The goal of the LXSeries is to create a rich set of software tools for lighting design. LXSeries applications have been designed to assist in tasks such as drawing of plots, compiling design data into reports, visualizing the effect of the design and editing and running cues.

The LXSeries utilizes open standards such as XML, USITT ASCII, Art-Net and OSC. This maximizes the extensibility of its technology and allows connections and workflow between LXSeries applications and other systems.

One of the primary ways that software can enhance the efficency of the design process is by integrating the tasks of drawing a light plot and keeping track of the associated paperwork. The central application in the LXSeries is LXBeams. LXBeams and its sibling., LXFree, allow both drawing a plot and manipulating data related to the objects in the drawing. LXBeams also allows the display of the beams created by lights in the plot and includes a window that uses OpenGL to produce a rendering of their effect.

Software can assist the designer in the creating, sharing, manipulating and archiving of cue data. The LXSeries includes LXConsole which is a lighting control application that also acts as a general purpose offline editor with an ability to annotate cues. LXConsole integrates with LXBeams via OSC and AppleScript. This allows exchanges such as sending patch information to the console or sending cue levels to LXBeams be rendered.

LXConsole is a full featured live controller that can handle automated and LED fixtures. It outputs DMX through Art-Net, sACN and USB. LXConsole supports MIDI, MSC, OSC, and AppleScript making it a flexible platform for integrating lighting with other media.

The LXSeries has started a move into open source projects. There is an open source version of LXConsole written in Python. LXConsole for Python includes a USITT ASCII parser class that can be adapted to other uses. Another open source project is a Art-Net to DMX interface using an ethernet shield and an Arduino Uno.

There is an online forum for the discussion of the LXSeries. Click the e-mail link at the bottom of this page to contact Claude Heintz Design for more information about the LX Series.