Sideview (Panel)#
The Sideview is a vital tool for aiming a loudspeaker system and setting its splay angles, on a 2D cutview of the 3D View. It is the centrepiece of the 2D SOURCE tab, working hand-in-hand with the Frequency Response and SPL over Distance panels.
- Selecting an Array
Select the array from the Source Manager: click a row to select it, and click the same row again to cycle through its sub-sources (e.g. L then R of a stereo array). Alternatively, click the array in the 3D View - clicking it a second time deselects it. Clicking the empty area below the Source Manager list clears the selection. Horizontal subwoofer arrays are the exception, as they do not show a side view.
- Navigating
Drag empty space to pan, scroll to zoom toward the cursor, and double-click to re-fit the view. A ruler shows distances in your preferred unit.
- Aiming the Array with Throw Lines
Throw lines are drawn from the centre of each enclosure and can be dragged directly to aim the array:
Drag the top throw line to set the site angle, with a live degree readout.
Drag any lower throw line to choose from that element’s legal splay angles in a pop-up picker.
- Angle Locking
Click a throw line (or drag the lock boundary) to lock it and every line above it - locked lines turn yellow. Auto-Splay holds locked angles and re-splays the rest. Click the line again to unlock.
- Coverage Window
Drag the green start and end markers to set the audience window used by Auto-Splay, SPL over Distance and the Frequency Response Panel. Drag the diamond middle marker to slide the whole window without changing its width.
- Auto-Splay
Click the Splay button in the Sideview’s header to automatically splay the array to cover the coverage window. Auto-Splay requires a selected line-source array with more than one box, and a coverage window defined with the green markers - a warning message explains what is missing otherwise. While it runs, an ‘Auto-Splay in Progress’ dialog shows its progress; SPL rendering is paused for speed and restored afterwards. Locked elements keep their current splay angles. If the site angle is locked, it is kept and used as the far limit of the coverage. The resulting splay angles and site angle are written into the SVA Controller’s hang design table, where they remain manually editable.
The colour indicator in the Sideview’s header corresponds to the colour of the outline around the selected source in the 3D view. Only one Sideview can be open per tab - it always follows the current selection.
As with all Panels, the Sideview Panel can be resized and moved using Panel Drag & Drop, and ‘popped out’ into an additional System Optimiser window. The location of this Panel will be saved as part of the current tab.