WYSIWYG

[merlin24]

On a similar theme, is there an 'official' boom stand? I can't find one. At the moment I just have a Pipe at a 90 degree angle.

 

Apparently there is a way of flattening out vertical hang structures so they look sensible on the plan.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

There are "official" floor mount booms in the truss library under booms. Other than that if you are hanging a vertical boom then the best way is to do as you are by rotating bars 90 degs.

 

 

Yes there is a way of "flattening" hang structures. this is done in the New Plots section and you can basically rotate objects so that you can see them in a plan view printout. Any changes made in the New plots section are NOT reflected in the CAD mode, therefore allowing you to manipulate the plan without changing the properties of the drawing.

 

Hope this helps.

Kind Regards

Andy

[sam.henderson]

My subscription runs out at the end of May and I am really going to have to think long and hard about renewing it. Cast seem to give the worst support in the world, not mend obvious bugs and problems for ages (see title block thread!) and leave one on the most popular and widely used lightweight trusses out of its library until June! If I do end up renewing it it will be with gritted teeth. [/rant]

 

Sam

[merlin24]

My subscription runs out at the end of May and I am really going to have to think long and hard about renewing it. Cast seem to give the worst support in the world, not mend obvious bugs and problems for ages (see title block thread!) and leave one on the most popular and widely used lightweight trusses out of its library until June! If I do end up renewing it it will be with gritted teeth. [/rant]

 

Sam

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

As far as you guys the end users go, your first port of call for support and library additions should be either your dealer or myself at AC Lighting, If you go straight to CAST then all you are doing is stopping their developers fixing the problems you have. If you come to us, 99% of the time we will be able to help you, or be able to tell you that your problem is already known about and has been reported. therefore not clogging them with unneeded emails.

 

I do not believe this forum is here to have a public slanging match of other peoples products if you have issues please come straight to us, and we will deal with it

 

kind Regards

Andy

[SceneMaster]

I totally agree with the above but really people here are discussing problems and ways round them with the software. We are not really having a slanging match over it but before people part with there money it is nice to know exactly what you are getting considering it does cost in the £1000s. You wouldn’t buy a new network server or lighting desk without fully investigating it and people do discuss merits and the problems of different desks on this forum so why should it be any different for a piece of software?

[Bryson]

Without wishing to be overly argumentative, Andy, but I don't think it's unreasonable for people to contact the manufacturer of a piece of software when they have a problem with it.

Contacting the distributor is an unusual way of complaining about a software bug or library update - if I have trouble with Microsoft Word, I don't go and ask PC World to sort it out for me! Equally, if I want a Fixture Profile for my Strand 500, I ask Strand (or more likely, write it myself, but I digress) not Stage Electrics or whoever I bought the desk from.

Just a thought for you - I'm not saying that people should contact Cast knowing now what they know, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect people to know the (unusual) reporting practice in this case.

[SimonW]

My subscription runs out at the end of May and I am really going to have to think long and hard about renewing it. Cast seem to give the worst support in the world, not mend obvious bugs and problems for ages

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You also have to look at the new features that have appeared over the last year too, though. New Plots have completely changed the way that I work with Wysiwyg, and allowed it to really be used as a 3D tool. Before new plots, producing something in 'Plot' that would actually be readable by the venue LX crew was a nightmare, especially when dealing with complex plans incorporating large numbers of booms or double stacked LX bars.

 

New Plots, along with the Key and Legend wizards which also appeared last year, make it far faster for me to draw plans, freeing up my time for doing more interesting things.

 

Yes, there are some very annoying bugs in Wysiwyg, most of which work arounds exist for. I don't think that this is any different from any other piece of software. I'd love to see fixes for all of the spreadsheet problems.

 

My least favourite Wysiwyg bug: It doesn't know that changing a lens tube can change the frame size. With fixed beam angle S4s (or SLs) Quick Tools will always add a 6.25" gel frame, rather than the 12" or 16" frames required by 10 degree and 5 degree lens tubes. If you're not aware of this, it can prove somewhat embarassing when you get into the venue.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon.

[gareth]

As far as you guys the end users go, your first port of call for support and library additions  should be either your dealer or myself at AC Lighting, If you go straight to CAST then all you are doing is stopping their developers fixing the problems you have. If you come to us, 99% of the time we will be able to help you, or be able to tell you that your problem is already known about and has been reported.  therefore not clogging them with unneeded emails.

 

I do not believe this forum is here to have a public slanging match of other peoples products if you have issues please come straight to us, and we will deal with it

Cast specifically list a contact e-mail (techsupport@cast-soft.com) and phone number (+1 416 597 227) on the tech support pages of their website. Some of the staff of Cast regularly contribute to answering WYG queries on the LightNetwork, and invite people to contact them directly via the personal e-mail addresses that they post there. They also made a big thing a few months back of the transfer of end-user technical support from ETC back to Cast themselves. Why, then, should a WYG user not make use of these facilities and go straight to Cast for their support? It's certainly my choice of route for technical support - in fact, I'm in the middle of an exchange of e-mails with Josh Koffman from Cast at the moment, concerning some issues with the software.

[sam.henderson]

Apologies Andy if my post seemed overly argumentative or hostile, it certainly isn't aimed towards you ;) , but I know that I am not the only person on here (and other forums like Lightnetwork) who has some serious problems with WYSIWYG and how Cast manage the fixing of bugs, implementation of new features etc.

 

You also have to look at the new features that have appeared over the last year too, though. New Plots have completely changed the way that I work with Wysiwyg, and allowed it to really be used as a 3D tool. Before new plots, producing something in 'Plot' that would actually be readable by the venue LX crew was a nightmare, especially when dealing with complex plans incorporating large numbers of booms or double stacked LX bars. 

 

New Plots, along with the Key and Legend wizards which also appeared last year, make it far faster for me to draw plans, freeing up my time for doing more interesting things. 

 

Yes, there are some very annoying bugs in Wysiwyg, most of which work arounds exist for. I don't think that this is any different from any other piece of software. I'd love to see fixes for all of the spreadsheet problems.

 

Thanks for that post Simon, its interesting to hear, I have only had WYSIWYG for a year so don't know much about functionality or development before then.

 

However you say: "most of which work arounds exist for." All though I agree this is true I really don't think it is something that we should have to do taking into account how much the software is. Its hardly a cheap and cheerful 'drawing package'!

 

I also don't like seeing developers coming up with lots of new and quirky features instead of sorting out existing bugs first, I don't know if this is just me or if others also agree? One example of this is the way LED battens work, I know someone else was talking about this here a few days ago, but I was trying to make a plan with some PixelLines in and in design mode I just couldn't get them to function properly!

 

Sorry if this is a bit OT but a fine example of a company that implements developments, bug fixes and new features properly is Zero88 with their Frog series of desks.

 

They log all bugs and suggestions on the desk which you can see online (in the Frog Support Forum) and then each upgrade they sort out all major and important Bugs (if they didn't immediately sort them after the previous version by bringing out a follow-on version) and then add features that anyone can suggest on the internet whichare also supported by other users. Great Customer Service!

 

Sorry if this has turned into a rant again, I did not start out with that intention!

 

Sam

[gareth]

One example of this is the way LED battens work, I know someone else was talking about this here a few days ago, but I was trying to make a plan with some PixelLines in and in design mode I just couldn't get them to function properly!

That's a real old chestnut, that one. ;) That bug has been present in WYG since .... well, in LED batten terms, forever. At the moment, the best you'll get out of Cast is a rather ungainly 'workaround' (which I'll forward to you if you want it).

 

However, I have to agree with Simon in that New Plots is a really great part of the software, and it makes it much easier to get decent, clear, readable 2D output from WYG. It's probably one of the very few things that it may have been worth putting some of the smaller issues onto the back burner for.

 

R13 (due in June) is just going to be a library update, as far as I know - but if you believe the hype, R14 (due September) is going to be the best thing since sliced bread, with loads of funky new stuff. Personally, I'm not holding my breath too much - I'll reserve judgement until it actually arrives and we've seen exactly what joys are to be found within ...

[merlin24]

As far as you guys the end users go, your first port of call for support and library additions  should be either your dealer or myself at AC Lighting, If you go straight to CAST then all you are doing is stopping their developers fixing the problems you have. If you come to us, 99% of the time we will be able to help you, or be able to tell you that your problem is already known about and has been reported.  therefore not clogging them with unneeded emails.

 

I do not believe this forum is here to have a public slanging match of other peoples products if you have issues please come straight to us, and we will deal with it

Cast specifically list a contact e-mail (techsupport@cast-soft.com) and phone number (+1 416 597 227) on the tech support pages of their website. Some of the staff of Cast regularly contribute to answering WYG queries on the LightNetwork, and invite people to contact them directly via the personal e-mail addresses that they post there. They also made a big thing a few months back of the transfer of end-user technical support from ETC back to Cast themselves. Why, then, should a WYG user not make use of these facilities and go straight to Cast for their support? It's certainly my choice of route for technical support - in fact, I'm in the middle of an exchange of e-mails with Josh Koffman from Cast at the moment, concerning some issues with the software.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Gareth and All.

Casts support line is there for use don't get me wrong BUT as the Uk distributors for the software we can and will support it. If you buy a hoover and you have issues with it within the warranty you will go back to where you bought it. The difference here is that as far as support goes there is no warranty you can always call. Most issues can be dealt with locally ie by us. When the product was distributed by ETC there was almost a policy that end users had to go to ETC, we do not have that but what it does mean is that those of you in the UK can get support over the phone and be able to talk to someone with in your own country without having to wait for time differences to come together. If you find problems as users, then we need to know about them as well.

 

Regards

Andy.

[robert_stemson]

Interesting WYSIWYG bug on V.13, when I decide to focus a S4, its turns into a flood battern! and somehow the S4 Par which turns into a 10 degree! I think its the developers way of giving us lighting people advice on how to light!

 

:huh: So stupid, lucky I had use of another computer which somehow had the same version but no bug!

[gareth]

Interesting WYSIWYG bug on V.13, when I decide to focus a S4, its turns into a flood battern! and somehow the S4 Par which turns into a 10 degree!  I think its the developers way of giving us lighting people advice on how to light!

 

:huh: So stupid, lucky I had use of another computer which somehow had the same version but no bug!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The bug might be interesting, but not half as interesting as how you're managing to find bugs in software that hasn't actually been released. The current version is R12 - R13 isn't going to be along for another month or so.

 

I also can't quite understand how you managed to run exactly the same version of software (whatever version it might be) on a different computer, and not replicate the bug. Surely if the bug like that is in the software, then it's in there, no matter what you run the software on?

[David Buffham]

My least favourite Wysiwyg bug: It doesn't know that changing a lens tube can change the frame size. With fixed beam angle S4s (or SLs) Quick Tools will always add a 6.25" gel frame, rather than the 12" or 16" frames required by 10 degree and 5 degree lens tubes. If you're not aware of this, it can prove somewhat embarassing when you get into the venue.

I do know someone who this happened to - a respected designer who turned up to a fit-up with an out-sourced colour-call supplied against a WYG colour count, and none of the FOH colour fitted the lanterns! I took it up with CAST at the time (18 months ago) and their response was "I don't think you'll ever have a lot of 10 degree Source Fours on a show" Thanks, that's all right then! :huh:

 

 

If you go straight to CAST then all you are doing is stopping their developers fixing the problems you have.

I think its important that people can directly contact CAST without feeling intimidated by doing so. It seems very unlikely to me that contacting CAST support is going to distract the developers from fixing issues! As a CSP/AWT I know CAST quite well, and know they are driven by the issues that affect most people. So it can also be good for them to hear from feedback directly from the everyday users - there is a danger they become out-of-touch with the real-world issues if they are shielded by their dealers too much - who are obviously more sympathetic to CAST than an average user who has paid their own hard-earned money for the software might be.

 

 

If you find problems as users, then we need to know about them as well.

That's very true, but you'd also think that CAST would keep their front-line support and 'partners' better updated with this information, i.e. known problems, workarounds, and status (fix target / no fix / 'as per design' etc). There does seems to a lack of communication in this respect, and as I've said elsewhere it could save a lot of people a lot of wasted time if known problems were better shared. Often I find its not the fact a problem exists that annoys people, its that it is known about but not documented.

 

 

If you buy a hoover and you have issues with it within the warranty you will go back to where you bought it.  The difference here is that as far as support goes there is no warranty you can always call.

Not really. If you have a defective hoover you can take it back to the retailer who will replace it with a working one or a different model. The best a WYG dealer can do is offer a workaround to the problem; they can't resolve the underlying fault for you. You wouldn't be impressed if you complained to a shop about a leaky hose, say, and they sent you home with a roll of duct tape. Also WYSIWYG does have a warranty period; it is the subscription period. If bugs aren't fixed in the time period of your current subscription you have to pay more money to get them if they are fixed at a later date. In my case if there are new bugs that affect me in R14 and CAST don't deem them severe enough for a hot-fix, I would have to renew my subscriptions to get them fixed if the resolution is in R16... That doesn't seem right.

 

 

I also can't quite understand how you managed to run exactly the same version of software (whatever version it might be) on a different computer, and not replicate the bug. Surely if the bug like that is in the software, then it's in there, no matter what you run the software on?

You'd think so, but unfortunately its not always that simple. Sure the bug will be present on all PCs, but whether it manifests itself in all cases is a total variable. Different PCs with different hardware will respond differently, particularly video card & driver versions. Different PCs might have different levels of a release installed (hot fix), or different components - texture library, interim library updates, custom gobos, custom fixtures. Also different user options might be selected on different PCs. Problems might occur in a show file orginated in release 2, say, which has been renamed and reused time and again (e.g. if it contains a venue with standard rig) which don't occur if a brand new show file is created in current release.

 

I had one Windows 2000 PC which would always crash WYG when switching to Shaded View, whereas no other PCs in the office did - and there have been so many problems that happen for me repeatedly with a software release that become 'unreproducable' in Toronto - so it is very complicated. That said I did have a nasty problem with VL timing channels which they couldn't reproduce, so they blamed it on the Virtuoso - but I went over there and demonstrated it with a Hog 2. Still not fixed though, after 16 months! :D

 

 

To be fair to CAST finding the root cause of problems can be extremely difficult and time consuming, and they do have to prioritise fixes based on the extent to which it affects the most people. I still have faith in WYSIWYG and do hope that future releases find the right balance between adding new functionality and resolving existing bugs.

 

Cheers,

David

 

CSP/AWT

[robert_stemson]

Interesting WYSIWYG bug on V.13, when I decide to focus a S4, its turns into a flood battern! and somehow the S4 Par which turns into a 10 degree!  I think its the developers way of giving us lighting people advice on how to light!

 

:huh: So stupid, lucky I had use of another computer which somehow had the same version but no bug!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The bug might be interesting, but not half as interesting as how you're managing to find bugs in software that hasn't actually been released. The current version is R12 - R13 isn't going to be along for another month or so.

 

I also can't quite understand how you managed to run exactly the same version of software (whatever version it might be) on a different computer, and not replicate the bug. Surely if the bug like that is in the software, then it's in there, no matter what you run the software on?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well I apologise for being one step ahead of myself in terms of version numbers. I myself can't understand why its happening, out of 4 computers with version R12, only 2 have this bug or problem....its doesn't make any sense.

I can understand that, how can it happen when all the computers have the same software and version. hmmm..... :D