Your first show

Draft documentation: This document was created with the help of AI and has not yet been fully reviewed by a human.

This tutorial builds two looks, plays them from a clip, and saves the result. Use a new desktop showfile so the example IDs are free. No physical lights are required.

1. Create a practice show

Install a build from Downloads and launch Nightfall. In the startup showfile picker choose New showfile, or use the application menu's new-show action. Name it First show.

Open I/O Transports through the Command Palette and leave Network output and USB output off while practicing. Open Patch, Programmer, Properties, Sequences, Clips, and 3D Visualizer as you need them. You can return to the palette at any time with Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P.

2. Add one fixture

Download the Practice RGBI fixture definition (save the linked JSON file, preserving its filename). Open Fixture Library, choose Upload fixture, and select that file. It describes a virtual training light, not a physical product.

In Patch, use the add-fixture button to open the wizard:

1. Select nightfall / Practice RGBI, then choose its 4 channel mode. Inspect the parameter preview: intensity, red, green, and blue each use one channel.
2. Set Quantity to 1 and Label to Practice light.
3. Leave Assign Console DMX enabled. In Patch, enter universe 1 in the Univ box and start address 1 in the box after the dot. This only assigns console channels; output is still disabled.
4. Review the mode and channel footprint, then choose Finish.

The fixture should appear in Patch and Fixtures. Note its numeric ID; the commands below use 1. Substitute your fixture's ID if it differs. If the library is empty, install fixture definitions before continuing; see Fixture Library.

3. Make a red look

Click the command input in the top toolbar, enter each line below, and press Enter after each one:

fixture 1 @ 100
fixture 1 red @ 100 green @ 0 blue @ 0

The first command sets intensity to 100 percent. The second sets RGB color. The Programmer should show the fixture and those values. Open Fixtures to see the resulting attribute values and color. The practice OFL profile supplies channel information; detailed 3D geometry is available with suitable fixture profiles, such as GDTF.

You can also edit attribute cells in Programmer directly. If the fixture stays dark, verify its mode exposes these attributes, check the Masters levels, and inspect Layers for other output affecting it. Some real fixture modes also need a shutter or other enable attribute.

4. Store two cues

In Sequences, choose Add sequence. Nightfall creates the next available sequence (ID 1 in an empty show) and opens its editor. Open Properties, click the Sequence Editor tab again so Properties follows it, change Sequence label to First sequence, and press Enter. In Programmer, click Store cue. Set Sequence ID to 1, Cue ID to 1, and Label to Red; confirm Store Cue.

Change the programmer color:

fixture 1 red @ 0 green @ 0 blue @ 100

Store again with Sequence ID 1, Cue ID 2, and Label Blue.

Open sequence 1 from Sequences. Its Sequence Editor should contain both cues. Keep Properties expanded beside Sequence Editor, then click the Blue cue in the editor and set its Trigger to Manual in Properties. This makes the second cue wait for Go; the default Follow Previous advances automatically when the previous cue finishes. Leave fade timing at the defaults for the first playback; once it works, try a longer fade and compare the transition. Cues and timing explains inherited timing and tracking.

5. Play the sequence from a clip

Open Clips, choose Add clip, and give it ID 1 and label First playback. Select the clip and open Properties. Set its source to Sequence and select First sequence.

Clear the programmer before playback. The Programmer toolbar's Clear programmer button clears selection first and values on the next press; press it until the programmer values are gone. This is different from setting intensity to zero, which would leave a live instruction.

Right-click the clip and choose Start Clip. Check Status Display for a running instance and look at the fixture output in Fixtures. Enter clip 1 go in the command input to advance to the next cue. For a dedicated Go button, drag the clip to an empty control slot in the Clips panel. You should see red and then blue. Stop the clip when finished using Stop Clip from its context menu. An active instance can also be stopped from Status Display.

If the look does not change, check that the clip points to the intended sequence, that both cues contain the expected values, and that the programmer is clear. Stop other active playbacks while learning this sequence.

6. Save and reopen

Use Save Showfile from the application menu. Stop playback before closing the application. Relaunch Nightfall and use Open Showfile to expand First show. Choose its saved showfile row; if a draft is also present, the saved row is the Revert to saved showfile action. This checks the saved version rather than resuming unsaved work.

Check that Practice light, the two cues, and First playback are still present. Start the clip once more, verify the same looks, and stop it. You now have a saved show you can expand.

Next, store a Group for repeated fixture selections, try an FX, or place clip actions on a Timeline. Connect hardware only after reviewing Patch and I/O Transports.