Commands to another instance of QLC+

[ralbrightii]

Is it possible to send commands from one computer running QLC+ to another computer running QLC+ over a network? My use case would be, I am running QLC+ for the sound/lighting table at the back of our theatre, but I want to put a simple small touchscreen on the stage in one of the wings, so that my stage manager can activate DMX lighting (attached to the main computer) to bring up some low lights to light the stage for set re-doing.

Example: I do a programmed black out, the curtain is drawn. The stage manager can hit a button in the VC on the touchscreen to activate 2-3 lights on stage at low intensity to reset the stage for the next scene. The lights would only be connecting to the main lighting computer though.

Is this possible?

[janosvitok]

http://www.qlcplus.org/docs/webinterface.html -- control QLC+ from a web browser anywhere on the network
http://www.qlcplus.org/docs/oscplugin.html -- control QLC+ from OSC application (e.g. TouchOSC on a tablet)

Web interface is more similar to regular QLC+

Alternatively, you may configure remote QLC+ to send artnet from VC widgets to local QLC+ and configure widgets in local QLC+ to listen to remote artnet (External Input).

[ralbrightii]

http://www.qlcplus.org/docs/webinterface.html -- control QLC+ from a web browser anywhere on the network
Web interface is more similar to regular QLC+

If i cannot get ArtNet working, this is what I will be using.

Alternatively, you may configure remote QLC+ to send artnet from VC widgets to local QLC+ and configure widgets in local QLC+ to listen to remote artnet (External Input).

Okay, now this is quite interesting. I realize that this has been present for sometime, but didn't understand it, so ignored it.

I THINK I have ArtNet setup correctly in 2 separate computers on the same network. Each computer can see both nodes of the ARTNet universe. So that is good. However getting a button that is pressed on computer #1, to light up on computer #2, is not working. And I assume it is a simple configuration issue. (I have attached my test file below.). I am not sure how to map the external control.
What I have is Universe 4 is selected with Input and Output of ArtNet 1:192.168.2.47. I have a simple fixture loaded and a simple scene attached to that fixture. In the VC, I have a single button, with external control set as follows:
Input Universe: 4: Artnet
Input Channel: 1: ? <== This input channel was typed in manually under the "choose" button. I have no idea how to assign a manual channel to an input Channel.

So I load this exact file on both computers (one Mac OS X, the other windows 10), on both computers they can see the nodes for the other computer and themselves. So they are communicated (I think?)

But when I click on the button on computer #1, I expect to find the button on computer #2 to be selected, but that is not the case. I am missing something on this, and it is likely really simple. But the concept is alluding me. I checked the online docs in regards to ArtNet, Select Input Channel, and VC Button. But I am still lost.

-----

The whole reason behind doing this, last year the stage manager would turn on some older non-DMX lights so they could see the stage, and about 50% of the time forget to turn them off. This would destroy some of the lighting effects on the stage. This is an attempt to fix that problem from last year.

[ralbrightii]

Looking over my input/output I notice the following information:

ArtNet
This plugin provides DMX output for devices supporting the ArtNet communication protocol.

Input 1: 192.168.2.47
Status: Open
Packets received: 816696

Output 1: 192.168.2.47
Status: Open
Can receive nodes information: Yes
Nodes discovered: 3
Packets sent: 409950

SO it would appear that I am seeing and transmitting ArtNet information between the computers, however I do not understand how to make a VC button change. (click the button on computer #1, have a button light up on computer #2)

[janosvitok]

I still think web interface is much simpler to setup, nevertheless:

First, you can't use the same file for both computers, their function is different, so must be the the configuration.
Disclaimer: I didn't try all this, so I may be wrong.

You need two artnet universes: 1. for external input from remote computer to local, 2. for feedback to remote computer.
Map artnet 1 to Universe 1 on remote computer (output), map artnet 2 to Universe 2 on remote computer (input)(*);
Map artnet 1 to Universe 1 on local computer (input) and map artnet 2 to Universe 1 (!!! not 2) (feedback)(*).
Do not map any of your lights on the remote computer.

Obviously, you may use different numbers, but the scheme must be the same.

Create Input profile type DMX, and add buttons and sliders as needed.
Assign this profile to Universe 2 on remote computer and Universe 1 on local computer.

For each remote-control button you need:
(remote computer)
- create dimmer channel in universe 1
- create scene with this channel at full (255)
- create button that triggers this scene (the button may be a flash button)
- set external control to respective channel in Universe 2 (*)
(local computer)
- create button for whatever you need
- assign external control to respective channel of Universe 1

I'm not sure whether it will create loop or not, but with a little luck it may work.

If you know XML, and need a lot of buttons, you may get some speed if you create all the buttons in QLC+, and assign external control to just one button.
Then open the file in a text editor, and copy & adjust the data for all other channels. Make sure you make a lot of backups.

If I didn't told you, the web interface is much easier

Notes: I did try to create the setup on one computer. I didn't succeed yet.
I noticed that artnet can't be used to send feedback (I think this should be changed). You have to send feedback to loopback plugin (e.g. loopback 1),
and on another universe, assign input to loopback 1 and output artnet 2, and select Passthrough.
Unfortunately, most probably even that will not work (perhaps that should be changed as well...)

You know, I said web interface

If you don't need feedback (i.e. remote button lights up when local one is pressed), then things get much easier (skip steps marked *).

But still, you may consider web interface...

[ralbrightii]

Okay, WOW!! That is rather complicated to setup. I may end up taking your advise and just go with the web interface. Downside is there are some things that are not functional in the web interface (Timer being one of them, which i keep on the main screen to show the current time of the show. The other being knobs show up as sliders,)

Although I guess I could make this work by also having 2 way communication to the stage hands, in the form of buttons that we light up on either side. (Ready light) (Curtain light) And then the few functions that they would actually utilize such as (stage reset).

Oh well, perhaps if someone else gets a fire underneath them, they can figure out the ArtNet between 2 instances of QLC+ and document it well enough for others to follow. (I was quite a bit loss as to what you were saying, but I think that my issue is assigning manual external input to buttons not working. Because I can see that traffic is flowing back and forth between the interfaces on both computers....