Easy View 2 Manual en
Easy View 2 Manual en
user manual
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Table of contents
1. Introduction to Easy View 2 2
1.1. What is Easy View? 2
1.2. Installing the software 3
Downloading 3
Installation 3
1.3. Connecting to Easy View 2 4
Connecting to a DMX interface (Easy View Connect) 5
Connecting a Wolfmix to Easy View Connect 5
1.4. Navigating the visualiser 6
Main window 6
Toolbar 6
Settings 7
1.5. Build view 8
2. Setting up fixtures 11
2.1. Fixtures 11
Fixture profiles (.ssl2 files) 11
Patching fixtures 11
Group folders 13
Profile settings 13
2.2. Positioning and arranging fixtures 14
Properties tab (fixtures) 15
Fixtures tab 16
Positions wizard tab (fixtures) 17
3. Setting up 3D objects 18
3.1. 3D objects 18
File types 18
Importing 3D objects 18
3.2. Positioning and arranging 3D objects 19
Properties tab (3D objects) 19
Positions wizard tab (3D objects) 21
4. Miscellaneous 22
4.1. Other features 22
File options 22
Camera options 22
Technical and performance information 24
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There are two ways that you can use the Easy View tool:
1. You can control Easy View 2 internally via a Nicolaudie Group software package. Some
software packages such as Daslight and Sunlite have the option to install Easy View 2 as
part of the installation process. Once installed, the visualisation tool can be controlled
automatically by the DMX software.
2. You can control Easy View 2 externally via Easy View Connect. The Easy View Connect
software will essentially bridge the connection between Easy View 2, and an external USB
DMX interface (Nicolaudie Group manufactured). This means that you can use the DMX
data received by the USB DMX interface to control the virtual fixtures within Easy View 2.
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If you are looking to use your Nicolaudie Group DMX interface to control Easy View- you will need
to install the Easy View Connect package (links below).
Installation
Easy View 2 can be installed by selecting the relevant checkbox during the installation process of
your DMX software package (i.e. Daslight, Sunlite etc).
Easy View Connect can be downloaded using the links provided in the 1.2. - ‘Downloading’ section
above. Once downloaded, you can open the .DMG (Mac) or .EXE (PC) and follow the wizard to install
the software. You will first need to set a root folder to install the program to, you will then have the
option to install the following components:
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- Easy View Connect - the component that will allow you to link your hardware to the
visualisation software.
- Easy View 2 - the main visualisation software.
- SSL files - the full library of fixture profiles (SSL files).
Once you have confirmed that the required licences are active on your device, you can begin by
launching the Easy View Connect application. When the main screen appears, you can connect your
device to your computer. This should allow the device to be detected within the ‘Hardware(s)
available’ list. Select your device, then choose the desired Hardware and Software universe options
(in most cases- this will simply be Universe 1 and Universe 1). You can then press ‘Ok’ to launch the
Easy View 2 visualiser.
Toolbar
Easy View 2 has a number of buttons in the toolbar, located at the top of the window. When you
hover over a button, it’s name will appear in the bottom left of the window. The following explains
what each button is/does:
3. Build view: This will show the setup options for Easy View 2. Here you can patch fixtures,
add 3D models, and adjust the visual settings. You can also move, rotate and align your
fixtures.
4. Keep this dialogue always on top: When enabled, the 3D View window will remain on top of
other windows. This will allow you to play scenes or adjust your light show without , whilst
still being able to use the 3D Visualizer tool.
5. Settings: Allows you to adjust specific settings for the program (i.e. grid spacing, render
quality etc).
6. DMX input: Allows you to view the DMX levels being sent to the program from the
software/hardware you are using to control Easy View.
7. Allows to translate the selected object(s): Within build view, allows you to move objects
manually in the X, Y and Z axis using the red, blue and green arrows.
8. Allows to rotate the selected object(s): Within build view, allows you to rotate objects
manually in the X, Y and Z axis using the red, blue and green circles.
9. Allows to scale the selected object(s): Within build view, allows you to scale objects
manually in the X, Y and Z axis using the red, blue and green pointers.
10. Snap to grid: When enabled, your fixtures and objects will snap to the grid when you move
them.
11. Snap to objects: When enabled, your fixtures and objects will snap to the other fixtures and
objects when you move them.
12. About Easy View 2: Shows the information about your version of Easy View 2.
Settings
Within the settings screen, you can adjust a number of visual options.
1. Stage Size: This can be used to set the dimensions for the virtual space you are controlling.
2. Grid spacing: This will set the 2 dimensional grid spacing visible when selecting an object,
fixture, or Group. This will allow you to have better control of the ‘Snap to grid’ function (as
described in 1.4. - ‘Toolbar’).
3. Snapping: These values determine the distance an object/fixture can be from the next snap
point before the object/fixture will snap into place. For example, if your Grid spacing is set
to 100cm x 100cm, and your snap distance is 10cm- whenever you move an object/fixture
within 10cm of a snap point on your grid, the object/fixture will snap to the grid.
4. Patch: These settings are only used in conjunction with a specific DMX software. If you
patch a new fixture into your software, you will see a message stating that ‘the patch has
changed’ and asking if you want to import it. Selecting yes will automatically add the
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fixtures to Easy View. The following settings relate to how Easy View will automatically
patch the fixtures…
a. Automatically import the 2D positions: When enabled, Easy View will try to
automatically position the fixtures based on their 2D positions within the DMX
software.
b. Select the imported fixtures: When enabled, the newly imported fixtures will be
selected automatically.
5. Render quality: Sets the quality of the visualisation. If your computer is experiencing
latency in the visualiser, you can try a lower quality render.
6. Shadow: When active, shadows will be produced by the 3D objects.
7. AntiAliasing: When active, the edges of 3D shapes and graphics will be smoothed out.
When you enable ‘Build View’, you will now see 4 screens on the left and 3 tabs of settings on the
right. The 4 screens to the left are:
1. Main view: A minimised version of the main visualiser screen, as seen outside of build view.
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2. Top view: A 2D view of all fixtures and objects from a bird's-eye perspective. Best view for
the X and Z axis.
3. Right view: A 2D view of all fixtures and objects from the right side. Best view for the Y and
Z axis.
4. Front view: A 2D view of all fixtures and objects from the front side. Best view for the X and
Y axis.
You can expand/collapse any of these screens by double clicking on an empty section of the
screen.
1. Visual Settings: Here you can adjust the Ambient Lighting value, Beams intensity value, and
the ambient Fog value.
2. Objects: Here you can add and arrange fixtures/objects in your Easy View project.
a. Import 3D object from external file: This will open an external file browser for you
to select/import a 3D object file. This can also be done by right clicking, then
selecting ‘Add object...’.
b. Add fixture: This will open an external window allowing you to browse the full SSL
library that Easy View has installed and patch your fixtures to the desired Mode,
Index and Start Address.
c. Import fixture(s) from the controller: If you are using a compatible DMX software
to control Easy View- pressing this button will allow you to import the fixtures from
the software into the visualiser.
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d. Add a Group as a child of the selected node: Creates a new folder (known as a
‘Group’) within the currently selected folder/Group. This can also be done by right
clicking, then selecting ‘Add Group’.
e. Group selected node(s): Creates a new folder/group with all selected fixtures,
objects and Groups inside. This can also be done by right clicking, then selecting
‘Group selected’.
f. Delete the selected node and its children: Deletes any selected fixtures, objects,
and Groups. This can also be done by right clicking, then selecting ‘Delete’.
3. Properties, Fixtures and Positions Wizard:
a. Properties: See 2.2. - ‘Positioning and arranging fixtures’ for fixtures, or 3.2. -
‘Positioning and arranging 3D objects’ for 3D objects.
b. Fixtures: Here you can adjust the DMX address of a patched fixture, invert the
pan/tilt, or add a colour filter to the beam.
c. Positions Wizard: See 2.2. - ‘Positions wizard tab (fixtures)’ for fixtures, or 3.2. -
‘Positions wizard tab (3D objects)’ for 3D objects.
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2. Setting up fixtures
2.1. Fixtures
Fixture profiles (.ssl2 files)
Every light used in Easy View has its own profile. This is called a Fixture Profile or an SSL profile. The
profile contains all the information about the lighting fixture (for example, which channel controls
the Color, Dimmer etc...). If your fixture profile is not available, you can create it yourself using our
online Profile Builder website: https://profile.nicolaudiegroup.com. Alternatively, you can request a
profile to be built from our various Nicolaudie Group websites (Sunlite, Wolfmix, Daslight, Light Rider
etc).
If you have an .ssl2 file that is not currently available in your Easy View software- you can add it by
using your DMX softwares internal ‘add fixture’ function, or (if you are using Easy View Connect) by
completing the following steps:
Patching fixtures
When Easy View 2 is running simultaneously with a compatible DMX software- it will be able to
detect any changes in the fixture setup (i.e. if you patch a new fixture, or change the address of an
existing fixture), you will see a prompt stating that the “patch has changed” and asking if you would
like to import it. Selecting ‘Yes’ will automatically import all of the fixtures within your software
project to their correct DMX addresses. Selecting ‘No’ will keep the Easy View setup that is currently
active, or keep the setup empty if no manual changes have been made. You can also do this by
pressing the ‘Import fixture(s) from the controller’ button in Build View (see 1.5. ‘Build View’).
To manually patch fixtures into a project, for example if you are using Easy View Connect and an
external DMX interface, you will need to start by opening the Build View. You will then need to select
the ‘Add fixture’ button to open the fixture patch window. Here, you can find the full Easy View
fixture library sorted into their relevant brand folders.
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You can search for a desired fixture using the search bar at the top of the window, the list of
matching fixtures will update automatically as you type. Please note that the search function by
default requires you to be specific with the name of the profile. For example if you are searching for
the ADJ ‘Mega TriPar’ fixture- you will not see the relevant fixture if you enter “tri par”, but you
would find it by searching ‘tripar’ or ‘mega’. You can also change the search type from ‘Fixture’ to
‘Brand’ by pressing the downward arrow immediately left of the search bar. This will allow you to
search for specific brands instead of the fixture profile name. It is important to ensure that you are
using correct and exact search terms when trying to find a fixture profile.
Once you have located the desired fixture and selected it, the first thing you will notice (if the fixture
has multiple Modes) is that a dropdown list will appear underneath the fixture name. This will show
all of the available Modes the fixture has. When you select a Mode, the number of channels within
the selected Mode will appear next to the fixtures name directly below the fixture list. If a fixture
only has one mode, no dropdown list will appear but you will still be able to see the number of
channels in the fixture below the fixture list.
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When selecting the fixture you want to patch, you can use the options at the bottom of the window
to set the desired DMX universe, the DMX start address, number of fixtures you want to patch, and
the starting index number. You can then press ‘Patch’ to add the fixture(s) to your Easy View
project, then press OK to close the patch window.
Group folders
You can organise your fixtures into specific folders (or Groups) within the Objects section of build
view. When you patch in a new type of fixture, a Group will automatically be created with the name
of the fixture profile set. You can copy/paste or drag and drop fixtures into different existing
Groups, or create a new Group using the ‘Add a Group as a child of the selected node’ button (see
1.5. - ‘Build view’). It is also possible to move all selected fixtures to a new Group by selecting the
desired fixture(s) and then press the ‘Group selected node(s)’ button (see 1.5. - ‘Build view’).
Profile settings
Right clicking on a fixture and selecting ‘Profile settings…’ will allow you to alter a number of
settings relating to the 3D object that is used to represent the fixture. For example, you can:
- Alter the 3D model of the fixture (i.e. from moving heads, to scanners, to par lights, to LED
bars, etc).
- Set the lamp power and colour temperature.
- Control the angle of the beam and the type of beam (spot or wash).
- Control the pan and tilt range, centre point, and speed. It is also possible to invert the pan
and/or tilt channels too.
Any changes made through this screen can be reset to the default settings by either
deleting/repatching the same fixture, or right clicking on any fixture/object/Group and selecting
‘Update profile library’.
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Depending on the selection, you will see 3 draggable options- arrows for translate/scale, and
circles for rotate. These options are all colour coded according to the axis they control: Red = X
axis. Green = Y axis. Blue = Z axis. You can left click and drag the desired option to reposition, rotate
or scale the selected fixture(s) along the relevant axis.
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1) Position (m): This setting is used to set a specific location within the 3D space. It is formed of
3 separate settings for each axis (X, Y and Z) which sets the relevant distance from the
centre point (0, 0, 0). The number set is measured in centimetres (cm) and can be a
negative or positive number (i.e. setting a positive number in the X axis will move a fixture to
the ‘right’ of the centre, setting a negative number in the X axis will move a fixture to the
‘left’ of the centre).
2) Rotation: This setting can be used to rotate a fixture. Similar to the Position setting,
Rotation is formed of 3 separate options for each axis (X, Y and Z). Adjusting one setting will
rotate the fixture on the relevant axis. You can quickly jump to the default rotations which
come in +45° increments using the circular arrow button immediately right of the value box.
3) Scale: This setting can be used to adjust the relevant scale of the 3D object. You can adjust
the scale of the object using 3 separate values for each axis (X, Y and Z). The default value
of 1.0 x means that the scale will be 1 x the size of the 3D object. A value of 2.0 x means that
the scale will be 2 x the default size of the 3D object. Note that any changes made to the
scale will affect the ‘Size’ option below and vice versa.
4) Size: This setting can be used to adjust the exact size of the 3D object. It is formed of 3
separate settings for each axis (X, Y and Z) and the value is set in centimetres (cm). Note
that any changes made to the scale will affect the ’Scale’ option above and vice versa.
Below this, you will also find further settings that can be adjusted. Please note- the following
settings are only relevant to 3D object files (see 3.2. ‘Properties tab (3D objects)’, and adjusting
these will take no effect on fixtures:
a) Texture: Only affects 3D Objects. See 3.2. ‘Properties tab (3D objects)’.
b) Visible: When enabled, the fixture and beam will be visible. When disabled, the fixture and
beam will be hidden.
c) Selectable: When enabled, you can select the fixture within the main view screen by clicking
on the 3D object. When disabled, the fixture can not be selected within the main view
screen.
d) Locked: When enabled, you will be unable to move, rotate or resize the fixture. When
disabled, you will be able to move, rotate and resize the fixture.
e) Material: Only affects 3D Objects. See 3.2. ‘Properties tab (3D objects)’.
f) Texture Set/Delete: Only affects 3D Objects. See 3.2. ‘Properties tab (3D objects)’.
g) Texture mapping…: Only affects 3D Objects. See 3.2. ‘Properties tab (3D objects)’.
h) Selected Colour: Only affects 3D Objects. See 3.2. ‘Properties tab (3D objects)’.
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Fixtures tab
This tab will only show information when a fixture is selected. At the top of this tab, you will see the
brand and the name of the .ssl2 file relating to the selected fixture. It will also allow you to adjust
the following settings:
1) Is patched: When enabled, the fixture will respond as usual within the visualiser. When
disabled, the fixture will be ignored.
2) DMX Universe: Shows the current DMX universe the fixture is addressed to. This value can
be adjusted manually.
3) DMX Address: Shows the current DMX start address the fixture is addressed to. This value
can be adjusted manually.
4) Invert Pan: Inverts the pan of the selected fixture.
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3. Setting up 3D objects
3.1. 3D objects
File types
It is possible to import 3D objects to your Easy View projects to add an extra layer of realism to
your light show. Easy View can import 3D objects that are ‘.dae’ and ‘.x’ file format.
No specific programs are directly supported by our software, but Collada ‘.dae’ is a generic 3D
object format, which programs such as Blender, Sketchup and MeshLab have an 'Export' option for.
Not all files will display perfectly. If you notice a problem with an object, you can try opening the file
in Google free SketchUp software and exporting as ‘.dae’. Alternatively, there is a free plug-in for
Google SketchUp called ‘3D Rad Exporter’ which allows you to export an object as a direct x binary
mesh ‘.x’. These can be used with any version of Easy View.
Please note: It is not possible to make your own 3D fixture models in Easy View. It is also not
possible to edit our ‘.x’ graphics with other software.
Importing 3D objects
Within the Build View screen, you can use the ‘Import 3D object from external file’ button to add 3D
objects to your project. Once this button is pressed, an external file explorer will open so you can
locate your desired object to import. There are a number of default objects included with Easy
View including stages, sound systems, truss, people. There are also a number of different textures
which can be used to add further detail to the objects you import.
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Depending on the selection, you will see 3 draggable options- arrows for translate/scale, and
circles for rotate. These options are all colour coded according to the axis they control: Red = X
axis. Green = Y axis. Blue = Z axis. You can left click and drag the desired option to reposition, rotate
or scale the selected object(s) along the relevant axis.
1) Position (m): This setting is used to set a specific location within the 3D space. It is formed of
3 separate settings for each axis (X, Y and Z) which sets the relevant distance from the
centre point (0, 0, 0). The number set is measured in centimetres (cm) and can be a
negative or positive number (i.e. setting a positive number in the X axis will move a object to
the ‘right’ of the centre, setting a negative number in the X axis will move a fixture to the
‘left’ of the centre).
2) Rotation: This setting can be used to rotate a fixture. Similar to the Position setting,
Rotation is formed of 3 separate options for each axis (X, Y and Z). Adjusting one setting will
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rotate the fixture on the relevant axis. You can quickly jump to the default rotations which
come in +45° increments using the circular arrow button immediately right of the value box.
3) Scale: This setting can be used to adjust the relevant scale of the object. You can adjust the
scale of the object using 3 separate values for each axis (X, Y and Z). The default value of
1.0 x means that the scale will be 1 x the size of the 3D object. A value of 2.0 x means that
the scale will be 2 x the default size of the 3D object. Note that any changes made to the
scale will affect the ‘Size’ option below and vice versa.
4) Size: This setting can be used to adjust the exact size of the 3D object. It is formed of 3
separate settings for each axis (X, Y and Z) and the value is set in centimetres (cm). Note
that any changes made to the scale will affect the ’Scale’ option above and vice versa.
5) Texture: When enabled, you will be able to set a custom texture on the 3D object.
6) Visible: When enabled, the object will be visible. When disabled, the object will be hidden.
7) Selectable: When enabled, you can select the object within the main view screen by clicking
on the 3D object. When disabled, the fixture can not be selected within the main view
screen.
8) Locked: When enabled, you will be unable to move, rotate or resize the object. When
disabled, you will be able to move, rotate and resize the fixture.
9) Material: Allows you to select which material/component of the 3D object you are
controlling using the settings below.
10) Texture Set/Delete: You can use the two buttons immediately right of the file path box to
either locate (left button) a texture to use, or delete the selected texture (right button).
11) Texture mapping…: When you have an active texture on your 3D object, you can select the
relevant scale and offset.
12) Selected Colour: If no texture is selected, this colour will be the set on the relevant Material
of the object. If a texture is selected, this colour will tint the texture.
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4. Miscellaneous
1) New: Opens a new empty project. You will be prompted to save the current project if any
changes are made.
2) Open…: Allows you to open an existing project through the file browser that appears.
3) Save: Quickly saves your project, if a file path is already determined.
4) Save as…: Saves the project file to a specific file path in the external file browser that
appears.
5) Automatically start the last saved project: When enabled, your last saved project will be
opened by default. When disabled, an empty project will open by default.
6) Restore settings to default: Restores all of your settings to their default values.
7) A list of your recently opened saved project files, useful for quick access to projects.
Camera options
Using the ‘Camera’ dropdown menu, you can find a number of preset positions to set your camera
view to as well as a ‘Movie recorder’ feature to automate the camera movement and create a
video recording of your show.
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The default camera positions you can choose are Default, Front, Left, Right, Back and Top. These
can also be quickly accessed by pressing CMD/Ctrl (Mac shortcut key/Windows shortcut key) and a
number from 1 - 6.
The Movie recorder feature works by allowing you to create a sequence of different camera
positions, then set fade/hold times for each step. To create a step- simply set the exact camera
position you want to use, then press the ‘+‘ button at the top of the window. You can then set your
next camera position, press the ‘+’ button again to create another step. Repeat this process to
create your camera sequence. If you want to name a step, you can do so by simply double clicking
on the default name provided in the ‘#’ column.
A step can be moved up or down in the sequence using the up/down arrow buttons at the top of
the window. You can also remove a step by pressing the ‘x’ button at the top of the window.
Adjusting the fade and hold times of your steps can be done in a couple of different ways. If you
want to set each value individually- you can do so by double clicking on a specific step’s fade time
or hold time. If you want to set the timings for multiple steps at once- you can do so by selecting
the desired steps, then pressing the ‘Settings’ button at the top of the window.
You can preview the playback of your sequence by pressing the play button at the top of the
window.
To export the sequence as an .avi video file- you can press the ‘Record video’ button, then select a
save location and file name for your show. Once you have done this, the sequence will run
automatically and a screen recording of your Easy View screen will be created in realtime.
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