Disguise Designer

Disguise Designer is a production design and control application for teams building complex live shows, projection experiences or virtual productions. It suits crews that need visualization, media mapping and show-control workflows connected in one environment. Starter is useful for development; live programming and server-connected production require Pro.

Overview

Designer creates a digital replica of a production environment for planning content and technical workflows. Teams can develop pitches, validate content, test setup, plan experiences and create camera fly-throughs against a real-time 3D representation. That makes it a stronger fit for productions where design decisions depend on surfaces, playback and control working together than for a simple standalone playback task.

Founded in 2010, Disguise is headquartered in London. Designer’s two editions draw a clear line between project development and production: Starter supports learning, testing and pre-visualisation without a Disguise server connection, while Pro adds live programming and connections to Disguise servers and other Pro instances.

Key features

Visualization and mapping

The real-time 3D visualiser can show a production environment using different codecs, resolutions and colour spaces. Designer maps content onto complex surfaces, including shaped LED screens and projection canvases, with UV mapping and dynamic blends. These tools are relevant when a show’s visual design must account for unusual surfaces and projector layouts, rather than just a conventional flat display.

Playback and rendering

Playback supports NotchLC, ProRes, HAP and uncompressed codecs, as well as 2D plates, image sequences and local or remote HTML5 content. RenderStream integrates with Unreal Engine, Notch, Unity, TouchDesigner and Volinga NeRFs. This range gives production teams options for combining rendered content with playback media; it also makes Designer most compelling when those formats and integrations are part of the workflow.

Collaboration and control

Multi-Edit lets multiple users edit a project at the same time, and Multi-Transport can run multiple timelines in response to external cues. Control support includes DMX lighting protocols, SMPTE timecode, MIDI, OSC, FreeD and tracking systems such as Blacktrax, Ncam, Mo-Sys and Stype. The plugin framework, available in both editions, supports web-powered widgets, Python scripts and third-party connections. Together, these capabilities suit coordinated productions with external systems to integrate; Starter’s lack of server connectivity still separates development collaboration from Pro’s connected production workflow.

Pricing

Designer Starter costs nothing. It includes full core functionality for learning, training and testing, project development and pre-visualisation, and sessions with other Starter instances. It cannot connect to Disguise servers, so it is a practical choice for learning or preparing a project, not for server-connected production.

Designer Pro costs $159 a month, billed $159/month. It adds the full production-ready version, live show programming, real-time editing, multi-user collaboration and connections to Disguise servers and other Pro instances. Pro is the relevant tier for live production and connected team workflows; the higher recurring cost is difficult to justify if development and testing are all a project requires. Disguise also offers a 14-day trial.

Platforms

Designer is available for macOS, web and Windows. The user guide specifies Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, and Designer requires a 64-bit operating system and DirectX 11. Productions using Windows should check that requirement against their systems before planning a deployment.

Who it's for

Designer is aimed at production teams that need to develop and visualize a show, map content to complex surfaces, coordinate timelines and connect rendering or control systems. The free edition gives students, trainees and production teams a way to develop and test projects before moving to Pro. Users whose needs stop at a single-purpose mapping or playback workflow may not need Designer’s broader production environment.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Real-time 3D visualization, mapping and playback come together for planning and validating complex production environments.
• Render and control integrations span multiple creative engines, protocols and tracking systems, which supports workflows that need those connections.
• Starter provides core functionality and project development without a paid subscription, including sessions with other Starter instances.
• The plugin framework is available in both Starter and Pro, supporting extensions through widgets, Python scripts and third-party connections.

Cons

• Live programming and server-connected collaboration require the $159/month Pro plan, a meaningful ongoing cost for production use.
• Starter cannot connect to Disguise servers, limiting its fit to learning, testing and pre-visualisation rather than connected live production.
• Windows users need a 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 system with DirectX 11, which may constrain deployment choices.

Alternatives

For a free entry point with different licensing terms, Zero Density Reality offers an Open Studio License Program for eligible SOHO businesses under $1,000,000 annual gross revenue, academic use or self-learning, subject to eligibility and approval.

Pixotope is worth considering for a feature-limited free Discovery plan with an HD configuration and no licensing step required.

SMODE may suit non-commercial users seeking a free Community license with Full HD input, output, content and export and no watermarks; its Compose FHD plan costs €300 a year.

PIXERA offers a free demo license for building and saving projects without limitation, but its four outputs are watermarked, preventing live production.

Notch is an alternative for users looking for a separate visual effects tool, with a 1080p-export non-commercial Indie plan at $279 a year and a VFX plan at $117 a month.

ARFX Infinite Studio is another option in the category.

Assimilate Live Looks is an alternative with a $89 a month automatically recurring subscription that includes support and updates during the subscription.

Aximmetry offers a Broadcast & Film lifetime license at $5,990, paid once, for buyers who prefer a license usable without a time limit.

Browse Virtual Production Software or Projection Mapping Software for more category options.

Verdict

Choose Disguise Designer when your production needs a shared environment for visualization, mapping, playback and control, particularly where its render integrations and external cue support matter. Starter is a substantial development option, but live programming and server-connected collaboration are tied to Pro at $159/month. If you only need straightforward playback or mapping, a narrower tool may be a better fit.