Effect MovingHead
Controls pan, tilt, path, dimmer, colour, and shutter behavior for intelligent moving-head fixtures.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan (deg) | slider | -180 to 180 | Horizontal pan angle in degrees for the fixture |
| Tilt (deg) | slider | -180 to 180 | Vertical tilt angle in degrees for the fixture |
| Fan Pan | slider | -180 to 180 | Pan offset applied incrementally across grouped fixtures, fanning them apart horizontally |
| Fan Tilt | slider | -180 to 180 | Tilt offset applied incrementally across grouped fixtures, fanning them apart vertically |
| Groupings | slider | 1-6 | Number of fixture groupings for fan offset distribution; fixtures in the same group share pan/tilt, with fan offsets applied between groups |
| Cycles | slider | 0-10 | Number of full movement cycles (pathing animation repeats) to complete over the effect duration |
| MHPathDef | text | (encoded string) | Desktop-only: encoded definition string for the movement path (waypoints/curves the beam follows); authored via the desktop Effect Assist panel |
| Scale | slider | -10 to 10 | Scales the size of the movement path; positive enlarges, negative shrinks, zero is default size |
| Time Offset | slider | -100 to 100 | Shifts the starting point in time along the movement path, used to stagger fixtures following the same path at different phases |
| Ignore Pan | checkbox | true/false | When enabled, keeps the fixture's current horizontal position and ignores the pan component of the path |
| Ignore Tilt | checkbox | true/false | When enabled, keeps the fixture's current vertical position and ignores the tilt component of the path |
| Auto Shutter | checkbox | true/false | When enabled, the shutter automatically opens when the dimmer is above zero and closes when it is zero, preventing light leaks during repositioning |
| MH1_Settings ... MH8_Settings | text | (encoded string) | Desktop-only: per-fixture override settings for moving head fixtures 1-8, storing individual pan/tilt/other parameters that differ from the group defaults |
The following controls are iPad-only (hidden on desktop) and provide equivalent authoring through a touch-friendly UI; they have no numeric range of their own:
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MHFixtures | custom control | Eight toggles for Moving Head slots 1-8; each flips the matching MH*_Settings entry between active and empty. Position slider changes (Pan/Tilt/Offsets/Groupings/Cycles) auto-resync into every active fixture |
| MHIpadInfo | custom control | Explanatory banner for the Moving Head inspector |
| MHColorRow | custom control | Single-colour authoring via a colour picker; writes one HSV colour into the active fixtures' Color: command |
| MHColorWheelRow | custom control | Colour-wheel picker for colour-wheel fixtures — a strip of the model's wheel slots that writes a single-colour Wheel: command; hidden for RGB/CMYW fixtures |
| MHDimmerRow | custom control | Flat-ramp 0-100% dimmer intensity slider that writes a constant Dimmer: command into the active fixtures |
| MHPathRow | custom control | Touch canvas for drawing Bezier (line/quadratic/cubic) waypoint paths plus path presets; writes the same Path: command desktop's Effect Assist panel reads |
Pan, Tilt, Fan Pan, Fan Tilt, and Groupings support value curves.
Settings are organized into tabs. On desktop, the main notebook has Position (Fixtures info, Pan, Tilt, Fan Pan, Fan Tilt, Groupings, Cycles), Dimmer (dimmer row), Pathing (path row, MHPathDef, Scale, Time Offset, Ignore Pan, Ignore Tilt), Control (Auto Shutter), and Status. A separate notebook selects between Color (colour row) and ColorWheel (Auto Shutter) tabs.
Assign a MovingHead model type mapped to the fixture's DMX channels before using this effect. Use the desktop Effect Assist panel to author movement paths (MHPathDef); Pan/Tilt/Fan Pan/Fan Tilt/Groupings accept value curves for smooth animated motion without keyframing every effect. Enable Auto Shutter to avoid visible light streaks while the head repositions.
Last updated: 2026-07-01