Topic
Design Software
Articles and pages tagged Design Software.
Design Software
AutoCADAutoCad is considered the standard of the architectural and engineering worlds. There are several renditions of the base program, as well as several sets of macros available that are designed specifically for entertainment lighting. AutoCAD
Drafting a flat using VectorWorksDrafting a 2-D theater flat using Vectorworks. This is just one method, of many, for drawing a 4×8 B’way style flat. It runs about 20 minutes and covers a lot of the tools/functions in Vectorworks. Watch video
Drawing a Theatrical Flat in 3-D using VectorworksInstructional video showing a method of drawing a theatrical flat using VectorWorks. The result is a flat in 3-D. Watch video
GIMPGimp . A free, open-source alternative to Photoshop. GIMP can do most of the things that Photoshop does, certainly enough to create a simple rendering. http://www.gimp.org
GrandMA 3DGrandMA 3D visualization software. Similar to WYSIWYG, this program shows you what your lights will look like on your virtual stage using your Windows computer. This software is specifically designed to be an emulator for the GrandMA lighti
LightwrightLightwright . The demo version of Lightwright is exactly the same as the regular version except that it has a maximum capacity of seventy-five lights instead of the usual 30,000, it will hold only fifty entries in each text category instead
LXSeriesLXSeries lighting software has a lot of the same functions as the other packages but with less polish. The interface is a bit clunky, but with a price tag of less than $100 it may well be the go-to choice for many aspiring lighting designer
Making White Models using VectorWorks, part IA tutorial showing how to create a basic ground plan of a simple set in Vectorworks. We then explore working planes that allow us to print each wall from its "front" view. These will then become the actual white model walls. The tutorial is
PhotoShopPhotoShop is the industry-standard when it comes to manipulating photographs. It has a full set of painting tools that allows one to create very effective color renderings. For students and teachers, Adobe offers an educational version for 
QCAD 2DQCAD 2D drafting software is one of the least expensive CAD programs out there. It's currently selling for about $42. It doesn't have any lighting tools built-in, but the resourcefukl user can construct their own lighting symbols from scrat
SoftPlot 3DSoftPlot 3D is another Windows-only software program that allows you to create paperwork and see a virtual representation of what your lighting will do. http://www.stageresearch.com/
VectorworksVectorworks: The Gold Standard for Entertainment Industry Drafting If you teach or work in stage design and technical production, Vectorworks stands out as the premier CAD package—especially for theatres, live event venues, and schools. Not
Vectorworks Classes, Layers, Viewports, 3D FlatI show how I use classes and layers to keep things organized within a 3D Flat symbol. I also show how to make several viewports to show the flat from various angles on a sheet layer. Here’s a file with the 3D Flat symbol 520.50 KB to play w
Vectorworks, Building an Octagon Truss & Editing Truss hingeI’ve created a video showing how to build an octagon and edit hinged truss to 45°. Plus adding Braceworks settings to allow easy snapping. Watch video
Virtual Light LabVirtual Light Lab . VLL has demo versions for both Mac and Windows machines.The demo version does not allow you to save your work from session to session, but setting it up is so quick and easy that you’ll be working with the two lights and
White Model via Paper & Vectorworks.Now that we’ve printed out all the parts to our model, it’s time to assemble the paper into a simple 3-D model.
WYSIWYGWYSIWYG . The name stands for "what you see is what you get." It is a lighting visualization program that allows you to see what light will do. Among its many features: you can connect to a lighting control board and use the board to contro