The Avolites Discussion Forum

I don't get the shape generator to work.
Is this a bug?

Let me tell you what I'm doing to get the shape generator working.

I'm running the simulator in "Program Mode".

I've pachted several Mac500's; selected them by using the "select swop
buttons"; pressed ML menu "locate fixture".
Next I use the mouse pointer and place it on the "shape generator" text in
the menu screen.
I click left (right clicking works here too) and in the menu
screen the shape generator menu apears.

I click on the top right menu choise ("playback a shape"), but nothing
happens now.

The only menu choise which does work is the "Playback Parameters" option.

All other options simply don't.

Am I doing something wrong?


I'm running on W2K and I use the latest visualiser software with the
Pearl 2004 simulator V1.

Works for me on XP, though I doubt there is a problem.

Sorry to state the obvious, but you mention pressing the 'playback a shape' option, but not actually selecting a shape (ie circle) from the following menu.

Does it still not work when you do this?

Sounds logical, but I have no menu option in this screen which
allows me to choose a shape.

The items I can choose from are:

1. Playback a shape
2. Edit a shape
3. Set wheels to spread.....
4. Remove shape from selected fixtures
5. Change direction
6. Playback Parameters



I know I must be overlooking something, but I cannot discover
what.

You're probably missing the file SG.DAT in whichever folder you're patching from. It can be found on any standard personality disk.

To import the shape file without re-patching and re-programming, goto Options > Set Folder at the top of the simulator, and point the simulator to a folder (or floppy disk) containing the SG.DAT file. You can then load it in the normal way:

Turn the key to system
Press sofkey G (Utilities)
Press softkey E (Load Shape File)
Press Enter

You should (hopefully!) then be able to use your shapes.

If you patch from one of our compressed files, you shouldn't have this problem, which may be why Nic isn't getting it, but if you patch from separate .R20 files then you need the SG.DAT file in the same folder - it's the same as the desk!

Phil
Software Team

Thanks Phil,

The SG.dat file was missing.
The shape generator is working fine now.