Concepts
How Output Is Composed
How nextDMX builds the DMX output every frame.
The value that reaches a DMX channel is the result of several layers stacked on top of each other. Knowing the stack explains a lot of behavior, like why you clear the programmer to see a scene.
The layers, bottom to top
Each layer sits on top of the ones below it.
- Defaults. Every patched channel starts at its resting value, for example pan and tilt centered.
- Scenes. Playing scenes write over the defaults.
- Programmer. Your live values sit above scenes.
- Timeline. Timeline playback drives the output while a timeline runs.
- Masters. The final pass scales and limits everything.
Masters have the last word
Because masters apply last, they affect the whole rig no matter where a value came from. The grand and group masters scale intensity and blackout forces every intensity to zero.
Highlight and Lowlight also live here, which is why they override the look completely and never change anything you stored.