Smoke machines, or 'foggers' as they should be called, use a non-toxic liquid to generate a smoky haze that shows up light beams. I use a number of small Chauvet F-650 units that can be DMX controlled via an add-on DMX-3F converters.

Even if you use a computer to control your DMX lights it can still be useful to have a small stand-alone DMX desk for testing purposes. I use a DMX-40 from Chauvet. It allows up to twelve 16 channel fixtures to be controlled via sliders.

Finally, you need lots and lots of DMX cables. Most DMX devices use 3-pin XLR cables, but you should get hold of some 3-pin to 5-pin adapters just in case. You should also have a DMX terminator or two to connect at the end of your DMX 'chain'.
SC