Earlier this year, our team travelled to Denver, Colorado, to support the installation of four illuminated characters made by Glow Inflatables, for the AAD Annual Meeting 2026. While the finished installation looked playful and effortless, the engineering behind each character required careful planning, custom fabrication and extensive testing before it ever left our workshop.
Working alongside the incredibly talented teams at Glow Inflatables, Baby Lion Media and The Bermuda, we were responsible for designing, manufacturing and commissioning four complete custom lighting control systems. Each system combined DMX and SPI lighting control with scheduled playback, local animation storage and RF override, creating a reliable installation that could operate independently throughout the event. Every element, from the control systems to the mounting solutions and custom electronics, was developed specifically for this project.
Building the Bes-T’s
Each of the four characters Reggie, Effie, Ace and Memo required its own bespoke lighting package. Rather than using off-the-shelf components, we designed a complete system around the artwork itself. The aim was to make the lighting feel like part of the inflatable rather than something attached afterwards. We fabricated a clear mounting system to give the Bes-T’s the appearance that they were floating/freestanding. Our mounting system then contained around 100 individually controlled LEDs.
We designed custom RGBW 12V SPI LED eye panels to create expressive animated eyes. These were housed inside bespoke PETG frames produced on our 3D printers before being paired with precision laser-cut Perspex “Secret Sign” acrylic to achieve the desired light diffusion and finish.
Workshop Testing Before Shipping
Reliability is always a priority on overseas projects. Before shipping any equipment to Denver, every inflatable was fully assembled. This allowed us to install the lighting systems exactly as they would appear on site before programming and testing every animation.
By recreating the installation, we could fine tune the brightness, and test the animation while confirming that every LED performed exactly as expected. This process also gave the client confidence that the installation had already been commissioned before arriving in the United States, helping reduce on-site installation time and eliminating unnecessary surprises.
Custom Lighting Control Designed for Reliability
Behind every character sat a fully independent lighting control system. Each Bes-T was powered using a DiGidot C4 Extended 8 controller, allowing all lighting data and animations to be stored locally. This meant every character could continue operating reliably without relying on a constantly connected computer. The wider control architecture combined DMX and SPI protocols with scheduled playback, while still allowing RF override whenever manual intervention was required.
The overall show control was driven through a custom Chataigne patch developed by Ale at The Bermuda. The programming brought every character together while maintaining the flexibility required during installation and operation. Using distributed playback also improved reliability by removing unnecessary network dependencies and reducing potential points of failure.
Combining Digital Fabrication with Lighting Design
As well as designing the lighting system itself, our team produced custom 3D printed parts, laser-cut acrylic components, bespoke mounting hardware and fully assembled control systems before shipping everything overseas. Having these manufacturing capabilities in-house allows us to prototype quickly, solve unusual engineering challenges and create components that simply do not exist commercially.
Instead of adapting a project around standard hardware, we can design hardware around the project. This approach allows us to deliver cleaner installations, faster commissioning and more reliable long-term performance. Read more about our custom 3D Printing.
A Fantastic International Collaboration
It was a pleasure working alongside Glow Inflatables and Baby Lion Media, whose creative vision brought the characters to life, while The Bermuda developed an exceptional custom Chataigne control system that tied the installation together beautifully.
From our first workshop prototype through to final commissioning in Denver, every stage of the project showcased the value of combining creative design with robust engineering. We’re incredibly proud to have contributed to another international installation and look forward to collaborating again on future projects.
Check out our Instagram post about the event here.
Have a project that needs a custom solution?
From bespoke lighting control and interactive LED systems to custom fabrication and digital manufacturing, we design and build solutions around the needs of each project.
Whether you’re developing an experiential installation, illuminated artwork or something that simply doesn’t exist off the shelf, our team can help take it from initial concept through to testing, programming and final commissioning.
Got an idea or a technical challenge? Get in touch with our team to discuss your next project.
