for some time now we have had the problem that we can no longer open certain Mimo projects on our silicon computers - Apple M1.
The reason for this is the QuartzComposer. This has not been developed further for several years and is no longer properly supported by the newer systems.
We have programmed extra layers that read file paths of image content from XML files. This enables us to act very dynamically and extremely flexibly.
Since the so-called “Image Importer” was used in the QuatzComposer, you can no longer open these projects in which the exact layers are located. The project is loaded and the program crashes immediately.
Now on December 19, 2023, a newsletter announced “Introducing mimoComposer® in 2024”. The mimoComposer was also shown in a YouTube video
Okay, 2024 is not over yet, but with this announcement we had hoped that we would finally be able to convert our layers, which no longer run on the silicon processors.
But to date, mimoComposer has not been delivered. I can’t find any information about the application anywhere.
Now I’ll just ask the official question:
When is the software expected to be finished?
I’m very excited to hear of your interest in mimoComposer.
We’re actually quite far along with mimoComposer itself, but integrating it in mimoLive is a larger operation. We can not promise a certain delivery date.
Did you join the mimoComposer Discord channel yet? It has been quiet for a while, but that’s where we will post betas.
BUT: Maybe we can get the layers you built to work. We have updated quite a number of Quartz Composer patches for compatibility with current systems. Can you please send us the layer by email to support@boinx.com and we will take a look to see if anything can be done to make it work with current mimoLive and on current machines and OSs.
Could you please check the following recipe for making your compositions work on Apple Silicon Macs? If you’re successful, we will add this to the official documentation.
How to Use Custom Quartz Composer (QC) Patches from mimoLive
If you’re working with mimoLive and want to use its custom QC patches in Quartz Composer, follow these steps:
Open Finder and navigate to the mimoLive app.
Right-click on the mimoLive app and select “Show Package Contents.” A new Finder window will open.
Go to Contents/Plugins within the app’s package.
Copy all files from the Plugins folder.
Paste them into “~/Library/Graphics/Quartz Composer Plug-Ins” (you may need to create the folder if it doesn’t already exist).
Now, Quartz Composer should be able to open mimoLive layers without any issues.
How to Fix QC Layer Crashes on M1 Machines (Due to Timeline, Interpolation, or Image Importer Patches)
If you encounter crashes when opening a mimoLive layer in Quartz Composer on an M1 machine, the issue might be related to certain patches like Timeline, Interpolation, or Image Importer. Here’s how to resolve this:
Duplicate the QC composition File. Always start by making a backup of the original QC composition file!
Convert QC Layer to ASCII Format: Use plutil in Terminal to convert the file from binary to ASCII format. Run the following command:
plutil -convert xml1
Edit the QC File: Open the resulting ASCII file in a text editor.
Search and replace the following:
Replace all instances of “QCTimeLine” with “QCBXTimeLinePlugIn”.
Replace all instances of “QCImageImporter” with “QCBXImageImporterPlugIn”.
Replace all instances of “QCInterpolation” with “QCBXInterpolationPlugIn”.
Save the file.
Load the Modified composition in QC. Since Quartz Composer can load ASCII .plist files, you can now open the modified file in Quartz Composer without encountering crashes.
Following these steps should resolve compatibility issues on M1 machines when working with mimoLive layers in Quartz Composer!
Meanwhile first quarter of 2025 is going to end. For our live streamings we work exclusively on Apple Silicon (we only have one old MacBook with Intel left at our office) and therefore wait desperately for mimoComposer to finally start our first custom layers.
May you please tell the status and how we can work on custom layers until the release of mimoComposer? E.g. we’re working on preparing two productions in mid April 2025 where we want to create custom lower thirds and a customer stinger.
Hi @Andy-R I’m very sorry about the delays. mimoComposer is coming along but there still is a lot of work to do before we can ship a mimoLive version with it.
Meanwhile, you can create your custom layers using QuartzComposer without fear of having to do it all over again. mimoComposer will be able to open existing custom layers and you will be able to convert them with minimal effort. This is in our own best interest as there are a lot of layers we have to convert!
Also, the current Quartz Composer based layers are working fine on Apple Silicon. The issue is not that there is a problem with Apple Silicon, the problem is that Apple is no longer updating QC but the layers run natively! They are using OpenGL instead of Metal and that certainly has an impact on performance, but the current Apple Silicon machines can handle this without effort.
I’m curious what features you’re missing from the current lower third and what the stinger has that makes it necessary to create a custom layer? (If you prefer to keep it out of the public, contact me at support at boinx.com)
