The BEYOND software is available in three versions (Essentials, Advanced and Ultimate), and Pangolin also offers a convenient upgrade path between these three versions. Here you can upgrade from BEYOND Essentials to Advanced, and we will send you the software license and download link via email. 

This upgrade can be purchased for any Pangolin hardware device (including FB3QS, FB4, QM2000 and FB3SE hardware). Check out the tabs below, which discuss BEYOND in more detail. You can also see a detailed table comparing the different features that come with the Essentials, Advanced and Ultimate versions of the software.

Download the demo of BEYOND here.

This product will be licensed to your BEYOND Essentials license with existing FB3, FB4 or QM2000 hardware.

• Beyond overview

  Laser light shows are spectacular. They harness thin beams of concentrated light. Lasers create glowing graphics and fill space with Star Wars-like glowing beams and light shapes. Thanks to new technologies such as low-cost, high-power diodes, it has become much easier to make a quality laser light show.

  Beyond continues that ease of use. A Beyond system consists of software and hardware for PC computers. The two components work together to get the best possible performance from laser projectors.

  • Beyond’s software lets you create, edit and present laser graphics and beam effects.
  • Beyond’s hardware (a QM2000 board or FB3 box) converts software commands into signals to control an ILDA-compatible laser projector.

  For more information on laser projectors, and a comparison of the QM2000 and FB3, see the technical details page.

  In addition, Beyond has a wide range of settings so the signal is always optimized for your projector. Whether you have a low-cost projector with slower 12K scanners, or one with the fastest available 60K scanners, Beyond will get the most out of it.

  From Pangolin, the number one laser software company

  Beyond comes from the world leader in lasershow software, Pangolin Laser Systems. For over 15 years, the world’s most powerful and popular lasershow system has been Pangolin’s Lasershow Designer 2000. It has won more ILDA (International Laser Display Association) technical awards than any other laser software. And, LD2000 has been used to create more ILDA Award-winning artistic shows than any other laser software.

  Our primary next-generation programs are QuickShow and Beyond. QuickShow is for persons new to lasers, who need routine or typical laser shows. Beyond is for persons who want advanced features and who need more power and capabilities.

  What you get with Beyond

  Frame creation and editing

  Use drawing tools to create and edit graphics. These can be images, logos, text, and drawings. The tools are created specifically for the vector graphics that laser scanners project. (Beyond can also create and project raster bitmaps, like TV pictures, but most laser graphics are vector-based).

  Frame animation

  Sequence your frames to create animations. (Note that this is different than having a single frame be rotated, or resized, or otherwise changed. Beyond is powerful enough to do rotations, resizing, etc. in real-time, to a single frame.) When we are talking about frame animations, we mean where the drawing itself changes in each frame. These changes can be hand-drawn, or they can be done by interpolating between a start frame and an end frame.

  An overview of some of the main areas of BEYOND is below: 

  Cue Grid – The BEYOND cue grid comes with over 2,000 preprogrammed beam effects, graphics, abstracts, logos and animations. The cue grid also features more advanced screen options for multi-monitor setups. 

  BEYOND Multimedia Timeline – The BEYOND Multimedia Timeline allows you to program complete laser shows, but you can also control and edit video content from the timeline as well. This makes it easy to create multimedia shows, that combine video, laser and audio. BEYOND’s timeline also provides many more effect and editing options, when compared to our QuickShow program. 

  BEYOND Universe – The BEYOND Universe is an exciting tool, that allows you to create custom workspaces within the software that can be customized the way you want them. For example, if wanted to have a workspace with specific sliders for colors, brightness, rotation, DMX triggers, etc. and you wanted to lock this workspace for a client or show, this is all possible using the BEYOND Universe. 

  PangoScript – PangoScript is a tool inside of BEYOND that allows you to access the core of the software, and customize it for your needs. Using PangoScript, you can write individual code commands, to execute just about any function you can think of. For example, if you want to map out a MIDI, DMX or Lighting console and customize what each knob, button, and slider does, you can write a “PangoScript” for those functions.

  BEYOND 3D – BEYOND features an advanced 3D animation and editing program, that can be used to create stunning text, graphics, logos and animations. 

  Advanced Drawing and Editing Programs – BEYOND includes a variety of advanced editors and drawing programs, that make creating custom content, as well as editing existing content, easier than ever before. All while still offering a great degree of creative freedom and functionality. 

  Visualization Programs – With BEYOND, you can easily visualize your entire laser show, using popular visualization programs such as Realizzer, Capture Polar, Light Converse and Wsyiwyg. 

  Abstract Editors – BEYOND comes with two different abstract editors, that can be used to create amazing abstract laser displays.

  AutoPlay – AutoPlay is a tool inside of BEYOND, that allows you to automatically play shows back, at a given time.

  Kinect – Interactive laser displays are becoming increasingly popular, and with BEYOND, you can control your show interactive using the popular X-Box kinect. 

• Compare Beyond Versions

  	Pangolin Quickshow	Pangolin BEYOND Essential	Pangolin BEYOND Advanced	Pangolin BEYOND Ultimate
  Page Load/Save		✔	✔	✔
  Advanced Draw			✔	✔
  Synth Editor		✔	✔	✔
  Abstraction Editor		✔	✔	✔
  Write Out		✔	✔	✔
  Universe		✔	✔	✔
  Universe Editing			✔	✔
  Spatial Effects			✔	✔
  ERP (OpenGL preview)		✔	✔	✔
  Support of external visualizers			✔	✔
  Output to QM2000		✔	✔	✔
  Number of Pages per workspace	40	80	250	250
  Number of Tracks limit		40	200	200
  Projection zone number limit	30	60	200	200
  Also Output to option for Zones			✔	✔
  Secondary names for Zones		✔	✔	✔
  ArtNet			✔	✔
  MIDI Surface		✔	✔	✔
  MIDI to code			✔	✔
  Keyboard to Code			✔	✔
  DMX to Code			✔	✔
  OSC to Pango Script			✔	✔
  Channels tab		✔	✔	✔
  Visual clipboard tab			✔	✔
  PangoScript tab			✔	✔
  Number of Media Tracks on timeline	1	2	unlimited	unlimited
  Secondary workspace		✔	✔	✔
  Secondary tab-set on the right		✔	✔	✔
  Effect morph sliders in FX		✔	✔	✔
  Drop-effects		✔	✔	✔
  FX speed and timeshift for Zone FXs		✔	✔	✔
  Zone LiveControl, and FX		✔	✔	✔
  New Timeline editor - main client area		✔	✔	✔
  Network - LivePRO like (UDP broadcast) network			✔	✔
  Network - TCP/IP script-server (for external control)			✔	✔
  Impoert ST2000 shows		✔	✔	✔
  BEYOND 3D				✔
  Kinect				✔
  ProTracks				✔
  EmuLaser		✔	✔	✔
  LC ADAT				✔
  LC Flash			✔	✔
  Object Animator				✔
  WebCam				✔
  SMS2Laser		✔	✔	✔
  Fixture, DMX Groups, Multi Groups				✔
  Advanced Plugins				✔
  OSC		✔	✔	✔
  BUS Tracks, Side Effect lines		✔	✔	✔
  Physics		✔	✔	✔
  Time Control tab				✔
  Number of lasers can be controlled	9	9	24	24
  PangoScript tab			✔	✔

• Beyond screenshots

  These screenshots give a flavor of the powerful features in Beyond. Take a look, and then to find out more, get the demo or simply order your Beyond  system today!

  

  The first thing you will notice is that Beyond looks a lot like QuickShow. This is because it is built on the user interface philosophies of QuickShow – that is, a single, unified program that has live, timeline, frame editing, bitmap tracing, and other features all in one program.

  

  In Beyond, there is a brand new frame editor code-named “Mega Draw”, which is a full object- oriented drawing program supporting multiple layers and a wide variety of drawing tools, including splines.

  

  In Mega Draw, you can have four views (any four) or a single view and toggle between these with the click of a button. A background bitmap can be loaded into any view individually. The zoom, rotation and position controls work with the loaded background in the same way as it does with the normal drawing tools. The Spline feature makes it very easy to draw on top of a background image.

  

  Beyond features many more beams than QuickShow (up to 100 beams). In fact, Beyond also has the ability to use “Images” for beam positions. In Beyond, an “image” is anything that can create an image – not only a single frame, but even animations, abstracts, etc.

  

  Beyond Ultimate features a unique 3D modeling and animation module. It is similar to CAD programs such as Autodesk 3ds MAX and Maxon Cinema 4D, but it is totally optimized for laser output. You can create 3D objects and worlds, and make 3D animations. It takes care of hidden lines, coloring, point count, and all the tedious details. 

  If you are familiar with our previous LD MAX and LD 4D converter software, Beyond gives even better output.

  Plus, now you don't have to buy 3ds MAX, which has a retail price of $3495. Right there, you save 2/3 the price of Beyond Ultimate.

• Beyond new features
  Beyond gives you the ease-of-use of Pangolin’s QuickShow, with the power of our best-selling Lasershow Designer 2000. Here’s a quick rundown of the new and improved features

  Easy-to-use

  Beyond is built on the user interface of QuickShow, which was designed to get beginners going fast. If you already know QuickShow, Beyond will be very familiar to you. Yet under the hood there are more settings and much greater control.

  Modern interface

  Beyond has a sleek new look we call “classy and glassy”. It’s more modern than the Windows 2000 style used in Lasershow Designer 2000.

  New layer-based drawing

  If you use Photoshop, you know how helpful layers are. Now you can work on different lasers in a single laser frame. This makes it much easier to work on some areas of the image, without affecting other areas.

  New object-oriented drawing

  When creating a frame, Beyond keeps track of what you draw as single objects. For example, a line is not just a sequence of points. Beyond remembers it as a line object. If you want to stretch or shrink the line, just grab an endpoint and move. Beyond will automatically reposition and renumber the points for you.

  New spline (curve) tool

  You can now create curves just as easily as lines. Click to set the start and endpoints, then pull the spline handle to stretch and shape a curve.

  New Visual Scripting

  Beyond has QuickTools, just like in the QuickShow program. Plus, the QuickTools can now be scripted using a simple visual interface, to create even more complex laser effects.

  Unified architecture

  Beyond is a single program with all major features built-in, such as drawing, editing, timeline, playing live, abstract generation, and even 3D objects. (This is opposed to LD2000, which is a suite of different, individual programs from Pangolin and third parties.)

  Works on all Pangolin hardware

  Beyond runs on our existing QM2000 and FB3 hardware.

  Work on multiple shows simultaneously

  You can now have more than one show open at a single time. This is perfect for live performance, when you want the ability to quickly switch between different shows.

  Controls multiple projectors

  A single Beyond program can run QM2000s and/or FB3s in multiple projectors. The number of projectors is virtually unlimited.

  Virtually unlimited projection zones

  You can set over 1000 different zones for the projector. This makes it much easier to put graphics and beams onto many different targets such as multiple screens.

  Up to 100 beam positions

  If you need to hit mirrors or other targets with beams, Beyond gives you far more beam positions than the limited number in QuickShow.

  Beam positions can be animated

  You can animate the beam positions, to easily make beam-chasing sequences

  Beam positions can be images

  Now, when you hit mirrors or other targets, you aren't limited to using a dot. The beam can also project any Beyond frame. For example, you could hit mirrors with a logo instead of a dot.

  Complete 3D modeling program built-in

  Beyond Ultimate includes a 3D modeling and animation module. It’s like Autodesk 3ds MAX or Maxon Cinema 4D, but it is designed and optimized for laser. This means you don’t have to buy any other 3D modeling program. (If you already have other programs, we continue to sell our conversion plug-ins, so you can output laser graphics from 3ds MAX or Cinema 4D scenes.)

  Best of all, Beyond will continuously be updated. As we add new features, you will get them absolutely free! There is never a charge for software updates to new and improved versions of Beyond. So you can be assured that in five or ten years you will still have the most state-of-the-art, most up-to-date lasershow software.

• Beyond technical details

  There are two parts to Beyond: The software, and a hardware output device. Both are included in the cost of a Beyond system.

  Computer

  Beyond software runs on any modern Windows PC. Beyond Essentials and Beyond Advanced can run under Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7. For Beyond Ultimate, you must use Vista or Windows 7.

  Hardware output device (QM2000 or FB3)

  To control a laser projector, you must have a QM2000 or FB3. When you order Beyond, you get to choose which one will come with your system.

  

  The QM2000 board fits into a PCI slot. This slot can be inside your desktop-type computer, or can be external in a QM2000.netbox. (It is also possible to use a specialized notebook external expansion chassis such as the Magma, but for most people theQM2000.net is more economical and useful.) More information about the QM2000 board is here, and about QM2000.net is here.

  

  The FB3 is an external box that has a USB connection on one side, and an ILDA-compatible connector output on the other side. The USB plugs into your computer while the ILDA connector plugs into your laser projector. More information about the FB3 is here.

  

  Laser projector

  The laser projector should have an ILDA connector that is truly compatible with the ILDA laser show control standard. Some less-expensive projectors may have ILDA-style connectors, but the wiring or voltages differ from the standard. Check with Pangolin if you are not sure about your projector.

  For the best laser graphics, we highly recommend using “30K” scanners or better. These scanners can draw the ILDA Test Pattern correctly at a speed of 30,000 points per second.

  It is possible to use slower scanners, but graphics may appear distorted. Usually, for beam effects and shapes (cones, planes of laser light, etc.) slower scanners down to about 12K are acceptable.

  Using multiple laser projectors

  One of the great features of Beyond is that it can control a virtually unlimited number of laser projectors simultaneously. Each projector will need its own QM2000 or FB3. You can buy these separately. To do so, purchase an LD2000 Intro system (QM2000) or a QuickShow system (FB3). Then, use just the hardware. (Of course, you can also use the software that came with LD2000 Intro or QuickShow. This is handy to run additional, totally separate, installations.)

  A Beyond multi-projector system can use any combination of hardware -- all QM2000s, all FB3s, or mixed.

  Note that there are some key differences in QM2000s and FB3s when running long distances.

  Since the FB3 uses a USB 2.0 interface, it is limited to the maximum length of a USB cable -- about 5 meters (16 feet). If you are using FB3s at a greater distance, you will need a FB.net extension box. This is currently in development at Pangolin; we expect it to be available in the fourth quarter of 2012. Up to four FB3scan be put in one extension box. Communication between your Beyond computer and the FB.net extension box is done over standard TCP/IP networking, either wired or wireless. We recommend wired networking due to its higher reliability in critical applications such as concerts and stadium shows.

  

  QM2000 boards can be put into an enclosure we call QM2000.net. You can buy either the enclosure itself if you already have a QM2000 board, or you can buy a complete QM2000.net system which includes a board. This lets you use standard TCP/IP networking, either wired or wireless, to communicate between your computer and the QM2000.net.

  The maximum cable length from a QM2000 or FB3 to your laser projector is roughly 100 meters (about 325 feet) when using high quality cable.

  Using Beyond without its associated hardware (no dongle needed!)

  When you first run Beyond, it looks for your hardware (QM2000 or FB3). It then authorizes the computer. You can later disconnect the hardware, and still continue to create, edit and even run shows on the computer. Beyond includes an output “Preview Window” to give you an idea of what the laser output should look like.

  For example, this allows you to use Beyond on a notebook while on an airline flight, or otherwise away from your laser equipment.

  It is possible to authorize multiple computers. In this way, you have additional workstations. Keep in mind, however, that sometimes laser projector output looks different from what you see in Beyond’s Preview Window. Only by actually attaching the hardware and seeing your output on a laser projector, will you know exactly how it will look.

• Hardware requirements
  • PC notebook or desktop with dual-core processor such as Intel Centrino Duo, Core 2 Duo, or AMD equivalent, 2Gb RAM memory
  • Operating system: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10
  • Monitor: Minimum resolution of 1024 x 768
  • At least one available USB port

  Projector requirements

  • A lasershow projector with ILDA-standard input connector
  • Any speed scanners, from 10K to 60K+
  • Any color, from single-color to full-color RGB
  • Compatible with Analog or TTL color systems