Prepare your data

Fields in the csv

The csv must have the following columns, see also where to find it in your cad software:

Name	Description	Example	Vectorworks	WYSIWYG	Depence	Capture 2026
Fixture ID	a unique ID	1001	Channel	Spot	Fixture ID	Channel
Universe	the DMX universe	1	Universe	Patch Universe	DMX Address	Universe
Address	the DMX address	64	DMX Address	Patch Address	-	Address
Model	the symbol name	GLP JDC-1	Symbol Name	Type	Name	Fixture
x	x-coordinate of the fixture	1.25	X Location	X	X Pos meter	Position X
y	y-coordinate of the fixture	-12.876	Y Location	Y	Y Pos meter	Position Y
z	z-coordinate of the fixture	0	Z Location	Z	Z Pos meter	Position Z
Rot x	x-rotation of the fixture in degrees	0	xRot	RotX	X Rotation	Rotation X
Rot y	y-rotation of the fixture in degrees	90	yRot	RotY	Y Rotation	Rotation Y
Rot z	z-rotation of the fixture in degrees	180	zRot	RotZ	Z Rotation	Rotation Z
Model Short	a short description of the FixtureType. This will be used for the label in the desk	JDC-1	User Field 1	Notes	Short Name	External Identifier
Function	the lowest field in your hierarchy creating groups	LX-1, Speaker Left, …	Function	Purpose	Position on Stage	Purpose
Position	the middle field in the hierarchy to create groups	Floor, Press, …	Position	Position	Description	Location

If your file does not follow one of these layouts, use the Custom CSV import and map the columns yourself.

Import options

Press Import from File on the Start view of the prepare tab. In the Choose Import dialog, select your source and set the options:

Option	Description
Source	Vectorworks CSV Merge, Wysiwyg Data Export, Depence Fixture Export separator=;, Capture CSV Export 26, Custom CSV (map columns) or My Virtual Rig (.mvr).
Round	Round the positions to None, .001, .01, .1 or 1.
Unit	The unit of the coordinates in your file: mm, cm, m, ft or in. prepare converts everything to meters.
Swap Position and Function	Swaps the content of the Position and Function columns.

After the import, the Match view opens and the default settings of the current grandMA mode are loaded.

Vectorworks

Import the prepare default table from our example files into your VWX file.
If you are using Spotlight, the Fixture ID, patch, symbol name, and coordinates will be filled in automatically. You may need to adjust the short name, function, and position to achieve well-structured groups on the desk.
Export this table in the format: CSV Merge (comma-separated) (*.csv).

WYSIWYG

Open a new WYG file.
Import the WYG template from our example files.
Start drawing or merge your existing WYG file.
Fixture ID, patch, symbol name, and coordinates will be filled in automatically. You may need to adjust the short name, function, and position to create well-structured groups on the desk.
To export, click on Data > Columns > Prepare > File > Export. Then, save the file as CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv).

Depence

Open your Depence file.
Import our Depence template by navigating to: Windows > Fixture Manager > File > Load Layout.
Fixture ID, patch, symbol name, and coordinates will be filled in automatically. You may need to adjust the short name, function, and position to create well-structured groups on the desk.
To export, click on File > Export Table, then save as a Comma Separated Values (*.csv) file using a semicolon (;) as the separator.

Capture 2026

Open your Capture file.
Fixture ID, patch, symbol name, and coordinates will be filled in automatically. You may need to adjust the short name, function, and position to create well-structured groups in the desk.
To export, click on File > Export Fixtures > Save as: Comma Separated CSV File (*.csv)

My Virtual Rig

Nothing to do here. Just choose your mvr-file.

Custom CSV

With Custom CSV (map columns) you can import any CSV file. After choosing the file, the Map CSV Columns dialog opens and reads the header row of your file.

Option	Description
Delimiter	The separator of your file (e.g. `,` or `;`).
Encoding	The text encoding of your file.
Header row	The row that holds the column names (starting at 1). Press Reload headers after changing one of these options.
Base fields	Choose a column for each field: Fixture ID (required), Universe, Address, Fixture Type, X/Y/Z, Rot X/Y/Z, Model Short (Type), Function and Position.
Extra fields	Map a column to the Function ID.
Custom (user) fields	Add custom field imports any other column as your own field. These fields show up in Show Data and can be used in templates.
Round / Unit / Swap Position/Function	The same options as in the import dialog.
DMX as “universe.address”	Enable this if universe and address are in one cell, e.g. `1.64`.
Flip Rot Z when Y>0	Negates the z-rotation of fixtures with a positive y-coordinate.

You can save the mapping as a preset with Save as and reuse it with Load for the next file from the same source. Press Import to load the data.

Tips for good naming Shortname, Function and Position

To fully leverage the potential of prepare consider the following tips on how to effectively use the three columns:

Keep Values Short and Concise: Ensure all values are brief, as prepare will label your fixtures and groups using these three columns. For instance, use “JDC-1” instead of “GLP JDC-1 Spix Pro” or “Lighting Instruments GLP JDC-1” for the short name.
Function Field: This field should describe the fixture’s role in your show. Good examples include “Frontlight” or “Speaker Left.” It’s also useful for dividing your fixtures into smaller groups when they don’t have a specific function, such as “LX1,” “Floor Left,” or “Side.”
Position Field: This should provide a more general naming for your fixtures. If your show covers multiple areas, options like “Stage,” “Entrance,” or “Dancefloor” are suitable. Alternatively, use it to indicate the overall purpose or responsibility for those lights, such as “Press,” “Exhibition,” or “Cars.” It’s not advisable to use this field for each truss individually.