Quick change type.

Hi Ben,
I use the "change type" feature a lot and here are some things i have found that help.
This is by no means definitive but seem to speed the process up for me.

-Create a master show that you try to use when changing type rather than having multiple shows or a show that has been changed type 10/15 times backwards and forwards.
I usually do this with fixtures that have as many parameters as possible like VL3000 spots and VL35000 wash as you rarely have fixtures that have more than the VL's
It's easier to keep track of changes and remember what you started with.
If you need to add cues created in a new show merge those cues into a copy of your "master" show

-Use custom created palettes,so if you need three specific gobos perhaps Breakup/Line/Cog create three palettes and update show by show rather than having to update every gobo in every wheel of every fixture you change type with.
Accordingly make rotation fast/slow/medium/very/fast and update as required.
If your show programming uses palettes it's going to be much quicker to update if you don't have time.

-Keep it simple.If you know your time is limited don't try and create a show that requires a lot of editing and tweaking,instead create a show that works within the time you have.
Change type will save you a lot of time but it is not 100% accurate due to the difference in fixture type attributes.
Beam Palettes are always going to take more time that is why i try and really limit any Beam information in my initial programming to 2/3 gobo's.
I would rather have 2 gobo's work well than 8 gobo's work badly during the course of a show.
Again better to have three or four fixture focus positions that look good than 10 that are unfinished or you didn't have time to update correctly.
I see plenty of shows done on the fly that have some really good strong looks done with "change type" or the equivelent on other consoles and it's usually the shows that have less information/programming done well rather than lots done badly that look better.

Best C

cormacjack

I totally agree with everything you said but unfortunately the show I am running was created as a full production show using every possible attribute of the original fixtures.
I always try and pre-do as much as possible before we get on site to save time but there are always the inevitable curveballs thrown at you. I never change type from the original fixtures but replicate then change type, its just a shame the palette updates i make are lost when i remove them fixtures for the next show. that is why I leave one fixture in the patch list to save having to keep updating for the same fixtures.
It would be nice if there was a neater way of remembering certain fixture palletes

Ben.

I've ended up making my custom fixtures files where Gobo Slot 1 is always the fixed gobo and slot number 2 is the rotating gobo, no matter what the spot definition is. It's a hell of a job but needed if you want to use the change type function also for gobo slots.

I think its weird to create the fixture profiles like the manufacturer defines them. I think they should be created the way you want to use them.

In my basic show i use Mac700 because of all the attributes it has.
When i change type i just want the first gobo on the first wheel to be replaced with the the first gobo on the first wheel of the new fixture. Also for fixed colors. This is why i created my own fixture profiles, where the fixed colors are called: Color 1 Color 2 Color 3 and the gobos are called Gobo 1-1 Gobo 1-2, Gobo 2-1 and so on.