K-Nine

I like this suggestion as it fits in well with the existing user interface and method of doing things on the Frog desks. One of the difficulties of adding new functionality or modifying exisiting functions is to maintain the existing operational methods and add in new ones as seamlessly as possible, given the existing front panel interface. As I said in my earlier post in this topic, it's getting the user interface and visual feedback on this issue correct that is important. If users wish to partially program down to fixture or attribute level they can still do so using the existing methods, but if they want to program down to individual parameter level then this should also be releatively simple to achieve.

The details of the user interface for programming down to individual fixture parameter level have still to be defined, though I think there are some suggestions elsewhere in this topic which we may use. Since partial programming only applies to LTP channels/parameters, this is a separate issue: Frog Reference 5539 - Ability to tag brightness and tracking for the memory stack.

Illusion Reference No 4719 - Make the number of channels/line on the CDW and CDD user definable - to be reviewed.

I'm not sure how this could be achieved using the current front panel controls, but we are looking into timed commands in the next version of the Illusion 500 software :wink: Illusion Reference No 4718 - Goto Memory - Cut - To be reviewed.

If I'm not mistaken, each auxiliary does have its own user-definable fade on and fade off times :? Illusion 120/240 Operating Manual: Setup Auxiliary Buttons - Page 3-12 Auxiliary Outputs - Page 11-3

Wow - not so much a 'feature' as an entirely new playback philosophy :shock: I would appreciate Tim's comments on this, but I strongly suspect that the sort of functionality you have described is more applicable to a larger (and more expensive) desk :wink:

There are several reasons why the channel data window and channel data displays are 24/30 channels across: 24 is a factor of 120/240 (the number of control channels on the Illusion desks) 30 is a factor of 120/240 This means that there is a complete number of lines of channels displayed in the CDW/CDD .. looks better aesthetically etc. 8) Most dimmer packs come in multiples of 6/12 channels. I agree with your comment, but are you saying that all other desks from different manufacturer use exactly the same colours, terms, graphics etc on their monitor screens to represent the different items :?: I have seen monitor displays on other desks and found them very confusing to understand :? Without wanting to sound too patronising, that is why I spend time producing the user manuals to explain things like the colour coding, monitor screens etc. :wink: When designing the user interface, we also try and include user options wherever possible so you can choose whether your CDW shows bar graphs or numerics only; you enter channel values as percentages or DMX values, direct action or not etc etc. This is so you can set your desk up so it looks and feels like others you may be more familiar with.

You probably wouldn't believe the amount of time various people in the R&D and Sales department spent on developing the one alternative 'high contrast' colour scheme on the Illusion :roll: (The 'normal' colour scheme was based on the Sirius 250/500 monitor screens) I can't remember how many different colour fields can be defined in a colour scheme (another one for the software guru). I do however, remember a prototype tool for defining colour schemes being produced for our own use .. maybe that could be resurrected and given a simpler and more user-friendly interface :? Illusion Reference No 4660 - Add some more colour schemes - to be reviewed.

As it's well over four years since I wrote the early drafts of the Illusion 120 specification/user interface design I can't remember exactly why we imposed a limit of 10 different DMX patch addresses per desk channel - I guess it seemed a reasonable number at the time Originally, there were no duplicates, it was one channel to one dimmer (DMX address) .. so we improved it by a factor of 10 As each duplicate appears on its own line on the monitor screen then there shouldn't be any reason why the number of duplicates couldn't be increased ... unless our software guru knows something I don't :evil: Illusion Reference No 4717 - Increase the number of duplicates which can be patched to a desk channel - to be reviewed.

Following discussions regarding the addition of features to the console range, one important question has arisen. Is it acceptable for certain advanced features to *require* the use of an external monitor ?

Precisely .. it's not so much the mechanism for recording individual fixture parameters (eg gobo, strobe etc). but how the information is fed back to the user so that it is clear which of the parameters are 'tagged' and will be recorded, and which aren't and will not be affected when outputting the memory, submaster, palette etc. The yellow LEDs in the fixture selection buttons show the fixture level of tagging, the LEDs in the attribute buttons (colour, beamshape, position) show the attribute, but how do you show individual parameters within the current attribute and the other attributes ? Auto tagging a fixture parameter when it is changed is OK (as per Sirius 250), but you also need a method of untagging a parameter, say if for example, you moved the wrong control wheel by mistake, and didn't want a particular parameter to be recorded. Sometimes you may want to record all the beamshape parameters for a particular fixture, but you wouldn't want to have to change every parameter to get it recorded, would you ? Therefore we need to look at the user interface very carefully before implementing partial programming down to the parameter level .. .

The above post is correct; the quickest way to move to a specified memory number is via the external keyboard. Note that you may need to press the memories button first if the cursor is not currently on the Next memory number field on the LCD. Entry of numeric data via an external keyboard was added in Version 7.5 software.

In the current software the level of partial programming only extends as far as attribute, therefore when you record a fixture's beamshape parameters into a palette, all the beamshape parameters for the tagged fixture(s) get recorded, and therefore played back when you output the palette. The story so far: Full Recording - has been available since the Frogs were tadpoles Partial Recording by Fixture - was added in Release 3. Partial Recording by Attribute - was implemented in Release 7.5 as part of the major functional updates package. Partial Recording by Parameter (Channel) - Frog Reference No 5402 - To be developed for the next updates package. It's getting the user interface right that will require the most thought, since it must be possible to select and deselect individual fixture parameters (eg gobo wheel) easily and still be able to figure out exactly what will be or is already recorded via the user interface.

This is probably fairly straightforward for a memory stack which only contains scenes, but starts becoming more complex if you have chases, sound to light or multipart scene memories. What about the delay, fade and dwell times, chase modifiers etc. etc. ? Illusion Reference No 4077 - Saving show data (memories, submasters etc.) as a CSV file for use on a spreadsheet on a PC - to be reviewed.

If you set the desk up in Partial Program mode, you can program a scene memory, then program the next memory in the stack as a chase. If you only record those fixtures and attributes you wish to chase then the other fixtures should remain at their previous values from the scene. You can also program a chase and transfer it onto a submaster and then raise the submaster when required.

Not sure what you want to see here... The wheel is an endless encoder, and hence is never 'anywhere'.

There are a number of ways to do this and it will depend if you wish to control the lamp and scroller as a single fixture or have the lamp on a generic fader and the scroller as a separate fixture. Are your rainbow scrollers controlled by a single DMX channel or more than one DMX channel ?

See my reply in THIS TOPIC.

In the current frog software it is only possible to record down to attribute level (eg if you record the colour parameters for fixture 1, then all the colour parameters for fixture 1 will be recorded). See the release notes for software version 7.5 or the latest manual for further details. We are looking into ways of improving partial recording down to individual fixture parameter level (eg, colour wheel, gobo etc.) This is something we are hoping to include in the next features update package. Frog Reference No 5402 - Partial recording of memories and submasters down to individual fixture parameter level - to be reviewed.

As part of the current development of the Illusion 500, we are looking at 'partial' programming of memories and also improving tracking mode. Hopefully these improvements will mean that you can program scenes and chases as you have suggested 8) If you set the submaster buttons to 'Go' mode, you can program a macro to push the button (or buttons) you need to run the chases. Link this macro to the cue. OK.. not all that elegant, but it will do what you need.

Illusion Reference No 4715 - Allow Times to be editable in Memory Zero - to be reviewed.

Illusion Reference No 4714 - Captured Channels - to be reviewed.

Illusion Reference No 4713 - Linking Fade Up and Fade Down times in Memories - to be reviewed.

We are currently developing the software for the llusion 500 and one of the things we are looking at is improving the Tracking Mode and including a new "Cue Only" function. Illusion Reference No 4465 - Tracking Mode - Cue Only Function. The exact user interface and command line syntax details are still to be defined as we don't want to change any existing command structures, only add new ones in, where necessary. Therefore the commands may not be exactly as you suggest but hopefully the required functionality will be there.

Unfortunately, the six currently blank keys on the Illusion 500 have already been allocated functions for the additional moving light capability which we are currently developing. Should have known 6 extra keys wouldn't be enough :!: