qlcplus-tools v1.0 Release

[sandinak]

I am pleased to announce the first full release of https://github.com/sandinak/qlcplus-tools a python based repo for managing and extending QLC+ showfiles. Our use-case involves creating a show by assembling QLC Scenes into Collections which are then added to a Chase and cue'd for the show from there. I found we were spending an inordinate amount of time building the base-framework of Fixtures, FixtureGroups, Scenes, etc before even starting to write the show. These first tools are specifically to address those needs.

Right now there's 2 base tools but moar coming:

• expand_fixture_features.py - a tool that extrapolates common channel functionality for all fixtures in a QLC FxtureGroup and creates Scenes in hierarchy. This includes: Colors, Positions and any other channels that have defined capabilities. So for example if you have RGB and ColorWheel fixtures in a single group, it will automagically generate a 'Red' scene that handles both fixtures correctly! I want to extend this tooling to auto-magically handle some other QLC Functions .. perhaps even generating an entire base Showfile from configuration, ready for show design.
• sync_mitt.py - a tool that connects to an existing Mitti OSC server and expands the existing Mitti Cue's and functions into QLC Scripts that can be included in Collections as part of a cue point. ( see: https://imimot.com/mitti/ the tool ) This is Mitti specific, but could be generalized to any OSC server.

The QLC.py library i've written could be easily extended and improved to add other features. I know I will be pursuing auto-generation of Pixel based fixtures, Pixel based fixture groups, RGBMatrixes and eventually some neat location based auto-generation capability building on the work I've done in https://github.com/sandinak/dmx-followspot ( which is about to get some py3 love. )

If you like this or have ideas we can use, please comment here or post on the github. If you're a python programmer that wants to help .. even better!


Edit: Fix dmx-followspot link Jano <sandinak> thankx!

[dvthomas]

Hi sandinak

this sounds very greate, useful and 'time winning' system.
But for someone that is not closed to development world, that sounds hard to integrate python scripts.

Would it be possible to put a short "user friendly" documentation on the github repository, or maybe link with an already created documentation for newbies ?

Thanks a lot !

[sandinak]

Done! Here's the exerpt:

• Create a new show file with fixtures mapped to universes as usual
• Create FixtureGroups of lights you'd like to impact simultaneously, these can be of the same fixture type or different types
• Save the file
• Run the programs against the file. There is an --output option, however the programs are designed to be non-destructive and will only create things.
  • generate_fixtures.py will expand the fixture groups with scenes of common attributes ( color, base position, gobos.. etc)
  • sync_mitti.py will interrogate the mitti OSC server and create 'scripts' for each cue
• Read the file back into QLC+
• Profit!

[dvthomas]

Hello
that sounds easy now

I'll try it soon

thanks a lot