ComplexPath is a graphical editor which enables you to create robotic paths with 16-bit resolution of any complexity and convert them to PCStage chasers. The paths are composed of straight line and bezier curve segments, and their definitions can be saved to files with extension .cpd. These files are not associated with PCStage productions.

Path segments are managed on the right-hand side of the window. You can select whether a segment is a bezier curve, and set the number of path steps to be plotted along the segment.

The selected segment is shown with square grips which can be dragged with the mouse; bezier segments have additional grips for controlling the tangent of the curve at each end.

If the path is closed (see Path menu), the end of the last segment and the beginning of the first are tied together. The blue square shows the limits of the path area; any portion outside it will be clipped to its edges when the chaser is generated.

When you have created the desired path, save it and select Generate Chaser... from the Path menu. In this dialog you must enter the channels to be filled with coarse and fine pan and tilt (X and Y) path values. If your fixture has only coarse (8-bit) resolution, leave the fine channel numbers blank. You can also reverse the direction of the path and swap pan and tilt here.

When you click OK in this dialog, the chaser currently displayed in the PCStage editor will be rewritten with the appropriate steps. If the chaser tool is not open, or no chaser is displayed in it, an error will occur.