Article describe
DMXControl 3.3.0
Stand: 04.03.2025

Change over from DMXControl 2 to DMXControl 3

Switching from one software to another or upgrading to a newer version often presents several challenges. In the case of transitioning from DMXControl 2 to DMXControl 3, these challenges can be summarized as follows:

DMXControl 3 operates differently in several areas compared to DMXControl 2, meaning you will need to start learning how to use it from scratch.
You have a functioning system with DMXControl 2 that you are familiar with, but now you are faced with a new and seemingly complex system (simply because you are not yet accustomed to it).

This article aims to outline the main differences between DMXControl 2 and DMXControl 3 and to summarize and answer the frequently asked questions in the forum about transitioning from DMXControl 2 to DMXControl 3. By the end, you will hopefully feel more comfortable navigating DMXControl 3.

To address any concerns upfront: although DMXControl 3 may initially seem like a complete reinvention, there is no need to worry. Once you take a second look—perhaps after your first few attempts—you will realize that DMXControl 2 and DMXControl 3 share many similarities. Some features are just accessed differently or found in new locations.

This article reflects the current implementation status of DMXControl 3.3.0. Technical changes due to ongoing development are possible at any time.

Compatibility

Projects from DMXControl 2 are not compatible with DMXControl 3. This also includes DDFs, which must be completely recreated due to the changed requirements. More information on creating DDFs, including examples, can be found in the documentation section for DDFs for DMXControl 3.

Extensive compatibility is not necessary because many improvements allow effects to be recreated in just a few minutes. In some areas, entirely new workflows have been introduced, based on and even surpassing the concepts of professional software. However, some tools from DMXControl 2, such as the audio player and the text book, have not yet been integrated into DMXControl 3. Furthermore, plugins (both output and regular plugins) are not compatible due to the modified interfaces.

Migration Guide

General Recommendations

Every DMXControl 2 user should consider their own migration strategy based on the tables in the section Version Comparison:

You can run DMXControl 2 and DMXControl 3 in parallel on the same PC, allowing you to gradually familiarize yourself with DMXControl 3.
Gradually build a working setup in DMXControl 3. With parallel operation, you always have a fallback project that works as expected. However, don't overdo it at first—start slowly.
If you are using a large number of devices, you will quickly benefit from features like Device Groups and the associated Fanning in DMXControl 3.
Even if you still rely on DMXControl 2 for tools like the audio player, which is not yet available in DMXControl 3, start familiarizing yourself with DMXControl 3. This will help you understand the basic workflow and allow you to create small test shows. When the timecode player becomes available, you will only need to learn that specific tool.

As indicated in the system requirements, Windows 8.1 is the last officially supported operating system for DMXControl 2. While DMXControl 2 may still work on Windows 10 and Windows 11, this is at your own risk. Future updates to these operating systems may render DMXControl 2 unusable. Since DMXControl 2 is no longer being developed, no further updates will be provided if problems arise.

Comparison of Key Features

A major difference to get used to: DMXControl 3 does not work with channels but rather with device functions and property values. This makes it crucial for DDFs (at least for required functions) to be accurately implemented. In DMXControl 2, you could manually adjust values via the channel overview. In DMXControl 3, this is no longer possible because the channel overview does not save values. However, the big advantage is that you can select and adjust multiple devices of any type simultaneously.

Another key difference: Effects in DMXControl 2 are now called Cuelists in DMXControl 3. These combine the scene lists and effects you know from DMXControl 2. You use cuelists to store all your lighting effects, such as chases and movements. The workflow is quite similar to DMXControl 2. You configure your fixtures in the Stage View, click « Add Cue », select the device functions to save (similar to channel selection in DMXControl 2), and confirm with [OK] to insert a Cue into the Cuelist.

Additionally, DMXControl 3 includes Effects and Filters—mathematical functions like sine and sawtooth waves. These can be applied to almost any device property and adjusted live. Try dragging a 1D Effect onto the dimmer of a Device Group to see how it responds.

Initial Approach

For your first steps in DMXControl 3, start by adding some devices to your project. They don’t need to match your actual equipment. Ensure that device groups are automatically created during this process. Next, try creating some lighting moods by adjusting settings via the Control Panel and Device Control. To reset, use the [Clear] button in the quick access bar.

After creating a few lighting moods, try saving them. In the Project Explorer, create a new Cuelist and open it with a double-click. If a lighting mood exists in the Stage View, click « Add Cue » to save it. Clear the stage view and test playback using the « Go » button in the Cuelist editor.

A more detailed quick-start guide for DMXControl 3 is available in the Quickstart Guide.

Version Comparison

After describing the workflow in DMXControl 3, the following section provides a detailed comparison of DMXControl 2 and DMXControl 3.

Environment

Feature

DMXControl 2

DMXControl 3

Comments

Supported DMX Interfaces

16px|Ja Yes See article Supported Interfaces.

Some DMX interfaces, such as Art-Net output, offer additional features in DMXControl 3.

DDFs (Device Library)

16px|Ja Yes Manual download required.

16px|Ja Yes Direct download available in DMXControl 3.

DMXControl 2 DDFs are not compatible with DMXControl 3.

Environment

Feature	DMXControl 2	DMXControl 3	Comment
Supported DMX Interfaces	Yes See article Supported Interfaces.	Yes See article Supported Interfaces.	Some DMX interfaces, such as output via Art-Net, offer additional features in DMXControl 3.
DDFs (Device Library)	Yes See DDFLibrary. Display of control elements in the DDF is configurable for each individual DDF. No DDFs must be downloaded manually.	Yes See DDFLibrary. DDFs are significantly simplified. They now only contain the pure device definition. The uniform display of the control elements is handled by DMXControl 3 itself, where all functions are displayed in real values. For details, see DDF Documentation for DMXC3. Yes DDFs from the DDFLibrary can be downloaded directly into DMXControl 3 and used in the project. For details, see DDF Library.	In the DDFLibrary, fully functional DDFs can be provided for both DMXControl versions, each with different DMX modes. [[File:\|16px]]DDFs from DMXControl 2 cannot be used in DMXControl 3.
System Requirements and Information
Operating System	Up to and including Windows 8.1.	All Windows versions from Windows 7 onwards.	For detailed system requirements for DMXControl 3, see Overview on DMXControl Homepage.
Program Language	Yes German Yes English	Yes German Yes English Yes French Yes Japanese
Documentation	Yes German Manual Yes English manual in draft form Yes DDF Documentation Yes Plugin interface	Yes German Tutorial Yes English tutorial Yes German Manual No English manual Yes YouTube-Kanal Yes DDF Documentation including extensive examples and tutorials No Plugin interface
Work Environment
Hardware Environment	Yes Single PC. No No distributed system.	Yes Single PC. Yes Distributed system possible, where the Kernel and Umbra can run separately from the User Interface (GUI).
Multi-User	No Single user only.	Yes Multiple GUIs in a multi-user environment. For details, see Server-Client Concept.	For effective work, do not use a WLAN connection between the Kernel and User Interface (GUI).
Performance	No Requires a CPU with a high clock rate on one core for using 2 DMX universes.	Yes Due to efficient programming, even mid-range PCs can output multiple DMX universes. The separation of User Interface (GUI) and Kernel provides additional safety in case of an interface failure.
Project Management	No Only manual, as required project data is stored "open" in a directory and DDFs are stored independently of the project in the installation directory. No Switching PCs requires manually sorting various files, including DDFs, DMX-In configuration, MIDI configuration. No Only simple automatic project backup without version history.	Yes All data required for the project, including DDFs, is stored in a project file. Yes Only the project file is needed for switching PCs. Yes Automatic saving including storing a certain number of previous project versions.	Project management in DMXControl 3 handles the complete organization of projects including the associated versions. Searching for storage locations is unnecessary. For details, see Project Management (Project Administration).
External Interfaces and Control
DMX Output	Yes, maximum 2 DMX universes.	Yes, up to 16 DMX universes, depending on PC/laptop performance.
DMX-In	Yes, but a maximum of 1 DMX universe.	Yes, 2 DMX universes.
Keyboard Control	Yes, but only simple key assignments are possible.	Yes, including support for multiple banks and key combinations.
MIDI Interface	Yes, available.	Yes, available, including native support for multiple MIDI controllers without additional tools.
Joystick Control	Yes	No, but an alternative control option is available via the 3Dconnexion plugin.
Macroboards	No	Yes, available, including support for multiple macroboards like Elgato Stream Deck. For details, see Stream Deck.
Timecode (Protocol)	Yes	No, but coming soon.
OSC Interface	Yes, available via plugin.	No
Terminal Interface	Yes	No, no replacement planned at this time.
Feature Extensions
Plugins	Yes See Download area on the DMXControl homepage.	Yes See Download area on the DMXControl homepage or user plugins in the Plugins and Addons section.
Plugin Interface	Yes	Yes	The interface in DMXControl 3 is not compatible with DMXControl 2.

Functionality

Feature	DMXControl 2	DMXControl 3	Comment
Prepare Project
Personal Device Favorites	No Selecting frequently used devices is not possible.	Yes In the dialog Add Device, you can select devices from the available list that are used frequently.
Groups (of Devices)	Yes Supported in a simple form for quick selection of devices in the stage view.	Yes Device Groups are a core concept of DMXControl 3 and are intelligently designed.	Users with many devices performing the same lighting scenes have better tools with DMXControl 3.
Hardware Abstraction (HAL)	No Limited abstraction of DMX values via DDFs.	Yes HAL is a core concept of DMXControl 3, providing complete abstraction of all device functions. Working directly with DMX values is no longer necessary.	Users with similar (but not identical) devices can still program them uniformly in DMXControl 3.
Channel Overview	Yes Available.	Yes Available independently of DMX and includes highlighting of the selected device. For details, see Channel Overview.
Graphical Stage View	Yes Available as a rough orientation aid in the lighting setup.	Yes Similar to DMXControl 2 but with extended animation possibilities like gobo projection. For details, see Stage View.
Visualizer	Yes Supported via Magic 3D EasyView.	Yes Supported via Magic 3D EasyView and other external visualizers accessible via Art-Net.
Save Scenes
Scenes	Yes Supported.	Yes Supported in an improved form, where there is no longer a distinction between scene types. For details, see Cuelist.	Scenes are not compatible.
Fanning	No Only realizable through a workaround using motion scenes.	Yes Explicit fanning support via specialized command syntax across multiple areas like device functions, effect parameters, scene fade-in times, etc. For details, see Fanning.
Relative Values	No	Yes For all numerical values of device functions like dimmer, position, gobo rotation, etc., values can be stored as relative and combined with other values during execution. For details, see Absolute and Relative Values.	Color functions are not yet supported due to their complexity in the current version.
Motion Scenes	Yes Supported.	Yes Motion scenes are implicitly included in the "new" scenes and effects and can be applied to all numerical device functions. For details, see Effects and Filters.	Motion scenes from DMXControl 2 are not compatible with DMXControl 3.
Effects, Chasers	Yes Supported, partially through tools like the chase generator or motion scenes within the Effect Sequencer.	Yes Supported via the Effects and Filters function with more effective definition options through various parameters and a predefined effects library.	Effects are not compatible.
Execute Show
Cue Lists	Yes Supported, with multiple instances possible.	Yes Supported, including the ability to run multiple instances simultaneously. Additionally, extended trigger options are available for cue list execution. For details, see Cuelist.	Cue lists are the primary control method in DMXControl 3. Various "implicit" cue lists from different tools in DMXControl 2 are unified.
Value Mixing of Cue Lists	Yes Supports HTP and LTP but only globally for the entire project.	Yes Extended support with three modes (LTP, HTP, and LoTP). Mixing behavior can be defined individually for each cue list. For details, see HTP-, LTP-, and LoTP-Mixing.
Command Box	Yes Supported.	Yes Further developed as a soft desk offering a fully customizable control interface with numerous control elements. For details, see Softdesk.	Softdesk is not compatible with the Command Box.

Application Plugins

Some plugins are no longer required in DMXControl 3, as their functionality is already integrated. Others will not be available until updated by their authors. Plugins cannot be used without modification due to changes in the plugin interface and programming language.

Feature	DMXControl 2	DMXControl 3	Comment
Beamertool	Yes, available.	No	The Beamertool for the Raspberry Pi can be used via Art-Net in both versions.
Matrix Control MadMaxOne	Yes Available.	No Will not be migrated.	A new concept for matrix devices with corresponding effects is integrated into DMXControl 3. For details, see Matrix* and Radial Matrix (Radix).*
PDA Control	Yes, available.	No