Virtual Lighting Design Lab

About the Software

The Virtual Lighting Visualization Lab uses a number of software packages. The main rendering engine for lighting visualization imaging is Radiance. Radiance is chosen for it's ability to create images that are predictive of the way a real theater space would appear. For more information on using this software look for the book Rendering With Radiance by Greg Ward and Rob Shakespere.

Our in-house development includes GUI interfaces to Radiance that allow for numerous virtual activities that mimic real world activites such as creating the light plot, focusing, and cue creation. The software allows the users to change all aspects of the plot "on the fly" in order to explore more fully the qualities of light: Intensity, Distribution, Color, and Movement.