Lighting for Virtual Production: Quasar Science and Litepanels in the LED Volume

Last updated: 10 August 2026. Product specifications are the manufacturers' published figures. Prices are in AUD, check the linked product pages for live pricing and stock.

In virtual production, your lighting has to match and interact with what is on the LED wall in real time, so the fixtures that work best are colour-accurate, pixel-addressable and controllable over a lighting network. Quasar Science RGBX tubes and Litepanels RGBWW panels are built for exactly that. Whether you are running a full LED volume for in-camera VFX (ICVFX) or a smaller content-driven set, these two ranges cover the interactive tubes and the accurate soft sources you need. Here is how they fit, with Quasar Science as the centrepiece.

What virtual production asks of your lights

A virtual production stage is unforgiving on lighting in four specific ways, and it is worth naming them before picking fixtures.

The LED wall is a background, not a lighting source

Here is the thing crews learn quickly on a volume: the LED wall is superb at what it is for, a photoreal, self-lit background with accurate reflections and a soft ambient spill, but it is not a substitute for real lighting fixtures. A wall is a large, diffuse, fixed-distance source, so it can wrap a subject in gentle ambient light and put convincing reflections in eyes, car paint and glass, yet it struggles to deliver a proper key. It rarely has the brightness to reach key-light exposure levels cleanly, it cannot give you hard, directional light or a tight controllable beam, it has no barn-door or grid control over where the light goes, and driving it brighter to compensate risks colour shifts and moire on camera. In practice you use the wall for the background and its interactive ambience, and you light the actual subject with dedicated fixtures that are colour-matched to the wall. That is exactly the job Quasar Science and Litepanels do, and it is why a volume still needs a real lighting package.

Quasar Science: the pixel tube built for interactive light

Quasar Science pioneered the film-industry LED tube, and its current RGBX tubes are close to a perfect virtual production tool because they are full-colour, pixel-addressable and fully networked. That combination lets a tube do something a normal fixture cannot: become part of the content.

Colour that matches the wall

The Rainbow 2 and higher-output Double Rainbow use the RGBX Spectral Science Color Engine: a 1,750 to 10,000K white range, over a billion colours and high accuracy (CRI up to 95). That range and accuracy is what lets you dial a tube to sit convincingly against LED wall content rather than fighting it. For the difference between the two tubes, see our Rainbow 2 vs Double Rainbow guide.

Pixels that move with the content

Every Quasar tube is individually pixel-addressable (10 pixels on the 2 foot, 24 on the 4 foot, 48 on the 8 foot), with an onboard FX engine for effects like fire, TV, paparazzi and emergency. On a volume you can pixel-map a row of tubes so they chase, gradient or flash in time with the scene, or hide them just out of frame to throw interactive colour onto talent and set. This is the heart of why tubes have become a virtual production staple.

Control that plugs into the stage

The tubes control over DMX, sACN and Art-Net (wired) and CRMX, W-DMX and Bluetooth (wireless), with a built-in Ethernet node and the starCTRL app. Because they speak the same protocols as the rest of the stage, they can be driven from the same console or media server that runs the wall, which is exactly what interactive lighting needs. They run flicker-free on universal AC and DC for on-camera use.

From single tubes to soft sources

Used singly, tubes are practicals, edge light and hidden interactive sources. Ganged, they become a large soft key that still matches the wall: build one with the Ossium frame and a 4-bank shell, add a Snapbag softbox or Snapgrid, or go big with an Ossium frame holding 12 Rainbow 2 tubes. A ready-to-shoot Rainbow 2 Quad Kit is an easy starting point. The full system is covered in our Quasar Science guide.

Litepanels: colour-accurate keys and soft sources

Tubes handle interaction and accent, but you still need clean, powerful keys and soft sources that match the wall just as accurately. That is where Litepanels comes in.

Gemini for full-colour, colour-critical work

The full-colour Gemini 1x1 Soft and 1x1 Hard RGBWW panels offer CRI and TLCI of 98 across a 2,700 to 10,000K range, millions of colours and around 300 gel emulations, so a Gemini key can be matched precisely to LED wall content and to your Quasar tubes. Choose Soft for a wraparound key, Hard when you need punch or throw, or a Gemini 2x1 Soft for a bigger source.

Astra IP for dependable fill and utility

When you just need clean, accurate white fill, the bi-colour Astra IP 1x1 is a reliable, weather-resistant workhorse. Both ranges integrate into a lighting network with the Wireless DMX module or a wired DMX module. See the Litepanels guide and which Litepanels to buy for the full range.

How they work together on a volume

Control and power for a stage full of fixtures

Virtual production means many fixtures on one network and one power plan. On the control side, both ranges join the stage over DMX, sACN or Art-Net (Quasar) and DMX or Wireless DMX (Litepanels), so wall and lights can share a console or media server. On the power side, run banks of tubes cleanly with the Quasar 4-bank and 12-bank Multibank adaptors and the Swampbox distribution platform, which keep a large tube rig tidy and reliable. Exact integration depends on your console, media server and stage design, so plan the network and power alongside the volume, not after it.

Frequently asked questions

Can the LED wall light my subject on its own?

Not really. The LED wall is a self-lit background that provides soft ambient light and accurate reflections, but it lacks the brightness, directionality and hard-light control to key a subject properly, and pushing it too bright can cause colour shifts or moire on camera. Use the wall for the background and its interactive ambience, and light the subject with dedicated fixtures colour-matched to the wall: Quasar tubes for interactive and edge light, and Litepanels panels for keys and fill.

Why are Quasar Science tubes good for virtual production?

Because they are full-colour (RGBX, 1,750 to 10,000K, CRI up to 95), individually pixel-addressable, and controllable over DMX, sACN and Art-Net. That lets you pixel-map them to move with the LED wall content, match their colour to the wall, and drive them from the same network as the stage, which is exactly what interactive lighting on a volume needs.

What is the difference between the Rainbow 2 and Double Rainbow for a volume?

Both share the same RGBX colour and pixel control. The Double Rainbow has a second row of pixels for roughly double the output and a denser pixel array, which helps when a tube needs to key or push through diffusion, or when you want finer pixel effects. The Rainbow 2 is the lighter, more affordable everyday tube and comes in 2, 4 and 8 foot lengths.

How do Litepanels and Quasar fixtures fit together in virtual production?

Use Quasar tubes for interactive, content-driven light, practicals and edge light, and Litepanels Gemini RGBWW panels for colour-accurate keys and soft sources, with Astra IP for clean white fill. Both match the LED wall accurately and both join a lighting network, so they complement rather than duplicate each other.

Can these lights be controlled from the same system as the LED wall?

Yes, in principle. Quasar tubes speak DMX, sACN and Art-Net, and Litepanels fixtures use DMX or Wireless DMX, so they can be driven from a console or media server alongside the wall. The exact setup depends on your stage's control system and media server, so plan the integration as part of the stage design.

Are Quasar and Litepanels fixtures flicker-free for high frame rates?

Both ranges are designed for on-camera use with flicker-free operation. For very high or unusual frame rates always test your specific fixtures and settings against your camera and the LED wall before the shoot, as the whole system has to agree.

Where to buy in Australia

Black Flag Distribution is the official Australian distributor of the professional film, television and production brands featured in this guide. We supply an Australia-wide network of authorised retailers and stockists rather than selling direct to the public, so there is a local dealer who can help wherever you are. To check pricing and availability and to buy, use the Black Flag Distribution store finder to find an authorised retailer or stockist near you. Search our store finder to locate your nearest Australian stockist and purchase from an authorised dealer.