Color (DDF-Syntax) DMXC3

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Books.png Color (DDF-Syntax) DMXC3 Article describes
DMXControl 3.2.3
Arrow back.png Position
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Table of Contents
Part 1: Basics
Part 2: Functions
Part 3: Procedures
Part 4: Examples

RGB, HSV, CMY, and Colorwheel, as well as Colortemp, are functions in the DDFs for DMXControl 3 to control the color according to the used color mixing system. All the aforementioned functions are assigned to the group Color. The GUI generates an independent control panel for controlling, regardless of the color mixing system, and allows for direct selection of fixed colors.


Color

A luminaire can generate a color in two ways. For each color mixing system, there are technically different mixing systems, which are assigned in DMXControl 3 as follows:

  • additive color mixing: rgb, hsv
  • subtractive color mixing: cmy, colorwheel

RGBx color mixing

RGB color mixing is one of the additive color mixtures. Different colors are added during color mixing to achieve the desired mixed color. Therefore, the colors red, green, and blue must each be set to maximum brightness to obtain the color white. DMXControl 3 currently supports the standard channel colors, which are listed in the table below. Both the spelled-out node names and the abbreviations in XML can be used:

Color XML Node Name XML Abbreviation Optional
Red red r No No
Green green g No No
Blue blue b No No
White white w Yes Yes
Warm White warmwhite ww Yes Yes
Natural White naturalwhite nw Yes Yes
Cold White coldwhite cw Yes Yes
Amber / Dark Orange amber a or do Yes Yes
UV uv Yes Yes
Indigo / Congo Blue indigo i or cb Yes Yes
Cyan cyan c Yes Yes
Lime / Light Green lime l or lg Yes Yes
Mint mint mi Yes Yes
Red Orange redorange ro Yes Yes


Important hint DMXControl 3 calculates colors in the range of 0 to 1, not in the range of 0% to 100% or analogously to DMX in the range of 0 to 255. Therefore, the device control defaults to showing the values 1; 1; 1 for white or 0; 0; 0 for black. So if you need to "clip" the value range to the DMX channels for the colors in a DDF, note the value range from 0 to 1.


Case Code example
Simple RGB spotlight 
<rgb>
  <red dmxchannel="0" />
  <green dmxchannel="1" />
  <blue dmxchannel="2" />
</rgb>

RGB color mixing on channels 1 to 3, where the DMX channel

  • 1 controls the red LEDs
  • 2 controls the green LEDs
  • 3 controls the blue LEDs
RGB color mixing only on partial ranges of the DMX channels for red, green, and blue 
<rgb>
  <red dmxchannel="0" >
    <step type="off" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9" />
    <range type="linear" mindmx="10" maxdmx="255" minval="0" maxval="1" />
  </red>
  <green dmxchannel="1" >
    <step type="off" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9" />
    <range type="linear" mindmx="10" maxdmx="255" minval="0" maxval="1" />
  </green>
  <blue dmxchannel="2" >
    <step type="off" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9" />
    <range type="linear" mindmx="10" maxdmx="255" minval="0" maxval="1" />
  </blue>
</rgb>

RGB color mixing on DMX channels 1 to 3:

  • No color output (LEDs off) on each DMX channel at a DMX value between 0 and 9.
  • Dimming of the LEDs on respective DMX channels from 0% at DMX value 10 to 100% at DMX value 255.
RGBW spotlight 
<rgb>
  <red dmxchannel="0" />
  <green dmxchannel="1" />
  <blue dmxchannel="2" />
  <white dmxchannel="3" />
</rgb>
RGBA spotlight 
<rgb>
  <red dmxchannel="0" />
  <green dmxchannel="1" />
  <blue dmxchannel="2" />
  <amber dmxchannel="3" />
</rgb>
Spotlight with two different white light LEDs 
<rgb>
  <red />
  <green />
  <blue />
  <coldwhite dmxchannel="0" />
  <warmwhite dmxchannel="1" />
</rgb>

Color mixing for spotlights with purely cool white and warm white LEDs on channels 1 and 2, where the DMX channel

  • 1 controls the cool white LEDs (coldwhite)
  • 2 controls the warm white LEDs (warmwhite)

Since nodes for red, green, and blue are required, they must be specified as shown.

Operation of additional LED colors

All additional LED colors such as white, amber, UV, etc., which are installed in the device alongside the RGB LEDs, are not initially controlled after adding the device to a project. In the device properties, accessible, for example, via the Stage View, the behavior for each device can be adjusted individually under the entry White Automix Mode:

  • None: No control of the white LED (default setting)
  • Add white: All four LEDs at 100% for the color white
  • Only white: Only white LEDs at 100% for the color white

Operating ranges for additional LED colors

In DMXControl, the operating ranges for the additional LED colors are predefined in the program but can be adjusted by the user in the respective DDFs. The operating range indicates when the HAL begins to include the color amber, indigo, etc., in the color mixing. These specifications are defined separately for each color using the following four attributes. All four attributes together form a trapezoid in the color spectrum, provided the left and right maximums coincide at a point. In the latter case, a triangle is formed.

  • hueLeftBottom: Left zero point of the trapezoid
  • hueLeftTop: Left maximum of the trapezoid
  • hueRightTop: Right maximum of the trapezoid
  • hueRightBottom: Right zero point of the trapezoid

The default values are noted in the table below. The values of the attributes are given in degrees.

Color hueLeftBottom hueLeftTop hueRightTop hueRightBottom
lime 60 90 90 120
amber 0 45 45 60
cyan 120 180 180 240
indigo 240 255 255 300

For the color amber, the complete definition for an RGBA LED spotlight would then be as follows: 

<rgb>
  <red dmxchannel="0" />
  <green dmxchannel="1" />
  <blue dmxchannel="2" />
  <amber dmxchannel="4" hueLeftBottom="0" hueLeftTop="60" hueRightTop="60" hueRightBottom="120" />
</rgb>

CMY color mixing

CMY color mixing is a so-called subtractive color mixing method. Starting from the color white, various color components are subtracted using three disks in the colors cyan, magenta, and yellow to achieve the desired mixed color. The disks are transparent on one side and fully colored on the opposite side.

Color XML Node Name XML Abbreviation Optional
Cyan cyan c No No
Magenta magenta m No No
Yellow yellow y No No


Case Code example
Standard CMY Color Mixing with 8-bit resolution 
<cmy>
  <cyan dmxchannel="0" />
  <magenta dmxchannel="1" />
  <yellow dmxchannel="2" />
</cmy>

CMY color mixing on channels 1 to 3, where the DMX channel

  • 1 controls the intensity of cyan
  • 2 controls the intensity of magenta
  • 3 controls the intensity of yellow

HSV color mixing

Case Code example
HSV Color Mixing with 8-bit resolution 
<hsv>
  <h dmxchannel="0"/>
  <s dmxchannel="1"/>
  <v dmxchannel="2"/>
</hsv>

HSV color mixing on DMX channels 1 to 3, where the DMX channel

  • 1 controls the hue
  • 2 controls the saturation
  • 3 controls the value

Color wheel

A color wheel consists of several translucent elements arranged in a circle, colored in different hues. This gives the light beam of a moving head or a scanner "its" color. Depending on the design, half colors are also possible, where the color wheel is always positioned exactly in the middle between two adjacent colors in the light beam.

The number of colors for a color wheel is effectively unlimited. However, due to technical limitations, only 255 different colors plus white are possible. A DMX channel can only accept values ​​between 0 and 255.


Attention The following variants are not supported by the DDFCreator and must be manually edited after insertion:
  • Virtual color wheel or color macros for LED spotlights
  • Definition of color macros for different shades of white
  • Activation of the selection of full colors of the color wheel via a second DMX channel
  • Activation and adjustment of the rotation direction of the continuous rotation of the color wheel via a separate DMX channel, adjustment of the rotation speed via the actual DMX channel for the color wheel


Important Hint The so-called split colors, that is, the simultaneous display of two colors directly adjacent on the color wheel, are not yet natively supported by DMXControl 3.

Basic functions

There are two ways to define color in the DDF:

  • Custom Definition: You work in the val attribute with the hexadecimal code of the corresponding color and name the color in the caption attribute with an individual "clear name". The Control window for the color (Color Control) and the Device control (Device Control) also display this name.
  • Definition using color list: There are two subordinate variants.
  1. Calibrated colors: You use the color lists stored in DMXControl 3 according to Lee, Chromagel, or Supergel, which always lead to the same color output for correspondingly calibrated devices. To do this, you only enter the three-digit number of the color as the value of the val attribute together with a prefix letter as an abbreviation for the color list to be referenced. DMXControl automatically takes over the corresponding name in the Control window for the color and in the Device control. See also the table below for details.
  2. White tones: To retrieve color macros or presets for white tones stored in the device, you only enter the corresponding color temperature including unit as the value of the val attribute, such as 3750K. Based on this input, DMXControl 3 automatically generates the color-graded buttons in the Control window for the color and in the Device control, and also displays the value of the color temperature in plain text.

In all cases, the buttons with the colors then automatically appear in the Control window for the color and in the Device control.

Color List Abbreviation Example
Input Output in Device Control
Lee L L106 Primary Red
Chromagel C
Supergel S

It is permissible to enter the same values ​​for the mindmx and maxdmx attributes. This is always necessary when the color wheel does not have a fixed position for a specific color and can be positioned arbitrarily.


Case Code example
Classic color wheel with color filters for a discharge lamp or a white light LED 
<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <step type="color" val="#ffffff" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9" caption="White" />
  <step type="color" val="#e51e1a" mindmx="10" maxdmx="19" caption="Red" />
  <step type="color" val="#79bd7f" mindmx="20" maxdmx="29" caption="Aquamarine" />
  <step type="color" val="#018934" mindmx="30" maxdmx="39" caption="Green" />
  ...
</colorwheel>

Color wheel on DMX channel 1:

  • Color White (Color code #FFFFFF) between DMX value 0 and 9
  • Color Red (Color code #E51E1A) between DMX value 10 and 19
  • Color Aquamarine (Color code #79BD7F) between DMX value 20 and 29
  • Color Green (Color code #018934) between DMX value 30 and 39
Virtual color wheel or color macros for LED fixtures 
<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <step type="enableRGB" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9"/>
  <step type="color" val="#e51e1a" mindmx="10" maxdmx="19" caption="Red" />
  ...
</colorwheel>

Color wheel on DMX channel 1:

  • Activation of color selection via DMX channels for RGB+ between DMX value 0 and 9
  • Color Red (Color code #E51E1A) via the color macro function between DMX value 10 and 19
Definition of colors using color lists according to Lee, Chromagel, or Supergel 
<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <step type="enableRGB" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9"/>
  <step type="color" val="L106" mindmx="10" maxdmx="19" />
  <step type="color" val="L139" mindmx="20" maxdmx="29" />
  <step type="color" val="L071" mindmx="30" maxdmx="39" />
  <step type="color" val="L174" mindmx="40" maxdmx="49" />
  <step type="color" val="L101" mindmx="50" maxdmx="59" />
  ...
</colorwheel>

Color wheel on DMX channel 1:

  • Activation of color selection via DMX channels for RGB+ between DMX value 0 and 9
  • Color Primary Red (LEE number 106) between DMX value 10 and 19
  • Color Primary Green (LEE number 139) between DMX value 20 and 29
  • Color Tokyo Blue (LEE number 071) between DMX value 30 and 39
  • Color Dark Steel Blue (LEE number 174) between DMX value 40 and 49
  • Color Yellow (LEE number 101) between DMX value 50 and 59
Definition of color macros for different shades of white 
<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <step type="enableRGB" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9"/>
  <step type="color" val="2700K" mindmx="10" maxdmx="19" />
  <step type="color" val="3250K" mindmx="20" maxdmx="29" />
  <step type="color" val="4500K" mindmx="30" maxdmx="39" />
  <step type="color" val="5600K" mindmx="40" maxdmx="49" />
  <step type="color" val="6500K" mindmx="50" maxdmx="59" />
  ...
</colorwheel>

Virtual color wheel on DMX channel 1 for calling color macros:

  • Activation of color selection via DMX channels for RGB+ between DMX value 0 and 9
  • White with a color temperature of 2700K between DMX value 10 and 19
  • White with a color temperature of 3250K between DMX value 20 and 29
  • White with a color temperature of 4500K between DMX value 30 and 39
  • White with a color temperature of 5600K between DMX value 40 and 49
  • White with a color temperature of 6500K between DMX value 50 and 59
Activation of selection of full colors of 
the color wheel via a second DMX channel

<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <support dmxchannel="1" name="colorwheel" >
    <step mindmx="0" maxdmx="15" />
  </support>
  <step type="color" val="#ffffff" mindmx="0" maxdmx="9" caption="White" />
  <step type="color" val="#e51e1a" mindmx="10" maxdmx="19" caption="Red" />
  <step type="color" val="#79bd7f" mindmx="20" maxdmx="29" caption="Aquamarine" />
  <step type="color" val="#018934" mindmx="30" maxdmx="39" caption="Green" />
  ...
</colorwheel>

Color wheel on DMX channel 1, when DMX value on DMX channel 2 is between 0 and 15:

  • Color White (Color code #FFFFFF) between DMX value 0 and 9
  • Color Red (Color code #E51E1A) between DMX value 10 and 19
  • Color Aquamarine (Color code #79BD7F) between DMX value 20 and 29
  • Color Green (Color code #018934) between DMX value 30 and 39
Attribute type val mindmx maxdmx caption
Description Color code of the color in HEX format Lower DMX value for the color Upper DMX value for the color Name of the color
Allowed attribute value color #000000 to #FFFFFF 0 to 255 0 to 255 Text

The hexadecimal value (HEX value) can be converted from any other color systems. Every two letters result in a decimal value between 0 and 255. Examples for this are:

Name RGB value HEX value CMY
White 255; 255; 255 #FFFFFF 0%; 0%; 0%
Red 255; 0; 0 #FF0000 0%; 95%; 94%
Yellow 255; 255; 0 #FFFF00 9%; 0%; 93%
Light green 161; 195; 45 #A1C32D 46%; 0%; 92%
Black 0; 0; 0 #000000 100%; 100%; 100%

On the internet, there are several converters under the search term "RGB to HEX" with which you can convert RGB colors to the HEX format or generate the HEX value directly via a color wheel.

Additional functions

For the DMX channel for the color wheel, the following additional functions are available, which are usually on the same DMX channel:

  • wheelrotation: Continuous rotation of the color wheel
  • random: Rotation of the color wheel to random positions

Wheelrotation

Case Code example
Same DMX channel for continuous rotation of the color wheel 
<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <step type="color" val="#ffffff" mindmx="0" maxdmx="0" caption="White" />
  <step type="color" val="#e51e1a" mindmx="15" maxdmx="15" caption="Red" />
  ...
  <wheelrotation>
    <range type="cw" mindmx="219" maxdmx="199" minval="0.1" maxval="8" />
    <range type="ccw" mindmx="220" maxdmx="240" minval="0.1" maxval="8" />
  </wheelrotation>
</colorwheel>

Continuous rotation of the color wheel between DMX value 199 and 240 on DMX channel 1

  • Clockwise rotation of the color wheel at 8 1/s at DMX value 199, decreasing to 0.1 1/s at DMX value 219.
  • Counterclockwise rotation of the color wheel at 0.1 1/s at DMX value 220, increasing to 8 1/s at DMX value 240.
Activation and setting of the rotation direction of the continuous rotation of the color wheel via a separate DMX channel, setting of the rotation speed via the actual DMX channel for the color wheel 
<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <step type="color" val="#ffffff" mindmx="0" maxdmx="0" caption="White" />
  <step type="color" val="#e51e1a" mindmx="15" maxdmx="15" caption="Red" />
  ...
  <wheelrotation>
    <support dmxchannel="1" name="wheelrotation" />
    <range type="cw" mindmx="0" maxdmx="255" minval="0.1" maxval="8" >
      <step handler="support-wheelrotation" mindmx="32" maxdmx="47" />
    </range>
    <range type="ccw" mindmx="0" maxdmx="255" minval="0.1" maxval="8" >
      <step handler="support-wheelrotation" mindmx="48" maxdmx="63" />
    </range>
  </wheelrotation>
</colorwheel>

Continuous rotation of the color wheel

  • Clockwise rotation at 0.1 1/s at DMX value 0 to 8 1/s at DMX value 255 on DMX channel 1 (DMX channel for color wheel) at a DMX value between 32 and 47 on DMX channel 2 (support channel).
  • Counterclockwise rotation at 0.1 1/s at DMX value 0 to 8 1/s at DMX value 255 on DMX channel 1 (DMX channel for color wheel) at a DMX value between 32 and 47 on DMX channel 2 (support channel).
Attribute type mindmx maxdmx minval maxval
Description DMX value for lowest rotation speed DMX value for highest rotation speed Minimum rotation speed of the color wheel Maximum rotation speed of the color wheel
Allowed attribute value cw
ccw 		0 to 255 0 to 255 0.01 1/s to 15 1/s 0.01 1/s to 15 1/s

Random

Case Code example
Same DMX channel for random color selection 
<colorwheel dmxchannel="0">
  <step type="color" val="#ffffff" mindmx="0" maxdmx="0" caption="White" />
  <step type="color" val="#e51e1a" mindmx="15" maxdmx="15" caption="Red" />
  ...
  <random>
    <step type="fast" mindmx="241" maxdmx="245" />
    <step type="medium" mindmx="246" maxdmx="250" />
    <step type="slow" mindmx="251" maxdmx="255" />
  </random>
</colorwheel>

Random color selection from the color wheel on channel 1

  • Fast color change at DMX value between 241 and 245
  • Medium speed color change at DMX value between 246 and 250
  • Slow color change at DMX value between 251 and 255
Attribute type mindmx maxdmx
Description
Allowed attribute value fast
medium
slow 		0 to 255 0 to 255

Color temperature

Color temperature indicates how warm or cool a color should be displayed. Classic PAR spotlights produce a warm white with a color temperature of around 2,700 K. Discharge lamps in moving heads or scanners, on the other hand, have a color temperature between 7,000 K and 8,000 K, resulting in a perceived cold light.

Technically, color temperature is achieved through a filter that is applied in addition to the current color output. This is done either mechanically in the form of a filter disc that is inserted into the light beam. This solution is usually found in all devices that have a white light source such as a discharge lamp or a white LED and produce color mixing subtractively. In devices with additive color mixing, such as RGB, RGBW, RGBWA spotlights, etc., color temperature can also be adjusted electronically. In both cases, however, it is possible to change the color further. The change in color temperature becomes increasingly important the closer the color gets to white, i.e., the center of the color circle.


Attention The following variants are not supported by the DDFCreator and must be edited manually after insertion:
  • Color temperature with its own standard value
  • Virtual color temperature by mixing different LED colors


Important hint The "Color Temperature" function should not be used if white tones are stored in the form of color macros in a device, allowing only either color mixing via the color wheel or the selection of a preset white tone.


Case Code example
Separate DMX channel for color temperature 
<colortemp dmxchannel="0" >
  <range minval="3200" maxval="7000" mindmx="0" maxdmx="255" />
</colortemp>

Color temperature on DMX channel 1:

  • Color temperature from 3,200 K at DMX value 0 increasing to 7,000 K at DMX value 255.
Color temperature active only over a part of a DMX channel 
<colortemp dmxchannel="0" >
  <step type="off" mindmx="0" maxdmx="5" />
  <range minval="3200" maxval="7000" mindmx="255" maxdmx="6"/>
</colortemp>

Color temperature on DMX channel 1:

  • Deactivation of the color temperature control in the value range 0 to 5. An additional range is inserted in the device control.
  • Color temperature from 3,200 K at DMX value 255 increasing to 7,000 K at DMX value 6.
Color temperature with its own standard value 
<colortemp dmxchannel="0" defaultval="5575" >
  <range minval="3200" maxval="7000" mindmx="0" maxdmx="255" />
</colortemp>

In addition to the previous example, the color temperature is set by default to the custom value of 5,575 K using the additional attribute defaultval.

Virtual color temperature by mixing different LED colors 
<colortemp>
  <amber dmxchannel="0" temp="2400K" />
  <warmwhite dmxchannel="1" temp="3600K" />
  <coldwhite dmxchannel="2" temp="7000K" />
</colortemp>

Virtual color temperature generated by an automatic mixing ratio of LED colors amber, warm white, and cold white in the range of 2,400 K to 7,000 K with a temperature value deviating from the standard value for the available LED color temperatures.

  • Color temperature of 2,400 K via the amber LED on DMX channel 1.
  • Color temperature of 3,600 K via the warm white LED on DMX channel 2.
  • Color temperature of 7,000 K via the cold white LED on DMX channel 3.
Attribute mindmx maxdmx minval maxval temp
Mandatory specification Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Description DMX value for the warmest color temperature DMX value for the coolest color temperature Warmest color temperature Coolest color temperature Individual color temperature for an LED
Allowed attribute value 0 to 255 0 to 255 2500 K to 8000 K 2500 K to 8000 K 2500 K to 8000 K
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