kgallen

Adding updated links for Alcora: https://www.vari-lite.com/global/products/alcora and Elara: https://www.vari-lite.com/global/products/elara

That all sounds in order. If your trigger cue only has the macro trigger and no other lights recorded then I’d expect fade times all to be blank. The next (or maybe a later) cue in your main stack will be a Release of PB1 to stop the effect. I’m not sure why your trigger is not happening. I’m assuming you are viewing and GO on your main cue stack. Maybe there are some other playback settings that are not default. I’ll have to defer to Edward for what other settings you should check.

Yes. If you start recording your cue stack with snapshots then these cues will just take control of everything, stopping you overlaying your effects just on certain fixtures. There is an Unblock feature so probably if you have cues recorded, you can Unblock the whole cue stack to allow you to do the overlaying you want. Hopefully Edward will clarify for Solution. You should take a look at some of these training videos on Record and Tagging. Ok they use FLX but you will have the same features on Solution but they keys will be different. I’m assuming you’re on pretty recent ZerOS version.

What you want should be easy. But you will need to be in Tracking mode. If you use Snapshot then you won’t achieve what you want. Tracking mode plus SmartTag on should automatically just record the fixtures you want to change and leave everything else alone. It should just work.

What you did should work and is the right approach - ie create a playback with a sequence of cues. Maybe convert to Chase. Then in the main stack trigger and release that playback to get your effect. That is indeed the neatest and the best way. We need to work out what’s going wrong with your special playback recording…

That’s strange - I’ve rigged Strand Quartet F in my own Capture designs. Your Quartet PC will be in there somewhere. You must be looking in the wrong place or your search is too specific, or that you don’t have a Capture license is stopping you finding their full library of fixtures.

Well you won’t, it’s not in there. Generic tungsten lanterns are just patched as Dimmer, they don’t need any other information for the console. The same way you’ll never find ETC Source 4 in there or CCT Minuette or Strand Prelude. The console doesn’t talk to these types of fixture over DMX, it talks to a dimmer. The console couldn’t care less what type of generic lantern you plug into that dimmer output, it can only dim it. If the fixture were more complex, say an LED, then the console needs to know which channel is red, which green, etc, which channel is the strobe. If it’s a mover then it needs to know the pan and tilt controls etc. In that case you have to find the correct fixture definition (and mode) so the FLX knows how to control all of the parameters of that light. None of this is required for a generic light which can just go on or off. If you were building a design in Capture then you would look up Strand Quartet PC in their library so that Capture knows what beam angle the light supports, if it has a barn door, what gel colour is in it, what it’s luminous intensity is compared to other lights in the rig, so it can model it. But from the FLX point of view it’s just a dimmer channel.

All the stuff you need for Dock House is on this page - there is a section ‘Capture Files’ including instructions to get it working: https://www.vari-lite.com/global/products/zeros-software

A Strand Quartet would be just patched as Dimmer. All conventional lights just patch as Dimmer as they only have intensity control. You can rename within the Fixture Schedule if you’d like to see a different name (eg ‘DSL’) in the Output Window. In Capture you will pull up a Strand Quartet PC so it has the correct focus and photometric data. Re Dock House I think you have to download a package from the Zero88 website, I can’t remember I’ll have a hunt. I’m sure it says in Edward’s video.

I do that a lot for transient lightning type effects, nothing wrong with that approach. The reason this works is that when you stop pressing the UDK it does a "release" operation that allows the lights to be re-controlled by whatever other cue stack is active. Since there is no "visualiser" for the Waveform engine this is hard. I've only had limited success. You really need the lights there so you can see what is happening. A usability improvement for the Waveform Generator is long overdue for the console, Z88 have been promising something for a long time now but as yet nothing has materialised (and it's #2 request here: ) In this case one of the presets is probably the most practical approach, but use the Speed and Size to try and get it to work with the right feel. We need to encourage the Z88 folk to build in more effects presets like strobes and explosion type effects. But also to continue to include effects that support tungsten and not just newer LED fixtures. Your requirements aren't unreasonable or uncommon and I feel this is harder than it should be with such an advanced console. You can use the Dock House setup with Capture for free but if you want to design your own rigs then you have to buy Capture, which I think starts close to £400 for a Solo license. I bought a license a few years back (Capture 2019), but honestly I don't get on with it very well, I find it very un-user-friendly and clunky. Edward swears by it though...! https://shopwl.com/capture-2023-solo-edition-download/

You could use a chase and set Shots to 3 or 4 (or a multiple of depending on your sequence). Lightning effect might be too quick for tungsten. If you use an effect your follow cue needs to programme No Effect. If you are using SmartTag and set your effect lights to 0 intensity this No Effect won’t record. So make that cue then go back in with Update, select fixtures and No Effect then turn off Smart Tag for that update. If you’ve recorded later cues make sure Track Forwards is also enabled in that Update. This behaviour of SmartTag and No Effect is well known as a PITA even though the console is behaving consistently with the definition of SmartTag. Your other comments on programming do suggest you’re making life needlessly complicated though, no wonder you feel confused.

Change permanently or temporarily? I think your main options are to select the fixtures/group and then tap the palette so this is in the programmer (enable programmer time if you want this to fade). To keep this use UPDATE to change in the cue, or alternatively RECORD this into another playback and then use this LTP to override the colours in the running playback.

If playback #2 is LTP it will override the old playback. Only the parameters recorded in #2 will be overridden. If you want to cancel everything in playback #1 then CLEAR+Playback button will RELEASE all parameters of playback #1.

Been there with the same thing with Effect and have the scars to go with it. You have to use exactly, and only, the process in the manual page you’ve found if you want a hybrid of attribute types in a palette. Yes including SmartTag off and the green stripes otherwise the console won’t do what you think it should given the selections you’ve made on the Record Options screen. Tagged fixtures and red stripes just doesn’t work regardless you think it should. This is was my journey down this particular rabbit hole. The same will apply to your scenario. Probably you can jump in at this post so you bypass all of my petulant tantrums earlier on (swap Effect for Colour/Beam/Shape/Position as required):

Hi, The power is always provided through the triac, so is implicitly "dimmed" even if the channel is at full. Betapack2 does not have a bypass or "non-dim" circuit. The test output level is hard-coded in the design - it's notionally "@FUL" but this is not the same as direct undimmed AC. This is not recommended as explained above this is still a notionally "dimmed" output and will be chopped by the output triac, even if only to 1-2% - i.e. it's not clean AC. Your LED fixtures will almost certainly use a switched-mode powersupply, which will not take kindly to an "unclean" AC supply. Unfortunately you need to get installed some "hard power" (i.e. normal mains AC) outlets, correctly protected for overcurrent and overload (and probably with RCD), into your venue, with which to supply your LEDs. (I do sympathise, I've had to do the same thing - my main venue has Betapack1 and Betapack2). Google is your friend. I just searched and found them straight away. Zero88 will not provide these to you and you need to self-certify that you are competent to use the information from a safety point of view. ...but you will find what I describe above and your electrician friend should conclude the same.

If it's plugged into DMX then it's effectively just a radio-based wire substitute isn't it? It's not an "end fixture" just a means of getting the DMX signal from the console to wherever the actual DMX cabling starts (at the Lumenradio receiver). viz there is nothing to set on the console and the console won't know (or care) that it's connected to the Lumenradio. If your connection was with ArtNet or sACN then there are a whole load of things that can go wrong with IP addresses, universe mappings, protocol. But DMX should be plug-and-play providing you've set up the radio properly on the Lumenradio kit.

Via DMX? Via Art-Net? What issues are you having? If you want some timely and useful support, you need to provide a lot more information, no-one on here is a mind reader.

It should just work unless your programming style is stopping MoD working. Cue 1 - fixture is lit Cue 2 - fixture goes dark - fixture will then prepare for Cue 3 - you should see the fixture intensity figure in the Output Screen with a light grey box during the time the fixture is preparing with MoD - the light grey box will go one the fixture has prepared for Cue 3 Cue 3 - fixture is lit in another position/zoom If you record snapshot cues, this will stop the fixture preparing for Cue 3 after Cue 2 executes. It is best to use Tracking mode.

In the absence of a relationship with a local dealer you trust, then I think @iank99 is your man (Coventry). http://www.serviceguy.co.uk/

Hi, Not an adequate answer to your question, I'm sure @KWR88 will have a better answer; but I found this list on the Vari-lite website for what it's worth... https://www.vari-lite.com/global/products/solution-series#_spareparts

You will probably find it easier to use and more flexible to just patch as individual dimmers. I’ve built fixture definitions in the past that treat relays as parameters under Beam. But now with a tracking console with move on dark, just patching as dimmer I find is much less hasstle.

I believe ‘UV’ emitters only exist on the encoder wheels and are not used by the colour picker when mixing visible colours.

You can load a user fixture definition into the console using the normal Load function. It will be available for this show and any subsequent show (until you do a Factory Reset, Clear User Files or upgrade ZerOS). When you patch it, it will appear in the fixture list in red, which means it's a non-library fixture. That's just fine (I have lots). When you save your showfile the fixture definition will be saved with it. Go for it.

I will add that if you want your LEDs to automatically do 0% then 100%, then you can set Cue 3 as AUTO (after) with a wait time (maybe 1 second?).

So are we done?