About
Welcome to the VenueMagic Halloween website!
The purpose of this website is to offer tips and ideas on how to best utilize the VenueMagic show control software for the creation of spectacular haunted houses and other Halloween lightshows and displays. Here you will find blogs, forums, tutorials, photos, videos and many other resources to give you ideas and help you bring them to reality. We’ve also created sample VenueMagic project files for a variety of different haunting themes that you can download and use however you like.
As I’m certain that many of you will likewise confess, Halloween is definitely my favorite “holiday.” It’s an ultimate opportunity for creative expression as we put in months (or even years) of preparation to create a spectacle intended to shine brightest on just a single autumn night.
For many, creating haunted houses is not just about spooks, skeletons, goblins and scary things popping out from behind tombstones. It’s about transporting people into a world of your own imagining to tell them a story of mystery and intrigue. Lights, sounds, animatronics, etc…, are the quill and paper that convey your tale, and you wield them with skill and artistry as you bring your captivating new world to life. Thats why we created VenueMagic–to help you realize your vision in the quickest, easiest way possible.
VenueMagic was originally created to control haunted houses. It has since expanded into other venues, but the essence of its original purpose remains in tact. It is a powerful tool for controlling audio, lighting, animatronics, etc… in a way that has never been offered before. VenueMagic is the ultimate haunted house controller software.
It is our hope to form a community of VenueMagic users to offer Halloween ideas, make suggestions, and show-off their own skill and experience at creating haunted houses and Halloween light and sound presentations. We invite you to submit photos, videos, ideas—anything that will help inspire others to tell their own tales in new and spectacular ways.
Felix obsideo!
(Happy haunting!)
8 Comments on About
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I like what I see. I have worked for Disney a long time now I am semi-retired and what to do more with my yard haunt. Venuemagic looks simply to use and I can retro-fit to my props. I understand there is a free trial but I can’t find an actual cost. Can you tell me where to look to find this? I stay busy and may not get to download this right away. I may even get a call to help with a non-profits Halloween Haunt project happening this week. Anyway your product looks grat and I want to play with it and learn more. Thanks for your time.
There are currently three versions of VenueMagic. You can see their prices at http://www.venuemagic.com/index.php/store/vmstore. Please enjoy the free trial download.
I have an idea for your product. Ive been looking at venumagic for a about 6 months now and it looks very user friendly. I would love to see you guys add ways to trigger events or a specific time lines, this way I have total control of my haunt at my computer. Has anyone asked for this sort of upgrade to the software? If you were to add this I would buy it in a heartbeat. If you have any questions of what I mean or you do decide to add this feature please let me know. Thanks ~Troy
With VenueMagic you can trigger timelines in a variety of ways, including:
- Cue Buttons (from VeneMagic itself)
- MIDI (any MIDI output device)
- Joystick buttons (up to 15 joysticks are supported–that’s 480 buttons)
- Computer keyboard.
- Date/time
- Other timelines.
VenueMagic also lets you trigger other devices using the MIDI and serial output events.
Does this cover what you were talking about or did you have something else in mind?
First let me say that I look forward to working with this system as it looks just like what I am looking for (save for it working on a Mac!) I think what he is asking above is the same question I have. I want to be able to add photo sensor triggers, pressure plates, IR sensors etc to trigger cues (aka simple contact switches). I take it I could hack a joystick and wire the switches inside to these units, I was just hoping for a more elegant solution if there is one.
Thanks,
Emiliano
There are a number of products available that let you do analog and digital I/O with MIDI. One is the MidiTron by Eroktronik. Another option for I/O is the WEMC1 by Weigl Works. It has 16-in, 16-out (expandable to 48), 8 Analog outputs, 8 servo outputs and 16 PWM outputs. It also does a single universe of DMX, 3 serial ports and has a 40 Amp amplifier for audio playback. VenueMagic can download entire show files (including audio) to the WEMC1 for standalone playback. You can check it out at http://www.weiglworks.com.
Re your comments on Weigl for input triggers. Most home haunters may not have the budget to purchase a thousand dollar unit for dry contact inputs considering all the much cheaper options out there for both. DLP-IO8-G 8-Channel Data Acquisition Board is on and cost just 30 dollars and gives you 8 inputs. I could use the saving to purchase your software and then still have money left for props!
@Magic3333 – We heard your comment but looks like we forgot to reply here as well. We have been working with a couple out haunt manufacturers on some lower cost options.