OpenLight: Parametric Light Fittings for Archviz

Stop hunting for light fittings. Generate them.

OpenLight adds a library of 145 parametric light fittings to Blender. Every one is built from settings rather than fixed meshes, so you can resize it, change the lamp count, set the drop, swap finishes and relight it in seconds. Recessed fittings cut their own holes in your ceilings, walls and floors.

All 145 are original designs, made in the spirit of current interior styles: modern, classic, lantern, industrial and minimalist.

12 categories, 145 fittings

• Downlights: fixed, deep anti-glare, gimbal, square, trimless plaster-in, pinhole, twin adjustable
• Surface spots and track: cylinders, adjustable spots, track with heads
• Pendants: metal domes, cones and bells; opal and clear globes; marble, travertine, timber and metal combinations; fluted, faceted, saucer, capsule and glass designs; multi-light rows and rings
• Chandeliers: classic candle arms, crystal tiered, crystal empire, tulip glass arms, sputnik, LED rings, cascade rings, tiered discs, spiral globes for stairwells
• Designer statement pieces: branching globes, molecular, orb, bubble cloud, glass rain, gyroscope rings, alabaster stack, paper lantern, constellation, balance mobile, glass blossoms and more
• Filament and industrial: bulb clusters, pipe, timber beam, spider, hoop, wire cages and filament sconces
• Ceiling lights: flush drums, oyster, semi-flush bowls, LED panels and battens
• Wall lights: up/down cylinders, sconces, candle sconces, globes, plaster uplighters, swing arms, washers, halo, floating ring, vanity tube, hurricane, marble and timber plates, pivot heads
• Outdoor wall: bulkheads, cage lights, coach lanterns, modern cylinder, slim, tapered and hex lanterns, slatted cubes, pucks and wedges
• Picture lights, step and foot lights (recessed, cut the wall) and garden lights: bollards, spikes, mushroom path lights, lamp posts, in-ground and deck lights

Built for archviz

• Automatic cutters. Recessed fittings cut ceilings, walls and paving, with one Boolean per surface however many fittings it holds. Default 1 mm margin, so no shading overlap.
• Real lamps in every fitting, with colour temperature, dimmer, power, beam angle and softness.
• Realistic glass. Clear globes are hollow 4 mm blown glass with a visible LED capsule or filament inside. The lamp's own ball is hidden from camera and glass, so globes look like real bulbs.
• 24 finishes: brushed, polished and antique brass, champagne, bronze, copper, nickel, chrome, steel, gunmetal, powder coats, aged iron, corten, concrete, oak, walnut, marble and travertine. Plus 7 translucent shade fabrics and 9 glass types.
• 12 bulb types: opal, classic filament, ST64, G95 to G200 globes, spiral, candle, tube, long tube and teardrop, in clear, amber or smoke glass.
• Hang by height above floor. Set a pendant's bottom at 1.6 m over the table and it adapts to any ceiling height.
• Configure multi-light fittings: arms, tiers, globe counts, spread, staggered drops, cable type and colour.
• Aim at 3D Cursor. Point gimbals, spots and uplights at artwork, individually across an array.
• Your own materials stay put. Click any part, assign a material, and it survives every rebuild.
• Scene Lighting panel: master dimmer and on/off for every fitting in the scene.
• Picture browser of the whole library, with search.

What's included

• OpenLight add-on (Blender extension zip)
• Illustrated user manual (PDF)

Requirements

Blender 4.2 LTS or newer. Tested on 4.2 LTS and 5.2. Works in Cycles and EEVEE; Cycles is recommended for glass and shade translucency.

How to use

After installing, open the N-panel > OpenLight tab or Shift+A > OpenLight. Place the 3D Cursor on a ceiling, wall or floor and add a fitting: it snaps to the surface and cuts it automatically if recessed. Adjust everything in the Fitting panel. Use Make Static to turn a fitting into plain objects for export.

FAQ

Do I need the add-on installed to render scenes I've made? No. Fittings are ordinary meshes and lights; you need the add-on only to change their settings.

Does it work with EEVEE? Yes. Cycles gives the most realistic glass and fabric shades.

Will it cut a thick slab? A recessed fitting cuts as deep as its housing, so a slab gets a pocket and a plasterboard ceiling gets a clean hole, as in reality.

Are these replicas of designer brands? No. All 145 fittings are original designs.

Also by Principia Design: OpenFrame, parametric doors, windows, skylights and balustrades.