Inserting instruments

To identify which symbol was used to create an existing lighting device in the drawing, right-click on the device and select Locate Symbol in Resource Manager from the context menu.

1. Click the tool, and then click Instrument symbol on the Tool bar. From the Resource Selector, double-click a resource to activate it.

Alternatively, from the Resource Manager, either double-click the instrument symbol to insert or right-click on the instrument symbol and select Make Active from the context menu. The Lighting Instrument tool is automatically selected.

2. If you plan to export to Vision for previsualization, you can use lighting instrument data from Vision files, GDTF files, or both. If you want to use Vision data, click Fixture Mode on the Tool bar, select Other, and then select a mode; see Selecting a fixture mode. The DMX Footprint is set automatically according to the selected fixture mode and cannot be edited.

To use GDTF data when exporting to a lighting console or visualizer (including Vision) specify the GDTF Fixture Mode on the Object Info palette. For more information about GDTF, see Workflow: Visualizer data exchange.

3. To automatically number instruments as they are placed, click Automatic Numbering on the Tool bar, and then click Preferences to set the Automatic numbering preferences.

4. Click once to insert the selected instrument symbol, and then again to set the instrument rotation.

When the lighting instrument is placed on a valid rigging object such as a truss, the instrument is automatically connected to the structural system.

If an instrument symbol is accidentally inserted by the Symbol Insertion tool, the instrument functionality will not be present. When correctly inserted, the Object Info palette displays “Lighting Device” for the selected instrument.

Once you select the Lighting Instrument tool, it remains selected so that you can insert multiple instruments.

5. Place instruments on a rigging object to associate them with that rigging object (see Associating loads with rigging objects). A different type of instrument can be placed by selecting another instrument symbol and continuing to use the Lighting Instrument tool.

Once instruments have been inserted, they continue to automatically associate with the nearest rigging object within a specified Pick Radius set in the Spotlight preferences (see Spotlight preferences setup). To avoid instruments associating with a new rigging object when moved, disable automatic positioning.

You can also place lighting instruments on an existing surface in the drawing, or on a working plane.

Automatic numbering preferences

Parameter	Description
Field List	Lists record fields that contain text or numbers. Click in the Use column to place a check mark next to one or more fields to number. Then select each checked row to specify its Numbering Options.
Numbering Options
Start	Enter the starting number or letter
Prefix/Suffix	Specify any numbering prefix or suffix
Apply the same numbering to all units	Select this option to keep the same value (numeric or alphabetical), without incrementing, for the row. The Increment by value is not available.
Automatically increment the numbering	Sets the automatically incrementing value, which applies to numeric or alphabetical labels. For example, a Start of 2, Increment by value of 2, and Suffix of A numbers the objects as follows: 2A, 4A, 6A, and so on.
Increment by	Sets the increment interval
Increment by the number of channels	Instead of specifying a constant increment value, the increment is based on the channel value assigned to the instrument
Limit	Sets the stopping point for numbering objects, opening the Automatic Numbering Preferences dialog box when the limit is reached. For example, you may wish to avoid going over 400 control channels per universe; set a limit so that the Automatic Numbering Preferences dialog box opens after the set number of instruments have been numbered. Change the needed information, and then continue numbering.
Number of units per increment	Sets the number of objects that receive the same set value before incrementing to the next value. For example, set the Circuit Number field to an Increment by value of 1 and the # of Units Per to 5. A selection of ten instruments will number the first five with a Circuit Number of 1 and the next five with a Circuit Number of 2.

Mode	Description
Instrument symbol	Opens the Resource Selector to select a lighting instrument symbol; double-click a resource to activate it
Fixture Mode	Specifies a Vision fixture mode for the lighting instrument, for export to the Vision program
Automatic numbering	Enables automatic numbering of lighting devices as they are created
Numbering preferences	Sets the default preferences for automatic numbering of lighting devices