Share Your Magic Sheets

OK Anne, I'll volunteer first...

This is my first attempt at a Magic Sheet.  It's not very pretty, but should be enough to stimulate some ideas.  I started using the fixture symbols but found it easier to use a tombstones for desk channels and generic shapes for scrollers and moving lights.  The symbols are organized by system and represent a rough geography of the plot.  The outlines are roughly colored to the gel colors, which I found much more effective than coloring the background fill of the symbols.  The wider moving light symbols allow for more of the palette labels to be displayed.  I added a few macros in the upper right to allow quick touch screen control for bringing fixture levels up and down.

OK Anne, I'll volunteer first...

This is my first attempt at a Magic Sheet.  It's not very pretty, but should be enough to stimulate some ideas.  I started using the fixture symbols but found it easier to use a tombstones for desk channels and generic shapes for scrollers and moving lights.  The symbols are organized by system and represent a rough geography of the plot.  The outlines are roughly colored to the gel colors, which I found much more effective than coloring the background fill of the symbols.  The wider moving light symbols allow for more of the palette labels to be displayed.  I added a few macros in the upper right to allow quick touch screen control for bringing fixture levels up and down.

Several from Little Mermaid Jr.

The quick view fits in the half screen above the CIA and provides a simplified view of the state of the lighting systems. The plan view fills the second monitor and offers more detail.

... and finally a purpose-built one for a dance number with illuminated costumes. The 3 views are of the primary formations along with a picture of the real thing in action.

Are the costumes controlled from the board? If so, by what method?

Well this dredges up memories...

Yes the costumes are controlled by the board. It wouldn't make much sense to build a magic sheet if it weren't controlling the costumes. 

7 years ago these were controlled using an infrared receiver located near the shoulder and a PIC processor driving some "dumb" LED strips with, mostly to keep the costs down. The transmitter converted DMX into IR pulses. Each costume pulled 24 bits from the same "broadcast".

These days there are more options. I have a system built around the ESP8266 chip, similar to these. They are much more versatile and allow pixel-level control.