Magic Sheets

Jeff,

I don't even bother with symbols on my magic sheets most of the time.  I find that simple circles and squares and other shapes are plenty to get my point across... certainly for conventional fixtures.  A symbol would clutter up the drawing.

For moving lights, I made 3 wash symbols and 3 spot symbols that look like my drafting symbols, and I just use those for everything.  How many times do you have more than 6 types of moving lights on a show?

On bigger shows with more prep time, sometimes I'll build custom symbols, but for the most part my generics get me through just fine.

~P

Jeff,

I don't even bother with symbols on my magic sheets most of the time.  I find that simple circles and squares and other shapes are plenty to get my point across... certainly for conventional fixtures.  A symbol would clutter up the drawing.

For moving lights, I made 3 wash symbols and 3 spot symbols that look like my drafting symbols, and I just use those for everything.  How many times do you have more than 6 types of moving lights on a show?

On bigger shows with more prep time, sometimes I'll build custom symbols, but for the most part my generics get me through just fine.

~P

Hey guys you're absolutely right.

Regarding the symbols I think you have read into my question a bit more than I intended.  After working a little more with the sheet I realize the symbol doesn't matter much.  I needed to get my head out of Visualization and realize whatever the symbol what it does has to do with the patch channel assigned.  It's only a link.  So no problem.

Is there a way of renaming fp, cp, etc. from fp1, fp2, cp5, etc to the same name we have them saved as like Red, DSL, etc.?  I named them but that is not what shows on the window.  And can cp shortcuts actually show in the color they are saved as?

Regarding the alignments I guess I need to learn more about that.  Creating an array does place them in a particular order, but what I am reading in the replies is once that is done the rest of the alignment features don't work.  I would think whatever is selected would do whatever it is told to do.  Humm.

Again, just new into this and learning bunches.

Do have another question.  Is there a way to create different layouts automatically from the initial design?  I see layouts can be saved but can't find anything about how to make them different.  Not meaning different items on different layouts, but different styles of views.

And while I am here, I followed the instructions for the 2.0.1 version upgrade on my ION to the letter.  They stated there are Firmware Updates and I/O Card Updates included and gave instructions how to install them.  The Firmware update tab was grayed out on all 3 choices on my console.  I just assumed that meant they were already up to date.  The I/O card detected the ....._005.SRC.  I chose download, it went through it's stuff and came back to the same Firmware screen with the same Browse, Download and Exit choices.  I didn't know it was the same one the first time so I chose Download again, thinking it may be a second update, and when it came back again I saw it was the same one as the first two.  The instructions state when the update is finished the window will say "Download Complete".  It never did.  It just continued to return to the same firmware version.  Anything I need to do differently.  Again, just following instructions. :-)

Cp1 can show its label Red, when you choose one field to be Label. Target name is CP, target id is 1, label is red. And if you link the fill color to the channel, it will show the color of the contained channel with the lowest number. Go to the background color property of the CP object and click on the chain.

What I wanted to say about aligning: if you create an array 1x10 and choose Align Top, it would align them so they are all in the same vertical position, but they already are, so nothing happens. If you align them to the left, they are all moved to the same x-coordinate. Y is already the same so they end up on top of each other.

That's why I suggested experimenting with some randomly scattered objects, as the chances are hight that you see an effect when you choose an align command.

Jeff Toussieng said:

And while I am here, I followed the instructions for the 2.0.1 version upgrade on my ION to the letter.  They stated there are Firmware Updates and I/O Card Updates included and gave instructions how to install them.  The Firmware update tab was grayed out on all 3 choices on my console.  I just assumed that meant they were already up to date.  The I/O card detected the ....._005.SRC.  I chose download, it went through it's stuff and came back to the same Firmware screen with the same Browse, Download and Exit choices.  I didn't know it was the same one the first time so I chose Download again, thinking it may be a second update, and when it came back again I saw it was the same one as the first two.  The instructions state when the update is finished the window will say "Download Complete".  It never did.  It just continued to return to the same firmware version.  Anything I need to do differently.  Again, just following instructions. :-)

Hello Jeff,

On page 6 of the v2.0.1 release note, it's specified that Firmware Updates are only for Gio and Eos consoles, so you shouldn't need to worry about those.  As to the I/O card update that is for the Gio, Ion, and Element consoles, you'll note that the optional upgrade is to version 1.3.0.9.0.5.  Is that the one that you are loading?  You can find out what I/O firmware is loaded on your console by opening the Diagnostic tab (available under Browser > Utilities > Diagnostics).  You should see it on the right-hand side, about halfway down the screen, listed as "I/O Board Firmware Version".  If you need to upgrade, you ought to be able to find the version 1.3.0.9.0.5.SRC if you click the "Browse" button on that I/O Downloader.  You'll note that instruction step 6 reads "When the update is finished the window will say "Download Complete", click {Exit}.  It is recommended that you reboot your console after updating the firmware."  From there, you should be fully updated; check again under Browser > Utilities > Diagnostics.

If all of that's not working, please contact local phone support, and we'll be happy to aid you.  Thanks,

Matt Pumplin

Tech Support Specialist

More Magic Sheet questions please :-)

1) Let's say I create my initial sheet but show to show fixtures will vary of course.  I kind of like having a diagram of the event along with the most common things I use; colors, fp's, etc. on the same page, unless of course it's a big event and gets too messy and complicated.  So what's the recommended way to edit sheets specific to repeated events without having to re-create them all over every time.  Kind of like wanting to bring in some items from one sheet into another.  Not sure if I'm asking this right.

It's kind of like when I create events in Capture.  I open the most common set up/fixture type show to the new one, edit that one and save it as the new show to keep from creating shows from scratch all the time.

2) Am I assuming correctly that Magic Sheets don't have anything to do with saved show files.  They are all always available in any open show file?

3) I want to put text into fixtures, buttons, etc that require more than one line to fit.  There are 6 "fields" and each one has various selections of what they contain but when selecting either Text 1 - 4 or Label that's literally what goes into the object.  Can't seem to find a way to make that Text or Label say what I want it to say.  The "text" box above the fields seems to only affect the Target text.  I'm definitely missing something here.

2) magic sheets live inside a showfile.

1) you can have a default showfile that you always start from and in there you also have your general magic sheet. or you can merge a showfile from another show into your current one.

3) text 1 - 4 are entered in patch in the attributes section. but you can also place simple text objects next to a symbol.

The question should maybe be, do you want the MS to be the light plot ?, or a true LD's magic sheet.  As part of that, do you need to have actual symbols of EVERY  lighting unit represented. ?

Part of that last question relates to how the Eos OS deals with "lighting instruments" with the answer being it doesn't, at least with conventionals   The patch (and thus the console) cannot tell if you have single conventional fixtures on individual dimmers, or even multiple LED's all grouped on a channel and using the same addresses.  You might well have 4 S4 Pars on an address and the console will not know. 

Thus why use a lighting symbol in many cases ?.  

Possibly it's easier to visualize if you have the plot replicated on the MS but that's not typically how an LD might use or layout a magic sheet.  A lot of LD's simply draw up an MS that is representing "purposes" to the channels and then use assorted data on the MS to give additional info, color, focus, possibly location, etc....  and that's what a lot of the examples I see shown in the manual section on MS's, as well as the Virtual Magic sheet system (West Side Systems) as used by Richard Pilbrow.  The ETC system, now embeded in the console, is the same thing essentially.

It's also a lot easier to create an MS that is just a bunch of boxes with color, purpose, ch number, and that can reflect intensity.  It's easier (or was to me) to then adapt to other plots by using a Copy/Paste (Control C/Control V in  Windows) to create a new MS.  The box sizes, text and date incorporated, and general functionality are easy to duplicate so you'r not re-inventing the wheel with each new plot.  

On the occasions where I needed the plot on-screen, I just created an image file of a VW drawing and imported that image to a separate MS that can be recalled on a Snapshot.  That served my purpose for referencing data.  

I do what Uili suggested and created 3 different MS's for different functions, my small 100 unit plot, my basic moving light MS and my master full rig dance plot and I just adjust one of those.  It's easier of course if you keep a rep plot hung as the variations are fewer.  

And as edit:  Note that the Text 1-4 fields in the patch are data that can be imported from Lightwright.  That's how I get my purpose and color data onto my MS.  You can also cheat and get the Text 3 & 4 fields to be whatever you want by manipulating the LW file and what's in those fields that go to the patch.  

http://community.etcconnect.com/wikis/products/knowledgebase-importing-lightwright-data-into-eos.aspx