Properties
The Properties window is the universal parameter panel: it shows everything that can be configured for the object currently selected. Select a fixture — you see its address and universe; select a converter — its network settings; select an effect — its parameters; open a composition — its duration. Light Stream does not have a separate settings window for each object type: they are all gathered in one place, and the window's content changes along with the selection.
Don't confuse the Properties window with the program's settings: the menu item Settings → Properties (Ctrl+P) opens Light Stream's general settings, described in the Settings article.
Where the window is located
In the default workspace, the Properties window is located on the left side of the screen, next to the Compositions, Fixtures and 3D Objects windows. The border between windows can be dragged with the mouse: if there are too many parameters to fit, enlarge the window or scroll the list.
The window cannot be closed, but it can be hidden and brought back — menu Window → Properties. Like any other window in the program, Properties can be dragged by its title to another location, combined into tabs with an adjacent window, or undocked as a separate floating window. The layout is saved in the workspace, see Workspace.
While nothing is selected, the window is empty — this is normal and not a sign of an error.
What appears in the window
| What is selected | Where it is selected | What the Properties window shows |
|---|---|---|
| Single fixture | Mapping window or the fixture list in the Fixtures window | Name, visibility, addressing, fixture type, jump to the linked fixture in 3D |
| Spline | Mapping window or the fixture list in the Fixtures window | The same, plus the distribution of fixtures along the line |
| Converter | Fixtures window | Network settings and universe settings |
| Converter port | Fixtures window | Port name |
| Light Stream Player | Fixtures window | Network address and ports, login credentials, settings exchange, internal converter |
| Layout | Mapping or Timeline window | Blend mode, position, size, and the layout's background image |
| Effect | Timeline window | Blend mode, opacity, and all effect parameters |
| Composition | Double-click on a composition in the Compositions window | Name, duration, loop mode, comment, and color filtering |
| 3D object, camera, projection | 3D View or 3D Objects window | Dimensions, position, rotation, and the object's own settings |
Selection in the program is unified: selecting a fixture in the Fixtures window also selects it in the Mapping window, and vice versa — in both cases the same fixture ends up in the Properties window.
General rules
- A value is applied immediately — there are no OK or Cancel buttons in the window. The only exception is the Apply button for a layout: it recalculates the layout for the entered width and height.
- Numeric values are entered from the keyboard or changed with the arrows to the right of the field. Holding Shift while clicking an arrow increases the step tenfold.
- Properties are divided into sections — General, Universe Settings, Authorization, Internal Converter, Background, Color Filtering. The set of sections depends on what is selected; a section header collapses on click.
- If multiple objects are selected, the window shows the properties of the last one selected, but the change is applied immediately to all selected objects. The exception is Name: only the object whose properties are open receives it.
- The set of properties also depends on the object's own settings. For example, a converter with the sACN protocol shows Multicast instead of Broadcast, and a spline with Fixed Pixels distribution disables the Fixture Count field.
Fixture properties
A single fixture is one pixel or one luminaire on the mapping. It shows the General section.
| Parameter | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Name | The fixture's name. The fixture is shown under this name in the Fixtures window and in the port's fixture list |
| Visibility | The fixture stops being displayed in the Mapping and 3D View windows, and its channels are zeroed out — nothing is sent to the physical luminaire. The fixture is not removed from the port and keeps its addresses |
| Address | The fixture's starting DMX address within the universe |
| Universe | The number of the universe the fixture is in |
| Fixture Type | A button showing the current type's name. Clicking it opens the fixture library, where you can choose a different type — for example, assign RGBW instead of RGB |
| Go to 3D Fixture | A button that jumps to the linked fixture in 3D: it gets selected in the 3D View window, and its parameters then appear in Properties. The button is unavailable if there is no 3D link; if there are several linked fixtures, the program offers to choose the needed one from a list |
You usually don't need to set the address and universe manually: with automatic patching enabled, the program recalculates them itself as soon as fixtures are moved into ports. Manual editing is needed when addressing must match equipment that is already installed.
Spline properties
A spline — a line that holds many fixtures at once — has the same General section, but with more parameters. Name, Visibility, Address, Universe, Fixture Type and Go to 3D Fixture work the same way as for a single fixture: the address and universe refer to the spline's first fixture, and the rest are counted from it. Additionally available:
| Parameter | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Smooth | The spline becomes a smooth curve instead of a polyline. Fixtures rearrange to the new shape immediately |
| Snap to Pixels | The spline's fixtures line up exactly on the mapping's pixel grid. If turned off, they are placed freely along the line, without snapping to cells |
| Distribution Type | Even — the specified number of fixtures is spread evenly along the whole length of the spline. Fixed Pixels — a fixture is placed at every point of the line, and the fixture count is determined by the number of its points |
| Fixture Count | How many fixtures are on the spline. Works only with Even distribution; with Fixed Pixels the field shows the number of the line's points, and entering a value changes nothing |
| Address Offset | An extra gap in channels between neighboring fixtures of the spline. At a value of 0, fixtures go one after another, channel to channel. Useful when the equipment expects fixtures spaced further apart than their channel count |
| Reverse | Reverses the addressing direction: the first fixture becomes the last. This fixes a line that turned out to be wired “from the other end” and plays the animation backwards |
All of these parameters, except the name, are applied to all selected splines at once. This is the fastest way to change the fixture count or fixture type for a whole group of lines: select them with a marquee on the mapping and set the value once.
Converter properties
A converter is selected in the Fixtures window. Its properties are the settings for how Light Stream sends data to the device; configuring the physical device itself is done separately, see Light Stream Converter Setup.
General section:
| Parameter | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Name | The converter's name in the project. Names must be unique: identical names interfere with exporting settings to the Player |
| Visibility | A disabled converter does not receive data — all of its ports output zeros. The fixtures remain in their places and addresses |
| Protocol | ArtNet or sACN |
| Controller Type | DMX or SPI. This determines how fixture addresses in the ports are calculated |
| Broadcast | Data is sent as a broadcast, to all devices on the network at once. Shown with the ArtNet protocol |
| Multicast | Group (multicast) transmission. Shown with the sACN protocol |
| IP Address | The address of the device data is sent to. Set when broadcast is turned off |
| Port | The network port used for sending. It should only be changed in special cases |
| Use Custom Network Interface | Allows sending data not through the project's shared network adapter, but through the one selected for this converter |
| Network Adapter | Choice of network adapter for this converter. Available when the custom network interface is enabled |
Universe Settings section:
| Parameter | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Start Universe | The universe number of the first port. The universes of the remaining ports are counted from it in order |
| Port Count | How many ports the converter has in the project. It cannot be set higher than the real model has |
| Universes per Port | How many universes one port occupies. Affects how many fixtures fit in a port |
| Send Empty Ports | Data is sent even on ports that have no fixtures at all |
Two settings should be changed with care:
- Start Universe shifts the universes of all of the converter's fixtures by the same amount. This is handy when you need to move an entire device within the overall addressing scheme, but after the shift the fixtures will end up in different universes.
- Reducing Port Count removes the excess ports along with their patching: fixtures from the removed ports return to the general list unpatched. The fixtures themselves and their position on the mapping are not lost.
Port properties
For a port, only Name is configured in the Properties window. A clear name like “Facade, left side” helps avoid confusing ports during patching and installation.
Everything else comes to the port “from above” and is configured elsewhere:
- the port's universe number is calculated from the converter's Start Universe and the Universes per Port parameter;
- the port's visibility is toggled with a checkbox next to the port itself in the Fixtures window — a hidden port outputs zeros;
- the set of fixtures is defined by moving fixtures into the port, see Patching Fixtures.
Light Stream Player properties
Light Stream Player is the top-level device in the Fixtures window: converters live inside it, and ports live inside the converters. The player's properties open when you click on it.
| Section | Parameter | What it sets |
|---|---|---|
| General | Name | The device's name in the project |
| General | IP Address | The player's network address. Default is 192.168.0.205 |
| General | Enable HTTPS | The program communicates with the player over a secure protocol |
| General | HTTP Port, HTTPS Port | The network ports the program uses to reach the player. There is no need to change the default values |
| Authorization | Username, Password | The player's login credentials. Next to the password is a button that hides and shows the entered characters |
| Authorization | Import / Export Settings | The button opens the settings exchange window: universes and devices are sent from the project to the player, and the settings of an already configured player can be pulled back |
| Internal Converter | Use Internal Converter | Enables the player's own built-in universes. While the parameter is off, the built-in universes are not included in the check for matching numbers with other converters |
The full list of the player's parameters and the order of setting it up are described in the Light Stream Player Settings article.
Layout properties
A layout is selected by clicking its frame in the Mapping window or its row on the Timeline; for a newly created layout, the properties open by themselves. Two sections are shown.
General section:
| Parameter | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Blend Mode | How the layout's content is overlaid on what lies beneath it. Details — in the Режимы смешивания article |
| Position X, Position Y | The layout's position on the mapping field, in pixels |
| Width, Height | The layout's size in pixels |
| Apply | Recalculates the layout for the entered width and height |
The main layout (Main layout) behaves specially: it cannot be moved, and changing its width and height changes the size of the entire mapping field. For creating and ordering layouts, see Создание и изменение лейаутов.
Background section — this is the layout's underlay: a site plan or a photo of the facade that makes it convenient to place fixtures.
| Parameter | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Show Image | Enables display of the underlay beneath the fixtures |
| File Name | A button for choosing an image file. After selection, the button shows the chosen file's name |
| Resampling Mode | How the image is stretched: Automatic — with smoothing, Nearest Neighbor (hard edges) — without smoothing, with sharp pixel edges |
| Offset X, Offset Y | The image's shift relative to the layout |
| Scale X, Scale Y | The image's stretch horizontally and vertically |
| Refresh | Re-reads the file from disk. Needed if the image was redrawn in an external editor |
Effect properties
Select an effect on the Timeline — the Properties window is given over to it entirely. At the top is the effect's common header:
- Effect name — on the left, in bold.
- Blend mode — a dropdown list: how the effect is overlaid on what lies beneath it. Right-clicking the list restores the Normal mode. Details — in the Режимы смешивания article.
- Gear icon — opens the effect settings window: size, flip, rotation, scale and offset, including time offset. See Настройки эффектов.
- Opacity — a slider for the effect's overall opacity.
The header has no position, rotation, or scale for the effect itself — all of that is set in the effect settings window opened via the gear icon.
Below are the effect's own parameters — different for each effect: speed, color, number of elements, direction, and so on. They are shown as a single list, without nested groups, and scroll if they don't fit. Right-clicking a slider restores the parameter's default value.
Two buttons sit to the right of a parameter:
- L — links the parameter to a function or to external control via OSC, MIDI, or DMX. If a link exists, the letter turns orange, and a parameter with an assigned function shows an F on the button.
- Stopwatch icon — turns on keyframe mode for the parameter. This is the only place keyframe mode is turned on: as soon as it's enabled, the parameter appears as a separate row under the effect on the Timeline, where keys are then placed. Parameters without keys are not shown on the timeline. Details — in the Ключевые кадры и параметры эффектов article.
For effects that don't work with a flat image, the header looks different: a 3D effect has a 3D-area selector instead of a blend mode, and an effect that controls fixture channels and rotation has a fixture-selection button and a count of selected fixtures.
If an effect has many parameters and the window is narrow, widen it: all elements scale proportionally with the window's size.
Composition properties
A composition appears in the Properties window by itself, as soon as you open it by double-clicking in the Compositions window. Two sections are shown:
- General — Name, Duration (a button with a value in hours:minutes:seconds:frames format), Infinite, Loop, and Comments.
- Color Filtering — four sliders, Red, Green, Blue and White, which attenuate the corresponding fixture channels.
All of these are covered in detail in the Настройки композиций article.
If the Properties window is currently showing effect or fixture parameters, you can bring the composition's settings back by double-clicking the composition in its window again.
If something goes wrong
The window is empty. Nothing is selected, or the selection was dropped by clicking on empty space. Click the needed object again.
The window shows the wrong properties. The window shows the last selection, which is shared across the whole program: clicking an effect on the timeline pushes the fixture's properties out of the window, and opening a composition pushes out the effect's properties. Select the needed object again.
The change applied to the wrong fixture. If multiple fixtures are selected, all of them receive the value. Clear the extra selection by clicking on empty space and select only the fixture you need.
The fixture count on a spline doesn't change. The spline has Fixed Pixels distribution enabled — with it, the fixture count is set by the number of the line's points. Switch Distribution Type to Even.
The fixture doesn't light up on the object, even though the animation is running in the program. Check Visibility along the chain: on the fixture itself, on the port (checkbox in the Fixtures window), and on the converter. Any disabled visibility zeroes out the output data.
Not all parameters fit. Drag the border between the Properties window and the adjacent window, or undock Properties as a separate floating window — this leaves more room for effect parameters.