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Prepare grandMA2 and grandMA3 show files from your CAD data. Install prepare once: from then on it keeps itself up to date.
prepare 2.6.1
LatestNot sure which Mac you have? Apple menu → About This Mac: “Chip: Apple M…” is Apple Silicon, “Processor: Intel” is Intel.
What’s new in 2.6.1
Fixed
- macOS 27: prepare could not connect to the desk (Telnet, OSC, FTP). prepare now asks for the Local Network permission (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network).
All releases
Every version with its release notes and downloads, newest first.
2.6.1 Latest 5 October 2026
Fixed
- macOS 27: prepare could not connect to the desk (Telnet, OSC, FTP). prepare now asks for the Local Network permission (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network).
2.6.0 14 September 2026
Added
- New user interface: the whole app has been rebuilt. Tabs sit in the header, every prepare function has its own view in the left drawer (collapses to icons on small windows), new data table, custom font and keyboard shortcuts for dialogs.
- All inputs are validated while typing.
- The app asks to save unsaved changes before closing.
- The End-User License Agreement is shown when activating prepare, and existing users accept it once. It can be opened any time from the help menu (License Agreement).
- Local export: export without a connected desk, available for every export including the patch.
- Before exporting to the desk, prepare checks the target pool and asks before using pool items that are already in use.
- Save and load settings to/from files, plus default settings per grandMA2/grandMA3 mode. The defaults are loaded automatically on every import.
- Import Capture 2026 CSV files.
- Custom CSV import: map the columns of any CSV file yourself.
- User fields: add your own columns to the data. They are kept when merging files.
- Merge CSV files into the loaded data.
- Show Data:
- Filter the data.
- Batch edit and filter lines with templates (code editor with syntax highlighting).
- Export the data to CSV or MVR.
- Add several lines at once, edit the fixture ID, and spread values across lines with (x t y) (from x to y) or (x+y) (start at x, add y per line).
- Right-click a line to open the edit dialog.
- Naming templates for fixture labels and group names, with badges to insert the template variables. Also available for Multi, Straight and FX layouts.
- Function IDs:
- Manual mode in Show Data.
- Import function IDs from groups on the desk.
- Separate function IDs for sub-fixtures.
- Reset brings up a dialog with default options.
- New sort option: all left parts first, then all right parts.
- Create dummy fixtures. Their labels start with "D" and they get a darker appearance.
- Groups:
- Groups in a grid by ID.
- Prefix and suffix for group names.
- Sort groups by appearance.
- Layouts:
- Create Straight and FX layouts, with fixture sorting, text labels and a toggle to separate modules. Multi-instance fixtures stay together in one cell.
- One-cell mode for Straight and FX layouts (grandMA3): every fixture, sub-fixture and dummy gets exactly one cell on a tight grid.
- Presets:
- New form "Path": a curve fitted through the fixtures. Values run across or along the curve, the axis and degree are adjustable, and the curve points can be edited by hand. Each point can be linear, curved or in between.
- Paths can be saved by name and reused on any rig, project or group.
- The Path form is available in every preset window.
- Custom easing curves: draw your own curve with individual points (linear, curved or in between) and save it by name.
- New preset window "Multi-Gradient": several groups, each with its own form, rotation and presets.
- Batch gradients: create gradient presets for every combination of start and end presets (grandMA2 and grandMA3).
- New preset form "Function ID" and "Function ID FX".
- Phaser recipes for group FX and Function ID FX (grandMA3).
- Delay presets in grandMA3 have two modes: fixed values or referenced to groups.
- Bigger preview of the preset values.
- Datapool selection in the settings (grandMA3).
- Match FixtureTypes: the selection is split into type and mode (grandMA3).
- New tool: Convert presets from grandMA2 to grandMA3, including downloading fixture types from the desk. Mappings are remembered.
- Tool Change FX: update effects on the desk directly and new input FX.
- Tool Create group FX: MAtricks detection, and several MAtricks can be used in one group FX.
- Tool Reverse groups: reverse only the sub-IDs or only the main IDs.
Changed
- Capture and Capture 2025 CSV import removed. Use Capture 2026. Export to these formats is still available in Show Data.
- grandMA mode selection moved to the settings.
- grandMA3: layouts beyond the coordinate limit (14,000) are scaled and split into chunks.
- grandMA3: gradient presets use fixed values.
- grandMA3: single preset export uses recipes.
- Group filter shows the actual group numbers and names from the desk.
- The name of the origin is added to FX groups, layouts and presets.
- The preset preview rotates the values instead of the view.
- Attribute filter moved to the preset settings panel.
- Appearance names use "pp" instead of "prf".
- FTP-Tab: tree view, handles large folders, multiple files at once, natural sorting, and the folder reloads after an upload.
- Match FixtureTypes: natural sorting, faster FixtureType search, and a row is selected by clicking on it.
- Reverse groups imports the appearance of the groups.
- Tool Change FX creates blank effects to preserve gaps.
- Tool Create group FX gives more feedback.
- Window title shows the file name ("untitled" for a new file).
- The OSC Input IP setting was removed: prepare now receives OSC on all network interfaces.
- prepare deletes its temporary export files from the desk after each import.
Fixed
- Easing curves were applied mirrored. A steep section of the curve now runs fast, as the graph suggests.
- Easing presets are damped again: High-Normal starts slow, Normal-High ends slow and High-High is slow at both ends.
- grandMA3 FixtureType import: sub-fixtures were not rotated with a rotated parent, and child positions did not match.
- grandMA3: reading function IDs from groups.
- grandMA3: reverse groups.
- grandMA3: FX groups with more than one form, and a wrong index count in group FX.
- grandMA3: fixture order in groups with sub-IDs.
- grandMA3: Import Layout was missing.
- grandMA3: preset type filter was empty.
- grandMA3: checking SFTP without a connection crashed the app.
- grandMA3: switching mode or using local export failed.
- grandMA3: filters where not build correctly.
- grandMA3: update patch macros for 3D position and rotation had wrong syntax.
- grandMA3 onPC: OSC server error.
- Changing the desk IP caused an FTP error.
- Group sorting was not correct in all combinations.
- Group filter did not work.
- Sub-ID group names now have the module at the end.
- FX groups are sorted naturally.
- Duplicate IDs in MVR files were not detected.
- Label numbering was wrong when the first and last line shared function, position and type.
- "Skip missing attributes" did not work.
- Convert presets: removed "." from preset names.
- Loading ppcad files without a FixtureType selection.
- Sorting dummies with multi-instance fixtures.
- Match was lost after adding dummies.
- Exporting layers with inactive lines.
- Straight layout Y orientation.
- Sub-ID layout view was not shown.
- Clipboard macros.
- FixtureType import in grandMA2 mode without an index.
- Deleting an origin did not work.
- Upload FT did not wait for the fixtures to be uploaded before downloading.
- Tools overlapped when switching tabs.
- Show Data: Esc closed the dialog, selected rows were deselected when a folder closed, and Cmd+A selected all lines instead of the filtered ones.
- macOS: system beep on some actions, and the app menu order.
2.3.1 18 February 2026
Added
- Create Layout per Module
Changed
- FixtureType readout for grandMA3
- Enhanced Layout creation for grandMA3
Fixed
- Import nested patch (e.g. with Grouping Fixtures) from grandMA3
- Fixed search in FTP-Tab
2.1.1 10 June 2025
Added
- Updated software to subscription model
- Added trial mode
Fixed
- Changing FTP-Tab didn't worked expected
1.7.0 5 June 2025
No release notes for this version.