The duplication wizard is a great time-saver for many simple fixture duplication functions, but it has a lot more to offer. So, in this Tips & Tricks, we will be covering the more esoteric features of the duplication wizard.
Firstly, we’ll cover the Circle duplication method. This can be useful to create symmetrical circles or to create arcs and arches (by deleting the excess fixtures). To start with, let’s talk about the settings we have available.
- Radius determines how wide the circle will be. This value is in pixels, with your standard LED – RGB 8 bit fixture having a default size of 24×24. The circle that is created can be expanded using the transform tools once the circle has been created, so this value doesn’t need to be set perfectly.
- Count determines how many fixtures your circle will have. If you are using this to create a semi-circle, you would want to double the number of fixtures you enter into this field.
- Start Angle determines which position the first fixture will be placed at, with 0 degrees being at the 12 o’clock position. If you are using this to create a semi-circle, you would want to set your start angle to 270 degrees (so will start at the 9 o’clock mark). And in terms of fixture numbering, starting with the fixtures you will keep.
For the arc example, once the circle has been created, selecting and deleting the lower half of the circle will give the desired effect.
Towards the bottom of the Layout Fixtures window, there are a couple of optional checkboxes.
When Create instances of the source fixture is checked, all fixtures that are created from your duplication will be considered as 1 fixture; it will only take up one patch space and will only be able to output one value at a time.
This is used, for example, if a room contains many lights, but they cannot be controlled individually, such as if they are all on the same circuit. We can then show the placement of each of the lights, and simulate all of them, but they only require a single fixture to be patched.
Next up, let’s talk about Add to the same group as the source fixture. For this to function properly, you would need to ensure that your fixture is first placed in a group. Once the duplication has been completed, all new fixtures that are created will be automatically added to the same group.
After clicking Next, you will find yourself on the Set Fixture Order view. This has been added to help deal with fixtures that aren’t ordered in the default left-to-right zig-zag pattern. This tool allows you to select which corner the first fixture is placed in, then offers a variety of different placement methods – the numbering of the new fixtures will be set in the same order as the red arrows.
Finally, the last page in the duplication wizard will automatically patch your new fixtures in the same numbering order as they were created. If the universe doesn’t exist yet on the controller, no worries; this wizard will automatically create all necessary universes.
It may be worth mentioning that you can click Finish on any page in the process. This will close the window and create the new fixtures but without setting the additional parameters.