What is Vmix?
vMix is a Software Video Mixer and Switcher that provides live HD video mixing and live streaming software that allows you to publish your live productions directly to the Internet. More information on their website.
Adding a vMix 'device' to the Automator
In the top right corner of the Automator, we see 'Devices' - this can be either in red or green depending on the status of the configured devices. Click it and select 'Add device'.
Next, select 'vMix' from the 'Device type' dropdown list, then give it a name.
Once the vMix device is selected and given a name, we will see all fields needed to configure it so it can be used with the Automator.
Basic device configuration
You can enable or disable the vMix, you can enter the hostname, as well as the HTTP and TCP ports. Once these settings have been entered, the device should show as 'online' (green) in the top right corner.
The settings that are entered by default by the Cuez Automator represent the default settings needed for vMix if the Automator is installed on the same computer as the vMix itself. You can change these settings (host name and ports) as needed, depending on your exact configuration.
Media handling configuration
Next, check the box to indicate that this vMix will be handling media. More settings will appear, allowing you to configure where media needs to be downloaded and which media we want our vMix to download.
Download folders
The 'Download folder' is the folder where vMix will download all media to, with its location seen as from the Automator. If vMix and the Automator are installed on the same computer, then this will be a local folder. If vMix and the Automator are on separate devices, this will be with an IP address on the local network.
The 'Device media folder' is the folder where vMix will download all media to, with its location seen as from vMix itself. This is most likely just a local folder on the same computer.
Keep filenames
Automator offers the option to keep the original filenames of the media that will be downloaded from the Episode into the download folder. By default, Automator saves the files with a unique ID. In case you want to manually check the files in the download folder, it can be helpful to check the box to keep the original filenames to have the files be more recognizable.
Automatically delete files
We can also set files to be automatically deleted after 24 hours or a week. This way you don’t keep all downloaded media in case it is not needed anymore.
Define Blocks with media
Finally we can configure which Blocks will need their media downloaded for our vMix. For this, click 'Add media field' at the bottom, select your Block configuration (for example 'Clip') and then the field name of the media (usually 'Media'). Repeat this step for all Block configurations that need their media downloaded by the vMix you are configuring.
As soon as these final settings have been configured, the media from the Episode will start downloading to the folders that were defined. A green checkmark next to a thumbnail (in the Script) indicates the media was successfully downloaded.
Configuring actions
The next step is then to configure each Item and Block configuration with the (set of) functions you want to perform on the vMix when triggering the Item or Block - more on that in this article.