pws Help Index
Projects - Worksheets - Fixture Patch
The Fixture Patch worksheet helps you build your DMX patch for your Project
Overview
The Fixture Patch worksheet helps you build your DMX patch for your Project
The Fixture Patch worksheet is broken up into three areas: The Fixture Selection area, the Unpatched Fixture List, and the Universe Grid
Clicking on fixtures in the unpatched fixture list, then clicking on the universe you'd like them to be in, will patch the fixture into that universe
You can click-and-drag on the unpatched fixture list to select multiple fixtures at once
Fixtures are patched in the order you select them, which is shown in the Fixture Selection Area.
From the Fixture Selection area, you can select fixtures by fixture number, patch at a specific address or universe and address, and set a patch offset
To help you revise your patch, each Universe in the Universe Grid has a button to Move and a button to Select. The Move button will let you move a universe to any other universe, pushing other universes out of the way. The Select button selects every fixture in that universe, for easy repatching or unpatching.
Fixture Selection Area
The top block, called the Fixture Selection Area, shows information about what fixtures are selected and has options for working with the Selection
Selected Fixtures
A list of the selected fixtures, in the order they were selected. This is the order that they will be patched in, regardless of fixture number
You'll also see the "Selected Footprint" after the selected fixture list, telling you how many DMX channels you have selected. You'll only be able to patch 512 channels into one Universe
Deselecting fixtures is done either with the "Deselect All" link, or by clicking the individual fixture row in the Unpatched List or Universe Grid
Select By Fixture Num
Use the standard format to select fixtures by their Fixture Number. Select single fixtures by number (101), select a range with 'thru' or the dash (-) symbol (201-211), or a combination separated by comma (101, 201, 301 thru 311)
Press enter to actually select the fixtures, after which you'll see your selection in the "Selection Fixtures" line
Patch @ Address
This control lets you manually pick the universe and address to patch at
Patch @ works in two ways: With a universe or without a universe
Entering an address without a universe lets you set the start address of you selection when you next click on a Universe. For example, to patch a device at address 501 of universe 3, select the device, enter 501 into the "Patch @ Address" box, and click on Universe 3
Any fixture already overlapping address 501 will be moved further down the universe to make room for your selection
Enter both a Universe and Address in decimal form (3.501) will patch your selection to the universe and address as soon as you press enter, moving any overlapping fixtures down the universe to make room.
Using the "Select By Fixture Num" and "Patch @ Address" boxes together is meant to mimic how some consoles patch fixtures. Enter your fixture select, press enter, tab over to the "Patch @ Address", enter a universe.address, and press enter to manually patch a group of fixtures. both text boxes will be cleared and the cursor will be moved back to the "Select by Fixture Num" box, ready for your next input.
Note:
A common mistake is not pressing Enter after inputting your fixture selection, when using this manual approach. Simply entering text in the "Select By Fixture Num" box doesn't select the fixtures, you must press Enter.
Tabbing over to the "Patch @ Address" box, entering an address, and pressing enter does nothing without Fixtures actually selected
Tabbing over to the "Patch @ Address" box, entering an address, and pressing enter does nothing without Fixtures actually selected
Patch Offset
When patching multiple fixtures at once, any number entered into the "Patch Offset" box will be added to each fixtures footprint.
If you want to patch a series of fixtures and leave room between them to change modes later, enter the gap you would like to leave in the "Offset" box
The offset feature only works with multiple fixtures, with offset being applied between the selected fixtures. Entering an offset and patching a single fixture will patch the fixture like normal (use the "Patch @" feature instead)
Deselect All
Deselects the current selection
Unpatch Selected
Any Fixtures in the current selection which are patched will be unpatched and returned to the Unpatched Fixtures list
Unpatched Fixture List
The left-hand column holds all unpatched Fixtures in your project. You can click to select and deselect a single fixture, or click and drag to select multiple fixtures
The fixtures are patched in the order you selected, so clicking in the correct order is very important
By default, you'll see the Fixture Type, Fixture Number, and Footprint in the Unpatched list, and hovering your mouse over a row will show the Position as well
Sort by Position
Sorting by Position is the best way to patch your project, making it simple to see each Position as a whole, instead of hunting by Fixture Number
When the list is sorted by Position, each row shows the Position Name, Fixture Number, and Footprint. Hovering your mouse over a row will show the Fixture Type
Universe Grid
The Universe Grid holds blocks representing the Universes in your patch. Selecting Fixtures and clicking on the Universe's Title Bar, or the blank space after any existing Fixtures in the Universe, will patch those fixtures into the universe
You can select fixtures patched in a Universe the same way you select unpatched fixtures: by clicking a single fixture row, or click-and-dragging over a group of fixtures
To patch selected fixtures to an address already used by another fixture, enter the desired address in the "Patch @ Address" box, then click the destination Universe's titlebar. The existing fixtures in the Universe will be moved down to make room for the selected fixtures, and the selected fixtures will be patched at the desired address.
You can also move already patched fixtures to make room for selected fixtures by entering both the universe and address into the "Patch @ Address" box and pressing enter.
The number of Universes shown at any given time is based on how wide your browser window is, with anywhere from two to six universes visible
Moving to thru the Universes
The "<<< Prev Uni" and "Next Uni >>>" buttons will move the grid one universe forward or back, including universes you haven't patched to
Non-Empty Universe Shortcuts
Once Fixtures have been patched to a Universe, the Universe Number will appear in the "Non-Empty Universes" list, giving you a shortcut to any used universe
GoTo Universes
You can also use the "Goto universe" text box to jump to a universe, including empty universes. Simply enter the universe number and press enter to jump the grid to that universe
Patch Breaks
It's possible to leave a hole in a universe's patch, either by manually patching with gaps, using the Offset feature, or moving an already patched Fixture.
We call this a "Patch Break", and you'll see a -- Patch Break in your universe to let you know. It's perfectly fine to have a patch break, and clicking on a patch break with selected fixtures will patch those fixtures into the available hole
Patch Overlaps and Errors
It's also possible to overlap fixture patches, by manually addressing from the Fixture Sheet, importing a patch with overlaps, or changing a Fixture Type's footprint after patching it. Any overlap in the fixture patch will highlight the offending row in Red
Move a Universe
Clicking the "Move" link at the top of any Universe block will open the "Move a Universe" dialog box. This is used to quickly move all the fixtures in a universe to a new universe, pushing the existing universes out of the way, if need be
Enter your Destination Universe Number and press the OK button. If the Destination Universe is occupied, the fixtures in the Destination Universe will move one universe higher. This repeats until pushing universes up isn't needed
Moving a Universe will leave a hole where that universe used to be, the Fixtures in universes surrounding the Moved Universe will not fill in the gap
Select A Universe Shortcut
Click the "Select" link in a Universe Block to add the fixtures in that Universe to your selection. They will be added in the order they appear in the universe
What Happens When You Click
Depending on what you have selected and where you click, there are a number of different interactions that can happen.
Clicking/Selecting Patched Fixtures with Unpatched Fixtures Selected
If you have only unpatched fixtures selected, clicking anywhere in a Universe Block will attempt to patch those fixtures.
Clicking on the empty space below the fixture list or on the Universe's Title Row will attempt to patch the selected fixtures at the next available address
Clicking on an already patched fixture will try to patch the unpatched fixture at the same start address as the clicked-on fixture, moving the clicked-on fixture down to make room
Note that, with only unpatched fixtures selected, you cannot click on a patched fixture to select it. You would need to select it via the "Select by Fixture Num" textbox, or select at least one patched fixture first
Clicking/Selecting either Unpatched or Patched Fixtures with Patched Fixtures Selected
With Patched Fixtures already selected, clicking on any other fixture will simply add that fixture to your selection. To patch the fixtures, click on empty space in a universe block, or on the title row of a universe block.
To patch you selection at the same address as another fixture, you must use the "Patch @ Address" textbox instead of simply clicking on the existing fixture
Clicking on the empty space at the bottom of the Unpatched Fixture List
The unpatched Fixture List can show about 24 items at a time (by default). If you have less items, and therefore blank space in your Unpatched Fixture List, you can click that blank space with patched fixtures selected to unpatch them.
Depending on what you have selected and where you click, there are a number of different interactions that can happen.
Clicking/Selecting Patched Fixtures with Unpatched Fixtures Selected
If you have only unpatched fixtures selected, clicking anywhere in a Universe Block will attempt to patch those fixtures.
Clicking on the empty space below the fixture list or on the Universe's Title Row will attempt to patch the selected fixtures at the next available address
Clicking on an already patched fixture will try to patch the unpatched fixture at the same start address as the clicked-on fixture, moving the clicked-on fixture down to make room
Note that, with only unpatched fixtures selected, you cannot click on a patched fixture to select it. You would need to select it via the "Select by Fixture Num" textbox, or select at least one patched fixture first
Clicking/Selecting either Unpatched or Patched Fixtures with Patched Fixtures Selected
With Patched Fixtures already selected, clicking on any other fixture will simply add that fixture to your selection. To patch the fixtures, click on empty space in a universe block, or on the title row of a universe block.
To patch you selection at the same address as another fixture, you must use the "Patch @ Address" textbox instead of simply clicking on the existing fixture
Clicking on the empty space at the bottom of the Unpatched Fixture List
The unpatched Fixture List can show about 24 items at a time (by default). If you have less items, and therefore blank space in your Unpatched Fixture List, you can click that blank space with patched fixtures selected to unpatch them.