Automated Fixtures Chauvet Profiles for ETC Element

dpeterle

Member
Hello,
Our theatre department just purchased six Chauvet LED Q-Wash 560s. However, our ETC Element does not have the proper profile. Where can I download one? (I tried writing it myself but it wouldn't work)
 
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I though there was a database of fixture personalities at Lighting solutions for Theatre, Film & Television Studios and Architectural spaces : ETC but a few minutes of searching and I came up with nothing (though I'm relatively confident this is where I downloaded one for my Robe Spot250xt). Building your own personalities on an Element is not difficult, however (you don't need to use the personality editor download on a computer - just go through steps on the board itself). Search for ETC Element Training Videos on YouTube and watch the video on Creating Fixture Personalities. All you should need is the fixture's manual and a bit of time.
 
ETC is very good about building new fixture profiles for anything they don't have. In most cases, you can shoot them an email and you'll have a new profile in your inbox by the end of the day. If you'd rather not build your own, just shoot them an email and I'm sure they can send you one.
 
...In most cases, you can shoot them an email and you'll have a new profile in your inbox by the end of the day. ...
Note that when requesting a fixture personality profile, it's helpful (and will likely expedite your request) to include the User Manual, or at least the DMX function chart, for the fixture in question.

Note also that there are two types of fixture profiles.
So how does one distinguish a personality profile made (by ETC or end-user) from the fixture manufacturer's DMX chart; from one built by an external specialty company using an actual fixture with real-world values (Abstract Control Model)?
Ideally, you wouldn't be able to distinguish the difference as both should work properly. In reality, the differences show up in calibrated data. Fixtures that are generated from "an external specialty company using an actual fixture" will generally have color calibration data (if color mixing is present on the fixture) that shows as a gamut line in the color picker when the fixture is selected. Those fixtures with gobo parameters will also likely have the manufacturer's default gobo selections pre-populated in the wheel. This is visible in the gobo selection areas as images of the pattern instead of just a name.

Wouldn't the latter be preferable? I understand it would take more time than the former, as a fixture would need to be shipped to London for evaluation.
The preference of one versus the other can be debated in threads related to abstract control model. If you were intending on needing to change the fixture from one type to another, the calibrated data from both would help to make sure that the data you had already programmed would be closer to the same look when you switched. (In practice, I have never found computer algorithms to be 1:1 substitute for a human eye making the judgement of color matching, but they can get close.) If you don't intend on changing the fixture from one type to another, then you may prefer to skip the extra steps and time requirements of calibrated data in the fixture profile and just build one to get your show going quickly.

Can one convert a show based on the former to the latter, once the "good" profile is obtained?
Yes, one can change a show's fixture types and profiles at any time. The gotcha is, of course, that you may have data that was input (or omitted) in a previous version of the profile that can cause the "good" version of the profile to not behave as expected. The rule of thumb when switching fixture profiles (or updating from older versions of the same profile) is to always double check your actual output to make sure it matches what you intended to have happen. You may need to tweak the existing data to conform to the new profile's expectations.

_____
Kirk Starks
Technical Support Specialist
ETC, Inc.
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...In most cases, you can shoot them an email and you'll have a new profile in your inbox by the end of the day. ...
OR, in 70 minutes:
dpeterle posted on Tue, Apr 3 2012 12:18 PM
Hello,
Our theatre department just bought six Chauvet LED Q-Wash 560s. However, our ETC Element does not have the proper profile. Where can I download one? (I tried writing it myself but it wouldn't work)

Anne Valentino replied on Tue, Apr 3 2012 1:28 PM
Hey there. Please check your email.

Thanks,
a
From http://www.etcconnect.com/Community/forums/t/9517.aspx . I wonder what took so long? ;)
 
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