Intelligent Lighting

making light dance

Intelligent lighting also refers to moving lights or intelligent fixtures which are capable of movement to adjust to the needs and demands of lighting across a space. Generally intelligent lighting is used in theatre, in stage lighting, in clubs and discotheques. The reason for this is that these require moving lights which adjust the mood and swivel colors thus giving good entertainment. They are used in other area as well due to their flexible nature and adaptable movements.

In 1987, the first computer-controlled stage lighting fixtures, called moving lights or intelligent fixtures, began to gain widespread acceptance in the art industry. Usually relying on compact arc lamps as light sources, these fixtures use stepper motors connected to internal devices to manipulate the light before it escapes the fixture's front lens. Stepper motors rotate the light fixtures output by either moving a mirror which reflects the beam, or by moving the entire fixture lens train. This allows the fixture to cover large areas by varying the X-Y coordinates of the beam.

Internal devices used in such moving lights are color wheels with dichroic lenses used to change the color of the beam. Pattern wheels with gobos are also used to change the shape of the beam. A gobo may be made from thin metal sheet or from etched glass, depending upon the complexity of the design. The gobo is placed in the focal plane of the light source. The desired pattern is then projected by the lantern onto whatever surface it is pointed at such as a wall or dance-floor. Specialized attachments are available that rotate multiple gobos in different directions or at different rates to create an illusion of motion, such as that of light reflected off of moving water.

Shutters are used to 'dim' or 'strobe' the output, automated lens trains used to focus the beam. Irises are used to change the size of the beam. CYM Color-Mixing Wheels using Color-Subtraction technology are also used to vary beam color.

Lighting consoles control moving lights. They output a control signal that sends data to the fixture in a usually one of three ways - Analog (which has largely been phased out), DMX (which is the industry standard control protocol), or ACN Control (an Ethernet-based standard which is still in development). The fixture then takes this signal and translates it into internal signals that control the internal stepper motors.

These then enable the functioning of the intelligent lights and give the desired effect.

There are many more fixture articles in our fixture section. There is more specific information in the links at the beginning of this article. They can guide you where you need to go.