Do you want to learn about the stage lighting software? I’m sure you spot some light programming software free on the internet, but aren’t sure if they are efficient or reliable. You have to be careful with what you choose because not all stage lighting software are great. Of course, the best stage lighting software for your needs depends on your preferences. The stage lighting software free aren’t always efficient and they sometimes hiccups.
My advice is that if you really need a particular feature that will give you an edge in your work, and that no other stage lighting software out there has, then it’s worth spending a few dollars for it.
Lightkey Software
First, buy Lightkey software. Like I already said, you can download the software for free, but you’ll have a very limited version of the software. Still, you’ll be able to experience it enough to see whether or not you like this type of user interface.
ADJ Airstream DMX Pro
Designed for those working in small to mid-sized venues, this stage lighting control app allows users to control up to 576 fixtures. The app will work with up to four DMX512 universes (2,048 lighting channels), and supports both Art-Net and sACN. An effects generator produces movement, color, and flash effects, and designers may also use audio to trigger special effects (it also supports MIDI). It is available for iOS, and requires the purchase of an ADJ 4 Stream DMX Bridge or Airstream DMX Bridge, which act as the interface between the fixtures and the user’s mobile device.
Blizzard Lighting EclipseDMX Controlling Software
Blizzard Lighting was founded by a DJ and musician who wanted to develop lighting equipment that was more functional for the gigging professional. As such, it’s designed to be durable and streamlined. The EclipseDMX software is Windows-based and aimed at working DJs, especially those who do club shows. It comes with more than 60 pre-programmed shape and color FX, a large fixture profile library, and global controls for fog/haze machines and strobes. The editing engine gives the user a lot of flexibility with sequence creation and playback, allowing them to be independently locked or stacked, and it’s also compatible with a USB joystick or MIDI controller for those who prefer an old-school feel.
Relux
Relux is one of my favorite stage lighting software from this list. It provides all essential as well as advanced tools required to design and simulate stage lightings. You can calculate various lighting parameters and generate 3D luminance view, raytraced images, results tables, graphs, etc. Another favorite of mine is DIALux as it lets you create proper documentation of designed stage lighting project.
Relux is a featured lighting design and simulation software for Windows. It provides a wide number of features to simulate lighting for various interior and exterior projects. You can design stage lighting as well using it.
How to design stage lighting using Relux:
You can start by creating a new project by selecting a template like interior with CAD plan, exterior with CAD plan, interior with background image, exterior with background image, etc. After that, you can create a floor plan for the stage area using various objects like room object, exterior objects, measuring objects, 3D objects, etc. Now, from its Products menu, you can add various Luminaires, Lamp, and Sensors. You can use track spotlights, LED stage lights, Fresnel lantern, strip lights, scoop light, etc. It contains an inbuilt library of lighting products from real brands, so you can easily import luminaires to your project. But, in case you don’t find your desired products in its library, you can always search, download, and import them from its own product search engine which is ReluxNet. You can setup stage lighting and then see how it looks in both 2D and 3D modes.
This free stage lighting software also provides a dedicated Calculation module. You can use this module to perform stage lighting calculations including total luminous flux of lamps, total power, maintenance factor, major surfaces, evaluation area, etc. Before performing calculations, you can setup some calculation parameters using Calculation Manager, such as measuring areas, enable raytracing calculation, solar altitude graphs, artificial light, etc.
The results of stage lighting simulation are shown in a dedicated tab. From the Results tab, you can see results including 3D luminance view, 3D pseudo colors view, 3D mountain plot, Raytracing, Results Tables, and Graphs (Isolines, Pseudo colors). You can save the resulting images in JPEG or BMP format.
All in all, it is one of the best stage lighting software that you can use for free.
ARRI Stellar 1.5
ARRI’s latest update to this professional lighting control app focuses on enhancing collaboration capabilities among members of the production team. Its Live Sync Beta feature allows for real-time collaboration on separate devices, enabling more than one person to work on the same project (and scene) at the same time. Export/Import, as its name suggests, lets users export and import projects and scenes via the cloud, wirelessly between devices, or through email, messaging, and other sharing tools. Available on The App Store and Google Play. The iOS version will back up to iCloud automatically, facilitating the process for users who switch back and forth between their iPhone and iPad.
Sunlite Suite 2
Designed by Nicolaudie for theater, live shows, and clubs, this software is the industry standard for advanced DMX control. The intuitive layout of the software gives each fixture in your lighting rig its own page, allowing easy independent control. Program your lightshow with the editor and timeline visual interfaces, which include a variety of presets to get you started while still offering complete customization through the palette and cycle features, then control it in real time, either with the console hub or remotely from your smartphone or tablet. The suite comes ready to use with a USB DMX interface and cable. This is one of the best DMX lighting software period.
DMXcat (City Theatrical)
DMXcat combines a suite of mobile applications to enable the control and testing of DMX fixtures. Software apps include DMX Controller, Fixture Controller, RDM Controller, DMX Tester, DIP Switch Calculator, Light Meter, and RF Spectrum Analyzer. The separate purchase of a small, battery-powered and Bluetooth-enabled dongle is required in order to use this app.
MADRIX Software
If you want to customize the hardware used in your lighting set-up, you’ll want to go with an open source software like the Madrix lighting control. Madrix supports all the major industry standards, including DMX512 and Art-Net. The software itself is free to download and demo. You can then purchase different product keys that will grant you access to various levels of features and control, depending on your needs. The version linked here gives access to 16 different universes and all the features most professionals would need. The nice thing about Madrix products is if you buy a product key and find it too limited, you can upgrade to a higher level key just by paying the difference in cost between the two.
DIALux
DIALux is a feature rich lighting design software for Windows. It can be used for various indoor and outdoor projects like buildings, rooms, street lighting, etc. It supports multiple light sources to add for lighting simulation including various luminaire, lamp, and daylighting systems. You can also use this software for stage lighting.
To start with, you can build up a stage from scratch using its Construction tab. If you already have a stage floor plan, you can import it from files like JPG, DWG, TIFF, DXF, PNG, GIF, etc. After doing so, you can move to its Light tab where you get to design stage lightings. It provides a lighting product catalog with various lighting fixtures from real brands. Based on your requirements, you can download desired lighting fixtures from a brand and use them in your stage lighting project. You can even import a luminaire file to your project. Furthermore, it lets you edit properties of lighting products such as positioning, mounting type, photometric data (luminous flux, connected load, light output ratio, luminous efficacy, etc.), energy consumption and cost, etc. Other than that, it lets you setup filters, light scenes, maintenance factors, energy consumption, etc. You can add help lines and labels to the project to make it more comprehensible.
Apart from 2D, it also provides an option to render and view designed stage lighting in 3D. To analyze your stage lighting setup, it provides a calculation feature to compute various factors like horizontal illuminance, perpendicular illuminance, light overhang, luminous intensity class, glare ratings, fitting, distance, inclination, etc. You can also view and save raytraced image and floor plan. The final results and product documentation can be saved and printed too.
Conclusion:
As I have provided lighting software for churches, I have learned about the best lighting software for Church. There are some websites which are available where you can get lighting software free. If you are the beginners, then you should get the basic lighting software that are having easy to use features.