Alignment Error
In case of using zactrack with Moving Heads a Fixture Alignment is necessary. A Fixture Alignment calculates the fixture position in XYZ and all 3 rotations. This means no 3D plot of a stage is necessary.
zactrack uses the Pan and Tilt spread for its numeric position calculation. It is necessary to have the right values for every fixture type!
To Align a Fixture please visit Alignment.
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After an Alignment all fixtures get a green, yellow or red XYZ position. This indicator can be compared to a traffic light.
Green result - Good to go
This is the best case, the system can calculate the position with less amount of tolerance.
Yellow result - not good to go but OK
In this case, the system can only find the position with more tolerance. This happens often when using washlights, due to the big beam size.
Note
In case of a washlight this result can be good enough!
Red result - don`t go
In the last case, the calculation delivers to much tolerance. Yes the system provides an XYZ position, but the position is bad. This fixture may travel correctly between the alignment points, but be careful and don`t use aligned fixtures showing red positions.
Tip
Always check the alignment visual!
Clicking the colored XYZ position, delivers some additional details.
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Classification of an Alignment Error
Problems with Fixtures from the same Fixture Type
If all Fixtures from the same type are not able to have a proper alignment, maybe the Pan or Tilt angles in the Fixture Type are wrong
Single Fixture from a pool of Fixtures
In case of a single Fixture which is causing a problem, it is not a general problem with the type and the angles. The Fixtures itself could be damaged or something went wrong with DMX data.
In case of a bad alignment
Check the Pan and Tilt angles
Go to Fixture Types and click on the type which is causing a problem. Check the Pan and Tilt physics and DMX min and max values. Go to the manufacturer page and compare the values.
The zactrack system can measure Pan and Tilt angles (missing or wrong manufacturer information).
It is possible to do this for the Fixture Type and also only for a single fixture (e.g. bad maintenance) Visit Pan/Tilt Measurement for more details.
Some newer fixtures can limit there movement angles via software, these software boundaries can affect the alignment.
In case of "use console for centering" a wrong DMX Input or missing Pan and Tilt data from the console can also cause bad alignment. Check DMX Data in Universes