Advanced Simulation Tools

Survey on daylighting simulation methods

What kind of daylight prediction tools do you use to estimate or calculate daylighting during (a) schematic design (b) design development?
Proportion of participants that use the tool [%]
100

Designers (53) Engineers (65) Researchers (42)

80

60
Schematic Design Design Development

40

20

Experience

Consumer Simulation

Rules of thumb

Design Guidelines

Formulas/ Spreadsheets

Scale model measurements

Figure by MIT OCW.

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Survey on daylighting simulation methods
Which output are you producing using computer simulation tools?
100
Parcentage of participants that choose this option [%]

Designers (35) Engineers (53) Researchers (39)

75

50

25

Interior Illuminances

Daylight factor

Photorealistic images

Interior luminances

Electric lighting use

Glare indices

Daylight autonomy

Figure by MIT OCW.

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Survey on daylighting simulation methods
Which aspects of your design are affected by your daylight analysis?
Designers (63) Engineers (65) Researchers (42)

Parcentage of participants that choose this option [%]

100

75

50

25

Shading Type Window size /Control

Glazing type

Lighting controls

Building orientation

Interior surface properties

Room dimensions

Figure by MIT OCW.

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Radiosity method
luminous energy exchange between surfaces diffuse surfaces only Lightscape, AGI32: radiosity combined with direct shadows
A1
1

SUPERLITE
n1 n2 x1
2

A2 x2

Figure by MIT OCW.

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Ray-tracing methods: Forwards

FORWARD (complex reflections)

TracePro

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Ray-tracing methods: Backwards

BACKWARDS (photo-realistic images)

Sun

Radiance

v Ai

ni
i

Aj nj nk Ak

Figure by MIT OCW.

ECOTECT DAYSIM RADIANCE package

ECOTECT
Daylight autonomy Daylight Factor Illuminance

RCP

DAYSIM
Lighting energy

Daylight factor

ECOTECT

Visualization

RADIANCE

Screenshots removed due to copyright restrictions.

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Sketchup

Screenshot removed due to copyright restrictions.

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The "LightSolve" project
filling the gap between existing daylighting tools main innovations
highly visual and interactive but early stages of design synthetic representation of dynamic nature of daylight goal-driven approach

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The "LightSolve" project
metrics
illuminance glare "enhancement"

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The "LightSolve" project
metrics daylight dynamic
South
150
210

24
Dec 21 Jan 21 Feb 20 Dec 21 Nov 21 Oct 21 9h 8h 7h Apr 20 May 21 Jun 21 6h 5h 10h 11h 12h 13h 14h 15h 16h 17h 18h 19h
30

120

20 16
Hours

7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000

24 0

12 8 4 0

East

West

Mar 20

Sep 22

80 70 60 50 40 30 10
330

Aug 22 Jul 21 Jun 21

1000
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Days

60

20
30

North

Figures by MIT OCW.

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metrics daylight dynamic graphical representation
Temporal Map High cursor 3 Low
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Month 8 9 10 11 12

The "LightSolve" project

24 20 16 Hour 12 8 4 0

movie (full day/year)

Figure by MIT OCW.

cursor 1

cursor 2

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The "LightSolve" project
goals and constraints optimization process