PREREQUISITES:
• The communicating computers need to be set on the same network.
• Both computers subnet masks’ have to be set to 255.255.255.0.
DESCRIPTION
Photon can send and receive UDP messages in order to communicate with other devices and software over a network.
SEND UDP FROM PHOTON
This portion of the step-by-step shows how to use PHOTON to trigger an audio cue in QLab.
QLab
- Create a new audio cue. Select {Cues > Audio} or press [Cmd+1].
- Make sure the Basics tab is selected.
- Enter a cue Number in the Number field.
- Select an audio file as the cue Target.
PHOTON
- Open the I/O Manager module. Select {System > I/O Manager} or press [Alt+I].
- Select the Network Protocol tab.
- Add a new message by clicking on the [+] button.
- Select UDP as Message type.
- Configure the IP address and port of the computer running QLab. The default communication port to send UDP commands to QLab is 53535.
- Enter the message to trigger a cue in QLab. To start a cue : /cue/{number}/start
- Press on the [Send] button
- To create a Send UDP cue on the Timeline, open the Cue Editor module. Select {Show > Cue Editor} or press [Alt+Q].
- To view the full cue list, select {View > View Full}.
- Create a new cue by clicking on the [+] button.
- Click on the [Record] button to record your action.
- Navigate back to the I/O Manager module. Select {System > I/O Manager} or press [Alt+I].
- Click on the [Send] button.
- Navigate back to the Cue Editor module. Select {Show > Cue Editor} or press [Alt+Q].
- Click on the [Record] button again to stop recording your action.
- Open the Timeline module. Select {Show>Timeline} or press [Alt+T].
- Create a new Cue Clip on the Timeline. Right-click on a layer track to open a contextual menu and select {Add Cue} or press [Ctrl+U].
- Navigate to Cue Properties and select your Cue as its source.
- Click-drag the Playhead to position it before the Cue Clip on the Timeline then press the [spacebar] to resume playback.
- The Cue will be executed when the Playhead intersects the Cue Clip.
RECEIVE UPD IN PHOTON
This portion of the step-by-step shows how to use QLab to send a UDP message to PHOTON.
QLab
- Open the Settings menu. Click on the gear icon at the lower right corner of the window.
- Select the Network tab.
- Add a new network patch. Click on the [New Patch] button or press [CMD+N]
- Add PHOTON as a destination and set its IP address and port. The default communication port to send UDP commands to PHOTON is 55503.
- Add a new network cue. Select {Cues > Network} or press [CMD+8].
- In the Settings tab, enter PHOTON’s IP address and port as the destination.
- Select UDP message from the Type dropdown menu.
- Entered the command in the message box with the correct syntax.
- In this example, we will use QLab Network Cue to trigger Cue ID 1 set in Photon. Enter <photon> CUE_EXEC_ID 1 </photon> in the message box.
PHOTON
- Open the Timeline module. Select {Show>Timeline} or press [Alt+T].
- Locate Regions Editing in the Timeline window and click on the [+] button to create a new Region.
- Set the In-point at 00:00:00:00.
- Set Out-point at 00:02:00:00.
- Open the Cue Editor module. Select {Show>Cue Editor} or press [Alt+Q].
- To view the full cue list, select {View > View Full}.
- Create a new cue. Click on the [+] button.
- Set the Cue ID to 1.
- Press the [Record] button.
- Navigate back to the Timeline module. Select {Show>Timeline} or press [Alt+T].
- Select region 1.
- Navigate back to the Cue Editor module. Select {Show > Cue Editor} or press [Alt+Q].
- Click on the [Record] button again to stop recording your action.
- To make sure the communication between QLab and Photon is set up correctly, open the Logs module. Select {System > Tools > Monitoring > Logs} or press [Alt+L].
QLab
- Select the network cue in your workspace.
- Select the Settings tab.
- Click on the [Send] button.
PHOTON
If the communication between computers and your UDP message string are set up correctly the Logs will display: SHOW CONTROL : {your UDP message}.