New Crestron Studio - Home Designer™ Software Makes it Easier and Faster to Design and Program Crestron Home Automation Systems

Sep 06, 2012

For Beginner Programmers or Power Users, SmartObject™ and Smart Sizing™ Technology Simplify GUI Design in a Powerful, Unified Environment

Crestron today unveiled Crestron Studio - Home Designer™, its all new software that enables integrators to design and program the world's most advanced home automation system faster and easier. In a single, unified development environment, Home Designer provides everything needed to create incredible touch screen GUIs and deliver an amazing user experience while substantially reducing programming time. The comprehensive new development software simplifies the once lengthy tasks of system and GUI design, and is backward compatible with existing programs so old projects can be easily updated and supported.

"Custom programming projects that used to require multiple tools can now be done in one unified environment that lets the programmer move quickly from one task to the next," said Fred Bargetzi, Crestron VP of Technology. "Once-complex programming and GUI design tasks are now much easier and faster, enabling integrators to deliver a beautiful interactive Crestron user experience."

Featuring SmartObject™ technology, programmers can quickly add a huge selection of controls, presets, and metadata interfaces for everything from a simple keypad to more complex media players. Simply drop a SmartObject from the library into a project. Home Designer dynamically populates each control object automatically with the proper buttons, knobs, sliders and switches for each type of source, producing an intuitive, rich-looking user interface in a fraction of the time of previous design software. "For example, the media player requires only one object, one join number, one time for the entire project," said Bargetzi.

For jobs with multiple displays and multiple platforms, Universal Upload™ enables just one project to be uploaded to all touch screens, and to your Apple® iPad®, iPhone®, Mac® computer, and PC simultaneously, regardless of size, resolution or operating system. No reprogramming, redrawing, or resizing is necessary. Built-in Smart Sizing™ technology intelligently and automatically scales all graphics to fit perfectly on each screen, providing a consistent, awe-inspiring user interface in every room. You can even change touch screen themes and text on the fly without disturbing programming behind the scenes.

"The beauty of a Crestron home system has always been: you can control anything you want with a simple button touch, but it wasn't always the easiest thing to do. Now that's all changed. Now it's much faster and easier," said Bargetzi. "Whether you're a beginner programmer or a power user, Home Designer not only makes the simple repetitive programs easier - the custom work is easier too."

Crestron continues to raise the bar on user interface design in home control applications. Using the latest technology such as Adobe Air®, H.264 video Core 3 UI™-powered Crestron touch screens offer homeowners the ultimate interactive user experience using special effects including animations, 3D objects, and gestures navigation. Core 3 UI brings the user experience to life, making it fast, fun and easy to swipe, scroll, drag, and drop, while browsing through music and movie libraries, TV/radio stations, and home control apps. Cool kinetic effects provide a one of a kind interactive experience when using custom knobs, sliders, and gauges to adjust and monitor any system in the home including heating and cooling systems, home theaters, multiroom audio, lighting, security cameras, pools, sprinklers, and other connected devices.

"Feedback from integrators, systems designers and programmers who have had a sneak peak at Home Designer has been off the charts," said Bargetzi. "There's a common ring to all the comments coming in from the custom electronics community, and that is: 'I can't believe how much easier you guys have made my job.'"

Watch how easy it is to design and program a Crestron home system using Crestron Studio-Home Designer software. Learn more about Crestron Studio-Home Designer here.

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About Crestron

For more than 40 years Crestron has been the world's leading manufacturer of advanced control and automation systems, innovating technology and reinventing the way people live and work. Providing integrated solutions to control audio, video, lighting, computer, IP and environmental systems, Crestron streamlines technology, improving the quality of life for people in corporate conference rooms, hotels, classrooms, auditoriums, and in their homes. Crestron's leadership stems from its dedicated people who are committed to providing the best products, programs and services in the industry. In addition to its World Headquarters in Rockleigh, New Jersey, Crestron has sales and support offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia.

Crestron, the Crestron logo, Crestron Studio - Home Designer, Core 3 UI, SmartObject, and Smart Sizing are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Crestron Electronics, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Adobe Air is either a trademark or registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Apple, iPad, iPhone, and Mac are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple, Inc in the United States and/or other countries. Facebook is either a trademark or registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Twitter is either a trademark or registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

©2012 Crestron Electronics, Inc.

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