Export shows for Advatek controllers (SHOWTime)

PixDrive Studio exports your sequence as a SHOWTime scene (.scn). An Advatek PixLite Mk3 plays this file straight from its microSD card – no computer, no lighting console and no live network data needed. Ideal for permanent installations, shop windows or decorations that run the same way every day.

Requirements

• PixDrive Studio with a license. Export is part of the sequencer, which isn’t available in the demo version.
• A finished sequence in the sequencer.
• A device in PixDrive Studio that represents your controller and its fixtures.
• An Advatek PixLite Mk3 with SHOWTime, for example E4-S, A4-S, E16-S, T8-S or T16X-S, with a microSD card inserted.

The key point first: ports must match the controller

A .scn file contains more than colors: it also stores how the pixel outputs are laid out – pixel count, start universe and start address of every port. The controller plays the data back exactly according to that layout.

The Controller Ports in the export must therefore exactly match the pixel outputs of your PixLite. If they don’t, colors end up on the wrong pixels or stay dark. Keep the output settings from your controller’s web interface at hand for this step.

1. Open the export

1. Open Sequencer at the top and load the sequence you want to export.
2. Click Export in the transport bar.
3. Under Format, choose Advatek .scn (SHOWTime). It’s already preselected.
4. Under Device, choose the device that represents your controller.
5. Set the Framerate (FPS). The default is 60 frames per second; 1 to 120 is allowed.

A higher frame rate gives smoother motion, but also a larger file.

2. Set up the controller ports

In the Controller Ports section, add one row for each pixel output in use on your PixLite:

Column	Meaning
Name	free text, shown in error messages
Pixel	number of pixels on this output
Addr	DMX start address within the start universe, 1–512
Uni	start universe of this output
Aux	marks the aux DMX output, see below

Here’s how:

1. Click From fixtures. PixDrive Studio creates one port per fixture of the device and takes over pixel count, start address and universe.
2. Compare each row with the matching output in the PixLite web interface and fix any differences directly in the table.
3. Add a missing output with + Port. The trash icon removes a port.
4. Set Physische Ports gesamt (total physical ports) to the number of pixel outputs on your controller – for example 4 on the E4-S or 16 on the E16-S.

Your port table is saved with the device, so it’s already filled in the next time you export.

Color format: a .scn file holds exactly one color format, RGB or RGBW. PixDrive Studio takes it from the LED type of your fixtures. The Typ column in the port table has no effect on the .scn file. RGBCCT and CCT fixtures can’t be exported to .scn.

Aux DMX port: if your PixLite has a DMX output (aux), mark its row with Aux. The whole universe of that port is then stored as a separate DMX stream; pixel count and type don’t apply. The format supports one aux port per file.

3. Save the file

1. Click Export.
2. Choose a location and file name. PixDrive Studio suggests Auto-00001.scn.
3. After the export, the dialog shows the number of frames, the duration and the size of the file.

The complete sequence from the sequencer is exported, rendered frame by frame. Effects that only run live and aren’t on the timeline are not included. If the sequence is set to loop with a crossfade, PixDrive Studio renders the file so it repeats seamlessly.

4. Play the scene on the PixLite

You set up playback in the controller’s web interface:

1. Open the PixLite web interface in your browser via its IP address.
2. In the SHOWTime area, transfer the .scn file to the controller’s microSD card.
3. Play the scene from there or add it to a playlist.
4. To run the show without anyone pressing play, set up a trigger, for example to start a playlist when the controller powers on.

Advatek describes SHOWTime in detail in the PixLite Mk3 Management Guide.

Export error messages

Messages appear in the export dialog, some of them in German. The most common ones:

Message	Cause and fix
“Keine Pixel-Fixtures in diesem Device konfiguriert.”	The selected device has no pixel fixtures. Choose the right device or add fixtures.
“The .scn format can only carry a single color format per file (RGB or RGBW)…”	The device mixes RGB and RGBW fixtures or uses RGBCCT/CCT. Export each LED type separately or mark a pure DMX output as Aux.
“The .scn output descriptors do not match the rendered DMX data…”	Ports and fixtures don’t match. Correct the start universe or start address of the listed ports.
“…mix ‘Channel Align’ on and off…”	The device’s fixtures have different Channel Align settings. Set it the same on all of them.
“The .scn descriptor table holds at most 32 ports…”	The format can’t hold more than 32 ports.
“The .scn format has only been observed with a single aux DMX stream…”	More than one port is marked Aux. Keep only one marked.
“Ungueltige Framerate …”	The frame rate is outside 1–120.

Other export formats

The same dialog offers more formats:

• WLED Binary (.wled) – for the PixDrive SD card expansion for WLED.
• TPM2 Serial (.tpm2) and TPM2.Net (.tpm2net) – raw frame data without a header. You set frame rate and LED count on the playback device, see TPM2 export for DIAMEX LED players.
• ArtNet Stream (.artnet) – records all devices and universes as Art-Net packets instead of exporting a single device.