Blackwire Designs, founded in 2009 by former integrators, is a distributor in the custom installation industry. Based in Phoenix, they use integrated software to provide exceptional sales and systems support to dealers worldwide, assisting customers in finding the right products and software.
Blackwire Designs has announced significant updates to its Blacklight Linear Lighting Design Software, aimed at simplifying the design and specification process for linear lighting systems. These updates include Control4 integration, auto-DMX configuration, a new DMX report, an enhanced Fixture Edit Panel, and an expanded partner ecosystem.
The updates aim to empower designers and integrators to create stunning lighting systems more efficiently and accurately. By automating complex processes and integrating with Control4, Blacklight simplifies design and installation, reducing errors and costly mistakes, and accelerating project completion. These updates reinforce Blacklight’s position as an indispensable tool for professionals in the custom installation and Pro AV markets.
Blackwire Designs, a leading distributor in the custom installation and Pro AV markets, today announced a series of significant updates to its award-winning Blacklight Linear Lighting Design Software. These updates introduce revolutionary features that further simplify the design and specification process for linear lighting systems, reinforcing Blacklight’s position as an indispensable tool for designers and integrators.
“Our goal is to empower designers and integrators to create stunning lighting systems with unprecedented efficiency and accuracy,” said Cody Crossland, national sales manager at Blackwire. “By automating complex processes like DMX configuration and integrating with Control4, we’re not just simplifying the design and installation process — we’re redefining it. These transformative updates to Blacklight represent a leap forward in our commitment to innovation, ease of use, and excellence.”
Blacklight has already made waves in the industry by simplifying the traditionally complex process of designing and specifying linear lighting systems and taking home a CEDIA Expo 2023 Best New Product Award. Available for free to all Blackwire customers, the software enables users to easily import floorplans; outline each fixture; and promptly organize, configure, price, and produce a purchase order and accurate install reports for the bespoke lighting system design. With these latest updates, Blackwire continues to not only simplify the jobs of designers, purchasers, and programmers, but also benefit integrators by enabling faster completion of projects with fewer errors and costly mistakes.
Key Updates to Blacklight Design Tool:
- Control4 Integration and Auto-Config: In a groundbreaking industry first, Blacklight now integrates with Control4 systems via Blackwire’s Grape Box DMX Bridge. By simply pasting a unique import code into the Grape Box driver, users can add DMX lighting devices to a Control4 system automatically. Pre-programming of LED types, DMX channels, and fixture naming is also handled automatically, significantly accelerating project installations.
- Auto DMX Configuration and Channel Layout: Blacklight now automates the configuration of DMX channel mappings for each fixture within a system, dramatically reducing the complexity of specifying DMX-controlled lighting. This feature also allows integrators to customize settings while providing alerts for any potential errors, ensuring a seamless design process.
- New DMX Report: A comprehensive DMX report is now available, detailing all DMX-configured fixtures and highlighting any configuration errors. This invaluable tool aids installers in quickly referencing DMX settings on-site, streamlining the installation process.
- New Fixture Edit Panel: The introduction of an enhanced Fixture Edit Panel offers a more detailed view of each fixture, enabling designers to easily modify control methods or swap out tape light products across all fixture segments with a single click. This update also simplifies adjustments to power supplies, controllers, and accessories, making the design process far more efficient.
- Expanded Partner Ecosystem: Blackwire is adding even more products from Pure Edge, Wiz Pro, and Shelly to Blacklight’s extensive database, all of which will be made available for one-click purchasing from the company website via the software platform. Additionally, select products from Lucetta Ci and Lumini — Blackwire’s two newest partners — will soon be added to Blacklight, further enhancing the range of options available to designers.
