P3-PC Software v5.3.0

Note: this is an old version. The current version is: P3-PC Software v5.3.2. ×

Last Updated: Mar 06

Version 5.3.0 2022-03-06
Changes since 5.2.0

New Features & Improvements

Video Input

NDI was added as video input to P3-PC (not to P3-050/100/150/200/300). This allows video to be sent to P3-PC over a network connection, from an NDI-compatible source (media server, webcam, desktop share, smartphone app, …).
P3-PC Screen Capture was improved, resulting in less user interface glitches. The user interface was also cleaned up for a better user experience.
Optional Vertical Flip added to P3-PC Green Hippo interface (as Green Hippo software 4.6 and newer send the image flipped upside down, P3-PC can now undo that).

DMX / Art-Net / sACN Input

sACN was added as input protocol, alongside Art-Net. It is even possible to use sACN for some fixtures and Art-Net for some others. The same total universe count limitations from previous versions still apply.
Reduced P3-PC Art-Net Latency, as P3-PC 5.2.0 would insert noticeable latency on received Art-Net data.
P3 System Controller no longer responding to ping on multiple IP Addresses when set to Art-Net 4 mode.
Support for Art-Net Sync was added, allowing consoles that support Art-Net Sync to send multiple universes in a synchronized way.
Support for sACN Sync was added, allowing consoles that support sACN Sync to send multiple universes in a synchronized way.
New Received Protocols Status window shows which universes are being received on DMX, Art-Net, sACN and K2. It also indicates if universes are being synchronized, if supported by the sending console.

DMX & Motion Patch

Repatch functionality was added to the DMX & Motion View (right click), allowing user to easily change the universe and/or protocol for an already patched fixture (or multiple fixtures at once).
Run non-patched Fixtures without DMX was added as an option to the Project Options -> DMX & Motion Settings. This allows fixtures that normally require DMX controls (such as VDO Atomic Dot, VDO Atomic Bold and some more upcoming fixtures) to work in pure video mode (without any DMX controls patched).
Enabling Disable Controls in the DMX & Motion View no longer interrupts the DMX channels being sent to patched fixtures. This also means that fixtures will no longer lose pan and tilt while Quick Addressing them or while sending TestPatterns.

Setup View

Background Image Opacity control allows background image / CAD drawing to be “faded out”.
The Renumber Tool was updated to offer a lot more possibilities such as renumbering only the selected fixtures or devices. It is now also possible to let the renumber tool start at a user-decided number.
The Quick Addressing Tool was updated to offer more flexibility. It is now possible to Quick Address only a selection of fixtures on the workspace, or only the devices you select in the Discovered Devices view.
New Tools Menu was added to the toolbar. This mimics the functionality of the right-click menu. Various elements in the Tools / Right-Click menu have also been improved and corrected.
Support for Active PDE Junction Box was added, so that fixtures connected to an Active PDE Junction Box are now shown underneath that box in the Discovered Devices panel. Including detailed information on which ports of the Active PDE Junction Box are connected, and at what speed.
Workspace Size Tooltip was added. If you hover over the Project Pixel Pitch area, a tooltip popup will show you the size of the workspace.
Fixture order when dragging discovered devices to the workspace is now correct.
Enable Magnified Fixtures now also supports fixtures such as MAC Aura PXL, MAC Ultra and VDO Atomic Bold.
Toggle Fixture/Device Selection was assigned to a new keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+T, as that works on all platforms (previous keyboard shortcut did not work on P3-050/100/150/200/300).
Copy Paste using Ctrl+V can now be set to place fixtures at mouse location (in the Preferences window), enabling a faster mapping workflow in multiple scenarios.
Group Anchor Positions now include center top, center left, center right and center bottom.
It is now possible to hide the fixture coordinates tooltip.
Shift+Scroll is now the new shortcut for horizontal scroll of the workspace.
Scroll Wheel now works when Scroll Drag mode is enabled.

P3-PC Specific

The P3-PC Network Driver was updated to Npcap (from WinPcap which was used previously, as some newer network ports and dongles are not supported by WinPcap).
Opening a P3 showfile directly from email no longer crashes the P3-PC application when closing that showfile (as it now asks the user to save a copy to a writable location).
Crashlog functionality was added to P3-PC (was already available on P3-050/100/150/200/300 previously). This enables us to better investigate P3-PC crashes reported by users.

Various

Separate option for Save Backup versus Save As (Save Backup does save a backup of your current showfile, but doesn’t close it. Save As does save your showfile under a new name and then opens that newly named showfile.).
Sorting of fixture series in Fixture Library, Device & Firmware Library and other places is now alphabetical.
The Edge Compensation window now indicates if not all selected fixtures have the same end compensation enabled.

Included Fixture Firmware Packages