Crestron Studio 1.06 Release Notes

Introduction

Crestron Studio is Crestron's new advanced programming application with the following features:

Core 3 UI/Programming Designer integration.

Ability to import Core 3 VTZ projects.

Custom Macro style programming dialog for events, keypads, touch screens. Includes global macros, variable editor, scheduler, as well as assigning device commands, conditionals, delays, etc. Visual callout programming dialog in Core 3 Designer.

Programming Designer full functionality, with ability to import SMW programs

Finish View: Build, upload, Network Setup Wizard. Device configuration via equivalent of SIMPL Programming tree/Network Device tree

Ability to combine generated programs and SIMPL programs

Full content of Device and Crestron databases is imported and available. Device Updates are also available for beta devices.

Faceplate Designer

The following sections are available in the release notes:

Required Firmware/Software

Toolbox 2.34.065 or later. If you go to Build and Upload View,Toolbox is used during the Configure Network and Upload steps. In addition, there’s a Toolbox Address Book embedded in each CDS system, which Toolbox needs to manage.If you experience lockups when connecting to the Control Processor in the Upload Screen, or when closing CS (where it disconnects to the processor) or when loading the address book in the Upload Screen, please update Toolbox to 2.35.037 or later, which will be available shortly.

MC3 firmware version 1.002.0009 or later for MC3.

Core 3 UI Controls 1.12.22.01 or later

The following are needed ONLY if you intend to import modules/programs/VTZ files into Crestron Studio:

SIMPL Windows 4.01.10: You MUST use this version to save/compile any modules/programs.

VTPro 5.01.15.04: You MUST use this version to compile Core 3 UI projects into a VTZ for import.

Included Data

The included data represents Device and Crestron databases from 9/24/2012. There are beta device updates that are separately installable that represent other devices currently in pre-release testing.

Some devices, especially beta devices, might only be shown in the "symbol-based programming" type of system.

Known Issues

Install

When updating Device Packages, if your FTP connection drops, Crestron Studio will resume the connection. When the download is finished, you may see a message that the "FTP connection timed out". Re-select "Download and Install" and the installation will continue.

Crestron Studio

If you are running 64-bit Windows 7 versions, about twice as much memory is now available to the application for use. There are warnings that will caution you when memory usage is getting too high, so that you may take precautions like closing Designers and saving your program.

There have been changes to the shortcut keys, particularly in Core 3 UI Designer for consistency across the application and to meet Microsoft standards.

You must run as administrator for now, due to some issues with the Microsoft signing dll, capicom.dll, which will be fixed soon. Toolbox 2.34.065 removes its own requirement to run as administrator.

IMPORTANT: Crestron Studio has been locked down to prevent data changes from altering the program while actively building it on the Build Screen.

If you encounter an exception during program generation, save your system, close CS. Then re-start CS and try again. Data about your exception will be uploaded to a Crestron server, so that we may better understand and fix bugs.

There are a few PCs where SQL Express does not immediately begin running, causing the install to appear to fail. Restarting the PC will usually start SQL.

Program Designer

There is a 50 character limitation on the local portion of a file name that has been recently added – it’s working correctly for newly created systems, but you are allowed to give an exported system a name greater than 50 characters, and then it fails to import (unless you manually rename it to be shorter than 50 characters). Beginning with this version, the compiled SIMPL program will have the same name as the system, rather than the same name as the control processor device, and this may cause issues with compiling programs that previously had no problem, due to length of the name. If you experience mysterious compile issues, please do a "Save As" of your program to another shorter name.

XPanel for Core 3 (Web) does not upload properly through Crestron Studio. You must use the "Mobility" dialog through Toolbox.

C2N-TXM does not show the Song or Artist. A compilation fix is needed.

There will be an error in programming the ADMS to work with Core 3 Media Player object. Get the device update package when it is available, within a day or so of software release.

A newer symbol model for DMPS-300 is needed. Please get the Device Update for it when available.

When importing a Crestron Studio archive that you or someone else has exported, if it contains user modules or IR devices, those modules and devices will need to be placed either in the central or project user folders, depending on where they were stored in the original program. This restriction will be removed shortly. Similarly, if there are encrypted modules in the import or export, there may be problems that will require a software release.

System Designer

Project management: Ability to sort and search your systems is now available.

Additional devices have been made available in the Generated systems as well as the Manual (symbol-based) systems.

Programming Editor: Non-Core 3 touchscreens may be programmed through the "Program Touchscreens" task or the "Advanced Programming" task"

Product Browser now lists a device's "Source" - Crestron-defined or user-defined and stored centrally or with the project.

Data integrity checks are now running as a system is saved, to spot problems while the system is still active and in memory.

The Updates Designer has been merged with the Device Maintenance Designer. There are also changes that will allow FTP download from an alternate FTP site, if another Crestron office hosts a mirror site. There are other features where you may download to a local drive, e.g. a USB stick, and then other users can install from the local drive. Do not use this last feature yet - the Download works, but the Install from another local drive does not.

Core 3 UI Designer

Please stay current as new Core 3 Controls 1.12 versions are announced. They represent a merging of the versions used by CS and by VTPro. In particular, do not use the Weather App Core 3 Control at this time. Non-English characters work intermittently.

There is an import method that imports Core 3 VTZ files from VTPro 5.1.15.04 and later. However, there is a memory leak associated with it, so you should save your system after import, close the app, and re-open.

There are sometimes errors associated with importing a Crestron Studio display project archive to a different type of touchscreen, which will be resolved in the next version.

Faceplate Designer

Graphics for faceplates are still being added, so not all shipping devices are supported yet. You may still program keypads that are not visually supported.

Future Changes

Future releases will be scheduled fairly often, in order to add features and resolve bugs as quickly as possible.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems:

Windows 7, 32 or 64 bit platforms supported when installed and run on an account with administrative privileges and XP Compatibility mode turned OFF. We recommend 64-bit platforms because additional memory is available to the Crestron Studio application.

Has been tested running on VMWare virtual machines.

Preliminary testing has been done on Windows 8. There is an installation issue where Crestron software will begin to install before the completion of required packages such as .NET Framework 3.5. Wait until the required packages install, then run the install again. CS should run.

Recommended PC Configuration:

i7 processor with 8GB RAM