LED Wizard

This Wizard enables you to quickly create a grid of LEDs that simulates LED walls or panels, as well as LED webs, star cloths and video curtains. The grid can have Image or Video Sources applied to it, or can be patched to DMX universes for control via LED mapping software or lighting consoles.

To use the led wizard

From the Draw menu, choose LED Wizard.

Result: The LED Wizard appears.

Click Next.

Result: The Dimensions and style window appears.

Use the options in the View drop-down list to control the "zoom level" of the preview area:

Fit: Choose this option to fit the grid to the preview area.
Zoom: Choose this option to zoom in on the center of the grid, to check the image or video that was mapped to the pixels.
Corner: Choose this option to zoom in on the lower-left corner of the grid. This is useful for checking how the frame appears in relation to the rest of the grid.

Note: The preview of the LED device will update as you provide its style and dimensions values. This helps you visualize your LED panel or wall before you move onto the next step.

In the Units section, choose the measurement unit you want to use in the grid you are creating. By default, the Units section is set to Metric.

Metric: Choose this option to specify the measurements in meters.
Imperial: Choose this option to specify the measurements in feet and inches.

In the Style section, choose the style of LEDs that you want to use in the grid you are creating:

Single: Choose this option to use single LEDs which produce (all) three colors—Red and Green and Blue.
Triplet: Choose this option to use LED clusters comprised of three LEDs, each of which produces a single color—Red or Green or Blue).

In the Shape section, choose the shape of the individual LEDs to use in the grid, and then specify their size:

Round: Choose this option if you want the Single LED or each element of a Triplet to be round, and then type the diameter of the LEDs in this grid.
Rectangular: Choose this option if you want the Single LED or each element of a Triplet to be rectangular, and then type the width and height of the LEDs in this grid.

In the Dimensions section, define the layout of the grid by specifying the number of rows and columns of LEDs:

Number of columns: Type the number of columns in the grid.
Number of rows: Type the number of rows in the grid.
Offset rows: Select this checkbox to offset the rows in the grid by one-half of the Horizontal Pitch (described below).

Use the Specify By drop-down list and the fields below it to select the parameters of the device (i.e., LED panel, LED wall, LED web, video wall, etc.) that you will use to define this LED grid:
Choose Dimensions and Pitch to define the grid’s height and width and pixel pitch. (The pitch is the center-to-center distance between LEDs in the grid. The height and width are the overall height and width of the device as seen from the front—i.e., the height and width of an LED panel or LED wall.) When you choose this option, the LED Wizard will calculate the width of the device’s Borders for you.

Width: Type the overall width of the device being simulated.
Height: Type the overall height of the device being simulated.
Horizontal Pitch: Type the horizontal center-to-center distance between LEDs in the grid of the device being simulated.
Vertical Pitch: Type the vertical center-to-center distance between LEDs in the grid of the device being simulated.

Tip: Since, in many cases, LED panels or walls have the same horizontal and vertical pixel pitch, you may click the Lock button to apply the same value to both.

The Lock button.

Choose Dimensions and Borders to define the height and width of the device being simulated, and its borders’ horizontal and vertical sizes. (The height and width are the overall height and width of the device as seen from the front—i.e., the height and width of an LED panel or LED wall. The border is the distance between the edge of the device and the edge of the first row and/or column of LEDs in the grid.) When you choose this option, the LED Wizard will calculate the grid’s pixel pitch for you.

Width: Type the overall width of the device being simulated.
Height: Type the overall height of the device being simulated.
Side Borders: Type the distance between the left edge of the device being simulated and the edge of the left-most column of LEDs. The same value will be applied to the right side of the device, between its right edge and the edge of the right-most row of LEDs.
Top/Bottom Borders: Type the distance between the top edge of the device being simulated and the edge of the top row of LEDs. The same value will be applied to the bottom of the device, between its bottom edge and the edge of the bottom row of LEDs.

Tip: Since, in many cases, devices such as LED panels or walls have the same-size horizontal and vertical borders, you may click the Lock button to apply the same value to both.

The Lock button.

Choose Pitch and Borders to define the pixel pitch and borders’ horizontal and vertical sizes of the device being simulated. (The pixel pitch is the center-to-center distance between LEDs in the grid. The border is the distance between the edge of the device and the edge of the first row and/or column of LEDs in the grid.) When you choose this option, the LED Wizard will calculate the device’s height and width for you.

Horizontal Pitch: Type the horizontal center-to-center distance between LEDs in the grid of the device being simulated.
Vertical Pitch: Type the vertical center-to-center distance between LEDs in the grid of the device being simulated.
Side Borders: Type the distance between the left edge of the device being simulated and the edge of the left-most column of LEDs. The same value will be applied to the right side of the device, between its right edge and the edge of the right-most row of LEDs.
Top/Bottom Borders: Type the distance between the top edge of the device being simulated and the edge of the top row of LEDs. The same value will be applied to the bottom of the device, between its bottom edge and the edge of the bottom row of LEDs.

Tip: Since, in many cases, LED panels or walls have the same-size horizontal and vertical pixel pitch as well as borders, you may click the Lock button to apply the same value to both.

The Lock button.

In the Back Panel section, choose the back panel settings for LED Wall.

Show Back Panel: Enable to create a black back panel for the LED Wall. This option is enabled by default.
Thickness: Type in the thickness of the back panel.

Tip: After the LED Wall is inserted the file, the Back Panel settings can still be changed from the properties menu of the LED Wall.

In the Pixel Detail section,
You can use the Pixel Detail slider to control the LED Wall quality vs. performance setting. An increase in pixel detail will result in a decrease in performance.

If the source of your LED wall is color, image or video, you can select the Display as Screen checkbox to display the LED wall as a screen with a projected image instead of a detailed grid of LED pixels forming the image.

Display as Screen does not work if the source of the LED wall is Dynamic DMX patch.

Click Next.

Result: The Apply Content window appears.

In the Color section, select what this LED grid will display:

Single Color: Choose this option in order to have the grid display the selected color in all modes; click the color box next to this option to select the color to be displayed.
Image Source: Choose this option in order to have the grid display the image from an Image Source or Subsource that you created in the Image Manager, and then select the Image Source or Subsource to display from the drop-down list. (For more information on using the Image Manager, see Image Manager.) Click Create New to launch the Image Manager to create a new image source or subsource.

Tip: For optimum results, the number of rows and columns of this LED grid should be proportional to the dimensions of the Image Source or Subsource being selected here.

Video Source: Choose this option in order to have the grid display the video from a Video Source or Subsource, that you created in Video Manager.

From the drop-down list select the Video Source or Subsource to display. (For more information on using the Video Manager, see Video Manager.) Click Create New to launch the Video Manager to create a new Video Source or Subsource.

IMPORTANT: When a video is used on an LED grid, if that video is not playing, that grid will not appear in Shaded view in DESIGN and LIVE modes. To play the video, use the Video Designer tool in DESIGN or LIVE mode.

Tip: For optimum results, the number of rows and columns of this grid should be proportional to the dimensions of the Video Source or Subsource being selected here.

Dynamic Color by DMX: Choose this option to control the color of the LEDs in this grid via DMX (by connecting to a lighting console or to LED mapping software), and then select how the color channels should be patched:

Single Patch: Select this option from the drop-down list in order to control the color of this entire grid with a single set of DMX channels. After selecting this option, if you choose red on your console, every point source in the entire grid will be red.
Multi Patch: Select this option from the drop-down list to control individual LEDs in this grid via separate sets of DMX channels. After selecting this option, you will have the ability to control the color mix for every LED in the grid individually.

Tip: Select this option when controlling the LED grid from specialized LED mapping software.

Note: If this option is selected, the LEDs will appear in the color of the Layer on which this grid is located in all Shaded views, except those in LIVE mode (where they will appear in the color provided by the incoming DMX data).

In the Intensity section, you have the option to select whether or not you wish to have dynamic control of the grid intensity, via DMX for LIVE mode.

Note: This option applies to LIVE mode only. The Brightness value will set the intensity of the LED grid for all other modes.

Single Patch: Select this option from the drop-down list in order to control the intensity of the entire grid with a single DMX channel.
Multi Patch: Select this option from the drop-down list in order to individually control the intensity of each LED in this grid via individual DMX channels.
Maximum Intensity: Select the maximum intensity value of the LEDs in this grid when connected to a console and viewed in LIVE mode.

IMPORTANT: This value applies to the maximum intensity of the LEDs in LIVE mode. This is intended to control maximum brightness of each LED grid, because some LEDs are brighter than others. For example, if you set one LED grid to 100% and another LED grid to 50%, when you then control them via DMX in LIVE mode and set the console channel to full (255), the LED grid with Maximum Intensity set to 100% will be brighter than the one set to 50%.

In the Shaded View Options section, set the level of overall brightness and glow effect of the LED grid in the Shaded views of CAD, DESIGN and LIVE modes.
Brightness: From the Brightness drop-down list, set the overall brightness of the LED grid.

Note: If Dynamic Intensity by DMX is disabled, the static intensity that you define will also apply in LIVE mode.

Light Emission Glow: Select this checkbox to display in Shaded view the light emission glow effect from the LED array.

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.

Click Next.

Result: If the content of your LED grid is controlled by a Single Color, Image Source or Video Source, you are Finished. Otherwise, you’ve selected to control color and/or intensity dynamically, and the LED Wizard proceeds to the appropriate patching page, as shown below. Locate your patching scenario, and follow the steps listed.

Single Patch DMX Address

This page is displayed if you set Dynamic Color by DMX to the Single Patch option. If you also set Dynamic Intensity by DMX to the Single Patch option, it will be active, otherwise it will disabled.

Select one of several Color Modes by which color is controlled, enter the DMX control channels for the entire grid, and then click Next:

Color Modes: Choose between RGB, RGBA, RGBW and RGBAW, depending on the device you are simulating. “RGB” stands for “Red, Green, Blue”; “A” stands for “Amber”; “W” stands for “White”. The Color Mode setting defines the number of DMX channels required to control the color mix for this entire grid.

Note: WYSIWYG does not actually show white or amber LEDs in its simulation. The additional “A” and/or “W” channels are offered so this Wizard can account for these channels in the patch, if necessary.

Dynamic Color Control Patch: Type the universe and starting channel number for this patch, in the format Universe_Name.DMX_Channel_Number. (If the Universe_Name you typed does not exist, you will be asked if you wish to create it when you click Next.) Alternately, you may click the ellipsis button to manually select a previously-created universe (or create a new one), and then type the channel number.

Tip: Once you have finished creating this grid and have inserted it, switch to DATA mode > Patch view, and click the universe to which you patched it, in order to verify that the patch has been applied correctly. For example, if you chose the RGBAW color mode, this grid should span five DMX channels, starting with the channel number you defined. (For more information on using the Patch view in DATA mode, see Working in the patch view.)

(If active) Dynamic Intensity Control Patch: Type the universe and channel number for this patch, in the format Universe_Name.DMX_Channel_Number. (If the Universe_Name you typed does not exist, you will be asked if you wish to create it when you click Next.) Alternately, you may click the ellipsis button to manually select a previously-created universe (or create a new one), and then type the channel number.

Click Next.

Result: The Finished page appears.

Proceed to step 14.

Single Patch DMX Address with Single Color, Image or Video Source

This page is displayed if you set “Dynamic Intensity by DMX” to the Single Patch option, and color is controlled by Single Color, Image Source or Video Source.

Enter the address of the (single) DMX channel used to control the intensity of this entire grid, then click Next:

Dynamic Intensity Control Patch: Type the universe name and channel number for this patch, in the format Universe_Name.DMX_Channel_Number. (If the Universe_Name you typed does not exist, you will be asked if you wish to create it when you click Next.) Alternately, you may click the ellipsis button to manually select a previously-created universe (or create a new one) and type the channel number.

Click Next.

Result: The Finished page appears.

Proceed to step 14.

Multi Patch and/or Single Patch DMX Address

This page is displayed if you set Dynamic Color by DMX to the Multi Patch option. Then, depending on the choice for Dynamic Intensity by DMX, it will be in Single Patch mode or Multi Patch mode accordingly.

In the Color section, enter the DMX address at which the “first” LED in the grid is to be patched, define which LED in the grid is “first” and how the rest of the LEDs “follow”, select one of several Color Modes by which color is controlled (for the entire grid), and then click Next.

Start Address: Type the universe and channel number for the first LED in the grid, in the format Universe_Name.DMX_Channel_Number. (If the Universe_Name you typed does not exist, you will be asked if you wish to create it when you click Next.) The channel numbers for the rest of the LEDs in this grid will be “calculated” automatically by the LED Wizard, and the last channel number (and universe) will be displayed in the End Address field.

Note: In cases where the number of DMX channels required to patch the grid in this manner exceed 512 (i.e., the maximum number of channels in a DMX universe) the LED Wizard will automatically create new universes that start with the same name and have a number (starting with “1” and incrementing from there) appended to the name. For example, if the first LED was patched to universe ‘LED’, but two more universes were needed to patch the grid, the LED Wizard would create two new universes named ‘LED1’ and ‘LED2’.

In the Numbering Style subsection, define which LED in the grid is to be considered “first” using the Start from drop-down list, and how the rest of the LEDs are to follow it using the Number along drop-down list. Select the Alternate direction checkbox to indicate that the numbering direction should change with every row or column.
Color Modes: Choose between RGB, RGBA, RGBW and RGBAW, depending on the device you are simulating. “RGB” stands for “Red, Green, Blue”; “A” stands for “Amber”; “W” stands for “White”. The Color Mode setting defines the number of DMX channels required to control the color mix for each LED in this grid.

In the Intensity section, specify the patching information for intensity.

Single Patch Intensity: Type the universe and channel number for this patch, in the format Universe_Name.DMX_Channel_Number. (If the Universe_Name you typed does not exist, you will be asked if you wish to create it when you click Next.) Alternately, you may click the ellipsis button to manually select a previously-created universe (or create a new one) and type the channel number.

Note: If the Intensity mode is set to Multi-Patch, then the following page appears. In this case, the intensity channel controlling the individual LED will either be before or after the color channels.

Intensity Patch: If the intensity channel should follow the color channels, then set the drop-down list to After Color. Otherwise, if the intensity channel is before the color channels, then set the drop-down list to Before Color.

Note: For tips on advanced patching techniques, see Advanced patching.

Click Next.

Result: The Finished page appears.

Proceed to step 14.

Multi Patch and/or Single Patch with Color Set to Single Patch and Intensity Set to Multi-Patch

This page is displayed if you set Dynamic Color by DMX to the Single Patch option, and the Dynamic Intensity by DMX is set to Multi Patch.

Enter the DMX address at which the “first” LED in the grid is to be patched, define which LED in the grid is actually “first” and how the rest of the LEDs “follow”, then click Next:

Start Address: Type the universe and starting channel number for the first LED in the grid, in the format Universe_Name.DMX_Channel_Number. (If the Universe_Name you typed does not exist, you will be asked if you wish to create it when you click Next.) The channel numbers for the rest of the LEDs in this grid will be “calculated” automatically by the LED Wizard, and the last channel number (and universe) will be displayed in the End Address field.

In the Numbering Style subsection, define which LED in the grid is to be considered “first” using the Start from drop-down list, and how the rest of the LEDs are to follow it using the Number along drop-down list. Select the Alternate direction checkbox to indicate that the numbering direction should change with every row or column.

Note: For tips on advanced patching techniques, see Advanced patching.

Click Next.

Result: The Finished page appears.

Proceed to step 14.

Click Finish.

Result: The LED grid attaches to your cursor.

Click to place the grid into your drawing at the desired location, or type in the coordinates at which to place it.

Result: The LED grid is placed into the drawing.

Modify LED Wall

This option displays the LED Wizard again, and the properties of the selected LED Wall can be modified. Right-click on the LED Wall and select Modify LED Wall.

Note: This option is limited to a single LED Wall object at a time.

Advanced patching

This option offers more control in defining your LED grid’s patching information. By using Auto Insert, each universe will start at channel 1 and then automatically create all the universes required to control your LED grid for you. You then have the option to select a row and edit the start and end channels for each universe if you wish to do so. Otherwise, you can manually create each universe and specify start and end channels for each.

Notes:

Before typing addresses, consult the figures shown under Addresses required and Addresses in pool for an up-to-date listing of the number that you will need for your grid and the number that you have already provided.
Create the patch domain in the address pool box, following the format DomainName.StartAddress-EndAddress (for example, a.1-169).
You can type multiple patch domains (for example, a.1-160 and b.1-20). If you assign more domains than are required, the extra domains are ignored.
Use the arrow buttons to adjust the order of the patches (the order in which they appear is the order in which they are populated).
If you require more than 512 addresses (the standard DMX universe), then you must add additional patch domains to meet your requirement. The addresses can be split over universes.

Type the addresses manually

In the box provided, type the required addresses in the format DomainName.StartAddress-EndAddress (for example, a.1-169).
Use the arrow buttons to adjust the order of the patches (the order in which they appear is the order in which they are populated).
Click Next, and then proceed to the next step.

Use Auto Insert to create the addresses automatically

Click the Auto Insert icon to have WYSIWYG automatically create all the addresses that you need for the grid. In the resulting Auto Insert window, type the Patch Domain Prefix (for example, a).
In the Number of Channels Per Domain box, accept the default value or type a new value based on the number of channels that you can control.
In the Start Address box, type the start address for the patch domain.
Click OK to have WYSIWYG populate the End Address (based on the number of channels required).
Click Next, and then proceed to the next step.

Select the addresses from a list

If you do not want to manually type the addresses, click the New icon, and then click ellipses button (...).
To create a new patch domain, click Create New, and then type the domain in the Domain Name box (for example, a).
To choose a patch domain from those that you have saved with your current WYSIWYG file, click Select From List, and then highlight the domain name.

Type the Start and End addresses for this patch universe.
Click OK.
Click Next, and then proceed to the next step.

Creating video walls with LED wall

After an LED wall has been created, the Grid Array tool can be utilized to build a video wall. Applying Grid Array opens the Quick Image/Video Tool where you can set the video/image sources to the screen panels that were created.

To create video walls with led wall

In Front or Back view in Wireframe, select the LED Wall.
From the Tools menu, click Array > Array Grid.

Result: The Grid Array window appears.

In the Grid Array window, modify the settings as desired. Refer to Array for information on Grid Array settings.
Click OK.

Result: The Quick Image/Video Tool appears.

In the Quick Image/Video Tool window,

Specify the video or image sources and subsources for the video wall that was created.
Apply existing subsources or create new subsources that will match the row and columns of the video wall.

Click OK.

Result: The video wall is created with the video or image applied to the individual LED walls.

Notes:

The Quick Image/Video Tool can be applied to previously drawn LED Wall files, if re-arranged into rows and columns that WYSIWYG can recognize and automatically apply subsources to the individual LED Walls.
The Quick Image/Video Tool can be applied to missing panels in the video wall, if WYSIWYG can recognize the arrangement of rows and columns.
The functionality of the Quick Image/Video Tool remains available if no screens are selected.

LED wall properties

After an LED Wall has been created, the properties of the LED Wall can be altered from the Properties window.

Note: Multiple LED Wall objects can be selected and their properties edited all at once, if all specifications of the selected LED Walls are identical.

The following properties of the LED Wall can be changed:

In the Display Source section, change the content and display properties.

Source: Change what this LED Wall displays by selecting from the source drop-down list.
Brightness: Change the brightness level by selecting from the percentage drop-down list.
Color: If Color is the selected source, click this color box to change the color.
Image Source: If Image Source is the selected source, select from the drop-down list or click Create New, browse and select the new image file.
Video Source: If Video Source is the selected source, select from the drop-down list or click Create New, browse and select the new video file.
Reassign Video/Image Subsource(s): This checkbox is available when the LED Wall is set with Multi-split subsources. Select this checkbox to open the Reassign Video/Image Subsource dialog box and reassign the video and image source types and options for the LED Wall.
Light Emission Glow: Select this checkbox to display in Shaded view the light emission glow effect from the LED array.

Clear this checkbox if you do not want to display the light emission glow effect.

By default, Light Emission Glow is enabled for the LED Wall. Ensure that Glow is enabled in the Light Emission section of the Visual Effects tab in View Options window in Shaded view.

In the Glow Settings section, you can adjust the intensity of the glow from the LED Wall.

Notes:

In Shaded view, the Screen/LED Wall Glow settings in the Simulation tab of the View Options window must be enabled to see the glow from the LED wall lighting up an object. See Simulation tab.
The Light Emission Glow effect is not passed on to the Renderer when you use the Render Wizard to render the Shaded view.
Hide: Select this checkbox to disable access to the Glow Intensity Multiplier.
Glow Intensity Multiplier: Select this checkbox to enable the Glow Intensity Multiplier slider and use it to adjust the intensity.

In the Back Panel section, change the back panel settings for the LED Wall.

Show Back Panel: Select this checkbox to display the black back panel for the LED Wall.
Thickness: Type in the thickness of the back panel.

In the Pixel Detail section,

Pixel Detail slider: Use the slider to control the LED Wall quality vs. performance setting. An increase in pixel detail will result in a decrease in performance.
Display as Screen: If the source of your LED wall is color, image or video, select this checkbox to display the LED wall as a screen with a projected image instead of a detailed grid of LED pixels forming the image. Display as Screen does not work if the source of the LED wall is Dynamic DMX patch.

In the Style section, change the style of the LEDs that were used in the LED Wall.

Single: Choose this option to use single LEDs which produce Red, Green and Blue.
Triplet: Choose this option to use LED clusters comprised of Red, Green and Blue LEDs.

In the Units section, change the measurement unit that were used in the LED Wall.

Metric: Choose this option to specify the measurements in meters.
Imperial: Choose this option to specify the measurements in feet and inches.

In the Shape section, change the shape of the individual LEDs used in the LED Wall.

Round: Choose this option if you want the shape of the Single or Triplet LED to be round.
Rectangular: Choose this option if you want the shape of the Single or Triplet LED to be a rectangle.

In the Dimensions section, change the layout properties of the LED Wall.

Number of columns: Type the number of columns in the grid.
Number of rows: Type the number of rows in the grid.
Offset rows: Select this checkbox to offset the rows in the grid by one-half of the Horizontal Pitch.
Specify By: Change the parameters that were used in the LED Wall by selecting from the drop-down list.
Width: Type the overall width of the LED Wall.
Height: Type the overall height of the LED Wall.
Horizontal Pitch: Type the horizontal center-to-center distance between LEDs in the LED Wall.
Vertical Pitch: Type the vertical center-to-center distance between LEDs in the LED Wall.
Side Borders: Type the distance between the left edge of the LED Wall and the edge of the left-most column of LEDs. The same value will be applied to the bottom row of LEDs.
Top/Bot. Borders: Type the distance between the top edge of the LED Wall and the edge of the top row of LEDs. The same value will be applied to the bottom of the device.