The Avolites Discussion Forum

Very simple question.

I am working with Color Kinetics ColorBlast LED fixtures.
These fixtures have three DMX channels: Red, Green, Blue.

I see two personalities for these fixtures.. both map the RGB channels of the fixtures to CMY on the console. One personality is set up as HTP the other as LTP.

Neither is what I want.

What I really want is for the RGB channels to be assigned to the CMY attributes on the console, as LTP. And ALSO have all three channels controlled by the Dimmer attribute on the console as a master of the other three channels.

That way they can have separate control sources for these attribues, for example dimming from a fader but with color from another playback, palette or shape. Dimming from a shape and color from another shape.

Is there a way to set up the personality file to do this?
If not, would you please consider adding it?

I think I'm not the only one who would like the Dimmer attribute to work with additive color mixing fixtures (there are dozens of them now).

Thanks
-Ben

Talking from a Pearl perspective, which AFAIK is the same architecture, there is currently no way to do this. This is a common problem with many LED products and is IMO the fixture manufacturers mistake. However, since LED products don't actually need a 'dimmer' many of them argue it is the consoles job to deal with the problem. This is known as a 'virtual dimmer'.

Hopefully this feature will be implemented soon if it is possible without slowing down the console. I am very keen to make use of it myself!

niclights wrote:Talking from a Pearl perspective, which AFAIK is the same architecture, there is currently no way to do this...

The Diamond 4 currently should do this for most LED fixtures, but unfortunately the software in all the other consoles doesn't currently support it as Nic says. It's one of those things that was completely inconcievable when the software was originaly written so never taken into account!

Yes it would be very useful if the fixtures provided a 4th channel for this.
But they don't.

It's not really such a new concept.. if I was using an R40 strip light or a 3 cell cyc light I might want to control it the same way. On a console like the Azure which is not as friendly toward the "old ways" of controlling lighting, if a fixture does not quack like a moving light then it becomes very difficult...

But the D4's a bit overkill for my application I would say...

I really hope that the Avolites software developers will see fit to add this capability because LED lighting is not going away...

(Shahid are you listening?)