Install and run

Install the Windows beta

If you received Showmesh-Setup-0.1.0-beta.1.exe:

1. Run the installer and choose the installation folder.
2. Windows SmartScreen may warn because the beta installer is not yet signed. Verify that the file came from the Showmesh project owner, then use More info → Run anyway only when you trust the file.
3. Complete the per-user installation. Administrator rights are not required.
4. Start Showmesh from the Start menu.

The packaged editor includes the engine and starts it automatically. If an engine is already listening on the local port, the editor attaches to that engine instead of starting a duplicate.

Closing the editor does not stop the show

The production engine lifecycle is persistent. Closing the editor window leaves the engine, playback, audio, and outputs running. Reopen the editor to reconnect; use an explicit stop or PANIC before ending the engine.

NDI output needs the NDI runtime. A machine without an audio device can use the null-audio backend: picture works, but no physical sound is produced.

Run from source

Developers need Windows 11, Visual Studio 2022 with Desktop development with C++, CMake 3.24+, vcpkg, Node.js 22 LTS, and Git.

Build and test the engine from an x64 Native Tools Command Prompt:

cmake -B engine\build -S engine -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 ^
  -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="%VCPKG_ROOT%\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake"
cmake --build engine\build --config RelWithDebInfo
ctest --test-dir engine\build -C RelWithDebInfo --output-on-failure

Start the engine:

engine\build\RelWithDebInfo\engined.exe --gpu

Then start the editor in two terminals:

cd editor
npm install
npm run dev

cd editor
npm run electron

Common engine flags

engined.exe [--port 7788] [--project show.show]
            [--display N] [--windowed WxH] [--gpu] [--run]

Flag	Meaning
--project show.show	Opens a project at launch
--windowed 960x540	Opens program output in a window
--display N	Selects a monitor
--gpu	Enables GPU decode with automatic CPU fallback
--run	Runs headless

The editor connects to ws://127.0.0.1:7788 by default. MIDI input and output are always built into the Windows engine.

Match editor and engine

If the editor reports an incompatible engine, rebuild and restart the engine. Check protocol revision 23 and UI revision r51 for the version documented here.