13 - LED Strip Effect
Module: SuperAssets
Target Users: Lighting designers and stage technicians
Prerequisites: 03 - DMX Actor Basics
Last Verified: 2026-06-28
1. Overview
SuperLightStripEffect is a 9-channel DMX Actor for strip-style emissive material control in the SuperAssets module inside the SuperStage plugin.
It creates its own mesh component and can also apply one shared dynamic material instance to multiple StaticMeshActor targets in the level. One set of DMX channels can therefore drive brightness, strobe, color, and effect material parameters across a group of strip meshes.
2. Placement And Model Binding
- Place SuperLightStripEffect from the SuperStage asset list.
- To show the effect on the Actor itself, assign a static mesh to StaticMeshEffect.
- To control existing meshes in the level, add
StaticMeshActortargets to TargetMeshActors. - Set MaterialIndex to choose which material slot is replaced.
- Set Universe and Start Address, reserving 9 channels.
The editor also provides a context-menu binding workflow. Select static mesh Actors, then use the SuperStage context menu to append them to a LightStripEffect target list. The tool removes duplicates and refreshes the material after binding.
3. Editable Parameters
| Parameter | Category | Default | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TargetMeshActors | A.ModelTargets | Empty | — | StaticMeshActor targets that receive the strip material. Editable on a placed instance only, not on class defaults |
| StaticMeshEffect | A.ModelTargets | Empty | — | Static mesh used by the Actor's own mesh component |
| MaxLightIntensity | B.DefaultParameter | 1.0 | 0–1000 | Written to the material parameter MaxBrightness |
| MaterialIndex | B.DefaultParameter | 0 | 0–255 | Material slot index. The tool checks that the slot exists before assigning the material |
| Dimmer | C.ControlParameter | 0.0 | 0–1 | Normalized brightness value |
| Strobe | C.ControlParameter | 0.0 | 0–1 | Normalized strobe speed value |
| Effect | C.ControlParameter | 0.0 | 0–1 | Written to Effect after mapping to 0–10 |
| Speed | C.ControlParameter | 0.5 | 0–1 | Written to Speed after mapping to −10–10. 0.5 is stationary |
| Width | C.ControlParameter | 0.0 | 0–1 | Written to Width after mapping to 0–10 |
| Direction | C.ControlParameter | 0.0 | 0–1 | Written to EffectDirection |
| Color | C.ControlParameter | White | — | Written to LightColor |
Use DMX mode for normal operation. The
C.ControlParametergroup is only shown when ControlMode isProperty, and in Property mode the current implementation writes nothing to the material: the read-and-apply step returns immediately. (The one exception is the strobe: the per-frame brightness recalculation does not check the control mode, but theDimmerit multiplies is still whatever DMX last wrote.)
4. DMX Channels
The Actor asset data marks this fixture as 9CH, and it reads these coarse attributes:
| Channel | Attribute | Material / Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dimmer | Used when writing Brightness. |
| 2 | Strobe | Enables the strobe multiplier when above 0, affecting Brightness. |
| 3 | Effect | Written to Effect as Lerp(0, 10, Effect). |
| 4 | Speed | Written to Speed as Lerp(-10, 10, Speed). |
| 5 | Width | Written to Width as Lerp(0, 10, Width). |
| 6 | Direction | Written to EffectDirection. |
| 7 | Red | RGB red component. |
| 8 | Green | RGB green component. |
| 9 | Blue | RGB blue component. |
The actual visual result is defined by /SuperStage/SuperCore/LightMaterial/MainMaterial/M_Effect. The current implementation writes the parameters above; this manual does not promise fixed effect names or a fixed visual list.
5. Strobe Behavior
The current implementation no longer writes Strobe and StrobeMode into the material. Strobe is calculated by the fixture logic:
Strobe > 0enables strobing.- The cached strobe speed is
Strobe * 255. - Each frame calculates a linear triangle-wave multiplier with smoothing.
- The material receives
Brightness = Dimmer * StrobeMultiplier.
For that reason, this manual no longer describes multiple strobe modes. The visible result depends on Dimmer, Strobe, frame rate, and material response.
6. FAQ
Target meshes do not show the strip material
Check these items:
- The target is a
StaticMeshActor. MaterialIndexis within the target mesh's actual material slot range.MaxLightIntensityis above 0.- DMX reaches the configured Universe and 9-channel range.
- The strip material has been refreshed; context-menu binding refreshes it, while other workflows may require reinitializing the fixture.
Can multiple meshes be controlled independently?
One SuperLightStripEffect applies one shared dynamic material instance to all targets, so those targets change together. For independent control, place multiple SuperLightStripEffect Actors and give them different addresses.
Where are effect names configured?
The current implementation only writes the numeric Effect value to the material parameter. The visual meaning of 0-10 is defined by the M_Effect material, not by a fixed table in the Actor.