Illumination sphere with intelligent LED lighting units in scalable daisy chain with interchangeable filters

A controllable lighting system comprising multiple light source groups, each light source group including:

• multiple light sources;
• a polarization filter oriented to filter light emitted by each of the light sources, but not to filter light emitted by the other light sources, wherein:
• each polarization filter polarizes light in a way that is different from the way the other polarization filters polarize light;
• and
• the light sources and their associated polarization filters are oriented so as to cause light from each polarization filter to be added to light from the other polarization filters, thereby creating a consolidate light having a polarization that is a function of the different polarizations of the different polarization filters and the intensity of the light from each of the light sources;
• and
• a controller that:
• receives different polarization control signals, each indicative of a different desired polarization of light from the light source group;
• and
• in response to each of the different received polarization control signals, sets the intensity of each of the light sources within the light source group to an amount that causes the consolidated light from all of the filtered light sources to have the desired polarization indicated by the polarization control signal,
• wherein the orientation of each polarization filter is not changed by the controller at least between the time each polarization control signal is received by the controller and the time the controller sets the intensity of each of the light sources to the amount that causes the consolidated light from all of the filtered light sources to have the desired polarization.