Getting moving heads to operate as mirror images.

Ya thats just for the 3D. Try doing it on the fixtures themselves. that should do it.

Sincerely,

OK, I will.

The thing is, I can't get it to work in the 3D at all. Is there some other setting to make that work?

I agree with Jingles from the standpoint of "just get the lights to do it", which is ultimately what your end results are.

The whole purpose of the 3D Visualizer is to help you design, so I get that point of view too.

NOW, let's say you have two fixtures that you have addressed identically. You may have able to tell one of those ELation Design Spot 250's to "invert pan", as typically that's what people want to invert is pan, not tilt(but who am I to question you). There's nothing wrong with this, BUT in the 3D Visualizer, you have to add a second fixture with the same addresses and I suppose there may be an option to "invert" either X or Y. I can't speak authoritively on that because I haven't done this yet(nor plan to, I have enough addresses to spread stuff around).

Note, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having fixtures match up addresses in DMX, which is a nice thing and can be a huge time saver in design, so don't let me tell you you NEED to change things. But hear this out:
In MyDMX(the main part), there is no way of telling MyDMX that you have more than 1 fixture at a particular set of addresses. Likewise, I don't think any other DMX package or hardware knows this sort of thing either, that you have two fixtures sharing addresses(because we don't have sub-addressing either).

So, let me dig deeper so you can get into my head and my thoughts:

Why? Seriously, why bother sharing addresses unless they are wash lights? Chances are, unless you've got loads of fixtures or tons of lights already using mega amounts of channels, then why share?

So, right now you want to invert pan. OK. Fine. But, if you give your lights unique addresses, you have total control over both. Do this scene invertered(say, they point OUT) then another scene where they CROSS(OK, inversions are OK), but you have another scene where you go from down to up or up to down, and your inversion would be goofy this time. Or, you can have the lights move from left to right or right to left(and this would not be inverting).

When making decisions such as pan inversion or sharing/duplicating addresses. I've seen many many times here on this forum where some guy has say 4 lights in a shared address configuration, then gets all snotty when he's done tons of programming and then wants to "break" it and give each fixture its own address but doesn't want to repeat his programmng work. Sorry, MyDMX doesn't accomodate that. I also get that people don't want to replicate their work, but sometimes it can't be avoided. I make things for myself where I end up having to duplicate some or all of the work, but I don't whine about it(at least not here). My whine is typically "crap, this means I'm gonna have to do this, that and the other thing over again.... well, whining ain't gonna get things done, dive in!"

As far as the 3D Visualizer, if you tell the MyDMX program what profile you're using(which helps us mere humans relate to fixtures better), the 3D Visualizer knows ENOUGH to start doing the animation. No profiles means this won't work so well.

So, in short, if you just want them to mirror(pan invert) each other, just do it at the fixture.

If you want to do it in MyDMX, you've got a whole new set of things to take into consideration.

Please describe how you set up MyDMX, that may help us know where you are in regards to this project.

I have the Design Spots addressed separately. One fixture is on either corner of the front of the stage. I don't really want to invert anything necessarily but I do want to be able to use the FX manager and create an effect (let's say a simple small circle) where the lights are working opposite each other. One is panning slightly left to hit the center of the stage and one is panning slightly right to hit the center.

More simply put: I would love to be able to set up patches (using the FX manager because I'm kinda lazy and short on time) where sometimes they work in parallel and some times they work as opposites. Can this be done?

Joel

Explain, "patches" and "work in parallel and some times they work as opposites"?
Sincerely,

Sorry... "Patches " is guitar talk. It is a series of saved settings. "Scene" is what I meant to say. By parallel I mean they are both doing the exact same thing at the same time (one pans left the other pans left). By opposite I mean they are mirror images of each other (one pans left the other pans right).

Joel

oh ok then yes that can be done. You just need to program it.

Sincerely,

Ah crap, a guitarist......

Just kidding. You know how it goes.

What is cool is that what you want to do is supported by MyDMX. You can make an FX and save it to disk. In my case, I am doing exactly what you were:

I made a "patch" that is circles. I made another patch that is "circles, OUT of phase" and that would be one going clockwise and the other going counterclockwise. Very critical you look at the 3D Visualizer to feel comfortable this is being done properly. I also have another one where they are maybe 90-degrees out of phase and rotating inwards. Then I simply recall the FX, drop it into a new scene, then change the colors. Fairly simple.

The rest of the time, keep your fixtures non-inverted. Just program what you want them, and you'll be fine. It's a tiny bit extra work up front, but if you di it this way, it won't seem so bad later on when and if you need to make changes.

Chris, looks like you really this software inside out. I was looking to send you an pm or something but this forum does not have that. My question is how can I control the smoothness of moving head lights. I have a pair of Chauvet Q Spot 200. The scenes in 3D Visualizer look fine, but when watching the lights, move diagnol, it seems like steps rather than just one motion.

First let's get the formalities out of the way. Welcome to the forums!

Well, there are two ways to get around the "smoothness" issues. These are not perfect.

The first one is to either speed up or slow down the transition. Think "Fade" speeds. If you're using a long fader, then it should move somewhat smoothly from points A to B. If you use a shorter fader, then it may be so fast that noticing step motions is minimized or removed.

If you are doing something in the FX generator, you can increase the number of steps. While not perfect, it can also "smooth" things out. The FX Generator can really be a life saver in these regards because they'll work with both the X, Y and fine X,Y channels. This is stuff that would be a lot of abstract work for us mere mortals, but is simple for MyDMX to handle. This is an area where the MyDMX software and FX Generator has the ability to make things look a lot better and more expensive than they really may be.

Another issue is that I have the CHauvet Q_Spot 150's, that I run in 16-bit 9-channel mode. They work very smooth for me, even when watching the lights for real vs the 3D Visualizer. I find that if I'm using MyDMX, I am best off just using the maximum channels and a 16-bit mode. You don't want to change your addressing stuff becuase you'll have to start over as the programming will not re-map itself.

It really depends on the fixture and how you're doing you programming. We're both talking about "relatively inexpensive" fixtures, and as such, we have to accept that we have to accept some amount of "step" type behavior.

Without getting into the fixture, I suggest you run the fixture in a 16 bit mode. This alone should smooth things out. If you're in an 8-bit mode, that right there can contribute to more "Steppy" type behavior, not just with Chauvet fixtures, but have been reported with other brands as well, including ADJ. I think Jingles has recommended this recourse of action a few times as it applies. Since the light has to move "Further" between DMX values, that is what is mmaking the steps that don't really exist.

I mean, I'e done stuff that was basically "waving back and forth" and it came out smooth. Step 1, then Step 2, then go back to Step 1, then repeat the scene. If I went Step 1 to Step 2 then repeat, it would snap back to Step 1 and that would have blown the whole look. Just make your return Step 1 to have no hold time or fade time. I'd have to checm the ones I did to get more exacting stuff, but let's say I'm pleased wtth this very simply programming and I didn't use the fine channels.

Now, my circles are using the FX Generator and I can see the X,Y and fine Xy channels blazing!

Just to clarify. If using 8 bit for a fixture that has 360 degrees of pan, each increase in DMX value moves that light 1.4 degrees, which is a lot. It gets worse, because if you have 540 degrees of pan, you are moving 2.2 degrees with each increase in DMX value and 2.5 degrees for 630.

Up this to 16 bit, then each DMX value moves .005 degrees for 360, .008 for 540, and .010 for 630. Run you movers in 16 bit whenever possible really for pan and tilt. The difference is night and day when it comes to smooth, accurate movement. 16 bit for other things can be useful, mainly gobo rotation to get custom gobos spot on and focus, but can eat up channels very fast. The gains aren't all that great over 8 bit control for a lot of other functions.

This may sound really stupid, but how do I get the fixture or the program into 16bit mode, or how can I tell what bit mode its in? Do I need to connect the dongle?

1: You need to consult your manual and ensure you are in the right mode. You can get this via the manual and using the panel on the fixture to figure out what you are in vs where you want to be.

2: Yes, you need to connect the dongle to MyDMX if you expect MyDMX to actualy work as a DMX controller. It is NOT necessary to use the dongle if in DEMO mode when you're making your show. The difference between DEMO and USB mode is the dongle is attached in USB mode.

I can't comment on what SerraAva adds by saying 16-bit mode easts up channels very fast. My Q-Spot 150's eat up 2 more channels(each, 2 fixtures, 4 total channels) by adding those X and Y Fine channels. Not enough to worry about at my level but if you have a bunch, look out!

LOL. I know it has to be to connected to use it. I wanted to know if the modes could only be changed with the dongle connected. However, when you mentioned the fine x and y channels, I have those up. I am using the Qspot200 Advanced Mode, was not sure if its 16-bit or 8-bit. I think playing around with the fade times, it will help.

My setup is basic, as I like to minimize the amount of things I carry. I have 2 MH on 7 foot truss and 16 Colorpalettes for uplighting that I DMX.
I have the Chauvet Scorpion Storm on Sound mode and ADJ Haze machine to enhance the lighting. Also have 4 DJ Scan 250HP scanners which i use for smaller events.

Thanks for your help, I was hesitantly thinking about going with another DMX software, but with this forum I think I am reassured to stick with mydmx for my purposes.

One other thing you need to do is make sure you are using the 16 bit profile and not the 8 bit one once you switch your fixtures over to 16 bit mode. More channels and/or different channel assignments means that 16 bit profiles won't work with 8 bit mode and visa versa.

The profiles available only have Qspot200 Basic and Advanced. How do I know if the profile is 8bit or 16bit?

More than likely 8 bit is basic and 16 is advances.
Sincerely,

jingles is correct. Basic is 8 bit and doesn't have a control channel, 11 channels total. Advanced is 16 bit pan and tilt as well as adding a control channel, 14 channels total.

My Q-Spot 150's have 4 modes. That means 4 profiles. Find the profile that matchs the mode you are in.