Editing Knowledge Base:3D Fixture Group

Create a 3D fixture group
by Mick Martin | Dec 15, 2012 | Knowledge Base

Introduction
This applies to Artist3D versions only.

This example creates a 3D LED block using LED tubes with 16 pixels. Twenty of these are arranged in a 4 x 5 rectangle and suspended from the ceiling. This is really too small an array for practical use because the effects will be on a 4 x 5 graphics surface. We choose this size just to demonstrate the addressing procedure.

Define the 3D Cuboid
main menu/Wizards/Fixture Wizards
select 3D Pixel Block
set X = 5, Y = 4 and Z = 16
click OK
Addressing the Fixture
main menu/Tools/Global Soft Patch
select List to display the address list
The pixels are named x,y,z to represent there coordinates within the cuboid and so the first 20 pixels in the list are the first pixel in each tube all with a z value of 1. The first 2 rows (y = 1 and y = 2) of tubes are on universe 1. The next 2 rows (y = 3 and y =4) should be on universe 2. Also, in this scheme the first and third rows are addressed left to right and the second and forth rows are right to left. This is to the physical cabling.

Row 1 (y = 1)
click on pixel 1,1,1
hold Shft and click on 5,1,1 to select all the pixels.
right click on the select pixels and select Auto Address
select Universe 1
set Start Address = 1
set Increment = 48 (the number of channels in each tube.)
check Extrapolate 3D address. This will address all the pixels in the tube (z = 1 through z = 16)
set Increment to 3 (number of channels per pixel)
click OK
Row 2 (y = 2)
click on pixel 1,2,1
hold Shft and click on 5,2,1 to select the whole row
right click on the select pixels and select Auto Address
select Universe 1
set Start Address = 433 (reverse order)
set Increment = -48 (that’s minus 48)
check Extrapolate 3D addresses
set Increment 3
click OK.
Repeat this process for rows 3 and 4
Fixture Group Properties
You will now need to open the Fixture Group Properties.

Adjust the Z Spacing to make the depth of the cuboid more representative of your actual rig.
Adjust the Background to you preference
Adjust the Border to your preference. Note that a value of 0 disables the border.
Adjust the Pixel Size to make the display more closely represent the rig.
Here you can also check X Rotate and/or Y Rotate to cause the display to automatically rotate the image. This can be useful while programming to see how an effect will look from all angles without having to manually check.