Read the pole map symbols
Understand the pole mini-view glyph — a compact top-down map that shows each head's arm, the way it aims, and its fixture type, all from above.
4 steps · 2 min read
Poles can carry several heads at different arm lengths, angles, and aim directions, so OpenLumen draws them as a small top-down mini-view on the plan until you need the detail. Once you can read the mini-view — the center dot for the mast, the arms out to each head, the colored dots for the heads themselves, and the arrows for the way each head aims — you can understand a pole layout at a glance without selecting anything.
The mini-view is drawn the same way everywhere — on the editor canvas and in your exported reports — and stays the same size on screen no matter how far you zoom in or out.
This is the same information shown in the dismissible on-canvas legend; keep this page handy if you've turned that legend off.
What you see when a pole is not selected
To keep the plan readable, a pole and its heads are drawn as a compact mini-view — a small top-down map of the pole — until you select it. The mini-view shows the mast at the center, each head's arm reaching out from it, and a short arrow on each head pointing the way it aims. Selecting the pole swaps the mini-view for the full plan, elevation, and 3D detail.
The mast — the pole itself
The dot at the center is the mast — the pole, seen from straight above. Every arm radiates out from this point, so the center always marks where the pole actually stands on your plan. Because it's a true top-down view, the mini-view rotates with the pole: rotating the pole or changing an arm angle rotates the whole glyph.
Arms, heads, and aim arrows
Each line is an arm running from the mast out to a head, drawn at the head's true arm length and angle. The dot at the end of each arm is the head, colored to match its fixture type. The short arrow on each head points the direction the head faces (its pan), so you can read where every head is throwing light without selecting the pole.
Select a pole for full detail
Click or tap any part of a pole's mini-view to select the pole. Once selected, OpenLumen replaces the mini-view with the full detail: the to-scale plan, the side elevation, and a rotatable 3D preview, with every head color-matched and labelled across all views. You can then drag heads, set arm lengths and angles, and aim the pole.