Blackwood Siding + Lightbeans

[Tweed ON, Canada, April 16, 2024] – Blackwood Siding, the respected manufacturer of high-quality charred wood and pre-finished millwork, in collaboration with Lightbeans, is proud to announce the launch of their new 3D visualization tools.

The Objective

Create an innovative online experience that gives customers a better feel of the product, even through a screen.

The Products

Blackwood's Traditional Char is treated with intense fire, burning the cellulose and hemicellulose layer of the wood to produce a robust and stable char (soot) layer. The carbon in this char layer makes the wood naturally hydrophobic, UV-resistant and pest-resistant.

The wood is sealed with a penetrating linseed oil-based sealer that fortifies the char layer and seals the cladding so no soot rubs off when touched. The aesthetic is a black, crackled, alligator skin surface with a deep faceted char layer that reflects surrounding light and environment.

Blackwood's Burn & Brush undergoes the charring described above, but the soot layer is then brushed off to varying degrees to reveal the board’s beautiful topographical grain and transformed color tones. The process removes more of the board’s ‘spring wood’ (soft, light grains) and leaves the board’s ‘winter wood’ (denser, hard grains), producing a textured surface and color palette unlike any other.

From here, the cladding can be finished with an almost infinite array of pigmented UV or non-UV oils to produce the desired aesthetic. From naturals, ambers, greys to popular blacks; from semi-transparent to opaques; the combinations create stunning finished cladding that still has unmistakable shou sugi ban character.

The Challenges

• Blackwood's Traditional Char and Burn & Brush product lines showcase intricate light interaction and topographical grain that traditional photography can't capture. 

• Architects and builders can't accurately represent Blackwood's products in a 3D environment.

The Strategies

1. E-SAMPLE®

Our eSample technology enables us to produce interactive digital samples that closely resemble their physical counterparts. This means we can accurately simulate the way light reflects on the product and reveal its particular details.

2. 3D Textures

With 3D renderings now an integral part of architects' and builders' iteration process, there is an exponential demand for texture files that accurately represent real materials. Architects and builders can spend endless hours online trying to find a texture that closely resembles the real thing. Ultimately, creating more impactful visualizations helps customers better visualize the end result of their project. Lightbeans' Smart Textures technology enables us to create high-quality textures based on the samples that Blackwood sent to our office.

The texture files we produced are:

• PBR-based, meaning they include all the material properties (diffuse, displacement, normal, gloss and reflection maps)

• Seamless and tileable.

• High-resolution (up to 16K).

• Color correct.

• Compatible with the industry's leading software.

The Results 

Lightbeans' texture library now includes Blackwood's premium Traditional Char and Burn & Brush sidings. Architects and builders can download the textures for free and easily integrate them into their 3D software.

Blackwood has recently updated their website to include interactive virtual samples, allowing customers to get up close and personal with the products. The E-SAMPLE ® also serves as a pre-selection tool, enabling customers to visualize the samples online instantly, and satisfying many sample requests.

For further information on the products, visit Blackwood's website and to access the textures, please visit the Lightbeans' texture library.

About Blackwood Siding

Blackwood Siding specializes in creating the highest quality charred and non-charred pre-finished millwork. Located in the heart of historic Hastings County on the banks of the famed Moira River, Blackwood draws on the region's centuries-old lumber pedigree while eagerly embracing new techniques in low-footprint production and high-impact design.

About Lightbeans

Lightbeans' Texture Library is a cutting-edge scan and software-as-a-service platform that provides photorealistic textures for architectural visualization. The platform supports creators by offering high-quality, physically-based rendering (PBR) textures free of charge, fostering a collaborative community of architecture and design professionals.