Learn Navigation Lights In 3D
- Reece Smith-ward
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
Few areas of the COLREGs catch students out quite like navigation lights and day shapes. There are many combinations to learn, each one changing as a vessel turns, and a flat diagram in a book only ever shows you a single fixed view. Maritime Master Nav Lights takes a different route, placing the whole lighting picture on 3D vessels at night that you can turn and study from any angle.
It is a recognition and revision app built around the way these rules actually need to be understood, which is by aspect. This spotlight walks through what is inside, from the vessels and day shapes to the two quiz modes, and where it fits into your wider study.
See Lights In 3D
At the heart of the app are 3D vessels at night that you can orbit freely. Instead of memorising a single printed image, you can move around each vessel and watch how its light pattern changes from ahead, from astern, and from either beam. Large and small vessel variants are included, so you can compare how the same lighting state reads on different craft and build a clearer mental picture of what each arrangement means.
Every COLREG Lighting State
The app covers the complete set of COLREG lighting states. That includes power-driven vessels underway, vessels at anchor and aground, not under command, restricted in their ability to manoeuvre, mine clearance, dredging with a foul side, constrained by draught, pilot vessels, tugs towing and pushing, long tows, vessels being towed, fishing and trawling, sailing vessels and more. Working through them all in one place helps you revise the differences that are so easy to confuse.
Day Shapes In 3D
Daylight signals get the same treatment. The day shapes are modelled in 3D, with balls, cones, cylinders and diamonds shown as Rules 24 to 30 describe them. Seeing the shapes in three dimensions rather than as simple flat icons makes it easier to remember which combination belongs to which situation and how it sits on the vessel.
Backed By The Rules
Every pattern is presented alongside its source. Each lighting state and day shape is shown with its rule number, its rule title, and the relevant COLREG text, so you are never left guessing why a vessel is lit the way it is. This keeps your revision anchored to the wording of the rules themselves rather than to a summary, which is helpful when you are preparing for written and oral assessment.
Two Quiz Modes
To test yourself there are two quiz modes, one for lights and one for day shapes. Each presents vessels at randomised aspects, so you cannot simply learn a fixed picture, and there is live scoring as you go plus a results summary at the end. It is a straightforward way to check what has stuck and to spot the states that still need more practise.
Study Anywhere, Privately
Maritime Master Nav Lights works completely offline, so you can revise on passage, in a classroom, or anywhere with no signal. There are no accounts and no tracking. It is a Reference app for iPhone and iPad, available on the Apple App Store as a one-time purchase.
A note on how to use it. Maritime Master Nav Lights is for training and study only, not for real-world navigation or for identifying vessels at sea. Real lights vary with weather, range, and background lighting, so always rely on proper lookout and official references. The app is a revision aid and is not a substitute for an approved course.
