Skull Sequencer AddIn

[ctmal]

Ok, let's start with my standard disclaimer...I am not a programmer.

I've been working on a AddIn to help make the sequencing of a 3 Axis skull less painful to do. It's at the point now where it is working for me and is ready for testing. I guess you could call this a beta stage.

The AddIn is similar to the Skull Output plugin except that instead of showing the Output it lets you sequence the skull using either the mouse or a joystick(or both). Testing on my actual 3 axis skull has been limited since the poor guy got caught in a wind storm and fell over(he took a header). He needs a rebuild. Even though he is extremely handicapped at the moment I'm very pleased with the results.

The AddIn does need .Net 3.5 sp 1 installed and DirectX runtime(with Managed code) I've included a link in the zip file for finding the correct DirectX version. Other than that I've been running it on an 8 year old laptop with no issues. Also, it should work fine for either Vixen 2.1 or 2.5. There is no differences in plugins for the two versions.

I've included a quick instruction sheet in the zip file on how to get it up and running.

Let me know what you think and if you run into any problems.

edit. The attached zip file is the latest version.

I've decided to consolidate my projects. You can download this and anything else you're interested in at ctm.maloneylights.com (http://ctm.maloneylights.com/downloads/).

[Greg in Canby]

Thanks for the R & D work. Now all I need to do is build a three axis skull.

This plug-in just might be my much needed motivation.

[maffeirw]

I gave the Skull Sequencer Add-in a try on the XP 32 bit system. The initial setup screen appears, but after entering the info and selecting OK it errors out with an:
Add-in Error:
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
When I select OK on the error screen it immediately repeats the above error.

As somewhat expected, it's not working on the Vista 64 bit either and immediately gives an:
Add-in Error:
is not a valid Win32 application, (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800700C1)

The good news is I cut the Lexan plate and mounted the servos, so they don't flop around on the table anymore when I play with them. Waiting for the skulls and rod ends to arrive before I can go any further. Your RenServo firmware seems to be working OK in the Ren24LV so I ordered a Ren48LSD which I'm going to try to modify to give 32 servo channels and 16 LED channels for the RGB eyes. There is some jitter in a couple of the servos during testing but that is most likely 25 year old servos and not your firmware.

Thanks again for your work on these programs, plug-ins and add-ins. In answer to your blog question I personally would love a how-to and/or video on creating plug-ins and add-ins.
Ron

[ctmal]

That error sounds like the same exact issue as the Skull Output Plugin(which I thought was already dealt with). If so it's a quick fix...bad news is I don't have access to it until tonight. I hate it when work gets in the way of play.

I haven't dealt with the 64 bit issue yet. I'm going to wait until I know everything is working.

[ctmal]

The good news is I cut the Lexan plate and mounted the servos, so they don't flop around on the table anymore when I play with them. Waiting for the skulls and rod ends to arrive before I can go any further. Your RenServo firmware seems to be working OK in the Ren24LV so I ordered a Ren48LSD which I'm going to try to modify to give 32 servo channels and 16 LED channels for the RGB eyes. There is some jitter in a couple of the servos during testing but that is most likely 25 year old servos and not your firmware.
Ron

How bad is the Jitter? I don't get any with my old Futaba servos(sometimes I hear some buzz but not often). I did have 1 Hitec servo go wacky but I also had 3 that never had problems.

[maffeirw]

How bad is the Jitter? I don't get any with my old Futaba servos(sometimes I hear some buzz but not often). I did have 1 Hitec servo go wacky but I also had 3 that never had problems.

The jitter seems to have worked itself out in all but one of the servos and only in a small part of the range for that one. I figure when we get old we all get a little jittery.

I found a tiny bug (feature?) in your Skull Output Plugin. If you select the skull preview screen (i.e. to move it out of the way) then select the sequenceing screen the preview screen closes. I noticed this first when I had to double click when I wanted to stop playing a sequence, then tracked it down to the preview closing when focus is switched on to the preview window then off it and on to another window. It dosen't effect the useablity of the plugin I just thought you might want to know about it.

[ctmal]

The jitter seems to have worked itself out in all but one of the servos and only in a small part of the range for that one. I figure when we get old we all get a little jittery.

I found a tiny bug (feature?) in your Skull Output Plugin. If you select the skull preview screen (i.e. to move it out of the way) then select the sequenceing screen the preview screen closes. I noticed this first when I had to double click when I wanted to stop playing a sequence, then tracked it down to the preview closing when focus is switched on to the preview window then off it and on to another window. It dosen't effect the useablity of the plugin I just thought you might want to know about it.

Unfortunately, that isn't a feature. Thanks for letting me know about it though. I will look into it. I wonder if it's just going into the background.

As for the AddIn, I fixed the issue(it was just one misplaced backet(}). I did notice something else though that I'd like to fix. I am using Managed directx which is no longer supported by Microsoft. The version I'm using you'd have to install the redistributable in order for it to work. I'm updating the SDK to the latest version that still has managed DirectX(from 2007). I'm under the impression that .Net has everything it will need without having to install anything else. I should be able to get the AddIn posted again by tomorrow night.

[maffeirw]

Unfortunately, that isn't a feature. Thanks for letting me know about it though. I will look into it. I wonder if it's just going into the background.

That exactly whats happenning I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it but the preview screen opens as another window on the taskbar on the bottom of the sceen. After the window disappears I can return focus to it by clicking the instance on the taskbar and if I shrink down Vixen the window can be seen. When I checked most of the other add-ins they retain focus until closed something you can't do with your add-in because you wouldn't be able to stop the playback.

[ctmal]

That exactly whats happenning I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it but the preview screen opens as another window on the taskbar on the bottom of the sceen. After the window disappears I can return focus to it by clicking the instance on the taskbar and if I shrink down Vixen the window can be seen. When I checked most of the other add-ins they retain focus until closed something you can't do with your add-in because you wouldn't be able to stop the playback.

As long as it doesn't have focus it should work. For example, when it first opens you can start and stop playback using the F5 and F8 keys. It's only when it has focus that it won't pass the keys to Vixen.

[ctmal]

The AddIn is up and running again. I've updated the first post with the new zip file. Note that you will need the Directx runtime version with Managed code. If you receive an error stating that the AddIn cannot find DirectInput just follow the link in the zip file and install the DirectX runtime.
Let me know how you make out.

[maffeirw]

Installed the Directx runtime and I'm still getting he same error.

Add-in Error:
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

[ctmal]

Did you copy the new files to the AddIn directory? The dll's were updated.

[maffeirw]

Yes I copied in the files but whats strange is it still dosen't work with the old test files I had created last week but I seem to be able to access it when I create a new test file. Let me play with it some more this evening and I let you know exactly what its doing. At least to me. :)
I have to go outside and continue taking down some of my lights - theres still over a foot of snow on the ground but the temp is in the high 50s and I'm able to dig some of it out before it gets cold again.

[ctmal]

Ok, the issue is probably that when the AddIn crashed on you it messed up writing the setupdata. If you pm me your sequence(if your using a profile I'd need that instead) I can fix if for you. It's just a matter of removing the Skull Sequencer messed up data from the sequence.

[maffeirw]

No need to fix the files as they were created to test your plugin and add-in. I was pretty well able to repeatedly screw up the Renard Plugin while testing and then discovered that I could do it without your code included so it not your problem.
I did find a small bug in the Skull Sequencer - moving the slider to the rightmost position causes the following
FMOD error ! ERROR_INVALID_PARAM - An invalid parameter was passed to this function.
Associated with this is if the slide gets to the end no matter how (rec, play or move with mouse) you can't use the slide to move it back to an earlier point without it locking at the point you moved it to.
An enhancement you might want to make would be to display the seconds into the audio rather than what I believe are miliseconds (although it's probably just as easy to divide your displayed number by a 1000).
By the way thanks again for these plugins & addins. They should make it much easier to program the skulls I'm currently building.

[ctmal]

No need to fix the files as they were created to test your plugin and add-in. I was pretty well able to repeatedly screw up the Renard Plugin while testing and then discovered that I could do it without your code included so it not your problem.
I did find a small bug in the Skull Sequencer - moving the slider to the rightmost position causes the following
FMOD error ! ERROR_INVALID_PARAM - An invalid parameter was passed to this function.
Associated with this is if the slide gets to the end no matter how (rec, play or move with mouse) you can't use the slide to move it back to an earlier point without it locking at the point you moved it to.
An enhancement you might want to make would be to display the seconds into the audio rather than what I believe are miliseconds (although it's probably just as easy to divide your displayed number by a 1000).
By the way thanks again for these plugins & addins. They should make it much easier to program the skulls I'm currently building.

Thanks for doing all the testing. I'm keeping a list of any errors I need to look into. You are right that it is displaying milliseconds. I origionally just had that up there for my reference while programming but ended up leaving it in. It probably would be nice to have it in a more readable form. I'll update it when I find the solution to the FMOD error your getting.

[ctmal]

The FMOD error has been fixed and I also changed it so it displays the audio position in minutes:seconds:milliseconds. The zip file in the first post has been updated.

[maffeirw]

The FMOD error has been fixed and I also changed it so it displays the audio position in minutes:seconds:milliseconds. The zip file in the first post has been updated.

Looking betterer and betterer all the time. There seems to be an extention of the previous bug, if you click the play button followed by the pause button then the (R)ecord key the slide continues to loop until you hit play again.

If you would like me to stop nitpicking please let me know. I used to run a programming group and tend to go overboard.

I also used a driver set called Motionjoy Gamepad Tool to allow me to set up a PS3 as a controller. It allows me to control all axes (and I always thought the plural of axis was axi) at the same time, not that I have anywhere near the motor skills or eye/hand coordination to do it.

[ctmal]

No, don't stop, I appreciate the input. I'd rather get everything working ok now than notice issues later. Not to mention the fact that we're getting down to weird oddities is a good sign.

I didn't know the plural of Axis until the other day either.

[ctmal]

Fixed. The new zip file has been uploaded.

[maffeirw]

Fixed. The new zip file has been uploaded.
I started testing with larger sequences 198 channels and minute and a half audio (mp3 & WAV). This uncovered a few more errors.
See the attached PDF.

[ctmal]

Unfortunately I was unable to recreate any of the errors you got. I thought the issues with the trackbar were resolved in the zip I posted last night/this morning but I am going to go through and add some safeguards to ensure that they won't creep up again.

[ctmal]

I started testing with larger sequences 198 channels and minute and a half audio (mp3 & WAV). This uncovered a few more errors.
See the attached PDF.

I still wasn't able to recreate your errors but I did add a couple of safeguards to prevent what I believe is going on. Let me know if this solves your problem. If not, if you could pm me the audio file you're using that might help.

Thanks,
Chris

Oh, the zip file has been updated in the first post.

[maffeirw]

I still wasn't able to recreate your errors but I did add a couple of safeguards to prevent what I believe is going on. Let me know if this solves your problem. If not, if you could pm me the audio file you're using that might help.

That seems to have done the trick, I couldn't recreate either of the two errors using the original files. :) Yea :) I did notice that the end time on the wav file was different in Skull Sequencer than in Vixen and looked further into the wav file itself. I believe that that problem was caused because the wav file I was using was compressed. I had a non-compressed version of the same file which was 2 seconds longer. When I switched the file into the Vixen sequence, the end times matched up in the Skull Sequencer. Hopefully that was the last problem for a while.
If there is no further testing you need done right now, some of the orders for my skulls came in today and I'm itching to get them built.
Between the singing pumpkin in lights last year and the singing skulls for this year I'm sorry that Halloween is so far away. But I really believe that it would have taken almost that long to program the skulls without your add-in. Now what do you think about some decked out skulls singing "In your Easter Bonnet" this year?

[ctmal]

That seems to have done the trick, I couldn't recreate either of the two errors using the original files. :) Yea :) I did notice that the end time on the wav file was different in Skull Sequencer than in Vixen and looked further into the wav file itself. I believe that that problem was caused because the wav file I was using was compressed. I had a non-compressed version of the same file which was 2 seconds longer. When I switched the file into the Vixen sequence, the end times matched up in the Skull Sequencer. Hopefully that was the last problem for a while.
If there is no further testing you need done right now, some of the orders for my skulls came in today and I'm itching to get them built.
Between the singing pumpkin in lights last year and the singing skulls for this year I'm sorry that Halloween is so far away. But I really believe that it would have taken almost that long to program the skulls without your add-in. Now what do you think about some decked out skulls singing "In your Easter Bonnet" this year?

Good to hear! I've noticed that the song lengths haven't matched up on a couple of mine but the difference wasn't very much. Thanks for your help.
By all means, build away! I actually started rebuilding my skull last night.

[ctmal]

I just updated the zip file with a minor update. Previously I noticed that the AddIn was reporting the song length slightly different than Vixen was reporting(but within 200 milliseconds). It didn't make much of a but it was bugging me enough that I had to find the solution.
Unless anybody runs into any other issues I believe this was the the last issue I needed to correct...I hope I didn't jinx myself.

[maffeirw]

After using the Skull Sequencer for a while now I have found it indispensible and I will be more than happy to continue using it just the way it is, but if you have nothing better to do :D, I have a couple of possible enhancements that would increase its ease of use (at least to me):

1) Get it to work on 64 bit systems
2) Allow multiple skull setups to be saved and recalled for use with multiple skulls using different setups
3) Add Slider to Joystick Dropdown Controls

[ctmal]

After using the Skull Sequencer for a while now I have found it indispensible and I will be more than happy to continue using it just the way it is, but if you have nothing better to do :D, I have a couple of possible enhancements that would increase its ease of use (at least to me):

1) Get it to work on 64 bit systems
2) Allow multiple skull setups to be saved and recalled for use with multiple skulls using different setups
3) Add Slider to Joystick Dropdown Controls

1) The 64 bit will come when I figure everything is pretty much done. I will have to compile it on a 64 bit machine(which I don't have at home so that's why I'm waiting).

2) Good idea. I didn't think of this since I only use 1 skull. I'm just thinking on how I want to implement it, then I'll sit down and give it a whirl.

3) I'll look into how hard the slider will be to add. I know there are differences on how the values are read but I haven't looked into it yet.

Thanks for the input!

[maffeirw]

1) The 64 bit will come when I figure everything is pretty much done. I will have to compile it on a 64 bit machine(which I don't have at home so that's why I'm waiting).


When you're ready, if you want me to compile it I'd be happy to oblige. I have already downloaded Visual C# to follow along with your tutorials. You would have to walk me through it, but I'd be happy to help you ... help me. ;)

[erm213]

I am a .Net & C# programmer by trade. I would be willing to help out with this. Just let me know.

Thanks,

Erik

[ctmal]

Just an update...
I took a little time off(life got in the way) but I started working on adding profiles to the AddIn. It's a fair amount of a rewrite believe it or not but I do think it will be worth it.

[maffeirw]

Just an update...
I took a little time off(life got in the way) but I started working on adding profiles to the AddIn. It's a fair amount of a rewrite believe it or not but I do think it will be worth it.

At least for me, your work will be well worth it.:D Seriously with 4 skulls to program, each needing a slightly different setup, your profiles will be a Godsend. Thanks

[ctmal]

Ok, I think the next version is ready for testing if there are any willing testers for me. I'm just going to post it in this post until I know for sure it's working ok then, if there's no major upgrades needed I'll work on getting everything working on 64 bit systems.

What's new in this version?
1. Profiles: You can now add and delete specific profiles. All recording gets applied to the active profile(the one you're actively viewing). During the first run it should(notice the non-commitment!) check if you've used the older version of the AddIn and use that information to create the first profile. This should make it easier for anyone running multiple skulls.

2. Joystick Slider control: If your joystick or gamepad has a slider control you should be able to access it now.

Enjoy!

[maffeirw]

Ok, I think the next version is ready for testing if there are any willing testers for me. I'm just going to post it in this post until I know for sure it's working ok then, if there's no major upgrades needed I'll work on getting everything working on 64 bit systems.

What's new in this version?
1. Profiles: You can now add and delete specific profiles. All recording gets applied to the active profile(the one you're actively viewing). During the first run it should(notice the non-commitment!) check if you've used the older version of the AddIn and use that information to create the first profile. This should make it easier for anyone running multiple skulls.

2. Joystick Slider control: If your joystick or gamepad has a slider control you should be able to access it now.

Enjoy!

I am currently on vacation at Disney but I was able to do some preliminary testing on the laptop I brought with me. The skull profiles appear to be working nicely so far (I will test them further after I get home on Sunday). I initially assumed that the skull profile information would be stored in the Vixen profile so it would not have to be defined separately for each sequence, but after looking at a number of different Vixen profiles I couldn't find any AddIn information stored in any of them so I'm not even sure it could be done there. I did try moving the Skull Sequencer AddIn information from one sequence to another and was able to get that working, so I don't expect to have to redefine the skull profiles for each sequence in the future, just copy them.
I don't have my joystick here so testing of the slider fuctionality will have to wait until I get home.
This AddIn has been invaluable for my skull sequencing and I anticipate these newest changes will make it even better for all of us trying to deal with multiple skulls. Thanks again for your work on this project and I will continue to sing its praises to anyone who wants to use Vixen to sequence skulls.

[ctmal]

I am currently on vacation at Disney but I was able to do some preliminary testing on the laptop I brought with me. The skull profiles appear to be working nicely so far (I will test them further after I get home on Sunday). I initially assumed that the skull profile information would be stored in the Vixen profile so it would not have to be defined separately for each sequence, but after looking at a number of different Vixen profiles I couldn't find any AddIn information stored in any of them so I'm not even sure it could be done there. I did try moving the Skull Sequencer AddIn information from one sequence to another and was able to get that working, so I don't expect to have to redefine the skull profiles for each sequence in the future, just copy them.
I don't have my joystick here so testing of the slider fuctionality will have to wait until I get home.
This AddIn has been invaluable for my skull sequencing and I anticipate these newest changes will make it even better for all of us trying to deal with multiple skulls. Thanks again for your work on this project and I will continue to sing its praises to anyone who wants to use Vixen to sequence skulls.
You are correct, all AddIn data gets saved in the sequence not in the profile. The easiest way around this is to have a sequence with all the Sequencer AddIn information in it then, after you create a new sequence go to(in Vixen) Tools->Copy Data. Select your origional sequence as the source, the new sequence as the destination. The data for the AddIn is under Loadable data so you can just check that and click copy.

[maffeirw]

You are correct, all AddIn data gets saved in the sequence not in the profile. The easiest way around this is to have a sequence with all the Sequencer AddIn information in it then, after you create a new sequence go to(in Vixen) Tools->Copy Data. Select your origional sequence as the source, the new sequence as the destination. The data for the AddIn is under Loadable data so you can just check that and click copy.

Thanks for the copy data tip, it's much easier that manually copying the Loadable Data from one sequence to another. I haven't had time to do much additional testing, but I did try the joystick and found that all the functionality that worked for me before is still working (with the PS3 controller that's everything you have listed, except the joystick dial function) but the new slider functionality that you added does not seem to be working.

I hope to get all four skulls hooked up to my controller tomorrow and will put the profiles through their paces over the next few days.

Thanks again.

[ctmal]

I didn't know the PS3 controllers would work on a computer. I'll have to try it out.

[maffeirw]

I didn't know the PS3 controllers would work on a computer. I'll have to try it out.

I've been using the drivers from motioninjoy from this site:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.motioninjoy.com%2Fdownload&ei=l7ajTZzeK4qosAOJ48j4DA&usg=AFQjCNF0YG3INP1m5CXs0D-l7GAwgNf0kg

If you have an appropriate Bluetooth dongle you can use the controller wirelessly after the correct setup. I don't have a dongle so I have been using it while connected to a USB port and for the most part it is working fine.
This is an instruction video on setting up the driver:
http://forums.motioninjoy.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1186

[ChiefWarrant]

Chris,

Playing around with the sequencer I get

Add-in Error:
Attempted to read or write protected memory. ...... could this be because my sequnceing computer is 32-bit?

One item of note, the link for the version of DirectX is no longer in the zip file.

Tony

[ctmal]

Chris,

Playing around with the sequencer I get

Add-in Error:
Attempted to read or write protected memory. ...... could this be because my sequnceing computer is 32-bit?

One item of note, the link for the version of DirectX is no longer in the zip file.

Tony

It should work on 32-bit but it definately won't work without the DirectX installed. I'll get that link tonight when I get home.

[BuzzKill]

What hardware are you using? I have a SCC32 for my 3-Axis

[ctmal]

It should work on 32-bit but it definately won't work without the DirectX installed. I'll get that link tonight when I get home.

I added the link to the Managed DirectX to the zip file in the 1st post again. After you run that let me know if that takes care of your problem.

[ChiefWarrant]

Chris,

What folder do I extract the directX into?

Tony

[ctmal]

Chris,

What folder do I extract the directX into?

Tony

You should be able to just follow the link, download the software and install it. AFAIK where you install it to shouldn't matter. I would just leave the default option.

[Rocinante]

when I click on the download link, it does not work. It just takes me to a blank page. Is it working for anyone else?

Also, anyone have a tutorial on how to set everything up in Vixen with a SSC32?

[ctmal]

I let Brian know about the issue. I will get another link up on my website(should be available within a couple days.).

[scubaspookf]

What hardware is needed to run the skull output plugin and skull sequencer addin? I currently have a 3 axis joystick, ssc-32 servo card (currently use this with VSA software) and rendard SS24.

[ctmal]

What hardware is needed to run the skull output plugin and skull sequencer addin? I currently have a 3 axis joystick, ssc-32 servo card (currently use this with VSA software) and rendard SS24.
Neither require any special hardware. A joystick is optional for the AddIn.
Keep in mind that neither care which type of controllers, etc. you use. They just talk to Vixen.

[scubaspookf]

How are you operating you skulls? Vixen is a given. What else are you using to operate the servo's?

[ctmal]

I am using the renard servo controller but as far as the adding/plugin is concerned any will work.

[maffeirw]

What hardware is needed to run the skull output plugin and skull sequencer addin? I currently have a 3 axis joystick, ssc-32 servo card (currently use this with VSA software) and rendard SS24.

I am currently using a modified ren24lv with Chris' firmware to run two of my 3 axis skulls but I am hoping to self etch some of Chris' SSSRR boards and run them from an unmodified (except for the firmware) Ren24lv.
I have no experience with the SSR32-servo card, but, as Chris mentioned in other posts, Vixen will support the use of different output plug-ins running different groups of ports simultaneously. The attached thread indicates that there has been success running the SSR32 with Vixen and mentions some of the things you need to watch out for. Good luck.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/hallow...gress-183.html

[ctmal]

I reloaded the zip file. You should be able to download it now. I can't seem to find the instruction pdf at the moment, I will upload it as soon as I find it. In the meantime, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[ctmal]

I finally got the Skull Sequencer read me file up on my website. It is in the download section of ctm.maloneylights.com (http://ctm.maloneylights.com).

[ctmal]

I haven't tried it yet but this looks like it can make sequencing even easier. It looks like you can set it up a a regular joystick which means it should work with the Skull Sequencer addin.

http://www.free-track.net/english/

[maffeirw]

Chris
I was wondering if you ever got around to compiling the Skull Sequencer for a 64 bit OS. I noticed that the version in your download directory has "32 bit download for Vixen" in the description and I get an error when I access it in Vixen on my Vista 64 bit OS. The error reads:

Add-in error:

is not a valid Win32 application. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800700C1)

[ctmal]

I'm going to take a look at it today. I'll let you know what I come up with.

[ctmal]

I've looked into the 64 bit issue a bit and it looks like the issue is caused by DirectX. The bad news is that DirectX(using Managed code) is no longer supported by Microsoft and hasn't been for awhile. The really bad news is that it does not support 64 bit. I'm looking into changing the AddIn to use SlimDX instead. This should allow support for both 32 and 64 bit systems.
At this point I'm not sure of a turnaround time though.

[hollandlihjtdisplay]

I had the same message on windows 7 today. When i installed the plugins on my xp system and click on the add on tab in vixen;it saying i need direct x, i went to the link in the plugin and downloaded direct x, when i run it,it asks me where i want to install the files. I do not know where to install the files to.

[ctmal]

I had the same message on windows 7 today. When i installed the plugins on my xp system and click on the add on tab in vixen;it saying i need direct x, i went to the link in the plugin and downloaded direct x, when i run it,it asks me where i want to install the files. I do not know where to install the files to.

If I remember correctly it asks you where to extract the files. You can pick any directly then go to that directory and run setup.

[hollandlihjtdisplay]

OK i got it working. I totally was missing the setup button in the extracted files folder. Now i just need to watch the video again and figure out how to set it up correctly.

So windows xp it works fine. Windows vista, and win 7 does not.

[ctmal]

The Skull Sequencer AddIn and the Skull Output Plugin have both been updated and should now be able to work on both 32 bit and 64 bit systems.
The Skull Sequencer AddIn no longer uses DirectX, it uses SlimDX. The runtime for this will need to be installed in order for it to work. I've included a link to the download to the install of the runtime.

Both the AddIn and the Plugin can be downloaded at http://ctm.maloneylights.com/downloads/.

I'd also like to thank Maffeirw for taking the time to test everything for me.

Enjoy, and let me know how you make out!
Chris