Your preview is most useful when it resembles the display you are actually building. If a prop moves across the yard but stays in its old place on the computer, whole-display effects become harder to judge. Keep the two layouts in step.
Check placement before adding complexity
Use a suitable view of the installation and position each model or prop where it belongs. The layout does not need to be a perfect architectural drawing, but its main relationships should make sense: left and right, high and low, and the spacing between major elements.
- Compare the preview with the installed display or your current installation plan. Look for missing props and old elements that no longer belong.
- Check rotations and direction. Pay particular attention to arches, rooflines and props with an obvious top or starting side.
- Review groups and test a simple effect across each intended group. Confirm that the expected models participate.
- Look for accidental duplicates or overlapping model definitions. Understand their purpose before changing them; some layouts deliberately use multiple definitions for the same physical pixels.
Use checks, then verify the real lights
xLights includes Check Sequence to report configuration and sequence issues. Review its findings and resolve applicable errors before output testing. A clean report is useful evidence, but it cannot inspect the cable plugged into a physical port.
Light-O-Rama sequences use an associated preview to define their props and channels. When several songs share that preview, review the effect of a layout change across those songs rather than checking only the one currently open.
Back up before changing shared layout information. After the preview is updated, run a simple physical mapping test and check a representative sequence from the audience's viewpoint. That connects what you designed with what visitors will actually see.
Mattos tip: Keep the preview honest, then confirm its assumptions with the installed lights.
Keep learning
Read the full Mattos guide · Browse all Tips and Tricks
Technical references
Adapted from the Mattos Designs lighting-tip series. Need help with your setup? Email Support@Mattosdesigns.com with your equipment details.
