I just posted this in the ECT Connect forum but then realized it is not a specific
EOS question so putting it here to a wider audience:
So bottom
line: how do we get two spots to move slowly from A to B in a controlled manner but in a variable time?.
I actually did something very similar last year on my
Etc EOS ION. I’ll describe what I did to give some context then provide a suggestion on how you could set up your solution.
<I>Note: I am going from memory on this, since my
console is locked up in a dark theater until God-knows-when...</I>
IF ANYONE HAS A BETTER SOLUTION I’D <B>LOVE</B> TO HEAR IT!!!
I had to follow a singer as she walked around the
stage, but I could count on her always hitting her starting
mark. Grant you, this wasn’t a perfect solution And I wouldn’t plan on using this method for a regular “follow-spot” solution, but it should work great for your situation.
Now, for this solution to work, you have to remember that; when you bring a
submaster down from full, it will go down from whatever
level you set in the
submaster to the fixtures’ Home state.
For
intensity it’s easy to see that if you set the
submaster to control
fixture 5 up to 80%, then when you raise the sub to full, the lamp glows at 80% and as you lower the sub to 0, the lamp returns to it’s home state (0%).
A moving light requires a
bit more thought and planning. When the sub is at full, the
fixture will move to the position you programmed into the
submaster (say,
fixture 5 pointing USR). As you lower the
submaster, the
fixture will move towards its home position (usually, all the way to one extreme or another, or dead center, depending on your defaults).
To set up my “follow spots”, I have to set the home positions inside the
fixture definition. I set the home X-value as the leftmost position (HL/SR
proscenium), and the home Y-value as the lowest position DS I will want to move.
Then, in
submaster 1, I program only the X-value of the other extreme position opposite of the home position (HR/SL
proscenium), and in
submaster 2, I program only the Y-Value of the back wall or US
Cyclorama. If I turn up the
intensity with the light pointing DSR and move both submasters from 0 to full, the light will move from DSR to USL. By moving these two submasters I can Mimic a follow spot.
My
cue contains the location and
intensity of the starting position and Automark handles the initial move to the starting location in the previous
cue.
Again, this was far from a perfect solution. First of all, the sub masters had to be positioned at the correct
level to match the beginning
cue, otherwise the first move of the
submaster causes the light to shoot over to that location. For example, if the subs are all the way down and your
cue moves your
fixture to CS, the moment you move the
submaster, the light will shoot to home position.
Second problem was, that it takes really fine and smooth movement of the
submaster otherwise the light flys across the
stage and/or overshoots the target easily.
As for YOUR situation: I would suggest that you set you
fixture definition to locate the
fixture to your starting
point when you hit “Home”. Then, put your
level and starting position of the light in your
cue. You may be able to use one
submaster where you put your ending X & Y positions (Make sure there is no other data like levels).
Once you take the
cue, slowly move the
submaster up to follow the performer to their final position. Have a 2nd
cue fade out the spot and perform any other actions.
I hope this points you in a useful direction.
Break a
leg and keep healthy,
Randy