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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Q Light Controller Plus Documentation - Scene Tutorial</TITLE>
<SCRIPT SRC="utility.js" TYPE="text/javascript"></SCRIPT>
<link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
</HEAD>
<BODY onLoad="replaceqrc()">
<H1>Scene tutorial</H1>
<P>
This tutorial covers just the basic procedure of creating a fixture, a scene and a
button and how to make them work. The point is to give the user a quick yet
complete here-hold-my-hand-experience on how the Q Light Controller Plus is planned
to work as a software for DMX lighting automation.
</P>
<P>Before you start reading this tutorial, please familiarise yourself with the
<A HREF="mainwindow.html">Main window</A> and its parts.</P>
<P>Now we can really start!</P>
<H2>Fixture Manager</H2>
<P>
<B>Open the fixture manager panel now by clicking its
<IMG SRC="qrc:/fixture.png" align="absmiddle"> icon.</B>
</P>
<P>
The fixture manager is the heart of QLC+ fixture-oriented architecture. As its
name implies, you can manage (add, remove and edit) your lighting fixtures
from the fixture manager. On the left hand side of the manager there is a list that
contains all of the fixtures in the current workspace (at the moment it will be empty).
On the right hand side you can see some information related to the currently
selected fixture. On the top of the fixture manager there is again another toolbar,
containing the following buttons (from left to right):
</P>
<HR>
<P>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/edit_add.png" align="absmiddle"> Add new fixtures<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/edit_remove.png" align="absmiddle"> Remove selected fixtures<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/configure.png" align="absmiddle"> Configure the selected fixture<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/group.png" align="absmiddle"> Group a fixture selection<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/ungroup.png" align="absmiddle"> Ungroup a fixture from a group<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/fileimport.png" align="absmiddle"> Import a previously saved list of fixtures<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/fileexport.png" align="absmiddle"> Export a list of fixtures<BR>
</P>
<HR>
<H2>Adding a fixture</H2>
<P>
<B>Add a fixture to the workspace by clicking the
<IMG SRC="qrc:/edit_add.png" align="absmiddle"> add button.</B>
</P>
<P>
On the left side of the dialog you can see a list of available fixture
manufacturers. Each manufacturer's name is actually a folder containing a number
of different fixture models produced by that manufacturer. You can find, for example, a
"DJScan250" under the "Futurelight" folder. As you click a fixture from the
list, you can see the <u>Channels</u> field on the right hand side change to
display the number of DMX channels required by the selected fixture. There's
also a list of the fixture's channels just under the <u>Channels</u> box.
</P>
<P>
<B>Go ahead and select Futurelight DJScan250 but don't click OK just yet.</B>
</P>
<P>
You can edit the new fixture's name in the <u>Name</u> field or you can stick
to the default that the application suggests. If the fixture has different
operational modes (different sets of channels), you can select one from the
<u>Mode</u> box. The DJScan250 doesn't have more than one, so there's just
"Mode 1" there. The fixture's DMX address can be set in the <u>Address</u>
field and should be the same as the actual physical fixture's DMX address.
The <u>Universe</u> field is used to assign the fixture to a physical DMX
output universe. Usually each universe has its own cable coming from the PC.
</P>
<P>
If you wish to add multiple fixtures of the same type, you can increase the
value in the <u>Amount</u> box. If you wish to leave some gaps between each
fixture's address space, you can change the value in the <u>Address gap</u>
box. <B>Let's leave these be for now.</B>
</P>
<P>
If you don't understand the DMX addressing principles, please consult your
lighting equipment manuals for more information. In short, a DMX address is
the first DMX channel of a particular fixture. In the case of a DJScan250 (which uses
6 channels), assigning for example 1 as its DMX address, reserves channels
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for the fixture. The next fixture must then be assigned
to DMX address 7 to prevent channel overlapping. <B>Let's use address 1 now.</B>
</P>
<H2>Back to the fixture manager</H2>
<P>
<B>Click OK to close the dialog and add one Futurelight DJScan250 to the
workspace.</B>
</P>
<P>
On the left side of the fixture manager you can now see the fixture that we
just added. On the right side, you can see the information about the fixture. You can
edit the fixture's name, address and universe by clicking the Configure button.
You can also change the fixture definition through the configuration dialog, but
since we're quite happy with the fixture's information, we are not going go there.
</P>
<p>
<IMG SRC="../images/tutorial1_1.png">
</P>
<HR>
<H2>My first function</H2>
<P>
<B>Open the function manager by clicking its
<IMG SRC="qrc:/function.png" align="absmiddle"> button on the main toolbar</B>
</P>
<P>
If the fixture manager was the heart, function manager must be the brain of QLC+.
With it, you can add, remove and edit various functions that perform the actual
light automation for you. Let's look at the view first. There is, once again, a toolbar
containing the following icons (from left to right):
</P>
<HR>
<P>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/scene.png" align="absmiddle"> Add a scene<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/chaser.png" align="absmiddle"> Add a chaser<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/sequence.png" align="absmiddle"> Add a sequence<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/efx.png" align="absmiddle"> Add an EFX<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/collection.png" align="absmiddle"> Add a collection<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/rgbmatrix.png" align="absmiddle"> Add a RGB matrix<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/script.png" align="absmiddle"> Add a script<BR>
</P>
<HR>
<P>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/wizard.png" align="absmiddle"> Open the Functions wizard<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/editcopy.png" align="absmiddle"> Copy the selected functions<BR>
<IMG SRC="qrc:/editdelete.png" align="absmiddle"> Destroy the selected functions<BR>
</P>
<HR>
<P>
Below the toolbar, there is a list of functions within the current workspace.
Since we haven't yet created any, it's still empty.
</P>
<H2>Scene editor</H2>
<P>
<B>Add a new scene to the workspace by clicking the
<IMG SRC="qrc:/scene.png" align="absmiddle"> scene button</B>
</P>
<P>
With the scene editor, you can create scene functions that basically contain
values for a number of channels that relate to certain fixtures. On the left hand
side of the editor there is a list of fixtures used in the scene, which is
empty (but not for much longer). There are also some buttons to add/remove fixtures
and enable/disable all the selected fixtures channels.<br>
On the right hand side of the editor there is a list of channel groups used in the
scene. Channel groups will not be used in this tutorial.
</P>
<P>
<B>Add a fixture to the scene by clicking the
<IMG SRC="qrc:/edit_add.png" align="absmiddle"> add button. Select our one
and only fixture, the DJScan250 from the list that pops up and click the OK
button.</B>
</P>
<P>
Now the scene has one fixture to control. Notice also that now there is new
tab just beside the <u>General</u> tab with our fixture name. <B>Click the tab
that says <u>DJScan250</u>.</B>
</P>
<P>
Now you can see a panel with 6 sliders & buttons, each of them representing
a channel within the fixture, but all of the channels are disabled. Above each
of the buttons (the ones with icons) there is yet another box which, when
checked, enables the corresponding channel in the scene. If a box is not
checked, that channel will not be touched by the scene at all. This is very
useful when you wish to create for example a function that just sets the
color of a scanner, without touching the gobo, intensity, pan, tilt and other
features that you might wish to stay the way they are.
</P>
<P>
<B>Set channels 3, 4 and 6 enabled by clicking on their check boxes.</B>
</P>
<P>
You'll see that channels 3 and 4 changed their appearance and are no longer
grayed out. You can also move their sliders and click their buttons. When you
click on a button, you get a list of available capabilities that the fixture
can do when a certain value is set to the channel. In the case of a DJScan250,
channel 3 controls the color wheel, channel 4 controls gobo selection and
channel 6 controls the fixture's shutter.
</P>
<P>
If you click the button on channel 3, you get a list of available colors that
the fixture supports. Since many of these capabilities are specified by the
manufacturer as a value range rather than a single value, many of these
capabilities contain yet another sub-menu. Let's try setting a color.
</P>
<P>
<B>Click the color <IMG SRC="qrc:/colorwheel.png" align="absmiddle"> button on
channel 3, then move your cursor to "Orange" and select "80" from the sub-menu
by clicking on that value.</B>
</P>
<P>
Notice that the slider on channel 3 also moved up and the value above it now
shows 80. If you have already patched an output plugin to the first universe,
you may already see some action going on with your DMX equipment, since the
scene editor also sends real DMX data to your fixtures as you edit the values.
If you haven't done any mappings, don't feel bad, we'll get to it.
</P>
<P>
<B>Next, click the <IMG SRC="qrc:/gobo.png" align="absmiddle"> gobo button
and choose "Gobo 7", value 126 and then click the
<IMG SRC="qrc:/intensity.png" align="absmiddle"> intensity button and choose
"Shutter open", value 255.</B>
</P>
<P>
Now we have a scene function that sets the value of DJScan250's channel 3 to
80, channel 4 to 126 and channel 6 to 255. Now all we need is a nice
descriptive name for the scene. Click the <u>General</u> tab to go to the
general page where we started with the scene editor.
</P>
<P>
You can set a nice name to the scene by writing it to the <u>Scene name</u>
edit box. <B>Type: "<I>DJScan250 Orange Gobo 7</I>" there.</B>
</P>
<P>
Now we're going to set a Fade In time to the Scene, so that when we play it
it will fade to the values we set in a given amount of time.<br>
Click on the <IMG SRC="qrc:/speed.png" align="absmiddle"> icon from the Scene
Editor toolbar. A tool will be displayed, allowing you to choose the Fade In and
Fade Out times of the Scene. Let's change Fade In to 5 seconds. Either use the
speed dial widget or manually write '5' on the second last text field where 0s
is written.<br>
Close the Fade tool by clicking again on <IMG SRC="qrc:/speed.png" align="absmiddle">.
</P>
<H2>Back in the function manager</h2>
<P>
You can now see that the function manager displays a function called "DJScan250
Orange Gobo 7".<br>
If you click the right mouse button over a function item, you get the same menu
functionalities that are available in the upper part of the function manager.
You can add new functions or edit existing ones. <B>But let's not edit this function
anymore.</B>
</P>
<H2>Another function</H2>
<P>
<B>
Create another function just like the one you just made, but set the values
for channels 3, 4 and 6 to 0 and name the function "DJScan250 Zero".
</B>
</P>
<p><IMG SRC="../images/tutorial1_2.png">
</p>
<HR>
<H2>Virtual Console</H2>
<P>
Speaking of vital organs, we have already covered the heart and brain of QLC+,
and we're only missing the body with its limbs to make the whole pack work.
Well, so much for ridiculous analogies, let's move on and make our
<i>"DJScan250"</i> fixture and its <i>"DJScan Orange Gobo 7"</i> function do
some actual work for us.
</P>
<P>
You can close the function manager and the fixture manager now, if you want to
make some room but it's not necessary.
</P>
<P>
<B>Click the <IMG SRC="qrc:/virtualconsole.png" align="absmiddle"> virtual
console button on the main window to show the virtual console tab.</B>
</P>
<H2>Creating a button</H2>
<P>
At first, the virtual console is just an empty window without much to look at.
There's a toolbar at the top of the panel, with icons to <u>Add</u> new
widgets, <u>Edit</u> for editing widget properties and <u>Tools</u> for various
tools to control the virtual console behaviour. You can also click the right
mouse button on any virtual console widget to access a menu that contains
most (but not all) of the options that are accessible through the menu bar.
</P>
<P>
<B>Click the <IMG SRC="qrc:/button.png" align="absmiddle"> icon to add a new <u>Button</u> widget.</B>
</P>
<P>
An empty button appears to the virtual console.
</P>
<H2>Attaching a function to the button</H2>
<P>
<B>Double click on the button or on the
<IMG SRC="qrc:/edit.png" align="absmiddle"> icon
to bring up the button's configuration dialog.</B>
</P>
<P>
From this dialog you can edit the button's properties:
</P>
<P>
* Set the <u>Button label</u> that is displayed on the button<BR>
* Attach a <u>Function</u> to the button<BR>
* Bind a <u>Key combination</u> to act as button presses
* Bind the button to an <u>External Input</u> source<BR>
* Set the <u>Button press</u> behaviour
</P>
<P>
<B>Click the <IMG SRC="qrc:/attach.png" align="absmiddle"> attach button to
open a function selection dialog. Double-click on the <I>"DJScan250 Orange
Gobo 7"</I> function to attach it to this button.</B>
</P>
<P>
We don't necessarily need a name for the button, but if you feel like giving
it one, please do.
</P>
<P>
<B>Click OK to accept these changes and close the dialog.</B>
</P>
<H2>A little fine-tuning</H2>
<P>
If you gave the button some name, you'll notice that it doesn't quite fit
and gets trimmed to a rather short version of the original (unless you gave
it a two-letter name). You can resize the button to any size you like by
grabbing it from the box on the button's lower-right-hand corner and dragging
the button a little bigger. But hey, let's change the button's color now.
</P>
<P>
<B>Click on the button again, and then click on the <IMG SRC="qrc:/color.png" align="absmiddle">
icon. Select an orange-tinted color from this dialog and click OK.</B>
</P>
<P>
Now the button should have an orange background color. Move the button a bit
to the side so that the next button won't appear on top of it. Well, there's no
harm in that, it's just an inconvenience - you want to be able to see both
buttons, do you not?
</P>
<H2>Another button</H2>
<P>
<B>Create another button just like the first one, but attach the function
<I>"DJScan250 Zero"</I> to the second button and set the button background
color to black and foreground (text) color to white.</B>
</P>
<HR>
<H2>Seeing the results</H2>
<P>
Since we haven't covered DMX output patching at all, you probably have a
dummy output plugin assigned to all output universes and you can't get any
real DMX output from your computer. This is OK for now. If you're interested in
output mapping details, refer to the <A HREF="howto-output-mapping.html">Output
mapping howto</A>.
</P>
<P>
<B>Click the <IMG SRC="qrc:/monitor.png" align="absmiddle"> monitor button on
the main application toolbar to bring up the DMX monitor window.</B>
</P>
<P>
You should see a bunch of numbers, and the name of our fixture "DJScan250"
inside a bar over numbers 001 - 006. These numbers represent DMX channels and
the values below them represent those channels' values. Since we're operating
on with a dummy output plugin, the monitor is all that we see for now.
</P>
<B>
Click the <IMG SRC="qrc:/operate.png" align="absmiddle"> mode switch button
on the right-hand corner of the main toolbar to switch to operate mode.
</B>
<P>
Hold your breath...
</P>
<P>
<B>Pay close attention to the monitor while you click the buttons on the virtual
console (you know, the one we just created). Do you see some running numbers
that gradually go towards 80 on channel 3, 126 on channel 4 and 255 on channel
6? Nice.</B>
</P>
<P>
Note that if you click both buttons simultaneously, the result is usually far
from what is wanted. You need to stop the previous function by clicking its
button once more (so that the button flashes and stays up) to stop the function
and then start the other function.
</P>
<IMG SRC="../images/tutorial1_3.png"></P>
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