DMXIS / D-Pro Online Fixture Database

Creating a new fixture - in detail

Creating a fixture is basically a case of copying the DMX info from your fixture user manual into the editor. However, as there's no industry standard governing the implementation of DMX control, manuals can vary wildly in terms of quality and readability!

Learn your fixture!

There is no point in diving into the online fixture editor until you understand exactly how your fixture works. Every fixture operates differently, and it's critical that you first digest the DMX information contained in the user manual. You may also find it helpful (if you have the physical fixture to hand) to try manually controlling it using basic faders, in order to learn & understand its operation.

Although fixture operation varies wildly across manufacturers, there are there are some basic DMX concepts common to every fixture manual:

DMX operating modes

Fixtures often have a number of separate DMX modes, selectable from the fixture's control panel. For example, a basic LED spot may offer:

Which mode you choose is up to you. Simpler modes are easier to program, and consume fewer channels on DMXIS or D-Pro (an important consideration if you have a larger rig). Complex modes offer more features, but are more time consuming to program.

The fixture editor allows you to create multiple modes for each fixture, so you can support every mode offered by the manufacturer. If you are creating a fixture for your private use (i.e. NOT published and available to other users) you may decide to only implement the modes you need. If you plan to make your fixture available to other DMXIS or D-Pro users, please consider implementing all available modes.

DMX channel map

Each fixture mode has a number of channels. Each channel is typically responsible for controlling one aspect of the fixture - for example, a channel might dim the fixture, set the strobe speed, or choose a gobo.

Some aspects of a fixture may consume two or more channels. For example, high resolution pan of a moving head uses two channels (usually labelled coarse & fine in the manual). RGB control of an LED fixture uses 3 channels (for independent mixing of red, green and blue).

A minority of fixtures on the market choose to control multiple functions onto a single channel. While this is (in the author's opinion) bad practice, and ultimately makes the fixture harder to program, the fixture editor and DMXIS & D-Pro can handle such devices.

DMX channel definition

This is where things get interesting, and sometimes confusing.

Each DMX channel can be set to a value in the range of 0-255. For a straightforward channel like a Dimmer, the value 0-255 simply sets a variable level (e.g. Dimmer=64 means 25% brightness).

Other DMX channels can control fixed features. For example, a Mode channel might switch a sound-activated feature on & off (e.g. Mode=0 means OFF, Mode=255 means ON)

Often, you'll find fixtures mix variable and fixed controls in a single channel. For example, a Gobo Rotate channel might be:

The fixture editor supports any mix of fixed and variable ranges within a single channel

Summary of concepts

So, your fixture manual should contain a list of operating modes. Each mode has a channel map, and each channel has a channel definition consisting of one or more fixed and variable ranges. Once you have this data, you're ready to transcribe it into the online fixture editor.

Creating a fixture - detailed walkthrough

Check if the fixture already exists!

First, take a look in the public fixture database. Does this fixture already exist? If so, then please consider NOT creating an additional public fixture with a slightly modified name! If the existing fixture does not meet your needs, use the comments system to report the problem to the author. Ultimately, it helps no-one if the fixture database fills up with duplicate fixtures.

Of course, you are welcome to create as many private fixtures as you require.

Create a blank fixture

In the My Fixtures Window, click on New. This opens an empty Fixture Editor window.

Choose the manufacturer & fixture name

Select the manufacturer from the drop-down Manufacturer list. If the manufacturer is not available, scroll to the bottom of the list, select Other..., and type in a new manufacturer name.

Type the fixture model name into the Fixture name field.

Create a description for your fixture

The Description field can contain anything you like. If you make your fixture public, the description appears in the Public Fixture Database window.

Create the fixture modes

Fixture Editor - Modes table

Click the New button and enter your mode name (e.g. "3 channel", "Standard", or whatever is appropriate). Repeat for each mode your fixture supports.

Other Fixture Modes features:

Add channels to each mode

Fixture Editor - Channels table

Click the New button to create a new channel. Choose Blank Channel to create an empty channel which you can fill out manually. Alternatively, choose a short-cut (e.g. Dimmer or RGB) to quickly the most common channel types.

Once your new channel appears in the table, double-click on any field to edit it:

Other Channel features:

Create the ranges for each channel

Fixture Editor - Ranges table

Important note: The entries in the Channel Ranges table MUST cover the full 0-255 DMX range (as shown in the Min/Max columns above). If ranges overlap or there are gaps in the 0-255 range, the behaviour of D-Pro or DMXIS will be undefined.

By default, every channel already has a single 0-255 variable range defined. For basic channels which display simple sliders in D-Pro and DMXIS, no further work is required. If the channel is more complex (as discussed in the DMX channel definition section above), you need to add more ranges as necessary.

To add a new range, click Add. A new channel appears, and the editor automatically adjusts the Min/Max fields to make room for the new channel. Double-click on the fields to edit as necessary:

A final note on channel ranges

For extremely complex fixtures with dozens of channels, it can be a daunting prospect to develop a fully defined fixture. However, keep in mind that a partially populated fixture is better than no fixture at all. For example, say you are facing a laser control channel with 128 different named "patterns". It can be perfectly acceptable to leave this as a simple 0-255 variable range. In practice, it's unlikely that you would spend time sifting through 128 different pattern names in the DMXIS or D-Pro interface. Easier to just grab the slider and move it whilst watching the real laser.

In other words, if you only have a few minutes to create your fixture, and one is NOT currently available in the public library, it is still thoroughly useful to build a simple fixture consisting of a bunch of simple 0-255 sliders. That fixture can always be enhanced later (adding fully defined channel ranges) without breaking existing D-Pro or DMXIS shows.

Help and support

If you need further assistance, please visit the official support forums or email support@db-audioware.com.