Request - Morphing

[SeekLighting]

Hi Support

I was hoping to request a feature to Version 10. Many users have spoken about having a feature like this before, I will explain:

"Morphing"
Morphing a fixture would allow you to change the model of a fixture in a showfile, and have all the programming carry over to the new fixture.
For example:
Say you are on a tour, and in one venue you have 4x Chauvet Intimidator Spot LED 350s, but another venue has 4x Martin Mac 250 Entours. Rather than reprogram the whole show, by "morphing" the fixture, the programming would carry over and you could use the same showfile for every venue on a tour!

I understand that this would require a pretty fundamental change in the way that the software looks at programming. I believe you've said before this would take it from "fixture based programming" to "channel based programming". Very true.

Essentially my understanding would be the software would look at the two fixture personality files and match up as close as possible based on channel data.
It would find "shutter", "dimmer", "color" etc. channels on both, and subsequently within those channels find the associated ranges (Shutter open, red, etc.), and modify the programming to suit.

I'm not sure if this is too complex a feature for the modus operandi of your software, but for those of us who use the software for tours it would be an absolute lifesaver.

Here's an example from the manual for Chamsys MagicQ, explaining their application of Morphing (see section 7.2.2): https://secure.chamsys.co.uk/help/docum ... /ch07.html

[support]

Hello Tim,
Thank you for this nice tip with a complete and clear explanation.
Since we prefer to not talk too much about the next major software version, we will talk about that with you by email.
You will receive soon an email from us.

[dumbfungus]

This is something I would love to see and one of primary reasons I don’t see touring LDs using showXpress

[dumbfungus]

+1

This opens SX to a lot of new touring folks

[thorehl]

+1

We've on this forum also called this "cloning a fixture" for the same reasons given.

We have also asked for relative program, instead of absolute for the same reasons. One venue has the fixtures hanging, one have them wall mounted on a pole horrizontal, and one venue have them on risers standing up. If we have relative programming, we could just move the center possition of our movement effect in generator and off we go.

[LightningFM]

+1!

[move this section to a proper topic if necessary]
Are there workarounds for this request?
I created a quick test show with 4 spotlights and a simple "white X" scene.
If I go to Editor>Fixtures and shuffle around the order of pan/tilt channels, the scenes stop working correctly.
However, if I restart the software, the scene works correctly.

Could this "trick" be used to build a working show together with Palettes, Offset/Zoom functions, that are already available in the software?
Has anyone experience or ideas?
Thanks!

[support]

We do not suggest to do that. There may be edge effects.

FYI, we are trying to manage this a bit better in the next major software version, but this is very sensible.
Our first opinion is it is faster to redo the scenes than to keep pan/tilt & RGB programs and update the scenes for the other channels.

[LightningFM]

Sure, I agree. It was just a test I did yesterday, I wouldn't rely on that workaround for a real show.

I'm looking to program a "ground pack" for a local band. The issue is that the spotlight model to be rented out might not be always available.
Having a tool within the software to help morph the show onto the alternate spotlight model would be helpful.
Same to clone the programming from whatever I have in "my" ground pack to each venue's equipment.

If other users have ideas on strategies to simplify the programming in order to redo the show easilly, suggestions are welcome

Look forward to the next version, keep up the good work

[support]

We fully understand that, in certain situations (like rental for instance), you may get different models of dmx fixtures and it is clear that when this happen it is a real pain to adapt the existing lightshow.

We already tried to do some intelligent functions for that:
- use IDs for channels
- relocate "pure" (without levels) channels (pan/tilt, RGB, CMY, dimmer, ...) channels and update all scenes
- what to do with no more existing channels ? Delete their program then they are lost forever, or keep them somewhere in order to bring them back when required with new dmx fixtures
- what to do with "non pure" (with levels) channels (shutter, gobo wheel, prism, color wheel, ...). We will have to reprogram them at each change of dmx fixture model.
And many other issues.

We are presently trying to give the best tools in the next major software version to reprogram the complete lightshow as fast as possible, considering that a local band with changing equipment does not need a complex lightshow. Our goal is it takes less time to reprogram all than to convert & adapt the existing lightshow.

[LightningFM]

We are presently trying to give the best tools in the next major software version to reprogram the complete lightshow as fast as possible

That's great to me. Programming on fewer scenes + tools to reprogram quickly = possible solution.

considering that a local band with changing equipment does not need a complex lightshow

......well, they initially came up saying they wanted exactly that
It depends on a lot of things, I think. Including each personal definition of "complex lightshow".
In lighting frequently "less is more", but the devil is in the details: to me, more details (aka positions, tactical fades etc) frequently translates to more scenes...
But I'm happy to take up the challenge and figure out a way to run the same final result on fewer scenes.
To be precise about this very specific show, the band's equipment won't be (normally) changing. Due to rental availability some Clay Paky Alpha Spot 700 HPE might occasionally be upgraded to Alpha Spot 1200 HPE.
I might simply program with both models in the showfile and send the unused fixtures on dead channels/universes.

Also, sometimes even simple looks might hide complex/detailed programming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unj9WbeLzRU
See from 02:22; despite the arena, only 4 fixtures are used.
In this clip, one light turns off to allow the cameraman to move around without casting shadows.
To do that in a TimeLine, my first reaction would be to create:
France_position
ALL_white
France_dimON
France_back_dimOFF
France_back_dimON
France_DimOFF
...a (complex?) set of scenes just to dim one light in a timeline

(luckily I won't have to deal with cameramen.. this was just to point out how even simple things like dimming a single fixture might take an unexpected number of scenes - if you like to work with many layers - that might take some time to reprogram)
(of course, there are other ways to program the same effect using less scenes.. this was just an example).