showstack / software / l8
L8
Windows real-time visualiser for lighting, video, laser and moving-object shows, sold in tiered editions from a 64-fixture Community Edition up to a 4000-fixture Unlimited tier with bidirectional Hog and MA-Net console links.
Protocols it speaks
| Protocol | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| art-net | bidirectional | DMX input on every edition; the Trace and Unlimited edition pages separately document "DMX output with Art-Net." |
| sacn | in | DMX input protocol on every edition, e.g. 2 universes on the entry CE edition. |
| ma-net | in needs licence |
MA-Net 2/3 DMX input, documented on the Trace and Unlimited editions only. |
| hognet | bidirectional needs licence |
Documented literally as "Hog 3/4 (bidirectional)" DMX input/output on the Trace and Unlimited editions. |
| ndi | in needs licence |
NDI texture input documented on the Unlimited edition. |
What to watch for
Editions are capped by fixture and universe count, similar to Capture: the CE edition tops out at 64 fixtures and 2 DMX-input universes, while Unlimited reaches 4000 fixtures.
MA-Net and Hog console links are reserved for the Trace and Unlimited tiers. The entry CE edition only receives Art-Net or sACN.
Every edition's system requirements explicitly exclude Intel graphics; a dedicated Nvidia or AMD GPU is required.
L8 LLC and the separately operated LightConverse Ltd. both trace back to the same original LightConverse development team, who split into two independent companies in 2018. They are not the same product today.
Typical use
- Previsualising lighting, video and laser design against live console DMX before load-in
- Simulating moving scenery and tracked objects, with collision detection on the higher tiers
- Low-cost offline programming check on the Community Edition before committing to a full licence
- Rendering a combined lighting, video and laser look to sell a concept to a client
Sources
- L8 CE edition — L8 LLC primary
- L8 Trace edition — L8 LLC primary
- L8 Unlimited edition — L8 LLC primary
- L8 Shop — home — L8 LLC primary
- From LightConverse to L8 — PLSN
Understand the mechanism
Something wrong, or missing?
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