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← Design Lab

Build it on stage

3D Theatre Design Studio

Start with the simple controls. Add scenery and actors, move them directly on stage, change the audience layout and test what your design communicates. Full controls add the extra settings for lighting, surfaces and actor poses.

Best on a laptop, desktop or large tablet. You can use the mouse or trackpad for the 3D stage. The Design Decision Planner is the better option on a phone.
Saved on this device On a school or shared computer? Turn on Shared-device mode before saving work.
Add the scene and audience intention optional, but useful

How do you want to start?

Set-text Production Studio Choose a play and an editable moment, then move, replace or redesign every part of it. Secondary and college production design
Build a detailed costume look to use on the 3D actors Use the phone-friendly planner instead

Loading the studio engine…

Explain the choice

Record a design decision

Studio guide

Controls and workflow

Start simple

The Simple controls panel contains the things most people need first. Select an object to open its controls on the right. Use Full controls when you want actor joints, surface options, detailed lighting or other object-specific settings.

Move around

Drag the empty stage to orbit the camera. Use the wheel or trackpad to zoom. Click an object to select it; with Move active, drag the object itself to reposition it.

Move, turn and resize

Choose Move, Turn or Resize, then use the stage handles. Move also supports direct object dragging. Object snap joins nearby edges; Grid sets the movement spacing. Lock protects finished objects and Layers can hide or lock whole parts of the design.

Dress the set

Other furniture and Props open searchable catalogues organised by room. Uploaded wallpaper can be aligned around openings and applied to every flat. Painting / picture accepts your image in a rectangle, square or oval frame and snaps onto the nearest wall flat.

Keyboard shortcuts

G move, R rotate, S scale, Delete remove, Ctrl/⌘ + D duplicate and Ctrl/⌘ + Z undo. Press ? to reopen this guide.

Place lighting

Choose Lighting, pick a fixture and choose a bar, boom or suitable floor position. Mounted lights can be dragged towards another rig position to snap onto it. Use Aim on stage for precise targeting, or Turn when you want to set the beam direction manually.

Build evidence

Record design decisions as you work. Export creates a design sheet with the stage image, rig plot, fixture schedule, brief and your reasons. Rig plot and Annotated image create focused technical evidence.

Save safely

The project autosaves in this browser. Use Save before leaving. Uploaded custom finishes are reduced to a practical size and included in the browser-saved project.

Check before saving

Annotated lighting image

Each edge callout is linked to its light and records the fixture, rig position, intensity, colour, beam and focus angle.

Preview of the stage image with lighting callouts around its edges

An interactive three-dimensional stage design canvas. Use the Simple controls panel or Full controls to add and edit objects. The Stage item list lets keyboard and screen-reader users select an object without using the canvas.

Privacy on school and shared computers

Using a shared device?

Shared-device mode stops Stark Drama leaving your recent-page list or project work behind after the browser session. It also resets optional analytics to off. Your exam-board choice may remain as a simple site preference.

Turning it on clears Stark Drama work already saved in this browser. Back up anything you need first.