The Properties palette

From the Properties palette, you can view and edit the parameters of selected fixtures, objects, or layers. The available parameters depend on the items selected. Depending on the parameter, a field may be edited, a value toggled, or a dialog box opened.

You can use the mouse wheel or arrow keys to change numerical parameter values by small increments; for larger increments, use the Page Up/Page Down keys.

Individual parameters are categorized by function. Click the disclosure arrows to expand the categories. Press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Mac) when clicking a disclosure arrow to expand or collapse all items in that category.

Use the scroll bar on the Properties palette to navigate the list, or scroll with the Page Up/Page Down and arrow keys.

When multiple items are selected, the exact parameter values display only if they are identical for all selected items. When a value differs, this is indicated by a double asterisk (**) after the parameter name, followed by a blank field or a value of 0.00.

A parameter value of “Multiple” may display if one or more multi-part fixtures are selected. “Multiple” indicates that the parameter value is not identical for all parts of the fixture.

Global parameters

When no scene items are currently selected, the global scene parameters display in the Properties palette. To edit these parameters, select ROOT from the Scene Graph palette.

Most, but not all, of the global scene parameters can also be edited from the Document Preferences dialog box. For ease of access, frequently used parameters display at the top of the Globals list in the Properties palette. The remaining global parameters are grouped like the tabs on the Document Preferences dialog box.

Global parameter

Description

Globals

See Setting document preferences for parameter descriptions

High Precision

Enables highly accurate renderings. Deselect the check box to quickly render large files; the check box must be deselected each time you open a .v3s file. Some artifacts may appear.

Use this setting primarily for testing.

Object and fixture parameters

When scene items are selected, the parameters that display in the Properties palette depend on the type of item. Some parameters are available for both objects and fixtures, while others are available either for objects or for fixtures. Some of these parameters are also available for layers in the Scene Graph palette (for more information on layers, see Organizing the scene contents).

Parameter	Description	Availability
Name	Displays the fixture’s channel number or the object’s name	Objects, fixtures, and layers
Unit Number	Displays the fixture unit number	Fixtures
Display Name	Displays the fixture make and model; this field cannot be edited	Fixtures
Manufacturer	Displays the fixture manufacturer; this field cannot be edited	Fixtures
Type	Displays the fixture type; this field cannot be edited	Fixtures
Visible	Indicates that the fixture is visible in the scene; deselect to make the fixture invisible	Fixtures and layers
Universe	Displays the universe assigned to the fixture	Fixtures
Channel	Displays the DMX address assigned to the fixture	Fixtures
Num Channels	Displays the number of channels in the fixture profile; this field cannot be edited	Fixtures
Cast Shadows	Controls the display of shadows for specific objects and layers, so you can override the global shadow preference when needed. Set the global shadow behavior from the Render Shadows setting on the Document preferences: Rendering tab. ● Use Parent Setting: Uses the same Cast Shadows setting that is specified for the closest “parent” layer in the Scene Graph palette. This option is selected for all objects and layers by default, so the ROOT layer setting (controlled by the Render Shadows preference) is applied globally. ● Cast Shadows: Toggles shadows on, even when you deselect the Render Shadows preference. ● Do Not Cast Shadows: Toggles shadows off, even when you select the Render Shadows preference.	Objects and layers
Position		Objects, fixtures, and layers
Position X	Sets the item’s position on the X axis in inches. Positive values move right; negative values move left.	Objects, fixtures, and layers
Position Y	Sets the item’s position on the Y axis in inches. Positive values move up; negative values move down.	Objects, fixtures, and layers
Position Z	Sets the item’s position on the Z axis in inches. Positive values move away from the camera; negative values move toward it.	Objects, fixtures, and layers
Rotation		Objects, fixtures, and layers
Rotation X/Y/Z	Sets the item’s rotation on the X/Y/Z axis in inches. Positive values rotate clockwise; negative values rotate counter-clockwise.	Objects, fixtures, and layers
Scale		Objects and layers
Scale X/Y/Z	Sets the scale of the object in its local X-/Y-/Z-axis coordinate direction	Objects and layers
XForm	Moves, rotates, and scales selected items in the scene, or all items in the selected layer. See DMX transforms for more information. Fixtures cannot be scaled by DMX transform.	Objects, fixtures, and layers
Material		Objects
Color	Displays the RGB color assigned to the object	Objects
Texture	Displays the image file, video file, or video input assigned to the object. Click the button next to the texture field to select a file. Click X to remove the file. For more information on adding video to textures, see Assigning textures.	Objects
Use Alpha Channel	Uses the alpha channel from the Texture as the rendering mask	Objects
Texture Scale	Sets the texture size on an object. For example, a scale value of 2 doubles the size of the texture.	Objects
Texture Offset H/V	Shifts the start location of the texture horizontally or vertically	Objects
Brightness	Controls the brightness of the texture by adjusting the comparative luminance of each pixel in the texture image; this is useful for video screens	Objects
Specular Texture	Uses a color image to control the color and intensity of the object’s reflectivity, depending on the amount of surface detail and the Specular Power. Click the button next to the texture field to select a texture image file. Click X to remove the file.	Objects
Specular Power	Controls the sharpness of the object’s highlights and environment reflections. Lower values create blurry reflections (good for carpet), while higher values create sharper reflections (good for metal).	Objects
Normal Texture	Uses a color image to simulate the lighting of small surface irregularities. RGB colors on the object surface correspond to XYZ values, indicating the direction that light reflects off the object. Click the button next to the texture field to select a texture image file. Click X to remove the file. Vision uses tangent space normal maps.	Objects
Bump Texture	Uses a grayscale image to simulate surface contours, such as brick work, for an embossed appearance. Bump textures can provide a greater sense of depth than normal textures, but performance may decrease. Click the button next to the texture field to select a texture image file. Click X to remove the file.	Objects
Alpha Texture	Uses an image mask to simulate surface transparency or opacity. White areas appear opaque and black areas appear transparent. Click the button next to the texture field to select a texture image file. Click X to remove the file.	Objects
Force Emissive Mesh	Makes a texture image glow even when the ambient lighting is low. This is a good setting for video screens and LED tape.	Objects
Emissive		Objects
Fixture Type	Converts geometry into a DMX-controlled emissive fixture, such as a glowing sphere. The brightness of RGB colors is controlled by separate channels.	Objects
Fixture Candela	Sets the maximum output of the emissive fixture, controlling how brightly it glows	Objects
Fixture Universe	Displays the universe assigned to the emissive fixture	Objects
Fixture Channel	Displays the DMX channel assigned to the emissive fixture	Objects
Lighting		Fixtures
Candela	Sets the maximum output of the lamp in the fixture. Increase the value to make both the beam and the surface lights brighter. Perceived brightness also depends on the beam and field angles of the fixture, the dimmer, and other components of the light train.	Fixtures
Color Temperature	Sets the temperature of emitted light. At 6000K, the light appears white. Larger values make the light appear cooler (blue), and smaller values make the light appear warmer (amber).	Fixtures
Force Emissive	Converts the fixture to an emissive; the lens glows, but the fixture does not emit beams, create surface lights, or cast shadows. This is a good setting for blinders, LED fixtures, and performance-intensive multi-part fixtures. Emissive fixtures can significantly improve performance.	Fixtures
Beam Multiplier	Multiplies the brightness of the beam without affecting surface lights. This is not a real-world fix; adjust the beam by other parameters if possible.	Fixtures
Gobo Wheels	Select a gobo image for the fixture to project. Click the button next to the slot number to select the image file for the slot. Click X to remove the file.	Fixtures
Color Wheels	Select a color for each slot in the fixture’s color wheel. Click the button next to the color definition. The Color Picker dialog box opens. Color libraries from common manufacturers are listed in the Number column. Expand the list by clicking the disclosure arrows. Select a standard color from a manufacturer, or choose a color from the color picker. The Preview displays the selected color. The Hue, Saturation, and Luminance values, as well as the Red, Green, and Blue values, display.	Fixtures
MVR		Objects, fixtures, and layers (MVR only)
UUID	Displays the item’s unique ID for tracking by MVR; see Merging files	Objects, fixtures, and layers (MVR only)
Invert Pan	Inverts the fixture’s pan	Fixtures
Invert Tilt	Inverts the fixture’s tilt	Fixtures