Tutorial Avolites Titan Art-Net and CITP
- How to network an MXWendler mediaserver with an Avolites Titan lighting console.
- March 2016, with MXWendler version 5 and Avolites Titan version 9.
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Pre-requisites:
Standard Art-Net control:
- simply use the Avolites personality MXWendler_MXWendler v5.d4
- If it is not already present on your console then you can load it as a user personality
- (on consoles in the folder D:\Personalities).
- The file CitpFixtureMapping.xml is not required in this case.
Full CITP functionality (auto-patch, thumbnails):
- personality and CitpFixtureMapping.xml must reside in the real personality library
- (usually this folder hidden/system, at D:\TitanData\Personalities).
- Both files should be included there with a recent library update.
- However, when copied there manually, a console software restart is required.
In both cases, MXWendler requires the CITP section activated and set correctly.
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Setup MXWendler
Switch on your MXWendler computer, set it to a suitable IP address
- (usually Art-Net works well with an address like 2.x.x.x or 10.x.x.x)
Start MXWendler.
1. DMX mapping
Open the Settings menu and select the first item:
- Menu → Settings → Input/Output → DMX/MIDI/Keyboard events
- (Or simply press Ctrl-1.)
On this tab you can map the required actions to Art-Net channels.
- Instead of mapping all channels manually, just load the prepared DMX mapping:
- bottom-left click on Load and navigate to
- C:\Program Files\MXWendlerStageDESIGNER50\DMX\Personalities\grandMA\FixtureLayerWith31Channels\MXWendlerDMXMappings.
- Load the file MXW_08_Layers.dmxmappings.
{{#mpdftags: pagebreak}} 2. Art-Net settings
In the same settings menu toggle to the next tab:
- Menu → Settings → Input/Output → DMX/Art-Net.
In the Section Art-Net:
- Check the box open Art-Net
- Select the correct network interface
- Uncheck the box Local.
- Set subnet to 0
- Set DMX start channel to 1
- Set Number of Universes to 1
- Click on Connect and confirm the prompt.
- Set Art-Net shortname to MXWendler
- Set Art-Net longname to MXWendler Mediaserver.
{{#mpdftags: pagebreak}} 3. CITP settings
In the section CITP:
- check activate CITP and Fixture Mode
- set CITP Media Path to a suitable path with the clips you want to use
- CITP Name must be MXWendler Mediaserver
- Set number of layers to 8
- Set DMX channels per layer to 31
The CITP settings are mandatory even if you do not want to use CITP on your lighting console.
- Confirm/close the settings window with OK, and restart MXWendler to activate the settings.
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Setup your Avolites Console
1. Basic setup
- Switch-on your Avolites console. Make sure it is set to a suitable IP address in the same range as the Mediaserver.
- It is a good idea to check the network connection at first, i.e. by pinging both devices from each other.
- If they do not ‘see’ each other then any Art-Net attempts will fail. Debugging a faulty network connection
- is not covered in this document. It might however include: re-check network settings (IP address subnet mask),
- check the cable, check switches/hubs if there are any, make sure firewalls are off, make sure both computers
- are correctly identified…
2. Art-Net setup
- From the System/Setup menu (hit <Avo> and <Disk>), select DMX Settings.
- Left, in the Art-Net section, you should be able to see entries like this:
- MXWendler(IP address): Universe x
- Click on the entry with Universe 1, then, on the right-hand side,
- click on Line 1, to route the signal from internal line 1 to Art-Net universe 1.
- Next, check the Art-Net settings are correct:
- left, at the Art-Net line, click on the little I
- (in newer versions a symbol like this:File:Avo 04.PNG)
- and make sure the settings are correct:
- Enable DMX Output = Enabled
- Always Broadcast ArtNet = Enabled
- Network Adapter = the network adapter which you have configured
- Exit the System/Settings menu.
- You are now ready to patch and control MXWendler manually: <Patch>, <Fixtures>,
- select manufacturer MXWendler,
- select fixture MXWendler v5,
- select mode Standard…
- (if you want to use thumbnails then do not patch manually, but proceed straight to the next section.)
{{#mpdftags: pagebreak}} 3. CITP setup
- Restart MXWendler again. This is required to refresh/activate the CITP data exchange.
- On the Avo console, press <Patch> and select Active Fixtures.
- MXWendler should be shown in the list of available active fixtures:
- Click on this button. Usually the software sends the correct addressing automatically
- (you can leave the next item on Use Fixtures Dmx Address.)
- Simply click on an empty fixture button. 8 layers will automatically be patched:
- In order to see thumbnails of your media select a mediaserver layer,
- open the Attribute Editor (e.g. with <Open>-<Options>), and go to the Gobo bank:
