Advatek Mk3 controllers within Showforge®
In November 2025, Weigl Controls announced integrated support for Advatek Mk3 controllers within Showforge®, Weigl & Motalab’s timeline-based show control and effects authoring platform. Weigl Control provides interactive and multi-media electronic controllers for theme parks, animatronics & robotics, sauna & spas, targeting systems, science centers, haunted houses, theatres, museums and more, globally. This collaboration allows creators to edit, generate and upload pixel animations directly to PixLite® Mk3 devices, combining high-resolution pixel lighting control with Weigl’s motion, media, and trigger systems within a single, unified workflow.
How It Works
Showforge® now communicates natively with Advatek Mk3 controllers over the local network via the PixLite Mk3API and SHOWTime™ playback system.
This integration enables:
- Native pixel effects engine up to 100 fps for chases, fire, sparkle animations and more.
- Color keyframe editing for precision hue control and time-aligned transitions.
- Concurrent Art-Net/sACN ingest and SHOWTime™ file creation, enabling content to be stored directly to the controller’s industrial microSD card for autonomous playback.
- Direct upload and triggering of complete timelines to PixLite Mk3 devices.
Why It Matters
For themed entertainment and museum installations, this reduces the need for recording shows and manual synchronisation. Modification of scenes is simple. Much lower network bandwidth. Designers can now build pixel and motion cues side-by-side, preview results in real time, and upload finalized sequences straight to the field hardware. From a project delivery perspective:
- Faster project deployment and editing: eliminates the real-time record process. Render shows for PixLite Mk3 instantly.
- On-device reliability: SHOWTime™ files run locally on Mk3 hardware—ideal for 24/7 attractions or long-term operation.
- Hybrid flexibility: When paired with a Weigl ProCommander®, pixel playback from Advatek Mk3 synchronises with audio, video, timecode, and mechanical triggers across the broader show network.
Application Context
The combined workflow supports a wide range of use cases:
- Museums: dynamic architectural features such as “flowing river” lighting without requiring a dedicated lighting playback controller.
- Haunted attractions and live-event environments: last-minute creative changes like lightning effects or chase bursts directly authored and rendered on-site.
- Permanent themed installations: reliable long-term operation for decades thanks to Advatek’s industrial-grade design, conformal coating options, and five-year warranty.
Technical Context
All Advatek Mk3 controllers share a single firmware platform and SHOWTime™ engine.
This guarantees identical behaviour across the A-, E- and T-Series controllers. Showforge® can therefore target any PixLite Mk3 device whether a compact E4-S for individual zones or a long-range T16X-S with R-Series receivers spanning hundreds of metres.
Commercial Value
For system integrators and consultants:
- Simplified content workflow → reduced commissioning hours and fewer control layers.
- Extended creative scope → fine-grained, 16-bit input data and up to 100 fps .scn generation allow cinematic-grade fades and transitions.
- Future-proofed hardware → firmware-updatable, globally certified, Australian-built PixLite Mk3 controllers with ETL, CE, FCC, UKCA, and RCM marks .
Availability & Licensing
The Showforge® integration will ship immediately following IAAPA 2025. Existing Showforge users receive a free upgrade enabling effects-engine support for unlimited Weigl devices and one Advatek Mk3 controller per project.
In Summary
The partnership unites Advatek’s precision pixel control systems architecture with Weigl’s show-control expertise, enabling creative teams to treat lighting as a fully integrated show element – create, edit, trigger and deploy within one timeline. For consultants and specifiers, it represents a new benchmark in time-efficient, standards-compliant, long-life pixel control in the themed entertainment world built on Advatek’s proven Mk3 platform.