Specifications

80 LightJockey Help file - (C) Martin Professional 2010
LightJockey Help
Tilt Cycle (time) - this parameter controls the 'speed' at macro executes for tilt control. The value
displayed is the time taken for one cycle of the macro.
Macro Step size (Stepped Ellipse Macro only) - the Macro Step size parameter regulates the
'coarseness' of the macro by reducing the number of positions contained in the macro. Altering the
macro step size does not change the macro cycle time. The higher the step value the coarser the
macro appears - at step size 512 the ellipse only contains 8 pan and tilt positions. Reducing the
number of points may cause slower moving fixtures to 'perform better' on faster ellipse macros. The
actual 'look' of the macro depends on the fixture used as well as the combination of cycle time,
amplitude and step size - some fixtures may not show any improvement at all. Since a high step size
combined with a low speed (high cycle time) produces a very pronounced stepped movement, the
stepped ellipse macro may also be used to produce 'special effects'.
Delay - this will 'delay' the fixtures position in the macro cycle. Assign individual delays to fixtures
performing the same macro for a more varied look. See below for a detailed explanation, also see
auto-delay.
Tweak - this will tweak the macro a little (by tweaking the phase of one axis) - the result depends on
the actual macro and the other parameter settings.
Auto Delay - click the auto-delay dialog (in the menu) to systematically apply delays to several
fixtures.
See also generic DMX macros
Select Bézier Shapes from the menu on the movement macro dialog to extend the dialog with the
Bézier shape editor (the editor will also automatically be displayed if a Bézier shape is selected from
the macro types drop down).
Bézier shape editor
A Bézier shape macro is a kind of macro where the shape is defined by generating a number of
positions from lines between points. Bézier shape macros can be created, modified, saved and
retrieved by the user. To create a new shape, click Bézier Shape in the menu and select New
Shape - the movement macro control is now displaying the Bézier shapes editor (on the right) with
the default diamond shape in it. The shape has a number of 'points' - the square points are called
nodes, the round ones are handles, there are two handles for each node. It is very easy to re-define
the shape simply by dragging the nodes or handles around, manipulating it into another shape. Right-
clicking either of the nodes (the square ones) or somewhere on the grid gives several further
manipulation methods. It is possible to add or remove nodes, rotate and zoom the shape, etc. It is
also possible to straighten elements between nodes by making them into lines, or re-convert them
into curves again.
When the Bézier macro is modified the system re-calculates the array values on the fly. Note that the
values are calculated with a fixed amount of points between nodes - this means that the time taken for
the macro to move between nodes are the same, regardless of the distance involved. This means that
a fixture will move slower between nodes that have a short path between them, and faster if the path is
longer.
To the macro engine, there is really no difference between the system macros and the Bézier macros,
both are still represented as two sets of values, one for pan and one for tilt and the cycle time and