Predictika · Architectural lighting quotes
An AI sales agent prepares a luminaire schedule and quote for a project that uses ALW (Architectural Lighting Works) linear luminaires: LightPlane 1, LightPlane+ and LUMA, with their mounting, lumen packages, color temperature, drivers and dimming, controls and emergency units. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the options and limits published for these products, plus the code and delivery rules a project needs, and returns a verdict, every reason, a line-item quote and the figures it computed.
This validator models architectural lighting quotes for three ALW linear luminaire families as described on public third-party product pages and press releases, not just the scenarios shown below.
Any ALW quote that touches these three families and these options is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: the other ALW lines (including the Neidhardt decorative and v2 Lighting Group cylinder products), the MoonRing curved segments, exterior luminaires, other controls hardware, shipping, taxes and regional rate cards. ALW does not publish prices, so every price on this page is illustrative.
7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch
Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.
Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)
Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run
What this means
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.
| What the validator caught | Typical rules-based CPQ | Predictika |
|---|---|---|
| Run length, lumens and driver capacity together | Only with workarounds A run draws its length times the watts per foot of its lumen package, and it has to fit one driver at its loading limit; a price rule multiplies feet by a price and does not know the load, so an engineer checks every long run by hand. | The longest run, its lumen package, the driver size and the number of drivers are inputs, and the load is computed on every call. |
| Mounting against ceiling and pendant clearance | Only with care Recessed and perimeter mounting need a drywall or tile ceiling, and a pendant needs clearance below the ceiling height; a pick list can hide the wrong combinations, but each family has its own mounts and the rules interact with the ceiling. | Mounting, ceiling type, ceiling height and drop are checked together in one pass. |
| Dimming protocol, controls system and deep dimming | Only with workarounds Which protocols each family offers, which controls system works with which protocol, and which protocol allows dimming below 1 percent form a matrix; every cell is a rule that someone maintains. | Protocol, dimming level, controls system and zones are inputs and are checked against each family. |
| Title 24 and the energy code allowance | Only with workarounds Whether a family is listed for Title 24 depends on the project location, and the connected load must stay within an allowance that depends on area and space type; the load has to be rolled up across families first. | Location, area, space type and the load of every family are inputs, and the allowance is compared on every call. |
| Emergency units and lead time that depend on the whole order | Only with workarounds Emergency units exist only on some families, need a unit per run and a run they can back, and the shipping time is the longest of the families plus a custom finish; each is a fact about the whole order, compared with the date the project needs. | Family, unit count, run load, finish and the needed date are inputs, and each is checked on every call. |
| A stated total that has to agree with the quote | Only with workarounds Hundreds of drivers, joiners, sections and hardware points make a total that can drift from what is typed on the quote without anyone noticing. | The total is computed from the choices and compared with the total the quote states. |
| Every problem returned in one answer | Only with workarounds Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a person often fixes one error and meets the next. | All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in. |
Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.
| 1 | The quote includes no luminaires, so there is nothing to price. |
| 2 | LightPlane 1 is offered as pendant, ceiling surface, wall surface and knuckle mounts; the quote asks for a recessed or perimeter mount. |
| 3 | LightPlane+ is offered suspended, surface, wall, recessed and perimeter; the quote asks for a knuckle mount. |
| 4 | The quote has recessed mounting in an open-structure ceiling, or perimeter mounting in a ceiling that is not drywall; recessed mounting needs a drywall or acoustic tile ceiling and perimeter mounting needs drywall. |
| 5 | LUMA is a pendant luminaire; the quote asks for another mount. |
| 6 | The quote hangs pendants 13 inches below a 108-inch ceiling; the bottom of a pendant must stay at least 96 inches above the floor. |
| 7 | The quote has LightPlane 1 at 500 lumens per foot; the packages are 325, 450 and 550. |
| 8 | The quote has LightPlane+ at 1,000 lumens per foot; the packages modeled are 600, 900 and 1200, up to the published 1,200. |
| 9 | The quote has LUMA at 1,000 lumens per foot; the packages modeled are 400, 600 and 800, up to the published 800. |
| 10 | The quote specifies 4,500 K; LightPlane 1 and LUMA offer 2700, 3000, 3,500 and 4,000 K, and LightPlane+ also offers 5,000 K. |
| 11 | The quote specifies a CRI of 85; the luminaires are offered at CRI 80 and 90. |
| 12 | The project requires CRI 90, and the quote specifies CRI 80. |
| 13 | LightPlane 1 is offered with direct or general diffused optics; the quote asks for another distribution. |
| 14 | The space is a damp location, and LUMA is not rated for damp locations. |
| 15 | The space is a wet location, and none of the quoted families is rated for wet locations. |
| 16 | The quote supplies the luminaires at 480 volts; they take 120 to 277 volts or 347 volts. |
| 17 | The longest LightPlane 1 run, 10 feet at 450 lumens per foot, draws more than the 60 watts a PoE port supplies. |
| 18 | PoE power is offered with LightPlane 1 only. |
| 19 | The dimming protocol is not offered with every quoted family; LightPlane+ is offered with 0-10V, DALI and Lutron EcoSystem, and LUMA with 0-10V and DALI. |
| 20 | Dimming below 1 percent needs DALI or Lutron EcoSystem. |
| 21 | The chosen controls system does not work with the dimming protocol in the quote. |
| 22 | The controls system and the control zones do not go together; the quote has 0 control zones. |
| 23 | The project is in California, and LUMA is not Title 24 listed. |
| 24 | The project is in California, and Title 24 requires dimming and controls on the quoted luminaires. |
The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.
The agent's request. Please quote the luminaire schedule for a healthcare project of 120,000 square feet with a drywall ceiling 144 inches high, in California under Title 24. LightPlane 1 surface mounted on the ceiling: 3,600 feet in 360 runs, the longest 12 feet, at 450 lumens per foot with general diffused optics. LightPlane+ recessed: 6,000 feet in 156 runs, the longest 60 feet, at 600 lumens per foot. LUMA as pendants: 60 fixtures of 4 feet at 600 lumens per foot. All at 3,500 K and CRI 80. Pendants hang 36 inches below the ceiling. Power is 277 volts, with 180 drivers of 400 watts, 1,200 sections of up to 8 feet and 560 joiners. Dimming is DALI, to below 1 percent, with Lutron Ethernet controls in 190 zones. 120 emergency battery units on LightPlane+. The order has 780 mounting points. A custom finish on 3,600 feet. It is needed in 14 weeks. The discount is $96,847. The quote states an order total of $630,413. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote the luminaire schedule for a healthcare project of 120,000 square feet with a drywall ceiling 144 inches high, in California under Title 24. LightPlane 1 surface mounted on the ceiling: 3,600 feet in 360 runs, the longest 12 feet, at 450 lumens per foot with general diffused optics. LightPlane+ recessed: 6,000 feet in 156 runs, the longest 42 feet, at 600 lumens per foot. All at 3,500 K and CRI 90. Power is 277 volts, with 204 drivers of 400 watts, 1,200 sections of up to 8 feet and 684 joiners. Dimming is Lutron EcoSystem, to below 1 percent, with Lutron Ethernet controls in 190 zones. 120 emergency battery units on LightPlane+. The order has 720 mounting points. A custom finish on 3,600 feet. It is needed in 14 weeks. The discount is $102,467. The quote states an order total of $751,429. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Needs approval.
The agent's request. Please quote the luminaire schedule for a healthcare project of 120,000 square feet with a drywall ceiling 144 inches high, in California under Title 24. LightPlane 1 surface mounted on the ceiling: 3,600 feet in 360 runs, the longest 12 feet, at 450 lumens per foot with general diffused optics. LightPlane+ recessed: 6,000 feet in 156 runs, the longest 40 feet, at 600 lumens per foot. All at 3,500 K and CRI 90. Power is 277 volts, with 204 drivers of 400 watts, 1,200 sections of up to 8 feet and 684 joiners. Dimming is Lutron EcoSystem, to below 1 percent, with Lutron Ethernet controls in 190 zones. 120 emergency battery units on LightPlane+. The order has 720 mounting points. It is needed in 14 weeks. The discount is $65,719. The quote states an order total of $755,777. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. Please quote the luminaire schedule for an airport project of 60,000 square feet with an open-structure ceiling 288 inches high. LightPlane 1 on knuckle mounts: 500 feet in 40 runs, the longest 18 feet, at 550 lumens per foot with general diffused optics. LightPlane+ as pendants: 1,800 feet in 64 runs, the longest 30 feet, at 1,000 lumens per foot. LUMA as pendants: 36 fixtures of 6 feet at 800 lumens per foot. All at 5,000 K and CRI 80. Pendants hang 200 inches below the ceiling. Power is 480 volts, with 73 drivers of 400 watts, 288 sections of up to 8 feet and 184 joiners. Dimming is DMX, down to 3 percent, with Casambi controls in 48 zones. 24 emergency battery units on LightPlane 1. The order has 340 mounting points. It is needed in 16 weeks. The discount is $8,869. The quote states an order total of $89,080. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote the luminaire schedule for an airport project of 60,000 square feet with an open-structure ceiling 288 inches high. LightPlane 1 on knuckle mounts: 500 feet in 40 runs, the longest 18 feet, at 550 lumens per foot with general diffused optics. LightPlane+ as pendants: 1,800 feet in 64 runs, the longest 30 feet, at 900 lumens per foot. LUMA as pendants: 36 fixtures of 6 feet at 800 lumens per foot. All at 4,000 K and CRI 80. Pendants hang 144 inches below the ceiling. Power is 277 volts, with 73 drivers of 400 watts, 288 sections of up to 8 feet and 184 joiners. Dimming is DALI, down to 3 percent, with Casambi controls in 48 zones. 24 emergency battery units on LightPlane 1. The order has 340 mounting points. It is needed in 16 weeks. The discount is $19,984. The quote states an order total of $229,825. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. Please quote the luminaire schedule for an education project of 30,000 square feet with an open-structure ceiling 192 inches high. LightPlane 1 as pendants: 800 feet in 60 runs, the longest 16 feet, at 450 lumens per foot with direct optics. LightPlane+ recessed: 2,400 feet in 80 runs, the longest 30 feet, at 900 lumens per foot. LUMA as pendants: 30 fixtures of 3 feet at 600 lumens per foot. All at 3,500 K and CRI 90. Pendants hang 60 inches below the ceiling. Power is 277 volts, with 96 drivers of 400 watts, 400 sections of up to 8 feet and 260 joiners. Dimming is 0-10V, to below 1 percent, with NX Wireless controls in 40 zones. 20 emergency battery units on LUMA. The order has 300 mounting points. It is needed in 5 weeks. The discount is $19,189. The quote states an order total of $294,391. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote the luminaire schedule for an education project of 30,000 square feet with an open-structure ceiling 192 inches high. LightPlane 1 as pendants: 800 feet in 60 runs, the longest 16 feet, at 450 lumens per foot with direct optics. LightPlane+ as pendants: 2,400 feet in 80 runs, the longest 30 feet, at 600 lumens per foot. All at 3,500 K and CRI 90. Pendants hang 60 inches below the ceiling. Power is 277 volts, with 96 drivers of 400 watts, 400 sections of up to 8 feet and 260 joiners. Dimming is DALI, to below 1 percent, with NX Wireless controls in 40 zones. 20 emergency battery units on LightPlane+. The order has 270 mounting points. It is needed in 5 weeks. The discount is $16,381. The quote states an order total of $256,639. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.