Modifying Fixtures

You can modify the connected fixture data e.g.: change the gobos or use other DMX settings. The modified properties of the fixtures are valid for the fixtures included in the show. The original data of the fixture library are kept. To modify a fixture type right click with your mouse on the selected fixture in the 2D or 3D view or select the fixture in the object manager and click on ‘Edit Fixture Type’. The following dialog appears:

The top of the dialog shows: Name, manufacturer, fixture type and comments. This data is provided by the desk database.

Channel Types; Channel Sets and Properties (Channel Values)

• Channel Types: A channel Type is a physical image of the DMX channels. It corresponds with a fixture effect e.g. color. In addition to this it can contain split effects on this channel e.g. 0…50% dimmer and 51…100% strobe. The allocation of a channel type is described in the associated channel set. If a channel is represented more than once, e.g. pan, pan (for 16 Bit Pan), the first entry describes the channel type properties.

• Channel Sets: The Channel set describes the different channel type intervals. For example: Channel Type = Colour, Channel Set White = 0…15 %, Channel Set Red = 16…31% etc. Additional channel sets can be added using the right mouse button context menu. You can write anything you want in the description text e.g. “Gobo 1” If there is a gap in the description of the channel set, the values of channel set color and gobo are interpolated. You can switch of the interpolation via the menu entry ‘Options – switches’.

• Special case: Mode Channels With some fixture types the channel effect depends on the control channel. For example: For the Gobo channel a certain value (50%) will be selected for Gobo 1. If the mode channel is now activated, the Gobo position changes into a rotation (e.g. with some ‘High-End’ models)

• Properties: This describes the channel set properties.

  • Units: Units can be displayed in percent %, as 8 bit or 16 bit values.

  • Effect: In this list box you can choose how the effect will be visualized.

    • from: (exists for every effect) smallest value

    • to: (exists for every effect) largest value The selected properties are dependent on the chosen effects.

    • Mode From: Mode to: Mode Ch.:Mode channels indicate a valid effect range if the mode channel is valid (Mode Ch != -1)

After confirming the changes with the “OK” button the changed console values will be transferred to the database.

Fixture Type Visualization

There are several 3D models of fixtures available inside the library. If there is a model for the fixture type, this model is used. If not, the standard model is taken for the visualization. For changing the visualization type open the dialog via ‚Edit Fixture Type’ -> ‚Visual. Type’ and choose another model:

|The selected fixture model is presented in a 3D-view. The size of the 3D model can be scaled to adjust it to the expected size. If your fixture is not present in the data base, choose a similar model and adjust the size with the scale factor. ||

Assignment of properties to dimmer channels

The following properties can be assigned to dimmer channels:

• Color (RGB value or Color Filter from manufacturer library
• Gobo (Image on the illuminated surface)
• Beam angle
• Intensity

So you have the possibility to assemble your spots for example with different color gels and lamp types in spite of the fact that all have the same fixture type:

Creating new Fixture Types

In the current version creation of new, additional fixture types is only possible with the grandMA desk.