Vixen 3 to xLights import?

[vult2000]

I'm 100% sure the channel offset works.  It's accomplished in FileConverter.cpp near line 1711.  You probably didn't re-render the sequence after you changed the offset.

Actually re-rendering it is what causes nothing to display after changing the offset.  I will try and take a short video and post.

[Gilrock]

A video won't help much cause I won't be able to see what channel the data comes in on.  The question is what is the base channel of the data and what channel are you trying to move it to?  It's more likely a mismatch of how you have everything configured so it's really not importing into the correct channels to start with.  If you want to move it backwards you gotta use a negative number.  I can show you a video of it working but I don't think that helps.

[Gary]

Last I checked the import from Vixen is broken. There is no native Vixen 3 import, you have export v3 as 2.1. So, you obviously figured that out. But, at some point the import stopped working. Honestly, I wouldn't use it anyway. Import as a data layer. If you import as effects all you will have are a bunch of on/off effects.

What do you mean by "broken"? Since I was getting nowhere with getting my old Vixen sequences to work in xLights, I was searching for some help for this process and was disheartened by reading this, but I was eventally able to get it to work by flattening by profile into the sequence.

I was able to load some sequencing from my arches to appear in the grid editor in xLights as a series of "ON" effects, but it doesn't do anything in my preview. I tried clicking the Render All button, but it doesn't make a difference. Wierd thing is that if I drag a Butterfly effect to one of the channels for my arch to see what happens, but the floodslights in my preview are changing colour.

If I drag a Butterfly effect onto one of my floodlights, it does show up in the preview the floodlight.

What would be causing this strange behaviour?

I'm on xLights version 2016.45. Vixen is 2.1.

[Phrog30]

Broken means it no worky, at least last time I checked.  I have since uninstalled Vixen and have zero plans on installing it again.

https://github.com/smeighan/xLights/issues/499

It sounds like you have channel assignment issues.  Check that Vixen is assigned the same channels as xlights, or vice versa.

James

[Gilrock]

If you put an effect on model A and model B lights up then your channel setup for your models is wrong.

[dkulp]

What would be causing this strange behaviour?

I'm on xLights version 2016.45. Vixen is 2.1.

Try updating to .46.    If you imported the "On" effects onto the Nodes, that would be the reason they aren't rendering.   That is fixed in .46.

[Gary]

Thanks. Updating to .46 worked.

Yesterday, under Import | Import Effects, I chose a Vixen sequence, which then leads me to the "Map Channels - filename.vix" window. I struggled for a long time on how to get any items into the drop down box, but I "accidentally" did it somehow. I've since added a few more models to my layout, but the new items aren't appearing in the drop-down box.

How do I add items to it?

[Gary]

Well, it looks like I answered my own question... the issue was that I was doing an import into a sequence that was created before I created the models in question.

Makes sense to me.

[Gilrock]

Right-click a row-header and select Edit Display Elements.  Then add your new models to the sequence.

[Gary]

Yeah, they were just test sequences at the time to get a feel for the software, so I don't have any particular attachment to they anyway.

[stampedeboss]

I am working on understanding the layout of the Vixen3 files.  It seems that it would be easy to "convert" to xLights since while the terminology is different, the concepts are similar.  HIgh level effects on a "Model"/"Element".  Not everything can cross over since approaches to color handling are different, as well of a few other difference but the majority of the effects can be mapped or "substituted"   To me the big issue is figuring out the multitude of vixen files since a sequence its is spread across several.

I am using python in attempting to complete a conversion process which has functions for parsing XML.  If someone would like to assist or has knowledge of the Vixen File Structure I can finish pretty quickly.   Versed in a number of languages but not a M$ and .net fan and really want to minimize C# exposure but currently slogging through the code.

Side benefit could be a "portable" format for vixen3 so they do have to share the entire directory structure is share a sequence.