How to setup a tracker

The tracker is a feature of Blinderkitten that allows you to direct the moving heads in your project to a precise point, defined by three-dimensional coordinates.

For the tracker to calculate the necessary pan and tilt values, you must provide the following data:

• Minimum and maximum pan angles in the fixture type

• Minimum and maximum tilt angles in the fixture type

• Position and rotation for each fixture

To find and define the minimum and maximum PAN angles of your moving head, we will use one of these fixtures, patched in Blinderkitten, mounted upside down, and without rotation.

We'll define a lot of values with custom names during this setup, feel free to take a paper and pen or a notepad to write down these informations.

Step 1 : Set up the pan physical range

To setup the pan angle, we need to find some informations, then, we'll be able to calculate the range.

• Turn on the dimmer of your fixture, and set its pan channel to 0, the tilt channel shoud be set to a value inferior to 0.5 the beam should be parralel to the ground.

• the beam should now be pointing to a direction, please use the pan angle reference image above to check what is the angle of the beam. We'll call this angle min angle.

• when you increase the value of your pan channel, viewed from above the beam should turn clockwise or anticlockwise. We'll call this direction.

• increase again the value of you pan channel until it is at full, your beam should have make multiple turns (often one and a half), we'll call that turns.

You must have these three informations before continuing : min angle, direction and turns.

• convert your number of turns in degrees (if one turn : 360, one and a half : 540, two turns : 720..), we'll call this value pan range.

• we'll calculate now max angle :

  • if direction is clockwise, max angle equals to min angle+ range.

  • if directions is anti-clockwise, max angle equals to min angle - range the value can be less than 0.

• You must adjust min angle and max angle in order to have one value above 0 and one value below 0 by adding or removing 360 to both values at the same time. No value should be 0 !

We can now fill the values we calculated in the physical range of our fixture type :

Step 2 : Define the tilt range

Now, you need to find your tilt angle by measuring it, or check in your fixture's manual, it should be half the range given in most manuals.

You can now set - tilt angle and tilt angle in the physical range of the tilt channel of your fixture type

Your fixture type is now usable by trackers :)

Step 3 : position your fixtures

Now that your fixture type is properly configured, you must set the coordinates of your fixtures in the inspector. You must select your fixture in a list or edit it from the grid.

You must specify position and rotation (if rotated) for X, Y, Z axes. Axes are defined here : Coordinate system.

Be careful to use the same unit system you will use in your tracker and you layout if you want to use them together !

Please also consider wich axis you use when rotating, rotate 180° for example has a different result for each axis !

Positions and rotations should be imported when you're importinjg a MVR file.

You should now be able to use your trackers :)