Dimmer atribute on SUNSTRIP with Dimmer Saw effect

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VaclavB
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Dimmer atribute on SUNSTRIP with Dimmer Saw effect

Postby VaclavB » 10 Mar 2021, 18:28

Hi everynone,

I would like to ask you for help or advice with my programing on Avolites Titan Mobile Console with SW ver. 14.

Situation is as follows:
- I have 4pcs Showtec SUNSTRIP Active with 10pcs white LED and 20CH DMX / on one light - together 40pcs / 80CH DMX
- this light using on STAGE for foot spot line
- on this lights using effect for bank SHAPE GENERATOR - DIMMER SAW
- after inserting DIMMER SAW effect on fixture I can't regulate DIMMER ( classic atribute INTENSITY ) - Is there any way to change the intensity of the LEDs themselves while the effect is running?

I only managed to change the intensity using MASTER INTESITY, but this possibility cannot be used within a single point in a cue list.

Thank you for your response.

Vasek
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niclights
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Re: Dimmer atribute on SUNSTRIP with Dimmer Saw effect

Postby niclights » 10 Mar 2021, 22:01

I don't think the fixture is significant here but I wonder if you meant Showtec Sunstrip LED rather than Sunstip Active? Sunstrip Active does not have a 20 channel mode but Sunstrip LED does (10x warm white/cold white)?

In case you are not aware one of the important things to understand about shapes is that they are 'relative', working by modifying the underlying value (origin). The majority of shapes (including dimmer saw) modify both above (add) and below (subtract). This means that even if the origin is at zero, the shape will still set a positive value while it is in the additive part of the cycle when the size of the shape is greater than zero.

Therefore if you want to achieve a complete fade out you need both underlying dimmer value and the shape size to be at zero. By default playback faders are set to control HTP shape size. Dimmer shapes are HTP so if you have a cuelist on a playback fader with an active cue containing a dimmer saw shape the fader will affect both the underlying dimmer and the dimmer shape size and this will give a complete fade out when the fader is at zero.

If this is what you mean then all you should need to do is set Shape Size to HTP Fader in Options/Effects. Alternatively you could create a size master and assign the playback Size Source to that. This would allow you to separate the control of the shape size from the cue list fader.


However, there are some other things you might want to consider. As mentioned above the dimmer saw shape modifies above and below the origin. Furthermore, like the majority of shapes, when set to 100% size the full range is actually double the available DMX range (ie 512 rather than 256). This means that if you want a perfect dimmer shape you need to set the dimmer to 50% and apply the shape with 50% size. Where the size is greater than 50% it will clip when it reaches the maximum or minimum value resulting in pauses which might not be desirable. For example applying a dimmer shape with 100% size to a dimmer at 0 will go from 0 to full and back again smoothly but when it reaches zero it will stay there for half the cycle before increasing again.

But if you set the dimmer to 50% for the perfect shape and also want to achieve a complete fade out you need to fade both together with strange results.

For this reason personally I avoid 'normal' shapes for dimmer and use key frame shapes instead. Unlike the 'relative' 'normal' shapes, key frame shapes are absolute. For example you can define a key frame shape with frame 1 dimmer @ full, frame 2 dimmer at 0 and it will always run between zero and full with the size at 100%. You will still need to control the size, either directly on the playback fader or remotely via size master, but the underlying dimmer value is independent (where any combination will follow standard HTP rules).

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