What's in a name? Keeping the Sequence Editor and Visualizer in Sync

[LOR Staff]

I've recently fielded a couple of questions on the easy way to build a Visualizer and/or how to keep the Visualizer in sync with your configuration.

The secrets? Names... Names... Names... (and knowing when to match on Name or on Key)

The easy thing to do is ensure the channel names are identical between the Visualizer and the Sequence Editor. You can set up either first, as long as you some how make the channel names IDENTICAL between the 2.....

Here is how I would do it:

1. Create a Visualizer with all the elements (fixtures/props) you want in your show, but don't assign any channels. Basically PLAN what you want it to look like. Keep in mind how many channels you will ultimately have, etc....
   
2. Once you are happy, create a sequence in the Sequence Editor defining all the channels. For now just name the channels (something meaningful), and set the color.
   
3. Export that to a channel config file, and then Import it into the Vis as a reference file.
   
4. Depending on how you want to do it, either use the Channel Wizard to assign channels to props, OR edit each fixture and wire the channels (click the row, then click the small button on the channel properties and select the correct channel). Doing that ensures the names match. I personally suggest editing the fixtures and wiring by hand so you don't have to assign a bunch of fixtures to props, but the choice is yours.
   
5. Now do your SE programming. As long as you are under 256 channels, the SE can control the Vis with just the channel names. If you have more than that, you'll have to do steps 6-8 first, then come back to 5.
   
6. In the SE, assign all the channel properties - Device, Network, Unit, Circuit
   
7. Export that as a channel config file
   
8. Start up the Visualizer, load your Visualization, then load this new Channel Config File as a reference. When asked if you want to update your fixtures say YES and do so BY NAME.
   

Now any time in the future....

• If you change a channel's KEY in the Sequence Editor, perform steps 7 and 8. A 'key' change is a change to a channels Device Type, Network, Unit or Circuit.
  
• If you change a channel's NAME or COLOR, perform steps 7 and 8, except match on KEY not on NAME.
  

If you change a channel's name AND it's key at the same time in the Sequence Editor, you will manually have to update the fixture(s) that used that/those channel(s).