Skip to main content
Laser fixtures provide focused beam effects that simulate stage laser systems. VRSL lasers feature pan and tilt control with RGB color mixing and various beam effects.

​
Overview

VRSL laser fixtures use a simplified rendering system optimized for laser-style effects:
  • Thin, focused beam output
  • RGB color mixing
  • Pan and tilt control
  • Variable intensity
  • Strobe effects
Prefabs:
  • DMX Horizontal: VRSL-DMX-Static-Laser-H-13CH.prefab
  • DMX Vertical: VRSL-DMX-Static-Laser-V-13CH.prefab
  • DMX Legacy: VRSL-DMX-Static-Laser-L-13CH.prefab
  • AudioLink: VRSL-AudioLink-BasicLaser.prefab
These are simulated laser effects for VR environments. They do not replicate the physical properties or safety concerns of real laser systems.

​
DMX Channel Layout (13 Channels)

Laser fixtures use the standard 13-channel DMX layout:
ChannelFunctionRangeDescription
1Pan (Coarse)0-255Horizontal rotation (0-360°)
2Pan (Fine)0-255Fine pan adjustment
3Tilt (Coarse)0-255Vertical rotation (0-360°)
4Tilt (Fine)0-255Fine tilt adjustment
5Red0-255Red beam intensity
6Green0-255Green beam intensity
7Blue0-255Blue beam intensity
8Intensity0-255Master dimmer
9Strobe0-255Strobe rate (0=off, 1-255=speed)
10Reserved0-255Future use
11Reserved0-255Future use
12Reserved0-255Future use
13Reserved0-255Future use

​
Features

​
Pan and Tilt Control

Lasers support full pan and tilt movement:
  • Pan Range: Configurable via maxMinPan (default ±180°)
  • Tilt Range: Configurable via maxMinTilt (default ±180°)
  • 16-bit Resolution: Coarse and fine channels for smooth movement
  • Inversion: Pan and tilt can be inverted independently

​
Color System

RGB additive color mixing:
  • Full 8-bit resolution per channel
  • HDR color support via lightColorTint
  • Pure colors or mixed hues
  • Hardware-accelerated blending
Common Laser Colors:
  • Red: (255, 0, 0)
  • Green: (0, 255, 0)
  • Blue: (0, 0, 255)
  • Yellow: (255, 255, 0)
  • Cyan: (0, 255, 255)
  • Magenta: (255, 0, 255)
  • White: (255, 255, 255)

​
Beam Properties

Unlike volumetric lights, lasers render as thin, focused beams:
  • Minimal spread
  • Sharp edges
  • High intensity core
  • Optimized for long distances

​
Inspector Properties

​
DMX Settings

enableDMXChannels     // Enable/disable DMX control
dmxChannel            // Starting DMX channel (1-512)
dmxUniverse           // DMX universe (1-9)
nineUniverseMode      // Extended universe mode
useLegacySectorMode   // Legacy sector addressing

​
Movement Settings

invertPan             // Invert pan direction
invertTilt            // Invert tilt direction
panOffsetBlueGreen    // Pan offset in degrees (0-360)
tiltOffsetBlue        // Tilt offset in degrees (0-360)
maxMinPan             // Maximum pan range (+/- degrees)
maxMinTilt            // Maximum tilt range (+/- degrees)

​
Fixture Settings

enableStrobe          // Enable strobe effects
coneWidth             // Beam width (keep low for laser effect)
coneLength            // Beam length (0.5-10)
maxConeLength         // Beam mesh length (0.275-10)

​
Intensity Settings

globalIntensity       // Master brightness (0-1)
finalIntensity        // Maximum brightness limit (0-1)
lightColorTint        // HDR color tint/boost

​
Configuration Examples

​
Basic Laser Setup

  1. Place laser prefab in scene
  2. Configure DMX:
    • DMX Channel: 1
    • DMX Universe: 1
    • Enable DMX Channels: ✓
  3. Adjust beam:
    • Cone Width: 0.5 (thin beam)
    • Cone Length: 10.0 (maximum reach)
    • Max Cone Length: 10.0
  4. Set intensity:
    • Global Intensity: 1.0
    • Final Intensity: 1.0
    • Light Color Tint: White × 2.0 (HDR boost)

​
Scanning Laser Effect

For sweeping laser movements: 
maxMinPan = 180       // Full 360° pan range
maxMinTilt = 90       // 180° tilt range
invertPan = false
invertTilt = false
Use DMX to create scan patterns:
  • Slow pan sweep with fixed tilt
  • Circular patterns (combined pan/tilt)
  • Figure-8 patterns
  • Random movement

​
Static Laser Beam

For fixed beam effects: 
enableDMXChannels = false  // Manual control
panOffsetBlueGreen = 45    // Aim right 45°
tiltOffsetBlue = 60        // Aim up 60°

​
Laser Show Array

Multiple lasers for complex effects: 
// Laser 1
dmxChannel = 1
panOffsetBlueGreen = 0

// Laser 2  
dmxChannel = 14
panOffsetBlueGreen = 120

// Laser 3
dmxChannel = 27
panOffsetBlueGreen = 240
Arrange in circular pattern, control via DMX for synchronized or independent movement.

​
Shader

Laser fixtures use a specialized shader:
  • VRSL-BasicLaser-DMX.shader
Location: Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/ The laser shader is optimized for:
  • Thin beam rendering
  • High contrast
  • Minimal bloom
  • Long-distance visibility

​
Use Cases

​
Laser Show Effects

  • Beam Shows - Sweeping laser beams
  • Geometric Patterns - Synchronized multi-laser patterns
  • Audience Scanning - Safe crowd scanning effects
  • Aerial Effects - Mid-air beam effects

​
Accent Lighting

  • Spot Highlighting - Pinpoint focused attention
  • Path Indicators - Directional guidance
  • Stage Effects - Sharp beam cuts through fog
  • Architectural - Building feature highlighting

​
DJ/Club Environments

  • Beat Synchronized - Pulsing to music (via AudioLink)
  • Strobe Effects - Rapid on/off
  • Color Cycling - RGB color changes
  • Crowd Interaction - Moving beams over audience

​
Performance Considerations

​
Optimize Beam Length

Longer beams use more rendering resources: 
coneLength = 5.0      // Shorter for better performance
maxConeLength = 5.0   // Match cone length
Only extend to visible range needed.

​
Minimize Width

Thinner beams are more performant: 
coneWidth = 0.3       // Minimal width for laser effect

​
Disable Unnecessary Features

enableStrobe = false  // If not needed

​
Realistic Laser Effects

​
With Fog/Atmosphere

Lasers look best with atmospheric effects:
  1. Add post-processing volume
  2. Enable bloom with:
    • Intensity: 0.3-0.5
    • Threshold: 0.8
    • Scatter: 0.7
  3. Consider particle fog effects

​
Color Intensity Balance

Real laser systems have varying intensities per color: 
// Simulate typical laser output
Red:   (255, 0, 0)   // Full power
Green: (0, 128, 0)   // Lower (green appears brighter)
Blue:  (0, 0, 255)   // Full power
Adjust via DMX or color tint for realism.

​
Safety Considerations

While these are virtual lasers with no physical danger, be mindful of:
  • Photosensitive users - avoid excessive strobing
  • Motion sickness - rapid movements may affect some users
  • Brightness - excessive intensity can be uncomfortable in VR
Recommended practices:
  • Include brightness adjustment UI
  • Provide strobe effect warnings
  • Test movement speeds for comfort
  • Offer “reduce effects” options

​
Troubleshooting

​
Laser Not Visible

  • Check intensity channel (8) is above 0
  • Verify at least one RGB channel has value
  • Ensure globalIntensity and finalIntensity > 0
  • Check beam isn’t aimed away from view
  • Verify beam length is sufficient to reach visible area

​
Beam Too Thick/Looks Wrong

  • Reduce coneWidth (try 0.3-0.5)
  • Ensure using laser-specific shader
  • Check light color tint isn’t over-boosting
  • Verify post-processing bloom settings

​
Jerky Movement

  • Increase DMX smoothing in Grid Reader
  • Use fine channels (2, 4) for precision
  • Reduce movement speed in DMX software
  • Check for stream compression artifacts

​
Colors Look Wrong

  • Verify RGB channel values in DMX
  • Check channel offset is correct (start at channel 5)
  • Test with manual color tint to verify fixture
  • Ensure universe assignment is correct

​
Strobe Not Working

  • Enable enableStrobe in inspector
  • Check channel 9 value is above ~20
  • Verify VRSL Grid Reader strobe processing
  • Test with manual strobe toggle
AudioLink laser variants support:
  • Band Modulation - Intensity reacts to frequency bands
  • Color Chord - Auto-color from audio analysis
  • Theme Colors - Match AudioLink theme
  • Delay Offset - Timing adjustment per laser
EnableAudioLink = true
Band = 2               // Mids
BandMultiplier = 2.0   // Sensitivity
EnableColorChord = true
Delay = 0.1            // Slight delay
See AudioLink Setup for detailed configuration.

​
Advanced Techniques

​
DMX Chase Patterns

Create programmed sequences in DMX software:
  1. Record pan/tilt positions
  2. Set timing and transitions
  3. Sync to audio beats
  4. Layer multiple lasers with offsets

​
Geometric Projections

Multiple lasers can create shapes:
  • Triangle: 3 lasers aimed to meet points
  • Square: 4 lasers for corners
  • Star: 5+ lasers radiating from center
Use pan/tilt offsets to position, DMX to animate.

​
Color Cycling

Program RGB transitions:
  • Smooth fades between colors
  • Quick snaps for impact
  • Rainbow cycles
  • Color-to-beat synchronization
Implement via DMX scenes or AudioLink color chord.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us