRunner™ configuration, locate the entry for the Pharos controller. Under the "Properties" section, verify that the "IpAddressOrHostname" matches the IP address or hostname of the Pharos controller. The "ApiPort" only needs to be changed if the HTTP port for the Pharos controller's web server has been changed from the default 80. Once the Properties for all Pharos controllers have been updated, load the configuration to the processor.
126 +
127 +Control Pharos groups with ShowRunner™, it is necessary to define them as loads in the ShowRunner™ configuration. To do this using the XPanel UI, navigate to the Settings > Load Configuration page and then select the Pharos controller from the list of controllers on the left. Once the controller is selected, press the "Configure Loads" button:
128 +
129 +* Currently defined loads are shown in the list on the left
130 +** The "Group: #" of the load must match the group number as defined in the Pharos project
131 +** It is not possible to change the group of an existing load from the XPanel UI. Instead, either save the config and edit the "LoadBaseIndex" property of the load, or delete the load and create a new load at the correct group
132 +* Press "Add New Load" below the list of loads to create a new load
133 +** The "Load Index/Channel" must match the group number as defined in the Pharos project
134 +*** Since ShowRunner™ uses group-level commands and fixtures in a group aren't necessarily on the same DMX universe, the "Universe ID" is grayed out and cannot be modified
135 +*** It is not possible to assign multiple Pharos groups to the same load, and it is not possible to assign multiple loads to the same group
136 +**** To have a single load in ShowRunner™ control multiple Pharos groups, create a new group in the Pharos project that contains the other groups and then associate the ShowRunner™ load with the super-group
137 +**** To have multiple ShowRunner™ loads control the same set of fixtures, create multiple groups in the Pharos project and assign the same fixtures to all groups (this is useful e.g. to allow ShowRunner™ to control an HSIC fixture using either RGB or dynamic white without needing to change the Load Type)
138 +** The "Load Type" does not need to strictly match the fixture type as defined in the Pharos project, as the Pharos controller will do its own processing to mix the DMX output to achieve the desired color
139 +*** "Single Channel" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as intensity only 
140 +**** Fixture profiles with a dedicated channel for intensity (IRGB, HSI, HSIC, ICHS, etc.) will only adjust the intensity channel, leaving the color and color temperature unchanged
141 +**** Fixture profiles without a dedicated intensity channel (RGB, RGBA, RGBW, etc.) will set all channels to the same intensity value sent by ShowRunner™
142 +*** "Dynamic White" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as an intensity and a color temperature
143 +**** Fixture profiles with dedicated intensity and color temperature (HSIC, ICHS, I/CCT, etc.) will use the values sent by ShowRunner™
144 +**** Pharos will attempt to mix the DMX output for fixture profiles without dedicated intensity and color temperature channels (warm/cool, RGBW, etc.) in order to match the values sent by ShowRunner™
145 +*** "RGB" loads are interpreted by the Pharos as an intensity + specific red, green, and blue values
146 +**** Fixture profiles with a dedicated channel for intensity (IRGB, HSI, HSIC, etc.) will use the load level sent by ShowRunner™ for intensity and then mix the other channels to match the RGB values
147 +**** Fixture profiles without a dedicated intensity channel (RGB, RGBW, etc.) will mix the intensities for each color to attempt to match the color and overall intensity sent by ShowRunner™
148 +** If controlling the RGB and White channels of an RGBW fixture separately, then you must define an RGB type load associated with the RGB fixture group in Pharos and then a Single Channel type load associated with the White fixture group in Pharos
149 +** The Area Assignment dictates what area the load will be associated with
150 +
151 +ShowRunner™ is also capable of triggering Timelines in the Pharos project. This can be configured using the XPanel UI:
152 +
153 +1. Navigate to Settings > Load Hardware
154 +1. Select the Pharos controller from the list of load controllers on the left
155 +1. Press "Configure Scene Tracking"
156 +1. Tick the "Enable Scene Tracking" box to enable scene tracking
157 +1. Select an area whose scenes you want to trigger Timelines from the "Area to Track" list
158 +1*. Note that the area selected does not actually need any loads assigned to it
159 +1*. Pharos fixture groups do not need to be defined as loads in ShowRunner™ at all if scene tracking is being used to control fixtures
160 +1. With the area selected, press "Add New Map"
161 +1. Select the scene you want to trigger the Timeline from the list of scenes
162 +1. Enter the number of the Timeline as defined in the Pharos project in the "Timeline ID" field
163 +1. Press "Add" to add the scene map
164 +1. Press "Add New Map" to add more Timelines, or select another area to trigger Timelines with scene recalls on other areas
165 +
166 +Some things to consider if you are triggering Pharos Timelines with ShowRunner™:
167 +
168 +* If Scene Tracking is configured for a ShowRunner™ Area, the Pharos Timeline will be triggered regardless of whether any loads are assigned to the Area
169 +* Scene recalls are still executed even if Scene Tracking is enabled
170 +** Non-DMX loads in an area with Scene Tracking will still go to their predefined scene levels unless they are excluded from the scene
171 +** Pharos DMX loads will go to their predefined scene levels unless they are excluded from the scene, even if they are included in the Pharos Timeline being triggered
172 +* If Timelines are being used to control DMX fixtures, then the Fixture Groups do not actually need to be defined in ShowRunner™ unless direct control of the Fixture Groups is desired
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