Fixtures and patching

Adding fixtures, addressing them, and placing them in the room.

Fixtures are the foundation of every show file in LMX. A fixture record links a fixture ID to a profile/type, patch address and live attributes.

What a fixture contains

Each fixture stores:

Fixture ID (operator-facing identifier)
Name/label
Fixture type/profile
Universe and start channel
Attribute capabilities (for example dimmer, pan, tilt, colour, shutter)

In practice, this means every command that changes output eventually resolves to one or more fixture capability values.

In the GUI

Fixtures live on the Fixtures & Groups tab. The Fixtures table lists every patched fixture with its ID, name, type and DMX address (Univ/Ch).

The Fixtures table

Patch fixtures

Click Patch wizard to add fixtures: pick a model from the library, set a quantity, and drop them onto the DMX grid.

The Patch wizard button

Equivalent command: ADD FIXTURE <id> TYPE <type> AT <univ>/<ch>.

In the GUI	What it does	Equivalent command
Click a fixture row (Ctrl-click to add)	Select fixtures to program	`FIXTURE <id>` / `SELECT`
Double-click the Name cell	Rename the fixture	`UPDATE FIXTURE <id> NAME "…"`
File → Fixture Editor	Create or adjust fixture profiles	`FIXTURE EDITOR`
Trash button	Remove the selected fixture	`DELETE FIXTURE <id>`

Operator notes: if output isn’t changing as expected, first confirm you selected the intended fixtures. Keep names practical (e.g. DS Wash 1, Spots Truss A) for fast cue updates.

CLI commands

Listing and inspection

LIST FIXTURES

Shows fixture IDs, names, types and patch details. PATCH REPORT prints the full address table with overlap warnings.

Patching

ADD FIXTURE 1 TYPE <model|manufacturer model> [MODE <mode>] AT <univ>/<addr>
CLONE 1 4 AT NEXT                      # duplicate fixture 1 as 4, next free address
UPDATE FIXTURE 1 AT 2/1                # re-address
EXCHANGE 1 TYPE <model> [FORCE]        # swap profile, keep programming
DELETE FIXTURE 1 [FORCE]

Every one of these takes an id list, so a whole rig is one command:

CLONE 1 THRU 8 20 AT NEXT              # clones to new ids 20-27
UPDATE FIXTURE 1 THRU 8 AT 2/1         # packs the eight back-to-back from 2/1
RENUMBER FIXTURE 1 THRU 8 TO 101       # renumbers to 101-108
EXCHANGE 1 THRU 24 TYPE <model> FORCE  # swap a whole rig's profile
DELETE FIXTURE 1 THRU 8 + 12 [FORCE]

CLONE, UPDATE … AT and RENUMBER spread the range across consecutive destinations and validate the entire plan first - if the batch cannot fit, or a destination id is taken, nothing changes at all. EXCHANGE and DELETE apply per fixture: one that is blocked is reported and skipped, and the rest proceed.

See Recipes for a complete patching walkthrough.

Selection

FIXTURE 1
FIXTURE 1 THRU 8
FIXTURE 1 + 3 + 7

Use FIXTURE to drive programmer edits or store operations against a known selection.

Setting attributes

With fixtures selected, type a capability name and a value:

INTENSITY 65
RED 100 ; GREEN 60 ; BLUE 20
PAN 45

Any capability the selected fixtures expose can be set this way (use SHOW FIXTURE <id> to see a fixture’s capabilities).

Clearing selection

CLEAR SELECTION

Removes active fixture selection without clearing programmer data. (CLEAR PROGRAMMER clears programmer values; CLEAR ALL does both.)

Example workflow

LIST FIXTURES
FIXTURE 1 THRU 6
INTENSITY 65
RED 100 ; GREEN 60 ; BLUE 20
STORE CUE 1 "Warm wash"

Result: fixtures 1–6 are selected, set to 65% intensity and a warm colour, then stored.

Troubleshooting

Fixture does not respond: check patch universe/channel and fixture profile capabilities.
Wrong attribute changes: likely profile mismatch; validate capability mapping in Fixture Editor.
Unexpected output after selection: confirm programmer values are clear when starting (CLEAR PROGRAMMER).