Connecting Lighting Consoles to Showcase Previz in Vectorworks Spotlight

Showcase in Vectorworks Spotlight is a previsualization (previz) feature that gives you intuitive, live DMX control of lighting fixtures, and you can Record, Playback, and Pause DMX streams directly in your model. 

Showcase also provides PosiStageNet (PSN) and Network Device Interface (NDI) live streaming, helping you experience newfound design freedom with your lighting and scenic designs.

When integrating lighting consoles with Showcase, understanding DMX protocols and network configurations is essential for your lighting designs and making sure your productions go off without a hitch.

This article will walk you through setting up various consoles, including ETC Ion, Chamsys, and MA3, to send DMX data to Showcase.

sACN is a protocol that transmits DMX lighting control data over Ethernet networks. It enables multiple universes of DMX data to be sent through a single Ethernet cable, making it highly efficient for modern lighting systems. Unlike traditional DMX, which is limited to a single universe per cable, sACN uses multicast technology to distribute control signals only to relevant devices, improving network efficiency.

Art-Net is another widely used protocol that transmits DMX512-A lighting control data over UDP/IP networks. By allocating each universe a specific port address, this protocol facilitates the transfer of large amounts of DMX data across a network.

Art-Net and sACN differ in how they communicate and manage network traffic. Art-Net relies on broadcast and unicast methods, making it simpler to implement but potentially less efficient in large networks.

On the other hand, sACN uses multicast, which optimizes network performance by directing data only to the necessary devices. Additionally, sACN includes built-in priority control for better management of multiple control sources — a feature that’s absent in Art-Net.

While Art-Net is well-suited for smaller installations and legacy systems, sACN is the preferred choice for large-scale lighting setups because of its network efficiency.

For ETC Ion consoles, sACN is the recommended protocol. This setup works for both physical consoles and ETC’s offline software:

1. Open the ETCnomad Shell and navigate to Settings.

2. Select Network and enable sACN in the Output Protocols section, ensuring no other protocols are selected.

3. Accept the changes and launch Eos Offline w/viz.

4. Confirm the settings in Displays > Setup > Device > Network to verify that the console is outputting sACN.

5. Set the console to Live.

6. In Vectorworks Spotlight, select sACN from the dropdown list, and your console will begin sending DMX data to Showcase.

To set up a Chasyms MagixQ Console with Showcase:

1. Open MagicQ PC or use a physical Chamsys console.

2. Press Setup and navigate to View Settings > Network.

3. Configure the console’s IP address, subnet mask, and visualizer settings. If running MagicQ PC and Vectorworks Spotlight on the same machine, use a loopback IP (127.0.0.1).

4. Click View DMX I/O to configure universes:

1. • Set Status to Enabled.
   • Choose Out Type and Out Universe.
   • For Visualizer, select Art/sACN (same PC) or Art/sACN (rem), depending on the setup.

5. Apply changes and ensure the DMX output is active.

MA3 consoles support sACN, Art-Net, and MA3-net via a Vizkey. If using a physical MA3 console, sACN or Art-Net can be used without additional hardware. For MA3 on PC without hardware, a Vizkey is required.

To set up a Vizkey:

1. Connect the Vizkey to the computer running Vectorworks Spotlight.

2. In Showcase, select MA3net as the DMX data provider.

3. In the DMX provider options, choose the MA3 software version matching your console.

4. On the MA3 console, invite Showcase to join the session.

When installing and updating the Vizkey Driver:

1. Download the grandMA3 Viz-key package from the MA Lighting website.

2. Install the grandMA3 software on your console or PC.

3. Unzip and copy the files to the appropriate directory.

4. Make sure both the console and Vizkey run the same software version:

• • In Showcase, select Updater under DMX Data Provider Options.
  • On the MA3 console, navigate to Software Update and update Showcase.

By following these steps, you can successfully connect your lighting console to Showcase in Vectorworks Spotlight. Proper configuration enables seamless DMX data transmission, enhancing your lighting design workflow, whether using ETC Ion, Chamsys, or MA3.