This window displays a printable layout of the selected prop or group with channel information for every string or pixel. It is very useful for pixel-based props because it shows how the pixels are arranged when motion effects are applied.
What is a "node"?
The Layout View displays an arrangement of nodes. A "node" is either:
•a single channel, or
•an RGB channel (for Dumb RGB or RGB pixels), or
•a group of single-colored strings (a bundle). These are often used for megatrees made of traditional lights.
Each node is labeled with 2 lines of text:
•"n1s1" means the node 1, string 1
•"u01c1" means unit id 01, circuit 1 for LOR devices. "u1c1" means universe 1 channel 1 for DMX devices.
If the node has multiple channels, only the first channel is listed. Refer back to the Prop Definition screen to determine the other channels in the node.
Prop - Single Channel
The shows a sample layout for a prop with a single channel. At the top are the name, shape, string type, and device type used by the prop. This example has single node representing a single channel. The bottom of the Layout View shows the arrangement of all of the nodes (in this case just 1).
Prop - Dumb RGB
This example shows the layout for a dumb RGB floodlight. It looks very similar to the first example, except the String Type is different.
Prop - RGB Pixel Tree
This example shows the layout for the Light-O-Rama 16x25 pixel tree. In this tree, there are 8 pixel strings that are each folded in half. Nodes for odd-numbered strings are shown with a light blue background, and even-numbered strings are shown with a green background. This makes the strings easy to distinguish. You can follow the channel numbering for the first string up the first column and down the second column. The other strings follow the same pattern.
Columns and rows are identified with a number. These numbers match the row and column numbers displayed in RGB channel names for pixel-based props.
The "Show empty cells" option is useful when viewing a prop with a custom shape. It can make identifying the row and column numbers easier.
Printing
You can print the layout using the Print button. However, this has the limitation of only printing 1 page wide. If your prop is larger than a single page width, use the "Save Image" button to save the entire layout to a PNG file. You can then open the PNG file is Microsoft Paint (or a similar program) and use its print function -- it will use multiple pages if necessary to print large images.