Align

The Align function appears in different places in the software. There is a dedicated Align key. There is an Align keyword. Align is accessible on the left side of the encoder bar. There is an Align Bar that can be created as a window.

Align is used to distribute attribute values between two or more values. There are five different align modes and Off. Read about them below.

The default is a linear transition between the values, but this can also be adjusted. There are four different Align Transition options:

• Linear (default):
  Spreads the values with the same spacing.
• Sinus:
  Spreads the values as if the fixtures were placed on a sinus curve. The values themselves will not represent the sinus form. Depending on the Align mode this results in smaller value gaps at the beginning and end of the range and bigger gaps towards the center of the range, or vice versa.
• Slow:
  The gaps between the values will be small at the beginning of the range and increase towards the end of the range.
• Fast:
  The gaps between the values will be big at the beginning of the range and decrease towards the end of the range.

These can be accessed using the AlignTransition keyword, the align key or by using the Align Bar.

The Align function can be used for different attributes. Dimmer, position, and color are the most common. The examples below use tilt or dimmer attributes.

By default, the align mode is set to Off and the transition is Linear. The result is the encoder will adjust all the selected fixtures equally.

The align mode is active until a new attribute is adjusted.

Align Bar

The Align Bar Window gives fast access to all the align functions. It has both the align modes and the align transitions.

It can be created like any other window using the Add Window pop-up. It is found in the More tap.

If align is used a lot, then this is a very useful window. Read the descriptions above and below to understand the different modes.

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Align /

This align mode adjusts the first and last half of the fixtures. The first fixture gets the value from the encoder. this value is then aligned to the center and then the opposite value is aligned up to the last fixture. The center fixtures do not change value. This mode is great for fanning fixtures.

The example below shows the fixtures turned On and tilted up without align. Then the align mode is selected and the pan is fanned into the center using the encoder. Turning the encoder the opposite way will make the fixtures fan out.

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Align <

This align mode adjusts the last selected fixtures the most. The first fixture does not change value. The values are aligned between the first and last fixtures.

The example below shows fixtures that are selected from left to right. They are all at 0%. Then the align mode is selected and the dimmer encoder is turned up. The result is very clear in the fixture sheet. The first fixture does not change value. The last selected fixture gets the maximum value from the encoder.

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Align >

This align mode is the opposite of the one above. The first selected fixture is affected the most and the last selected fixture does not change value. The values are aligned between the first and last fixtures.

The example below shows fixtures that are selected from left to right. They are all at 0%. Then the align mode is selected and the dimmer encoder is turned up. The result is very clear in the fixture sheet. The first fixture changes with the encoder. The last selected fixture does not change value.

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Align ><

This align mode adjusts the first and last fixtures the most and the center selection the least. The value is aligned from the first and last fixtures into the center selection.

The example below shows fixtures that are selected from left to right. They are all at 0%. Then the align mode is selected and the dimmer encoder is turned up. The result is very clear in the fixture sheet. The first and last fixture changes with the encoder. The center of the selection does not change the value as much as the first and last.

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Align <>

This align mode does not adjust the first and last fixtures, but the center selection is affected by the encoder. The value is aligned from the center and out to the first and last fixtures in the selection.

The example below shows fixtures that are selected from left to right. They are all at 0%. Then the align mode is selected and the dimmer encoder is turned up. The result is very clear in the fixture sheet. The first and last fixture does not change with the encoder. The center of the selection changes the value with the encoder.

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Align in Other Ways

It is possible to get the same align functions with the Calculator or by the command line.

Tap the encoder belonging to the attribute that shall be aligned and the calculator appears. It is now possible to enter the align values like the example below.

Another way to align attributes is by the command line. Select the fixtures and set the dimmer value like the example below.