Editing Artist Help:Workspace Fixtures

Fixture Group
The first combo box selects the active Fixture group. All fixtures in a group are of the same type (i.e. spawned from the same template). This allows Artist to provide many ready to use feature such as chases and parameter effects.

The fixtures are represented by square objects which can be icons or an active graphic of the active parameter selected by the third combo box. The objects can be positioned anywhere on the background grid providing a representation of the fixtures location in the real world (i.e. the rig). All these features are designed to make finding the fixtures in your rig intuitive. Also this can be useful for fixtures that are arrange in a matrix, making it easier to select columns and rows and so forth.

See Properties

 
  

Moving around the view
You can move the Fixture view around by clicking and holding in the view and moving the mouse or using the scroll bars in the conventional way.

Positioning fixture in the view
You can use the Line up icons function arrange the fixtures either in a line or matrix.

The following operation can only be carried out if the fixture positions are unlocked by unchecking the Position Lock box on the Fixture View tool bar or from the Group Properties dialog.

Now if you click and hold in the view but outside of any fixture you can stretch a rubber band over a group of fixtures. These will highlight with a white border indicated that they have been selected. Now click and hold on any of the selected fixtures and drag the selected group to a new location.

You move an individual fixtures by click and holding on it and dragging to a new location.

Activating and Controlling Fixtures
Activating a fixture means that it is connected to the parameter control in the Fixture Control panel allowing you to adjust any of it's parameters. 

Clicking a fixture when the Position Lock is checked will activate it - indicated by a red border around it - and clicking again will deactivate it. 

If the Position Lock is unchecked, hold the Ctrl key while clicking to activate.

You can also use the small buttons on the Fixture View Tool bar to activate patterns of fixtures,

O activates the odd numbers fixtures 
E activates the even numbered fixtures 
F activates the first half of fixtures 
L activates the last half of fixtures 
M activates the middle half of fixtures 
E activates the end fixtures 
All activates all fixtures in the group 
None deactivates all fixtures. 
Invert invert the current activated pattern 
< activate the previous fixture 
> activate the next fixture 

If the fixture positions are locked you can click on a fixture, hold and drag across other fixtures to active more than one.

Tool bar


This tool bar, located just below the Main Menu, provides easy access to frequently used programming functions.

Previous Fixture activates the fixture numerically previous to the currently active one. 
Next Fixture activates the fixture numerically after the currently active one. 
Fixture Preset Sets the preset levels of the active fixtures. 
Clear Active Parameter Flag clears the parameter flags of the active fixture. 
Clear Parameter Flags only clears the parameter flags of all fixtures. 
Clear Effect Flags only clears the effects flags of all fixtures. 
Clear All Flags clears both effect and parameter flags in all fixtures. 
Zero active outputs zeros the parameter output of the active fixtures. 
Zero all outputs zeros the parameter output of all fixtures. 
Store Beam stores the current beam settings in a palette place holder. 
Store Position stores the position settings in a palette place holder. 
Set memory Memorises the current parameter values. 
Restore memory Restores the parameter settings stores by previous use of 'Set memory' 

Chases and Effects
The parameters of the fixtures contained within a group can be made to chase in various patterns. See Chases.

Effects are ready for use and depend on the type of parameters you are accessing. These effects provide the fastest and most powerful programming within Artist. See Effects.