I’m really wary of sounding pretentious here so I’ll try and keep this succinct and towards the technical side of things.
If I have an idea or take a photo of something that inspires a design, very quickly I’ll use my 3D design package (Capture, as used in the comparison below) as a scratch pad or to start a design with a finished idea in mind. Capture is very accommodating in terms of the file types it can open and export so I can work with set builders, video designers or riggers using anything like AutoCAD, Vectorworks, SketchUp to collaborate and incorporate all the elements on stage.
From there I can visualise using the intended specific makes and models of lights, projectors, lasers, LED wall, pyrotechnics and so on.
This enables me to pre-program shows on lighting consoles and also to provide renders of still images and videos where required.
NB: At time of writing I tend not to use engines like Unity or AI image generation to show looks on stage, as I want to try and keep photometry and, well, the physical characteristics of the intended fixtures in the render. I think AI can be a really useful tool for removing repetitive tasks from the creative process but I don’t believe the AI should lead the creative process itself.
All of this enables me to show the look and feel of the event and get a head start on preparing and pre-production.
Further to this I can then generate plots and technical paperwork for the benefit of advancing and communicating the logistics of the design to venues, production managers and technicians working on an event.
At this point there is the programming, setup and running of the show. If programming or directing a show I use collaborative tools (like the excellent Cuepoints) especially when programming to timecode. From there it’s time for rehearsal and finally the show itself.
Every minute spent on pre-production shows its value many times over on the day of a show, but more than that it is a truly rewarding and enjoyable process watching a show come together from concept to the performance. It’s one of the many reasons I love my work.