All of the WYSIWYG levels use the same set of screens. The user interface was designed to facilitate smooth transitions from mode to mode, and to keep the data organized and easy to find.
In this section
When you start WYSIWYG, the Welcome window appears. The application level is shown in the upper right corner of the window.
On the Welcome window or from the File menu, you can choose to create a new File or a new Project; or open an existing file or project. A list of template files and a list of recently saved files are displayed on the screen.
On the Welcome window, click a file name to start working with WYSIWYG.
Notes:
Select the “.wyg” file where it is located.
Result: The selected “.wyg” file will open.
When saving your work as a WYSIWYG Project, the “.wyg” file and all its associated files are stored in a folder structure automatically within the My Projects folder. If you choose to accept the default settings when a WYSIWYG Project is saved, all files associated with that project are automatically stored in the Project folder and its subfolders. (e.g. C:\Users\<UserName>\Documents\WYSIWYG Files\My Projects\...)
A WYSIWYG Project can be packaged as a zip file with the option to include the external images and videos used in the file.
When you start working on a file, use the Mode buttons located along the top of the user interface to access the different working modes available within the WYSIWYG levels. The currently selected mode is shown in orange, while modes not selected are shown in grey. Clicking the appropriate button will change the view to that mode.
Note: Specific mode tabs can be selected from the mode’s drop-down menu, enabling rapid change of views easily.
CAD mode is where you create your show drawings or “model.” This includes drawing your venue, set pieces, lighting positions, focus positions, and lighting fixtures. This is also where you can import CAD files. CAD mode operates like many other CAD programs, so many of the concepts will be familiar to those who have used a computer-aided drafting program before. WYSIWYG adds features that are specific to the entertainment industry, such as a comprehensive 3D library containing truss, lighting equipment and accessories, as well as props, musical instruments, and various human figures.
As you draw in CAD mode, all your fixture information is compiled into spreadsheets and accessed in DATA mode. In this mode, you can view and edit the data for all your fixtures. DATA mode operates like many other spreadsheet programs, so many of the concepts will be familiar to those who have used a spreadsheet program. The CAD and DATA modes are interactive, where modified information from either modes gets updated in the other.
DESIGN mode provides an avenue for experimentation for lighting designers. DESIGN mode can be a troubleshooting tool or a creative tool to help you come up with cue concepts. In DESIGN mode, you can create static lighting looks using the design tools, and then save and render those looks to output photo-realistic pictures. You can turn on and control fixtures without having to patch or connect to a console.
Presentation (PRES) mode contains all the tools necessary for creating professional printouts of your show document including reports, plots, and images. As with all other modes, the contents of the PRES mode are continually updated as you draw, input data, and modify your show file. In addition to being able to create your plots, WYSIWYG provides a series of default plots and reports that are ready for printout. These defaults can be used as is or customized to your preferences.
LIVE mode is where you can graphically simulate the output of a lighting control console or compatible offline editor. This is where you can pre-cue and visualize your show. In LIVE mode, you can render to create photo-realistic pictures of the simulated lighting looks. LIVE mode will fully display a console's output, including transitions from cue to cue, allowing you to see the programmed changes to lights over time.
The following working modes are available in WYSIWYG Report:
The following working modes are available in WYSIWYG Design:
The following working modes are available in WYSIWYG Perform:
Beneath the work area in each mode is a series of layout tabs. A layout is a configuration of work views. Views and layouts are mode specific.
You can create custom layouts in CAD, DESIGN, and LIVE modes. Quad layouts are the only editable layouts, but you can only change the sizes of the panes. For more information, see Custom tab window layout.
WYSIWYG supports pop-up frames and has multi-monitor functionality, thus providing alternative tools for customizing your work environment. These features are discussed below.
Click the appropriate Layout tab to change layouts.
Views are the windows in the work space. The windows are pre-configured on the screen based on the layout, as discussed above.
The WYSIWYG views include: Wireframe, Flight Case, Shaded, Spreadsheet, Patch, Error, Report, Image, Plot, and Worksheet.
The layouts and views available in each mode are discussed at the beginning of each chapter.
For more information, see Wireframe views and Shaded views.
You can place a view in a “pop-up frame” so that it remains active across modes. For example, if you place the patch view in a pop-up frame, it will remain visible even if the mode is changed from DATA to CAD.
The position of pop-up frames are remembered when a file is saved. When the saved file is reopened, all pop-up frame positions will be remembered and set exactly how they were working last.
The
Pop-Up Window button.
Result: A new window containing a copy of the selected view opens.
The
Full Screen button.
Result: The pop-up frame expands to fill the entire screen with no title bar visible.
Tip: To return the pop-up frame to normal size, press ESC.
Result: The title bar only is displayed.
Tip: You can also click the Minimize button.
The Minimize button.
You can create custom tab layouts and specify your workspace. WYSIWYG provides this feature in the CAD, DESIGN, and LIVE modes, and you can customize your workspace with any combination of layout windows, and then save these settings in a layout tab.
Your custom tab is stored and always available in your computer except when deleted.
The Views that will display in a Custom tab are:
Note: You can create up to 10 custom tabs in your installation.
Note: You can also click the + tab by the layout tabs.
Note: A preview of how the tab will look appears in the Preview section.
Note: Refer to the Preview section for the location of the pane in the custom tab.
Result: The custom tab is created. The custom tab will appear with the default tabs at the bottom of the layout.
Note: You can also right-click the custom tab and select Rename.
Result: The custom tab is renamed.
You can copy any existing tab in CAD, DESIGN, and LIVE modes. This will create an exact duplicate of the original tab. You can then use or edit both tabs as needed.
Note: You can also right-click the tab and select Duplicate.
Result: The selected tab is copied and appears with the other tab.
You can hide a tab that you do not want to see in a mode. This is useful if you have a number of custom tabs and want to reduce clutter.
Note: You can also right-click the tab and select Hide.
Tips:
Result: The selected hidden tab is visible again.
Result: A dialog box appears asking if you really want to delete the tab.
Result: The tab is permanently deleted.
You can change the order which tabs are ordered.
The Custom Tab Manager is a feature to help you keep track and manage any custom tabs you create.
In CAD or DESIGN or LIVE mode, from the View menu, choose Custom Tab > Custom Tab Manager.
Note: The Manage Custom Tabs window appears.
From the Options menu in the Welcome window, you can choose a different language that will be used in WYSIWYG. Selecting a different language will require to restart WYSIWYG. English, español (Spanish), français (French) and italiano (Italian) are the options available at the present, and more languages will be added in the future.
Result: If the selected language is different from the default, the “Your changes will not be applied until the next time WYSIWYG is started. Please remember to save your work.” dialog box appears.
Result: WYSIWYG opens with the selected language.
You can save WYSIWYG settings that are specific to a particular installation of the WYSIWYG software into an external file with a “.wud” extension. You can then load this file into WYSIWYG to automatically load all the user settings saved in the “.wud” file. With “.wud” files, you can share your custom user data between multiple computers and when upgrading to newer WYSIWYG releases.
The following user data and settings are found in a .wud file:
Attention: WYSIWYG User Data files can only be imported and exported from the WYSIWYG Welcome window.
Result: The Export User Data window appears.
or
Select the SELECT ALL checkbox on the top row of the list to select all the checkboxes below.
Result: The User Data Profile is saved at the chosen location.
Result: The Select User Data File window appears.
Result: The Import User Data window appears.
or
Select the SELECT ALL checkbox on the top row of the list to select all the checkboxes below.
Note: [Overwrite] appears next to settings stored in the *.wud file that will overwrite existing WYSIWYG settings if imported.
Result: The User Data settings are imported successfully. WYSIWYG will need to restart for the new settings to take effect.
You can save your user interface settings into an external file with a “.wud” extension, which can be loaded back into WYSIWYG. Click Export my WYSIWYG Registry on the WYSIWYG Tech Support dialog box that appears when you click Support from the Help menu.
You can reset the user interface settings of WYSIWYG to default by clicking the Reset my UI to default button on the WYSIWYG Tech Support dialog box that appears when you click Support from the Help menu.
Shortcuts are created for quick access to library items and view types, among other things. The shortcut bars are located on the left side of your screen. Shortcut bars are mode and layout specific. Each layout has designated shortcut bars.
In general, there are three types of shortcuts:
The first type of shortcut is used for navigation purposes. The navigation shortcuts are:
Navigation
ViewsNavigation shortcuts store the mode and layout destination. For example, you can save a navigation shortcut to DATA mode / Patch layout. The next time you want to go back to that location, click the shortcut to save you at least one step.
View shortcuts store the plot type and zoom level. View shortcuts only apply to Wireframe views.
The second type of shortcut is used in place of browsing the library. The library shortcuts are:
WYSIWYG will automatically create library shortcuts of the library object as it gets inserted from the Library Browser on every new document. You can toggle this option by clicking the automatic library shortcut button on the Library Browser. Like all types of shortcuts, see Working_with_shortcuts below to create, modify, and work with shortcuts.
Automatic library shortcut
button
The final type of shortcut is used to open and save views and tools. The views/tools shortcuts are:
The procedure for creating, modifying, and working with shortcuts is the same regardless of the type of shortcut.
Note: For navigation type shortcuts, ensure that the destination is set up, and then proceed with step 1.
Result: The shortcut is created and added to the bottom of the list on the shortcut bar that you selected in step 1.
Result: You are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Result: The selected shortcut is deleted.
Result: The selected shortcut is renamed.
Result: The selected shortcut is cloned and the copy is added to the bottom of the list.
You can arrange shortcuts on the shortcut bar area by using drag-and-drop functionality.
Right-click on the open space on the appropriate shortcut bar, and then click either Icons or List (depending on your current setup).
Result: When you choose Icons, all shortcuts are displayed as icons. List will cause the shortcuts to be listed in the shortcut bar area, thereby allowing you to fit more shortcuts in the area.
The settings are retained for all shortcuts.
Note: To scroll to the bottom of a long list of shortcuts, use either the scroll button on your mouse or the scroll bar along the side of the shortcut bar.
Click the shortcut icon.
Note: As with all objects in WYSIWYG, all shortcuts have properties that affect the object being inserted, the view or tool, or the navigation method.
Result: The Properties dialog box appears. The settings modified here affect the object, view, tool, or navigation destination of the selected shortcut. An example of the Navigation Shortcut Properties dialog box is shown below; however, the shortcut properties window varies based on the type of shortcut that you select.
You can configure the shortcut bar to show fewer/more categories, and reorder the categories that you see.
Shortcuts in your file can be sorted and deleted as needed. Sorted shortcuts can be managed manually or alphabetically. You can also insert separators between shortcuts to group, segregate and organize the shortcut icons.
Result: The Manage (shortcut type) Shortcuts window appears.
Result: On the shortcut bar, a shortcut separator appears on the space below the selected shortcut.
Tip: On the shortcut bar, you may also right-click on the space where you want to insert a separator and click the Add Separator menu.
The Menu bar is located within the WYSIWYG user interface, below the Mode buttons and above the work area. The available menus change when moving from mode to mode. The individual menus are explained within the context of each mode chapter.
The Menu bar is dockable. It has a grab bar on the left that is used to move the Menu bar around the screen. It may be placed on the edges of the work area; top, bottom, left, or right. It may also be dragged off the edge of the work area and into its own window. This window remains on top of the WYSIWYG screen and can be dragged anywhere on your display.
Menu commands can be accessed using a mouse, keyboard, or by using hotkeys.
Result: The menu is displayed.
Note: Some commands have shortcuts that do not require menu selection. In those cases, the shortcut keys are listed to the right of the command in the menu.
Example: To undo the last command, use CTRL + Z.
Toolbars provide button access to most commands. This is in lieu of selecting the commands through the menus in the Menu bar.
Toolbars, like menus, are mode sensitive. However, unlike menus, you can customize how the toolbars are displayed and which toolbars are open for each mode. Toolbars that are greyed out in the toolbar selection list are not used in the current mode.
Toolbars are typically found directly under the Menu bar and have a grab bar on the left that is used to move the toolbar around the screen. They can be placed on the edges of the work area (top, bottom, left or right), and can also be dragged off the edge of the work area and into their own window. This window remains on top of the WYSIWYG screen and can be dragged anywhere on your display.
To save on space, similar toolbar buttons are grouped together in a Toolbar drop-down menu. If a drop-down menu is available for a button, it can be identified by the small triangle in the lower right side of the button.
Click and hold the button until the drop-down menu appears, and then click on your choice. The selected item in the drop-down menu is then displayed at the top level of the toolbar.
The following toolbars are available (listed in alphabetical order).
Result: The toolbar list is displayed.
Tip: From the toolbar list, choose Toolbars to open the Application Options dialog box. In this dialog box, you can choose multiple toolbars and configure other screen options, such as the Status bar and tooltips.
Note: Since toolbars are mode-sensitive, certain toolbars are disabled based on the mode that you are currently in.
Most tools in WYSIWYG create a separate window where all the options of the tool are available. Window positions of these tools can be customized to suit most work styles. If a WYSIWYG document is saved, WYSIWYG will remember the window preference of the tool the next time the document is opened.
Window position options can be accessed by clicking the down arrow at the top of the window, and opening the Window Position drop-down menu.
Result: The tools are now tabbed together.
Click the Pin icon to toggle the Auto Hide setting of a window.
Floating Toolbars are available in WYSIWYG to offer common features conveniently at your cursor. When you right-click on a view, in addition to the usual right-click menu, a floating toolbar will appear either above or below the right-click menu (depending on where you clicked on the screen).
The icons displayed are the same as the ones displayed in the menus and toolbars. If you are not familiar with an icon, hover over it and a tooltip will appear displaying the feature's name.
The Status bar is displayed along the bottom of the WYSIWYG screen, below the Layout tabs. The Status bar displays the prompt line, the number of unused channels (WYSIWYG Perform), selected object information, and tracks the status of the snap, ortho and absolute coordinates commands. It also tracks and displays the coordinates of the cursor.
The Status bar can be turned on or off from the toolbar list. You can also customize the contents of the Status bar from the Application Options window.
For more information on setting the options of your drawing, see Application Options.
The prompt line displays the current status of a command within your drawing. If you are currently working with a command that requires multiple steps (the placement of a pipe, for example), the prompt line displays a message indicating the next step required to accomplish that task. The prompt line also displays a short description of a command when you point to it using your mouse.
In this display, “O” stands for the number of objects currently selected. The “F” stands for the number of fixtures selected and the “C” stands for the number of circuits currently selected.
Although there is never a limitation on how many fixtures can be patched in a file, there is a limitation on the number of DMX channels that can be simulated in LIVE mode. WYSIWYG will not simulate the DMX values being received on channels exceeding the Perform or Perform Lite channel counts of your system.
WYSIWYG Perform can visualize up to 131,072 DMX channels, the equivalent of 256 full DMX universes.
WYSIWYG Perform Lite can visualize/simulate up to 5,120 DMX channels, the equivalent of 10 full DMX universes.
The number of unused channels will appear on the Status bar in CAD, DATA, and LIVE modes. Note that in CAD and DATA modes, the count only updates after you access LIVE mode.
This setting determines how coordinate information is displayed mid-command. In ABS (Absolute) mode, which is the default, the coordinates display always shows the coordinates currently under your cursor. In REL (Relative) mode, the Coordinates display shows the relative distance and angle from the last position, indicated with a mouse click.
Coordinates are displayed in the order of X, Y and Z. The coordinates display the position of the cursor as a distance from the origin of the drawing. For more information on coordinates and setting the origin point, see Coordinate system and origin.
Double-click this label to set the missing coordinate. The missing coordinate (X,Y,or Z) is the coordinate whose value cannot be entered by clicking on the screen. The easiest way to determine the missing coordinate in a Wireframe view is to move the mouse around and look at the Status bar at the bottom of the working area. You will see only two values changing. The value that is not changing is the missing coordinate for that view or workplane.
The missing coordinate is dependent on the plot type and the workplane selected. Once entered this value will affect all subsequent objects inserted in the current view. For example, if the missing coordinate is set to 5’ in a plan view, all objects will be placed 5’ off the floor (X,Y,5) until the missing coordinate is changed again. Note that the missing coordinate is not a move tool; objects are not moved to the missing coordinate value. The missing coordinate only affects subsequent inserts.
Click this label to toggle between metric and imperial units of measurement.
The snap and ortho entry shows the status of these items. If the indicator is white, a snap or ortho setting is active. If the indicator is dark grey, snap and ortho are not active.
The Instruction Tooltip is a helpful window that appears automatically when you start an operation. The Instruction Tooltip explains how to perform the current operation.
Note: By default the Instruction Tooltip is turned on.
For some operations, such as snapping truss or hanging a fixture, the Instruction Tooltip color will be red when the operation cannot be performed, then changes to green when you can insert the object.
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