Settings
The Settings window brings together the settings of the program itself: interface language, startup behavior, sound, network, MIDI and OSC, export parameters, and the schedule.
These are workstation settings, not project settings. They are stored on the computer and apply to every project you open on it — they cannot be transferred to another machine together with the project file. The only exception is the Main Layout Size button: it changes the current project.
How to Open
- Menu Settings → Properties, or the hotkey Ctrl+P.
- The Settings link in the Welcome to Light Stream greeting window — when a project is not yet open.
- The gear-shaped button to the right of the Art-Net button in the program's top toolbar — opens directly to the Network tab.
- The gear-shaped button in the Export window, next to the Export Mode list — opens directly to the Export tab.
The window has no OK or Cancel buttons: every change is applied and saved immediately, and it can only be undone by manually restoring the previous value (Ctrl+Z does not work here). The window is closed with the close button or the Esc key. While it is open, you cannot work in the program's main window.
Tabs
| Tab | What it configures |
|---|---|
| General | Language, program and project autostart, main layout size, mouse behavior on the mapping |
| Memory & Performance | Video sequence caching in RAM and the image refresh rate |
| Audio / SMPTE | Audio output and input devices, SMPTE timecode reception |
| Network | Network adapter, Art-Net output, device discovery |
| MIDI | Virtual MIDI devices for controlling the program |
| OSC | Receiving OSC commands and feedback |
| Export | GIF preview and video render parameters |
| Schedule | Geographic location of the venue for sunrise/sunset events |
General
Language
The interface is translated into three languages: English, Русский (Russian) and 中國人 (Chinese). Right after you make a selection, the program will warn that it needs to be restarted for the language to change:
- Yes — the program will restart and open in the new language. It is best to save an unsaved project first;
- No — the language stays the same; you will need to make the selection again later.
The same list is duplicated in the menu Settings → Language.
Windows
Launch application on Windows startup — the program will open by itself when you log in. Together with the next group, this is the main way to build an unattended workstation: the computer powers on — the project opens — the schedule starts running.
Open Project on Program Startup
- Enable the Enable checkbox.
- Specify the project file in the field next to it — manually or with the Browse button.
- If needed, enable the two checkboxes below (available only when Enable is on):
- Start schedule on load — the program immediately switches to working by the calendar, no operator required;
- Enable Art-Net on load — output to fixtures turns on by itself, without pressing the Art-Net button in the top toolbar.
If the project file has been renamed or moved, the program will open with an empty project — the path needs to be specified again.
Mapping
Main Layout Size — a button that shows the current size in pixels next to it. It opens a window where you set the width and height of the Mapping work area for the current project. If the new size is smaller than the previous one and some layouts no longer fit, the program will ask: “Crop layouts to the reduced size?”. Answering Yes fits them to the new boundaries, No leaves them as is — in which case part of a layout will end up outside the work area.
Shrinking the work area in a finished project is risky: fixtures that end up outside the boundary stop taking part in the animation. It is more convenient to set the work area size once, at the start of the work.
Fixture Address Size — the size of the address labels shown next to fixtures on the mapping. Increase it if addresses are hard to read on a large monitor, decrease it if labels overlap on a dense spline. Displaying the addresses themselves is toggled in the View menu.
Projection
Point Size on Texture — how large a dot each fixture is rendered as on the projection texture. Default value is 3. The larger the dots, the denser and brighter the glow from the fixtures looks, and the fewer “holes” remain between them.
Other
Zoom to Cursor Center — rotating the mouse wheel in the Mapping window zooms toward the point under the cursor. If the checkbox is cleared, zooming happens relative to the center of the window. Enabled by default.
Update keyframe data during playback (affects performance) — while a composition is playing, the effect parameter values in the Properties window will change following the keyframes. This is useful when setting up an animation, but on compositions with a large number of keys the program starts to lag, so the checkbox is cleared by default. Enable it while working with keys and disable it for a show.
Memory & Performance
Video Sequences
Enable video sequence caching — decompressed sequence frames are kept in RAM, so the program does not read them from disk on every loop. Playback becomes smoother, especially with slow disks and long sequences, but more memory is used.
Number of cached frames — how many frames to keep in memory, from 10 to 100,000, default 100. Increase it gradually and watch memory usage: too large a cache on heavy sequences can take up all available RAM.
Rendering
FPS for mapping preview — the rate at which the program redraws the picture: the Mapping area, 3D View, composition previews. Default 60, cannot be set below 10.
This is the redraw rate within the program itself. It does not affect the frame rate of compositions or exported files — that is set separately, in the composition properties. Lowering the value only makes sense on a weak computer, and with caution: the lower it is, the choppier both the preview and working with effects will look.
Audio / SMPTE
Audio Output — the device through which sound added to a composition's timeline is played back. If the project has an audio track but no sound is heard, this is where to start checking.
Audio Input — the sound source for effects that react to music (equalizer, beat). The Enable checkbox starts capture; a device can only be selected in the list while capture is off, so to change the microphone or line input the checkbox must first be cleared.
SMPTE Timecode — reception of an external timecode by which the program synchronizes playback with other equipment:
- Enable — start reception;
- Input Device — the audio input that receives the timecode signal;
- Frames per Second — the timecode format: 24, 25, 29.97, or 30. The value must match the source's setting, otherwise synchronization will drift.
The device and format, as with the audio input, are selected while the Enable checkbox is cleared.
Network
This tab handles data output to fixtures over Art-Net.
| Parameter | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Network Adapter | The computer's network adapter from which Art-Net is sent for the whole project. Selected once; if the computer has several network adapters, specify the one the converters are on |
| Enable Art-Net | Turns output on. The same switch is duplicated by the Art-Net button in the program's top toolbar |
| ArtSync | Sends synchronization packets — all universes update on the converters at the same time. Helps when, on a large venue, sections are visibly updating out of step |
| Search | Searches the network for Art-Net devices and opens a window from which the found converters and players are added to the project |
| Max Universes per Port | The upper limit on the number of universes that can be assigned to one converter port. Default 4 |
| Do not enable/disable Art-Net automatically | The program stops turning output on and off by itself. You alone control the state of the Art-Net button |
If the fixtures are not lighting up, check in this order: whether the correct network adapter is selected, whether Art-Net is enabled, whether the converters' IP addresses match this adapter's subnet, and whether the fixtures are patched into ports.
MIDI
This tab is for those who control the program from a MIDI console or controller.
- Click Add — a virtual device will appear in the list.
- Give it a Name — this is how the device is later identified in commands.
- Select the row in the list: its settings will open below.
- Enable the Enable checkbox and select the physical device in the MIDI IN list. If the controller was connected after the program was already running, click Refresh — the list will be re-read.
The table shows, for each device, Status, Name, MIDI In Device and MIDI Out Device. An unneeded device is removed with the Delete button.
OSC
The OSC settings group handles receiving commands over the OSC protocol from a tablet, console, or another program.
- Enable — starts reception. Ports and the address can only be changed while the checkbox is cleared;
- Input Port — the port on which the program listens for commands, default 8011;
- Feedback Port and Feedback IP Address — where the program sends replies so that pressed buttons light up on the console; default port 9000;
- Auto — the feedback address is taken from the address of the command sender. Convenient when there are several consoles or the tablet's address is assigned by a router.
Export
This is where the parameters the program uses to output files are gathered. The settings are shared across all projects and apply to the next export — files already exported do not change.
- GIF Settings — the palette, quality, and duration of the preview that is written into every cue file and shown in Light Stream Player. The parameters are covered in the article Настройки GIF превью.
- Video Export Settings and Audio Export Settings — resolution, the composition-name overlay, codecs, and bitrate for Video Render mode. Covered in the article Exporting Compositions.
Schedule
The Location group sets the geographic position of the venue. It is needed for one thing: so the program can calculate sunrise and sunset times itself and trigger calendar events based on them. Until the coordinates are set, such events are calculated for the wrong place and fire at the wrong time.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Name | The venue's name — just a label for yourself |
| Address | The venue's address, also for reference |
| Latitude | Latitude in degrees, from −90 to 90, as a decimal fraction (e.g., 55.7558) |
| Longitude | Longitude in degrees, from −180 to 180 (e.g., 37.6173) |
The easiest way to get the coordinates is from any map. The decimal separator is a period; the field will not accept a value outside the allowed range.
After editing, click Apply: the program will recalculate sunrises and sunsets and update the calendar. Without clicking it, the calendar will keep the previous times.