Amongst the line-up of dedicated system controllers on offer from Martin and their P3 range is a free PC application called P3-PC. Whilst the dedicated system controllers such as the P3-150 and 300 are required for the elite, expansive pixel-mapped lighting shows, this PC application is an incredibly powerful tool for training, offline editing, configuration, and for running shows up to 20,736 pixels (that's more than 200 VDO Sceptrons or 129 MAC Aura PXL…! ). And it’s available for free!
Easily downloadable from the Martin website, P3-PC allows full access to the complete suite of Martin’s P3 video mapping software and it runs directly on the CPU of your Windows machine allowing you to create small shows on the move and design shows even when the dedicated P3 hardware is not available. You can even run a complete show directly from P3-PC - simply connect the laptop’s Ethernet port directly to the compatible Martin fixtures and you’re ready to pixel map!
P3-PC as an application supports output for up to 20,736 pixels which depending on your resolution, is enough for an intimate show, however the software itself can support unlimited pixel counts which means you can load massive show files created with the P3-300 into P3-PC for editing, re-configuration, or remapping onto smaller lighting rigs.
With all the same configuration wizards and features as the dedicated P3 servers, P3-PC is also a powerful tool to assign and address multiple Martin fixtures ahead of time for standard DMX applications or during prep at the rental warehouse.
Unlike the traditional system controllers that cannot host their own video sources, P3-PC can source the video for pixel mapping directly from the laptop’s internal screen or from an extended desktop. There is a simple marquee selection tool fixtures, but you can also receive video from an external media server connected to the laptop using the industry-standard NDI protocol for more advanced setups.
P3-PC is also a great tool to enable freelance engineers to learn more about the P3 system whilst offline as well as prepare shows for appropriate hardware prior to arriving at the venue. With P3’s real-time pixel display, you can also get a preview as to how the video will look once mapped onto the available pixel within the lights in the workspace.
When the time comes to expand the show and increase the workspace of mappable pixels, you will need to look at which system controller will work for you. The P3-050 system controller for example is a 1u, rackmount server that can output up to 100,000 pixels to your fixtures whereas the P3-300 is a 2u server that can output to 2,080,000 pixels for massive setups – all of which can run the same exact show file developed and designed with P3-PC.
Regardless if you’re a seasoned pixel mapper, or a novice looking to get started, P3-PC is an amazing tool to get you into the world of P3 without needing the dedicated hardware. Ready to get started? Download P3-PC now and get started!
Want to see the Martin Professional range in person? Visit our Hertfordshire demo facility.
