Tools Tab

Tip

Functions are marked with a 2️⃣ symbol if they can only be used with MA2. Functions are marked with a 3️⃣ symbol if they can only be used with MA3. Functions without a symbol can be used on both systems.

The Tools (Beta) tab offers a selection of useful small tools in addition to the main prepare functionality. Most of these tools operate independently of the data used in the prepare tab. The availability of tools depends on the selected mode.

Note

In the trial version, only Create Clipboard Macros is available.

Create Clipboard Macros

This tool simplifies the process of generating macros in Excel. To use it, follow these steps:

1. Modify your table so that a macro line is generated in one or more columns.
2. Ensure the first line of each column is set to the name of the macro.
3. Copy the relevant cells to the clipboard.
4. Press the Create Macros button.

Each column will become a separate macro, with each cell contributing a line to that macro. You find an example in our example files.

Create Group FX

Creating effects with multiple lines for groups can be quite beneficial. A straightforward example is generating an effect line for each truss in a festival rig. This tool allows you to create such effects swiftly.

To begin, decide whether you want to load the fixtures and groups from the desk (Import Desk Data) or use the data already loaded in the prepare tab (Import CAD Data). Next, assign an Effect Name and specify which groups should be used with the Start Group and End Group. Each group will correspond to one or more lines in your effect.

The Skip missing Attributes option allows the tool to bypass lines if the selected fixture type lacks a certain attribute. For instance, if you aim to create an effect using Red, Green, Blue, and White, but some fixtures in your show file lack a white LED, the tool will only generate lines for Red, Green, and Blue.

With the Phase per Group option, the tool calculates the phase for each line in the effect. For example, if you have four groups, the phases for the lines will be 0, 90, 180, and 270, respectively.

In the tree below, you can select which attributes the effect should include (None clears the selection). Once everything is configured, simply press Create Effect. The tool gives you feedback on what it created.

MAtricks in group names

prepare detects MAtricks written in the group names and applies them to the lines of this group:

Tag	MAtricks
<3G>	Groups
<6B>	Blocks
<2W>	Wings

You can combine several MAtricks in one tag, e.g. Spots <3G 6B 2W>, or write them as separate tags. The tag stays in the group name.

Note

3️⃣ In MA3, it is not possible to create effects with independent lines as in MA2. Instead, prepare creates a preset of phaser recipes in the MA3 phaser pool, with one recipe per group.

Reverse Groups

Sometimes it would be great to get a group in reversed order. With this tool, you can easily load groups from your desk (Group ID Range), reverse the order, and upload those new groups directly into your showfile. The appearance of the groups is imported as well.

With Reverse you choose what is reversed: Main & Sub reverses everything, Main ID only reverses the order of the fixtures but keeps the order of their sub-fixtures, Sub ID only reverses only the sub-fixtures inside each fixture.

You can also create more creative groups when using the split options. First, select which Split Mode you want to use: None disables the split function, and the group will just be reversed in total order. With Fixtures, prepare will split the group after the selected amount of fixtures and just reverse every even part. With Chunks, you can say in how many parts the group should be split and then also reverse each even chunk. With the Randomize Split option, the order of the split parts of the group will be randomized to get an alternative selection.

Upload FixtureType

It’s simple. Just upload the FixtureType as an XML file (or a gdtf file in grandMA3 mode) to your desk via the network with Upload FT-File, and let the tool directly import it into the showfile.

2️⃣ Change Group in Effects

Cloning fixtures at a festival can be quite frustrating, especially when you have more fixtures than are programmed in your show file. This often results in fixtures behaving identically after cloning. This is where this tool becomes invaluable. Instead of creating individual phases, it adds lines with new fixtures to existing effects.

Here’s how to use it effectively:

1. Setup New Fixtures: Begin by setting up your new fixtures.
2. Clone Presets: Clone only your presets.
3. Create Groups: Form groups for your new fixtures.
4. Run the Tool: Use this tool to integrate the new fixtures into your effects.
5. Clone Sequences: Finally, clone the sequences.

By following these steps, your show file will remain free of individual phases.

Preparations:

• Identify the selections used in each line of your effects. Create a group for each unique selection. For instance, if you’ve used all your washers in multiple effects in the standard selection order by ID, you only need one group for them.
• Note: If you use the “Shuffle Selection” option in effects, you’ll need a separate group for each effect since the selection varies.

Once you’ve completed these preparations, create the corresponding group for the new fixtures. Arrange the groups such that the old group comes first, followed by the new one. Repeat this for each group.

In the tool, select the range of groups (Start Group, End Group) and the range of effects (Start Effect, End Effect). Choose whether the new fixtures are Added to the effects or Replace the old ones. With Compare and an Input Effect, only effects built like this effect are changed. Press Change Effects — prepare lists the effects that will be changed and asks for a confirmation.

Note

Gaps between your effects are preserved: prepare creates blank effects to keep them.

2️⃣ Adjust FixtureType

This tool allows you to adjust the position of sub-fixtures within a FixtureType. Load an XML file from your computer with Import FT-File, then rotate (Rot X/Y/Z) or flip (Flip X/Y/Z-Values) the 3D positions as needed. Once you’re satisfied with the adjustments, export the modified data to a new XML file with Export FixtureType.

3️⃣ Convert MA2 Presets

This tool converts presets from a grandMA2 show to grandMA3.

1. Press Load MA2 File to load the exported grandMA2 presets.
2. Load the matching grandMA3 FixtureType from a file (Load MA3 File) or directly from the desk (Load MA3 from Desk).
3. Choose the Fixture type (if the file has several) and the DMX Mode of the target grandMA3 FixtureType.
4. Map the attributes in Attribute mapping (MA2 → MA3). Leave an attribute blank to skip it. prepare remembers your mappings for the next time.
5. In Preset groups (FTPresetType), set the MA3 Name and the FeatureGroup of each group.
6. Save the result with Save to File or send it directly with Upload to Desk.