When it comes to software, there is never a shortage of ideas, but more-so a lack of skilled developers, especially in a niche market such as entertainment lighting. HCI's core technology is its internal fade engine and Universal Attribute Control, but with the release of the new Open Source area on its web site, there are now countless 'hooks' into this powerful software product, says the company.
Giving users that may dabble in software development the tools needed to 'poke and prod' the main fade engine allows them the ability to write powerful macros that go beyond recording a series of keystrokes. The mere ability to branch execution with a simple IF statement "opens the doors to possibilities that have never before been available to the general public in a high end lighting desk".
For the gateway into their engine, Horizon has opted to employ, yet again, another Open Source project called Lua. Lua is an established scripting language that easily allows software companies to extend the functionality of their applications which are typically written in the much more complex C++ language. HCI has published a library of commands that can be used in Lua. Using these in their own scripts, users can get to the root of what is going on in the system and tweak it as they desire, the company says.
(Jim Evans)
