Creating and controlling lighting designs

A method for modelling a lighting production including characteristics of a production site in which said lighting production is to be performed and lighting designs produced upon lighting targets by a lighting console and lighting instruments, one or more of said lighting instruments having a plurality of adjustable lighting parameters, said modelling method employing a computing system having a graphic display program, data entry means, data processing means including a graphic generating program, a memory and a monitor;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• entering and storing site data into said computing system describing relevant characteristics of said lighting site including the positional relationship of said lighting targets within said lighting site;
• entering and storing instrument data into said computing system describing relevant characteristics of each of said lighting instruments including the positional relationship of said selected lighting instruments to said site;
• entering and storing light selection data into said computing system identifying the lighting instruments to be operational in a scene;
• entering and storing parameter data in said computing system describing the lighting parameters associated with each of said selected lighting instruments;
• computing from said stored site, instrument, light selection parameter data a three dimensional representation of the aggregate lighting design, said representation including a simulation of one or more of said selected lighting instruments conforming to said associated parameter data;
• and
• displaying said three dimensional representation on said monitor.

A method for focusing a lighting instrument on an associated lighting target in a lighting system comprised of one or more lighting instruments having a plurality of adjustable parameters relating to beam characteristics and beam position, said method employing a computing system having data entry means, data processing means, and a memory, said method comprising the steps of:

• entering into said memory site data describing the characteristics of a site in which said lighting production is to be performed, said site data including a reference point in said site;
• entering into said memory instrument data describing at least one lighting instrument to be included in said site for producing a desired lighting effect including the position of said instrument with respect to said reference point of said site;
• entering into said memory target data describing at least one target to be included in said site including the position of said target with respect to said reference point of said site;
• selecting at least one of said lighting instruments to be operational in a desired lighting design;
• identifying a desired lighting target to be associated with said selected lighting instrument for said desired lighting design;
• processing said site, instrument and target data to determine the positional relationship of said associated target with respect to said selected lighting instrument;
• and
• computing from said positional relationship the displacement necessary to focus said instrument on said target.

A lighting system including:

• a plurality of lamp units, one or more of said lamp units having adjustable lamp parameters;
• a control console including manual control means for generating command data for adjusting certain of said lamp parameters and further including a communication port for receiving data from an external source;
• and
• a modelling unit comprising:
• a processor with at least one associated stored program for modelling the functions of said manual control means;
• a signal generator for generating modelled command data in response to manipulations of said modelled functions of said manual control means, said modelled command data being in a format compatible to said control console;
• memory means for storing said stored program and said modelled command data;
• and
• communication means for communicating said modelled command data to said control console through said communication port.

A method for focusing a lighting unit on an associated lighting target in a lighting system having a plurality of lighting units with adjustable parameters including variable azimuth, .THETA., and elevation, .PHI., for controlling the focus position of said lighting unit;

• said focusing method employing a computing system having data entry means, data processing means and data storage means, said focusing method comprising:
• entering data into said computing system describing the positional coordinates (x,y,z) of at least one of said lighting targets relative to a fixed position within a production site;
• entering data into said computing system describing the positional coordinates (a,b,c) of at least one of said lighting units relative to said fixed position within said production site;
• selecting at least one of said lighting units to be active in a desired lighting design;
• identifying a desired lighting target to be associated with said selected lighting unit for said desired lighting design;
• retrieving from said entered data the positional coordinates of said selected lighting unit and said associated lighting target within the production site for a particular lighting design;
• translating the positional coordinates (x,y,z) of said selected lighting target into corresponding positional coordinates (x', y', y') relative to said positional coordinate (a,b,c) of said associated lighting unit;
• and
• computing the azimuth angular value, .THETA., and elevation angular value, .PHI., of the angular distances of said associated target from said lighting unit for focusing said lighting unit on said associated target based on said positional coordinates (x', y', z') of the lighting target in the coordinate system of said lighting unit.