An essential feature of every Masonic meeting is the ceremony. Preparing for a ceremony involves not only learning the words, but also understanding where to stand and how to move around the Lodge room.
The development is complete, demonstration videos can be view here. Now, the User Documentation is being prepared and is scheduled to be complete by 31 August 2026 just in time for the re-start of Masonic meetings after the summer break
Description
VLOI-RT is a real-time web application designed to supplement these traditional methods. It provides a way to visualise the actions taking place on the Lodge floor, practise the movements involved, and rehearse the delivery of your lines.
Practising at home is convenient, but it is not a substitute for practising together. Face-to-face rehearsal remains essential if a group of people is to produce a well-coordinated, high-quality ceremony.
What VLOI-RT can do is help you arrive at your next Lodge of Instruction or rehearsal already familiar with your part. Instead of spending valuable time learning the basics, you can concentrate on working together and polishing the ceremony.
Personal Version
The Personal Version of VLOI-RT is free for personal use.
To help prevent misuse, you will be asked to enter your email address. A one-time access code will be sent to that address, which you enter to gain access to the application.
The access code is not stored, and your email address will not be used to contact you or for marketing purposes.
Additional Services
Paid options are being developed which will provide online storage and allow groups of members to conduct virtual Lodges of Instruction.
These services will require you to create an account. Your email address will be used only for the operation and administration of that account.
Your email address will not be sold or provided to third parties for marketing purposes.
Features
Lodge Room: Dim or raise the lighting, switch lights on or off, and open or close doors.
Ritual Preparation: Set the starting positions of participants and furniture, together with the required lighting and door states.
Individual Participants: Stand, sit, use the gavel and speak in position. Animate movement around the Lodge Room, with the participant speaking while stationary or in motion.
Groups: Move participants in procession along the same path, or simultaneously along different paths.
Ritual Management: Individual rituals can be exported to a file for backup and subsequently restored when required.
Collaboration: Exported rituals can also be sent by email as attachments, allowing them to be shared with other VLOI-RT users.
Orders Supported
The following Orders are currently supported:
- Craft
- Mark Master Masons
- Royal Arch
- Royal and Select Masters
- Pilgrim Preceptors
- Order of Athelstan
- Knights Templar
- St Thomas of Acon
Further Orders will be added over time.
Online Storage
This service will be available by subscription.
The Personal Version stores your data locally in your browser. Backup and restore facilities are provided, but the storage itself is controlled by the browser and is therefore beyond the control of VLOI-RT.
For most purposes this is perfectly adequate. However, if you change browser or use a different computer, your locally stored data will not be available.
The Online Storage service will provide you with your own online database. Browser storage will continue to be used as the working database, but it can be synchronised instantly with your online data.
This provides both an additional backup and access to your VLOI-RT data when using another browser or computer.
VLOI-RT Remote
It is not always practical to hold a physical Lodge of Instruction. The cost of a venue, travel, and the availability of participants can all make regular meetings difficult.
While a physical LOI or rehearsal remains essential, individual home learning can be further supplemented by online meetings.
VLOI-RT Remote has been developed specifically for this purpose. Rather than sharing a single screen, each attendee runs VLOI-RT on their own device and joins a remotely managed session.
The Remote version:
- Manages attendees and controls access to the meeting.
- Synchronises each attendee’s application with the Manager’s application. What the Manager does is replicated in real time on every attendee’s screen.
- Provides the Manager with a whiteboard facility for explanation and instruction.