Bitfocus Companion is a powerful open source software that allows you through its built-in stream deck emulator control Flowics graphics as well as different presentation switchers, video playback software and broadcast equipment. It is also compatible with the Stream Deck El gato through its plugin that you can download directly from the Stream Deck Store.
Requirements
Register, download & install Companion (desktop version 2.2 or higher)
Operating system:
Windows 10 or higher
Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11 or higher
Companion plugin from Stream Deck Store (if you have an el gato stream deck)
Install Bitfocus
After running the installer select the option Launch GUI
Bitfocus will run a configuration wizard, whether you are a new user or upgrading, there are a number of settings you should review before using Companion. This wizard will walk you through the following configuration settings:
USB Surface Detection Configuration.
Remote Control Services.
Admin GUI Password.
After completing, go to Connections:
The first step is to Add a connection, we must look for Generic HTTP Request in the list the wizard installation.
Add the connection.
Verify that the status is OK .
Configuring buttons to control Flowics Graphics In the Buttons section we will add one to control overlay transitions.
The first step is to select an empty button.
Add a Regular Button
Configure the look of the button, like name, color, image, etc.r
Add an action, select http:PUT
Finally we must configure the URL and the Body of the action.
URL: https://api.flowics.com/graphics/GRAPHICSTOKENHERE/control/overlays/transition If you have doubts how to obtain your Graphics token, for more information here.
Body: ["{\"id\":\"n41\",\"transition\":\"toggle\"}"]
Where n41 is your Overlay ID: for more information about Overlay ID here.
Where toggle (switch from one state to another) is one of the 3 states to control Flowics graphics, you can change it to in or out.
Finally after having configured the necessary buttons to control the Flowics Graphics, in the Left section we select Emulator, a new window will open with a button panel where the buttons that we have just created will appear.
See the following video tutorial to learn how to control Overlays with Bitfocus Companion.
Bitfocus Companion + Stream Deck + Flowics
If you have a ELgato Stream Deck, you can carry your buttons created in Bitfocus using the Companion Button plugin. The first thing you have to do is in the Stream Deck store download Companion button.
The stream Deck must be connected and with the software running as well as the Bitfocus Companion software. It is important to create a new Profile in the Stream Deck to avoid situations with existing buttons.
The first thing to check is the connection between the Stream Deck software and Bitfocus Companion in the Surfaces section. Once validated, the next step is to add a button in the software as shown below.
Updating a timer using the control API + Bitfocus
The Global Timer Provider API enables resetting, toggling, and resolving the state of timers or stopwatches on a graphic, via HTTP requests. One of the use cases is using Bitfocus Companion. Learn more about how to do it in the following article.