Prefect's Pages.. Publications .. IQP .. Instrument Plots

In order for the lighting designer to communicate to the electrician's crew the placement and electrical connection of the lighting instruments, an instrument plot is created. This plot shows the type, location, circuit, color, and focus area for each instrument used. The most common type of plot is a top-down view, as shown in figure 5.25.

**Figure 5.25:** An portion of a lighting plot, showing the key and some of the instruments. This is the instrument plot from the 1994 WPI Masque production of Shakespeare's *A Midsummer Night's Dream*.
$\begin{figure}\psfig{file=lighting/lplot.eps,width=4.5in}\end{figure}$

The symbols used for lighting instrument plots have been standardized by the USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology). Symbols exist for almost every type of lighting instrument used in a theatre setting. Templates are available to aid lighting designers in creating pencil-and-paper instrument plots. Additionally, computer-based templates are available for LDs who use CAD packages to create their lighting designs. Figures 5.26 through 5.30 show most of the USITT standard instrument plot graphics.

**Figure 5.26:** The USITT lighting graphic standards for lensless instruments.
$\begin{figure}\psfig{file=lighting/usitt-lensless.eps}\end{figure}$

**Figure 5.27:** The USITT lighting graphic standards for PAR cans.
$\begin{figure}\psfig{file=lighting/usitt-par.eps}\end{figure}$

**Figure 5.28:** The USITT lighting graphic standards for fresnel spotlights.
$\begin{figure}\psfig{file=lighting/usitt-fresnel.eps}\end{figure}$

**Figure 5.29:** The USITT lighting graphic standards for ellipsoidals.
$\begin{figure}\psfig{file=lighting/usitt-ers.eps}\end{figure}$

**Figure 5.30:** The USITT lighting graphic standard for instrument notation on a lighting plot.
$\begin{figure}\psfig{file=lighting/usitt-notation.eps}\end{figure}$

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