| A bar under the header: "This computer's graphics may struggle with these scenes. Close other apps, try ⧉ OUTPUT › OUTPUT QUALITY 720p, or use a laptop with a dedicated GPU." | The first-run check measured something below spec: no WebGL2, no float render targets, software graphics (e.g. "Microsoft Basic Render Driver"), under 8 GB RAM, or under 30 fps on the first scene. Hover the bar to see which | Close other apps and restart; on a laptop plug in the charger and pick the dedicated GPU for Plugin Player (Windows Settings → Display → Graphics). Update the graphics driver. × hides the bar for good; Plugin Player keeps running either way |
| Unlock panel: "That key isn't for one of these scenes…" / "That purchase was refunded." / "Can't reach Gumroad right now…" | See UNLOCK.md → If it doesn't work | Same page |
| No STORE tab or ACCOUNT button in the header | This build doesn't have the store switched on | Nothing to do: every scene plays. When it ships, STORE sits next to the tabs and ACCOUNT top right |
| Pressed a lot of buttons and now the picture is stuck, dark, covered in fluid, or the buttons "do nothing" | You are in a mode: the PS / centre button switched the face buttons to the FX channel (header pill CH FX: they fire the fluid layer, not the scene), or hold R2 + ▼ gave the d-pad to the PARAMS shelf (yellow CONTROLLER bar), or a value was walked to an end | Hold R2 for 1 second and let go = RESET SCENE: the scene's first favorite preset, clean (every lock off, the fluid layer off, back to the scene's buttons). A toast says LET GO = RESET SCENE at 1 s. Keyboard 0 does the same. What each button does in each scene: CONTROLLER_MAP.md |
| The projector, Spout or the recording is black but the laptop still shows the scene, with a big BLACKOUT on it | BLACKOUT is on (hold L2 + R2 + ▼ 1 s, the BLACKOUT button, key B or MIDI / OSC /pp/blackout). It stays on until it is undone, on purpose, through scene changes and RESET SCENE | Do it again: hold L2 + R2, then hold ▼ until the ring fills (BACK ON), or click BLACKOUT in the top bar, or press B. The output fades back in about a second |
| Need to tell us what's wrong | — | CONTROLS tab → HELP → COPY SUPPORT INFO. It says "Copied. Paste it into your message to RexAffects." It holds versions, Windows, GPU, screens, camera/pad state and the recent log. No keys, no emails, nothing is sent anywhere |
| A PlayStation controller blinks but nothing finds it | Only PS was held: that is "reconnect to my console", not pairing | Hold SHARE + PS (PS5: CREATE + PS) 3–5 s until the light bar double-blinks fast, with Plugin Player open. CONNECT_A_CONTROLLER.md |
| A controller on a USB cable connects for a few seconds, then CONTROLLER LOST | A charge-only or loose cable | Another cable that carries data, pushed all the way in; or Bluetooth. CONNECT_A_CONTROLLER.md |
| A PlayStation controller that worked here no longer connects with PS | It was used on a PS4 / PS5 since: it remembers one machine | Hold SHARE (or CREATE) + PS again with Plugin Player open; it re-pairs by itself. Else remove it in Windows and pair again. CONNECT_A_CONTROLLER.md |
| Windows Add a device lists lights, speakers, TVs | Every Bluetooth device nearby shows up | Pick Wireless Controller (PS4) / DualSense Wireless Controller (PS5) / 8BitDo Micro gamepad / Xbox Wireless Controller only |
| CONNECT A CONTROLLER says WINDOWS DID NOT LET PLUGIN PLAYER PAIR IT | Windows refused the automatic pairing | Hold the pairing buttons again; else OPEN BLUETOOTH SETTINGS and pair by hand. CONNECT_A_CONTROLLER.md |
| CONTROLLER card NO CONTROLLER; Windows says the Micro is Connected | The Micro's switch is on K or S. Windows is holding a pairing with the wrong identity | Power off, switch to D, remove the old Bluetooth entry, re-pair with the 3-second hold. PAIRING_8BITDO.md |
| NO CONTROLLER right after a good D-mode pairing | No button pressed yet. The gamepad is only exposed after the first press | Press A |
HUD line gamepads: none (press a button on the 8BitDo in X or D mode) | Same as above | Press a button. If it stays, switch is not on D |
| Windows: 8BitDo Micro gamepad — Not connected, and no reconnect button | The pairing was made in another switch position. That entry can never reconnect in D | Remove device → hold pair button 3 s until fast blink → Add device. Wait up to a minute |
| Two entries named 8BitDo Micro gamepad, one with a keyboard icon | A K-mode pairing is still around | Remove the keyboard-icon one |
| The Micro connects to a phone or Pi as soon as it turns on | It keeps one pairing per switch position and the D slot belongs to another device | Turn that device's Bluetooth off, or re-pair to this PC so the PC owns the D slot |
| ★ star button does nothing | Hardware. In D mode the star never leaves the controller | Nothing to fix. The plate draws it to match your controller |
| The plate on screen shows the wrong controller (for example an Xbox controller when you hold an 8BitDo) | Windows reports some controllers as another kind (an 8BitDo in X mode looks like an Xbox controller) | CONTROLS → CONTROLLER dropdown → pick yours. It is remembered. CONTROLLER.md §0 |
| Xbox: there is no ⊡ button to change scenes | The Xbox controller has no such button, and needs none | LT changes scenes on every controller: tap = next, hold LT + ◀ ▶ = choose |
| Buttons work but do something unexpected while a scene plays | That scene overrides A/B/X/Y/L2/R2 | Read the footer legend; it is correct for the playing scene. CONTROLLER.md §4 |
| Black output, chrome visible, monitor badge SHADER ERROR | The scene failed to compile on this GPU. Log: SHADER INVALID <slug> (N ms): ... | Play another scene. Note the GPU name from the HUD and the SHADER INVALID line; send both with any report |
| Black output, badge COMPILING | First launch prepares every scene in the background; the big ones take up to ~20 s the first time (a hidden helper does them, so nothing freezes) | Wait. Log shows precompile <slug> ready in N ms (k/8) as each finishes, then precompile finished: 8/8 |
Log: precompile <slug> FAILED: ... | That one scene does not compile on this GPU | Other scenes still work. Report the line and the GPU |
| Black output, no badges, fps shows 0 | Window lost its GPU context, or the display it was on was unplugged | Press Esc and start Plugin Player again |
| Whole window black on a second display, but fine on the laptop | Windows is in Duplicate mode, or the projector display index changed | Win+P → Extend. Or start with --display N |
Low fps (footer … FPS well under your refresh rate), fans loud | Integrated GPU in use, or render size too big for the GPU. Min spec: WebGL2 + float render targets, discrete GPU | Plug the laptop in. Windows Settings → Display → Graphics → add Plugin Player → High performance. Lower --size (1280x720). Close other GPU apps |
HUD shows float … (NO float RT) | The GPU or driver cannot do float render targets | Update the GPU driver. If it persists, the machine is below min spec |
HUD shows gl: WebGL1 | Driver fell back to WebGL1 | Update the GPU driver. Make sure the discrete GPU is selected for Plugin Player |
| Stutter every time a scene is played the first time, smooth after | Normal: that scene was not precompiled yet or its cache was cold | Play through the show once before doors |
Console: Unable to move the cache: Access is denied or Gpu Cache Creation failed: -2 | A second copy of Plugin Player is already running and holds the GPU cache | Close the other copy (check Task Manager for Plugin Player / electron). Start one copy only [to confirm at beta: exact lines] |
| Second launch opens but nothing responds to the controller | Two copies running; the controller talks to the focused one | Close one. Click inside the window you keep |
| UNTITLED under Plugin Player and the strip is empty after restart | The last show's file is gone, or the show was never saved | Click Plugin Player ▾ → LOAD. If the list reads NO SAVED SHOWS YET, the folder is empty: %APPDATA%\rexaffects-player\shows\ |
Log: show not found: <name> | --show <name> names a file that is not in the shows folder | Check the file name: lower case, dashes for spaces, .json |
Log: show load failed: or show save failed: | The shows folder is unwritable or the file is not valid JSON | Open the folder, remove or fix the broken file. Save again |
| A saved show loads with fewer scenes than it had | Scenes named in the file are not installed (or not unlocked [coming]) on this machine | The rest of the show is intact. Re-add the missing scenes |
| Show menu reads LIST FAILED | The shows folder could not be read | Check %APPDATA%\rexaffects-player\shows\ exists and is readable |
| The SPOUT switch says OFF | It is off until you turn it on, or the --spout flag did not reach the app (shortcut swallowed it) | Click it, at the bottom of the ⧉ OUTPUT box. OUTPUT.md §4 |
| SPOUT ON · waiting for an app | It is sending and nothing is receiving it yet. That is fine | In Resolume: Sources › Spout › Plugin Player, drag it into a clip |
| SPOUT · UNAVAILABLE, the chip does nothing | The built-in Spout did not load (a damaged install, or antivirus held back its file) | Reinstall Plugin Player; if it stays, send the log with FEEDBACK (the [spout] lines say why). OUTPUT.md §4 |
| Resolume does not list Plugin Player | No frames have flowed yet, or Spout is off | Wait a second, check the ⧉ OUTPUT button reads SPOUT ON |
| Spout picture upside down in Arena | Receiver orientation | Restart with --spout-invert |
| Resolume drops frames when Plugin Player is open (even with nothing playing in Resolume), and is fine again when you close it | Plugin Player drew as many frames as the monitor allows (144–300 a second on a gaming monitor) on the graphics card Resolume needs. Fixed in Flashpoint 1.3 (at most 60). Also: with two or more displays plugged in, older builds put a fullscreen OUTPUT window on the second display | Flashpoint 1.3+: nothing to do (one window on the main display; at most 60 fps; ⧉ OUTPUT › MAX FRAME RATE › 50 if Resolume runs at 50). Older builds: add --no-output --display 0 --spout-fps 50 to the shortcut (right-click › Properties › Target, after the closing quote), and in NVIDIA Control Panel › Manage 3D settings › Program settings › Plugin Player › Max Frame Rate set 60 (or 50). OUTPUT.md §4 Match Plugin Player's frame rate to Resolume's |
Log: [spout] paint 60/s … dropped 40 … climbing | Machine cannot feed that size at 60 | Lower --size, or --no-window. Never raise --spout-fps above 60 |
| No sound reaction; scenes ignore the music | Audio input is not built yet | [coming]. Ripple Tank's beat is a BPM clock, not a microphone |
| Scenes show the demo clip, ⧉ INPUT says DEMO CLIP | No camera yet (first launch, --no-camera) or DEMO CLIP picked as the camera-off picture | Press + on the controller, V, or click CAM. CAMERA.md |
| The camera's picture left the scene, header chip OFF SCENE · CLIP (or · BLACK / · BARS) | − (camera OUT) or V was pressed. The camera is still on, just not on the scene | + (or V) puts it back at once. CAMERA.md |
| Camera light stays on after − | On purpose: − takes the camera off the scene, it does not turn the camera off, so + is instant. After 10 minutes off the scene Plugin Player lets go of it by itself | ⧉ INPUT → TURN CAMERA OFF turns it off now (the light goes off; Zoom / Teams can use it) |
| Scenes show colour bars, header chip CAM TEST PATTERN | TEST PATTERN was picked in the CAM menu | ▾ → DEMO CLIP, or press V for the camera |
BLOCKED (red); log webcam: BLOCKED — OS said "NotAllowedError: Permission denied by system" or "NotReadableError: Could not start video source" | Windows camera privacy is off (Camera access or Let desktop apps access your camera), or another app owns the camera The SOMETHING BLOCKED? card opens with the steps: OPEN CAMERA SETTINGS → both switches On, or close Teams / Zoom / OBS / Resolume / the Camera app. Then TRY AGAIN. SECURITY_PROMPTS.md §5 |
CAM NO CAMERA (red); log webcam: NO CAMERA — OS said "NotFoundError: Requested device not found" | Windows lists no camera | Plug it in: it appears in ▾ by itself. Still nothing: Device Manager → Cameras |
| CAM DENIED (red) | The permission was refused | Click the chip: OPEN CAMERA SETTINGS, both switches On, TRY AGAIN; still no, restart Plugin Player. SECURITY_PROMPTS.md §5 |
| CAM BLACK FEED (amber) and the demo clip keeps playing | The camera is open but sends black frames | Privacy shutter, lens cap, laptop camera kill key. Or a virtual camera whose app is closed: pick the real one in ▾ |
CAM NO PICTURE (amber) and the demo clip plays; log webcam: no new frame for 3000 ms | The camera stopped sending: a phone app closed or asleep, or the Wi-Fi dropped | Fix the phone or the Wi-Fi: it comes back by itself. Or pick another camera in ▾ |
CAM LOST (red) mid-show; log webcam: track ended (device unplugged, or Windows camera privacy switched off) | The camera went away. The demo clip took over | Plug it back in: it comes back by itself (log camera: … is back -> opening it again). Or pick another in ▾ |
| "What is FHD?" / which camera is which | The chip shows the name Windows gives the camera; FHD = Full HD | ▾ lists every camera in plain words, tags VIRTUAL ones (OBS, NDI…) and says what each name means. CAMERA.md |
| Toast YOUR CAMERA "…" IS NOT PLUGGED IN · USING … at launch | The camera you picked last time is not connected; the first camera opened instead | Plug yours in and pick it in ▾ (marked YOURS · PICK). Plugin Player keeps remembering it |
| A camera in the list shows nothing / a logo | It is a VIRTUAL camera (OBS, NDI, Spout, NVIDIA Broadcast…) whose app is closed | Open that app (OBS: Start Virtual Camera), or pick a real camera |
| Effect Layer on, the fluid barely appears on you | It learned the room while you were in frame | ▾ → LEARN BACKGROUND (or hold L in the FX channel), step out on 3-2-1. CAMERA.md |
| Camera picture is squashed or the wrong way round | FIT / MIRROR | ▾ → FIT (FILL crops, WHOLE FRAME keeps bars) · ▾ → MIRROR |
| Clip (video file) input | Not built yet | [coming] |
| A RexAffects mark on the picture | Trial mode: the scene is not unlocked on this login | [coming] |
| Installer blocked: Windows protected your PC | Unsigned installer | More info → Run anyway. SECURITY_PROMPTS.md §1 |
| Smart App Control blocked an app, or the antivirus quarantined Plugin Player | Unsigned app | SECURITY_PROMPTS.md §2–3. In the app: CONTROLS → HELP → WINDOWS BLOCKING SOMETHING? |
| Antivirus asks about a second, hidden Plugin Player.exe a few seconds after launch | The helper that prepares heavy scenes in the background on the first launch (and after updates); it closes by itself after about a minute | Allow it: it is the same app from the same folder. Blocked, Plugin Player still works, heavy scenes just take longer to appear. SECURITY_PROMPTS.md §3 |
Log: fullscreen refused: ... | F was pressed before the window had been clicked | Click inside the window, press F again. Or use G |
| Focus (amber outline) is lost; arrows do nothing | A text box has focus (the SAVE AS name field), or the show menu is open | Esc closes the menu. Click a card |
| I can't see my mapping on the projector | The mapping was cancelled instead of saved, the window on the projector is not Plugin Player's output, or Arena is receiving the picture over Spout (Arena gets the picture before the mapping, on purpose) | Open MAP: the OUTPUT card must read SAVED, not EDITED · NOT SAVED YET; press DONE · SAVE. Turn the test grid (Y) on: the numbered grid is drawn on the projector itself, so if it does not move with the corners you are looking at the wrong window. Mapping inside Arena: do it in Arena's Advanced Output. MAPPING.md |
| My corners jump by 10 px | The step is COARSE 10 PX (the default; the hint strip under the canvas says so) | Press X (controller or keyboard) for FINE 1 PX. On the keyboard, plain arrows use the current step, Shift+arrows always 10 px |
| IMPORT A PRESET FILE says "That file is not a mapping preset…" / "made by a newer version…" / "has damaged corners" | The file is not one Plugin Player EXPORTed (a Resolume .xml goes through IMPORT… under the slices instead), it was cut short when copied, or it came from a newer player | Export it again from the other laptop and copy the whole file; update Plugin Player for "newer version". Your preset list is not touched by a refused file. MAPPING.md §7 |
Mapping looks wrong after changing projectors (or --size) | The mapping was made for another output size; it was scaled to fit and the OUTPUT card reads RESCALED FROM ANOTHER SIZE (a different shape stretches it) | Open MAP, grid on, fix the corners, DONE · SAVE: the note goes away and the new size is remembered. If the show file carries the old mapping, save the show again too |