Instrument (or accessory) parameters can be viewed and edited from the Object Info palette. The parameters that display on the Shape tab of the Object Info palette depend on the settings made in Spotlight preferences; see Specifying Lighting Device Parameter Display.
Parameters can also be edited from the Lighting Device dialog box; see Changing Device Properties. Change advanced light properties, including turning the associated light source on, by editing the light source embedded within the instrument; see Advanced Light Properties.
Instruments that are associated with a hanging position may display with a witness line when offset from the hanging position; a drop-down context menu is available when the hanging position is selected. See Associating Load Objects with a Hanging Position.
For a custom instrument symbol without an information record attached, enter the required instrument object parameters (see Attaching the Light Info Record and Light Info Record M). An entry is not required for every field.
Click to show/hide the parameters.
Parameter |
Description |
XYZ/IJK Location/Rotation |
Changes the instrument’s location and rotation; the instrument labels rotate with the instrument unless Right-Reading is selected in the Label Legend Manager (see Formatting the Label Legend Layout). In a 3D view, if an instrument is associated with a focus point, the instrument, along with any accessories, rotates automatically so that it points to the focus point. |
Edit |
Opens the Lighting Device dialog box, for editing the parameters of one or more lighting devices |
Device Type |
Displays the type of object that is selected; normally, instruments are Light device types (Moving Light, Device, Practical, SFX, Power, and Other are also considered Light types). Accessories such as color frames, barn doors, and top hats are Static Accessory types; accessories that require a control channel, such as color scrollers, are Accessory types. |
Instrument Type |
Displays the specific type of lighting instrument |
Fixture ID |
Filters the choices available for Fixture Mode |
Fixture Mode |
Specifies the fixture mode of the lighting device, primarily for exporting to a lighting console or visualizer. Available choices are based on the Fixture ID. The Num Channels is set automatically according to the selected fixture mode. Any other information associated with the mode, such as color and gobo information, is also automatically provided for the selected lighting device. For custom or generic lighting instruments, select Other, and select a suitable mode (see Selecting a Fixture Mode). Specify other Vision data for the lighting device by Editing Vision Data. Click here for a video tip about this topic (internet access required). |
Wattage |
Indicates the power consumed by the instrument |
Purpose |
Specifies the purpose for using |
Position |
Displays the name of the hanging position |
Unit Number |
Identifies the instrument location on the hanging position |
Color |
Specifies the gel color number according to manufacturer code, RGB values, color name from the file, or web (hex) codes; when the light associated with the instrument is turned on, Color specifies the actual light color. Use + between color numbers to indicate combinations of two or more colors. See Lighting Instrument Color. The color setting can affect the display of the lighting device color, depending on the Spotlight preferences. See Lighting Device Setup. |
Dimmer |
Specifies the dimmer or DMX address number of the instrument |
Channel |
Specifies the channel number of the instrument |
Address |
Specifies the absolute address of the instrument. If Automatically assign Universe is selected in the Spotlight Preferences dialog box, this field is used to automatically populate the Universe and U Address fields. |
Universe |
Indicates the DMX group of the dimmer; this is set automatically if the Spotlight file is set up to assign the universe. See Universe Assignment in Vectorworks Spotlight. |
U Address |
When the universe is automatically assigned, displays the address assigned within the universe |
Circuit Number |
Indicates the circuit number where instrument is plugged in |
Circuit Name |
Specifies the name of bundled circuit group |
System |
Specifies the letter describing the control system (Lightwright-compatible parameter) |
User Field 1–6 |
Provides user-defined fields; use these extra fields to keep track of any desired data (see Specifying Lighting Device Parameter Display) |
Voltage |
Specifies the voltage of the instrument |
Breaker ID |
Provides the power distribution identifier of the instrument |
Time |
Approximates the time required to work with the device, useful in reports |
Cost |
Specifies the rental cost of the device, useful in reports |
Num Channels |
Identifies the number of control channels used by the instrument. If the instrument has been assigned a Fixture Mode, the number of channels is automatically assigned and is displayed here. |
Frame Size |
Indicates the dimensions of the color cut |
Field Angle |
Sets the field angle of the instrument’s light beam |
Field Angle 2 |
Specifies the second field angle for an elliptical light source |
Beam Angle |
Sets the beam angle of the instrument’s light beam |
Beam Angle 2 |
Specifies the second beam angle for an elliptical light source |
Weight |
Specifies the instrument weight (displays the same value as Total Weight) |
Gobo 1 |
Indicates the gobo texture number for the first gobo. Specifying the gobo texture by clicking Edit in the Object Info palette provides a graphical method of selecting gobo textures. |
Gobo 1 Rotation |
Sets the rotation angle of gobo texture 1 |
Gobo 2 |
Indicates the gobo texture number for the second gobo |
Gobo 2 Rotation |
Sets the rotation angle of gobo texture 2 |
Gobo Shift |
Adjusts the position of the instrument gobos to the front or rear |
Mark |
Provides a user-defined label (Lightwright-compatible parameter) |
Draw Beam |
Select to draw an accurate wireframe representation of the light beam; the light beam is drawn based on the instrument parameters, and can be used to check whether the stage and focus areas have been adequately lit (see Drawing Light Beam Representations). Spotlight setup can globally specify the appearance and display of the elements in the light beam (angles and centerline). |
Draw Beam as 3D Solid |
Generates a light beam that appears solid when rendered |
Use Vertical Beam (Focus Point required) |
By default, draws the wireframe beam in a vertical orientation when possible, when either Draw Beam or Draw Beam as 3D Solid is selected. When deselected, the beam is usually drawn in a horizontal orientation. |
Show Beam at |
In a 2D view, select whether to draw the beam as it crosses the focus point, at the falloff distance as projected through the focus point, or in both areas |
Replace Lighting Device |
Opens the Resource Selector; double-click a resource to select it |
Refresh Labels |
Refreshes instrument label contents if parameter changes have been made, or 3D label positions if the view has changed |
Falloff distance |
Specifies how far the wireframe light beam is drawn beyond the focus point; the Focus Instruments command sets this value to the distance between the focus point object and 0 |
Lamp Rotation Angle |
Indicates the rotation angle of the virtual elliptical light source, from 0 to 90° |
Shutter parameters |
Controls the angle and depth of top, left, right, and bottom shutter cuts. Each shutter is located at 90º intervals around the lighting instrument, and can be adjusted +/- 45º. The shutter depth ranges from 0 to 100%, with 100% cutting through the center of the light source. |
Symbol Name |
Displays the name of the symbol used to create the instrument or accessory |
Use Legend |
Select the label legend to apply from the list of label legends in the file (see Label Legend Manager) |
3D Legend View |
When the label legend includes 3D labels, select the view for the labels when displaying the drawing in a 3D view. Select Screen Aligned to always view the labels aligned with the screen plane (in a viewport, screen aligned labels match the view) After changing the view, click Refresh Labels to obtain the selected legend view, or select the Refresh Instruments command. Easily copy the label legend positions to selected instruments by Changing the Label Legend Properties of a Selection. |
Flip Top & Bottom 3D Legend |
Mirrors the 3D label along the X axis of the lighting instrument (for example, a label legend that displays at the top of the instrument displays on the bottom instead) |
Flip Left & Right 3D Legend |
Mirrors the 3D label along the Y axis of the lighting instrument (for example, a label legend that displays to the right of the instrument displays on the left instead) |
Rotate 3D Legend with Z Rotation |
Matches the 3D label legend views with the instrument’s rotation |
Flip Front & Back 2D Legend |
Mirrors the label legend along the X axis of the lighting instrument (a label legend that displays in front of the instrument displays behind it instead) |
Flip Left & Right 2D Legend |
Mirrors the label legend along the Y axis of the lighting instrument (a label legend that displays to the right of the instrument displays on the left instead) |
Focus |
Specifies the focus point for the lighting instrument. The focus point must be defined first (see Focusing Instruments). |
Set 3D Orientation |
Specifies the X/Y position of the instrument at the hanging point, for 3D views only |
Enable Z Rotation |
Select this option to specify a rotation angle for the 3D views that is independent from the device’s Rotation parameter (which applies to Top/Plan view). When this option is selected, specify the Z Rotation angle. |
Vertical Focus Angle |
Displays the focus angle up from vertical when a focus point has been assigned
|
Horizontal Focus Angle |
Displays the angle down from horizontal when a focus point has been assigned |
Angle To Face |
Displays the angle at which the light hits the face plane of the lit subject at the focus point |
Off Axis Angle |
Displays the angle from the centerline of the focus point to the lighting device. The bottom of the focus point is the centerline; rotate the focus point to change the centerline location.
|
Throw Distance |
Displays the distance from the lighting device to the focus point, when a focus point has been assigned |
Load Information |
A lighting device is considered a point load in Braceworks calculations; if the insertion point is on a structural element, it is considered to be a load on that structure. Load information is used for Braceworks calculations and reports (Braceworks required). |
Include in Calculations (Braceworks required) |
Includes the lighting device in Braceworks calculations; deselect to exclude the device from participating in structural calculations |
Load Group Name |
The load category is always Light for lighting devices |
Load ID |
Enter a unique ID for the load for informational use in reports |
Load Name |
Identifies the object in load calculations; normally the object name is used |
Total Weight |
Enter the total weight of the object |
For instruments and accessories, do not provide a name on the Data tab. The instrument or accessory Unique ID Number (UID) is automatically entered and must be used as the instrument or accessory name.
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Specifying Lighting Device Parameter Display
Changing the Instrument Label Legend
Workflow: Visualizer Data Exchange
Exporting Vectorworks Spotlight Data