by Sunova·Rendering
Images © Sunova. Used for product review; image policy.
Earns its place in the Blender extensions library as a free, open-source DMX visualizer that pairs GDTF and MVR support with both Eevee and Cycles rendering.
DMX (known on the web as BlenderDMX) is an entertainment and architectural DMX lighting visualization and rendering tool that runs inside Blender, designed as a free and easy solution for lighting designers. Device definitions are based on the GDTF specification, fully integrating the fixture library on GDTF Share, with support for static and moving devices, LED bars, lasers, cameras, trusses and more.
For output, Eevee handles real-time dynamics while Cycles produces photorealistic, ray-traced results. An integrated programmer lets you program fixtures with keyframe recording, either manually or through auto keyframing, and remote programming from lighting consoles is supported via DMX over Network.
A complete scene can be imported and exported as MVR, carrying fixtures, trusses, 3D scene objects, textures, addressing, fixture IDs and unit numbers, through the Blender menu, drag-and-drop or the MVR-xchange protocol. External sACN or Art-Net signal can control fixtures and be recorded as keyframes or routed through a #bdmx driver, OpenSoundControl can send fixture selection to external consoles, and PosiStageNet can receive tracker position data. The add-on is open source under the GPLv3 license.
DMX is best for lighting designers visualizing, programming and rendering entertainment and architectural DMX lighting inside Blender.
DMX is completely free to download and use.
DMX supports Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, and the developers note the latest tested version is 5.0. It's installed as an Extension from the download page. Device definitions rely on the GDTF specification and the GDTF Share fixture library, and scene interchange uses the MVR format. If you're on an older Blender release, you'll need to update first, since Blender 4.2 LTS is the minimum supported version. For step-by-step setup, the developer's page links a Getting Started Guide and full User Guide.
DMX accepts external DMX signal from sACN or Art-Net, which can control fixtures and be recorded as keyframes, or be routed through a special #bdmx driver in Blender to control any object. OpenSoundControl can send fixture selection to external DMX consoles, and PosiStageNet can receive position information from trackers connected to a PSN server, whose followers can be moving lights or other Blender objects. Remote programming from lighting consoles is also supported through DMX over Network, and MVR interchange runs over the MVR-xchange protocol.
DMX uses Blender's two renderers for different goals: Eevee provides real-time dynamics for programming and previewing, while Cycles produces photorealistic, ray-traced output. Fixtures and scenes can be programmed through the integrated programmer with keyframe recording, done manually or by auto keyframing. Because it builds on Blender, Python and GDTF, the whole pipeline stays open and inspectable. For details on the workflow, the developer's page provides an FAQ, a Getting Started Guide and a full User Guide.
DMX can import and export a complete scene as MVR (My Virtual Rig), including fixtures, trusses, 3D scene objects, textures, addressing, fixture IDs, unit numbers and more. These operations run through the Blender menu, drag-and-drop, or the MVR-xchange protocol, and are fully integrated into Blender with operator presets. Related GDTF fixture data can also be exported and imported as a project data zip file. GDTF import itself covers 3D objects, 2D symbols, textures and physical real-world definitions.
DMX is listed as free here and is distributed as open-source software under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. The full source code is openly available on GitHub, so you can inspect it, share it, and contribute code, documentation or translations. Because it builds on the open GDTF and MVR file formats, scenes and fixtures can be shared across tools that support those standards. For current licensing terms and downloads, check the developer's page.
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