Object properties

All objects in WYSIWYG have properties. Properties are the characteristics or attributes that shape and define an object. Modifying object properties is a form of editing and is the only way to make changes to objects once they have been drawn (some exceptions exist).

To edit object properties
  1. Select the objects that you want to edit.
  2. Right-click on the object, and then select Properties.

Tip: At any time, to access an object’s properties, you can click the Properties tool on the Edit toolbar, or you can double-click on an object (or fixture in DESIGN mode and LIVE mode).

 inset_29.jpgThe Properties button.

Result: The Properties window appears.

Note: All objects have general properties that affect the color and layer on which they are drawn. Objects also have properties that are particular to that type of object. For example, fixtures have unit numbers but do not have a radius. When an object is selected and its properties are displayed, a tab appears in the properties dialog box for that type of object. When you select multiple objects of different types, tabs appear for each type of object selected.

General object properties

In WYSIWYG, there are four tabs that appear in the Properties window for every object. These four tabs are the General, Appearance, Light Emission, and Sidedness tabs.

For 3D solids and surfaces, the Set Piece tab also appears in the Properties window.

All tabs are explained here.

General tab

Options on the General tab affect the layer’s color and line weight.

PropertiesGeneral.png 

Layer

A list of the layers in your document is displayed. Click on a list item to change the layer on which the objects will be drawn.

Note: You cannot attach Camera Paths nor Cameras to axes. To create a moving Camera, you can either draw a Camera Path or use the DMX Camera.

Hatching

Section for managing hatching effects of closed objects.

Note: Hatching is only available for closed objects, e.g. surfaces, closed lines, 3D primitives, walls.

To add hatching to an object

Note: Not all objects support hatching. If hatching is not supported, the checkbox to enable hatching is disabled.

  1. Right-click the object, and select Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

PropertiesGeneralHatching.png 

  1. In the Properties window, click the General tab.
  2. To enable hatching for the object, select the Show Hatch Lines checkbox.
  3. Select the desired hatching style for the object from the Available hatching styles drop-down list.
  4. Click Apply to enable the hatching style for the object.

HatchingStyle.png 

To edit or create a hatching style
  1. Right-click an object that supports hatching, and select Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

PropertiesGeneralHatching00118.png 

  1. In the Properties window, click the General tab.
  2. To enable hatching for the object, select the Show Hatch Lines checkbox.
  3. To make a new hatch style or edit an existing style, click New/Edit....

Result: The Hatch Style Manager window appears. All existing hatch styles are displayed and can be edited here.

HatchStyleManager.png 

  1. To create a new hatch style, click the New Hatch Style button.

inset_19.jpgThe New Hatch Style button.

Result: The New Hatch Style window appears.

NewHatchStyle.png 

  1. In the New Hatch Style window, enter the details of the new hatch style.
  2. Click OK.
  3. Click Apply to enable the new styles.

NewHatchStyleApply.png 

To clone a hatching style
  1. Right-click an object that supports hatching, and select Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

PropertiesGeneralHatching00119.png 

  1. In the Properties window, click the General tab.
  2. Select the Show Hatch Lines checkbox.
  3. Click New/Edit....

Result: The Hatch Style Manager window appears. All existing hatch styles are displayed and can be edited here.

HatchStyleManager00120.png 

  1. To clone an existing hatching style, select the style you want to copy and click the Clone Hatch Style button.

inset_9.jpgThe Clone Hatch Style button.

Result: The Clone Hatch Style window appears. All the settings of the selected hatch style will be copied into the window.

CloneHatchStyle.png 

  1. In the Clone Hatch Style window, edit any hatching setting that you want to be different from the original hatching style.
  2. Click OK.

Result: The cloned hatching style will appear in the Hatching Style Manager window and be available for use.

To delete a hatching style
  1. Right-click an object that supports hatching, and select Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

PropertiesGeneralHatching00121.png 

  1. In the Properties window, click the General tab.
  2. Select the Show Hatch Lines checkbox.
  3. Click New/Edit....

Result: The Hatch Style Manager window appears. All existing hatch styles are displayed.

HatchStyleManager00122.png 

  1. To delete an existing hatching style, select the style you want to remove and click the Delete Hatch Style button.

inset_28.jpgThe Delete Hatch Style button.

Result: The Delete Hatch Style dialog box appears.

DeleteHatchStyle.png 

  1. In the Delete Hatch Style dialog box, to delete the hatch style click Yes.

Result: The selected hatching style be removed from WYSIWYG.

To change the print scale of hatching styles

Spacing for built-in line patterns found in hatching use a default scale of 1.0 equal to 0’6” (2.54 cm). Print Scale Options can be used to create a different scale when printing in PRES mode.

  1. Right-click an object that supports hatching, and select Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

PropertiesGeneralHatching00123.png 

  1. In the Properties window, click the General tab.
  2. Select the Show Hatch Lines checkbox.
  3. Click New/Edit....

Result: The Hatch Style Manager window appears. All existing hatch styles are displayed.

HatchStyleManager00124.png 

  1. Click Print Scale Options.
  2. The Print Scale Options dialog box appears.

PrintScaleOptions.png 

  1. In the Print Scale Options window, to create a custom print scale, select the radio next to Custom scale.

Note: To revert the print scale to its default settings, select the radio next to Print scale.

  1. Edit the print scale settings as desired.
  2. Click OK.
  3. Click Apply.

Result: The print scale options change.

To import hatching patterns

To import Hatch Pattern files (.pat files), save these files in the folder location that was entered as the Hatch Pattern Files location in the File Locations tab in Application Options window. When you restart WYSIWYG, these patterns will be listed in the Hatch Style Manager.

  1. Right-click an object that supports hatching, and select Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

PropertiesGeneralHatching00125.png 

  1. In the Properties window, click the General tab.
  2. Select the Show Hatch Lines checkbox.
  3. Click New/Edit....

Result: The Hatch Style Manager window appears. All existing hatch styles are displayed.

HatchStyleManager00126.png 

  1. Click Import Patterns.

Result: The Application Options window appears.

ApplicationOptionsFileLocations.png 

  1. In the Application Options window, enter the location/folder which contains the hatch pattern files (.pat files) in the Hatch Pattern Files field.
  2. Click OK.

Result: A dialog box appears warning that WYSIWYG needs to restart to display the imported hatching patterns in the Hatch Style Manager.

Appearance tab

Use this tab to specify the appearance of the different components that make up the currently selected items. The options in this tab differ based on your selected item.

You can use this tab to customize objects by adding different materials, colors, or textures to each element of the item. For example, if you have selected a library object, such as a podium, you can apply different materials, colors, and textures to each part of it (the body and the top portion).

You can also use this tab to rename the individual elements of the currently selected object. This is useful for objects that contain many elements with similar names, like risers.

 PropertiesAppearance.png

Note: You can apply textures to venues, surfaces, risers, walls, library items, spheres, cylinders, and cones. You can apply transparency to everything. When customizing the selected element, you can choose between applying a custom color or a custom texture—you cannot choose both. In addition to either color or texture, you can also apply material.

Highlight the element that you want to customize, and then choose one of the following options:

Color/Texture

Select a previously created image from the drop-down list or click New to create a new image source from the Image Manager. See Image Manager for details.

Select a previously created video source or subsource from the drop-down list, or click New to create a new video source or subsource directly from the Video Manager. See Video Manager for details.

Select an existing Normal Map image from the drop-down list or click New to create a new Normal Map image via the Image Manager.

Note: This drop-down lists all Image Sources that appear in the Image Manager; as such, Image Sources which are Normal Maps should be named appropriately, for easy identification.

If you have chosen a texture option, then you can also set the properties of the texture as follows:

Texture Options

When tiling a texture on a sphere, cylinder, or cone, by default it will completely wrap around the object. If you change the tile size, you will scale the texture up or down accordingly. If you revert back to the original tile values, you   return to the default view.

Notes:

Material Properties

Proceed with the following properties settings:

When a material is selected, the properties of the material will vary from one material to the next. The Material Properties section enables these default material settings to be changed. Each property value can be changed on a scale from 0%-100%. An explanation of the value is found on the right side of the property.

Note: The beam will pass through a surface with the Transparency value set to 80% or greater. The beam will not pass through the surface when the value is lower than 80%.

Object

The Cast Shadow feature gives you the option to display shadows and footprints of objects in Shaded view.

Clear this checkbox if you do not want to display in Shaded view the shadow/footprint of the selected object. By default, Cast Shadow is enabled on all objects, and disabled on all fixtures and hang structures.

To rename object elements

You can use this procedure to rename object elements that have similar names, giving them a more descriptive name. For example, if you have customized a riser, you could give each side of the riser a distinct name according to its custom properties. This is especially useful for custom objects that you have drawn and are going to save as custom library items. Since you cannot rename individual elements of custom library items, it is best to do so before you save the item.

  1. Under Elements, highlight the element that you want to rename. For example, highlight Riser - Back.
  2. Click Rename.
  3. Type the new, descriptive name for the element.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Click OK in the Appearance tab to save your changes.

Light Emission tab

Options on the Light Emission tab affect the light emission properties for the selected object(s) or the elements that make up an object. Light emission is defined as the ability for objects to glow or emit light and can be used to simulate LEDs, lasers, neon, light boxes, projection screens, and so on. Light emissions can be either Static or Dynamic.

Static light emissions can be seen in CAD, DESIGN and unpatched LIVE mode. With Static light emissions you can choose different light emissions for each element in an object.

Dynamic light emission can be seen in DESIGN mode and patched LIVE mode where each element of the object inherits the same light emission properties.

In DESIGN mode, the light emitting properties of the entire object are controlled using the Color Tool and the Intensity Tool. In patched LIVE mode, the dynamic color and intensity are controlled through DMX.

Note: Instead of using the Properties > Light Emission tab to change the light emission for the selected object, you can use the Quick Light Emission Tool. For details, see Quick Light Emission Tool.

PropertiesLightEmission.png 

Highlight the element that you want to customize, and then choose one of the following options:

Light Emission Glow

In this section, you can enable or disable the Light Emission Glow feature per object or per Element of an object.

Note: Glow must be enabled in the Light Emission section of the Visual Effects tab in the View Options window to show the light emission glow effect from objects in Shaded view.

Clear this checkbox to disable the light emission glow effect from the selected object. By default, Light Emission Glow is enabled for all objects except Screens.

Tip: Screen objects have a separate glow option, called Screen/LED Wall Glow, which is enabled globally via the View Options > Simulation tab in Shaded view.

Notes:

Static Light Emission

Dynamic Light Emission - Design Mode

Dynamic Light Emission - Live mode

Dynamic light emission will apply to all elements of an object.

Dynamic Color Control

Select the patch universe of the selected object, and then type the starting DMX address in the Address box below it. If you set this value, it overrides the static color control that you chose above (if any) in LIVE mode when you are connected to a console.

Dynamic Intensity Control

The DMX intensity value is treated as a percentage of the dynamic intensity value. For example, a DMX value of 127 results in 50% of the maximum intensity value that you set.

Notes:

Quick Light Emission Tool

Instead of using the Properties > Light Emission tab to change the selected object’s light emission, you can use the Quick Light Emission Tool. These tools allow you to quickly assign or change light emission properties for the selected object without opening the Properties window. You can enter repetitive information, as well as incremental information for each object as you click on it.

Note: The Quick Light Emission Tool applies light emission properties to the entire object. All elements of the object will be assigned the same color when using the Quick Light Emission Tool.

To use the Quick Light Emission Tool
  1. From the Tools menu, choose Quick Light Emission Tool.

Tip: You can also click the Quick Light Emission Tool from the Tools toolbar.

 inset_20.jpgThe Quick Light Emission Tool button.

QuickLightEmissionTool.png 

Select the light emission properties for the selected object. For details on each of the options, see Light Emission tab. If you want the value to auto increment for color, make sure you select the Auto Increment checkbox. WYSIWYG will assign the next sequential number based on the properties and requirements of the previous patch.

  1. When you have chosen all desired values, click OK.

Sidedness tab

Options on the Sidedness tab affect how the selected object appears in Shaded views and Renderings. You cannot change the sidedness of any of the objects that come with WYSIWYG, either library objects or default venues. By default, all objects in the WYSIWYG library are double-sided, which means that when you rotate them in Shaded views, all sides display equally. Conversely, the default venues that come with WYSIWYG are single sided, which enables you to see “into” the venue when you rotate it in Shaded views.

You can, however, change the sidedness of objects that you have drawn in another program and imported into WYSIWYG (i.e., .dwg, .dxf files or SketchUp files) or objects that you have drawn in WYSIWYG, such as custom venues, surfaces or custom objects that you have added to the library.

For these objects, you can use this tab to change the sidedness from single to double-sided, or vice versa. For example, if you have drawn a venue as double-sided, you can select it and change it to single sided so that it behaves in the same manner as the default WYSIWYG venues (i.e., you can see into the venue as you rotate it in Shaded views). If you prefer to have an outside view of the custom venue, then the double-sided option is best as it prevents you from seeing “through” the walls. You can also use this feature to flip the faces of a custom surface from one direction to the other if you do not like the way the object appears in the Shaded view.

To change an object’s sidedness

You can use this procedure to change objects from single to double sided and vice versa. You can also flip the faces of a single-sided object so that they are oriented in the opposite direction, either inward or outward.

Note: You cannot change the sidedness of any of the objects that come with WYSIWYG, either library objects or default venues. By default, all objects in the WYSIWYG library are double-sided, which means that when you rotate them in Shaded views, all sides display equally. Conversely, the default venues that come with WYSIWYG are single sided, which allows you to see “into” the venue when you rotate them in Shaded views.

  1. Select the object that you want to edit.
  2. Right-click on the object, and then select Properties.

Tip: At any time, to access an object’s properties, you can click on the Properties tool on the Edit toolbar.

PropertiesIcon.PNGThe Item Properties button.

Result: The Properties window appears.

  1. Click the Sidedness tab.
  2. Click the appropriate option button, either Double Sided or Single Sided. To leave the single-sided object’s faces oriented in the same direction in which they were drawn, proceed directly to step 6. To change the direction of the faces, see step 5.
  3. If you are changing a double-sided object to single sided, and you want to change the direction in which the object’s faces are oriented (either outward or inward), select the Flip Normal checkbox.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Review your changes in the Shaded tab and make adjustments as required.

PropertiesSidedness.png 

Object-specific properties

As explained above, objects also have properties that are particular to the type of object. For example, fixtures have unit numbers but do not have a radius. When an object is selected and its properties are displayed, a tab appears in the properties dialog box for that type of object. When you select multiple objects of different types, tabs appear for each type of object selected.

The following objects are defined:

For all other types of objects (venues, circles, arcs, risers, cylinders, and cameras), refer to Drawing objects. In these cases, the properties dialog box offers the same options that were given when the object was initially drawn.

Hanging structures properties (pipes, truss, floor mounts, and so on) are fully defined in Hang structures.

Fixtures and lighting-specific object properties are fully defined in the Fixture properties section.

Colors window

The Colors window allows for full customization and control over colors used in WYSIWYG. From here the color of any object in WYSIWYG can be changed. This section will explain the various features of the color window.

Colors.png 

ColorsCustom.png 

Point tab

Options on the Point tab affect how the selected point is drawn. The default point type used in a document is defined on the Object Settings tab of Document Options. To ignore the default setting, clear the Use Document Defaults checkbox, and then select the desired point type.

PropertiesPoint.png 

Line tab

Options on the Line tab affect how the selected line is drawn.

PropertiesLine.png 

Line Pattern

Note: Line patterns are available for a Rectangle, Circle, Ellipse, and Arc or Elliptical Arc, in the corresponding Properties windows. Line patterns are available to a Closed Line Polygon from the Line tab of its Properties window.

Note: You cannot change a line to a spline or French curve unless the selected line has more than two vertices.

Arrow Options

How arrows attached to the line will be shown.

Double Line 

Shaded View Options

Cone tab

Options on the Cone tab affect how the object is drawn.

PropertiesCone.png 

Sphere tab

Options on the Sphere tab affect how the object is drawn.

PropertiesSphere.png 

Text Label tab

Options on the Text Label tab affect the information, justification and style of the selected text labels.

 PropertiesTextLabel.png

Height

Section for controlling the height of the text label.

Example: If you set this to 4' and there are 4 lines of text, then each line of text will be 1' in height.

Font

Section for controlling the font settings of the text label.

Anchor Position

Section for controlling how the text label is anchored.

Left: Places the selected text label to the left of the insertion point.

Center: Horizontally centers the selected text label on the insertion point.

Right: Places the selected text label to the right of the insertion point.

Top: Places the selected text label below the insertion point.

Center: Vertically centers the selected text label on the insertion point.

Bottom: Places the selected text label above the insertion point.

Outline

Callout and Arrow

Section for controlling how callout lines and arrows attached to the line will be shown.

Linear Dimension tab

Options on the Linear Dimension tab affect the appearance and measurement mode of the selected dimension. To change the length of a dimension, it must be stretched in the drawing.

PropertiesLinearDimension.PNG 

Linear Dimension

View and change how the linear dimension is displayed.

Options

Customize the other elements of the linear dimension.

Arc Length Dimension tab

Options on the Arc Length Dimension tab affect the appearance and measurement mode of the selected arc length dimension. The arc length dimension can only be changed when the arc itself changes.

PropertiesArcLengthDimension.PNG 

Arc Length Dimension

Options

Radial Dimension tab

Options on the Radial Dimension tab affect the appearance and measurement mode of the selected radial dimension. The radial dimension can only be changed when the circle or arc itself changes.

PropertiesRadialDimension.PNG 

Radial Dimension

Options

Angle Dimension tab

Options on the Angle Dimension tab affect the appearance and measurement mode of the selected protractor object.

PropertiesAngleDimension.PNG 

Angle Dimension

Displays the actual measurements of the Angle Dimension.

Options

Specify display settings of the Angle Dimension.

Axis tab

Options on the Axis tab affect the appearance of the selected axis. The Axis tab also enables you to specify the patch settings for the selected axis.

PropertiesAxis.png 

Patch

Arrow Size

Label

Frame tab

Options on the Frame tab affect the appearance of the selected frame. The Frame tab also enables you to specify the patch settings for the selected frame.

PropertiesFrame.png 

Patch

Frame Type

Label

Motion Ranges tab

Options in the Motion Ranges tab enable you to modify the allowed ranges of motion for the selected Frame.

PropertiesMotionRanges.png 

Textures

You can apply textures to different objects, such as venues, surfaces, 3D primitives, and library objects. Surfaces are created using the Surface tool, or by extruding a line. The textures provided with WYSIWYG emulate various types of surfaces, such as brick or cloth. You can also use your own bitmap or jpeg files as textures, to emulate projection screens, or to cover a surface with a texture specific to your show.

When customizing an object, you can apply either a color or a texture; you cannot apply both.

To apply a texture to a surface

The following procedure details how to apply a texture to a surface, but it can also be used to apply a texture to venues, risers, walls, library objects, spheres, cylinders, or cones by right-clicking, and then selecting Properties.

In order for textures to be displayed properly on surfaces, the surface must be drawn in a counter-clockwise direction. For details, see To draw a surface.

  1. Right-click the surface to which you want to apply a texture, and then choose Properties.
  2. Click the Appearance tab.
  3. Select the texture option that you want. The options are:

From the drop-down list, select to apply an existing Normal Map image or click New to create a new Normal Map image via the Image Manager.

Note: This drop-down lists all Image Sources that appear in the Image Manager; as such, Image Sources which are Normal Maps should be named appropriately, for easy identification.

From the Scale drop-down list, select the height or depth of visual effect created by the Normal Map. From the drop-down list, select the percentage scale value from not visible (0%) to the maximum value stored in the imported Normal texture/image (100%).

  1. Select Tile to have the texture repeated over the selected element in a continuous series of squares or rectangles, and then type the size of the frame in which you want the texture to appear in the Width and Height boxes. Based on the size that you enter, WYSIWYG calculates how many times the texture is repeated (or tiled) to completely cover the selected element.

OR

Select Stretch to make the selected texture grow to cover the entire surface. Based on the aspect ratio and the rotation angle, WYSIWYG evaluates the surface with all of its edges and stretches the texture so the best fit is used. This option is not active unless you choose a texture. You cannot choose this option for spheres, cylinders, or cones. If you choose this option, you can also choose the following:

The default value of 1 results in no changes to the Normal Map’s size; values lower than 1 will increase the size of the Normal visual effect, and values higher than 1 will decrease it.

The Normal Map Size Multiplier operates within the Tile or Stretch Texture Options.

Note: Textures from a single image source can be applied to fit curved surfaces that were extruded from arcs and splines. For more information, see Extrude.

  1. If the texture has text or another recognizable image in it, you might need to rotate the image to get it right-side up. Select the rotation angle from the Texture Rotation drop-down list.
  2. Click OK.

Alpha mapping

WYSIWYG supports simple Alpha Mapping with PNG images. In Shaded view, camera view can look through and lighting beams can pass through transparent sections of these images that were set as textures.

Alpha Level supports Alpha Blending for Camera on surfaces with transparency. Two overlapping translucent surfaces will be displayed accurately showing the levels of intersecting transparencies.

When Alpha Beam Shadows is enabled, alpha fill percentage/value in images are utilized when altering the beam’s color and intensity as it passes through the surface. See Simulation tab in Shaded views.

Beams do not handle different levels of Alpha fill. Beams will only pass through the images with Alpha fill level between 0 and 127 of 255.

In a PNG image file:

AlphaMapping-image.png 

Notes:

ImageManager-alphaimage.png 

Normal mapping

Normal Map images may be applied to objects to make them appear three-dimensional without actually modifying their geometry; the perceived visual effect is that of a fragmented surface with high and low points that correctly interact with light.

NormalMappingExample.PNG 

Materials

Materials differ from textures in that they do not affect what the objects or surfaces will look like, but rather how they interact with light. The result of applying a material is only apparent in renderings and in Shaded view. Below is an example of a rendering with materials included:

materials.bmp 

Objects and surfaces can be assigned both a texture and a material. You apply materials using the Appearance tab in the Properties dialog box. You can choose your preferred material from the list of materials provided with WYSIWYG.

Mannequins.png 

A sample of mannequins, exactly the same except for the material applied: M0 default settings, M1 Metal 1 (Dull), M2 Metal 2, M3 Metal 3, M4 Metal 4 (Shiny).

To toggle materials in shaded view
  1. In Shaded view, from the Options menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Simulation tab, select the Enable checkbox in the Materials section to display materials in Shaded view.
To apply a material to an object (surface, object, or venue)
  1. Right-click the object which you want to apply the material to, and then choose Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

PropertiesAppearanceMaterials.png 

  1. In the Properties window, click the Appearance tab.
  2. From the Elements list box, choose the elements to which you want to apply the material. To choose a custom material for the selected elements (such as metal, paper, plastic, or fabric) click the ellipsis button (...) beside the Material box.

Result: The Material Select window appears.

Tip: When a material is highlighted in the Material Select window, a preview of the material applied to objects is displayed.

MaterialSelect.png 

  1. In the Material Select window, navigate to and highlight the desired material, and then click Select.

Result: The settings of the element will be configured so that it simulates the material.

  1. If desired, you can edit the default properties of the selected element. The element options vary as follows:

Note: From the drop-down lists, you can change any of the material properties. Use the Reset button to revert back to defaults.

  1. Click Apply.
  2. Click OK.

Material reflections

The reflective properties of a material can be toggled to enable true reflections in Shaded view. When enabled, the material will produce a detailed and faithful representation of everything reflected on its surface.

Attention:

Note: Objects that have reflections enabled will be displayed with a blue bounding box in the Shaded view.

MaterialReflections.png 

To apply reflections to an object (surface object or venue)

Note: The quality of reflection is based on the material properties of the object. Dull or unreflective materials will reflect poorly.

  1. In CAD mode, Wireframe view, right-click the object which you want to apply the reflection to, and then choose Properties.

Result: The Properties window appears.

  1. In the Properties window, click the Appearance tab.
  2. From the Elements list box, choose the elements of the object which you want to apply the reflection.

Note: Remember WYSIWYG limits the number of reflective surfaces to 10.

  1. In the Material Properties section, select the Display Reflection in Shaded Views checkbox.
  2. Click Apply.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Go to LIVE mode, Shaded view.
  5. Go to Options > View Options....

Result: The View Options window appears.

  1. In the View Options window, click the Simulation tab.
  2. Under the Materials section, select the Reflections checkbox.
  3. Click OK.

Result: Reflective materials are enabled and demonstrate true reflections.