DMXAUTOINSERT / DMXAUTOINSERTRECURSIVE

DMXAUTOINSERT places a DMX block on every fixture block you select and links the two together. You pair each block type with a fixture from Spot-Info once, the DMX blocks appear on the fixtures, and you set the numbering and patch in one window with a live preview. DMXAUTOINSERTRECURSIVE does the placing for the whole drawing at once, including fixtures inside other blocks, and on a rerun it only fills in the positions that are still missing.

Starting

• Type DMXAUTOINSERT. The command is also available as DMXINSERTAUTO and DMXAUTOPLACELINK.
• Type DMXAUTOINSERTRECURSIVE for the whole-drawing version.
• Ribbon: tab SCAD Production, panel DMX / Power, buttons DMXAUTOINSERT and DMXAUTOPLACELINK.

How it works

DMXAUTOINSERT

1. Select the fixture blocks, either before you start the command or at Select fixture blocks to place DMX on. DMX blocks that are already in the selection are ignored. Fixtures that are already linked are skipped with the message Skipped N already-linked fixture blocks. Use DMXUNLINK to remove their links before relinking.
2. The window Pair Fixtures lists the block types of your selection with the number of each. Blocks whose name is found in Spot-Info are filled in automatically (Auto-filled). For the others (Needs pairing) pick the fixture on the right with Search, Manufacturer, Fixture and Mode. Continue is available when all block types are paired.
3. The DMX blocks are placed on the fixtures right away, and the window DMX Auto ID — Sort Order opens. Change the settings and the IDs, universes and addresses in the drawing update while you type.
4. Click OK to keep the result. A visible ID label is then added to each fixture block as the link. With Cancel (or closing the window) the placed DMX blocks are removed again and nothing is linked.
5. The command ends with DMXAUTOPLACELINK complete: N placed on M selected fixtures, IDs a-b. If a universe was added you get an alert with the start and end universe.

DMXAUTOINSERTRECURSIVE

1. Run the command. There is nothing to select: it searches model space and the content of all blocks inside it (not xrefs).
2. Every block whose name is in Spot-Info gets a DMX block on its position, numbered from the next free ID. It does not look inside a fixture block.
3. Fixtures that already have a DMX block on their position, or are already linked, are skipped. Fixtures stacked on the same position get one DMX block. A second run therefore only fills in what is missing.
4. Fixtures at the top level get a visible ID label as link. Fixtures inside other blocks get a DMX block but no link.
5. You get a summary on the command line and in a dialog: Placed N DMX blocks from Spot-Info (X on nested fixtures, not linked). Skipped A already linked and B already occupied fixture blocks.

Options

The window DMX Auto ID — Sort Order (DMXAUTOINSERT only):

Setting	Choices	Default
FIXTURE	Change… opens the pairing window again
SORT IN X	Left to Right, Right to Left	Left to Right
SORT IN Y	Front to Back, Back to Front	Front to Back
SORT IN Z	Top to Bottom, Bottom to Top	Top to Bottom
NUMBER FIRST BY	Rows, Columns, Layers	Rows
START ID	A whole number from 1. Continue at #n fills in the next free ID	The next free ID
PATCH: Start universe	A whole number from 1	The highest universe in use in the drawing, or 1 if there is none (a universe in the Spot-Info row wins)
PATCH: Start address	1 to 512	1

Your choices for the sort directions and NUMBER FIRST BY are remembered for the next time.

Settings

• The fixtures come from your Spot-Info list and the DMX block from the DMX block file. Both are set in DMXSETTINGS.
• Addresses run on within a universe up to 512 channels, then the next universe starts at address 1. A fixture with more than 512 channels cannot fit in a universe: it gets the current universe and address as they are, and you get an alert listing its IDs so you can patch it by hand.