Create Effects

Effects animate fixtures over time. They live in the programmer, so they behave like any other live value until you store them.

Add an effect

1. Select the fixtures you want to animate.
2. In the Effects panel, open the Add tab.
3. Pick a type under Custom, or start from a Preset.

Presets are pre-built effects that you can tweak. Custom effects start empty, so you can build them from scratch.

The three usable types are Curve for any channel, 2D Position for pan and tilt, and Color for color channels. Matrix effects are not yet supported.

Pick the fixtures

An effect starts on the fixtures that were selected when you created it. The Fixtures picker at the top of the editor changes that later.

Picking a group instead of individual fixtures references the group directly. The effect then follows the group, so adding a fixture to that group later adds it to the effect too.

An effect with no fixtures shows a red Effect has no fixtures badge and does nothing.

Effect phase

By default every fixture does the same thing at the same moment. Phase is used to offset fixtures from others, so the effect travels across the selection.

With the effect selected, go to the Functions panel and raise the Phase fader. Typing 0..360-360/n spreads a full cycle evenly across the selection regardless of how many fixtures you picked.

Effect timing

Every effect time can be entered in milliseconds or in beats. Beats follow the beat master, so a chase set in beats stays with the music when the tempo changes.

Assign the effect to a SpeedMaster if you want to change its speed live during the show. The default, From Scene or Master, follows whatever the scene it plays in uses.

Store the effect

The effect runs in the programmer until you save it. Create a scene, or select one and press Add step, then Clear programmer and play it back.

Where to go next

• See Effects Panel Reference for every control.
• Color, Curve and Position parameters.