2D mode is a stage plan, a top-down view. Here you lay out fixtures the way they stand in the real hall: who is where, pointing where, at what height. This layout is then used both in the 3D view and in the movement effects.
How to place a fixture:
- Put it in place — drag the fixture across the plan with the mouse. The position is set within the venue.
- Rotate it — pull the rotation handle to set which way the fixture “looks”. A small tick on the body shows the direction.
- Set the height — a small panel with mounting buttons appears for the selected fixture:
| Button | Height | Fixture frame color |
|---|---|---|
| ▬ On the floor | 0 m | gray |
| ⊥ On a stand | 1.5 m | light |
| ═ On a truss | 3 m | blue |
| ▔ On the ceiling | 4 m | purple |
These are the typical heights. If a fixture hangs at a different one, type your own: right-click the fixture → the Height, m field. The same menu opens with a right-click on the fixture in 3D mode, and the field is in the Patch as well. An empty field means “work it out for me”, and the grey hint inside it shows the height in effect right now. And if there are trusses in the hall, you can hang the fixture straight onto the one you need — then it takes that truss’s height and travels with it.
Each fixture draws a beam in the direction it points, in its current color and brightness — so you immediately see where it shines.
Working with several fixtures at once — this is how a rig for a particular hall is assembled in minutes instead of fixture by fixture:
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Select several | Ctrl+click the fixtures — one at a time into the selection and back out |
| Select with a frame | Drag the mouse across empty space on the plan — every fixture whose centre is inside the frame joins the selection. With Ctrl (or Shift) held, the frame adds to what is already selected |
| Move as a group | Grab any of the selected fixtures with the mouse — they all move, keeping their relative positions. At the edge of the venue the group stops as a whole instead of collapsing |
| Rotate the group | Shift + drag any of the selected fixtures — all the bodies turn the same way |
| Set the height for the group | Right-click any of the selected ones → the “Mounting” section: floor ▬ / stand ⊥ / truss ═ / ceiling ▔ |
| Set the direction for the group | In the same place — the “Horizontal (Pan)” and “Vertical (Tilt)” sections |
Labels on the plan. The “Labels” button in the top left corner shows the type and DMX address under every fixture — “Moving head (17)”, for example. Handy when the hall is full of identical icons and you need to tell who is who. If the project has several DMX universes, the universe number appears in the label too (“U2·17”). The setting is remembered.
Hover hint. Point the cursor at a fixture icon and its name, type and DMX address pop up next to it. You do not need to switch labels on for that: the hint is shown only under the cursor and only for one fixture.
Exact direction — right-click a fixture (works in both 2D and 3D; you can select several fixtures and set them all at once; in 2D the same menu also holds “Mounting”):
| Menu item | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Horizontal (Pan) | 0–315° in 45° steps — which way the body is turned. This is the “zero” direction from which the pan channels and the movement effects work onwards |
| Vertical (Tilt) | from ↑90° to ↓90° — the base tilt: 0° straight ahead, ↓ to the floor, ↑ upwards |
