Yes you can program your show without any hardware.
But you have to know how you plan to setup the SSC (Smart String Controller(s)) before you can setup Vixen.
Example:
How do you plan to configure the SSC? (Individual Pixels, 3 Channel String, Hybrid) - This effects how many channels you need to add to Vixen
How many nodes per SSC? - This along with the above question determines the number of channels needed.
Real world example:
Ok I decided to configure my SSC with hybrid mode and 50 nodes. Now I know that I have 50 * 3 + 3 = 153 channels per SSC
If I decided to use Individual mode with 50 nodes than it would be 50 *3 = 150 channels per SSC
or if I decided to use 3 channel mode that its just 3 channels per SSC (number of nodes does not matter)
Now I know the number of channels I have per SSC and I am using 4 SSCs so its 153 * 4 = 612 channels
So I create a new sequence with 612 channels to handle just my 4 SSCs
Layout of those channels would be like:
Channel 1 - SSC-1 - Red-Hybrid
Channel 2 - SSC-1 - Green-Hybrid
Channel 3 - SSC-1 - Blue-Hybrid
Channel 4 - SSC-1 - Red (node1)
Channel 5 - SSC-1 - Green(node1)
Channel 6 - SSC-1 - Blue (node1)
Channel 7 - SSC-1 - Red (node2)
etc, etc etc
Channel 154 - SSC-2 - Red-Hybrid
As you can see this is a lot of work to setup. So I wrote a program that I just enter the required info (Channels needed, # of SSC, Nodes per SSC and SSC mode) and it creates a blank sequence with all of the channels setup. Its in the wiki software section You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login and poorly named Vixen Seq Builder VSB. There is a video or two how to use it.
Vixen 2.1 Pixelnet Output Plugin - what is it? well you have used plug-ins before and maybe you didn't realize it. The Enttec Pro DMX is a plug-in. Its just a piece of software that allow tells the (computer/vixen) how to talk to a certain hardware. When you flash the Lynx USB Dongle with pixelnet firmware you really are changing the dongle to a different hardware. So now Vixen doesn't know how to talk to it. That is why a different plug in is needed. So you must download the plugin - open up the zip file and copy the dll file to your Vixen sub folder called plugin/output. Once its there then you can go in Vixen and select the new output type Pixelnet and set its configuration (start and end channels and com port). Just like you did with the Enttec Pro DMX plugin.
So yeah setting up Smart Strings takes more work and thought but in the end you have bright brilliant colors and almost any color you want.
I hope that helps some
Rick R.