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By adding DMX Devices to your timeline in the Pandoras Box master you can program for example a fog machine or the shutter or position for a moving light. It is an easy way to synchronize DMX output to video playback. Pandoras Box features both 8bit and 16 bit DMX parameters and supports the protocols DMX, Art-Net, MA-Net and sACN.

By the way, it is also possible to input DMX and remote control layers by an external lighting desk.

Built-In DMX Devices

As said above, to output DMX data to a device, it needs to be part of the timeline. Open the Device Types tab and open the folder "DMX fixtures". This shows a list with all built-in devices. You can also add devices as described below. Choose one and drag it to the Device Tree. Now, you can control DMX devices with parameter keys in the same way as with Video Layers.

The chapter about DMX output explains how to patch a device, configure the output protocol and finally, send data.

Custom DMX Devices

You may add a custom DMX device to the list in the Device Types tab. A custom DMX library file can be created as a text file e.g. with WordPad. Please see below an example for one fixture. Store the file with the extension ".clib" in the installation folder of the Master under: "\data\types\DMX Fixtures". Note that you will need administrator rights to store it there. In Pandoras Box, you can right-click the "DMX Fixture" folder and choose "Refresh" to see your DMX device instantly. Now, please follow the chapter about DMX output that explain how to patch a device, configure the output protocol and finally, send data.

Please find here an example of a DMX .clib file for a Martin MAC500:
<?xml encoding="yes" ?>
<descripDevice type="fixtureDmx" artNetIndexScope="16">
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="STROBE" default="34" artNetIndexOff="0" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="DIM" default="0" artNetIndexOff="1" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="COLOR1" default="0" artNetIndexOff="2" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="COLOR2" default="0" artNetIndexOff="3" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="GOBO1" default="0" artNetIndexOff="4" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="GOBO1 ROT" default="0" artNetIndexOff="5" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="GOBO2" default="0" artNetIndexOff="6" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="FOCUS" default="50" artNetIndexOff="7" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="IRIS" default="0" artNetIndexOff="8" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="PRISMA1" default="0" artNetIndexOff="9" />
<descripModule type="param16bit" name="PAN" default="32768" artNetIndexOff="10" />
<descripModule type="param16bit" name="TILT" default="32768" artNetIndexOff="12" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="SPEED1" default="0" artNetIndexOff="14" />
<descripModule type="param8bit" name="SPEED2" default="0" artNetIndexOff="15" />
</descripDevice>

As you can see the first line gives the general device description and the overall DMX channel count "artNetIndexScope=".
The following lines describe each DMX channel of the fixture by a zero based offset of the DMX channel count at the end of each line by "artNetIndexOff=".
You may also choose the type of parameters "param8bit" or "param16bit" as well as setting the descriptive name and reset and default value.