jfutral

Furthest backwards VW version I know of is v.12. I know of at least one "circuit" that did not have Autocad in the mix. Others, I can't attest to. Command-K, huh? I've been using VW since it was Blueprint (pre-MiniCAD) and I had no idea Command-K trashed symbols. Never used it. Only ever did plots. (Draw line, place symbol, export data to Filemaker or LW, fix mistakes, print.) Sounds like a beer AND a tequila penalty. Filthy animals. Joe

So I have this festival rep plot that goes out, gets up and down graded to accommodate different versions of VW. By the time it comes back, sometimes the symbols aren't symbols anymore. It looks like a symbol. All the info (symbol itself, unit number, channel number, dimmer number, etc.) is still there but has turned into simple text and graphics elements grouped. If you click on the instrument no lighting data shows up in the Obj Info window. So forget exporting to LW. This may have been covered somewhere but I can't find it. And this is nothing new, it has happened before when working for some dance companies a few years back. But I am at a loss as to where the problem might be centered to come up with a work around. Any thoughts? Thanks, Joe

That's what I'm doing the other weeks. This week is the odd man out with two companies sharing the same plot to varying degrees. Company "A" techs one day. Company "B" techs and performs the next day. Then we go back to Company "A" to perform the third day. Need to keep changeover as close to nil as possible. No time to change out or refocus many circuits. Different files for each company in this circumstance gets kind of wanky. Joe

Do you mean duplicate files? Or duplicates with-in the file, maybe via layers? With the festival situation in question, there are basically three plots?the rep plot, the primary company plot (which uses parts of the rep, plus their own stuff), and a sort of "visiting" company plot (using what is available from the rep and primary company plot with minimal changes except for colour and purpose). Duplicate files seems like it would make any changes cumbersome, making sure each file reflects the same changes. Too many moving parts. Since I usually start and refine in VW and export to LW, it would be most efficient if VW is the master, and least cumbersome if only one file is dealt with in creation and alterations. But then I also think it is most efficient if I make my coffee strong enough so that one cup is the same as three cups. Why waste the time drinking three cups? Joe

That's pretty clever. I'll give that a shot. Thanks, Joe

Has anyone come up with a way to handle a single fixture that will be used for multiple uses? In #1 case, trying to maintain lighting information for active rep for a dance company, one circuit of specials (not rep plot) may be specific to two dances. All the information is the same?channel, colour, focus, etc. And similarly #2, I have a circuit that is being used by two different companies in one week for a festival, but colour and purpose is changing, everything else is the same?channel, focus, etc.?with the two companies sharing the plot. The only solution I have come up with for #1 is entering the fixture symbol twice, either on separate layers (a layer with piece specific lighting, for the ongoing/archival-esque, rep plot) then, when "flattening" the plot for a specific performance, deleting the duplicates... ... or separate classes for #2. But in this case, dealing with Lightwright is not so straight forward, but I just started using LW 5, so maybe there is some magic in there somewhere. No awful, but seems the point of computers is to make at least some things easier? What I think would be perfect is to be able to assign one fixture symbol two classes so it shows up with the relevant info depending on how one is displaying classes. not sure how to merge the info for LW, though. Spotlight is great, just not necessarily in rep situations, so far. Thanks, Joe