Goddard Design Co, responsible for the Lil'DMXter amongst other products, has developed an interesting software accessory for the LDs or board ops - the Virtual Magic Sheet. Now, instead of having pages of channel lists on the monitors, you can display them on the screen as a graphical representation of the lighting plan. Creating a live Magic Sheet at the designer's production desk or on a laptop computer anywhere in the theatre, it's driven via a Wi-Fi link to the DMX output of any control system. Channel numbers can be placed anywhere on the screen with a simple drag-and-drop interface; labels and arrows and other graphic shapes can then be added to organize the drawing. You can then plug in any console's DMX data stream and watch your plan come to life! Everything from intensity, to colour - at last a simple tool that offers the designer the ability to view lighting control data on his or her terms, with as many parameters featured on the screen and moving as the LD requires.
