D-Light

Sketching with photons

D-Light treats space as a canvas, pairing XYZ motion with RGB colour values so every gesture leaves a trace in six dimensions.

By coupling the joysticks to a lightweight LED gantry, the system lets anyone draw freehand volumes while colour modulation and intensity track alongside position. The result is a hologram-like trail that records exactly how the LED moved through space.

Feeling the light

• Left joystick handles vertical (Z) sweeps while the right joystick drives X/Y paths.
• RGB channels are blended in real time, giving the user control over hue and brightness as they draw.
• Visual feedback comes from the evolving light trail, encouraging playful, iterative sketching.

Every motion is captured without lag, so the rig mirrors the user's handwork in three-dimensional light.

Six degrees of freedom

• Custom motion assembly keeps the LED stable while translating smoothly across XYZ.
• Dual-joystick input is normalised to maintain consistent speed regardless of travel direction.
• Embedded controller buffers colour and position data, ensuring the light trail never gaps under rapid moves.

Photography pipeline

• A fixed camera shoots bursts of long-exposure frames aligned to the gantry's coordinate system.
• Images are stacked in post to reveal the full path, creating a volumetric impression of the drawing.
• Timestamps sync motion and colour changes so composite renders match the artist's live gestures.

New way to prototype light art

• Makes volumetric sketches accessible without VR headsets or complex laser setups.
• Encourages collaborative sessions—one person drives while others direct colour palettes.
• Produces consistent photo sequences that are easy to remix into short films or prints.

Pushing fidelity

Future iterations explore programmable patterns layered on top of joystick input, motion smoothing for faster strokes, and direct-to-video renderers that animate light trails without needing manual compositing.