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Hi i have a couple of questions about creating new fixtures for D pro using http://fixtures.dmxis.com/

i am creating the Prolights Cromospot 500. As from the manual:


ch 1 pan
ch 2 Tilt
ch 3 color wheel
ch 4 fixed gobo wheel
ch 5 fixed gobo wheel 2
ch 6 gobo wheel 2 rotation
ch 7 Prism
ch 8 Prism rotation
ch9 iris
ch 10 focus
ch11 dimmer
ch12 strobe
ch13 control

when i create the 13 ch configuration does it matter if i set those channels to "Fixed" or "variable"?
i tried to import the configuration in D-pro and the only attributes that seem to change in the device browser (monitor live output:on) are pan; tilt and dimmer.
i can't see any change in colors or else. Is that due to the limitations of physical view of device browser?
Probably mine are naive questions, but i am just beginning.
i have attached the exported file here.
i also made the fixture available to other users (hope it's right)

thanks

Visualization:

Only Pan/.Tilt, Dimmer, and RGB mixed colors show up in the visualizer when Monitor Live Output is selected.

The Device Browser takes a stab at representing what an RGB mix will look like, but it has no way to tell what the color wheel attribute will turn the light into on stage. So changes there will not be reflected on screen in the Device Browser, but they can be examined in either the Programmer Window or the DMX OUTPUT window for DMX values.



Fixed VS Variable:

When making a fixture profile, you have some options about how you define the channel ranges. If you put in nothing but a variable from 0-255, you'll still be able to tell the light whatever DMX value you wish to tell it, but the program won't assist you in decoding what those values mean in easy to read terms. You'd have to memorize a table full of values and equivalencies, which is a drag. But if you chose Fixed, it would mean that you could still slide the value up, but all you'd get for on screen notation of what the attribute is doing is a name, then another name, then the next, when you change from one range to another.

Putting it differently: Varibable makes sense for something like Iris size or focus, since a smooth change from one end to the other is desired. Fixed makes sense for the Gobo an Color Wheels, probably, if a range of perhaps 20 DMX values all get you the same result.

If you can benefit from a shift of a single click or two, then call it V, so you see what you're doing. If not, call it F so you don't get distracted by meaningless trivia.

Jeremy

Thanks jeremy

That was helpful

One more thing about creation of new fixtures:

in the channels tab you can choose from several "categories" Pan-Tilt; Color;gobo; shaper; beam; dimmer and so on..

here is my choice

ch 1 pan --------------------------- Pan-Tilt
ch 2 Tilt --------------------------Pan-Tilt
ch 3 color wheel ---------------------Colour
ch 4 fixed gobo wheel-------------- Gobo
ch 5 fixed gobo wheel 2----------------- Gobo
ch 6 gobo wheel 2 rotation------------- Gobo
ch 7 Prism------------------------- undefined (i don't know which better applies)
ch 8 Prism rotation--------------------undefined (i don't know which better applies)
ch9 iris----------------------------- undefined (i don't know which better applies)
ch 10 focus-------------------------- Focus
ch11 dimmer----------------------- Dimmer
ch12 strobe ------------------------ undefined (i don't know which better applies)
ch13 control------------------------------Control


are these rights? what if i choose the wrong one?
as i said i can't test it on the real machine so that i want be sure to have a valid personality file.
Thanks

I'd put the ones you've mentioned that you aren't sure about in Beam, probably. I reserve "Shaper" for shutters that cut off the light on one side, and any linear frost that makes the beam more oval. Otherwise, I take Frost, Iris, Prism etc. as Beam attributes.

Does it matter? Pan and Tilt sure do, if you get them wrong you'll avoid being able to use a cross hair X-Y type control. You'll lose the ability to use premade python script-based effects like "circle" and "figure8" and etc. Dimmer matters a lot. The rest I think are valuable in very narrowly defined contexts and the amount of time you'd spend tweaking to get those "just so" is probably not worth it unless you own an ENTTEC Programming Wing, perhaps. There may be other reasons in the future why they matter though, so I wouldn't skip over them entirely, but if you make a judgement call and you're wrong I don't think it means the program will burp and say "You can't control that light, you made an incorrect profile". It's just a matter of speeding up your cueing sessions more if you're more accurate and more descriptive.

Jeremy

So this will be my final set up

ch 1 pan --------------------------- Pan-Tilt----variable
ch 2 Tilt --------------------------Pan-Tilt-------variable
ch 3 color wheel ---------------------Colour----Fixed
ch 4 fixed gobo wheel-------------- Gobo-----Fixed
ch 5 fixed gobo wheel 2----------------- Gobo-----Fixed
ch 6 gobo wheel 2 rotation------------- Gobo-----Fixed
ch 7 Prism------------------------- beam--------Fixed
ch 8 Prism rotation-------------------beam---Fixed
ch9 iris----------------------------- beam----Fixed
ch 10 focus-------------------------- Focus---variable
ch11 dimmer----------------------- Dimmer-----variable
ch12 strobe ------------------------beam-------Fixed
ch13 control------------------------------Control---Fixed


The fixture is shared, Hope it works fine for everybody who ever needs it

Thanks for your support

I would think ur Gobo Rotation, Prism Rotation,Iris and Strobe would be variable.. just my 2 cents