In 2014 I put together a list of the software you can use to draw, plan and simulate a lighting show. Twelve years later the landscape has changed a lot: some of those programs are gone, others have become industry standards, and every major console now ships with its own 3D visualiser. This is the updated collection for 2026, grouped by what each tool is for.
I have left prices out on purpose: most vendors now sell subscriptions, perpetual licences and education versions with very different terms, and they change often. Check each website for current pricing.
CAD for plots and paperwork
Vectorworks Spotlight
Vectorworks · Mac and Windows
The most complete CAD for entertainment design: 2D plots, 3D models, lighting devices with patch data, rigging and truss loads, worksheets and paperwork, all in one file. It reads and writes MVR and GDTF, so the same model can go straight to a visualiser or a console. Vectorworks Vision, the previsualisation tool born from ESP Vision, comes with it. Website.
AutoCAD
Autodesk · Windows and Mac
AutoCAD is still the reference for many venues and production companies, and most venue plans still arrive as DWG files. It has no lighting tools of its own: LD Assistant, the add-on I listed in 2014, no longer has a working website. Today most designers open the DWG in Vectorworks, or use AutoCAD only to exchange plans with the venue. Website.
Lightwright
West Side Systems · Mac and Windows
Not a CAD but the companion every theatre electrician knows: it manages channels, dimmers, circuits, colours and gobos, and keeps the paperwork in sync with your Vectorworks drawing. Lightwright Touch brings it to the iPad. Website.
LibreCAD
Open source · Mac, Windows and Linux
A free 2D CAD that reads and writes DXF. It has no lighting tools, but for a simple plot or for opening a venue drawing it does the job at no cost. Website.
Previsualisation
WYSIWYG
CAST Software · Windows
Probably the best-known name among lighting designers. It covers the whole process: drawing, simulation, rendering, live previsualisation connected to the console and paperwork. The current release is WYSIWYG 2026. Website.
Capture
Capture Sweden · Mac and Windows
Swedish, very well made and easy to learn, with a good balance between realism and speed. It connects to all major consoles and supports MVR and GDTF. The current release is Capture 2026. Website.
Depence R4
Syncronorm · Windows
A high-end show design platform that simulates lighting, video, lasers, pyro and kinetics in one scene, with a very realistic render engine. It was used for the previsualisation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Website.
Vectorworks Vision
Vectorworks · Mac and Windows
The evolution of ESP Vision, which I listed in 2014. Today it is part of the Vectorworks ecosystem and works directly with Spotlight files. Website.
L8 (formerly LightConverse)
L8 LLC · Windows
LightConverse, the very realistic visualiser from Ukraine in my 2014 list, is no longer developed: its author Dmytro Giventar replaced it in 2018 with L8, which is still sold and supported. The last LightConverse version is still available on its old website. Website.
Visualisers built into consoles
The biggest change since 2014: you no longer need a separate program to check your cues at home. Most console software now has a 3D view built in, good enough for preprogramming.
ChamSys MagicVis
ChamSys · Mac, Windows and Linux
Built into MagicQ and free. It shows beams, gobos and colours of the patched rig while you program. Website.
ETC Augment3d
ETC · Eos family
The 3D environment inside Eos: you can see the rig, select fixtures in 3D and focus with the encoders, on the console or in Nomad. Website.
grandMA3 3D view
MA Lighting · grandMA3 onPC
grandMA3 software includes a 3D window for the stage, which replaces the separate grandMA 3D program I mentioned in 2014. For more realism, MA consoles also work with external visualisers. Website.
Libraries and file formats
GDTF Share and MVR
Open standards
GDTF describes a fixture and MVR describes a whole rig. Together they let you move a project between CAD, visualiser and console without rebuilding the patch. GDTF Share is the free online library of fixture files, many of them made by the manufacturers. Website.
Modelbox
Modelbox
In 2014 Modelbox was a library of theatre plans. The website is being rebuilt as a venue platform with point clouds, 360° images and measurements, which is very useful when you prepare a show in a venue you have never seen. Website.