Laser Fixtures

Laser beam effects with pan and tilt control

Laser fixtures provide focused beam effects that simulate stage laser systems. VRSL lasers feature pan and tilt control with RGB color mixing and various beam effects.

Overview

VRSL laser fixtures use a simplified rendering system optimized for laser-style effects:

• Thin, focused beam output
• RGB color mixing
• Pan and tilt control
• Variable intensity
• Strobe effects

Prefabs:

• DMX Horizontal: VRSL-DMX-Static-Laser-H-13CH.prefab
• DMX Vertical: VRSL-DMX-Static-Laser-V-13CH.prefab
• DMX Legacy: VRSL-DMX-Static-Laser-L-13CH.prefab
• AudioLink: VRSL-AudioLink-BasicLaser.prefab

These are simulated laser effects for VR environments. They do not replicate the physical properties or safety concerns of real laser systems.

DMX Channel Layout (13 Channels)

Laser fixtures use the standard 13-channel DMX layout:

Channel	Function	Range	Description
1	Pan (Coarse)	0-255	Horizontal rotation (0-360°)
2	Pan (Fine)	0-255	Fine pan adjustment
3	Tilt (Coarse)	0-255	Vertical rotation (0-360°)
4	Tilt (Fine)	0-255	Fine tilt adjustment
5	Red	0-255	Red beam intensity
6	Green	0-255	Green beam intensity
7	Blue	0-255	Blue beam intensity
8	Intensity	0-255	Master dimmer
9	Strobe	0-255	Strobe rate (0=off, 1-255=speed)
10	Reserved	0-255	Future use
11	Reserved	0-255	Future use
12	Reserved	0-255	Future use
13	Reserved	0-255	Future use

Features

Pan and Tilt Control

Lasers support full pan and tilt movement:

• Pan Range: Configurable via maxMinPan (default ±180°)
• Tilt Range: Configurable via maxMinTilt (default ±180°)
• 16-bit Resolution: Coarse and fine channels for smooth movement
• Inversion: Pan and tilt can be inverted independently

Color System

RGB additive color mixing:

• Full 8-bit resolution per channel
• HDR color support via lightColorTint
• Pure colors or mixed hues
• Hardware-accelerated blending

Common Laser Colors:

• Red: (255, 0, 0)
• Green: (0, 255, 0)
• Blue: (0, 0, 255)
• Yellow: (255, 255, 0)
• Cyan: (0, 255, 255)
• Magenta: (255, 0, 255)
• White: (255, 255, 255)

Beam Properties

Unlike volumetric lights, lasers render as thin, focused beams:

• Minimal spread
• Sharp edges
• High intensity core
• Optimized for long distances

Inspector Properties

DMX Settings

enableDMXChannels     // Enable/disable DMX control
dmxChannel            // Starting DMX channel (1-512)
dmxUniverse           // DMX universe (1-9)
nineUniverseMode      // Extended universe mode
useLegacySectorMode   // Legacy sector addressing

Movement Settings

invertPan             // Invert pan direction
invertTilt            // Invert tilt direction
panOffsetBlueGreen    // Pan offset in degrees (0-360)
tiltOffsetBlue        // Tilt offset in degrees (0-360)
maxMinPan             // Maximum pan range (+/- degrees)
maxMinTilt            // Maximum tilt range (+/- degrees)

Fixture Settings

enableStrobe          // Enable strobe effects
coneWidth             // Beam width (keep low for laser effect)
coneLength            // Beam length (0.5-10)
maxConeLength         // Beam mesh length (0.275-10)

Intensity Settings

globalIntensity       // Master brightness (0-1)
finalIntensity        // Maximum brightness limit (0-1)
lightColorTint        // HDR color tint/boost

Configuration Examples

Basic Laser Setup

1. Place laser prefab in scene
2. Configure DMX:
   • DMX Channel: 1
   • DMX Universe: 1
   • Enable DMX Channels: ✓
3. Adjust beam:
   • Cone Width: 0.5 (thin beam)
   • Cone Length: 10.0 (maximum reach)
   • Max Cone Length: 10.0
4. Set intensity:
   • Global Intensity: 1.0
   • Final Intensity: 1.0
   • Light Color Tint: White × 2.0 (HDR boost)

Scanning Laser Effect

For sweeping laser movements:

maxMinPan = 180       // Full 360° pan range
maxMinTilt = 90       // 180° tilt range
invertPan = false
invertTilt = false

Use DMX to create scan patterns:

• Slow pan sweep with fixed tilt
• Circular patterns (combined pan/tilt)
• Figure-8 patterns
• Random movement

Static Laser Beam

For fixed beam effects:

enableDMXChannels = false  // Manual control
panOffsetBlueGreen = 45    // Aim right 45°
tiltOffsetBlue = 60        // Aim up 60°

Laser Show Array

Multiple lasers for complex effects:

// Laser 1
dmxChannel = 1
panOffsetBlueGreen = 0

// Laser 2  
dmxChannel = 14
panOffsetBlueGreen = 120

// Laser 3
dmxChannel = 27
panOffsetBlueGreen = 240

Arrange in circular pattern, control via DMX for synchronized or independent movement.

Shader

Laser fixtures use a specialized shader:

• VRSL-BasicLaser-DMX.shader

Location: Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/

The laser shader is optimized for:

• Thin beam rendering
• High contrast
• Minimal bloom
• Long-distance visibility

Use Cases

Laser Show Effects

• Beam Shows - Sweeping laser beams
• Geometric Patterns - Synchronized multi-laser patterns
• Audience Scanning - Safe crowd scanning effects
• Aerial Effects - Mid-air beam effects

Accent Lighting

• Spot Highlighting - Pinpoint focused attention
• Path Indicators - Directional guidance
• Stage Effects - Sharp beam cuts through fog
• Architectural - Building feature highlighting

DJ/Club Environments

• Beat Synchronized - Pulsing to music (via AudioLink)
• Strobe Effects - Rapid on/off
• Color Cycling - RGB color changes
• Crowd Interaction - Moving beams over audience

Performance Considerations

Optimize Beam Length

Longer beams use more rendering resources:

coneLength = 5.0      // Shorter for better performance
maxConeLength = 5.0   // Match cone length

Only extend to visible range needed.

Minimize Width

Thinner beams are more performant:

coneWidth = 0.3       // Minimal width for laser effect

Disable Unnecessary Features

enableStrobe = false  // If not needed

Realistic Laser Effects

With Fog/Atmosphere

Lasers look best with atmospheric effects:

1. Add post-processing volume
2. Enable bloom with:
   • Intensity: 0.3-0.5
   • Threshold: 0.8
   • Scatter: 0.7
3. Consider particle fog effects

Color Intensity Balance

Real laser systems have varying intensities per color:

// Simulate typical laser output
Red:   (255, 0, 0)   // Full power
Green: (0, 128, 0)   // Lower (green appears brighter)
Blue:  (0, 0, 255)   // Full power

Adjust via DMX or color tint for realism.

Safety Considerations

While these are virtual lasers with no physical danger, be mindful of:

• Photosensitive users - avoid excessive strobing
• Motion sickness - rapid movements may affect some users
• Brightness - excessive intensity can be uncomfortable in VR

Recommended practices:

• Include brightness adjustment UI
• Provide strobe effect warnings
• Test movement speeds for comfort
• Offer “reduce effects” options

Troubleshooting

Laser Not Visible

• Check intensity channel (8) is above 0
• Verify at least one RGB channel has value
• Ensure globalIntensity and finalIntensity > 0
• Check beam isn’t aimed away from view
• Verify beam length is sufficient to reach visible area

Beam Too Thick/Looks Wrong

• Reduce coneWidth (try 0.3-0.5)
• Ensure using laser-specific shader
• Check light color tint isn’t over-boosting
• Verify post-processing bloom settings

Jerky Movement

• Increase DMX smoothing in Grid Reader
• Use fine channels (2, 4) for precision
• Reduce movement speed in DMX software
• Check for stream compression artifacts

Colors Look Wrong

• Verify RGB channel values in DMX
• Check channel offset is correct (start at channel 5)
• Test with manual color tint to verify fixture
• Ensure universe assignment is correct

Strobe Not Working

• Enable enableStrobe in inspector
• Check channel 9 value is above ~20
• Verify VRSL Grid Reader strobe processing
• Test with manual strobe toggle

AudioLink Integration

AudioLink laser variants support:

• Band Modulation - Intensity reacts to frequency bands
• Color Chord - Auto-color from audio analysis
• Theme Colors - Match AudioLink theme
• Delay Offset - Timing adjustment per laser

AudioLink Setup Example

EnableAudioLink = true
Band = 2               // Mids
BandMultiplier = 2.0   // Sensitivity
EnableColorChord = true
Delay = 0.1            // Slight delay

See AudioLink Setup for detailed configuration.

Advanced Techniques

DMX Chase Patterns

Create programmed sequences in DMX software:

1. Record pan/tilt positions
2. Set timing and transitions
3. Sync to audio beats
4. Layer multiple lasers with offsets

Geometric Projections

Multiple lasers can create shapes:

• Triangle: 3 lasers aimed to meet points
• Square: 4 lasers for corners
• Star: 5+ lasers radiating from center

Use pan/tilt offsets to position, DMX to animate.

Color Cycling

Program RGB transitions:

• Smooth fades between colors
• Quick snaps for impact
• Rainbow cycles
• Color-to-beat synchronization

Implement via DMX scenes or AudioLink color chord.