LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER

Transcription

1 LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER USER GUIDE RELEASE 1.6

2 2004 Color Kinetics Incorporated. All rights reserved. Chromacore, Color Kinetics, the Color Kinetics logo, ColorBlast, ColorBurst, ColorPlay, ColorScape, icolor,icolor Cove, iplayer, QuickPlay, and Smartjuice are registered trademarks, and Chromasic, ColorBlaze, ColorCast, and Optibin are trademarks of Color Kinetics Incorporated. PUB R01

3 CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction... 9 Welcome to Light System Composer... 9 Key Features of Light System Composer... 9 Management Tool... 9 Show Designer Config Maker Playback Control ip2 Downloader About this Guide Contacting Color Kinetics Chapter 2 Hardware Setup Ethernet Setup DMX Setup Configuring Your PC and Mac Ethernet Network Manual IP Configuration Set Up Light System Engine Test Network Connections and Set Time Set System Time Ethernet Set Up for Interfaces and Lights Set Up iplayer DMX Set Up for iplayer 2 and Lights Chapter 3 Installation Installing Light System Composer Installing Upgrade CDs Verify Firmware/Software Versions Chapter 4 Light System Composer Quick Start Creating a Light Map for an Ethernet Installation Creating a Map for a DMX Installation Creating a Light Show Downloading the Show to Light System Engine... 51

4 Current Configuration Upload...52 Downloading the Show to iplayer Controlling Playback...53 Chapter 5 Introduction to Management Tool The Management Tool Work Environment...57 The Menus...58 The Tool Bar...59 Chapter 6 Creating Maps Ethernet Maps...61 Discover Interfaces...61 Discover Lights...63 Ethernet Advanced Features...71 Add Tools...71 DMX Maps...78 Discover iplayer 2 Interface...78 Add Lights to DMX Map...79 Chapter 7 Layout and Groups Selecting Lights...87 Layout...88 Animation Template...89 Grouping lights for an Animated Effect...89 Creating an Animation Template...89 Groups...90 Creating Groups...90 Chapter 8 Introduction to Show Designer The Show Designer Work Environment...97 The Menus...98 The Tool Bar...99 Parameter Settings Time Settings Effects Panel Simulation Window

5 Chapter 9 Creating Shows Load a Map Add Effects Edit Effects Setting Effect Priorities Setting Effect Start and End Time Save Show for Download Chapter 10 Effects Parameters List of Effects and Their Parameters Chasing Rainbow Cross Fade Custom Rainbow Fixed Color Random Color Sparkle Streak Sweep XY Burst XY Spiral Chapter 11 Animation and Image Scroll Animated Effect Create the Animation Create an Animated Effect Image Scroll Effect Create an Image Scroll Effect Set Frame Rate Chapter 12 Config Maker The Config Maker Work Environment The Menus Download Configuration Files Add a Zone Add Shows Set Keypad Set Scheduled Events Sample Event Scheduling

6 Chapter 13 ip2 Downloader The ip2 Downloader Work Environment The Menus Download DMX Show Files Chapter 14 Playback Control The Playback Control Work Environment Shows Info Scheduled Events Chapter 15 LSM Configuration Tools KiNET Interface Configuration Tool PDS Configuration Tool PDS Configuration Tool Setup Ethernet Keypad Configuration Tool SAS EtherSAS DMX TABLE Index

7 QUICK START PART 1 In this section... Chapter 1 Introduction: An overview of key features and components. Chapter 2 Hardware Setup: Network and Light System Engine setup instructions. Chapter 3 Installation: Requirements and instructions for installing Light System Composer software and installing upgrades. Chapter 4 Basics: An overview of the basic concepts and inner workings of the Light System Composer.

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9 CHAPTER 1 Introduction Welcome to Light System Composer Color Kinetics Light System Composer is the software component of the Light System Manager. Light System Composer (LSC) software combines fine-grained control with stunning visual effects for large Color Kinetics installations. Light System Composer is a full-featured authoring package designed specifically for producing professional lighting shows for the full line of Color Kinetics professional lights. Key Features of Light System Composer Light System Composer is a suite of show authoring and lighting control software that lets you design, manage, and monitor large scale, sophisticated color changing light shows. Each independent software module has a specific job in the process of light show creation and management. You focus on design and function while LSC handles the complexity of mapping, addressing, and management. Management Tool Management Tool is used to create light maps. This is the first step in creating your light show. Management Tool lets you query the interfaces on your network to discover all installed lights. After the lights are discovered they are mapped to a simulation screen where you can position the lights to create a virtual representation of the physical layout. Management Tool aids in light show management by letting you create light groups; identify each light, interface, and group by assigning a descriptive name; and edit light numbers and the order of display to match the installation. The drag and grab feature lets you easily select large groups of lights. The scalable windows, right-click editing, simplified tool bar, and undo command help to create a user-friendly work space. 9

10 CHAPTER 1 Show Designer With Show Designer, you point and click your way to beautiful color changing light shows. Shows can be simple or intricate, pre-defined or customized, single or multi-leveled. Just load the light map created with Management Tool and select the effects for each light group. Create unique shows by modifying individual effects or layering multiple effects. The show simulation screen lets you view effects and changes in real-time. Export animated shows from common multimedia software into a series of still images. Then apply them to a mapped grid of lights for stunning animation effects. Config Maker Config Maker lets you download your saved maps and shows to the Light System Engine and specify playback parameters such as zones, triggers, and schedules. Setting zones lets you specify geographic areas of lights and apply shows specific to that zone. Assigning triggers to the shows lets you select at will from multiple shows using a Color Kinetics Controller Keypad or other triggering device. Specifying schedules will command automatic playback relative to dates, times, recurrence, and duration. Playback Control Playback Control lets you manage and monitor downloaded shows. Here, dynamic changes such as brightness and transitions between shows are easily made to all lights in specified zones. ip2 Downloader ip2 Downloader lets you download DMX shows to the iplayer 2 controller, set master/slave configurations and assign triggers. Assigning triggers to the shows lets you select at will from multiple shows using a Color Kinetics Controller Keypad or other triggering device. 10

11 INTRODUCTION About this Guide This Light System Manager User Guide contains step-by-step setup and installation instructions for the Light System Manager components and for Light System Composer software. This guide assumes you have a basic working knowledge of your operating system including using a mouse, selecting items in menus and dialog boxes, and opening and closing files. For information about these and other basic techniques, refer to the documentation for your operating system. Contacting Color Kinetics Contact Color Kinetics Technical Support if you experience problems with Light System Composer software; phone , technicalsupport@colorkinetics.com, Web: support. 11

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13 CHAPTER 2 Hardware Setup Color Kinetics Light System Manager is comprised of Light System Engine, a multi-show storage and playback device, and Light System Composer show authoring and management software. Light System Manager is designed for use with a 10/100Mb switched Ethernet infrastructure. Ethernet Setup Additional Hardware In addition to your Color Kinetics power/data supplies (PDS), lights, and Light System Manager, you must have a 10/100 Base T autosense Ethernet switch, a dedicated network, and a personal computer with a Pentium 4 processor, or equivalent, with Windows 2000 or XP, or Mac OS X and an Ethernet card to complete the system requirements and installation of your Color Kinetics light system. Dedicated Network A dedicated network is required for a Color Kinetics Ethernet system. The bandwidth required for the Light System Manager is too high for a shared network. Using a shared network for Light System Manager can cause poor performance or failure of other network functions. Cables and Connectors Always use Category 5e unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables, or better. The maximum CAT 5e cable run between any two pieces of Light System Manager equipment is 328 feet (100m). Color Kinetics power/data supplies are fitted with RJ45 data connections. Therefore, RJ45 connectors are required for terminating CAT 5e data cables. Switches 10/100 Base T auto-sense Ethernet switches are used to connect all components of a Color Kinetics Ethernet installation, and routes information between all equipment connected to the network. 13

14 CHAPTER 2 DMX Setup Because Ethernet uses a star topology, every component of the network must be connected directly to a switch. Therefore, daisy chain data connections cannot be made between Color Kinetics PDS series power/data supplies, also known as KiNET interfaces. Additional Hardware In addition to your Color Kinetics power/data supplies (PDS), lights, and Light System Composer, you must have an iplayer 2 or Smart Jack3 Controller and a personal computer with a Pentium 4 processor, or equivalent, with Windows 2000 or XP, or Mac OS X to complete the system requirements and installation of your Color Kinetics light system. Cables and Connectors Always use Category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables or better. The maximum CAT 5 cable run between any two pieces of Light System Manager equipment is 328 feet (100m). Color Kinetics power/data supplies are fitted with RJ45 data connections. Therefore, RJ45 connectors are required for terminating CAT 5 data cables. iplayer 2 uses a BNC power cable when in Playback mode and a USB power data cable when in Program mode. Note: The BNC cable and USB cable must never be in use at the same time. 14

15 HARDWARE SETUP Configuring Your PC and Mac Ethernet Network The Light System Engine is capable of assigning an IP address to your computer automatically. For installations where you are connected to an LSE, follow the steps below. If your installation is not connected to an LSE, for example, live play demonstrations, refer to Manual IP Configuration on page 22. Note: If you have a firewall or firewall software on your system, it must be disabled to install and use LSC software. Automatic Configuration for Windows 2000 Follow the instructions below to configure your Windows 2000 OS PC for the network dedicated to your Color Kinetics installation. 1. From the START menu select SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL. In the CONTROL PANEL double click the NETWORK AND DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS folder. 2. From the NETWORK AND DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS window double click LOCAL AREA CONNECTIONS. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window appears. 3. In the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window, click PROPERTIES. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION PROPERTIES window appears. 15

16 CHAPTER 2 4. Click to highlight INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP), then click PROPERTIES. The INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PROPERTIES dialog appears. 5. Click the radio buttons to select OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY and OBTAIN DNS SERVER ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY. Note: If an IP and DNS address is present, record these numbers in case you need it for future use. 6. Click OK to return to the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION PROPERTIES window. From there, click OK to return to the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window. Click CLOSE to exit. 7. To verify the configuration, select START>PROGRAMS> ACCESSORIES>COMMAND PROMPT. At the prompt, enter IPCONFIG and press ENTER. The IP Address will be within the range of to The Subnet Mask will be

17 HARDWARE SETUP Automatic IP Configuration for Windows XP 1. From the START menu, select SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL. In the CONTROL PANEL, click the NETWORK AND INTERNET CONNECTIONS. 2. From the NETWORK AND INTERNET CONNECTIONS window, click NETWORK CONNECTIONS. 3. Double click the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION icon. 17

18 CHAPTER 2 4. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window appears. 5. In the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window, click PROPERTIES. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION PROPERTIES window appears. 6. Click to highlight INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP), then click PROPERTIES. The INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PROPERTIES dialog appears. 18

19 HARDWARE SETUP 7. Click the radio buttons to select OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY and OBTAIN DNS SERVER ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY. Click OK. Note: If an IP and DNS address is present, record these numbers in case you need it for future use. 8. To turn off the firewall protection, click the advanced tab from the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION PROPERTIES window. Deselect PROTECT MY COMPUTER AND NETWORK BY LIMITING OR PREVENTING ACCESS TO THIS COMPUTER FROM THE INTERNET. 9. Click OK to return to the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window, then CLOSE. 19

20 CHAPTER 2 10.Restart your computer to accept the new network settings. 11.To verify the, configuration, select START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES>COMMAND PROMPT. At the prompt enter IPCONFIG and press ENTER. The IP Address will be within the range of to The Subnet Mask will be

21 HARDWARE SETUP Automatic IP Configuration for Mac OS X 1. From the APPLE menu select SYSTEM PREFERENCES. The SYSTEM PREFERENCES window appears. 2. Under INTERNET & NETWORK, click the NETWORK icon. The NETWORK dialog box appears. From the LOCATION drop down list, select AUTOMATIC. From the SHOW drop down list, select BUILT-IN ETHERNET. Ensure that TCP/IP is selected. 3. From the CONFIGURE IPV4 drop down list, select USING DHCP. The system automatically obtains ip address and subnet mask. Note: Record the IP, Subnet Mask numbers, and DNS server number, if available, in case you need it for future use. 4. Click APPLY NOW. Your Mac OS X system is configured. Note: Do not configure IPv6. IPv6 is not supported. 21

22 CHAPTER 2 Manual IP Configuration If your hardware setup is not connected to an LSE --- for instance in a live play demonstration using a switch and a PDS power supply or other device with an KiNET interface --- you must manually configure an IP address. Windows From the START menu, select SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL. In the CONTROL PANEL, double click the NETWORK AND DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS folder. 2. From the NETWORK AND DIAL-UP CONNECTIONS window, double click LOCAL AREA CONNECTIONS. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window appears. 3. In the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window, click PROPERTIES. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION PROPERTIES window appears. 22

23 HARDWARE SETUP 4. Select INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP), then click PROPERTIES. The INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PROPERTIES dialog appears. 5. Select USE THE FOLLOWING IP ADDRESS. In the IP ADDRESS field, enter In the SUBNET MASK field, enter Click OK. Note: If an IP and DNS address is present, record these numbers in case you need it for future use. 6. To verify the manual configuration, select START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES>COMMAND PROMPT. At the prompt, enter IPCONFIG and press ENTER. 7. Your IP address is correctly configured if the IP Address and Subnet Mask in the COMMAND PROMPT window matches what you entered in the INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PROPERTIES dialog box. 23

24 CHAPTER 2 Windows XP 1. From the START menu, select SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL. In the CONTROL PANEL, click the NETWORK AND INTERNET CONNECTIONS. 2. From the NETWORK AND INTERNET CONNECTIONS window, click NETWORK CONNECTIONS. 3. Double click the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION icon. 24

25 HARDWARE SETUP 4. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window appears. 5. In the LOCAL AREA CONNECTION STATUS window, click PROPERTIES. The LOCAL AREA CONNECTION PROPERTIES window appears. 25

26 CHAPTER 2 6. Click to highlight INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP), then click PROPERTIES. The INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PROPERTIES dialog appears. 7. Select USE THE FOLLOWING IP ADDRESS. In the IP ADDRESS field, enter In the SUBNET MASK field, enter Click OK. Note: If an IP and DNS address is present, record these numbers in case you need it for future use. 8. To verify the manual configuration, select START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES>COMMAND PROMPT. At the prompts, enter IPCONFIG and press ENTER. 9. Your IP address is correctly configured if the IP Address and Subnet Mask in the COMMAND PROMPT window matches what you entered in the INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) PROPERTIES dialog box. 26

27 HARDWARE SETUP Mac OS X 1. From the APPLE menu select SYSTEM PREFERENCES. The SYSTEM PREFERENCES screen appears. 2. Under INTERNET & NETWORK, click the NETWORK icon. The NETWORK screen appears. From the LOCATION drop down list, select AUTOMATIC. From the SHOW drop down list, select BUILT-IN ETHERNET. Ensure that TCP/IP is selected. 3. From the CONFIGURE IPV4 drop down, select MANUALLY. In the IP ADDRESS field, enter In the SUBNET MASK field, enter Click APPLY NOW. Note: Record the IP, Subnet Mask numbers, and DNS server number, if available, in case you need it for future use. Note: Do not configure IPv6. IPv6 is not supported. 27

28 CHAPTER 2 Set Up Light System Engine 1. Using a CAT 5e data cable with RJ45 connectors, connect the Light System Engine to a 10/100 auto-sense switch. 2. Connect your PC to the switch using CAT 5e data cable with RJ45 connectors. See Ethernet Diagram on page 30. Test Network Connections and Set Time Testing connections to LSE is very important. With your Light System Engine (LSE) and PC connected to the switch, and the LSE turned on, you can test your network connection and set local time of LSE, if needed, by following the steps below. 1. Open a Web browser such as INTERNET EXPLORER on your computer. 2. In the ADDRESS field, enter and press ENTER or click GO to continue. The LSE webpage appears. From this webpage you can set the system time, create show backup ISO images, and view LSE log files. ISO images can be burned to CDs for backup, and the LSE log files are used for troubleshooting. When talking with a Color Kinetics service representative, have the log files accessible. 28

29 HARDWARE SETUP Set System Time 1. Click SET SYSTEM TIME from the column on the left side of screen. The LOGIN TO WEBMIN dialog appears. 2. In the LOGIN TO WEBMIN dialog, enter USERNAME: lse, then enter PASSWORD: lse. Click LOGIN to continue. Note: Username and password are case sensitive and must be entered in lowercase. You can set the time, if needed, in this window. Click the CLOSE box to exit. 29

30 CHAPTER 2 Ethernet Set Up for Interfaces and Lights Once your Light System Engine and Computer are set up, you are ready to connect your power/data supplies and lights to network. Using CAT 5e data cable with RJ45 connectors connect each PDS interface to the switch. Note: Ethernet cannot be daisy-chained. Each KiNET interface must be connected directly to an Ethernet switch port. The following illustration shows a example of a network connection. Depending on the size of your installation, your network can be very simple or very complex. Light System Manager can accommodate network trees up to three switches deep between the LSE and the farthest interface. Ethernet Diagram 10/100 SWITCH 10/100 SWITCH CAT 5e CAT 5e CAT 5e CAT 5e CAT 5e LIGHT SYSTEM ENGINE PC WITH ETHERNET CARD CAT 5e INTERFACE CAT 5 DATA TO LIGHTS CAT 5e INTERFACE DATA TO LIGHTS CAT 5e CAT 5e INTERFACE INTERFACE CAT 5 DATA TO LIGHTS DATA TO LIGHTS INTERFACE INTERFACE CAT 5 DATA TO LIGHTS DATA TO LIGHTS 30

31 EXPANSION DMX SERIAL ITEM# FOR USE UNDER U.S. PATENTS 6,016,038, 6,150,774, AND 6,340,868 OTHER PATENTS PENDING Assembled in the USA. POWER USB HARDWARE SETUP Set Up iplayer 2 iplayer 2 drivers must be installed on your PC or Mac. Refer to Installing iplayer 2 Drivers in the iplayer 2 User Guide, Chapter 2, for complete driver installation instructions. DMX Set Up for iplayer 2 and Lights Program Mode You must be in Program Mode to install drivers, download shows, or use the live play feature. In Program Mode the iplayer 2 is connected to your computer via the USB port, and the data port of the iplayer 2 is connected to the PDS via a CAT5 data cable with RJ 45 connectors. The following illustration shows a Program Mode set up. PROGRAM MODE DATA TO LIGHTS DATA DMX 512 PDS POWER/DATA SUPPLY RJ45 CONNECTOR iplayer 2 Power CPU Program Playback NOTE: DISCONNECT BNC WHEN IN PROGRAM MODE USB 31

32 EXPANSION DMX SERIAL ITEM# FOR USE UNDER U.S. PATENTS 6,016,038, 6,150,774, AND 6,340,868 OTHER PATENTS PENDING Assembled in the USA. POWER EXPANSION DMX SERIAL USB ITEM# FOR USE UNDER U.S. PATENTS 6,016,038, 6,150,774, AND 6,340,868 OTHER PATENTS PENDING Assembled in the USA. POWER USB CHAPTER 2 Playback Mode After downloading your shows to the iplayer 2, you can disconnect the iplayer 2 from your computer, putting it into Playback Mode, and it will continuously run your shows. Using a Controller Keypad, you can select from multiple downloaded shows. The following illustration shows a Playback Mode set up. PLAYBACK MODES DATA TO LIGHTS DMX512 PDS POWER/DATA SUPPLY RJ45 iplayer 2 Power CPU Program Playback BNC NOTE: DISCONNECT USB WHEN IN PLAYBACK MODE 24VDC PS-60 POWER SUPPLY DATA TO LIGHTS DMX512 PDS POWER/DATA SUPPLY SERIAL DATA OFF RJ45 SERIAL CONNECTOR CONTROLLER KEYPAD iplayer 2 Power CPU Program Playback BNC NOTE: DISCONNECT USB WHEN IN PLAYBACK MODE 24VDC PS-60 POWER SUPPLY 32

33 CHAPTER 3 Installation Light System Composer works with Light System Engine, an Ethernet based, multi-show storage and playback device. This chapter describes how to install Light System Composer and upgrade Light System Engine firmware. Before you install Light System Composer software, close all running applications, disable virus protection, and ensure your computer has enough memory and free disk space. System Requirements Hardware Operating System Required Disk Space RAM PC with Pentium, or equivalent, processor with Ethernet card (Pentium 4 recommended) Mac G5 Windows 2000 or XP, Mac OS X 10MB 256MB minimum (512MB recommended) 33

34 CHAPTER 3 Installing Light System Composer To Install Light System Composer for Windows Insert the Light System Composer software CD into the CD ROM drive. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to your CD ROM drive and double click the LSC INSTALLER folder to expand it. Highlight SETUP.EXE then click OPEN. This returns you to the run window. Click OK to begin the installation. The LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER WIZARD setup appears. Click NEXT to begin the installation. 2. The LICENSE AGREEMENT window appears. Select I AGREE to agree to the terms of the license agreement, and then click NEXT to continue the installation. 34

35 INSTALLATION 3. When the SELECT INSTALLATION FOLDER window appears, a default installation folder is selected for you. To select another installation location click BROWSE. Select EVERYONE or JUST ME to specify the software user. Then click NEXT to continue. 4. The CONFIRM INSTALLATION screen appears. Click NEXT to start the installation. 5. The INSTALLING LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER screen appears during the installation. 35

36 CHAPTER 3 6. Once the installation is complete the INSTALLATION COMPLETE screen appears. Click CLOSE to exit. Light System Composer is now installed on your computer. The next step to creating and managing light shows for your Color Kinetics lights is to set up the Light System Engine. 36

37 INSTALLATION To Install Light System Composer for Windows XP 1. Insert the Light System Composer software CD into the CD ROM drive. When the D: DRIVE window appears (Dive letter may differ.), double click the LSC INSTALLER folder to expand it. 2. Double click SETUP.EXE to launch the LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER WIZARD. 37

38 CHAPTER 3 3. The LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER SETUP WIZARD appears. Click NEXT to begin the installation. 4. When the SELECT INSTALLATION FOLDER screen appears, a default installation folder is selected for you. To select another installation location, click BROWSE. Select EVERYONE or JUST ME to specify the software user. Then click NEXT to continue. 38

39 INSTALLATION 5. The CONFIRM INSTALLATION screen appears. Click NEXT to start the installation. 6. The INSTALLING LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER screen appears during the installation. 7. Once the installation is complete, the installation complete screen appears. Click CLOSE to exit. Light System Composer is now installed on your computer. The next step to creating and managing light shows for you Color Kinetics lights is to set up the Light System Engine. 39

40 CHAPTER 3 To Install Light System Composer for Mac OS X 1. Insert the Light System Composer software CD into the CD ROM drive. The LSE icon displays on the desktop. Double click the icon to expand the folder. 2. Double click on INSTALL LSC <version> The first installation screen appears. 40

41 INSTALLATION 3. Click CONTINUE The Software License Agreement screen appears. 4. Before proceeding with the installation, you must click AGREE to indicate you agree to the terms of the software license agreement. 41

42 CHAPTER 3 5. Then click the CONTINUE. Select a destination volume to install the LSC software. 6. Select a folder into which the software will reside. 42

43 INSTALLATION 7. Click CONTINUE. The Installation screen appears. Click INSTALL to start the installation. 8. When finished, the system prompts to indicate the installation is complete. 9. Click CLOSE To exit the Installation program. After the installation is complete, the Light System Composer folder resides in the Applications directory on your Macintosh hard drive. You can create shortcuts on the Mac dock by dragging each software icon located in the Light System Composer folder to the dock. 43

44 CHAPTER 3 Installing Upgrade CDs LSE firmware resides on the Light System Engine and handles playback controls. LSC software resides on the PC and is an application tool used to create light shows. Occasionally LSE firmware and LSC software are upgraded to provide feature improvements and bug fixes. Color Kinetics makes these upgrades available on CD and from the Color Kinetics support/ftpsite site. To Upgrade LSE Firmware From CD 1. With LSE running, insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive on the LSE. 2. Press the Reset button located below the Power button on the LSE. 3. When the LSE reboots, the update software on the CD will automatically install. This process will take several minutes. 4. Once the installation is complete, the CD will eject. Remove CD. 5. Reboot LSE. To Upgrade from Downloaded File To upgrade the LSE from the Color Kinetics Web site, you must have a writable CD-ROM drive with CD creation software. 1. From the Color Kinetics Web site -- support/download/ -- navigate to the latest software upgrade file and click the link. 2. When the file download screen appears, click SAVE to download the ISO file to your computer. Select a location on your computer and click SAVE. 3. After the download is complete, use a CD creation software with a CD writable drive to burn the ISO file to a CD. Follow the instructions for the CD creation software. 4. Once the CD is created, follow the instructions above-- To Upgrade From CD --to update the LSE. 5. If the CD you created is valid, the firmware will install and the CD will eject. If the CD is invalid, the LSE will continue running with no interruption. To Upgrade LSC 1. Before upgrading your LSC software, you must uninstall the current version. To uninstall the current LSC version, select START>SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL. From the control panel use the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAM tool to uninstall the current version. 44

45 INSTALLATION 2. After the uninstall is complete, refer to Installing Light System Composer on page 34 for installation instructions. Verify Firmware/Software Versions After upgrading the LSE and the LSC software you can verify that the upgrade was successful by matching the current version number to the version listed on your CD, or from Web, if downloaded. To Verify LSE Firmware Version 1. From the START menu, select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>PLAYBACK CONTROL. 2. In PLAYBACK CONTROL, click the INFO tab. The version number appears in the INFO panel. To Verify LSC Software Version 1. From the START menu, select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>SHOW DESIGNER. 45

46 CHAPTER 3 2. In SHOW DESIGNER, select HELP>ABOUT SHOW DESIGNER from the menu bar. The version number appears in the ABOUT SHOW DESIGNER window. 46

47 CHAPTER 4 Light System Composer Quick Start This section of the Light System Manager User Guide is intended to introduce and explain the basic concepts of creating a light show and walk you through the inner workings of Light System Composer at its simplest level. Light System Composer Suite Program Management Tool Show Designer Config Maker Function Create Maps: Use Management Tool to create light maps--the first step in creating a light show. See Introduction to Management Tool on page 57. Create Light Shows: Use Show Designer to assign effects and define parameters to the mapped lights to create the light show. See Introduction to Show Designer on page 97. Show Trigger and Download: Use Confg Maker to download shows to the Light System Engine for playback and assign trigger parameters. See Config Maker on page 133. ip2 Downloader Download shows to the iplayer 2 Controller for playback. See ip2 Downloader on page 151. Playback Control Manage and monitor downloaded shows. See Playback Control on page 9. Note: Refer to the chapter for each program for detailed explanations and instructions. 47

48 CHAPTER 4 Creating a Light Map for an Ethernet Installation 1. From the PC START menu, select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>MANAGEMENT TOOL to launch the Management Tool software; from a Mac, click the MANAGEMENT TOOL icon located on the dock. 2. Begin mapping by discovering the KiNET interfaces on your network. From the MANAGEMENT TOOL menu, select LIGHT VIEW>DISCOVER INTERFACES. Light System Composer queries the network to discover all interfaces attached. The DISCOVER INTERFACES WIZARD appears. Highlight each interface to be included in the light map, then click the right arrow (-->) to add to map. To remove an interface from the light map, highlight the interface in the right column and click the left arrow (<--). 3. Click FINISH to continue. The power/data supply interfaces now appear in the LIGHTS/INTERFACES column of the MANAGEMENT TOOL window. 4. After discovering the interfaces in your network, you are ready to discover the lights attached to the interfaces. From the MANAGEMENT TOOL menu, select LIGHT VIEW>DISCOVER LIGHTS. The DISCOVER LIGHTS WIZARD appears. Highlight an interface then click NEXT. The discover lights wizard queries the interface, discovers the attached lights, and tells you how many lights were discovered. Click NEXT to continue. 5. Using prompts, the DISCOVER LIGHTS WIZARD walks you through the light discovery process prompting you to enter such things as, a BASE LIGHT NAME, the LAYOUT orientation, GROUP type, etc. The actual light discover process varies from light to light depending on the type of fixtures you have. After discovery, the lights are represented in the LAYOUT column of the MANAGEMENT TOOL window, and the groups appears in the GROUP column. 48

49 LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER QUICK START 6. To create additional groups, select a group of lights from the LAYOUT column of the MANAGEMENT TOOL window, and select GROUP VIEW>ADD GROUP. Follow the prompts in the GROUP EDITOR dialog box and click OK. The new group appears in the GROUPS column. 7. Select FILE>SAVE to save the map. Your saved map is ready to be used with the SHOW DESIGNER software to create a light show. For complete instructions on creating maps refer to Creating Maps on page 61. Creating a Map for a DMX Installation 1. From the PC START menu, select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>MANAGEMENT TOOL to launch the Management Tool software; from a Mac, click the MANAGEMENT TOOL icon located on the dock. 2. Begin mapping by discovering the iplayer 2 interfaces attached to your PC. You may have more than one iplayer 2 if you have multiple USB ports on your computer, or if you are using a USB hub. From the MANAGEMENT TOOL menu, select LIGHT VIEW>DISCOVER INTERFACES. Light System Composer queries and discovers all iplayer 2 interfaces connected to your computer. The DISCOVER INTERFACES WIZARD appears. Highlight each interface to be included in the light map, then click the right arrow (-->) to add to map. To remove an interface from the light map, highlight the interface in the right column and click the left arrow (<--). 3. Click FINISH to continue. The iplayer 2 interfaces now appear in the LIGHTS/INTERFACES column of the MANAGEMENT TOOL window. 4. After discovering the interfaces in your network, you are ready to add the lights attached to the interfaces. From the Management Tool tool bar, select the add lights button that corresponds to the lights in your installation. 5. Select the iplayer 2 from the interface list, enter the DMX BASE ADDRESS and BASE LIGHT NUMBER, select the LAYOUT and GROUP types and click OK. The lights are added to the interface and appear in the LAYOUT panel. Note: For Non-Chromasic lights, you must address the lights and record the address numbers prior to adding them to the iplayer 2. For more information on addressing lights, refer to the installation guide for your lights. 49

50 CHAPTER 4 Creating a Light Show 1. From the PC START menu, select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>SHOW DESIGNER to launch the Show Designer software. From the Mac, click the SHOW DESIGNER icon located on the dock. 2. From the SHOW DESIGNER menu, select FILE>LOAD MAP. From the select a map file dialog box, navigate to and select the map created and saved in the previous instructions. 3. Click OPEN to load the map into Show Designer. 4. Begin creating the show by adding effects to the groups created in the Management Tool. Select a pre-defined effect from the effects list located near the bottom of the window. After selecting an effect, click NEW EFFECT. The effect appears in the Show Designer workspace. 5. In the Show Designer workspace, from the GROUP list, select the group to which this effect will be assigned. The effect immediately begins playing on the lights and the on-screen simulator. If the SIMULATION window is not open, select the SHOW SIMULATION button on the toolbar Continue adding effects to the light groups to create your show. Set the start and end time for each effect. Each effect can be customized by editing its parameters, setting fade in and fade out times, and setting priorities. Note: Priorities are used when setting multiple effects to a group. Priorities can be thought of as layers. Upper most layers have the highest priority number. For example, a Sparkle effect with a Rainbow background will be give the following priority numbers: Sparkle - 1, Rainbow - 0.

51 LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER QUICK START 7. Once you have created your show, select FILE>SAVE AS to save it. You are now ready to download the show to the Light System Engine. If you are saving a file to be downloaded to an iplayer 2, select FILE>WRITE DMX or click the WRITE DMX icon from the tool bar. Downloading the Show to Light System Engine 1. From the PC START menu select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>CONFIG MAKER to launch the Config Maker software; from a Mac, click the CONFIG MAKER icon located on the dock. 2. Click CONFIGURATION>ADD ZONE to create a zone. 3. In the NAME field, enter a name for the zone. 4. Use the BROWSE button to select a map to be associated with that zone. 5. Click ADD SHOW to select a show to apply to the mapped zone. 6. Before downloading, select the default show for each zone from the list near the bottom of the CONFIG MAKER window. 7. Continue adding zones, maps, and shows to encompass your entire installation. Each new zone is added to the ZONES list. 8. Select CONTROLLER>DOWNLOAD to download all zones and shows to the Light System Engine. Note: Refer to Config Maker on page 133 for instructions on setting keypads and scheduling events. 51

52 CHAPTER 4 Current Configuration Upload Config Maker lets you upload the maps and shows currently downloaded to the LSE to your computer. This time-saving feature lets you edit existing shows and maps. 1. To upload the current configuration, select CONTROLLER>CURRENT CONFIGURATION The SELECT A DIRECTORY TO UPLOAD INTO window opens. Navigate to a directory and click CREATE NEW FOLDER. 3. Rename the folder and click OK. 4. All of the show and map files are saved into this folder. Downloading the Show to iplayer 2 1. From the START menu, select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>IP2 DOWNLOADER to launch the ip2 Downloader tool; from a Mac, click the IP2 DOWNLOADER icon located on the dock Select the iplayer 2 from the CURRENT CONTROLLER drop down list.

53 LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER QUICK START 3. Select NORMAL, MASTER, or SLAVE mode. 4. Click ADD SHOW and select the saved DMX file. 5. Set the trigger to 1 to make it the default show. The default show begins playing when you power up the iplayer 2. Note: When using a keypad with multiple downloaded shows, assign each show a trigger number to correspond to the keypad. Controlling Playback 1. From the PC START menu, select PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>PLAYBACK CONTROL to launch the Playback Control software; from a Mac, click the PLAYBACK CONTROL icon on the dock. The PLAYBACK CONTROL window appears with the SHOWS tab active. 2. From the SHOWS tab, you can select zones and shows, live play, set transitions between shows, and adjust the brightness. 3. From the INFO tab, you can access information about your system. This information is useful for troubleshooting. 4. From the SCHEDULED EVENTS tab, you can monitor scheduled events. For more information on controlling playback, refer to Playback Control on page 159 for more informaton. 53

54 CHAPTER 4 54

55 CREATE A MAP PART 2 In this section... Chapter 5 Management Tool: An overview of the work environment. Chapter 6 Discovery: Instructions for discovering and adding interfaces and lights. Chapter 7 Layout and Groups: An explanation of the method and options for creating a virtual representation of the light installation, and instructions for creating and adding groups. Terms to Understand Map: A map links the light installation to the controller, groups the lights into specified arrangements, and provides a virtual representation of the installation. KiNET interface: Takes Color Kinetics proprietary Ethernet protocol and converts it to a format the lights understand. PDS: A KiNET interface combined with a power supply. iplayer 2 Controller: A Color Kinetics DMX playback device. Chromasic products: Any of Color Kinetics Chromasic driven products, such as icolor Tile FX, icolor Flex SL, and icolor Cove EC. Non-Chromasic products: Any of Color Kinetics Chromacore driven products, such as ColorBlast, ColorBurst, and icolor Accent.

56

57 CHAPTER 5 Introduction to Management Tool The first step to creating a Color Kinetics light show is to create a map of your installation. The light map links the installation, lights, and KiNET interfaces to the controller and acts as a virtual representation of the installation. To launch Management Tool on your PC, select START>PROGRAMS> COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>MANAGEMENT TOOL, or double click MANAGEMENTTOOL from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder which is installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the MANAGEMENT TOOL icon located on the dock. The Management Tool Work Environment Menu Bar A list of on-screen functions or operations. Tool Bar A row of on-screen icons used to activate various functions. Lights/Interfaces Panel A scrollable viewing area used to view and edit KiNET interfaces and lights in your installation. Groups Panel A scrollable viewing area that lets you view and edit groups assigned to your lights. Layout Panel A scrollable viewing area that lets you view a virtual representation of your installation. 57

58 CHAPTER 5 The Menus The File Menu The FILE menu commands apply to the maps as a whole, such as creating, opening, and saving a map. The Edit Menu The EDIT menu commands include Undo, Redo, and Preferences. The Light View Menu The LIGHT View menu commands apply to the light and interfaces portion of the map, such as discovering and adding lights, and data interfaces. The Group View Menu The GROUP VIEW menu command lets you add and define a new group to the map. The Layout View Menu The LAYOUT VIEW menu commands control the on-screen appearance of the map, enables light selection live play, and creates animation templates for animated effects. The Help Menu The HELP menu gives you version and build information about Management Tool software. 58

59 INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT TOOL The Tool Bar New Map Click to create a new map. Open Map Click to open a previously saved map. Save Map Click to save the current map. Discover Interfaces Click to query and discover interfaces on the network. Discover Lights Click to query and discover lights on the network. Snap to Grid Click to turn on or off SNAP TO GRID command. Zoom In Click to zoom in on LAYOUT panel. Zoom Out Click to zoom out on LAYOUT panel. Add Interface Click to add KiNET interface to map. Add String Click to add icolor Flex SL or icolor Cove EC to map. Add Tile Click to add icolor Tile FX to map. Add Module Click to add icolor Module FX to a map. Add Light Click to add Non-Chromasic lights to map. Add Group Click to add and define a new group to the lights. 59

60 CHAPTER 5 60

61 CHAPTER 6 Creating Maps Light System Composer uses maps to communicate with the lights via interfaces. Interfaces include PDS power/data supplies and iplayer 2 Controllers. Creating a map lets you identify lights and interfaces in your installation, and group the lights in various configurations to produce multi-level shows. Ethernet Maps Discover Interfaces The first step in creating a map of your Ethernet network is to discover the KiNET interfaces installed on the network. KiNET interfaces include all Color Kinetics PDS power/data supplies. The process and steps for discovering KiNET interfaces are the same for all Color Kinetics KiNET products. Note: Before you begin, ensure that your PC is connected to the Color Kinetics dedicated network. 1. Launch Management Tool by selecting, on a PC, START> PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>MANAGEMENT TOOL, or by double clicking MANAGEMENT TOOL from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the MANAGEMENT TOOL icon located on the dock. 2. Click the DISCOVER INTERFACES icon from the Tool Bar or select LIGHT VIEW>DISCOVER INTERFACES from the Menu Bar. Light System Composer queries the network to discover all interfaces. Then the DISCOVER INTERFACES WIZARD window appears. 61

62 CHAPTER 6 3. From the DISCOVERED KINET INTERFACES panel on the left, select the interface for your map. 4. Click the right ARROW (->)button, or double click the interface, to move it to the ADD TO MAP panel. To remove an interface from the ADD TO MAP panel, select it and click the left ARROW (<-) button. Note: To select multiple interfaces, hold down the shift or ctrl key while making your selections. 5. Click FINISH to close the wizard and add the interface to your map. 6. The discovered interfaces appear in the LIGHTS/INTERFACES panel of the MANAGEMENT TOOL window. After discovering the interfaces, you are ready to discover the lights attached to each interface. 62

63 CREATING MAPS Discover Lights The second step in creating a map is to query each interface and discover the attached lights. Color Kinetics Chromasic products, such as icolor Tile FX, icolor Flex SL, and, icolor Cove EC, are discovered differently than the Non-Chromasic products, such as ColorBlast, ColorBurst, and icolor Accent. Discovering Chromasic Lights with the Wizard 1. Launch the Discover Lights Wizard by one of the three methods: click the DISCOVER LIGHTS icon from the Tool Bar, select LIGHT VIEW>DISCOVER LIGHTS from the Menu Bar, or right-click the interface in the LIGHTS/INTERFACES panel. The CHOOSE AN INTERFACE window appears. 2. Select a KiNET interface and click NEXT. 3. The DISCOVER LIGHTS window appears and Light System Manager automatically discovers all lights attached to the interface. If the auto discover does not happen automatically, click DISCOVER LIGHTS to begin the query and discover the lights. 63

64 CHAPTER 6 4. After the lights are discovered, click NEXT. 5. The ADD INDIVIDUAL LIGHTS dialog box appears for linear strings of lights such as Cove EC and Flex SL. The ADD TILE dialog box appears for Tile FX. Enter a new BASE LIGHT NAME or use the default name. Note: Mapped lights appear in the light/interface panel by base light name plus light number. It is recommended that you change the default base light name for each linear string or tile to something that identifies the type or location of the light to simplify grouping and light show creation. 6. Select the layout orientation, VERTICALLY or HORIZONTALLY. This option determines how the on-screen layout appears. 7. Click to enable or disable CREATE CHASING GROUP. This automatically creates a chasing group containing all the lights and adds it to the map. For more information on chasing groups see Layout and Groups on page

65 CREATING MAPS 8. Click FINISH to add lights to the map. The lights are automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. The CHASING GROUPS will appear in the GROUPS panel. Discovering Non-Chromasic Lights with the Wizard 1. Click the DISCOVER LIGHTS icon from the Tool Bar or select LIGHT VIEW>DISCOVER LIGHTS from the Menu Bar. The CHOOSE AN INTERFACE window appears. 2. Select a KiNET interface and click NEXT. 65

66 CHAPTER 6 3. The DISCOVER LIGHTS window appears and Light System Manager automatically discovers all lights attached to the interface. If the auto discover does not happen automatically, click DISCOVER LIGHTS to begin the query and discover the lights. 4. After the lights are discovered, click NEXT. 5. The READ LIGHT DMX ADDRESSES window appears. Click the READ EXISTING ADDRESSES button. Light System Composer reads the light addresses and prompts for the next step in the installation. Note: All lights are addressed at the factory to light number one. If lights have been previously used in other installations, they may have been readdressed. The Read Existing Address command reads the current light address for each light and determines the next step in the discovery process. 66

67 CREATING MAPS 6. If you receive the following prompt, THE LIGHTS ARE UNIQUELY ADDRESSED. PROCEED TO THE SORTING STEP., then each light has an individually differing address which is needed for the sorting process. Proceed to Step 9 and continue the discovery process. If you receive the following prompt, THE LIGHTS ARE NOT UNIQUELY ADDRESSED. IN THE NEXT STEP YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ASSIGN THEM UNIQUE TEMPORARY ADDRESSES IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR INTERACTIVE SORTING., then some of the lights share the same address(es) and must be assigned temporary unique addresses which are needed for sorting. Click NEXT to continue. 67

68 CHAPTER 6 7. The ASSIGN TEMPORARY ADDRESSES window appears. Click ASSIGN TEMPORARY ADDRESSES. LSC assigns temporary DMX addresses to the lights, which provide feedback during the following process. 8. After the temporary addresses are assigned, click NEXT to continue. 68

69 CREATING MAPS 9. The SORT LIGHTS window appears and your lights appear in the panel with temporary DMX addresses. You are now ready to sort your lights into a useful order. Once the lights are sorted, LSC will assign DMX addresses to the lights in ascending numeric order; with the first DMX address assigned to the light at the top of the column and progressing numerically downward. 10. If you have an installation plot plan with recorded serial numbers, you can sort the lights into order by clicking the MOVE UP, MOVE DOWN, and FLIP SELECTION buttons. Note: This method works best for installations where the lights are not visible from your computer workstation. Refer to the installation guide for your lights on creating installation plot plans. 11. For installations that are visible from your computer workstation, the SORT button is a convenient tool for sorting your lights into order. Click SORT to begin the sorting processes. The FINDING LIGHT window appears, one of the lights in your installation turns red, and you are prompted, IS LIGHT #1 RED?. If the light you intend to set to address one is not red, click NO. Another light will turn red and you will receive the same prompt. Continue clicking NO until the light of choice is red, then click YES. 69

70 CHAPTER 6 You are then prompted, IS LIGHT #2 RED? Repeat the process until all lights are sorted. The lights turn green in sequence after they sorted. 12. After lights are sorted, click ADDRESS LIGHTS SEQUENTIALLY. Lights are addressed according to the sort order and added to the layout according to their DMX address. 13. Click FINISH to add the lights to your map. The lights are automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. 14. You now have a basic light map. Before continuing, save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. Note: For shows and installations that require multiple maps, ensure that each map has a unique name. 70

71 CREATING MAPS Ethernet Advanced Features Add Tools For Ethernet maps, the ADD tools located on the tool bar offer advanced mapping functionality. This function lets you add interfaces and lights to an existing map when an installation expands, eliminating the need to create a new map from scratch. With the same add buttons you can create virtual maps that can later be associated with actual installations, allowing you to create layouts and shows prior to installation completion. Note: Creating virtual maps using the add tools should only be used when you are certain of the exact installation. If the actual installation differs, even slightly, from the virtual map, it is strongly recommended that you create a new map from scratch using the Discover Wizard. Adding Interfaces 1. Click the ADD INTERFACE button on the toolbar. The INTERFACE TYPE screen appears. 2. Select KINET INTERFACE or IPLAYER 2, depending on your installation, from the drop down menu and click OK. 3. The interface editor screen appears. Enter an INTERFACE NAME. Accept the default IP and UNIVERSE or enter the interface IP address, if known, and click OK. The interface is added to the LIGHTS/INTERFACE panel of your screen. 71

72 CHAPTER 6 Note: The interface IP address would be known if the PDS interfaces have been renamed or addressed prior to installation or mapping using the KiNET Interface Tool. For more information on the KiNET Interface Tool, see KiNET Interface Configuration Tool on page The interface icon appears gray to indicate that it is not associated with a discovered interface. Adding Strings Light strings are linear connections of Color Kinetics Chromasic driven lights, such as icolor Flex SL or icolor Cove EC. The ADD STRING button is used for both products. 1. Click the ADD STRING button. The CREATE STRING dialog box appears. 72

73 CREATING MAPS 2. Select an EXISTING INTERFACE from the drop down menu or select NEW INTERFACE to add a virtual interface to your map. 3. Enter the number of lights on your string---the number of nodes for Flex SL or the number of light fixtures for Cove EC---in the COUNT field. 4. Set the BASE DMX ADDRESS and the BASE LIGHT NUMBER for the string. The Base DMX Address sets the initial address on your string, and the remaining lights are addressed sequentially in ascending order. The Base Light Number is an identifier used in the LSC mapping screen and does not affect the lights. Refer to DMX TABLE on page Select the layout, VERTICALLY or HORIZONTALLY, that best represents your installation. 6. Select CREATE SYNC GROUP and/or CREATE CHASING GROUP to automatically create light groups when the string is added to your map. 7. Click OK to add the string to your map. The string is automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. 8. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. Note: Refer to the Installation Guide for your lights for the maximum number of nodes/lights per interface. Note: Use caution when using the add lights tools more than once that you don t reuse light numbers or DMX addresses more than once. Each light on a supply must have a unique light number and DMX address. 73

74 CHAPTER 6 Adding Tiles 1. Click the ADD TILE button. The CREATE ICOLOR TILE FX dialog box appears. 2. In the CHOOSE A TILE COUNT box, enter the number of tiles in your installation, horizontally and vertically. A grid of tiles will automatically map to your layout panel. To map only one tile, enter the number 1 in both the HORIZONTAL COUNT and VERTICAL COUNT fields. 3. From the CHOOSE AN INTERFACE BOX, select EXISTING INTERFACE or NEW INTERFACE. Selecting an existing interface is only available when you are mapping a single tile and you have previously mapped an interface. 4. Enter a TILE NAME. 5. Check to select groups to automatically create when the tiles are mapped. Note: Creating groups at this time is optional and the group selections are representative of typical groupings and does not limit your groups options. For more information on creating groups, refer to Chapter 7 Creating Groups. 6. Click OK to add the tiles to your map. The tiles are automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. 7. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. 74

75 CREATING MAPS Adding Modules 1. Click the ADD MODULE button. The CREATE ICOLOR MODULE FX dialog box appears. 2. Choose a module type from the MODULE TYPE drop down list. 3. From the CHOOSE AN INTERFACE BOX, select EXISTING INTERFACE or NEW INTERFACE. Selecting an existing interface is only available when you are mapping a single module and you have previously mapped an interface. 4. Set the BASE DMX ADDRESS and the BASE LIGHT NUMBER for the modules. The Base DMX Address sets the initial address for the modules you are adding, and the remaining modules are addressed sequentially in ascending order. The Base Light Number is an identifier used in the LSC mapping screen and does not affect the lights. Refer DMX TABLE on page Enter a MODULE NAME. 6. Check to select groups to automatically create when the modules are mapped. Note: Creating groups at this time is optional and the group selections are representative of typical groupings and does not limit your group options. For more information on creating groups, refer to Chapter 7 Creating Groups. 7. Click OK to add the modules to your map. The modules are automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. 8. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. 75

76 CHAPTER 6 Adding Lights The ADD LIGHTS tool is used to map Non-Chromasic lights, such as ColorBlast, ColorBurst, and icolor Accent. 1. Click the ADD LIGHTS button. The CREATE PRO SERIES LIGHTS dialog box appears. 2. Select an existing interface from the drop down menu or select NEW INTERFACE to add a virtual interface to your map. 3. Enter the number of lights you are adding in the COUNT field. 4. Set the BASE DMX ADDRESS and the BASE LIGHT NUMBER for the lights. The Base DMX Address sets the initial address for the lights you are adding, and the remaining lights are addressed sequentially in ascending order. The Base Light Number is an identifier used in the LSC mapping screen and does not affect the lights. Refer DMX TABLE on page Select the layout, VERTICALLY or HORIZONTALLY, that best represents your installation. 6. Select CREATE SYNC GROUP and/or CREATE CHASING GROUP to automatically create light groups when the lights are added to your map. 76

77 CREATING MAPS 7. Click OK to add the lights to your map. The lights are automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. Note: If the light addresses in your map do not match the installation, you can change the addresses by right-clicking the light from the Lights/Interfaces panel and selecting EDIT LIGHTS. 8. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. Note: Refer to the Installation Guide for your lights for the maximum number of lights per interface. Once you have discovered and mapped your interfaces and lights, you are ready to create light groups. 77

78 CHAPTER 6 DMX Maps Associating Creating a virtual map and shows prior to installation can be a time saver if you are certain of your installation. Once the installation is complete, you can associate your map to the installation. The ability to associate allows you to create maps and show prior to, and during, the installation, which minimizes the time between installation completion and turn on. 1. With your PC attached to the network and the Management Tool open, right click on the unassociated interface. Select ASSOCIATE WITH DISCOVERED INTERFACE. 2. From the ASSOCIATE INTERFACE dialog box click QUERY FOR CONNECTED INTERFACES. 3. Select a discovered interface. Select from KEEP ORIGINAL NAME and USE NAME OF DISCOVERED INTERFACE and click OK. 4. Repeat the process until all interfaces are associated with the installation. Discover iplayer 2 Interface The first step in creating a map of your DMX installation is to discover the installed iplayer 2 controller interfaces. An installation can have multiple iplayer 2 controllers if your computer has multiple USB ports. Note: Before you begin, ensure that the iplayer 2 controller interfaces are connected to the PC in Program Mode. Refer to Set Up iplayer 2 on page 31. If you replace or change and iplayer 2 controller, you must reassociate the new controller. iplayer 2 controllers are not interchangeable. 1. Launch Management Tool from a PC, by selecting START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>MANAGEMENT TOOL, or by double clicking MANAGEMENT TOOL. from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder installed on your desktop; from a Mac click the management tool icon on the dock. 2. Click the DISCOVER INTERFACES icon from the Tool Bar or select LIGHT VIEW>DISCOVER INTERFACES from the Menu Bar. Light System Composer queries the network to discover all interfaces. Then the DISCOVER INTERFACES WIZARD window appears. 78

79 CREATING MAPS 3. From the DISCOVERED KINET INTERFACES panel on the left, select the interface for your map. 4. Click the right ARROW (->) button, or double click the interface, to move it to the ADD TO MAP panel. To remove an interface from the ADD TO MAP panel, select it and click the left ARROW (<-) button. Note: To select multiple interfaces, hold down the shift or ctrl key while making your selections. 5. Click FINISH to close the wizard and add the iplayer 2 to your map. 6. The discovered iplayer 2 interface appears in the LIGHTS/ INTERFACES panel of the MANAGEMENT TOOL window. After discovering the interfaces, you are ready to add the lights attached to each interface. Add Lights to DMX Map Lights in a DMX installation cannot be discovered. Use the ADD tools to assign lights to the iplayer 2 interfaces. During the add lights process, you will be prompted to enter the light number and DMX address for the light. Therefore, the lights must be addressed, and number recorded, prior to adding them to the DMX map. Refer to the installation guide for you lights for addressing instructions. After discovering the iplayer 2 interface, you are ready to add lights. 79

80 CHAPTER 6 Adding Strings Light strings are linear connections of Color Kinetics Chromasic driven lights, such as icolor Flex SL or icolor Cove EC. The ADD STRING button is used for both products. 1. Click the ADD STRING button. The CREATE STRING dialog box appears. 2. Select the iplayer 2 from the EXISTING INTERFACE drop down menu. 3. Enter the number of lights on your string--the number of nodes for Flex SL or the number of light fixtures for Cove EC--in the COUNT field. 4. Set the BASE DMX ADDRESS and the BASE LIGHT NUMBER for the string. The Base DMX Address sets the initial address on your string, and the remaining lights are addressed sequentially in ascending order. The Base Light Number is an identifier used in the LSC mapping screen and does not affect the lights. Refer to DMX TABLE on page Select the layout, VERTICALLY or HORIZONTALLY, that best represents your installation. 80

81 CREATING MAPS 6. Select CREATE SYNC GROUP and/or CREATE CHASING GROUP to automatically create light groups when the string is added to your map. 7. Click OK to add the string to your map. The string is automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. 8. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. Note: Refer to the Installation Guide for your lights for the maximum number of nodes/lights per interface. Note: When using the add lights tools more than once, be careful not to overlap light numbers or DMX addresses. All lights on a supply must have unique light numbers and DMX addresses. 81

82 CHAPTER 6 Adding Tiles 1. Click the ADD TILE button. The CREATE ICOLOR TILE FX dialog box appears. 2. In the CHOOSE A TILE COUNT box, enter 1 HORIZONTALLY and 1 VERTICALLY. 3. From the CHOOSE AN INTERFACE BOX, select EXISTING INTERFACE and pick iplayer 2 from the drop down list. 4. Enter a TILE NAME. 5. Check to select groups to automatically create when the tiles are mapped. Note: Creating groups at this time is optional and the group selections are representative of typical groupings and does not limit your groups options. For more information on creating groups, refer to Chapter 7 Creating Groups. 6. Click OK to add the tile to your map. The tile is automatically added to the map and appears in the LAYOUT panel. 7. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. 82

83 CREATING MAPS Adding Modules 1. Click the ADD MODULE button. The CREATE ICOLOR MODULE FX dialog box appears. 2. Choose a module type. 3. From the CHOOSE AN INTERFACE BOX, select EXISTING INTERFACE or NEW INTERFACE. Selecting an existing interface is only available when you are mapping a single module and you have previously mapped an interface. 4. Set the BASE DMX ADDRESS and the BASE LIGHT NUMBER for the modules. The Base DMX Address sets the initial address for the modules you are adding, and the remaining modules are addressed sequentially in ascending order. The Base Light Number is an identifier used in the LSC mapping screen and does not affect the lights. Refer DMX TABLE on page Enter a module name. 6. Check to select groups to automatically create when the modules are mapped. Note: Creating groups at this time is optional and the group selections are representative of typical groupings and does not limit your groups options. For more information on creating groups, refer to Chapter 7 Creating Groups. 7. Click OK to add the modules to your map. The modules are automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. 8. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. 83

84 CHAPTER 6 Adding Lights The ADD LIGHTS tool is used to map Non-Chromasic lights, such as ColorBlast, ColorBurst, and icolor Accent to the iplayer 2. You must address the lights, and keep a record of the address, prior to adding them to the DMX map. The Base DMX Address is required when adding lights to the iplayer Click the ADD LIGHTS button. The CREATE PRO SERIES LIGHTS dialog box appears Select EXISTING INTERFACE. Select iplayer 2 from the drop down list. 3. Enter the number of lights you are adding in the COUNT field. 4. Set the BASE DMX ADDRESS and the BASE LIGHT NUMBER for the lights. The Base DMX Address sets the initial address for the lights you are adding, and the remaining lights are addressed sequentially in ascending order. The Base Light Number is an identifier used in the LSC mapping screen and does not affect the lights. Refer to DMX TABLE on page 21. Note: You can enter multiple lights in the count field, and then edit the Base DMX Address and Base Light Number from Light/ Interface Panel of Management Tool; or you can enter the lights one at a time, setting the Base DMX Address and Base Light Number as you enter each light.

85 CREATING MAPS 5. Select the layout, VERTICALLY or HORIZONTALLY, that best represents your installation. 6. Select CREATE SYNC GROUP and/or CREATE CHASING GROUP to automatically create light groups when the lights are added to your map. 7. Click OK to add the lights to your map. The lights are automatically added to the map and appear in the LAYOUT panel. Note: If the light addresses in your map do not match the installation, you can change the addresses by right-clicking the light from the Lights/Interfaces panel and selecting Edit Lights. 8. Save your map by selecting FILE>SAVE MAP. Note: Refer to the Installation Guide for your lights for the maximum number of lights per interface. Once you have discovered and mapped your interfaces and lights, you are ready create light groups. Edit Base DMX Addresses and Base Light Numbers Editing the base DMX address and base light number in Management Tool sets the address in the map and does not modify the address physical set to your light. The base DMX address in your map must correspond you light installation. 1. In the MANAGEMENT TOOL LIGHTS/INTERFACES panel, right click on the light and select EDIT LIGHT 2. Enter a LIGHT NAME, LIGHT NUMBER, and DMX CHANNEL. 3. Click OK. 85

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87 CHAPTER 7 Layout and Groups Now that you ve discovered your interfaces and lights, the Lights/ Interface and Layout panels of your map are populated and you are ready for the next steps in the map creation process. In the Layout panel your lights appear as small black icons in the order that the Discovery Wizard added them to your map. You can move these icons, change the order, and create groups to represent your installation. Selecting Lights There are three methods to select an icon or group of icons: capture, pick, and sweep. Capture To capture a group of icons, click and hold the left mouse button as you drag a box to enclose a group of lights. Notice that the icons turn from black to red when they are selected. Release the mouse button and the icons remain selected. To deselect, click the left mouse button in an unpopulated area away from the selected icons. The order in which the lights are captured is the order in which they are added to a group. Note: Drag slow or else the order can be scrambled. Pick To pick a single light, move the cursor to a light icon and click the left mouse button. You can pick multiple icons by holding down the CTRL key as you click each icon. The icons remain selected until you deselect by clicking in an unpopulated area away from the selected icons. The order in which the lights are picked is the order in which they are added to a group. 87

88 CHAPTER 7 Fan You can drag a sweep line over the light icons to select them in a fan shape motion. To drag a sweep line, position the cursor at the pivot point of the fan line, press and hold the SHIFT key, then click and hold the left mouse button while dragging the cursor away from the pivot point. The light icons will turn red as the line passes over them. Release the mouse button and the icons remain selected. To deselect, click the left mouse button in an unpopulated area away from the selected icons. The order in which the are selected in the sweep is the order in which they are added to a group. Layout Using the click and drag feature, you can move the light icons. Select the icons to move using one of the methods described above. Click and drag the selected group to a new location. Note: Icons cannot be dragged on top of other icons. The selected icons will return to their previous position if any icons overlap. Rotate Using the rotate command lets you reorient the icons. Select the icons to be rotated. Click the right mouse button and select ROTATE SELECTION CW or ROTATE SELECTION CCW from the command list. 88

89 LAYOUT AND GROUPS Animation Template For animated effects, an ANIMATION TEMPLATE is required. Create the animation template after the layout is complete. The template is used with the multi-media animation software in which your animated show will be created, and lets you set the size of your show to match the size of the installation. Using the template ensures that you get the desired visual effects without a skewed or stretched appearance. Grouping lights for an Animated Effect When grouping lights for an animated effect, consider your desired visual effects. If you want your animated effect to play on individual tiles, create separate groups for each tile. If you are using multiple tiles, or a plane of Flex, as a single viewing surface, create a group that includes all the lights. Creating an Animation Template 1. After arranging the light icons in the LIGHTS panel to match the installation, select LAYOUT VIEW>CREATE ANIMATION TEMPLATE. Enter a file name at the prompt and click SAVE. 2. The TEMPLATE GRID SIZE dialog box appears. Enter a grid size and click OK. Note: The Template Grid Size sets the density or resolution, in light nodes, of your animation. The smaller the grid size the greater the density. For example, a grid size of 1 equals 1 node per 1 pixel and a grid size of 12 equals 12 pixels per node. 3. You now have a template that you will insert into your animation file as a layer and use as a size guide for creating animation files. Format your animation to fit the template. 89

90 CHAPTER 7 Groups Now that you ve mapped your interfaces and lights, and arranged your layout, the last step to creating your map is to create the light groups. Light groups are very important to LSC. Groups are how effects are associated to the lights. To apply an effect to a light, it must be in a group; therefore, a single light effect requires a group with only one light. How effects appear on the lights is determined by their group type--synchronized or chasing. Group Types There are two types of groups synchronized and chasing: SYNCHRONIZED: In a synchronized group, the lights work in unison as if each light has the same address. CHASING: Lights in a chasing group work in series in the order of their position within the group. For example, the first light in the group acts as light 1, the second as light 2, and so on. Creating Groups There are several ways to create a light group. You can select lights from an available lights list and add them to a group, you can select the lights from the layout panel then add them to a group, and you can add groups of lights into new groups. The following methods take you step-by-step through creating and editing groups. Creating a Group From the Layout Panel 1. From the layout panel, select a group of lights to be included in a group. 2. Click the ADD GROUP icon from the tool bar or select GROUP VIEW>ADD GROUP from the menu bar. 90

91 LAYOUT AND GROUPS 3. The GROUP EDITOR opens and the selected lights appear in the GROUP MEMBER panel. Enter a GROUP NAME. select SYNCHRONIZED or CHASING as the GROUP TYPE and click OK. 4. The new group is added to the GROUPS panel on the Management Tool main screen. 91

92 CHAPTER 7 Creating a Group From an Available Lights List 1. Click the ADD GROUPS icon on the toolbar or select GROUP VIEW>ADD LIGHTS from the menu bar. 2. The GROUP EDITOR appears with a list of AVAILABLE LIGHTS in the lower left panel. Select the lights to be added to the new group and click ADD. The lights move from the AVAILABLE LIGHTS panel to the GROUP MEMBERS panel. 3. Use the UP, DOWN, and REMOVE buttons to arrange the lights in a desired order. 4. Enter a GROUP NAME, select the GROUP TYPE, and click OK. 5. The new group is added to the GROUPS panel on the Management Tool main screen. 92

93 LAYOUT AND GROUPS Creating Single Light Groups 1. Click the ADD GROUPS icon on the toolbar or select GROUP VIEW>ADD LIGHTS from the menu bar. 2. The GROUP EDITOR appears. From the AVAILABLE LIGHTS panel, select a light to add to a group. Click ADD and the light is MOVED to the GROUP MEMBERS panel. Click OK to create a single light group. 3. Enter a GROUP NAME and click OK. The GROUP TYPE is not relevant here since there is only one light in the group. 4. The new group is added to the GROUPS panel on the MANAGEMENT TOOL main screen. 93

94 CHAPTER 7 Creating Groups Within Groups 1. Click the ADD GROUPS icon on the toolbar or select GROUP VIEW>ADD LIGHTS from the menu bar. 2. The GROUP EDITOR appears. From the AVAILABLE GROUPS panel, select groups to add within a group. Click ADD and the light is MOVED to the GROUP MEMBERS panel. Click OK to create a single light group. 3. Enter a GROUP NAME, select the GROUP TYPE, and click OK. 4. The new group is added to the GROUPS panel on the Management Tool main screen. 94

95 CREATE A SHOW PART 3 In this section... Chapter 8 Show Designer: An overview of the work environment and instructions for basic tools and creating shows. Chapter 9 Effects Parameters: Detailed explanation for modifying effects. Chapter 10 Animation: Instructions for creating animated effects, and modifying their parameters.

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97 CHAPTER 8 Introduction to Show Designer Now that you have mapped your installation and assigned the lights to groups in Management Tool, you are ready to create your light show by applying lighting effects. Show Designer lets you apply single or multiple effects to groups and edit the effect properties to create a custom show for your Color Kinetics lights. To launch Show Designer from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>SHOW DESIGNER, or double click SHOW DESIGNER from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder which is installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the SHOW DESIGNER icon located on the dock. The Show Designer Work Environment Menu Bar A list of on-screen functions or operations. Tool Bar A row of on-screen icons used to activate various functions. Effects Panel A scrollable viewing area that lets you view and change effects, and edit time and visual properties of the effects. Simulation Window A scrollable viewing area that lets you see on screen, real time effects and changes to your mapped light icons. Parameter Settings A dialog panel that lets you set and edit the properties of each effect. Time Settings A dialog panel that lets you set and edit the run time for each effect. 97

98 CHAPTER 8 The Menus The File Menu The FILE menu commands apply to the shows as a whole, such as loading maps for, creating, opening, and saving a show. The Edit Menu The EDIT menu commands include Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Select All, and Preferences. The Simulation Menu The LIGHT VIEW menu commands apply to on screen viewing, and include show simulation, pause simulation, zoom in, and zoom out. The Help Menu The HELP menu gives you version and build information about Show Designer software. 98

99 INTRODUCTION TO SHOW DESIGNER The Tool Bar Load Map Click to load a map created in Management Tool. New Show Click to create a new show. Open Show Click to open a previously saved show. Save Show Click to save a show. Write DMX Click to save the show as a DMX format. Cut Effect Click to copy a currently highlighted effect to the clipboard and remove it from current location. Copy Effect Click to copy a currently highlighted effect to the clipboard. Paste Effect Click to insert an effect from the clipboard to the effects panel. Delete Effect Click to delete a selected effect. Zoom In Click to zoom in on the SIMULATION window. Zoom Out Click to zoom out on the SIMULATION window. Show Simulation Click to display/hide the SIMULATION window. 99

100 CHAPTER 8 Parameter Settings When an effect is selected, its effect parameters are displayed in the upper-right corner of the Show Designer main screen. Editing the effect parameters lets you customize your light show. With the show simulation you can view the changes to the parameters as you make them. For more information on editing effect parameters, see Effects Parameters on page 113. Time Settings When an effect is selected, its time settings are displayed in the lower-right corner of the Show Designer main screen. When creating a show, each effect is assigned an increment of time to run. Light shows are made up of multiple levels of timed effects. You can set the start and stop time for each effect by a given fixed time, linked to other effect times, or by setting a fixed number of cycles. 100

101 INTRODUCTION TO SHOW DESIGNER Effects Panel As new effects are added, they appear in the effects panel of the Show Designer main screen. Each effect is displayed as a row in a table of effects. From this row you can edit the effect NAME, select and change the effect TYPE, select or change the GROUP, as well as set the PRIORITY, START, and END times, and FADE IN and FADE OUT time. Simulation Window The SIMULATION window gives you a real-time view of your map layout with effects applied to the groups. As you assign new effects, edit effect parameters, and set effect times, you can see the changes immediately. The SIMULATION window is an excellent alternative when you are unable to view the actual lights in live-play mode. 101

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103 CHAPTER 9 Creating Shows Light System Composer uses the groups you created in the map to assign effects to the lights. With LSC you are only limited by your imagination. You can assign multiple effects to a single group or to multi-leveled groups. The on-screen simulation and live play features lets you edit your shows as you go saving time and expanding your creativity. Load a Map Before you can create a light show you must create a map of the installation and arrange the lights into light groups. If you have not created a map for your show, use the Management Tool to create a map of your installation or a virtual map. Virtual maps are good tools for writing practice shows and getting familiar with Light System Composer. Refer to Creating Maps on page 61 for instructions on creating light maps. 1. Launch Show Designer from a PC, by selecting START>PROGRAMS> COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>SHOW DESIGNER, or by double clicking SHOW DESIGNER from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the SHOW DESIGNER icon located on the dock. The Show Designer screen appears. Note: When you launch Show Designer all command buttons are inactive. This indicates that you do not have a map loaded. 103

104 CHAPTER 9 2. Load a map by clicking the LOAD MAP icon or SELECT FILE>LOAD MAP... from the menu bar. Navigate to the location of your.map file, select it, and click OPEN. The EFFECT PANEL column titles and the EFFECT BUTTONS located below the EFFECT PANEL are now active, and the SIMULATION window is available. This lets you know that your map is loaded. Note: If the simulation window does not immediately appear, click the SHOW SIMULATION button from the tool bar or select SIMULATION>SHOW SIMULATION from the menu bar. Add Effects Now that you have loaded your map, you are ready to begin adding effects and assigning them to a group. 1. From the pop-up list located below the EFFECT PANEL, choose an effect then click the NEW EFFECT button. The effect is added to the EFFECT PANEL and its parameters appear in the PARAMETER SETTINGS box located in the upper-right area next to the EFFECT PANEL. 104

105 CREATING SHOWS Effect fields include NAME, TYPE, GROUP, PRIORITY, START, END, FADE IN, and FADE OUT. NAME: Double click the effect name to replace the default name with one of your choice. TYPE: To change the effect type, click the arrow to select a different effect from a drop down list of effects. GROUP: Assign the effect to a light group in your map by selecting the group from the drop down list. PRIORITY: Set the effect priority by entering a numeric value. START: Manually set the start time, in seconds, or view the start time defined in the time settings. END: Manually set the end time, in seconds, or view the end time defined in the time settings. FADE IN: Set a transition time at the beginning of the effect. FADE OUT: Set a transition time at the end of the effect. 2. After adding the effect, you must select a group on which the effect is applied. Click the down arrow under the GROUP title and select the group. You can immediately view the effect on the group you selected in the SIMULATION window. To view the effect on your lights, select SIMULATION>ENABLE LIVE PLAY from the menu bar. 105

106 CHAPTER 9 3. Continue adding effects and assigning them to groups. Edit Effects Once you have added effects to you lights, you can modify the effect parameters, set the run time, and layer multiple effects to create stunning light shows. When you select an effect by clicking on the number in the left corner or any place on the effect line, the EFFECT PARAMETERS appears in the parameter settings on the right. You can make subtle or dramatic changes to an effect by modifying the parameters. Refer to Effects Parameters on page 113 for a complete explanation of effect parameters. 106

107 CREATING SHOWS Setting Effect Priorities Setting priorities lets you create multi-layered effects by assigning multiple effects to a group then arranging their order by priority. A background, or base, color would be the lowest level so its priority is zero. Additional effects, with transparent backgrounds, are applied over the base color and are assigned higher priority numbers. This lets the background effect show through to the higher priority foreground effect. For example, a Random Color effect with a white Sparkle effect would be created by assigning both effects to the same group then setting the priority of the Random Color effect to zero, setting the priority of the Sparkle effect to one, and setting the Sparkle background color to transparent. Note: When assigning multiple effects to group, check the priorities if the simulated colors appear dull or muted. If all priorities are set to the same value, the effects are averaged together, and the result may not be what is desired. Seting an Effect s Priority 1. Select the priority of the effect you are changing by clicking in the priority box. 2. Enter a new value and press the TAB key to accept the change and move to the next field, or click the cursor in another box. 107

108 CHAPTER 9 Setting Effect Start and End Time When creating light shows, from simple to complex, timing is very important. Light shows are generally made up of several effects running simultaneously or concurrently. Setting the time for each effect tells the effect when to start and when to stop. With the effects added to the effect panel and assigned to a group, you are ready to set the run time for the effect. There are three methods to set the time of each effects. You can set a fixed time duration, link time to other effect times, or set cycle durations. To Set a Fixed Time 1. Select the effect by clicking in the effect line or by clicking the effect number at the left of the effect line. 2. In the effect line, highlight the START time and enter a new value in seconds. Press the TAB key to accept the START time and move to the END time field, or click in another location in the EFFECT PANEL. Or, in the TIME SETTINGS panel located in the lower-right side of the SHOW DESIGNER window, select FIXED AT and enter the start time in seconds. Then select FIXED DURATION OF and enter a time, in seconds, that the effect will run. 108

109 CREATING SHOWS To Link Time Linking the time settings for effects simplifies future editing. When you modify the time setting for an effect, all effects linked to the one modified will update to reflect the change. 1. Select the effect by clicking in the effect line or by clicking the effect number at the left of the effect line. 2. In the TIME SETTINGS panel, under START TIME, select LINKED TO THE. Choose the effect to which you will link from the drop down list, then select START or END. Do the same to link the END TIME. Enter an offset value, in seconds, in the WITH AN OFFSET OF field to have the linked effect begin or end after the time set for the effect to which it is linked. The linked times appear in the effect line with a left arrow symbol indicating that the times are linked. In this example, the START time of EFFECT 2 is linked to the START time of EFFECT 1, and will begin running one second after EFFECT 1 begins. The END time of EFFECT 2 is linked to the END time of EFFECT 1, and will end simultaneously. 109

110 CHAPTER 9 To Edit Linked Time Linked changes are one-directional. Modification made to a linked effect has no impact on the effect to which it is linked. However, modifying the effect to which other effects are linked results in all linked effects changing respectively. In this example, the START time of EFFECT 1 was changed from one second to ten seconds. Automatically the END time of EFFECT 1 and the START and END time of EFFECT 2 changed by ten seconds. This feature saves valuable editing time for large light shows with numerous linked effects. To Set Cycle Durations The length of time that an effect runs can be set by its cycle time. Color shows run in loops beginning over after the duration specified. Setting cycle time ensures that the full effect is displayed before the show begins again. 1. Select the effect by clicking in the effect line or by clicking the effect number at the left of the effect line. 2. In the TIME SETTINGS panel, under END TIME, select A FIXED DURATION OF. Enter the number of times for the effect to run in the CYCLE field. A loop symbol appears in the end time field of the effect line to indicate that the duration is set to fixed number of cycles. 110 Note: The length of time for each cycle is set in the EFFECT PARAMETERS box.

111 CREATING SHOWS Time Settings Example In the following example, EFFECT 1 begins and runs for 15 seconds. The START and END time for EFFECT 2 is linked to the START and END time for EFFECT 1; therefore, EFFECT 1 and EFFECT 2 run simultaneously. The START time of EFFECT 3 is linked to the END time of EFFECT 1; therefore, EFFECT 3 begins immediately following EFFECT 1. The END time of EFFECT 3 is set to a fixed duration of 15 seconds. The START and END times for EFFECT 4 are linked to the START and END times for EFFECT 3 ensuring that they will run at the same time. The START time of EFFECT 5 is linked to the START time of EFFECT 1, and the END time is set to 3, 10-second, cycles. The START and END times for EFFECT 6 is linked to EFFECT 5. The results: EFFECT 1 and EFFECT 2 begins running, with EFFECT 3 and EFFECT 4 immediately following. EFFECTS 5 and EFFECT 6 runs throughout all other effects. Save Show for Download Once your light show is complete, save it for downloading. Light shows downloaded to the LSE must be saved as show (.sho) files. To do this, click FILE>SAVE SHOW. Light shows downloaded to iplayer 2 Controllers must be written as DMX files. To do this, click FILE>WRITE DMX or click the WRITE DMX button from the tool bar. Be sure to also save a copy of this light show in the show (.sho) format for future editing. DMX files cannot be loaded into Show Designer or edited, and only work for maps with iplayer 2 controllers. 111

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113 CHAPTER 10 Effects Parameters List of Effects and Their Parameters Chasing Rainbow A Chasing Rainbow makes a smooth transition from color to color through the color spectrum. When applied to a chasing group, with a light-to-light offset greater than zero, the colors appear to follow each other from light to light. Note: The Chasing Rainbow is only effective when applied to chasing groups. Chasing Rainbow Parameters Cycle Time Light-to-Light Offset Reverse Direction Reverse Color Cycle Start Color Set the length of time, in seconds, for one complete cycle through the color spectrum. Set the light-to-light color range based on degrees on a color wheel. See Light-to- Light Offset example below. Select this option to reverse the direction of the chasing rainbow effect. Select this option to reverse the cycle through the color spectrum. Use the SELECT COLOR palette to set the start color for the first light in the group. The start color also determines the saturation and brightness of the entire effect. For example, if you pick a start color with 50% saturation, the entire Chasing Rainbow effect will use 50% saturated colors. 113

114 CHAPTER 10 Example: Light to Light Offset at 10-,30-, and 90-degrees. Cross Fade A cross fade is a smooth transition from one color to another. For example, a cross fade from red to blue starts with solid red, then begins increasing the level of blue light and reducing the level of red light, until it ends with solid blue. Cross Fade Cycle Time Start Color End Color Set the length of time, in seconds, for one complete cycle starting color to ending color. Use the SELECT COLOR palette to set the starting color or select transparent. Use the SELECT COLOR palette to set the ending color or select transparent. 114

115 EFFECTS PARAMETERS Custom Rainbow The Custom Rainbow effect is similar to the Chasing Rainbow effect, but it lets you choose your own custom colors. Custom Rainbow Color Trans White Hold Fade Use the SELECT COLOR palette to set the color for each NEW COLOR you add to your custom rainbow. Set a level of transparency. For example, 0 is no transparency,.25 is 25% transparency,.5 is 50% transparency, and so on. 1 is fully transparent. This feature is currently unavailable. It is intended for future Color Kinetics products. Set the length of time for each color to last. For example, if you set the hold time to one second, each custom color will be displayed for one second. Set the length for the transitions between colors. For example, a fade time of zero results in abrupt color changes. Higher fade times result in longer, smoother transitions, or fades, between colors. 115

116 CHAPTER 10 Custom Rainbow Light-to-Light Offset Set the length of time, in seconds, it takes for a color to move from light to light. If the HOLD time is greater than the OFFSET time, the color will appear along multiple consecutive light/nodes. If the HOLD time is equal to the OFFSET time, the color will be on one light at a time. If the HOLD time is less than the OFFSET time, you will get a random color effect. Creating a Custom Rainbow 1. After loading your map into Show Designer, select CUSTOM RAINBOW from the pop-up list below the EFFECT PANEL, and click NEW EFFECT, or click NEW EFFECT then change the effect to CUSTOM RAINBOW from the drop down list located in the TYPE column. 2. From the drop down GROUP list, select a chasing group from your map. 3. With the effect highlighted, click NEW COLOR in the EFFECTS PARAMETER PANEL. The new color appears in the color panel. 4. Double click on the color box. The SELECT COLOR window appears. Choose a color and click OK. The color you selected appears on your simulation as a fixed color. 5. Continue adding new colors to your custom rainbow. Each new color you add appears in your simulated chasing rainbow. 6. To change the appearance of your rainbow, modify the HOLD time, FADE times, and LIGHT-TO-LIGHT OFFSET time. The end effect is a truly custom rainbow. 116

117 EFFECTS PARAMETERS Fixed Color The Fixed Color effect is a static display of one solid color. Fixed Color RGB Color Use the SELECT COLOR palette to set the color. Random Color The Random Color effect produces randomly generated colors at specified intevals. Random Color Time Per Color Set the length of time, in seconds, for each color to last. For example, if you set the TIME PER COLOR to one second, each random color will be displayed for one second. Fade Time Set the length of time, in seconds, for the transitions between colors. For example, a fade time of zero results in abrupt color changes. higher fade times result in longer, smoother transitions, or fades, between colors. Fade time should be less than TIME PER COLOR. 117

118 CHAPTER 10 Random Color Cycle After This Many Colors Light-to-Light Offset Start Color Set the number of unique colors per cycle. Set the length of time, in seconds, it takes for a color to move from light to light. Use the SELECT COLOR palette to set the starting color. Sparkle The Sparkle effect produces a series of light flashes at regular intervals. When applied to a light group, each flash appears randomly on a different light creating a sparkling effect. Sparkle is most effective when applied to groups with a large number of lights--the more lights, the better the visual effect. Sparkle Decay Rate Density Time Constant Sparkle Color Background Color Set the time that it takes for the flash of light to fade into the background color. Set the maximum number of lights, in percentage, that flash simultaneously during a time interval. The higher the density the greater the sparkle. Set the time intervals for the flashes. The larger the time constant the faster the flashes appear. Use the SELECT COLOR palette, or select TRANSPARENT, to set the Sparkle color. Use the SELECT COLOR palette, or select TRANSPARENT, to set the background color. 118

119 EFFECTS PARAMETERS Streak The Streak effect is a single pulse of color that moves across a background color. You can set the pulse to give the appearance of a back and forth bounce, or a one direction run across the background. The Streak effect is only effective when applied to chasing groups. Streak Cycle Time Pulse Width Forward Tail Width Reverse Tail Width Reverse Wrap Pulse Color Background Color Set the length of time, in seconds, for the pulse to move completely across the lights. Set the width of the pulse in number of nodes/lights. A pulse width of two means the pulse is two lights wide. Set the width, in number of nodes/lights, of the graduated fade at the beginning of the streak. Set the width, in number of nodes/lights, of the graduated fade at the end of the streak. Select this option to reverse the direction of the pulse effect. Select this option to have a pulse begin in the same graduated increments as the previous pulse is ending, creating a wrapping effect. Use the SELECT COLOR palette, or select TRANSPARENT, to set the pulse color. Use the SELECT COLOR palette, or select TRANSPARENT, to set the background color. 119

120 CHAPTER 10 Sweep The Sweep effect is a progressive transition from one color to another in a sweeping motion. You can set the sweep to give the appearance of a back and forth color change, or a one direction sweep across the light group. The Sweep effect is only effective when applied to a chasing group. Sweep Cycle Time Reverse Sweep Color Background Color Set the length of time, in seconds, for the sweep to move across the lights. Select this option to reverse the direction of the sweep effect. Use the SELECT COLOR palette, or select TRANSPARENT, to set the pulse color. Use the SELECT COLOR palette, or select TRANSPARENT, to set the background color. 120

121 EFFECTS PARAMETERS XY Burst The XY Burst effect is most effective when used on lights that are arranged in a coordinate plane. The XY Burst is a progression of concentric bands of color moving from the outermost region of the lights to the center. XY Burst can be applied to either synchronized groups or chasing groups with the same results. XY Burst Cycle Time Ring Width Center X Center Y Set the length of time, in seconds, for the Burst effect to move through the color spectrum, outside to center, one time. Set the size of the color rings. Enter the horizontal distance, relative to output size, from the upper left corner. Enter the vertical distance, relative to output size, from the upper left corner. 121

122 CHAPTER 10 XY Spiral The XY Spiral effect is most effective when used on lights that are arranged in a coordinate plane. The XY Spiral is arcs of color originating at the center of your light plane extending to the outermost region of the lights. XY Burst can be applied to either synchronized groups or chasing groups with the same results. XY Spiral Cycle Time Twist Arms Clockwise Counterclockwise Center X Center Y Set the length of time, in seconds, for the Spiral effect to make one complete rotation around the lights. Set the size of the radius of the arcs. Setting a negative size will result in the a reversed arc. Set the number of arcs of a given color rotating around the center. Select this option to rotate the spiral in a right-to-left rotation. Select this option to rotate the spiral in a left-to-right rotation. Enter the horizontal distance, relative to output size, from the upper left corner. Enter the vertical distance, relative to output size, from the upper left corner. 122

123 CHAPTER 11 Animation and Image Scroll Animated Effect To understand what Light System Composer animation effect does, you must understand what it doesn t do. You cannot create or play animation files (.mov,.avi,.swf, etc.) with LSC. LSC, however, lets you play a sequence of graphic files on your lights to create an animated effect. This sequence of graphic files is created using a standard animation software, such as Macromedia Flash or Macromedia Fireworks. Animation Parameters Timing Geometry Scale Factor Transparent Color Set the rate of speed that simulation and playback steps through the sequenced graphic images. Set the distance (X-Y Offset) from the top and side that the image appears Set the size of the animation on the lights. The larger the number, the smaller the image. Set a transparent color background. 123

124 CHAPTER 11 Create the Animation Following the instructions of your animation software, create an animation file using the template you created with Management Tool. Insert the template into you animation as a layer, and use it to define the size. The template ensures that you get the desired visual effects without a skewed or stretched appearance. Once the animation is complete, export it as a sequence of graphic files. In Flash, the command is FILE>EXPORT MOVIE. From the drop down format list, select PNG SEQUENCE. Save these files into an empty directory that will be used in Show Designer to create an animated effect. Note: A png file is a portable network graphic that is ideal for use with Light System Composer. For more information on creating animations, refer to the user guides for your animation software. Create an Animated Effect After creating a sequence of graphic images using animation software, you are ready to create an animated effect on your Color Kinetics lights. 1. Launch Show Designer from a PC, by selecting START>PROGRAMS> COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>SHOW DESIGNER, or by double clicking SHOW DESIGNER.EXE from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the SHOW DESIGNER icon located on the dock. The Show Designer window appears. 124

125 ANIMATION AND IMAGE SCROLL 2. Load a map by clicking the LOAD MAP icon or SELECT FILE>LOAD MAP... from the menu bar. Navigate to the location of your.map file, select it, and click OPEN. The EFFECT PANEL column titles and the EFFECT BUTTONS located below the EFFECT PANEL are now active, and the SIMULATION window is available. This lets you know that your map is loaded. 3. From the pop-up list located below the EFFECT PANEL, choose ANIMATION then click the NEW EFFECT button. The animation effect is added to the EFFECT PANEL and its parameters appear in the PARAMETER SETTINGS box located upper-right area next to the EFFECT PANEL. 4. Select the group on which the animation will play from the GROUP drop down list. 5. Locate the directory where the sequence of graphic files are saved by clicking the BROWSE button below the ANIMATION DIRECTORY dialog box. 125

126 CHAPTER The BROWSE FOR FOLDER window appears. Select the directory and click OK. 7. Click LOAD to load the graphic files into Show Designer. The animation begins playing in the SIMULATION window. Note: The Preload options loads the show into memory before playing resulting in a smoother animation. For large shows on large maps, preloading can be very time consuming. 8. Set the timing by entering the number of playback frames per second. 9. Set the geometry by entering x-y offset, from lower right corner, and setting the scale factor. Note: Enable Smooth to soften the hard edges in the animation. 10. Click to enable transparent color, and then select to transparent color. Transparent color allows you layer animation effects. 126

127 ANIMATION AND IMAGE SCROLL Image Scroll Effect Image Scroll allows you to move a still image across a grid of lights. The Image Scroll effect is ideal for icolor Tile FX or icolor Flex SL when installed in a grid pattern. Animation Parameters Timing Geometry Scale Factor Transparent Color Background Color Set the rate of speed that the still image moves. Set the starting and ending locations. The image moves in a straight path from the defined starting location to the defined ending location. Set the size of the still image. Set a transparent color background. Set a background color. 127

128 CHAPTER 11 Create an Image Scroll Effect LSC supports the following image formats:.png,.xpm,.jpg, and.bmp. 1. Launch Show Designer from a PC, by selecting START>PROGRAMS> COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>SHOW DESIGNER, or by double clicking SHOW DESIGNER.EXE from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the SHOW DESIGNER icon located on the dock. The Show Designer window appears. 2. Load a map by clicking the LOAD MAP icon or SELECT FILE>LOAD MAP... from the menu bar. Navigate to the location of your.map file, select it, and click OPEN. The EFFECT PANEL column titles and the EFFECT BUTTONS located below the EFFECT PANEL are now active, and the SIMULATION window is available. This lets you know that your map is loaded. 128

129 ANIMATION AND IMAGE SCROLL 3. From the pop-up list located below the EFFECT PANEL, choose IMAGE SCROLL then click the NEW EFFECT button. The image scroll effect is added to the EFFECT PANEL and its parameters appear in the PARAMETER SETTINGS box located upper-right area next to the EFFECT PANEL. 4. Select the group on which the animation will play from the GROUP drop down list. 5. Locate the directory where the image file is saved by clicking the BROWSE button below the IMAGE FILE dialog box. 6. Navigate to the directory in which the image is saved. Select the image and click OK. 7. Click LOAD to load the still image into Show Designer. The animation begins playing in the SIMULATION window. 8. Set the time it takes for the image to move from the starting point to the ending point by entering a value, in seconds, in the CYCLE TIME field. 9. Define the GEOMETRY. OUTPUT SIZE: is the size of your light installation in output pixels, with each pixel being a light or light node. IMAGE SIZE: is the size of your selected image, in pixels. STEP 1: The first step in defining the geometry is to set the SCALE. Scale determines the size of the image on the output pixels of your light installation. When the scale is set to 1.0, each output pixel maps to exactly one image pixel. To reduce the size of the image on the installation, reduce the scale. For example, when the scale is set to 0.5, one output pixel maps to two image pixels. 129

130 CHAPTER 11 To increase the size of the image on the installation, increase the scale. For example, when the scale is set to 2.0, two output pixels map to one image pixel. STEP 2: Set the starting and ending points by defining the START X- Y position and END X-Y positions. The origin of the X,Y space is the center of the output pixels. When you set X,Y to 0,0, this positions the top left corner of the image in the center of the light pixels. As X increases, the image appears to move to the left. As Y increases, the image appears to move up. For more information on calculating image scroll geometry, refer to the Applicaton Note, Image Scroll Effect Geometry Calculations located on Click to enable TRANSPARENT COLOR, and then select to transparent color. Transparent color allows you layer the scrolling image effect with other effects. Set a BACKGROUND COLOR. Set Frame Rate Setting the PLAYBACK FRAME RATE controls the how often data is sent to the lights in liveplay simulation. For smoother playbacks set the frame rate to 40. A lower frame rate may be required for large installations.to set the LIVE PLAY FRAME RATE, which determines the speed that data is sent and how your animation appears on your lights, select EDIT>PREFERENCES from the menu bar. The EDIT PREFERENCES dialog box appears. 1. Set the LIVE PLAY FRAME RATE in frames per second. 2. Set the LIVE PLAY PER SIMULATION UPDATE. The LIVE PLAY PER SIMULATION update sets the frequency that the simulation is redrawn, expressed as a number of live play frame passes between redraws. 130

131 DOWNLOAD SHOWS PART 4 In this section... Chapter 12 Config Maker: Instructions for downloading shows to the Light System Engine, assigning keypad triggers, and scheduling events. Chapter 13 ip2 Downloader: Instructions for downloading shows to an iplayer 2 and assigning triggers.

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133 CHAPTER 12 Config Maker Now that the lights are mapped and you ve created your shows, you are ready to download the show configuration to the Light System Engine (LSE). LSE is an Ethernet-based hardware controller that stores and plays a large quantity of light shows. In addition to storage and playback, LSE lets you assign triggers for use with keypads, and schedule playback events. To launch Config Maker from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>CONFIG MAKER, or double click CONFIGMAKER from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder which is installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the CONFIG MAKER icon located on the dock. The Config Maker Work Environment Menu Bar Zone Keypad Schedule A list of on-screen functions or operations A dialog frame that lets you create zones that are associated with maps, to which you add shows. A dialog frame that lets you assign actions to keypad triggers. A dialog frame that lets you set schedule show events. 133

134 CHAPTER 12 The Menus The File Menu The FILE menu commands enable you to open configurations, save configurations (as.efg files), and exit the Configuration Tool. The Configuration Menu The CONFIGURATION menu commands enable you to add zones, keypads, and schedules to configurations. From the menu, you can also discover Ethernet keypads. The Controller Menu The CONTROLLER menu commands enable you to upload LSE files to your PC, save new (DOWNLOAD) configuration files to the LSE, and remove old files (CLEAR FILES) from the LSE before downloading new files. 134

135 CONFIG MAKER Download Configuration Files Add a Zone You created a map (.map) file using Management Tool, and a show (.sho) file using Show Designer. Now it is time to create your configuration (.efg) file and download everything to your LSE. Config Maker manages your show and map files and configures your playback control. What is a Zone? Zones are closely related to maps. A Zone can define an area of your lighting installation, or it can define the entire installation. For applications where all lights act as a whole, only one zone and one map, which include all lights, are necessary. For installations or shows that require segmented light areas, multiple zones and maps are necessary. Zones are defined by the maps you created in Management Tool. Before downloading your shows to the LSE, you must add a zone, associate a map, then add the shows to that zone. Follow the steps below to add a zone, map, and shows to your download configuration. Note: Use caution when creating zones and defining maps. A light cannot reside in more than one zone or map on the LSE. If it does, it will receive data from multiple sources and result in an unsatisfactory appearance. 1. Click CONFIGURATION>ADD ZONE. Then highlight NEW ZONE in the left pane. 135

136 CHAPTER NEW ZONE appears in the NAME field. Enter a descriptive name in the NAME field. This name then appears in the ZONES list. 3. Select a map to define the zone by clicking the BROWSE button located at the end of the MAP FILE: field. From the SELECT A MAP window, navigate to, and select, the appropriate map file. Click OPEN to load the map file and define the zone. 4. Continue adding zones and maps to your configuration. Note: Ensure that a map is only added to your configuration only once. You cannot have the same map associated with multiple zones. 136

137 CONFIG MAKER Add Shows Now that you have created your zones, you are ready to add shows to the zones. 1. Click ADD SHOWS. Select the show from the SELECT SHOW FILES window and click OPEN to add the show to the ZONE. You can select multiple shows by holding the SHIFT or CTRL key while clicking on the file names. Note: The shows you select must be authored for the selected map. 2. From the DEFAULT SHOW list at the bottom of the ZONE dialog, select a default show or LIGHTS OFF. The default show will immediately play once the show configuration files are downloaded or when the LSE is powered on. 137

138 CHAPTER Continue adding shows and setting the default show for each zone that you created. 4. To save a copy of your configuration file to your computer, select FILE>SAVE. At this point, you have created a basic show configuration for your light installation. If your are not using a keypad with your installation, or setting scheduled events, then you are ready to download your show configuration to the LSE. 5. Select CONTROLLER>DOWNLOAD to download the configuration files, which include zones, maps, and shows, to the LSE. Set Keypad If you are using a keypad to trigger your shows, you must configure your keypad triggers (buttons) before downloading your show configuration files to the LSE. Using a keypad in your installation lets you select shows with a simple press of a button. Each keypad has eight buttons which can control a single zone or multiple zones, and features brightness and on/off controls which are located near the bottom of the keypad. Before setting up a keypad buttons, you must create zones and add shows using the zone tab. After setting each keypad button, you must select the zones to be controlled by the brightness and on/off controls. 1. Click CONFIGURATION>ADD KEYPAD. Enter a name for the keypad in the NAME field. The name you enter appears in the keypad list. Note: For large installations using multiple keypads, descriptive names are very useful. 138

139 CONFIG MAKER 2. From the TYPE drop down list, select the type of keypad used in your installation, serial or ethernet. If you are using a serial keypad, accept the default SERIAL PORT /dev/ttys0. If you are using an Ethernet keypad, select CONFIGURATION> DISCOVER ETHERNET KEYPAD from the menu bar. 3. Now that you have selected the keypad, you are ready to assign actions to each button on the keypad. At the end of the BUTTON 1 field, click EDIT ACTIONS. 4. Select a ZONE from the drop down list. 5. Select an ACTION (.sho file) from the drop down list. 6. Select a TRANSITION. Transitions control the appearance of a show change when a button is selected. SNAP: A new effect immediately begins when the button is selected. CROSS FADE: The newly selected effect gradually fades in as the previously running effect fades out. FADE TO BLACK: The newly selected effect begins after the current show fades to black, and then black to new show. 7. Enter the TRANSITION TIME, in seconds. 8. Click OK. The trigger for BUTTON 1 is set to the zone and show you selected. 9. If you would like BUTTON 1 to control multiple zones, click EDIT ACTIONS for BUTTON 1 again. 10. Select a different ZONE from the drop down list. Select the ACTION and set the TRANSITION, then click OK. BUTTON 1 in now configured to trigger two zones simultaneously. The shows for the zones you assigned to BUTTON 1 appear in the BUTTON 1 list. 139

140 CHAPTER 12 Continue adding ZONES to BUTTON 1 or proceed to setting triggers for the remaining buttons. If you need to set button numbers higher than eight, use the ADVANCED button located at the bottom of the window. 11. After setting up the keypad buttons, the zones to be controlled by the the brightness and on/off on-board keypad controls. Normally, in installations with one keypad, all zones are selected. If your installation contains multiple keypads, you can set different keypads to control different zones. Click EDIT ZONES located at the end of the ZONES CONTROLLED field. 12. Select the zones to be controlled from the AVAILABLE ZONES list and then click the right arrow to add them to the CURRENTLY SELECTED ZONES list. 13. After selecting all zones to be controlled, click OK. 14. If you are not scheduling events, you are ready to download your show configuration files. Select CONTROLLER>DOWNLOAD to download the configuration files, which include zones, maps, and shows, to the LSE. To schedule events, proceed to the following Set Scheduled Events instructions 140

141 CONFIG MAKER Set Scheduled Events LSE lets you schedule events to play automatically on a given day, at a given time, or on a recurring basis. Before you can schedule events, you must create the zones and add the show in the ZONE dialog. An event will begin running on the date and time specified, and recur at the specified intervals. Once an event begins to run, it will continue running until another scheduled event begins, or until an event is triggered from a keypad or Playback Control. To trigger a stopping time for an event, create a lights off event scheduled for the date and time that you want the lights to turn off or the previous event to end. 1. To schedule an event, click CONFIGURATION>ADD SCHEDULE. 2. Enter a name for the event in the NAME field. The name is added to the events field. 3. Set the START TIME, date and time of day, by using the scroll arrows or clicking each field and entering the date and time. 141

142 CHAPTER Set the recurrence parameters. One Time For one time settings, no timing parameters need to be set. Secondly Enter the time, in seconds, that the event will occur. Minutely Enter the time, in minutes, that the event will occur. 142

143 CONFIG MAKER Hourly Enter the time, in hours, that event will occur. Daily Enter the time, in days, that the event will occur. For example, enter 2 for every other day, enter 3 for every third day, and so on. Or select EVERY WEEKDAY for Monday through Friday recurrences. 143

144 CHAPTER 12 Weekly Enter the time, in weeks, that the event will occur. For example, enter 2 for every other week, enter 3 for every third week, and so on. Select the days of the week for the recurrences. Monthly Enter the day of the month, and the time, in months, that the event will occur. For example, enter day 4 of every 2 months for the event to run the fourth day of every other month; or enter day 1 of every 1 month for the event to run the first day of every month. 144

145 CONFIG MAKER Alternatively Enter the day of the week and the time, in months, that the event will occur. For example, the first Monday of every month. Yearly Select EVERY YEAR to have the event play every year on the date and time specified in the START TIME. 145

146 CHAPTER 12 Alternatively Enter the day of the week and the time, and the month, that the event will occur. For example, the first Monday of January every year. 5. For reoccurring events, set the RECURRENCE END. Select repeat FOREVER or END BY and enter the date and time. The recurrence end command controls the last date and time that the event will run. It does not schedule an ending time for the event. 146

147 CONFIG MAKER 6. Click the EDIT ACTIONS button to define the event show. The edit actions dialog appears. Select the ZONE and the ACTION from the drop down list. Set a TRANSITION and click OK. 7. The event has been scheduled. Click click CONFIGURATION>ADD SCHEDULE to schedule another event. 147

148 CHAPTER 12 Sample Event Scheduling Event scheduling can be simple, single- and multi-event schedules, or complex, multi-event schedules. The schedule scheme is the same for all. Below is a same of a simple, multi-event schedule. First Event NAME: Morning START TIME: 8:00 AM RECURRENCE: Daily, every day RECURRENCE END: Repeat forever ACTIONS: wall pur yel sweep.sho Second Event NAME: Noon START TIME: 12:00 PM RECURRENCE: Daily, weekdays RECURRENCE END: Repeat forever ACTIONS: wall blue streak.sho 148

149 CONFIG MAKER Third Event NAME: Evening START TIME: 7:30 PM RECURRENCE: Weekly: Friday, Saturday, Sunday RECURRENCE END: Repeat forever ACTIONS: wall rainbow.sho Fourth Event NAME: Lights Off START TIME: 11:30 PM RECURRENCE: Daily RECURRENCE END: Repeat forever ACTIONS: lights off 149

150 CHAPTER 12 Results On June 22, at 8:00 AM, the MORNING event will trigger the PURPLE TO YELLOW SWEEP effect to begin running on the lights. This show will continue, weekdays, until 12:00 PM when the next event, NOON, triggers the BLUE STREAK effect to run. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the BLUE STREAK effect loop will play until the EVENING effect triggers the RAINBOW effect to begin at 7:30 PM. On all other days the BLUE STREAK will continue looping until the next, LIGHTS OFF, effect. At 11:30 PM the LIGHTS OFF effect triggers all lights to turn off ending the RAINBOW effect on Friday through Sunday, and the BLUE STREAK effect Monday through Thursday. The lights will remain off until 8:00 AM when the MORNING event triggers and the process begins again. 8. After creating a show configuration and scheduling events, you are ready to download your show to the LSE. Select CONTROLLER>DOWNLOAD to download the configuration files, which include zones, maps, and shows, to the LSE. 150

151 CHAPTER 13 ip2 Downloader After creating your map with iplayer 2 as the interface and your light show using Show Designer, select FILE>WRITE DMX or click the WRITE DMX button from the toolbar. Your show is now ready to download the show to the iplayer 2 using the ip2 Downloader tool. ip2 Downloader lets you download your show to the iplayer, assign trigger numbers, and set master/slave modes. To launch ip2 Downloader from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>IP2 DOWNLOADER, or double click IP2 DOWNLOADER from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder which is install on your desktop; from a Mac, click the IP2 DOWNLOADER icon located on the dock. The ip2 Downloader Work Environment Menu Bar A list of on-screen functions or operations Controller A dialog frame that lets you select an iplayer 2 and assign operating modes. Shows A dialog frame that lets you add and delete shows and assign triggers. 151

152 CHAPTER 13 The Menus The File Menu The FILE menu commands lets you refresh the display and exit ip2 Downloader. The Controller Menu The CONTROLLER menu commands apply to the configuration of the iplayer 2. INFO lets you view the device information, FORMAT lets you erase exiting files and formats the iplayer 2 for new files, and VERIFY ADD checks files sizes and memory sizes prior to downloading. Note: Format is a PC command only. 152

153 IP2 DOWNLOADER Download DMX Show Files After creating a show file using Show Designer and writing a DMX file, you are ready to download your show to your iplayer 2. Ensure that the iplayer 2 is connected to your computer in Program Mode. Refer to Set Up iplayer 2 on page From the CURRENT CONTROLLER drop down list, select the iplayer Click the radio button to select the operating mode: NORMAL MODE: The iplayer 2 acts as an independent controller. MASTER IN A MULTIPLE UNIVERSE INSTALLATION: In a multiple iplayer 2 installation, this iplayer 2 acts as a triggering matser. SLAVE IN A MULTIPLE UNIVERSE INSTALLATION: In a multiple iplayer 2 installation, this iplayer 2 receives triggering commands from the master iplayer From the Menu Bar, click to enable CONTROLLER>VERIFY ADD. With VERIFY ADD enabled, ip2 Downloader checks the file size and the available free space prior to downloading the show files. If the iplayer 2 free space is too small for the files selected, you will be prompted. If you receive an insufficient memory prompt, then delete existing files to increase the free space. 153

154 CHAPTER Click ADD SHOW... Navigate to the DMX files, select one or more.dmx files to add, and click OPEN. The files are automatically downloaded to the iplayer From the TRIGGER drop down list, select a trigger number or none. Default Trigger If you are not using a keypad, and you have multiple shows downloaded to the iplayer 2, the default show must be set to 1. Keypad Triggers If you are using a keypad, set a trigger number that corresponds with the key number on the keypad. 154

155 IP2 DOWNLOADER After downloading the DMX files to the iplayer 2 and setting the triggers, disconnect the iplayer 2 from the computer and connect the BNC cable to the iplayer 2. This takes the iplayer 2 out of Program Mode and puts it into Playback Mode. Once the iplayer 2 is in Playback Mode, the default show will begin to run on your lights. For more information on the iplayer 2, Program Mode, and Playback Mode, refer to the iplayer 2 User Guide. 155

156 CHAPTER

157 PART 5 LIGHT SYSTEM MANAGER TOOLS In this section... Chapter 14 Playback Control: Instructions for managing and monitoring light shows. Chapter 15 LSM Configuration Tools: Instructions for using LSM configuration tools: KiNET Interface Tool, PDS Configuration Tool, LSE System Time, Ethernet Keypad Configuration Tool, SAS tool, and EtherSAS Tool. Chapter 16 DMX Table.

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159 CHAPTER 14 Playback Control Light System Composer lets you manage and monitor your Light System Manager applications with Playback Control. Playback Control lets view the shows downloaded to the LSE, review scheduled events, and access system information. With Ethernet connected, launch Playback Control from a PC, by selecting START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>PLAYBACK CONTROL, or double click PLAYBACK CONTROL from the COLOR KINETICS LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER folder which is installed on your desktop; from a Mac, click the PLAYBACK CONTROL icon located on the dock. The Playback Control Work Environment Menu Bar Shows Tab Info Tab Scheduled Events Tab A list of on-screen functions or operations A dialog frame that lets view shows downloaded to the LSE. A text frame that lets you view current configuration information. A text frame that lets you view event schedules. 159

160 CHAPTER 14 The File Menu The FILE menu commands lets you pause the controller, refresh the screens and exit Playback Control. The Action Menu The ACTION menu commands Shows 1. From the Playback Control window, click the SHOWS tab. The ZONE field is populated with the zones downloaded to the LSE. From the ZONES drop down list, select a zone. 2. The shows assigned to the selected zone appear in the SHOW drop down list. Click a show from the list to select it, then click PLAY. The show will begin playing on your lights using the TRANSITION selected below. Note: Set the TRANSITION prior making a selection from the SHOW list. 3. Click and drag the slider to set the brightness level for the lights in the selected zone. Extreme right is full brightness. Drag left to dim. Note: Brightness control is zone specific. Therefore, zone brightness must be set independently for each zone. 160

161 PLAYBACK CONTROL Info 1. From the Playback Control screen, click the INFO tab. The INFO tab provides current information about the LSE. The information contained on the info tab includes the firmware version number and loaded effects. This information is valuable for troubleshooting. When talking to a Color Kinetics Technical Support representative, have this information available. 161

162 CHAPTER 14 Scheduled Events 1. From the Playback Control window, click the SCHEDULED EVENTS tab. The SCHEDULED EVENTS tab lists the scheduled event on the LSE. The information contained in the SCHEDULED EVENTS tab allows you to monitor all events loaded to your LSE. 162

163 CHAPTER 15 LSM Configuration Tools Light System Manager configuration tools helps you manage some Color Kinetics light systems. The LSM configuration tools are not needed for all installations. These tools are located on the Light System Composer Utilities folder. KiNET Interface Configuration Tool The KiNET Interface Configuration Tool lets you set names, IP addresses, and universes for the KiNET interfaces in your installation. This tool is beneficial for large installations using multiple interfaces. Every KiNET interface is preprogrammed with the same generic name for example, PDS 60ca or PDS 150. When mapping several interfaces in Management Tool, they all appear with the same name and offer no indication of location in the installation. However, if you give each interface a descriptive name such as, west wall or third floor, prior to mapping, then your layout is easier to map once you have discovered the interfaces and lights. 1. To launch the KiNET Interface Configuration Tool from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>UTILITIES>KINETINTERFACECONFIGTOOL; from a Mac, click the KINET INTERFACE TOOL icon located on the dock or in the Light System Composer UTILITIES folder. The KiNET Interface Tool queries the network and lists all KiNET interfaces in the column. 2. Select an interface from the column. Enter a descriptive name and click SET. 163

164 CHAPTER Enter an IP address in the 10.2.X.X range and click SET, or accept the default by doing nothing. If you are setting IP addresses, ensure that each PDS has a unique address. 4. Enter a universe and click SET, or accept the default by doing nothing. PDS Configuration Tool The PDS Configuration Tool is only used with PDS-60ca power/data supplies with DMX control in conjunction with Color Kinetics Chromasic products. The PDS Configuration Tool lets you set the number of lights/nodes attached to the PDS-60ca, set a base light number, set all lights to a single DMX address, and set the startup color. This tool is beneficial for setting sequential light numbers for multiple light runs. For example, in an application with two PDS-60ca supplies, each with two runs of 30 lights, the lights on Output 1 can be set to 1 through 30. Lights on Output 2 are set to 31 through 60. Once the second PDS-60ca the light runs are numbered 61 through 90, and 91 through 120. PDS Configuration Tool is useful for configuring your PDS-60ca prior to installing, when the lights are unavailable. PDS Configuration Tool Setup If you have multiple PDS-60ca supplies daisy chained, with the data connected to the first supply, they will all be programmed identically. For unique configurations, each PDS-60ca must be attached individually. Use and iplayer 2 or Smart Jack 3 controller as an interface between your computer and PDS-60ca, following the instructions below. 1. Attach the computer to the controller (iplayer 2 or Smart Jack 3) using a USB cable. 2. Attach the controller to the DMX IN port on the power/data supply using a CAT5 data cable with RJ45 connectors. 164

165 LSM CONFIGURATION TOOLS 1. To launch PDS Configuration Tool from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>UTILITIES>PDSTOOL; from a Mac, click the PDS TOOL icon located on the dock or in the Light System Composer UTILITIES folder. 2. Enter the number of lights on OUTPUT 1 and the number of lights on OUTPUT Enter the PDS BASE LIGHT NUMBER. The base light number is the first number assigned to the first light on OUTPUT 1. The remaining lights will be numbered sequentially 1 through the total of light on the PDS-60ca. For example, OUTPUT 1 NODE COUNT: 50, OUTPUT 2 NODE COUNT: 50, PDS BASE LIGHT NUMBER: 1--the light will be numbered 1 through 50 out OUTPUT 1 and 51 through 100 on OUTPUT 2. To continue the light number sequence to the next PDS-60ca, enter the next sequential number as the base number. For example, the base light number for the second PDS-60ca in the above example will be To set all lights to function as one light number, click to select SINGLE DMX ADDRESS. 5. Set the STARTUP COLOR. The startup color determines how the lights appear on startup, before data is sent to them. Examples: Dim white: red 10, green 10, blue 10 Full white: red 100, green 100, blue 100 Red: red 100, green 0, blue After all parameters are set, click program pds. 165

166 CHAPTER 15 Ethernet Keypad Configuration Tool Ethernet Keypad Interface Configuration Tool lets you set names, IP addresses, and universes for the Color Kinetics Ethernet Controller Keypads in your installation. This tool is beneficial for large installations using multiple keypads. Every Ethernet Keypad is preprogrammed with the same generic name. When discovering several keypads in Config Maker, they all appear with the same name and offer no indication of location in the installation. However, if you give each interface a descriptive name such as, west wall or third floor, prior to configuring the LSE, then your layout is easier to manage and monitor. 1. To launch the Ethernet Keypad Configuration Tool from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>UTILITIES>KEYPADCONFIGTOOL; from a Mac, click the CONFIG TOOL icon on the dock or in the Light System Composer UTILITIES folder. The Ethernet Keypad Interface Tool queries the network and lists all Ethernet Keypad interfaces in the column. 2. Select an interface from the column. Enter a descriptive name and click SET. 3. Enter an IP address in the 10.2.X.X range and click SET, or accept the default by doing nothing. If you are setting IP addresses, ensure that each keypad has a unique address. 4. Enter a universe and click SET, or accept the default by doing nothing. 166

167 LSM CONFIGURATION TOOLS SAS SAS is Color Kinetics Serial Addressing Software. SAS lets you assign DMX addresses to ColorBlast 6, ColorBlast 12, ColorBurst 4, ColorBurst 6, ColorCast 14, icolor Accent, icolor MR g2, and icolor Fresco using factory set serial numbers. SAS s versatility lets you address fixtures before or after installation. Using an iplayer 2 or Smart Jack 3 controller as an interface, connect your computer to the power/data supply connected to your lights. After set up is complete, addressing the fixtures with light numbers is quick and easy. To further simplify the process, use a standard bar code scanner to enter the serial numbers directly from the fixtures. Before launching SAS, ensure that your controller--iplayer 2 or SmartJack 3 is connected to your computer via the USB port. SAS will not launch if a controller is not connected. 1. To launch the SAS from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>UTILITIES>SAS; from a Mac, click the sas icon on the dock or in the Light System Composer UTILITIES folder. The SAS dialog box appears. All addressing and testing functions are performed from this screen. 2. Enter serial number. You can enter the serial number from the keyboard, or use a bar code scanner to enter it directly from the fixture. 3. Test the serial number. Select TEST>SERIAL NUMBER from the menu or CTRL+S from the keyboard. If the serial number is correct, the fixture/segment comes on at full intensity. If the fixture/segment does not come on, correct the serial number entry and test again. 4. Enter the light number for the fixture or segment. 167

168 CHAPTER Click PROGRAM ADDRESS to assign the light number to the fixture/ segment. Lights blink red then come on in standby mode when programming is complete. 6. Test the light number. Select TEST>LIGHT>NUMBER from the menu or CTRL+L from the keyboard. Light comes on at full intensity to indicate the light number is correct. EtherSAS EtherSAS is Color Kinetics Ethernet Serial Addressing Software. EtherSAS lets you assign DMX addresses to all Color Kinetics lighting products using factory set serial numbers. EtherSAS is a postinstallation addressing tool. Using the PC connected to your Ethernet installation, EtherSAS lets you discover and address all lights on you network following the steps below. 1. To launch the EtherSAS Tool from a PC, select START>PROGRAMS>COLOR KINETICS>LIGHT SYSTEM COMPOSER(VERSION)>UTILITIES>ETHERSAS; from a Mac, click the ETHERSAS icon from the dock or the Light System Control UTILITIES folder. The EtherSAS dialog box appears. Note: Ensure that the computer is connected to the network via a switch. 2. STEP 1: CHOOSE A KINET CONTROLLER. Click the discover button to discover all controllers (interfaces) connected to your network. From the KINET CONTROLLER drop down list, select a controller. 168