Adding Splines and Fixtures

Fixtures are placed on the Mapping field using two tools: Add Fixture creates one fixture per click, while Add Spline draws a line along which fixtures are laid out automatically. Below is how to use them, what the program fills in for you (fixture type, port, addresses), and what's worth adjusting right after creation.

How a spline differs from a set of individual fixtures, and which to choose for a particular object, is covered in the article Сплайны и одиночные приборы. Both buttons are located on the toolbar of the Mapping window; its full description is in the article Панель инструментов.

What to Set Before Placing Fixtures

Several settings determine what the new fixtures will look like. Check them before the first click — redoing them later takes longer.

Fixture Type: The button to the right of the add tools. In a new project it reads RGB — the default fixture: three channels (red, green, blue) and a size of one pixel. Click the button to open the Fixture Library, choose the fixture you need there, and click Select Fixture. The button only works while the Add Fixture or Add Spline tool is active — while another tool is selected, it's labeled Select Fixture and can't be clicked. The chosen type is remembered and applied to every subsequent fixture and spline until you change it.
Port: If a device port is selected in the Fixtures window, every new fixture is immediately placed inside that port — no need to patch it separately. If no port is selected, fixtures are created outside any device and remain in the project's general fixture list, from where they're later dragged into ports (see Патчинг приборов).
Auto-Patch: A checkbox on the toolbar, enabled by default. With auto-patch on, every new fixture receives the next free address: after the last fixture of the selected port, or, if no port is selected, after the last unpatched fixture. Fixtures placed one after another fall into the address space sequentially. With auto-patch off, all new fixtures are created at address 1, and addresses must be set manually.
Snap to Grid: Also enabled by default: fixture coordinates are rounded to whole field pixels, so fixtures land exactly on grid cells. Turn it off only if fixtures need to sit between cells. The grid itself becomes visible after enabling the menu item View → 2D Mapping → Show Pixel Grid.

Individual Fixtures

Click Add Fixture on the toolbar.
Move the cursor over the field. A green crosshair frame shows where the fixture will be placed; with snap to grid enabled, it moves cell by cell.
Left-click — the fixture is created.
Keep clicking: the tool stays active, so you can place a hundred fixtures in a row if needed.
When done, switch back to the Select and Move tool, used to select and move fixtures.

What happens in the process:

The fixture appears on the field and in the Fixtures window — inside the selected port, or in the project's general fixture list. It's named after its type with a three-digit number: RGB001, RGB002, and so on.
With auto-patch on, each next fixture's address shifts by the number of channels of the previous one. When fixtures stop fitting into a universe, the next fixture automatically starts at the first address of the next universe — so large series can be placed without tracking universe boundaries.
Clicking the same spot again doesn't create a second fixture: two fixtures won't accidentally end up stacked on top of each other.
Made a mistake — Ctrl+Z undoes the addition, Delete removes the selected fixture.

Splines

A spline is a polyline along which the program lays out fixtures automatically. This is how you set up LED bars, strips, garlands, and facade outlines: you draw a single line, and it can hold anywhere from three to three hundred fixtures.

Click Add Spline.
Left-click where the line should start.
Each next click adds a new vertex. As you move the mouse, the upcoming segment follows the cursor; vertices are marked with green squares.
To get a strictly horizontal or vertical segment, hold Shift (or Ctrl): the new vertex snaps to align with the previous one if it deviates from it by less than 5 pixels.
Press Enter — the spline is created. There must be at least two vertices, otherwise there's nothing to finish.

Good to know:

Esc erases the line in progress, so it can be drawn again; if the line hasn't been started yet, Esc exits the tool back to Select and Move.
A finished spline stays selected — its bounding box and properties are immediately visible. To draw another one, click Add Spline again.
In the Fixtures window, a spline appears as a single row named Spline001 — all its fixtures are patched, moved, and addressed as one unit.
Drawing can be undone with Ctrl+Z.

How Many Fixtures on a Spline

A freshly drawn spline receives 100 fixtures, evenly spaced along its entire length. The actual number is set in the Properties window — select the spline and adjust the Fixture Count parameter. The fixtures redistribute along the line immediately, and addresses are recalculated automatically.

The rest of the spline's parameters, in the General section:

Parameter	What It Does
Name	The spline's name in the Fixtures window. Clear names ("Left Facade", "Cornice 1") save a lot of time when patching.
Visibility	A disabled spline isn't displayed on the field and can't be selected with the mouse. It can only be selected from the list in the Fixtures window.
Smooth	Rounds the corners: instead of a polyline, the spline becomes a smooth curve. Needed for arches and waves; for strict geometry, it's the opposite — unnecessary.
Snap to Pixels	Places fixtures exactly on the pixel grid cells. Enabled by default. Turn it off if fixtures need to sit exactly on the line, without rounding.
Address and Universe	The address and universe of the spline's first fixture. The rest are calculated from it.
Distribution Type	Even — fixtures are spread across the entire length of the line, and you set their number. Fixed Pixels — a fixture is placed at every vertex of the line, and the number of fixtures equals the number of vertices; the Fixture Count parameter isn't editable in this mode.
Fixture Count	How many fixtures are on the spline (with even distribution).
Address Offset	How many channels to skip between neighboring fixtures on the spline. Usually 0: addresses run back to back. A value greater than zero is needed when part of the channels on the real fixture aren't used.
Reverse	Flips the order of fixtures: the first becomes the last. Click this if the animation runs along the line in the wrong direction compared to the physical object.
Fixture Type	A button showing the current fixture's name. Opens the Fixture Library — this is how you change the type on a spline that's already been created.

If the fixtures on a spline don't fit into a single universe, the continuation carries over into the next one automatically — just like with individual fixtures.

What to Do Right After Creation

Move, rotate, resize. Using the Select and Move tool: drag the selection frame to move, the corners to scale, and the side handle to rotate. Details are in the article Мышь, выделение и перемещение; sizes and angles are covered in Изменение размера и вращение приборов.
Adjust the line's shape. Double-clicking a spline (or the Edit Spline button) switches to vertex-editing mode: points are dragged, added by clicking near the line, and removed with Delete. If you select an endpoint and click on empty space, the spline continues further — a previously drawn line can be extended at any time.
Remove extra vertices. Right-click on the spline → Remove Redundant Points: the command removes vertices that duplicate their neighbors or don't change the line's direction. Useful after quick freehand drawing.
Patch. If the fixtures were created without a port selected, drag them into the device's ports in the Fixtures window (see Патчинг приборов).

Other Ways to Add Fixtures

You don't always need to draw every fixture by hand.

Copy by Dragging: Drag the selected fixtures while holding Ctrl — a copy with the same settings appears at the new location.
Duplicate: This tool makes a whole row of copies at once with a fixed step: you set the number of copies, the X and Y offset, and the address and universe offset. This is how you get a row of identical bars or a pixel matrix in one pass. The Apply button creates the copies.
Convert to Spline / Convert to Fixtures: Several selected individual fixtures are combined into a single spline, and a spline is broken back down into individual fixtures. Handy when the layout is already done but it's more convenient to work with it the other way.
Transfer from 3D: If the scene was built before the mapping, fixtures don't need to be drawn again: the Magic 2D Button creates fixtures on the mapping from the splines and fixtures in the 3D View window and links them together right away. See Добавление 3D сплайнов and Связь 2D и 3D.
DXF Import: A layout prepared in CAD software can be loaded in its entirety: File → Import → Dxf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Clicking the field doesn't create a fixture. A different tool is active. The Select and Edit Effects tool works with effects and layouts, not fixtures; click Add Fixture or Add Spline.
The fixture type button won't click. It's only available while an add tool is active. To change the type of an already created fixture, use its properties — the Fixture Type parameter.
All fixtures got address 1. Auto-Patch is turned off. Turn it on and keep placing fixtures, and set addresses manually for the ones already created, or use address recalculation in the Fixtures window.
There are too many fixtures on the spline. There are 100 by default. Select the spline and set the number you need in the Fixture Count parameter.
Fixtures are misaligned. Enable Snap to Grid on the toolbar for new fixtures, and Snap to Pixels in the spline's properties for fixtures on a line. Straight segments while drawing come from holding Shift.
Enter doesn't finish the spline. Only one vertex has been placed. Click once more and press Enter again.
The fixture was created but doesn't light up. Check whether it's placed outside the working field's boundary: fixtures outside it don't play animation. Also make sure the composition has an effect that reaches that far (see Добавление эффекта в композицию).