Light the shoot before you get to the studio.

A 3D studio lighting simulator with real physics. It runs in the browser — nothing to install.

Start free. The full simulator, no card required.

83 photographers are already on the list

A 40-second run: place, meter, plan.

Three steps, from sketch to photograph.

Place and shape lights

Drag strobes around the set and mount softboxes, grids, and gels. Everything moves in 3D, in real time.

Meter the real exposure

A virtual light meter reads the f-stop at the subject. Inverse-square falloff and real watt-seconds, just like the studio.

Take the plan to set

The top-down diagram builds itself as you work: positions, powers in watt-seconds, and camera settings. Open it on your phone and walk into the studio with nothing left to guess.

Place and shape lights
Drag strobes around the set and mount softboxes, grids, and gels. Everything moves in 3D, in real time.
Meter the real exposure
A virtual light meter reads the f-stop at the subject. Inverse-square falloff and real watt-seconds, just like the studio.
Take the plan to set
The top-down diagram builds itself as you work: positions, powers in watt-seconds, and camera settings. Open it on your phone and walk into the studio with nothing left to guess.

A whole studio, computed with physics.

Physical photometry

Watt-seconds, inverse-square law, color temperature. The numbers match the gear on your shelf.

f/5.6

+0.3 EV

Real camera, 24–200mm

Live lighting diagram

Real modifiers

Softbox, beauty dish, umbrella, grid, and gel. Each one changes the source size and the character of the shadow.

10 classic presets

Rembrandt, clamshell, rim, and more. One click sets the scheme; you take it from there.

RembrandtClamshellButterflyLoopSplitRim

Export the camera view

Try it right here.

Drag the light. The f-stop recalculates on its own.

This is 1% of the studio — join the beta

Against set.a.light 3D.

We'll be honest: set.a.light is mature and powerful. Here's what you gain by moving the studio into the browser.

Against set.a.light 3D.
	softboxsh	set.a.light 3D
Where it runs	softboxshAny browser	set.a.light 3DA ~2 GB Windows/Mac install
Cost to start	softboxshFree tier, forever	set.a.light 3D$84–169 license + limited trial
Getting started	softboxshRunning in seconds	set.a.light 3DDownload, install, and license
Number of lights	softboxshNo artificial caps	set.a.light 3D5-strobe cap on Basic
Sharing a setup	softboxshOne link, done	set.a.light 3DFiles inside a desktop app

Clear pricing. The beta is free.

The beta is free

Free

$0forever

Full simulator: presets, lights, and modifiers
Unlimited local scenes
3 cloud scenes
1080p export

Pro

$12/mo

Unlimited cloud scenes
4K export
Diagram as PDF and PNG
Priority preset packs

The beta is closed. The list is the way in.

We invite in small batches. We'll email you when your turn comes up.

83 photographers are already on the list