Looks

Saving lighting looks

Changes that you make with the design tools update the currently selected look. The name of the currently selected look is displayed at the top of the working area. Before making changes, always check that the currently selected look is the one that you want to modify.

To create a new lighting look

1. In the shortcuts bar, click Looks.
2. In the Looks shortcut area, right-click, and then select New Look.
3. In the Name box, type the name of the new look.
4. In the Fade time box, type the fade time in seconds for this look. This is the amount of time that it takes to “fade” to this look when you click on it from another look on the shortcut bar. For more information, see Cross-fading between lighting looks below.
5. Click OK.
6. Scroll to the bottom of the Looks shortcuts list.
7. Click on the shortcut for your new look.
8. Use the design tools to create your new lighting look.

Tip: To build on an existing look without losing it, clone the look shortcut and work from the copy of the shortcut. For more information on cloning shortcuts, see To clone a shortcut.

Cross-fading between lighting looks

You can use the Looks shortcut bar to quickly set up and run timed transitions between lighting looks without the need of a lighting console. When you create a lighting look, you can specify its fade time in seconds. This is the amount of time that it takes to “fade” to this look when you click on it from another look on the shortcut bar. You can create multiple looks and specify different fade times for each of them.

Once you create the look and specify the fade time, you can use the design tools to customize the look. For example, you can add color, gobos, and intensity to lighting, and set the position of moving lights. When you switch from one look to the next, you can see the movement of the lights from one position to the next, along with any changes you have made between looks, such as color, intensity, and so on.

To cross-fade between looks

1. In DESIGN mode, in the shortcuts bar, click Looks.
2. In the Looks shortcut area, right-click, and then select New Look.
3. In the Name box, type the name of the new look.
4. In the Fade time box, type the fade time in seconds for this look.
5. Click OK.
6. Scroll to the bottom of the Looks shortcuts list.
7. Click on the shortcut for your new look.
8. Use the design tools to create your new lighting look. You can set the color, intensity, zoom, iris, and add gobos. If you are using moving lights, you can also set the position of the lights.
9. To create the next look, in the Looks shortcut area, right-click, and then select New Look.
10. In the Name box, type the name of the new look.
11. In the Fade time box, type the fade time in seconds for this look.
12. Click OK.
13. Scroll to the bottom of the Looks shortcuts list.
14. Click on the shortcut for your new look.
15. Use the design tools to create your new lighting look. You can set the color, intensity, zoom, iris, and add gobos. If you are using moving lights, you can also set the position of the lights.
16. Ensure that the Fade Looks menu is enabled so the look fades instead of jumping directly to the next look.

Tip: If the button is not enabled, then you can “jump” from one look to the next by clicking the look shortcuts on the shortcut bar. Even if the button is enabled, you can always jump to the next look by right-clicking the look shortcut, and selecting Jump to.

17. To watch the “fade” from the first look to the second look, click the shortcut for the second look. The image fades over the period of time that you specified for the second look.

Tips:

• For a more realistic view of the fading between looks, click the Shaded tab.
• When cross-fading between Looks, a simple countdown (of the remaining fade time) will be displayed in Shaded view.
• To jump directly to a specific look, right-click the look, and then select Jump to.

Viewing moving scenery

You can use the Looks shortcut bar to quickly set up and run timed transitions between looks to simulate moving scenery.

When you create a look, you can specify its fade time in seconds. This is the amount of time that it takes to “fade” to this look when you click on it from another look on the shortcut bar. You can create multiple looks and specify different fade times for each of them.

Just as you can specify the fade time to watch the transition between lighting looks, so too can you use the fade time to simulate moving scenery. In the latter case, however, your Look must contain at least one motion axis with at least one object attached to it.

Note: You can also combine Looks to simulate both moving lights and moving scenery in one “fade”.

Once you create the look and specify its fade time, use the Moving Scenery Designer tool to customize the look by selecting the appropriate motion axis and the object’s starting position on it. Then create a second look, repeating the same procedure to set the object’s starting position on either the same axis, or a different one (if there is more than one axis attached together).

When you switch from one look to the next, you can see the object move from the starting point of the first look, to the starting point of the second look.

To view moving scenery

Note: Before you perform this procedure, you must have drawn at least one motion axis and attached at least one object to it. For details, see Drawing motion axes.

1. In DESIGN mode, in the shortcuts bar, click Looks.
2. In the Looks shortcut area, right-click, and then select New Look.
3. In the Name box, type the name of the new look.
4. In the Fade time box, type the fade time in seconds for this look.
5. Click OK.
6. Scroll to the bottom of the Looks shortcuts list.
7. Click on the shortcut for your new look.
8. Click the Toggle Moving Scenery Designer Tool icon.
9. From the drop-down list in the Scenery window, select the appropriate motion axis.
10. Click the slider to advance the object to the position where you want it to start on the selected axis.

Note: You can also use the Start box to type the object’s position as a percentage of its full range of movement. For example, to show the object at the exact half-way mark on the motion axis, type 50.

11. To create the next look, in the Looks shortcut area, right-click, and then select New Look.
12. In the Name box, type the name of the new look.
13. In the Fade time box, type the fade time in seconds for this look.
14. Click OK.
15. Scroll to the bottom of the Looks shortcuts list.
16. Click on the shortcut for your new look.
17. From the drop-down list in the Scenery window, select the appropriate motion axis.
18. Click the slider to advance the object to the position where you want it to start on the selected axis.
19. Ensure that the Fade Looks menu is enabled so the look fades instead of jumping directly to the next look.

Tip: If the button is not enabled, then you can “jump” from one look to the next by clicking the look shortcuts on the shortcut bar. Even if the button is enabled, you can always jump to the next look by right-clicking the look shortcut, and selecting Jump to.

20. To watch the “fade” from the first look to the second look, click the shortcut for the second look. The object moves from the starting point of the first look to the starting point of the second look over the period of time that you specified as the fade time for the second look.

Tips:

• For a more realistic view of the fading between looks, click the Shaded tab.
• To jump directly to a specific look, right-click the look, and then select Jump to.
• For details on controlling the object’s movement with a console device, such as the Mini Console, see To control a DMX patched motion axis with a console.