Hello.

Alva Sorcerer is a Blender add-on. It brings exhaustive 3D animation tools to lighting and spatial audio design for the stage. Unlike traditional stage technology, which focuses on unpredictability and manual operation, Sorcerer focuses on subtle emotional expression. It’s designed for artists who want emotional resonance in timecoded technical sequences.

Traditional tools prioritize adaptability and consistency, like shaping a vase on a lathe as it spins. For example, effect engines do not allow a change to be made to only a specific iteration of the effect. Sorcerer, in contrast, sculpts a stationary statue. Each fixture, each parameter, each second can be uniquely crafted. For example, the user may tell the 174th iteration of a chase effect to skip a specific fixture and only on that iteration. Furthermore, 100% of interpolation curves are fully exposed and controllable at all times.

The modern stage lighting console starts with the foundation of one of those old DMX512 fader boards the size of a loaf of bread. This incurs foundational constraints hidden so deep they are invisible. Sorcerer starts with the foundation of Blender, inheriting no such constraints. This permits a new world of wild and bizarre possibilities.

How do I download and install?

https://sorcerer.alvatheaters.com/download

How do I patch lights?

Sorcerer does not have a patch page. Unlike a DMX controller, Sorcerer is a remote-control for existing, professional lighting consoles like ETC Eos and grandMA3. Sorcerer will remotely-commandeer ETC Eos to sync animation and sequencer data onto the console. Is currently not supported for remote data syncing.

How do I connect speakers?

Sorcerer cannot connect to speakers directly. It instead remote-controls Qlab for live monitoring. For final deliverables, it outputs sound multiple files that require no metadata. These sound files are then imported into Qlab for local playback. The speaker-specific volume mixing is baked into the audio files for each speaker.

How do I make a fly-out effect?

A complex, custom fly-out effect can be achieved in 26 seconds once Sorcerer is connected to a console with a mover patched.

1. Enable auto-keying mode.

2. Press “I” while hovering over Intensity, then while over Tilt, and then while over Zoom.

3. Step forward to frame 20.

4. Set Tilt to -5. This will give the fly-out a running start.

5. While hovering over Intensity, press “I”.

6. Step forward to frame 40.

7. Set Intensity to 100.

8. Step forward to frame 60.

9. While hovering over Intensity, press “I”.

10. Step forward to frame 80.

11. Set Intensity to 0, Zoom to 100, and Tilt to -80.

12. Open a Graph Editor to adjust the speed, scale and interpolations.

13. Apply to other fixtures by setting the target from “1” to something like “1-5”, or by copy/pasting the keyframes to a different object.

14. If using ETC Eos, create a Qmeo to store the animation onto the console for local, reliable playback.

Documentation Objectives:

This manual is here to make exciting things happen faster, to help you:

• Never select a group of lights again, with nodes!
  • Group controller nodes (control one group per node)
  • Group driver nodes (control multiple groups per node)
  • Master nodes (control collapsed, hidden nodes)
  • Flash nodes (build really complicated but visually simple effects)
  • Mixer nodes (mix multiple choices across a group’s channels)
  • Mixer driver nodes (control multiple mixers at the same time)
  • Group data system (edit what channels are in what groups)
  • Single-parameter nodes (control all of one parameter type for each group in one area)
  • Renderer nodes/Qmeo nodes (save an animation in a format the console can play by itself)
  • Console buttons nodes (make a virtual console in the node editor)
  • Presets nodes: (rapidly record and fire color-coded presets)
  • Pan/Tilt nodes: (super-intuitively control position of FOH-hung spot movers)
  • Nodes toolbar buttons (quickly reach common console functions)
• Make lights track 3D audio objects
• Use 3D shapes to control lights
  • Channel controllers (access ML editor from popup in 3D view)
• Patch Eos visually using cones
  • USITT ASCII import (import Eos’s existing patch using flash drive)
• Use a video editor to timecode on Eos without any cables
  • Flash strips (make stuff flash on-beat with minimal amount of effort)
  • Macro strips (build and fire macros on the console via sequencer)
  • Cue strips (design, record, and set duration of cues via sequencer)
  • Trigger strips (send arbitrary OSC strings, or make cool offset effects)
  • Animation strips (make fluid, natural, non-repeating, emotive lighting effects)
  • Performance capture (make a moving light seem like it is alive and has feelings)
  • Strip formatter (quickly change a lot of strips at once)
  • Audio strips (quickly make audio strips do stuff)
  • Toolbar tab (quickly reach common console functions)
  • Sequencer hotkeys (do stuff subconsciously)
  • House lights automation (avoid getting yelled at for keeping house lights off)
  • Livemap (avoid having to constantly scrub backwards to activate current cue)
  • Motif names and linking (keep multiple strips in sync)
• Prevent students and/or volunteers from messing with stuff
• Take Sorcerer to other console types
• Use Python directly on Eos with absolutely no setup
  • Accessing spy:
  • spy.make_eos_macros(macro_range, int_range, string)
  • OSC Functions
  • Utility Functions