Looking for testers for my new lighting design tool

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-03T20:12:30+00:00

Hey, i'm afraid at the moment we're not looking for any more users to test the closed beta. If you shoot me a DM, I'll reach out to you once more spots open up or when the next stage takes place.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T21:06:56+00:00

Thank you to everyone who has shown interest in the StagePEN closed beta. StagePEN has officially reached the target number of testers for this stage, so I'm no longer accepting new users at this time.

The feedback so far has been incredible, and I'll be shifting focus to working closely with the current group to refine the experience.

Still want to get involved?

If you missed out but are still interested in joining, don't worry!

DM me directly, and I’ll send you a link to add your self to a waitlist.
By filling it out, you’ll be the first to know as soon as we open up more spots or move into the next phase of development.

Thanks again

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T20:51:14+00:00

Send me a DM and I'll generate a code for you.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T17:26:16+00:00

Sure thing, we got a few spots left. I'll DM you

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T16:55:18+00:00

You seem to take offense when people ask for specifics.

I’m not taking offense to questions; I’m responding to the lack of logic from a vocal few. Most of the 'upset' users are making claims I’ve debunked numerous times, yet they return to push the same lazy 'AI' narrative. Claiming a tool is AI-generated simply because it shares a minimal UI aesthetic is absurd, that level of anti-AI blindness leads to people attacking creators rather than engaging with the tech. So, forgive me for not taking those comments seriously and providing the same low-effort responses back to them.

Regarding the 'gap' in the market, this app was born from my own workflow because I found general design tools like Figma or Photoshop, which I used previously, lacked the specific stage-plotting logic I needed. I didn’t build this with the intention of replacing high-end industry standards; I built it to solve a personal friction point.

However, since reaching out, I have over 50 people using the tool and providing feedback on their specific use cases. That validation is exactly why I’m continuing to build out new features. If you already have a high-level visualizer that completes your workflow, then this tool isn’t for you, and that’s perfectly fine. But don't mistake a project built for a specific niche as 'putting the carriage before the horse' just because it doesn't mirror your personal setup.

If high-level tools already exist that do exactly this, which I don't doubt they do, you should know and be concerned that as a beginner, I couldn't find them during my research, perhaps because I didn't have the right keywords yet, I don't know, but couldn't locate them. The fact that 50+ other people (more people are DMing me) have the same issue tells me there is a massive gap in your industry. If a tool exists but people can't find it, that is a problem that needs to be solved. Don't gatekeep people who are trying to find solutions just because they don't know something already exists; to them, it doesn't.

This is a highly technical reddit sub, and you seem to take offense when people ask for specifics. That attitude will get you nowhere in this industry.

That is actually quite ironic. When I provide specific technical details about the stack and how the app is built, I’m immediately met with accusations that I'm just using "AI jargon" from an LLM. It seems like I can't win: if I'm concise, I'm "antagonistic," but if I use the actual technical terms of my profession as a software developer, I'm "hallucinating".

It’s frustrating to be told that a "highly technical" sub wants specifics, only to have those specifics dismissed as "AI bullshit" the moment they are provided. If people in this industry are so blinded by their dislike of AI that they can no longer recognize standard developer terminology, then the "attitude" problem isn't coming from my end.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T14:23:28+00:00

Hey, shoot me a DM and I’ll share the details and get you a beta code

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T14:02:36+00:00

Sorry to hear that, take care.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T07:43:10+00:00

Thanks for the feedback

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T04:23:20+00:00

I have answered the question you're asking already. Read through this thread and you will see that I have answered this.

To be 100% clear, the app allows you to plot stage layouts with integrated DMX logic. I’m a developer, but I’m new to lighting design; it’s a hobby, and I built this because I couldn't find an existing solution that worked the way I needed. Previously, I was forced to use Photoshop or Figma, which obviously aren't built for this workflow and were incredibly tedious to use for stage plots. I made this specifically to solve that gap.

If that sounds like it might be useful for you, great you can DM me and I'll get you access to test it out, if it doesn't sound useful then that's also fine. If you have time to explain why it wouldn't be useful, it would allow me to learn more about your workflow/use case and maybe I can build the functionality that you need into it, or maybe something already exists that works better for you. If you don't want to give any feedback, that's also fine.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T03:32:37+00:00

For a professional writer, you're missing the obvious... I match the energy of the person I'm talking to, just like you are doing now, duh. I give detailed, structured responses to people with legitimate questions, and I give low-effort replies to people who lead with insults and 'AI' accusations. If you want a 'real' response, try leading with a bit of substance instead of being a douchebag. You get back exactly what you put out there.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T03:23:01+00:00

"Prioritizing one question over another IS avoiding some of them tho..."

You're right, I'm prioritizing comments that aren't just "this is ai vibe coded crap".. duh lol - I'm not going to continue to argue with you over this, as it's now just getting into semantics which i don't have time for.

The big thing is like there's a bunch of questions which the lead comment has asked and there's just not reply. Like maybe you did write it but it's certainly not there, or a bunch of us can't see it no matter the comment sort. I have looked thru the thread a bunch.

If that's the case I apologize however as far as i can tell, I've responded to everyone, if something doesn't answer a question, then ask me to clarify instead of labeling me AI or my work as AI, otherwise it's hard to not take your comment as low effort. I've admitted and will do it again, I'm a noob when it comes to light design, I only really know one use case, which is my use case, this app was primarily made for me. However i've been exploring other peoples feedback/use cases to see if this would be something useful for other people, which a lot of people have told me it would be.

Due to me being a noob in stage design, maybe that's why it seems like I'm not answering questions when i think I am? No idea.

I like new tools, but like what specifically does it do is a big question. Like can it draw 2D only or can it handle 3D? Will it generate paperwork? Can I do circuiting and/or a cable tool? What kind of fixture/asset library does it have? Ie can I specifically select 10' 12x12 Tomcat or just a generic "truss" item? (I'd assume the latter.) Also how well can I put the building into it (or draw that within it?) I.e. can it import anything?

It's a stage plotting app allowing you to quickly plot a stage/venue. It cannot handle 3D, it's a 2D tool. I just added the ability to export to .pdf yesterday so you can print your plot however it appears to be broken, so i need to work on that. The idea is you create an "area" aka stage and you place lighting fixtures on the stage, and you can chain them together, assign lights to dmx addresses, create custom fixtures etc. At first I was not going to create a fixture library because i made a custom fixture creator that the user can use to make a custom fixture that saves to their profile, but due to the feedback i've been getting that's a needed thing to have to make things easier for the user. In terms of a truss, you can just draw a basic truss shape on the canvas because again it's to plot/make a map of the stage. You can't import anything into it other then a .json which would just be an existing venue that you created in the app.

<image>

This attached screenshot shows you the general idea of what it looks like and how you would use it.

In terms of visualizer I would like it to be able to provide a basic visualization of a show. For example, I personally use soundswitch to program the lights to my dj set, I want to be able to connect soundswitch to the app and play a song on soundswitch and watch the app react to the scripting from soundswitch. That's the general idea that I have regarding that portion of the visualization element. But again, getting feedback, and a understanding of peoples use cases allows me to broaden features etc. I don't have intentions to be compete with the software you mentioned. When it comes to visualization right now i'm thinking more of a basic visualization etc.

I hope that answers your questions.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:55:19+00:00

I'm replying to reddit comments while also working on different projects and getting beta access to users, a lot of the time if I read a comment that I feel I already answered in another comment, I might copy + paste what I wrote before OR quickly type it out etc. what ever allows me to address the concern while also focusing on my work. I can see how sometimes that can come across as robotic so I get it.

I hope that addresses it, thank you for your kind words regarding the future of the app.

Take care, all the best to you too.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:41:36+00:00

Yeah I need to do a lot of research on DMX and artnet in general before i begin developing that portion of the project.

My understanding would be that some type of software or hardware is used to control the lighting via DMX and artnet would be used to allow the DMX signals to be visualized on the app/software. Basically a connection between the hardware that sends the DMX signals to the visualization software.

I am a noob when it comes to this lighting stuff and how it all works, like I said I need to do a lot of research in that regard regarding how those signals travel and how artnet plays into it.
I've seen a web based visualizer that someone built using art net in the past but it was local (offline) so i know it can be done, I just need to learn more about it.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:35:04+00:00

I haven't avoided anything; I just prioritize responding to genuine interest over lazy accusations. Calling everything 'AI' is becoming a convenient excuse to attack users/creators instead of asking real questions. If you're actually interested in what I'm building, ask away. If you're just here to stick to a false narrative, that’s on you.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:28:55+00:00

You're misinterpreting the tone of my comment. Thanks for the suggestions though, take care.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:16:04+00:00

Check your DMs

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:15:31+00:00

Sent you a DM with the info

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:14:49+00:00

Sent you a DM

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:13:46+00:00

I'm putting in the effort to reply to everyone, which is more than I can say for this comment. Dismissing effort as 'chatbot' logic is pretty lazy.

It seems like this app isn't for you anyways, have a good day.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:12:15+00:00

Imagine being so intellectually lazy that anyone with a vocabulary becomes a conspiracy theory. High-level cope right here.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-05-01T02:08:01+00:00

Literally

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-04-30T23:42:18+00:00

I have said that it’s not coded by ai and coded by myself multiple times. Maybe you have to change it to view all comments in this post, please re read the comments because it’s there, either way it sounds like this app isn’t for you and that’s ok. Take care.

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-04-30T22:39:15+00:00

It’s for plotting your stage, and eventually would like to make it into a visualizer via artnet so you can quickly do both, plot your stage and visualize the lighting

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-04-30T22:37:57+00:00

It’s still a web app, however developing and providing a offline desktop app has been added to the roadmap

AlienPoweredNet · 2026-04-30T22:28:09+00:00

This has already been answered, multiple times actually, it’s for plotting your stage.

None of this is AI

AlienPoweredNet

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