Lighting Resources
Lighting Design
http://scenicandlighting.com/academic/light-labs-and-more/
Matt Kizer has developed a number of great online, web-based tools to help students understand the controllable qualities of light in a number of virtual light labs. Students are able to explore colored light and color mixing, lighting angles and distribution, intensity variations, and textures using gobos.
Software
LXFree & LXBeams
http://lx.claudeheintzdesign.com/index.html
Claude Heintz Design has developed software tools for lighting design that are very accessible to students and cross-platform. The free version, LXFree, provides all of the basic tools needed for students to create digital light plots. LXBeams is a more advanced version of the software with additional capabilities built-in for a moderate price. One of my favorite features of the LXBeams version is the ability to import SketchUp files which I use for scenic design. Additionally they have an iPad app called LXBeams2Go which allows viewing and editing of plots on an iPad, which is handy when working out of the office with the rig!
QLab
https://qlab.app/
Figure53's show control software QLab is a tool that I hardly do an event without. It is extremely powerful and features many tools for controlling your show, playing back media, and more. I use it extensively for triggering snapshots and lighting cues on shows that require different systems to trigger simultaneously, such as a musical theatre production using show performance tracks rather than a live band. The timeline feature within groups is one of my favorite tools for quickly and easily laying out MSC and MIDI cues at different time intervals of the backing track to execute cues on my lighting console or microphone snapshots on my audio console. Of course the companion iPad app is indispensable for being able to step through the show when not in the booth!
http://scenicandlighting.com/academic/light-labs-and-more/
Matt Kizer has developed a number of great online, web-based tools to help students understand the controllable qualities of light in a number of virtual light labs. Students are able to explore colored light and color mixing, lighting angles and distribution, intensity variations, and textures using gobos.
Software
LXFree & LXBeams
http://lx.claudeheintzdesign.com/index.html
Claude Heintz Design has developed software tools for lighting design that are very accessible to students and cross-platform. The free version, LXFree, provides all of the basic tools needed for students to create digital light plots. LXBeams is a more advanced version of the software with additional capabilities built-in for a moderate price. One of my favorite features of the LXBeams version is the ability to import SketchUp files which I use for scenic design. Additionally they have an iPad app called LXBeams2Go which allows viewing and editing of plots on an iPad, which is handy when working out of the office with the rig!
QLab
https://qlab.app/
Figure53's show control software QLab is a tool that I hardly do an event without. It is extremely powerful and features many tools for controlling your show, playing back media, and more. I use it extensively for triggering snapshots and lighting cues on shows that require different systems to trigger simultaneously, such as a musical theatre production using show performance tracks rather than a live band. The timeline feature within groups is one of my favorite tools for quickly and easily laying out MSC and MIDI cues at different time intervals of the backing track to execute cues on my lighting console or microphone snapshots on my audio console. Of course the companion iPad app is indispensable for being able to step through the show when not in the booth!