You are here: Scene Manager > Scene Manager - Concepts

Scene Manager - Concepts

Scene Manager allows the AGi32 user to control switching and dimming via Channels and to create multiple lighting
Scenes. Potential applications include gymnasiums, sports arenas, conference rooms, classrooms, parking lots with normal
and post-curfew lighting, and emergency lighting, among others.

Scene Manager has three sections: Scenes, Channels, and Luminaires. Scenes and Channels are created in their respective
sections. Channels may be Switched On or Off and a Dimming value applied, if needed, in the Channel section. In the
Luminaires section, luminaires may be assigned to existing Channels. Note: Luminaires that are in frozen projects are not
loaded into Scene Manager. This prevents inadvertent Channel changes.

Importing: When importing an AGI file with defined Scenes and Channels, the Scenes and Channels will not be imported.

Backward compatibility: If an AGI file version 14 or later is saved and then opened in an earlier version (2.36 or earlier),
the current state is what will be displayed. In other words, if the current Scene has some luminaires dimmed and others
switched off, those luminaires will be dimmed and switched off, respectively, when the file is opened in the older version.

Channels

A Channel should contain luminaires that will be controlled together (by one switch, dimmer, etc.). As an example, the
wall-washers in a conference room might be in one Channel, and the luminaires over the conference table might be in a
different Channel.

A luminaire may be assigned to no Channels (the default situation) or to one Channel, but not to more than one Channel. A
luminaire's Channel assignment may be changed in Scene Manager, as well as in Luminaire Edit, Project Manager, Identify
Entity, or with the Change Channel command.

Scenes

A Scene is represented by one or more Channels. The Channels whose luminaires are part of the selected Scene are
Switched On. In any given Scene, the luminaires in a Channel may be Dimmed. The Dimming value must be a decimal
fraction between 0 and 1.0, inclusive. All luminaires in the same Channel will have the same Switch status and the same
Dimming value. Luminaires that are to be controlled differently should be assigned to different Channels.

Until changes are made in Scene Manager, each luminaire is initially not assigned to any Channel. Scenes and Channels are
created in the Scene Manager dialog.

The current Scene (selected in Scene Manager) is displayed in Model Mode and Render Mode. The user may switch
between Scenes using the Scene pull-down list on the Control toolbar (upper right) in Model Mode or in Render Mode.
Changing Scenes in Render Mode will mean that the environment will need to be calculated again.

If a Luminaire Location Summary (Schedule) is added to the Model Mode display, it will contain information relevant to
the current Scene.

Other Terms

Enabled - Channels are Enabled by default. When a Channel is Enabled, its luminaires are physically present in the
environment.

SwitchOn - When this option is selected, the luminaire is Switched On, meaning that it is present and is emitting light.
When unselected, the luminaire is present but is not emitting any light.
Dimming - The default Dimming value is 1.0, meaning the luminaire is emitting 100% of its light, based on the parameters
set in the Define Luminaire dialog. A Dimming value of 0.50 means that the luminaire is emitting 50% of that amount. The
Dimming range is 0 to 1.0, inclusive.

Label - This is the luminaire's Label, as assigned in the Define Luminaire dialog.

AGi32 copyright 1999-2016 Lighting Analysts, Inc.

You are here: Scene Manager > Using Scene Manager

Using Scene Manager

Scene Manager allows the AGi32 user to control switching and dimming via Channels and to create multiple lighting
Scenes. Potential applications include gymnasiums, sports arenas, conference rooms, classrooms, parking lots with normal
and post-curfew lighting, and emergency lighting, among others.

Scene Manager has three sections: Scenes, Channels, and Luminaires. Scenes and Channels are created in their respective
sections. Channels may be Switched On or Off and a Dimming value applied, if needed, in the Channel section. In the
Luminaires section, luminaires may be assigned to existing Channels. (Click on the Concepts tab for more information on
Scenes, Channels and other terms.)

To use Scene Manager to create Scenes and Channels, first click on the Scene Manager button (upper right) in Model
Mode. The initial Scene is <Default>. In the Default Scene, each luminaire is effectively in its own Channel and controlled
separately.

Dimming without creating Scenes and Channels:

You may set the Dimming value for any luminaire in the middle (Channel) section without first creating Channels. This is
useful for the case where you wish to simply dim luminaires without creating Scenes and Channels.

To create a new Scene:

1. Click on the Menu button at the top of the Scenes section.

2. Click Add Scene, and then enter a name for the Scene, such as Presentation, for example, and then click OK.

Additional Notes:

 More than one Scene may be created at the same time. Simply type in all the names, separating them with commas.
 Copying a Scene: If you would like to create a new Scene that is very much like one that already exists, simply click
in the left-most column for the scene to be copied, and then click on Menu and select Copy Scene. After that, rename
the new Scene and then proceed to make changes to it as appropriate.
 Once at least one Scene has been created, you may create one or more Channels and assign luminaire to those
channels.

To create a Channel:

1. Click in the left-most column for any Scene except <Default>.

 2. Click on the Menu button at the top of the Channels section.
3. Note the many options here. One way to create a new Channel is to simply select Add Channel(s). Type in the
Channel name and click OK.
 Note that more than one Channel may be created at the same time. Simply type in all the names, separating
them with commas.

Other Channel options: If all of the luminaires of a given Label should be in one Channel (controlled together), select
Create Channel By Luminaire Label. Similarly, you may choose Create Channel By Project or Create Channel By Room, if
all the luminaires in a given Project or Room will be controlled together.

Once one or more Channels have been created, you may assign luminaires to them.

Assigning luminaires to Channels:

1. Highlight one or more luminaires in the Luminaire section. Click on the Menu button at the top of this section.
(Right-clicking in the highlighted area also brings up this menu.)
2. Select Change Channel.
3. Select the desired Channel for the highlighted luminaire(s) and click OK.
 Note that luminaires can be Removed from a Channel in the same way. The Channel column will then show
<unassigned>.
4. The Channel assignment is shown in the Channel column.
 In the Channel section, if you highlight a Channel, you can see the luminaires that are assigned to it displayed
in a yellow field in the Luminaires section.

Setting the characteristics of Scenes and Channels:

1. In the Scene section, click once on the first column for a Scene to highlight it.
2. In the Channel section, all Channels are initially Switched "On," meaning that they are participating in that Scene.
Uncheck the SwitchOn box for any Channel that should be "off" in that Scene. For example, the luminaires across
the front wall of a classroom might be in a Channel that is switched Off for a Scene called Presentation, used for
slide presentations.
 Channels that are assigned to the selected Scene are displayed with black text on a white field. Channels that
are Switched Off are displayed in a medium-gray field. Channels that are Disabled are displayed in a dark-gray
field.
 Note: When a Channel is Disabled, its luminaires are not physically present in the environment.
3. If the luminaires in a Channel should be dimmed in the selected Scene, simply change the value in the Dimming
column. The Dimming value must be between 0 and 1.00, inclusive. Example: 0.50 = 50%. This value refers to the
relative light output, not power.

Emergency lighting example:

Perhaps some of the fluorescent luminaires in a room will be operated at 25% in emergency mode. Those luminaires should
be in a separate Channel from the others.

1. Create a Scene called Emergency.

2. Create a Channel called Emergency Fluor.
3. Assign the relevant fluorescent luminaires to the Emergency Fluor. Channel.
4. In the Scene section, select the Emergency Scene so that it is highlighted.
5. In the Channel section, Switch Off (uncheck the SwitchOn column) the Channels that will not be operating under
emergency conditions. They will still be present in the space but not emitting light.
6. For the Emergency Fluor. Channel, change the Dimming value to 0.25 (25%).
7. Click OK.

Scene Map:

A Scene Map may be created by clicking on the Scene Map button. A Scene Map is an overview of all of the Scenes;
Channels and their enabled, switching, and dimming status in each Scene, and the number of luminaires assigned to each
Channel. Any Channels that have no luminaires assigned to them will be apparent. A Scene Map should not be confused
with the Scene Summary Schedule, which contains information about the active Scene only.

General Notes:

 The Scene that is selected (highlighted) when you click OK is the one that will be displayed in Model Mode.
 In Model Mode or Render Mode, you can change the Scene that is displayed by clicking on the down-arrow for the
Scene field to the right of the Scene Manager button. Changing Scenes will mean that you need to recalculate.
 As Channels are created, they are added to the Luminaire Channel Selector list in the Luminaire Toolkit. Luminaires
that are added to the environment will automatically be placed in the Channel that is displayed in the Luminaire
Channel Selector field in the Luminaire Toolkit.
 Arrayed luminaires will be either in the same Channel as the existing luminaire selected to begin the Array (if
applicable), or in the Channel displayed in the Luminaire Channel Selector field if creation of the array doesn't rely
on an existing luminaire.
 Within Scene Manager, you may click the Apply button at the bottom of the dialog to see your settings implemented
without closing the dialog. Note that this action cannot be undone by then clicking Cancel.
 When Parametric Mirrors are present, the mirrored luminaires retain their Channel properties. In addition, mirrored
luminaire in a disabled Channel will maintain the mirrored relationship even though they are disabled.

AGi32 copyright 1999-2016 Lighting Analysts, Inc.