40 Awards

Fenning Award for Technical Achievement, First place, “Lasershow Converter Blender”

Date : Sep 2024
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Lasershow Converter Blender is a free add-on (“plug-in”) for BEYOND that allows the free, open-source Blender 3D graphics software to generate laser frames and animations virtually instantly.

Fenning Award for Technical Achievement, Third place, “MoboLaser”

Date : Sep 2024
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : MoboLaser is a groundbreaking mobile app for iOS and Android that transforms laser show control by integrating with BEYOND and QuickShow software.

LDI Awards 2021, Best Product presentation, “Beam Brush”

Date : Dec 2021
Issued by : Live Design International
Description : BeamBrush gives you instant zoom, wash, waving and positioning; combined with the razor sharp coherent profile of laser. So you can move from a classical moving head appearance, to a razor sharp laser look, instantaneously.

LDI Awards 2021, Best Special Effects, “Beam Brush”

Date : Dec 2021
Issued by : Live Design International
Description : BeamBrush gives you instant zoom, wash, waving and positioning; combined with the razor sharp coherent profile of laser. So you can move from a classical moving head appearance, to a razor sharp laser look, instantaneously.

Fenning Award for Technical Achievement, First Place, “Beam Brush”

Date : Nov 2020
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : BeamBrush gives you instant zoom, wash, waving and positioning; combined with the razor sharp coherent profile of laser. So you can move from a classical moving head appearance, to a razor sharp laser look, instantaneously.

Technical Achievement Recognition for the book “LASER SCANNERS”

Date : Nov 2017
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The book LASER SCANNERS: Technologies and Applications; How they work, and how they can work for your product.

Fenning Award for Technical Achievement, First Place, BEYOND

Date : Nov 2016
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : BEYOND is the most advanced and most capable multimedia control system ever created. It can be used to create shows that incorporate lasers, pyrotechnics, audio, video, moving lights, and other stage elements, all in real time on an ordinary personal computer.

Best Seller’s Quilly Award for the book LASER SCANNERS

Date : Oct 2016
Issued by : National Academy of Best Selling Authors
Description : Best Seller’s Quilly Award for my #1 best-selling book LASER SCANNERS

CNET Editor’s rating: Spectactular for the program PangoBright

Date : Nov 2015
Issued by : CNET
Description : PangoBright is the #8 rated Desktop utility for Windows. More than a thousand people download it each week.

Technical Achievement Award, First Place, Compact 506 Optical Scanner

Date : Dec 2014
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Smallest, lightest, least expensive, and most versatile galvanometer scanner ever made for laser display applications.

Technical Achievement Award, Second Place, Saturn 1 Scanner and Mach DSP Driver

Date : Nov 2014 
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The fastest scanner ever made for 3mm beams and smaller.

Technical Achievement Award, First Place, SafetyScan Lens

Date : Nov 2012
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Divergence-increasing lens system which promotes laser safety while also making audience scanning more enjoyable to watch.

Technical Achievement Award, Third Place, VRAD-1510 Actuator

Date : Nov 2012
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Actuator used as a shutter or grating inserter on many laser projectors. This product also found use in many industrial machines, some in agriculture…

Quilly Award for the book The Success Secret

Date : Oct 2012
Issued by : National Academy of Best Selling Authors
Description : Quilly Award for the book The Success Secret, co authored by Jack Canfield from the Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books

Quilly Award for the book Win

Date : Oct 2011
Issued by : National Academy of Best Selling Authors
Description : Quilly Award for the book Win

Quilly Award for the book Game Changers

Date : Dec 2010
Issued by : National Academy of Best Selling Authors
Description : Quilly Award for the book Game Changers

Technical Achievement Award, (highest place), Lasershow Designer QuickShow

Date : Nov 2010
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The most popular and easiest-to-use laser show creation software package.

Technical Achievement Award, Honorable Mention, LASORB

Date : Nov 2009
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The first and still the only semiconductor product fast and robust enough to protect laser diodes from ESD and power surges.

ILDA Career Achievement Award

Date : Sep 2008
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The ILDA Career Achievement Award honors “exceptional individuals with a distinguished history of achievement in the laser display industry.”

Technical Achievement Award, First Place, PASS — the Professional Audience Safety System

Date : Nov 2007
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The first and still the only audience scanning safety system approved for use in the USA by CDRH.

Software Product of the Year, Lasershow Designer 4D

Date : Nov 2006
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : What started off as a separate program and eventually became the 3D modeling and animation portion of BEYOND.

Exceptional Service Award

Date : Nov 2005
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Given by ILDA board members in special recognition and deep appreciation of his continuing efforts, support and generosity towards the International Laser Display Association.

Technical Achievement Award, (highest place awarded that year), Projection Zones

Date : Nov 2002
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Software that bundled a laser projector with geometric correction and safety features into a single “zone”, which could be edited at any time. This revolutionized how multi-projector shows were done, and is still in use today…

Technical Achievement Award, Third Place, The Dazzler

Date : Nov 2002
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Reflector-and-lens based wide-angle projection system

ILDA Technical Achievement Award, First Place, Lasershow Converter MAX

Date : Nov 2001
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : A revolutionary new way to create laser shows, using a non-photorealistic rendering plugin. Previous to this, artists took around 20 minutes to create a single frame of laser animation. Once this plugin was developed, laser frames could be rendered at around 10 frames per second.

ILDA Technical Achievement Award, First Place, QM2000 Laser Display Processor Board

Date : Nov 2000
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The QM2000 is the most successful complete laser processing board, which included a RISC processor, on-board memory, and high-quality peripherals.

ILDA Special Application Award, First Place, Interactive Laser Character software.

Date : Nov 1999
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Interactive “puppet” character software which used data-gloves and motion trackers to create animations in real time.

ILDA Technical Achievement Award, First Place, Showtime show creation system

Date : Nov 1998
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The first timeline-based show creation system for lasers. At this time in history, timeline-based software was not commonplace and so there were no points of reference… As such, the Showtime software was developed from a completely blank sheet of paper. All show-creation, drag and drop, editing and playback metaphors were developed from scratch.

ILDA Technical Achievement Award, First Place, CADA-MOD Board

Date : Nov 1997
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Circuit board adapter that allowed Alesis ADAT digital audio recorders to be used reliably for laser display applications. A later edition called CADA-MOD plus DMX also allowed for the recording and playback of DMX lighting protocol as well.

Laserist’s Choice “Brewster” Award for Products, First Place, for “CADA-MOD” ADAT modification board

Date : Jun 1997
Issued by : Laser FX
Description : Circuit board adapter that allowed Alesis ADAT digital audio recorders to be used reliably for laser display applications.

Laserist’s Choice “Brewster” Award for Products, Second Place, for “LD for Windows Software”

Date : Jun 1997
Issued by : Laser FX
Description : Lasershow Designer for Windows was overwhelmingly recognized as the best software to use to create and perform laser light shows.

Technical Achievement Award, Third Place, for raster frames (shared with co-inventor Lightspeed Design Group)

Date : Nov 1996
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The ability to use software and common galvanometer laser projection hardware to project TV-like raster imagery.

Laserist’s Choice “Brewster” Award for Products, First Place, for Raster Frames

Date : Jun 1996

Issued by : Laser FX
Description : Best laseThe ability to display raster frames using a laser projector and software originally intended only for vector display applications.r animation software, as voted on by peers in the laser industry.

Laserists’ Choice “Brewster” Award for Software, First Place, most popular software as voted by working laserists

Date : Jun 1995
Issued by : Laser FX
Description : Best laser animation software, as voted on by peers in the laser industry.

New Technology Award, Honorable Mention, for entire Lasershow Designer for Windows software

Date : Nov 1994
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Award given for the entire Lasershow Designer for Windows software package, which included drawing, animation, scripting, and live performance elements.

New Technology Award, First Place, for Accelerator 124 scanner amplifier (product licensed to Lighting Systems Design Inc.).

Date : Nov 1993
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The first (and as far as I know, still the only) servo driver capable of delivering closed-loop performance from open-loop galvanometer scanners.

New Technology Award, First Place, for renumbering algorithm

Date : Nov 1992
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : Algorithm to change the number of vertices in a laser image, thus allowing the artist to choose an arbitrary level of image complexity or simplicity.

New Technology Award, Second Place, for “Interceptor” full-color, full-screen, realtime preview.

Date : Nov 1992
Issued by : International Laser Display Association
Description : The first previsualization system on a computer for lasers.

Personal letter of commendation from former US President Ronald Reagan

Date : Nov 1983
Issued by : United States President Ronald Reagan
Description : Personal letter of commendation from former US President Ronald Reagan, honoring my achievements in United States and International Skill Olympics

Resolution on behalf of the State of Florida

Date : Oct 1983
Issued by : Tallahassee, the Capitol of Florida
Description : WHEREAS, this skill performance was demonstrated in competition with the top fifty students in the United States in stringent requirements as designed, administered and evaluated by industry officials on June 25, 1982, in the United States Skill Olympics in Louisville, Kentucky.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the State Board of Education, hereby commend and congratulate WILLIAM RICHARD BENNER, JR. in recognition of this outstanding achievement .