WYSIWYG Report

TupeloTechie

Active Member
Well I have a copy of WYSIWYG Report (It was given to me by a really REALLY nice LD, however I believe I am seeing why!)

If your not sure what is the the "report" level of WYG, its pretty much JUST 2-d cad and the paperwork program.


I can't ever seem to make decent looking plots with it though. Mabee I just don't understand the "layout" feature or the 2 different areas to do the drawing, but either way they always look like crap! (since I'm the only one doing lighting , I can read my own plot and how to use it, but I'd like to try to learn how to use this program to make lighting plots that would work in the "real world.")

Is there anybody on here that uses WYG that could mabee explain a little about how to do the 2d plots. I'm not really asking for standards, or about line weight, but anything would probally help.
 
I have been doing all my plots in wyg for about the last 2 or 3 years... I like to think I know the program pretty well. First, what version? I only use wyg to do my plot first of all, I HATE wygs ppwk program, I export to lightwright for that one. First things first with wyg, change the symbols for all ETC fixtures. When you throw a fixture into the browser, right click on it and look at its properties. Then look at fixture properties. Here you can change the symbol and edit the layout. Change all s4's to the version 3 symbol then edit each layout to suit you. You will have to do this for every fixture. That will at least clean up that aspect of it. As far as the "pres" view, I used to never layouts, now thats all I use. What you want to do is go to the new plots tab, scale the plot to your liking, then import that new plot into a new layout. The layout is essentially like paper space where you can put multiple view of the same thing on one page.

The thing about wyg is it does take a lot of time to get everything into it, I always have to draft the set in in 3d, have a 3d theatre, and accurate positions. After that though, you can really fly getting the plot in. If you work in the same theatre often, its even faster because you already have your fixtures set up etc... It took some getting used to, and no wyg does not and will not make the cleanest looking plots ever because you can not edit the symbols, what you got is what you have to live with. Let me know specificly what you are having issues with, I might be able to help you.
 
Im pretty sure its the symbols that are making me not like drawings, this is what one of my plots looks like, yuk!



and yea I know its not really correct... but for the fun of it, how about you people play one of those "find all the things wrong with it" games:grin:
 

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Heres one from awhile ago... I lost the final show file, usually I go in and re-adjust all of the channel/color info but here ya go... You will never get a plot to look as good as it does in vectorworks (if a skilled person is at the helm), but it does get the job done.
 

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Im pretty sure its the symbols that are making me not like drawings, this is what one of my plots looks like, yuk!
and yea I know its not really correct... but for the fun of it, how about you people play one of those "find all the things wrong with it" games:grin:

Things I see:
-No border around the outside
-2nd Electric has parts where numbers are hard to read.
-Your fixtures should all be perpendicular to the pipe.
-Your Pipes should all be double lines and a little heavier line weight than the set, but less than the lights.
-The Channel numbers should be in a circle and in the same color as the other labels
-FOH gels can't be read.
-Your legend should have a box.
-As far as your notes go, aside from saying the designer has final say on trim and the centers note the rest are kind of pointless.
 
Things I see:
-Your fixtures should all be perpendicular to the pipe.

I disagree with you on this. I don't use WYG but in VW it is possible to make differnt label legends so that it is just as easy to read regardless of the rotation of the fixture. I like seeing the fixtures 'roughed in' as an ME and electrician. As a designer I think it can help check to make sure your instruments will be able to make the shot with out hitting other fixtures.

Do we need to get a drafting sub form with all the WYG VW and sketchup questions?
 
I disagree with you on this. I don't use WYG but in VW it is possible to make differnt label legends so that it is just as easy to read regardless of the rotation of the fixture. I like seeing the fixtures 'roughed in' as an ME and electrician. As a designer I think it can help check to make sure your instruments will be able to make the shot with out hitting other fixtures.
Do we need to get a drafting sub form with all the WYG VW and sketchup questions?

On my last plot I kept everything in neat little angles. I like your points on roughing stuff in though. It would have been helpful at my internship, we hung everything, and of course it was all rough, a lot of juggling and re-angling. Not the best situation when you have a PITA designer breathing down your neck. (It appears that neither the designer or director will be invited back to this LORT theater.)
 
The faculty LD at my college has legends for every 15 degrees both left and right. That might be a bit extreme but at focus it is rare to have to skip a light because it was hung wrong (upside down, lack of focus tail for the new direction, needs to be side armed etc)
 
my preference is to point the lights either us or downstage and put an area lable on the side of the unit, but that is just me.

But yes, if doing angles having multiple label legends for each, I am still weary on the idea for a heavier plot.
 
my preference is to point the lights either us or downstage and put an area lable on the side of the unit, but that is just me.
But yes, if doing angles having multiple label legends for each, I am still weary on the idea for a heavier plot.

At least do US/DS/SL/SR, I do 45 deg, makes things go a bit quicker. If I have to flip all pipe ends onstage because you drafted them going US/DS, I am not going to be a happy electrician.
 
No border around the outside
-2nd Electric has parts where numbers are hard to read.
-Your fixtures should all be perpendicular to the pipe.
-Your Pipes should all be double lines and a little heavier line weight than the set, but less than the lights.
-The Channel numbers should be in a circle and in the same color as the other labels
-FOH gels can't be read.
-Your legend should have a box.

-As far as your notes go, aside from saying the designer has final say on trim and the centers note the rest are kind of

my preference is to point the lights either us or downstage and put an area label on the side of the unit, but that is just me.
But yes, if doing angles having multiple label legends for each, I am still weary on the idea for a heavier plot.

Much of this is designers choice and is dependent on the usage of the drawing. I don't use a drawing border, as I print in 1/4" on 11x17, thus there's no room for the border and still get the entire plot inside the print margins. My drawings are not created for presentational use, instead being a working drawing for the electricians (who don't care if there's a border or not). They do need a key and instrument legend as reference, which I place in a separate layer at smaller scale.
Designers choice as to fixture pointing. I use US/DS except for sides/hi-sides, which point towards center, with appropriate label legends to allow for an uncluttered drawing (VW). I happen to dislike the angled instrument pointing on a drawing, but that's me.

I think fixture pointing is an issue w/ WYSIWYG, as the angle of the instruments allows for rendering, with the instruments needing to point to the area they will focus, so as to render the design.
The theory in CAD and old style "by hand" is space at 1'-3" for straight US/DS focus, 1'-6" for units focusing at 45 degree angles, and 2'-0" for L/R focusing. Or so I was taught and it being dependent on the fixture choice.

I also don't double line the pipes. Why ?. It sometimes looks better, usually if 1/2" scale, as it gives definition to an electric pipe, but isn't seen in 1/4".

There's a USITT symbol standard, which has a circle for channels, and a hexagon for dimmers. I happen to hate the look, using an oval circle for channels - it better allows for 3 digit numbers, and skip a container for a dimmer. The key clearly shows what/where a dimmer is and like having the channel shown more prominently, which placing it in a container shows.

Again, all this is dependent on the drawing usage and needs of the designers and the users of the drawing, thus there's no
real standard.

I do find that I don't like what I've seen of WYG prints, but as some users indicate, if it works and gets the message across, the use whatever works.

Steve B.
 
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There's a USITT symbol standard, which has a circle for channels, and a hexagon for dimmers. I happen to hate the look, using an oval circle for channels - it better allows for 3 digit numbers, and skip a container for a dimmer.
Steve B.

I think you posted a plot using the oval circles I saw that and realized the advantage and have added an oval container to my VW template file.
 
I think you posted a plot using the oval circles I saw that and realized the advantage and have added an oval container to my VW template file.

Yeah, I got nit-picky with the stock channel circle container VW, gives you and figured out how to create a symbol and add it to the containers folder.

My plots aren't used to hang as new, it's a rep. plot with the units staying hung, thus what I want the person using the plot to see is the channel and color popping out off the drawing. Thus adjusted text as bold and larger font sizes, with the dimmer not as prominent. It's all particular to our needs and probably wouldn't work as well on another drawing.

WYG drove me nuts with how little you could tailor to your needs.

SB
 
TupeloTechieKid

Are you from Tupelo, MS

I live in Corinth,MS
One hour north of Tupelo
 
Well, I've been a wyg cadman since revision 1 of the new software (it used to be 3.5) and I wont disagree with anything said here. Note that wyg is primarily a visualizer that markets its integrated paperwork as a 1 stop program. And it works very well for that. The paper work, if you don't used the pre-designed reports but come up with your own, does take a little while to set up the way you want to present information. And the drafting sucks. Period. It however is getting better and I believe that one of the upcoming upgrades will be addressing this. Outputting to PDF was a revelation for me and I print all my stuff this way using Cute PDF.

One note...there is a setting in the user options that says "line up fixtures on pipe" and there is a setting that says 180d or 45d. The 45d setting will line up your stuff as its focused using the closest 45d angle.

I'm available for any questions regarding wyg. I own perform and have been using it for 6 years. I connect wyg to both hog II and Hog III and Grandma and preprogram my rigs at home. (At least the patch until I get a better, faster laptop that can handle both programs at a useable speed for cues.)
 
Sorry to bring up an old thread but I have a couple more questions,

To Footer4321, How did you get that ruler at the top and bottom of your plot?

Also for you or anyone else that knows about WYG, how do I add in booms?

Last Question for anyone who has ever used WYG, How to I make a (as nice as possible) lighting section?
 
huh...I used to just place a small cylinder to represent booms, and then took it up to six feet. But yeah.
 

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