How does it work and how should you think, when working with XYZ?

The XYZ system makes it possible for you to have the stage surface in mind rather then p/t values when storing cues and presets.

You are not storing pan/ tilt value's but virtual world values to the cues and presets.

The GMA calculates from xyz values to p/t dmx output (on the fly).

Some XYZ features:

The Trackball is neat in XYZ, rolling towards SR, SL, US or DS and the fix follows, always.

Fixture 2 @ Fixture 1, will make fix 2 hit the same position as fix 1 on stage, Fixture 11 thru 20 @ Fixture 21 thru 30, will make fix 11 hit fix 21, and 12/22 13/23..................

The Fixture's moves in straight lines.

Fixture 1 thru 10 in a pool of light upstage center, Align, increase Y in the encoder (or roll the ball): will make a straight line of light towards the downstage, it doesn't matter where the fixtures position's are.

All Align functions works great on the X, Y and Z axis.

Cloning works different as well, if you have to replace a very important fixture and the curtain is soon to go, you can clone the dead fixture to another one and this new fixture will hit the same stage position. If you have to move a fixture in the rig, but it's still going to hit the same stage positions, or are on a tour and the fixtures has moved a bit since last gig, all you have to do is to re-position the fixtures in the GMA according to the new real world position's, and you are done, no updating of p/t presets or cue's!

XYZ and Effect's:

The current GMA manual is not correct (page 83) or it's confusing.

You can enter single parameters in the effect, X or Y or Z or Flip, and several combinations (Special attribute combination and Available user attributes) and you can mix with other features/ Parameters.

Yes they are ok in the XYZ world, you must change the parameter of pan, tilt to x, y or z parameters (edit effect, change the parameters in the column from pan/tilt to xyz).

Move tilt ramp: try Z or Y param. / Move Circel: Try X/Y param. /Move Pan Ramp: Try X param.

Make a copy of all effect's so you can use pan/tilt or xyz.

The Combination of XYZ and Pan/Tilt:

If you are storing cue's using xyz you must store release xyz into the current cue to free the fixture to p/t.

It's ok to store cue's like this:

It's not necessary to store release p/t to xyz, if xyz values is not store released, it will be in control. It will probably be quite a mess to combine the same fixture with xyz and p/t, in general.

You can delete the xyz and flip parameters from any fixture type, if you only want to use p/t for these fixtures.

Store two “default” worlds, one full world without p/t and one full word without xyz.

If running only XYZ, store a full world minus p/t and use that world as default, then p/t will not pop up at all.

The xyz fixture's will not always react directly to the trackball, you sometimes need to activate xyz first.

If you are thinking of using a combination, split the preset's default attribute,

e.g. preset 1 only xyz and flip parameter, and maybe use preset 6 as default attribute for p/t parameter. You can then store xyz values to preset 1 and p/t values to preset 6.

The function, on preset 1 (xyz) or 6 (p/t) / off preset 1 or 6, will also help you during programming.

Create one macro like this:

  1. on preset 1
  2. World 1 (xyz world)

And another one like this:

  1. on preset 6
  2. World 2 (p/t world)

Select the fixtures and execute the desired macro.

* Note: See end of howto if you want to move preset attributes

From p/t values to xyz values:

It's no problem to transfer p/t values to xyz values. If you have preset's or cue's stored with p/t values, all you have to do is:

Enter the preset or the cue, select the fixtures with p/t value, activate the xyz parameter's and store or update that position. It's a copy from p/t to xyz.

From xyz to p/t values:

Activate or focus up using xyz, activate p/t and store. Remember to store release xyz to get p/t control.

XYZ and Matrixs:

The wings and mirror, does not work with xyz parameters.

However you can store - release xyz fixtures into the current cue (you will lose the current xyz position and the latest p/t values will be set for the released fixture's, if no p/t values are stored, the fixture's default p/t values will be set).

Then, activate p/t, use the wings and mirror function, when you are satisfied, you can store the p/t values or activate xyz again (the fixture's will stay in the same position as focus'd up with p/t) and then update the released cue with new “matrix made” xyz values.

The Flip Parameter:

The fixture will automatically flip when reaching defined flip positions.

A moving fixture with pan 360' have 2 Flip point's, equal to pan 50 % and Pan 0/100%

You can store flip at 0, but when you activate the fixture, a flip position will automatically be active, because GMA needs to be in control of the flip position of the fixture. So if you have fixtures with a limited range of pan/tilt you should take some precaution.

Example: City Theatrical's AutoYoke, (ca. 360' of pan) the pan main working field must be (should be) between pan 0 - 50% or 50 – 100%, if center stage equals 50% on pan it will flip when you hit that position.

Let's say you move a fixture from A to C with Dim on (or off), if B is a flip point it will flip.

If its a live movement, a touch on the screen or with the trackball it will always flip, in Cue's you can store flip @ 0 and it will not flip from A to C.

Fixtures with different range of p/t behave differently.

You can not see the fixture flip in the stage window, in the dmx sheet you can see the p/t values flip.

The Z default:

When you touch the stage window screen the Z parameter will go to 0.

If you activate some fixtures that can not hit the stage floor, touch the screen, GMA will knock out the dimmer.

If you then increase the Z value, until the fixture reaches a position it is able to reach, GMA will automatically turn the dimmer on again.

This is the same for all positions out of reach, if you try to xyz a fixture to a position it can not reach, GMA knocks out the dimmer output. You can not change the default Z value.

The Stage Size:

Setup -> Full Access -> Stage Setup

The stage size is the fundament of calculation from XYZ values to P/T output.

If you change the size of the stage you will change all real world light position's.

You can not position fixtures outside of the virtual stage.

You can however scale the whole output of p/t, if you make the virtual stage smaller, you will scale the actual light posisition's closer to the center of stage (center of x and y) it's the same for Z (hight). And if you make the virtual stage bigger, all light's will be further away from the center of stage (center of x and y).

Be sure that the stage size is big enough to fit all venues of the show.

But it's cool to be able to scale the output of pan and tilt.

* You can connect Gma3D to the network: To Zoom in, have different camera angels, execute fixture's to new positions.......

Special Macro:

XYZ values are stage value's (not p/t), you can do things like this:

Setup -> Full access -> Fixture Types (add line)

Create a dummy fixture with parameter dim, pan, tilt (set the P/T physical range to e.g. -270 thru 270).

Patch up 100 dummy fixture (1001 -1100)

Enable xyz support

Take all 100 dummy fix and place them somewhere in the rig, (in a bunch).

Focus up the dummy fixtures, make a grid on the stage of focus points starting with fixture 1001 downstage right and 1100 upstage left.

It's fast to do using the encoders pop up and the thru function or use Align.

Store the dummy fixtures values to a non tracking “dummy” sequense (cue 1), store cue 2 with only the xyz parameters active (no dim/ flip value), make cue 2 a follow cue.

Fixture 1 thru 10 at fixture 1001 thru 1010 enter

The real fixtures 1 thru 10 will hit the dummy xyz position's.

You can store macro's like this:

  1. delete group 991
  2. store group 991
  3. group 991 at fixture 1015 + 1023 + 1035 + 1027

Label it 4 point circle. (storing a group to have a selection order)

E.G. fixture 1 thru 4 enter (or more, 8 fix to double up, all fixtures if you like) execute the macro and you will have a 4 point circel on stage, then use align X to wide it out, Y to strech it downstage, Z to have it higher up or use the ball to roll it around.

You can create a universe of focus point's to suit you, and create any kind of macro.

The idea is that you can make, develop, experience etc. “the dummy focus grid” and special macro's. Then keep it, merge it into any show, all you need is the dummy fixture, the sequ with the cue's and the special macros. You can delete the dummy's at any time, they are only there to help you speed up the programming of preset's and cues.

How to make XYZ work:

1. Enable XYZ support for all fixtures

Setup -> Full Access -> Fixture Types -> XYZ support -> Create XYZ support for all fixtures

You can do this at any time (it ad's the XYZ and Flip parameter to all fixture type's)

However if you have store'd a lot of XYZ preset or cue's and for some reason want to have XYZ out of the show, Remove XYZ support for all fixtures, this will remove all XYZ values stored in the show, and you are back to square one, Oops.

2. The Stage Size:

Setup -> Full Access -> Stage Setup.

Make it big enough for the largest venue you will visit with this show.

When deciding the X min/max, make it a equal measure, e.g. X Min: -10m. X Max: 10m. (the value 50 in X encoder will then be at the center of virtual stage and at the center of real stage).

When deciding the Y min/max, make also this an equal measure, Y Min: -15m. Y Max: 15m. (the value 50 in Y encoder will then be at the center of virtual stage and at the centerline of real stage).

When deciding the Z max, if you set this at 10 m, the value 16 in Z encoder will tell you that the position is 1,6m. Above the stage floor.

3. You must position all of the fixtures:

If you are connected to the real stage you can use the calibrate follow function (see calibrate follow, below), if you are in a off line mode there are three ways to do this.

a) Setup -> Full Access:

Choose the fixture layer of the fixtures, in the spread sheet (fixtures and channel of layer) you can enter the positions of fixtures on the X, Y, Z axis and the rotation of fixtures, manually.

You can select several fixtures at the same time and use the thru function in the pop up menu.

Select X (= from SR to SL)

E.g. position of fixture 1 thru 10 with the mouse, riht click, in the pop up type -5 thru 5 Enter. Fixture 1 is now 5 m. from centerline (towards Stage Right) and Fixture 10 is 5 m. from centerline (towards Stage Left).

Select Y (= from Audience/DS to US)

Bee fore entering values here you should consider, where does it make sense to have the 0 m. Point of Y, at the theater there's usually a 0 point around the fire curtain and all dwg drawing have this point / line, it's easy then to put in the Y value of fixture position. If fixture 1 thru 10 are on the LX 3 bar and LX 3 is 5m. from the “Fire Curtain / 0 point”, then select the Y position of Fixture 1 thru 10, right click, in the pop up, type 5 Enter.

Select Z (= the hight of fixture from the stage floor)

Select the Z position of Fixture 1 thru 10, right click, in the pop up, type 7 Enter. This is not the hight of the bar, it's the hight of the fixture's lens position.

If the fixtures are hanging in odd angels, adjust the X*, Y* and Z* rotation. If the fixtures are hanging on a straight bar, rotate the fixture using X or Y to 180*, depending on where the front of the fixture's are (by default the fixture is standing on the floor).

b) Open the Stage window:

Press Setup, now you can select fixtures, and position them, using the encoders combined with the thru function, align function or use the Wizard (arrange in matrix, circle, stretch, calibrate follow). http://www.wikima.net/wiki.cgi/Windows/Pop-up/Setup_Wizard

Calibrate Follow: Live, auto position or re-position of fixtures

The X and Y is equal to the house center lines (Red Lines).

The Green frame, A, B, C and D is a four point lighting frame used to auto calculate fixture position, this frame is 2 m. x 2 m.

  1. Mark up, on the real stage, the four corners of the lighting frame.
  2. Focus up all fixtures to mark A (using p/t or xyz), Store a preset, label it A
  3. Do the same for mark B, C and D

  4. Open the Stage window -> Setup -> Wizard -> Calibrate follow

  5. Enter the correct measures next to the A button, in this example:

Between A and Stage Right = 9 m. / Between A and D = 2 m. / Between A and B = 2 m. / Between A and Audience = 15 m.

Be as precisely as possible when you focus up the preset's and entering the measures.

Store a preset containing all xyz fixture's, Value X @ 50, Value Y @ 50, Value Z @ 0 and a flip position, e.g. Decimal 1.

Label it 0 point, this position is the center of X and the center of Y.

Mark this position on stage and check all xyz fixture's position's using this preset.

If you use the encoders to manually position the fixtures or fine tune the position, use the 0 point preset, dimmer on, the light from the fixture will move live on stage, position the fixture until it hits the 0 point, then flip the fixture, to check, adjust the fixture, and flip again..........

c) You can position the fixtures in the Grandma3d, spreadsheet

How can “The King” calculate the p/t values, and what do I need to know:

  1. The virtual stage size.
  2. The position of fixtures, within the virtual stage, measured up from the real stage.
  3. Knowing the real pan/tilt range of the fixture.
  4. Storing xyz Flip position's (automatically activated).

If the virtual stage size never change, the distance from the center of x and y (“0 Point”) to the actual light position will never change, so the distance to the set must be measured out from this point at every venue.

If the “Set” size changes, then you can scale the stage.........

Other useful things:

Store some Z values to preset's and/ or smart controller, use the Z when storing cue's and preset's to ensure that the AT function works and to ensure that the fixture still hits the same spot on stage from a new position, Z should only be at 0 if you want to hit the stage floor.

Store flip positions to preset's (off x, y and z) and smart controller (decimal values).

Have Gma3d in the network, attach a touch screen to the Gma3d pc, insert a simple drawing of the theater or stage, use the top camera, then by a simple touch you can hit anywhere in the theater, precisely and instantly.

Note: Move Attribute lines

-> Setup -> Full Access -> Attribute Setup

You can move the layer "Features of preset types" to another preset type, feature of preset type. This works fine, however if you do a partial read, merge, tha attributes are moved back to default. After a partial merge you must alter the attributes again.

* It might bee a bug that enables you to move the features like this, but the feature of preset layer is not listed as not removable, and it works great accept when merging shows.

HowTo/XYZ (last edited 2009-05-12 08:40:06 by GeirHovland)