Page 1 of 1

Submaster can set "Intensity" for movement EFX

Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2024 8:59 pm
by Michael88
So I'm wondering how complex it would be to have a VC slider act as a submaster, but next to influencing the intensity of dimmer functions in the frame, it could also influence the "intensity" of (relative) movement EFX functions.

This would allow to bring in/take out relative EFX gradually during a song.
It would also make it possible to preselect new EFX while the slider is all the way down.

It could be configurable by having a submaster have attributes like "affects movement EFX functions" for example.

Re: Submaster can set "Intensity" for movement EFX

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2024 11:54 am
by MichelSliepenbeek
Have a look at the XY Pad.

In the manual (https://docs.qlcplus.org/v4/virtual-console/xy-pad) you can read that the XY pad can be used in 3 different modes.

If you create a XY Pad for "EFX mode" (meaning: leave the Fixtures Tab empty and only select EFX's as Presets), you can use the Range Sliders (on the Left and on Top) to set the size of your Working Area (using the Handles) and if you Click on the Bar between those Handles you can also Change the position of that Working Area.
To be sure: you need to click one of the Presets for the XY pad to become active, otherwise it will not work.

If you create a second XY Pad, this time in "Relative to a Scene Mode" (only add Scenes as presets), you can use this XY Pad for changing positions.
An example of how to use those 2 XY Pads together can be found here: https://www.qlcplus.org/forum/viewtopic ... 815#p72815.
Tip: you could also create specific scenes for your Moving heads on the left and your Moving heads on the right (just as an example, could also be front and rear) and accordingly use 2 XY Pads in "Relative to a Scene Mode".


If you are familiar with Loopback you can also create you own Sliders to change Size or Position.
For an example have a look overhere: https://www.qlcplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16472
Note: the bug that was found in this thread should have been fixed in version 4.13.



As an alternative you can also make use of the Crossfader option of the Cue List.
Create two scenes: Tilt High position and Tilt Low position (as an example).
Then Create a chaser with those two scenes and create a cue list on your VC (for this chaser) and on the final Tab set the Crossfader option.
Remark: in order to make this work the Pan and Tilt channels of your Moving Heads need to be set to "Can Fade" (check this on Fixtures Tab, Channel Properties Configuration).

Re: Submaster can set "Intensity" for movement EFX

Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2024 7:17 pm
by Michael88
Thank you for the thorough explanation and example. I played around with the XY pad EFX mode and I'm convinced I can somewhat achieve what I wanted using this approach. Using the Magic 3D Easy view, I did see some stuttering in the EFX whenever I would make a small adjustment on the "range" slider, as if the EFX would start again each time. But I would have to see how this responds on a live setup to see if this is really an issue.

Nevertheless, the proposed solution does require some setup and mental gymnastics for novice users.

I would still be interested in to hearing what the thoughts are about using a slider in (modified) submaster mode to adjust the intensity of an EFX, which would be quick and easy, similar to how dimmer channels work.