With advancements in computers and laser scanning technology, laser show displays have expanded from just wiggling laser patterns on a planetarium dome to complex laser imagery including color images, animations, rasters and text. A laser show display produces unique artistic imagery that cannot be replicated by anything else other than the brilliance of laser light.

 

We have all at one time or another opened up an art program such as MS Paint Brush.  You may have drawn something like a smiley face...a circle, two eyes and a mouth.  Laser shows take line imagery just the same as this and convert the image to points.  Each point has a number just like "connect the dots."  The laser projector deflects the laser beam to follow these sequential dots in order and repeatedly traces the dots.  The speed at which the laser projector traces each dot is so fast that the human eye sees these dots as a solid object such as the smiley face.  =)  Addtionally, each dot has color and intensity information so the display will also have full color and shading from variations in laser intensity.  Laserists can spend hours creating laser imagery frame by frame and months developing a complete laser show.

 

Thanks to a generous grant from SPIE, LGP now utilizes software developed by Pangolin Laser Systems.  Pangolin produces the leading laser show design software and hardware used throughout the laser entertainment industry.  Laser Show Designer 2000 (LD2000) is a complete software suite of laser show design tools and a special piece of computer hardware called the QM2000 board.   LGP creates custom images, animations, abstract patterns and text that are displayed in real time from the computer to the laser projector during show creation.  When all of the pieces of the laser show are developed they can be pieced together within software that is similar to movie production software.  A timeline type editor is used that has several tracks including laser effect cues, beat and sound tracks.  These are all used to edit and produce a full laser show display.

 

Through cartoon-like animations and other stimulating laser imagery, LGP can produce original full length shows that will explain lasers, light and its uses.  Please be sure to check the website regularly to see what new shows are becoming available for performance.