DMX Effects

Running light, Color patterns, Scanner moves,...

Menü: (../images/Menu/Menu_DMX.png DMX Light) -> (../images/Menu/Menu_DMXSceneView.png View DMX Effects)



Step 1) Create a DMXEffect
Step 2 Add Devices
Step 3 Assign a function
Step 4) Add the function steps
Step 5) Add another function
Step 6) Play DMXEffect for test
Step 7) Assign a DMXEffect to a light object
Randomizer
The principle
A DMX effect can be added to a DMX light object in the timeline or in a jingle.
As a reminder, a DMX light object has a light ambience as the basis.
In a DMX effect, discrete values ​​can be specified for functionalities of certain devices. The settings in a DMX effect override the settings that have been set in the light ambience.

Example: In a light ambience, you have set the color blue for 4 lamps and a dimmer value of 100%. When you draw this light ambience into the timeline, a light object is created there. In a DMX effect, you have set values for the dimmer function of these 4 lamps. If you now add the DMX effect to the light object in the Timeline in its object setting (double-click on the object), the dimmer values ​​of the DMX effect are used. When the light object is played, a blue running light will appear. The values ​​of the color, etc. are determined by the light ambience, the dimmer values ​​are determined by the DMX effect.

DMX effects can be created independently from lighting ambiences. The DMX effects can be assigned arbitrarily DMX light objects in the timeline or in jingles.
The speed, delay, and number of loops of the DMX effect is set in the settings of the light object (double-click on the object).
Thus, the DMX effects are considered as extra building blocks, which can be combined differently with light objects.

Step 1.) Create a DMX Effect


First you have to create a DMX effect by clicking on.  .

A new DMX effect is generated.
A selected DMX effect is deleted.
If this effect is used in any light object, a security prompt appears. Otherwise it will be irrevocably deleted.
A selected DMX effect is copied.
In the DMX Stage View, only the devices used in the selected DMX effect are displayed.
All light objects are selected in the timeline using this DMX effect.

In the table to the left, you can change the name or description of the effect by double-clicking the entry. After the text has been changed, the changes can be accepted with the return key.

Steps 2.) Add devices to the DMX effect

If a DMX effect is selected, devices can be added to it.



To do this, select the desired devices in the  DMX Stage View and then click in the DMX Effect view on  (right section).
The devices are added in the order in which they were selected (marked) in the DMX Stage View.

Adds to the DMX effect all the devices selected in the DMX stage view. The order corresponds to the order of the selection.
Deletes a selected device from the list. (Clicking on a device in the list will select it).
Moves a selected device up one position.
Moves a selected device down one position.
Inverts the order of the controls of a selected device - see 'Add function'.
This can be used if a device is installed upside down and has several controllers for a functionality.
For example, if an LED bar is installed reverse, the order of the individual controllers can be inverted.

Step 3.) Assign a function to the DMX Effect



In the selection list above, you can select a functionality and add it by clicking on  .
Only certain functions are possible. If a function is added, all devices of the DMXEffect with all the controllers of this functionality are listed.
A device may well have multiple controllers of functionality, e.g. A lightbar may have multiple RGB sectors and / or dimmers.
If the order of the controllers of a device is incorrect, it can be inverted in the device window.   .
The function selected in the list is added to the DMX effect.
The function selected in the list is deleted from the DMX effect.

It is quite possible to add several functions (dimmer, RGB, ..) to one DMX effect. A separate step number can be set for each function.

Step 4.) Add the function steps



If a function is selected, steps can be added by clicking on the button.  .
One box is created per step and per controller of a device in which a value can be set. This value indicates the step at which the controller of the device should assume the value.

Selection of steps:

Example: A running light should be set from lamp 1 (dimmer) to lamp 4 (dimmer). To do this, click on the box of lamp 1 in step 1, and in step 2 on the box of lamp 2, ...
Hold down the Ctrl or Shift key to select multiple boxes (values).
As soon as a box (value) is selected, a knob will appear on the right-hand side to adjust the value.



If the DMX effect is played back later (the DMX effect is assigned to a DMX/light object in the timeline/jingle), the lamp 1 is switched on in the first step, the lamp 2 is on in the second step, and so forth.

You can create any desired steps and set values. The most diverse combinations are possible here.

A new step is added
The last step is deleted.
Clear the selection.
Invert the selection.
Instead of setting the value via the right slider, the corresponding values can be taken over from the current setting of the devices for the selected boxes.
Trick: The slider on the right does not send any values to the devices. In the DMX stage view, however, you can set the devices to the desired values and then click on  to accept them. This may be interesting, e.g. Positions of scanners or movingheads.
All selected values are sent once to the devices.
If this is selected, the lamps in the stage view are automatically selected according to the selected steps.
The different behaviors in the individual steps - you should play around with these possibilities
When a step is started, the corresponding value is set for the duration of the step.
The values are faded from one step to the next. (This is recommended for scanner moves).
The values are faded in and out inside one step.
At each step, the values are faded in inside one step.
At each step, the values are faded out inside one step.
The value is set only briefly (Flash) in the middle of the step. The duration can be set in the text field.

Setting the values:

Possibly step 5.) Add another function

You can add multiple functions to a DMX effect. In the example given here, you could now add an RGB function and add two steps.


Now, when playing the DMX effect, not only the dimmer values, but also the color values are overwritten.
The dimmer function has 4 steps, the RGB function has two steps.
Thus in the first step all lamps are red but only the lamp 1 (dimmer function) is on,
In the second step all the lamps are green, but only the lamp 2 is on
In the third step, the RGB function returns to the first step, all the lamps are red, but only the lamp 3 is on (dimmer function),
...

Step 6.) Play the DMX effect as a test




A DMX effect can be played back on a test basis.
As a DMX effect only changes certain values of a lamp, a lighting scene must be specified to define the other values of the lamps.


Starts the DMX effect for approx. 2 minutes.


The slider can be used to set the duration for a complete run-through of the DMX effect (from 200 milliseconds to 10 seconds).
This is only intended for test playback of the effect. A DMX effect does not have a duration. The duration/speed is set later in the light object - see below.


Step 7.) Assign a DMX Effect to a light object

Up to now, only the dimmer values (and possibly the RGB values) of the lamps have been set in the DMX effect. No times, no number of loops were specified and the remaining values of the lamps were not determined.
DMX effects are detached building blocks, which make sense only by the combination with a DMX light object in the timeline or in a jingle.

Let's say you have set the 4 lamps in the DMX stage view all blue, stored in a light ambience and dragged into the timeline.
Thus, there is a light object with the blue light ambience in the timeline.



Double-clicking the light object opens the object setting window:



In the Effect section you can now select a DMX effect, adjust its delay, delay, and number of loops.
Delay Here, a delay time can be specified until the effect starts.
This is especially interesting when certain values of a device have to beon for long (for example, the pilot flame of a flame light).
Dauer Here the duration of an effect is indicated, namely the duration for a run through all steps.
Loops Here, the number of passes can be entered.
The value 0 means that the effect is continuous.
If another value> 0 is specified, the effect is repeated as often. At the end of the last run, the devices then adjust themselves as indicated in the associated light ambience.
If you enter loops and you want the light object to stop exactly with the last step, you can use this button to adjust the length of the object to the effect.

Click on the button to accept these settings.

In the Timeline the representation of the light object now changes:



The steps of the DMX effect are indicated with dashes, the first step of a run is indicated by a blue line. The start of the effect is indicated by a green line.

If the number of loops is limited, the end of the last step is indicated with a red line.

 In this case, after the last step, the light ambience which is the basis of the light object is set.
If in the settings of the DMX effect one of the two soft fade transitions or is specified, the light ambience is already faded in the last step.
All other transitions are hard changes, here the light ambience is adjusted immediately after the last step.
Here you can change the delay (delay) of the effect.
Attention: this field is located exactly under the area with which the start of the light object is changed. You should enter a different value for the delay in the object settings (double click on the object). Then this button slides into an area which is reachable with the mouse.
Here you can change the duration of the effect, by holding down the left mouse button on  and dragging the mouse to the left or right.
There are three such areas:
  • 1. loop
  • 8. loop
  • last visible loop
Attention: also this field can be under the areas of the light object, with which the length of the object is changed.

In the jingle view, the effect is displayed textually.

To change the duration, loops, .., double-click the jingle.

Special: Scanner / moving head rides

When the pan / tilt functionality is added, scanner / moving head movements can be defined.
In order to see the individual positions on the stage, you should set the scanners / movingheads using the DMX stage view and then use the button  in the DMX effect to apply the values.


If the scanners or movinheads are calibrated (see Pan/Tilt Calibration), and the pan / tilt values are in calibrated areas, the movements are converted in a calibrated manner. In other words, the movements are implemented as if the pan / tilt controller is moved inside the calibrated surfaces. A straight route is also on the stage a straight route.
There is, however, a limitation: rounding errors can occur at the edge areas of the calibrated surfaces and the movements behave unexpectedly. Here it helps to move the values somewhat further into the calibrated surface.

Randomizer

Values can be generated randomly for selected steps of a DMX effect.



Left-clicking on the Randomizer button opens a dialog box:



A value range (start value - end value) can be set here.
The display of the sliders changes depending on the function type, e.g. RGB sliders are displayed for RGB functions.

Left-clicking on   generates random values within the defined value range for all selected steps of the DMX effect.
Clicking again with the left mouse button generates new random values.

The special feature of Pan/Tilt:

With a pan/tilt function, the value range can either be set freely or in the calibrated view.

In the calibrated view, only the areas that have been calibrated for the lamps concerned are activated - see Device Settings.



The left slider defines the left and bottom edges and the right slider defines the right and top edges for the value range.
The randomly generated values then lie in the area highlighted in blue.