Unsplash.com; Keagan Henman
Lighting design and apps were practically made to go together. Whether you are looking for console interfaces, calculators, stand-alone apps, or reference guides, there are a variety of handy applications designed to make your life easier.
CONSOLE INTERFACE/REMOTE
Avolites Titan Remote
The Titan Remote works alongside the Avolites Titan lighting console to provide moving light control from an iPhone, iPod Touch or Android device. It allows designers to select and control fixtures, modify fixture attributes such as Dimmer, Pan or Tilt, apply and create palettes, play cues, and command style fixture selection and intensity control.
Any number of Titan remotes can be connected to a console and another lighting designer can work on the console while the remote is in use. The remote mimics the look and feel of the full Avolites consoles with the same buttons and workflow as the console.
https://www.avolites.com/remote-app
ETC’s iRFR (Radio Focus Remote)
The free version—iRFR Classic—allows you to select channels and set parameter data; playback and edit cues; park channels; conduct dimmer and channel checks; patch conventional fixtures; and manipulate color. The upgrade to iRFR BTS (behind the scenes) looks more like a console and includes additional functionality such as pan/tilt and other parameters using dedicated graphical controllers; view a cue list (monitor only), with current cue, several previous and pending cues displayed; view and interact with a playback display; controls include Go, Stop/Back and Go to Cue; and access direct select controls. The upgrade is around $50—which donates proceeds from Behind the Scenes—a charity that provides financial support to entertainment technology industry professionals who are seriously ill or injured.
iOS: Classic Version https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/irfr-classic/id1265161967?mt=8
iRFR – BTS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/irfr-bts/id318210456?mt=8
TouchOSC by Hexler
TouchOSC is a modular OSC (Open Sound Control) and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) control surface for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad by Hexler. It supports sending and receiving Open Sound Control and MIDI messages over Wi-Fi and CoreMIDI inter-app communication and compatible hardware.
The application allows to remote control and receive feedback from software and hardware that implement the OSC or MIDI protocols. The interface provides a number of customizable touch controls to send and receive messages, like faders, rotary controls, push buttons, toggle buttons, multi-faders, etc.
Many people have used this program to design controls for a wide variety of operations. The application comes with example layouts and completely custom layouts can be constructed using the free TouchOSC Editor application. Some designers share their designs via GitHub.
TOOLS & CALCULATORS
DMXcat Multi Function Test Tool by City Theatrical
City Theatrical‘s DMXcat system shrinks lighting design tools to fit in the palm of your hand. It consists of a small hardware interface device (priced around $330) and a suite of mobile applications, including a DMX controller with two user interfaces; Fixture Controller DMX which serves as a test app for multi-attribute fixtures with a built-in database of lighting fixtures; RDM Controller; DMX tester; RF Spectrum Analyzer (Android only); DIP switch calculator; and Light Meter (Android only.)
The app utilizes a database of over 100 worldwide lighting manufacturers and thousands of lighting fixtures and their personalities, just like a sophisticated lighting console. The user can choose a fixture from the database and gain control through a user interface on their phone, which emulates a lighting console with encoder wheels labeled to match the personality of the lighting fixture being used. DMXcat also utilizes an advanced implementation of wireless RDM that allows the fixture’s exact personality, starting DMX address, and user interface to be loaded into the app without even using the database lookup.
http://www.citytheatrical.com/products/dmxcat
Galactica Lux Meter by Flint Soft
If you professionally deal with lighting or simply want to measure the illumination of the certain place, and you do not have a special device, you can use this application to make light measuring, combine the values obtained (lux) with a photo of your place of measurement, add your comments and save your image in photo album or send via e-mail. (Note that this app is used for evaluative light measuring and is not a substitute for specialized device.)
It features illumination measurement mode selection: direct or reflected light; the ability to change manually the calibration coefficient (Optional); and the ability to change manually the results of measurement (Optional).
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/galactica-luxmeter/id666846635?mt=8
Lux Meter by My Mobile Tools Co
Ever notice that you never have a light meter when you want one? What if you had one on your phone? Lux Meter is a simple light meter for measuring illuminances (lux, fc) by using the light sensor of your android device. Best of all, it is free. Paid version removes the ads.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tsang.alan.lightmeter
RigCalc by Alex French
This set of tools is designed for designers working in spaces with full theatrical rigging and includes common unit conversions, 2 and 3-point bridles, counterweight weights & bricks to use, pulley fleet angle, pulley resultant force, pulley D to d ratio, and cable tension for multiple truss loading configurations.
The app works with standard or metric units, and includes formulas for calculators.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.d2flying.rigcalc.android&hl=en
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rigcalc/id446034560?mt=8
Show Tool LD
Show Tool LD for Lighting Design is designed to be simple, powerful and comprehensive. It includes Beam Calc to quickly calculate beam angles, throw distances and beam diameter with 2 modes providing a choice of speed or accuracy. Gel Cuts for calculating the number of cuts and wastage from all major gel manufacturers and a wide range of frame sizes. Specify your own frame size or choose from a wide range of standard lanterns. Dips Calc to input DMX values and see the dip switches change live in front of you. Works with both major dip switch configurations and fully integrated with the DMX Calc to set the local address and universe to see the global DMX address, or set the global address to see the local address and universe simply and swiftly. Specify channels per fixture and this will update a list of 12 fixtures with the various addresses. Need to set the dips for a fixture? Simply click the button for each fixture and the Dips Calc will load showing you just how to set the switches. The suite also features Power Calc for quick and easy power calculations in both single and 3 phase configurations. Specify current and voltage and quickly see how many of your selected fixture can be powered by the circuit.
All features provide full metric and imperial options as well as providing international number formatting support.
https://www.dsmurfin.co.uk/showtoolld-home/
STAND-ALONE APPS
Aurora DMX by Aurora Byte Software
Aurora DMX is used to control lighting devices on DMX-512 via WiFi using the ArtNet protocol or sACN/ E1.31 via multicast. The main screen was designed to have a similar feel to a full-size production board. It contains channels with channel number, level in percent, a level slider, and an edit button. The cue list runs along the bottom of the screen. Add Cue will create a light cue of the current channel levels and append it to the end of the cue list. A long press on an existing cue allows the user to edit it. to insert a new cue, remove cue, rename the cue, and change fade up and down times. Default cue fade times can be assigned along with the color of the channel faders and channel to dimmer patching is allowed in the patch view. Not only that, but one channel can be assigned to as many dimmers as you want.
The free version allows only 5 channels, but an in-app purchase allows all 512 channels. Both the paid and free version allows patching to all 512 dimmers. There are two ways to get signal to a DMX512 line: ENTTEC's ODE with a wireless router (easiest). Raspberry Pi running Open Lighting Architecture with ENTTEC's Open DMX USB and a wireless router (cheapest).
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.AuroraByteSoftware.AuroraDMX
ETC’s EchoAccess
This app is designed to unlock the full capabilities of Echo control allowing lighting designers to program and recall presets on their systems. It consists of two components: the EchoAccess interface and the EchoAccess mobile app for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
You can set lighting levels, combine spaces, and control zones directly, as well as record, activate and deactivate presets, and more. When combined with Echo DMX Scene Controller, EchoAccess allows for adjustments of DMX-controlled luminaires' hue, saturation and intensity.
https://www.etcconnect.com/Products/Architectural-Systems/Echo/Interfaces/EchoAccess/Features.aspx
Lightrider app
Designed for DJ’s, but also leveraged by churches, the Lightrider app for Android and iPad lets you control your DMX lights without needing to program anything. Choose from over 15,000 lighting fixtures and once added, they will bounce, chase, ride, and perform preprogrammed light shows so that you don’t have to spend hours preprogramming scenes.
https://www.lightriderapp.com/
Luminair3 by Synthe FX
Luminair 3 is a professional-grade lighting control app that gives lighting designers advanced control over DMX-enabled lights, as well as the next generation of "Smart" lights like Philips Hue. It has multi-touch friendly controls and the Luminair 3 release truly represents the original vision of its designers. With the newly modernized user-interface, and features such as the new Dynamic FX engine, Scheduling, Remote for Apple Watch, Touch ID-powered Lockdown mode, and Tap to Bump, the creative possibilities have been greatly expanded.
Luminair 3 requires external DMX or Hue hardware to control lights, but can also be used in an "offline" mode for building projects and as a learning tool. It features one DMX Output Universe and one Art-Net DMX Input Universe for creating snapshot scene recordings from another lighting console. It works with any Art-Net or sACN E1.31 compliant DMX interface, transmits Art-Net and sACN E1.31 over built-in Wi-Fi hardware, transmits KiNET to Philips Color Kinetics power supplies over built-in Wi-Fi hardware, supports Art-Net, sACN and KiNET over wired ethernet connections with optional Redpark L2-NET lightning-to-ethernet cable accessory (available separately).
iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/luminair-3-digital-lighting/id920440588?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
REFERENCE APPS
Barbizon’s Electrician's Handbook
Barbizon Lighting took the flipbook and made it digital. Every page, formula, gel, and lamp reference you'd find in the printed edition is in the app. It’s just a quick search to find whatever you are looking for including: references for electrical terms; wire and cable, lighting lixtures, lamps, color, patterns, pipe, knots, etc.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.barbizon.mobile.v2.release&hl=en
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/barbizon-electricians-handbook/id1049089873?mt=8
Lighting Handbook by Andrew Derrington
The Lighting Handbook is a tool designed for theatre, corporate, and event technicians. It is a handy reference tool that displays information on over 1000 moving lights, dimmers, conventional fixtures & effects. It has a wide range of data including weight, power consumption, data connection types, manufacturer specification for light output, color wheels/Mixing, gobo wheels, beam size and dimmer info. There is also a lamp guide giving detailed information on individual lamps along with Pinout diagrams for the most popular data and power connections.
If your device is connected to the internet, the manual is then available for viewing right within the app. You can also store manuals for offline viewing either within Lighting Handbook or in your favorite PDF viewing app. The library of manufacturers can be updated from within the app.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rg.adrengton.lighting&hl=en
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lighting-handbook/id335372862?mt=8
Stagehand
Stagehand combines the Roscolux, GAM, Lee and Apollo swatch books. Gels are viewable by their swatch book, or all together sorted by hue, letting you find the right color regardless of manufacturer. Each gel contains the manufacturer information including transmission and description as well as samples of neighboring colors. searchable not only by its name, number, and description, but also by color with the built-in color search which allows you to select via color wheel to see the closest matches available to the selected color. There is also a "share" button to send a color and its name to a colleague or the photo library.
Stagehand is provided as a free reference for professionals and amateurs alike and has been downloaded to over 20,000 devices since it launched.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stagehand/id493887739?mt=8
