How to start (Beginner's guide)
This document is the beginner's guide, helping to start using AlienFX-GUI from scratch. Please read it to understand some basic concepts and methods of the light/fan/power controls.
Starting from release v6, AlienFX-GUI using "Grid&Zones" light control concept, instead of per-light control into previous releases.
Grid define the position of the lights into one of your gear surface.
For example, keyboard surface looking like this (Alienware m15R1):
represented as a grid like this (it has 4-zone keyboard light, not per-key):
Each keyboard key assigned to at least one grid cell (well... 2 cells in this case), and it's position the same as at a real keyboard.
Other lights (like power button and touchpad (if available)) share the grid (top 2 lights in screenshot is a power key).
Your gear can have more, then one grid. For example, for notebooks, the back of the screen can be represented by a different grid (Alienware 13R2):
represented as:
The group of the lights you want to control at once. For example, it can be keyboard row/column, WASD keys, cursor keys... And individual light (like power button) as well. Zones defined from light positions at the grid(s).
"Keyboard center-left" zone selected at this screenshot:
First, you need to assign physical lights from your gear devices to the grid.
You need to switch to "Devices and Grids" tab:
You will see hardware devices present into the system at the left-top list. But for the first start, no lights defined yet, so you can press "Detect Devices" button if you want to look up your gear into my database. You will see "Device detection result" dialog. Check all devices corresponding of what you have (do not use "similar" models, light IDs vary from model to model!), then press "Apply selected". Lights and grids for selected devices will be assigned automatically from the database.
If some devices do not present into database (or have no grids into it), you need to assign it manually.
At first start, one default 20x6 grid named "Main" created. You can double-click on grid name to rename it.
Define grid size according to your gear layout - for keyboard, you need to count maximal rows and columns across it (don't forget to add one row for power button and one row for touchpad if you have different lights for it), then use sliders near grid to set it to corresponding size. For other parts (screen, front, back, monitor back, etc.) choose grid size according to light's layout and your preferences.
Now it's time to check lights and set it to the grid.
Select a device into device list (you can double-click on it to change its name).
Take a look at "Light" block at right - it used to define current light parameters and navigate across device lights.
Selected light highlighted on grid (if defined) and physical light change color to "Highlight" color (click on it to change it).
Use "<" (previous) and ">" (next) buttons (or use keyboard shortcut - Shift+Left and Shift+Right) to navigate across device lights. Some of them not used, some will change color to the one defined at "Highlight" then selected.
So your task now is navigating trough lights and check if any physical light change it's color (please keep in mind - hardware power button does not change it completely, but blink between its color and "Highlight" color instead).
Then you detect it does, assign it to the grid. Left-click on an empty grid cell to assign light to this position, click-and-drag to assign it to a square area, click again to clean the grid cell. You can also right-click on the grid cell to remove assignment (even from different light).
Optionally, set light name and parameters (power, indicator) of the selected light.
You need to continue this process until all lights from the device are assigned to grid.
Use "|<" (first) and ">|" (last) buttons (keyboard shortcuts Shift+Home and Shift+End) to select first/last assigned lights. You can also left-click on an assigned grid cell to select the light it assigned for. "Reset" button remove all light assignments and it's data - it will be not used anymore until you assign it again.
Please, don't forget to press "Save Lights and Grids" button and share your device settings for the community (it will be added to detection database)!
Now let's set some colors and effects!
Switch to "Colors" tab:
First, create a Zone (press "+" button at zones block), you can double-click at zone name to change it.
Assign lights into zone selecting it from grid (left-click on grid cell or click-and-drag, left-click on selected one to unselect).
The number left of the zone name reveal how many physical lights assigned to this zone.
After you create a zone, assign color to it.
Most of the light devices (except per-key RGB keyboards and some other) have hardware effects for lights. Each phase of these effects named "Action".
Press "+" button at "Actions" block to add new action (you can also double-click on actions list). Select action type, color and other parameters at "Actions settings" block. Zone lights should change its color to selected parameters immediately.
Create as many zones as you wish. You can use "Gauge" setting to point how to process zone at some software effects, as well as check "Gradient" to set zone to gradient color between first and last actions.
Well done!
Switch to the "Fans and Power" tab. In case you don't enable fan control yet, application ask you about fan system detection. In case detection fail, fail reason will be provided, otherwise you will see "Fans and Power":
- Switch Power Mode to "Manual".
- Select temperature sensor you like from left list.
- Check the fans it should control into middle fans list (usually first one is CPU fan, second one is GPU for notebooks).
- Define boost curve for each of checked fans:
- Select fan.
- Click anywhere inside the fan curve window to add a new point (or click on an existing point to drag it to the other position).
- Keep pressing the left mouse button and drag it to the desired temperature/boost position.
- You can click the right mouse button at any point to remove it.
- Continue from point 2 for different sensor/fans combination.
What also good to know about fan control:
- It's a good idea to check overboost for fans - it will detect possibility and values to run fans over 100% of nominal. Application ask about it at first start, and you can press "Overboost" button any time to repeat it for selected fan. This operation took some minutes, and require no other fan control apps running.
- Fan boost can only be controlled in Manual Power mode. It will not work (but can be defined/modified) if any other mode selected.
- Power modes is the same as "Thermal" profiles into AWCC, so you can check (and rename) it according to your system settings.
- There are system keyboard shortcuts to change Power Mode - CTRL+ALT+0 for manual, CTRL+ALT+1..5 for pre-defined by system.
You can play with hardware effects, mixing different actions types and settings.
The other big thing is software effects (but keep in mind it will stop hardware effects due to hardware limitation!) - switch to corresponding tab ("Events monitoring", "Ambient", "Haptics", "Grid effects"), select zone or create new one and set it up. Effect in action shown at "Software effect" dropdown.
You can use "Profiles" tab for automatization - you can create as many profiles with different light and effect settings as you wish, then switch it manually or according to running/active application(s), power state and even function key pressed. You can also assign "Global" (device-wide) hardware effect for devices supporting it there.
Experiment, use your creativeness! Good luck!