Michael Zagarn is the proud owner of an MA Lighting grandMA3 full-size as well as a grandMA3 compact, both of which are now running the grandMA3 software, and a grandMA3 viz-key solution for stable and safe connectivity between third-party visualization tools and grandMA3 lighting control systems.
The grandMA3 software is the soul of the MA system and offers almost endless possibilities for your art of programming.
Photographed is Michael running his grandMA3 full size, complete with grandMA3 software, on a recent Cosentino show held at Dreamworld over the two week Christmas period. As Michael was not able to attend the site meeting in Queensland, he relied heavily on the 3D visualiser.
“We had our equipment supplier in Queensland create the truss layout in Vectorworks,” explained Michael. “I then imported an MVR into Capture, added all my lights and patched them, and then used the same MVR file into the grandMA3 which I also sent back to him in Vectorworks. That meant we were all working on the same file across all three platforms so any changes we made showed across the whole system.”
MVR (My Virtual Rig) is a file format that is used to share data for a stage set up between a lighting console, a visualizer, a CAD program or similar tools. This allows transferring parametric and geometric data between different programs. In our Covid-19 landscape where travel is limited, the MVR capabilities of the grandMA3 software have become a very important feature.
Michael is also impressed by the grandMA3 software’s new effects concept that allows you to place multi-step effect sequences directly into a preset or cue.
“These ‘phasers’ are a completely different way of thinking that I quite like,” he said. ”You can use them for multiple palettes or building blocks. It’s a lot more graphical, you can add more pictures and make it look prettier which makes it easier to see what’s going on at a glance. It’s a lot more touch interface friendly; being able to simply swipe your finger to get to different settings such as record, edit and update is amazing.”
The grandMA3 software takes into account your current and future lighting control needs. Therefore, each grandMA3 software release marks a fundamental step in the evolution of lighting control, keeping the basics but introducing new concepts to support you in your daily work life. Michael comments that every single software update from MA Lighting reveals something new and exciting.
“MA Lighting is really listening to operators and users from all different aspects of the industry,” he added.
These ground-breaking concepts from top industry visionaries are designed to make practical tasks more intuitive and allow you to fully customize your way of working.
