Can I edit Pixel Mad Fixtures using Apple Numbers ?

[emilianomorgia]

Can I edit Pixel Mad Fixtures using Apple Numbers ?

yes you can , and it work freaking great .

Just Export your Pixel Mad Fixture list as .txt , right click and open it with Apple Numbers .

It work like magic ! it does not ask any kind of setting to import the spreadsheet .

to save it ?

Export as CSV and boom !

[RobbJibson]

I'd be very curious as to how you were able to export as CSV and have Catalyst read it. I posted my woes else where here and found out that Catalyst needs Tab Separated Values for the import to work correctly. A quick hunt on the Apple Discussions site provides that Apple Numbers only exports as Comma Separated Values.

The work around that just worked for me:
In Numbers:
Enter all info into columns as needed
Select all
Copy
Open New Text Edit Document:
Paste in a blank TextEdit document
Apply the format Text (Shift Apple T)
Save as Text File

Edit Fixtures in Catalyst and Import. Worked well except it missed the "NAME" column. Much easier than trying to patch and arrange in Catalyst.
I gave up on supporting MS for Mac products long ago when I decided that I would actually licenses all the software that I use. Just did not seem worth the money. This is the first time that Numbers or Pages has let me down... Not too bad. And a pretty easy work around. Others, who have many spread sheets are not so happy...

See this thread at Apple:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7643910&#7643910

[emilianomorgia]

I'd be very curious as to how you were able to export as CSV and have Catalyst read it.

Honestly ... I don't remember . the time I post it I was working on a complicated pixelmad project and I've used numbers to edit all the patch.

I remember I was editing it every day easily.

Emil

[rosswill]

I have Office for Mac and use Excel which is a very straightforward import/export process.

Ross

[samsc]

i will change the importer to do commas and tabs

[Mr_P]

If you need a quick fix for converting commas in to tabs:

open the exported file in 'textedit'
type a [tab] a the top of your file
'cut' the [tab]
hit [apple] f
put a [,] comma in to the find field
and 'paste' the [tab] it in to the 'replace' field - then hit replace all - this should replace all the commas

save the file



I also have a clever spreadsheet that can work out the patching and create positions for arrays of pixels in lines and circles if requred....


s

[samsc]

i changed software to do comma and tab

[RobbJibson]

Thanks Richard!
Also I have a license question, can you email me at : robb@robbjibson.com
Robb

[Ejberendsen]

Do we need to download a new version, for getting your changes?

Erik-Jan Berendsen

[SourceChild]

Actually, another interesting way to edit PixelMAD XML is to use Vectorworks and create a simple vector script that maps the X,Y coordinates to table values and then then DMX numbers to the same table. Another very simple vector script can be used to convert between the tabs and commas needed for Catalyst.

I've done this will complex LED shows where I needed to create the concept for rendering before actually every building the fixture in Catalyst.

Incidentally, this is also a very good way to use ESP Vision to see a real time visualization of the LED fixtures running in real time off of Catalyst.

(Just don't get disappointed when 10 universes of DMX LEDs runs really slow in ESP Vision).