ABSTRACT
Anything that you could possibly dream up or from casual observations for your new lighting or stage set to animation cueing can get a test run in virtual space by using computers and available computer-aided drawing (CAD) and 3D rendering programs. At last count, about 20 software programs are available to draw concert lighting plots (Figure 8.1), and some of those allow (by using plug-in software) the drawing
of 3D models to react in real time and record cues using lighting console. Like anything else, the higher the quality and the more options it has, the more money it will cost, although it is possible to begin with inexpensive, basic but very effective programs to plot a lighting rig. A few that are accepted as industry standards are featured in this section as examples of the power of these programs.
