Introduction

DMX-capable Pangolin lasers offer four channel map options: 4CH, 8CH, 12CH and 16CH.  Each progressively larger channel map adds four channels to control additional attributes.  Finale 3D supports all four channel maps, which are listed as separate fixture definitions PNG 395, PNG 396, PNG 397, and PNG 398 in Supported DMX fixtures (and Standard Fixture IDs).  Select which fixture definition to use in Finale 3D by right-clicking the position and doing “Configure position as DMX fixture…” and selecting the your choice from the menu.

The Pangolin channel maps are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 – Pangolin DMX channel map options: 4CH, 8CH, 12CH, 16CH.

 

 

When you configure a position as a fixture, Finale 3D creates a set of standard effects for that fixture, which you use to design the show.  The set of standard effects for Pangolin lasers depends significantly on which channel map you choose.

 

4CH channel map

The Pangolin 4CH channel map includes channels to select the pattern group and pattern (“Page” and “Cue” in Pangolin terminology), and a repeat speed, but nothing else, not even a dimmer or separate enabling channel.  Thus in order to produce an effect, you need to select the desired pattern at the moment the effect is to begin, and then select the “null pattern” (blackout) at the moment the effect is to end.  The standard effects, shown in Table 1, provide exactly these capabilities.

 

Table 1 – Standard effects for 4CH fixture definition PNG 395

4CH example

The script shown in Figure 2 produces a 1-second effect of pattern page 2, cue 2 at time t = 10 seconds, and cue 3 at t = 12 seconds, and cue 4 at t = 14 seconds.  Notice that each effect requires two events (not counting setting the page), one to set the chosen pattern at the beginning and one to set the blackout pattern at the end.  You can verify the DMX Parameters values with the second and third row of Figure 1: page 1 = 16-31 (listed as 17-31); page 2 = 32-47 (listed as 33-47); cue 1 = 32-35 (listed as 33-35); cue 2 = 36-39 (stepping by 4 per cue).

 

Figure 2 – 4CH script producing a 1-second effect at t = 10, 12, and 14

 

The timeline shown in Figure 3 illustrates that each 1-second effect requires a pair of events to set and clear the pattern.   In Finale 3D, events that use values in DMX Parameters do not have visualizations on the timeline or in the design view.  Thus the timeline does not make it obvious at a glance when the laser is visible.  The design view also does not provide any visual indication the laser effect is on.  The remedy for both of these issues is to make custom effects, explained below in Table 2.

 

Figure 3 – Timeline of 4CH script producing a 1-second effect at t = 10, 12, and 14

 

The same script exported for a firing system will use the firing system’s capabilities to implement the DMX data stream as efficiently as possible.  For example, the exported Cobra script uses a 1.0 second duration parameter at the end of the the last three lines to reset pattern selection to blackout at the end of each effect.

#@firmware8,,,,,,,,,,
#Trigger Channel,#Trigger Button,#Deadman Button,#Return Channel,#AudioBox Filename,#Script Name,#Disable Firing Button,#Alternate Firing Button,#Alternate 2 Firing Button,#SMPTE Timecode,
1,1,,1,,test-laser-control,,,,timecode2,
#Event Time,#Channel,#Cue,#Event Description,#Disable Groups,#Fire Time,#DMX Ramp-From Value,#DMX Universe,#DMX Channel,#DMX Value,#DMX Duration
00:00:05.00s,,,Reset Fixture // P-01 -- DEFAULT (+0),,,,1,1,64,
00:00:10.00s,,,Pattern Select: DMX Value In DMX Parameters // P-01 -- PATTERN,,,,1,2,17,
00:00:10.00s,,,Pattern Select: DMX Value In DMX Parameters // P-01 -- PATTERN,,,,1,3,37,1.0
00:00:12.00s,,,Pattern Select: DMX Value In DMX Parameters // P-01 -- PATTERN,,,,1,3,41,1.0
00:00:14.00s,,,Pattern Select: DMX Value In DMX Parameters // P-01 -- PATTERN,,,,1,3,45,1.0
END,,,,,,,,,,

Figure 4 – 4CH script exported for the Cobra firing system

 

The standard effects for the 4CH channel map lack good visualization in the timeline and design view, but it is easy to add custom effects for the patterns you commonly use that do provide visualization and that are easier to script with.  For example, instead of inserting events at the beginning and end of each effect to turn on and off a pattern, it is much easier to make a custom “Flash” effect that selects and holds the pattern for a duration.  The timeline can show the “on” duration as a solid line.  The design view can show a light beam for the duration.  And you can stretch the duration on the timeline or change it by editing the Duration column in the script.  To implement the same example script using custom effects, you might create the three effects illustrated in Table 2.

Table 2 – Three example custom effects for 4CH fixture definition PNG 395

 

To create each effect, right-click one of the standard effects, such as PNG-395-7930, and do “Edit this item…” from the context menu.  In the dialog that appears, rename and customize the effect to 1) give it a “White Spotlight” VDL for visualization in the design view, 2) give it a 1-second default duration (or whatever value you want), 3) set its behavior to “Turns on for effect duration” to make it flash (hold and release) instead of track (set forever) the values, 4) make it set the pattern group and pattern channels to your chosen values.

 

Figure 5 – Dialog for creating a custom effect 

 

 

Using the custom effects, the script simplifies to,

 

Figure 6 – 4CH script producing a 1-second effect at t = 10, 12, and 14 using custom Flash effects

 

and the timeline improves to:

 

Figure 7 – Timeline with Flash effects that show durations as bars 

 

8CH channel map

The 8CH channel map adds a dimmer channel, which enables a set of standard effects that provide visual indications on the timeline and in the design view.  It also adds a size (zoom) channel, and two other dimensional size adjustment channels that the standard effects ignore.  The standard effects are shown in Table 3.

 

Table 3 – Standard effects for 8CH fixture definition PNG 396

 

Figure 8 – 8CH script using standard Flash effects

 

The timeline looks like:

 

Figure 9 – Standard Flash effects also show durations as bars 

 

12CH channel map

The 12CH channel map adds X and Y movement.  It also adds control over visibility of pattern segment end points, and it provides a Z-axis spin attributes that standard effects ignore.  The standard effects are shown in Table 4.

 

Table 4 – Standard effects for 12CH fixture definition PNG 397

 

The design pattern for the 12CH channel map is the same as for the 8CH: set the pattern group and pattern, then “Flash ON” to set and hold the effect.  The added movement capability augments the design pattern with the “Move-To While ON” effect (PNG-397-7930), which works like the corresponding effects for moving head intelligent light fixtures.

Unlike light fixtures that use Pan and Tilt to control the direction, scanning lasers use X and Y parameters to control the direction with internal mirrors.  In Finale 3D, the 12CH standard effects direction dots can be dragged in the design view left/right or front/back.  The direction is represented in the script in the Pan and Tilt columns.  When exporting a script for lasers, Finale 3D translates the Pan/Tilt values to the X/Y channel values corresponding to the same directions.  Angling the direction dots +-45 degrees left/right corresponds to the full 0..255 X-channel value range, with left 45 degrees corresponding to 0 and right 45 degrees corresponding to 255.  The interpretation of Y-channel values, representing the “Top/Bottom” angle, assumes the laser is pointing into the scene, like a movie projector, from the standpoint of the audience.  The top of the projected frame with a 90 degree vertical field of view is 255; the bottom is 0.

12CH example with moving pattern

The procedure to create moving pattern requires two events at different angles, separating by the duration of the sweep.  Table 5 lists the steps:

 

Table 5 – Instructions to create a moving pattern

 

The script shown in Figure 10 produces a 1-second effect of pattern page 2, cue 2 at time t = 10 seconds, moving from left to right extremes.

 

Figure 10 – 12CH script with a moving pattern from left to right

 

On the timeline, as shown in Figure 11, the sweep appears as a line from t = 10 to t = 11, connecting the Flash and the Move-To events.  Figure 11 also illustrates the light beam mid-sweep between the two extremes.

 

Figure 11 – Timeline and design view showing the movement

 

16CH channel map

The 16CH channel map introduces color attributes.  It also adds scan rate and release attributes that standard effects ignore.  The standard effects are shown in Table 6.

 

Table 6 – Standard effects for 16CH fixture definition PNG 398

 

Designing shows with the 16CH standard effects is the same as the 12CH except instead of Flash ON or Move-To-While-ON, you can select the color.