One tradition of Judaism gets a fanciful update every year by the Chabad Jewish Center in Needham, with its Hanukkah menorah-lighting ceremony on the downtown common. Each time, the menorah changes: Last year, it glowed a luminous blue-green, and past versions have been made from Legos, ice, and balloons.

This year, the ancient menorah will be thoroughly modern: crowdsourced and digitally designed, built from the winning entry in a contest using 3D modeling software from Needham-based Parametric Technology Corp.