Eos Family v3.3.0 Release Notes

Full Eos Family v3.3.0 Release Notes are available to download in PDF format at etcconnect.com.

About This Release

v3.3.0 is the latest software feature release for the Eos Family of control, and it is packed full of new features and improvements that allow you to expand your creativity.

Eos Expansion Processing

New to the family is Eos Expansion Processing, which allows you to divide up the workload of large rigs across multiple devices. With Expansion Processing, you can scale up outputs to levels which satisfy the most demanding productions, add temporary output to your existing system for a single show, or distribute processing loads across large spaces, localizing the processing near the output. Expansion Processing uses Eos’ rock-solid multi-console synchronization to keep all portions of the system moving in time. And because of its deterministic architecture and full-tracking backups, reliability and predictability are core to sessions of any scale. Perfect for commercial productions, film and studios, themed entertainment, museums and galleries, multi-venue facilities, and rental inventories, Eos Expansion Processing is a powerful new tool to help you realize the expansiveness of your creativity.

Device and Connection Health Reporting

Eos is built for real-time, no-fail environments, and that means you need to know the status of your system at all times. Health reporting has gotten a big makeover in v3.3, with clearer displays and messages, and devices sharing their health across the network, allowing you to stay informed regardless of where you’re seated. New Device and Connection metrics show in Green Light / Yellow Light / Red Light notifications, to let you know when a device or the session may be struggling. Devices report their health statistics into Health Cards, with summary and advanced sections, viewable from anywhere in the session. And when you call on Eos to do those big tasks, a new “working” indicator lets you know the device is busy, not unhealthy. Throughout the system, visible and hidden, we have improved connectivity, health, and reporting, to give you confidence in your healthy system, and to let you know if anything changes.

Magic Sheet Improvements

Magic Sheet editing has received several changes aimed at making you faster each time you create or edit a Magic Sheet. The new always-on toolbar and increment bar brings options to the surface, requiring fewer clicks and offering visibility into automated tools like renumbering. A new right-click or press-and-hold popup context menu puts your most-used tools directly next to your work (including new tools, like Renumber In Item). Nearly every tool now has a keyboard shortcut associated with it, to make changing between tasks easier. Pasting ranges of items remembers their offsets, and Paste now maintains all fields without renumbering (there is a new Paste Renumber tool). There are new options and designs for Timecode widgets and Faders, as well as tools brought in 3.2.10 and 3.2.11 - like proportional stretch tools, a new mirror tool, and more options for fields. It has never been easier - or faster - to build your ideal workspace in Magic Sheets.

Fader Tab Improvements

Faders are at the heart of quick changes to live playback in Eos. With v3.3, you get an entirely redesigned experience which includes multitouch support, updated graphics, and customizable layouts akin to Direct Selects. Now using faders on a touchscreen can be as powerful as a physical bank - unlocking more touch points for your most hands-on shows.

Eos Fixture Wizard

When you encounter a brand new fixture type, it can be confusing and time-consuming to build a new profile from the ground up. The new Eos Fixture Wizard takes you through a series of questions about the fixture profile you want to create, and guides you through the steps to create a fully integrated and useable Eos profile. The Wizard can be a great place to build simpler fixture profiles, or as a base for more complex units. When finished with the Wizard, you are returned to the full fixture editor - allowing access to any adjustments or complex features the Wizard didn’t ask about. With Fixture Wizard, getting from “nothing” to “something useable” is faster than ever.

Network Requirements

Systems in every discipline and at every level are getting more complicated. Eos and many of the show control and integrated tools users want now communicate on a network, and having a network which is designed for the real-time delivery of data, with aversion to risk and zero-to-little downtime, is a fundamental part of deploying successful lighting control systems. As such, we have done extensive research and development to provide comprehensive network requirements for Eos Family systems at multiple scales. These requirements document layouts and configurations for networks which support the types of communication utilized by Eos and common industry protocols like sACN. The goal is to provide users, specifiers, IT professionals, and other interested parties information on how to successfully deploy a network to support the work of a real-time lighting control system.

Additional Features and Improvements

Pixel Map Media Synchronization - in Setup, a sync can be initiated which will push all Pixel Map media from the Host to all other connected Eos Family devices. This sync can be initiated from anywhere in the session, and fully replaces all files in the destination devices’ Media Archive.
LED Parameter Curves - many LEDs do not fade linearly, making them difficult to match color-picking tools. The fixture editor now has the ability to set the curvature of the LED parameters in a fixture.
Lumens for Augment3d - not all sources are the same brightness. Lumens live in the fixture profile (default: 10,000 lumens) and can be changed there, or overridden on a per-channel basis in Patch.
Camera Touch Gestures in Augment3d (v3.2.10) - use multitouch gestures to pan, move, and dolly the camera in Augment3d.
Target increases: 9,999 Groups, Subs, Cue Lists - more room to organize and grow your show.
Channel increases: 100,000 channels, 150,000 parameters - more channels and parameters in support of Eos Expansion Processing.
Remote Startup / Shutdown moved into Eos Settings - now located in Settings > Device > Config.
Updated manual sections - full dictionary for OSC, release notes in the manual on-console for easier reference, and a new design for the online manual.
Shell: select a sticky boot-up mode - instead of always auto-launching in the last mode, you can select a default mode into which the device will always boot.
Changes to XYZ movements to minimize unwanted flips - live moves of fixtures in XYZ space have been improved.
Four decimals for XY color parameter levels - allows input and display of four decimal places, common in XY color communication.
UV LED emitters home to zero - UV LED emitters are left out of color picker control by default, and now they home to zero by default. If the emitter is not in a harmful range, these defaults can be changed in the fixture editor.
Improved displays for the Apex Processor - more menus, including a cue list screen, a main playback screen, and more.
Over 700 bug fixes and minor improvements - improvements system-wide to keep you expanding your creativity.

Compatibility

Eos on Windows & macOS

Eos can be installed on Windows and macOS to view and edit show files offline, or to connect to a visualizer. In order to output to a lighting system, an ETCnomad license dongle is required.

Hardware Requirements

Computer running Windows 7 (64-bit) or higher, or macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or higher
Multicore processor with clock frequency higher than 2.0 GHz
3.5 GB free disk space or higher
2 GB RAM or higher
Screen resolution of 1920x1080 or higher
64 MB video card or higher
Direct X 11 or higher installed (Windows only)
RJ-45 Ethernet network adapter (required to communicate with a lighting network and gateways for output)
USB-A ports for connection of ETCnomad license key and output accessories

Network Protocols

sACN

Eos v3.3.0 is compatible with all products that meet or exceed ESTA ratified standard ANSI E1.17 2006 Architecture for Control Networks (ACN) and ANSI E1.31 Streaming ACN (sACN) for the output of streaming levels.

Art-Net v1-4

Eos v3.3.0 is compatible with all products that utilize Art-Net versions 1 through 4 for DMX-over-Ethernet output of streaming levels.

Augment3d

In order to use Augment3d on a console, the console must have at least one Display Port connector. Augment3d is limited to Low or Medium render qualities when used on a console.

Alternatively, a computer can be tethered to run Augment3d for consoles that do not have at least one Display Port connector, or to access High and Ultra render qualities.

For the most up-to-date specifications for Augment3d on Windows and macOS, visit etcconnect.com/etcnomad/performance.

MVR and Vectorworks Import Support

Eos offers support for model and fixture import from Vectorworks into Augment3d.

Eos v3.2.0 and newer utilize Vectorworks' MVR export to move model and fixture data, and require Vectorworks 2023 Service Pack 3 or later. Older versions of Eos use generic 3D exports from Vectorworks for models, and an ETC-made plug-in for fixture data.

For more information, see Augment3d > Fixtures in Augment3d > Importing Augment3d Fixtures in the Eos Family User Manual. For legacy installation instructions, see Appendix > Vectorworks Augment3d Plug-in.

Availability

Download the Eos v3.3.0 software and learn more at etcconnect.com/eos-software.

Installation Instructions

If necessary, first download the Eos v3.3.0 software from the link above.
Transfer the zipped installer to a USB storage device. Navigate to Settings > General in the ECU by exiting Eos via Browser > Exit, or by selecting {Launching in...} as the device boots.

Insert the USB storage device and scroll down until you can press {Software Update...}. Any valid Eos installers detected will appear in a pop-up list.
Press {Install} and follow the instructions to install Eos v3.3.0. Your device will automatically restart when the installation is complete.

CAUTION: In order for multiple Eos Family devices to connect (including consoles, processors, video interfaces, and Eos on Windows and macOS), all devices must be running the same software version, have the same fixture library version installed, and be set to the same language, or they will not connect.

Fixture Library Updates

Fixture library updates are periodically released separately from Eos software. Fixture library updates can be installed via the same update process as Eos software, and include their own release notes. The ETC Fixture Library Hub is available at fixture-library-hub.etcconnect.com.

Firmware Updates

Eos software installations occasionally include firmware updates for hardware modules within your device. Firmware can be updated via the ECU. For more information, see the ECU > Settings > Maintenance > Firmware Update section of the Eos Family User Manual.

CAUTION: A power cycle of the console is generally required when updating hardware modules.

Notes for macOS Users

When Eos is launched for the first time on macOS, users may be prompted to open System Preferences to enable access to Input Monitoring, allowing Eos to properly interface with programming and fader wings.
When Eos is launched for the first time on a Mac with an Apple silicon chip, users may be prompted to install Rosetta2 and reboot before continuing.
When an object is added to a Magic Sheet for the first time, users may be prompted to open System Preferences to enable access to accessibility features.

Resources

Eos Family User Manual	Eos Family Support and Troubleshooting	Eos Family Resource Hub

etcconnect.com/ eos-manual	support.etcconnect.com/ eos-family	etcconnect.com/ eos-home

ETC manuals in portable document format (PDF) are available for download at etcconnect.com.

For additional resources and information, see Eos Family Resources.

Release History

For more information about all previous Eos versions, software downloads and release notes are available at etcconnect.com/all-eos-software.

Select a version to expand the list of changes, or use the Expand All button in the topic toolbar.

Version 3.2.0

Effective 2023-Apr-14

Setup > Device improvements:
- Some items from other areas of Setup have been moved into Device Settings, to encapsulate all settings that affect an Eos device.
- Device Profiles have been introduced:
  - When a save is executed, all online devices will have their Device Settings saved into a Device Profile in the show file. These profiles can be accessed via Setup > Device > Device Profiles for copying or transferring settings between devices.
  - When a show file is loaded, items in Setup > Device are not automatically loaded. A user must manually change settings, or retrieve them manually via Device Profiles.
  - In Eos v3.2, Device Profiles can only be created from a save operation, and can be deleted from the show file. Fuller management of Device Profiles is coming in future development.
- Network interface settings have been moved from the shell into Setup > Device > Network. These changes can still be made in the shell before entering Eos for pre-launch configuration.
- Many settings no longer require a restart. For those that still require a restart (such as IP address or device name changes), warnings are given before the setting is changed.
Output Protocols improvements:
- sACN and Art-Net output protocol configurations have been moved from the Shell into Patch > Protocols. These settings are now stored in the show file, and are automatically loaded upon opening a show file.
- sACN and Art-Net support multicast, broadcast, and unicast output, individually or simultaneously, on a per-universe basis.
- sACN supports per-universe priority overrides.
- sACN supports disabling the per-address priority packet from being sent (commonly referred to as the DD Packet) on a global or per-universe basis.
- All settings in Patch > Protocols can be adjusted via the command line, and hence learned into a macro.
Color Control Improvements:
- Color Configuration has been added to Patch > Fixtures for additive luminaires. Color Configuration allows the user to define the field-measured properties of a luminaire into the fixture profile, allowing for more accurate control by Eos’ color mixing tools. Color Configurations are stored in the fixture profile, in the show file. A guide to field measurement is available for download.
- Fixtures with factory-provided Color Configurations are indicated in the Fixtures list with a small CIE XY icon.
- Eos will dynamically make gamuts out of the additive color parameters defined for a fixture profile. This will allow for any emitter combination to be used with the color tools, including white light chips. This also means two-color systems, like a warm-white & cool-white fixture will work. Parameters named “UV” are automatically excluded from gamuts, but can be added in the Color Configuration setup of a fixture profile if the user deems it to be safe to be included.
- CIE XY control has been integrated into Eos’ color tools, and via the command line. This includes support for CIE XY native fixtures, as well as virtual control on the command line via the parameter tiles and the CIE ‘X’ and ‘Y’ bars in the color picker.
- On the CIE color pickers, the Kodak ProPhoto space is now a toggleable layer.
Augment3d improvements:
- Augment3d accepts direct MVR imports from Vectorworks for fixture and model data (requires Vectorworks 2023 SP3 or higher). No plug-in will be created for Vectorworks 2023 - use MVR export to obtain an importable file. MVR from WYSIWYG R46 and later can also be imported.
- glTF imports are accepted from Capture 2022.0.29 and later.
- Augment3d has added Zones, which are volumes that can be added to the model space, and interact with fixtures whose beam intersects the Zone. Behaviors include Keep Dark, Make Bright, Make Palette/Preset, and Macro Trigger. Zones can have channel filters, state filters, and timing attached to them. Zones can be nested under Scenic Element Movable (SEM) channels to be hidden/visible, and to move.
- Zones use a new temporary data type, called Override Data, which sits above manual data and below park data, and is non-recordable.
- Focus Palettes have a new "Track SEM" column. When a Scenic Element Movable (SEM) channel is patched, a Focus Palette can be associated with that SEM channel number. Any moving fixture that is put into that Focus Palette will find and begin tracking the SEM in the Augment3d model space until it is no longer in that Focus Palette. Any data stored in the XYZ parameters of a Focus Palette that is associated with an SEM will be used as an offset to the central SEM node.
- Augment3d materials can have individual overrides applied to sub-objects from the inspector window.
- Objects in Augment3d can now have their pivot point redefined from the inspector window.
- Asset imports come through a unified popup, whether Augment3d is being run in-console or on a tethered machine.
- Tethered devices now respect the connected Eos’ extinguish mode.
A search has been added to the Macro Editor. [Shift] & [About] will open the search, typing and up/down arrows assist in search, and enter will place the command into the editor and select the search text to begin a new search.
Custom Encoder Map logic for maps with multiple fixtures assigned now uses “OR” logic, instead of the previously required “AND” logic, when applying maps to a channel selection.
A template show file can be defined in the Shell > Settings > General. Once defined, a user can start a new, unsaved show file by going to Browser > File > New From Template.
Update Intensity Cue Only is a modifier in the Update dialog, and can be toggled on in Setup > User > Record Defaults.
Preheat Preset is defined in Setup > System > System, and is set for each channel in Patch > Attributes > Preset.
WiFi Remote settings are no longer in the Shell, and only exist within Setup > System > Mobile Apps, and their connection is enabled by default.
Eos Software and Library downloads which are "double-zipped" can be installed without removing the first zip.
Importing .svgz files is supported.
Record Effects In Presets is a toggleable option in Setup > User > Record Defaults.
Effects received many bug fixes, including:
- In Blind, Preset Copy To and Recall From include Effects
- Offset works on Steps and Actions, and allows variables to be applied in ranges across multiple steps.
- In Blind, Copy To includes Stop Effect commands.
- [RecordOnly Preset] and [Update Preset] add or remove manual effects, even if [Plus Effects] isn’t specified.
- [Chan 1 Effect At QOnly] in Blind is an acceptable syntax.
- Font colors for effects have been cleaned up to be more accurate to an effect’s state.
- Marking a channel that only has an effect on intensity no longer makes the channel active.
- Moving a cue with an effect no longer creates a move instruction for that effect.
- Inhibitive subs are no longer affecting absolute effects with background values twice.
Cue Alert timing allows a user to input or learn timing between manual [Go] presses. Once defined, the Cue Alert time will count down the time associated with the pending cue, so an operator gets a sense of when the next [Go] is expected. Upon reaching 0 seconds, the Cue Alert stays at 0, there is no automatic action taken from a Cue Alert completing. There is a Cue Alert column in the PSD (hidden by default), and timing can be input using [Cue X] {Alert Time}, or learned using [Learn] {Learn Alert Time}.
Apex Scroll Faders are independently pageable by pressing and holding a [Page +/-] key and moving any scroll fader.
Sneak commands accept [Delay] in their execution.
The user manual (Tab 100) has received some improvements:
- The Ion Classic and Element Classic User Manuals have been integrated into the Eos Family User Manual, which now covers all consoles compatible with Eos v3.2.
- Additional features, including a popup keyboard, back/forward buttons and a breadcrumb title, keypad navigation, and search that scans all text - not just titles.
Deleting a cue with an attached Scene will move that Scene to the subsequent cue.
Zoom tools were added to the Pixel Map Editor (Tab 9) and Pixel Map Preview (Tab 10) in the config gear.
OSC commands exist for controlling channels via Override Data.
Hue & Saturation encoders have returned when using CMY fixtures.
Filters have more prominent CIA Parameter tile graphics when active, and while editing.
There is simplified software versioning in the shell, with a popup for more details.
There have been various CSV export improvements.
There is a Flexi option in Staging Mode to show only channels affected by Staging levels, called {Stage}.
The device clock can be changed by clicking or touching the clock in the top bar of any monitor. Time is still managed by the OS on Nomad installations.
~700 bug fixes, performance enhancements, and optimizations.