Patch Creator

Build a grandMA patch from MVR, WYSIWYG, Depence or Excel data, including 3D positions, rotations and groups.

TL;DR

“The unified successor for both DEP2GMA and WYG2GMA converter tools - with MVR support.”

What it does

• Reads four kinds of source data
  Import fixtures from MVR files, Depence (R3/R4), WYSIWYG (R36+) or Excel. Each source has its own settings, such as custom fixture mapping (Spot, Channel, Unit or Dimmer) and merging all dimmer channels into one patch layer.
• Translates positions and addresses
  Fixture XYZ positions and rotations become grandMA data. Letter universes (A–ZZ) become numbers. Both happen in the background.
• Splits the import into separate macros
  Run the whole import at once, or run only the part you need: assign the patch, move and rotate fixtures, or build groups. Groups come from the attribute you pick — type, layer, position or color.

Before you start

Please note

• The tool only processes fixtures that have a valid, unique ID.
• Exported coordinates must be metric: meters and degrees.
• Multi-patch fixtures and fixture accessories are not supported. That includes scrollers and multi-channel units such as 4/8-lites and RGB bars.
• MVR import is experimental. Check that your fixtures are not mirrored, and not rotated in a way grandMA cannot handle.
• For grandMA3 the tool only builds macros for patching, positioning and groups. Import the fixture layers with a direct MVR import instead.

Tip

Import with FixtureType “Dimmer”. This helps the grandMA software handle multi-part fixtures correctly.

How to use it

1. Export an MVR or CSV file:

   MVR
   • Export the MVR from your design tool.
     • Unit: millimeters. Coordinates: world. No mirroring.
   Depence
   • Open Windows > Fixture Manager > Update Patch.
   • Show the columns you need: right-click “Fixture ID” > Column Chooser, then add every “Pos” and “Rotation” column.
   • Choose File > Export Table.
   Excel
   • Build your table with the columns the tool needs.
     • Start from the template: XLS2GMA_CSV_Template.xlsx
   • Choose File > Save As and pick “CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)”.
   WYSIWYG
   • Open Data-View > Spreadsheet > “All data (sortable)”.
   • Show every column: right-click > View options… > Data View Options.
   • Choose File > Export > Save as CSV.

2. Import the file:

   • Set the import options: sorting, filtering and normalization.
   • Set the options for your source — for example the WYSIWYG column mapping — on the Settings page.
   • Import CSV or MVR File reads the file you exported.

3. Set the export options:

   • Set the options per layer in the table.
   • Set the general export options.

4. Export the patch:

   • Set the export options for the layers and the general settings.
   • Click Export to write the patch file.

5. Export the macros:

   • Manual import: save the macros to a grandMA2 or grandMA3 folder, then import them on the console.
   • Direct import: send the macros straight to the console. The console asks you to pick the first macro ID.

6. Import layers and fixtures (grandMA2):

   • Run the macro “NAME import layers” to import the patch layers.
     Pick the drive that holds the export: 1 for a direct console transfer, 4 for USB storage in most cases.
   • In the Patch & Fixture Schedule window, import your FixtureTypes and assign them to the fixtures.
   • Run the macro “NAME patch fixtures” to patch every fixture. Check the FixtureType assignment first.
   • Run the macro “NAME create groups” to build the groups. Groups that already exist are merged.

7. Change an existing setup (grandMA2 and grandMA3):

   • Run “NAME patch fixtures” to patch every fixture.
   • Run “NAME create groups” to build or merge the groups.
   • Run “NAME move fixtures” to update the positions and rotations.

The screen explained

Import

• Sorting: sort the fixtures by ID, or keep the order of the source file.
• Normalize X/Y/Z: shift the position values when they carry a large offset.
  • Ignore: keep the values as imported.
  • To Center: center the values. 280 to 320 becomes -20 to 20.
  • Start From 0: start the values at zero. 280 to 320 becomes 0 to 40.
  • End At 0: end the values at zero. 280 to 320 becomes -40 to 0.
• Type Detection Strategy: how the tool works out the fixture type during MVR import.
  • GDTF Type (Name if Type is numeric or missing): use “GDTF Type”, but fall back to “Fixture Name” when the type is a number or missing.
  • GDTF Type (Name if Type is missing): use “GDTF Type”, but fall back to “Fixture Name” when the type is missing.
  • GDTF Type Only: use “GDTF Type”.
  • Fixture Name Only: use “Fixture Name”.
  • Fixture Name and GDTF Type: use both.
• Prefix Fixture Name with Position: during WYSIWYG import, put the position column in front of the fixture name.
• Group Channel-Only Fixtures: put every channel-only fixture into one layer. Name that layer on the Settings page.
• Ignore Fixtures without ID on import: skip every fixture that has no valid ID.

Export

• Create Groups from: the column the groups come from: Type, Layer, Position or Color.
• Export Name: the macro name.
• Layers (MA2 only): the column that sorts the fixtures into layers. Fixture Type is the default, but any groupable column works.
• Ignore Patch Collisions (MA2 only): assigns the DMX address even when something else already uses it. grandMA3 does this anyway.

Table columns

• Fixture Type: the fixture type of this layer.
• Count: how many fixtures sit in this layer.
• IDs: the fixture IDs (#) in this layer. Channel IDs carry a C in front.
• Import: include this layer in the import macro.
• Patch: include this layer in the patch macro.
• Move: include this layer in the move macro.
• Groups: include this layer in the groups macro.
• ↓ Layer Name: the name of the layer.
• ↓ FixtureType ID: the grandMA FixtureType ID for this layer. That FixtureType must already be imported.