The way we make live entertainment –
– whether it is theatre, live music, dance, or…the indescribable – is changing.
The technology we use is changing, and the way we interact with lighting is changing.
We need tools that can make us more efficient,
tools that enable us to keep up with the fast-paced demands of an intensive tech session
and tools that will enable us to visualize and control our lighting in new ways.
You've probably watched the Eos Augment3d tutorials and looked at the software.
And then you may have decided “ahh, it's just too complicated”
or that you “don’t have the time to learn 3D”.
I am here to dispel some of the myths that exist around the use of Augment3d.
Before we go any further, I’ll tell you that this is not a “how to use Augment3d” session.
It is all about why you should use Augment3d, and how you can get started today.
Here are the myths that we’ll be busting today:
#1 Augment3d is really complicated to set up.
#2 I have to already be proficient in 3D drawing and CAD packages to even use Augment3d
#3 In order to use Augment3d, I have to import my whole lighting plot
#4 Pan & Tilt just don’t work anymore – now I have to use XYZ palettes
and #5 Augment3d is just another visualizer
So, right off the bat, I am going to take a cue out of order and correct Myth #5.
Augment3d is not just a visualizer – it really is a 3D programming tool.
Visualizers are intended to get you as far as a load-in.
After that, they generally stop being very useful.
Augment3d allows you to keep working – or even start working - in a 3D space while you are programming,
bringing you a bunch of really useful tools that are intended to make your life –
– or at least your programming – easier.
We’ll circle back to this idea a lot as we go through this session.
So, Myth #1 – it’s just too complicated.
I guess the answer here is “baby steps”.
Like any new piece of software, you need to allow some time to learn the features
and how they can help you to work smarter and faster.
The thought of having to draw your space in 3D can be daunting – but you don’t have to.
All Augment3d really needs for you to get going is a floor
with basic dimensions that you probably already have in your head.
I think of it as a bit like Magic Sheets – a tool that you didn’t know you needed
until it became available – and now, I haven’t heard of a single show
that doesn’t have at least 1 Magic Sheet in the show file.
People found that Magic Sheets were all about creating personalized, re-usable programming tools.
It’s the same with Augment3d – and this is our challenge to you – start small.
Find one thing that you want to do – it could be as simple as a single light in a single cue
– and build that into Augment3d.
If it solves your problem and allows you to keep on programming, you’re on the right path!
Regarding myth #2 - You do not need to be a CAD-wizard to use Augment3d.
If you have drawings – then great – but you don’t need them.
There are stock items included in Augment3d that you can use to get you going –
and remember, all you really need is a floor.
You can include as much or as little detail as you need in your model.
Sure, there would be great value in having a millimeter-accurate Augment3d model
with all the details in there – but my advice would be, if you don’t need it, then don’t include it.
If the set designer has done a great 3D model and you are able to import it – go for it.
It is worth remembering that the more accurate your model is,
the more accurately you can interact with Augment3d.
But the more complex the model you are importing,
the more measurements there are that you might need to get checked and corrected
and if all you really need is the size of the stage and a few different levels, then just add those.
Remember, you are not really using Augment3d as a visualizer,
but as a tool to get you the three dimensional control of the lights that you want.
Always ask yourself: “How much do I actually need?”
You can always add extra elements in as you go.
And as you learn, the faster you will become – just like with any other tool.
Myth #3 – You need your entire rig built into Augment3d.
If all you need is to get some movers to go from Point A to Point B in a straight line,
then you don’t need to spend hours drawing in the set and the rest of the rig in full detail.
Just add in the floor and the lights you need, and you are ready.
Or maybe you have some LED battens behind a piece of scenery or a cyc,
and you want to see what those lights are doing,
or ballet booms that are hidden from view by the masking,
or some practicals or other lights that aren’t always plugged in –
– just add those and don’t worry about the rest, at least for now.
Being selective about the lights you pull into Augment3d
means that you don’t need to spend time setting focus for every single fixture.
Using Click-to-focus is another tool that helps to speed up your process.
We often create a 9-point starter grid for moving light positions before we even start programming.
Having a quicker way to do this means you have more time to finesse some of the other details
that maybe you wouldn't normally get time to get back to.
Using Fixture POV in Augment3d to check a fixture’s line of sight can also save time.
You can be sure that you are going to get the shot you need
before you spend time getting out a ladder and rigging a real light.
OK, Myth #4. Let’s talk about Pan and Tilt vs XYZ Palettes.
Think of it this way: traditional Pan and Tilt palettes basically store just that –
– pan and tilt values of a light.
XYZ palettes store where the actual emitted light should be, an XYZ point.
But - even if you are using Augment3d, you do not have to use XYZ Palettes.
Over time, you can ease yourself into them
as there are some distinct benefits over conventional Pan & Tilt palettes.
As an example, think about those by-type palettes that you’ve been using for a while
for gobos, and zooms, and colors.
Using XYZ you can finally make use of By Type palettes for focus position information.
Focus palette 42 is a chair, for example.
A bunch of lights can hit that chair.
Now, you don’t need to adjust all of them when that chair gets moved.
It also gives you a way to interact with the fixtures in a real-world way –
“move those lights 2m further upstage”, or “the truck has just moved 1 foot SL”.
Update the by-type focus pallete, and all of the lights now know where to hit.
But, you don’t have to use XYZ palettes to still use XYZ..
You can continue to store palettes as Pan & Tilt
but use the Tap-to-Focus and Fixture Handle functions to move groups of lights –
without even knowing that those are XYZ under the hood.
So, back to Myth #5.
Hopefully by now you are starting to see Augment3d as more than just a visualizer,
and that it's a powerful set of programming tools.
And I really hope that I’ve dispelled some of the myths around using Augment3d.
While it does goes far beyond what you can expect from a visualizer,
you don’t have to go from 0 to Full in a snap cue.
Your Augment3d journey can be a nice, smooth crossfade. Thanks.