Scenes not retaining their settings

[agilbett]

Hi All,
I am just trying to setup a show (lights synchronised to an audio track) and I am hitting a problem with the scenes forgetting values that I enter through the Function manager.

The work flow is this:
Create scene & setup fixtures and values ->
create new track in show with timings ->
run show and find that lights stay off ->
check scene and values have returned to zero.

Also I have noticed that some scenes are not saving over a close program and reopen i.e. not being written to a file.

I guess the first question is this the right work flow to create a show or should I create a new sequence for each part of the show? How do others do it?

Another example is:
I create a track, then add a new sequence, set fixtures then click else where in the work space and then come back to it and its forgotten the values of the fixtures. Is there a save button that I am missing?

I am using 4.8.1 and 4.8.2 on linux mint 14 and 17 respectively.
Can someone give me a little guidance as to what I might be doing wrong? So that I can fix it and do it right?

Thanks
Andrew

[Mungle]

Get the same problem with the 4.8.2 version of QLC+ on a MacBook Pro Running OSX Yosemite.

I can't understand why and I also found this issue: https://sourceforge.net/p/qlcplus/discussion/general/thread/976009ae/

Sincerly? I will love a "Save" button...

[Steve]

I am having the exact same problem on Windows 7 running 4.8.2 (though have tried it on 4.8.1 as well). I can edit the workspace file in an XML editor and then open it and the values are correct, but as soon as I hit save and re-open the file, the values reset back to 0. the channels are still enabled, just the values reset. I am desperate as I have an event on Sunday that I need to finish getting ready for.

[Steve]

After some further testing, it appears that the issue occurs only after adding the scene to a show. This creates a sequence under the scene. Once it is saved and reloaded, the values are 0. My steps were the same as agilbett in creating the show

[Jano Svitok]

I'm no expert for shows (I don't use them), but I vaguely remember this:

Once you create sequence from a scene, you have to edit the related sequence steps, not the scene itself.

I may be wrong, but it may be worth trying :)

[agilbett]

Well its good to know that im not alone!

Jano i think I tried that but ill will give it a go later after work and report back.

Is this a process issue or a bug? If it is process then how to fix, noting ill try jano's suggestion? If it is a bug is there a work around or fix?

Thanks

[Massimo Callegari]

Gentlemen, please help us to help you.
If there is something not working properly, we can fix it, but please indicate the exact steps (possibly from and empty project) to reproduce the issue.

Shows are a quite complex part of QLC+, so I need exactly to know what you have done to fall into issues. Then I can fix them.

Thanks

[Massimo Callegari]

OK, the correct steps to create a sequence is:
1. add fixtures to the project
2. create a new show
3. create a track
4. create a sequence
5. add fixtures to the scene editor (bottom of the screen) and enable the needed channels
6. add steps to the sequence with the chaser editor (right part of the screen). Duration should be set to "per step"

If you do 6 before 5 it doesn't work and it starts with all the weird behaviours you guys have seen.

The reason is simple. If you add a step and the scene is empty, the step itself won't be able to know which channels it has to control.

It's like this since QLC+ version 4.0.0.

I might fix this but it's no piece of cake at all. Or I could add a popup message saying you can't add steps on an empty scene

[Steve]

My steps are as follows:

1. Add the fixtures
2. Add the scenes per ficture (i.e. solid blue for each fixture, blue strobe for each fixture, solid green for each fixture, etc)
3. Add a show
4. Add a track and then add the audio to that track.
5. Click on new track and select one of the previously created scenes.
6. Change to per step and adjust the fade in/out and hold times
7. Add next scene ...etc.
8. Save the workspace and exit.
9. Open QLC+ and go to the function tab.
10. Select one of the scenes that was added to the show and check the channels.
11. The channels are still selected but the values are 0.

I can reset the values and save the workspace, exit and reopen it and they are still 0. I would be happy to provide a video if that would help.

i appreciate any help you can provide!

[Massimo Callegari]

OK, now I understand what you're doing / trying to do.
It's just wrong.

Once a Scene is used in a Show, it is kinda "lost" as a Function, but instead, it is used as a container for values coming from the Sequence using it in a Show !

It's written in the documentation. Once you use a Scene in a Show, the values that count are those in the Sequence steps, and not those in the Scene as inspected in the Functions tab.

[Mungle]

I'm using Sequence inside a scene but when I add the first step and then a second one, the first step will take the dmx values of the second step instead to keep the value set for it as first step... do you see what I mean? Anyway, as I said before, a save button I think will be clear than everything...

Could you also check this please? https://sourceforge.net/p/qlcplus/discussion/general/thread/976009ae

Thanks a lot! ;-)

[Steve]

Here is a video showing the issue

[Massimo Callegari]

Steve, did you read my previous post ?
This is not actually an issue. You're trying to use the program in the wrong way.

[Steve]

I did not before I posted the video. So, I will need to recreate all the scenes that I need for each show? Can I reuse a Sequence or do I need to create one for each show. I have an event with 14 audio tracks that I will need to create shows for. I read the documentation but I guess missed this method. Guess I will get to work as I have a lot of work to do. Thanks

[Steve]

I hope you don't mind another question to make sure I have this straight. Does it maker sense to make a scene for each light and then to add those scenes to a track in the show. That way when I need to light the same light, I can add another sequence to that track and adjust the values for different colors/effects?

[agilbett]

I tried Massimo's method and it works!

Thanks for the help!