Beam Draw 3 for VectorWorks released

[jbenghiat]

Hello,

Those of you who use VectorWorks to create light plots may be interested in my Beam Draw plug-ins.

Beam Draw is a lighting designer's complete solution to previsualize how your light plot will focus. Use Beam Draw to help determine the position, field angle, and focus point for your lighting instruments, and walk into focus knowing you have the angles and coverage you need.

This release is the culmination of over 10 years of personal experience using VectorWorks to plan my plots, and I use Beam Draw for every show I design.

For more information, head over to Beam Draw 3.

Thanks,
Josh

[Grog12]

Can I ask you what features your software has that are not allready inherent to the Spotlight Edition of Vectorworks that most Lighting Designers purchase?

[jbenghiat]

To start, Beam Draw uses a different workflow philosophy than the light beam representations built in to VW Spotlight. While Spotlight requires you to insert a lighting instrument and define a focus point before turning on the beam.

When I design, I think about what the light does before I think about what kind of light is is or what symbol to use. Beam Draw shows me the beam right away, with all of it's variables editable in Object Info. I can move around the beam without thinking about defined focus points and move around the light source without thinking about hanging positions.

Additionally, here are some feature comparisons:

Calculated information about the beam
Spotlight: N/A
Beam Draw: Plan distance from light to focus point, True distance from light to focus point, Angle to Face, Plan, Tilt, Maximum width of beam at focus point, Brightness at focus point (in footcandles)

Shutter Cuts and Elliptical Beams
Spotlight: VW 2008 and above
Beam Draw: VW 12 and above

Editable parameters
Shutter cuts
Spotlight: Numerically in Obj Info, visually in a dialog
Beam Draw: Numerically in Obj Info, visually by dragging the shutters right in the plot

Distance from hanging clamp to beam source
Spotlight: Edit the 3D version of your current lighting device symbol
Beam Draw: Beam Object's Obj Info

Height of face plane
Spotlight: Edit the Focus Point Object
Beam Draw: Beam Object's Obj Info

To show the beam on the floor:
Spotlight: remember the height of the focus point, enter the value in a text box, select "Focus and Falloff point" from a pull-down menu
Beam Draw: check "Show Floor"

Additional features beyond Spotlight include

• A 2D section tool, which includes the ability to draw a figure, show shutter cuts, and visualize coverage

• Displays channel number and beam angle in the drawing to create a rough plot without symbols or label legends

• Reverse and Repeat command to duplicate beams across center-line, mirroring pan, bottle rotation, and shutter cuts

• Easy duplication of beam and focus point to visualize a system of lights

• Shows beams whose face-plane section is non-elliptical (a head-high boom shot, for example, shows as an open "V")

• Magic sheet objects to show a system of channel numbers

You can always downoad a demo, and see for yourself

[drousseauld]

or save 70 bucks and take out a pencil and tracing paper.

[Grog12]

To start, Beam Draw uses a different workflow philosophy than the light beam representations built in to VW Spotlight. While Spotlight requires you to insert a lighting instrument and define a focus point before turning on the beam.

When I design, I think about what the light does before I think about what kind of light is is or what symbol to use. Beam Draw shows me the beam right away, with all of it's variables editable in Object Info. I can move around the beam without thinking about defined focus points and move around the light source without thinking about hanging positions.

Yeah...so do I which is why I don't set foot into VW until I know what I want my light to do (unless of course I'm doing a lot of rendering in VW).

Also VW does give calculated information about the beam of the light.

((sorry I haven't posted a response in so long I was on holida))

[jbenghiat]

Hi,

I have a couple of replies centering around why I created these tools. I have found they add a great deal of value to VW for my own work -- your workflow methods may, of course, differ.

take out a pencil and tracing paper.

I'll be the first to admit that I start nearly every design with colored pencils and onion skin. I get a much better handle on the space if I can get my hands on it. I really only use my own section tool when I have to work on the plane or train, or when I'm touring a show where I have to slightly modify the same shots again and again. I've made the section tool so it works the same way my hand process does.

That said, figuring out precise plan-area coverage is extremely difficult by hand. Yes-- you can guesstimate the beam width from your section, but because the beam is round you could be significantly off at the corners. A number of times I've discovered that great looking coverage in my hand section only worked for about the center 3' of my beams. Add to that the complexity of drawing a PAR with a bottle rotated at 45-deg.

Also, think about doing diagonal systems. If you have tight masking or complex scenery, then you may have no choice to construct a diagonal section worksheet. Most of the time, however, I find letting the computer do the math is a great time saver.

Also VW does give calculated information about the beam of the light.

Spotlight does have a tool for calculating combined footcandles at a given point, but I prefer to see the information attached to a light rather than a point in space (at least for theatrical applications). There is also no live feedback for things like angle to face or beam width.

Regards,
Josh