Electric lighting components for Honeybee

Hi Everyone,

The new electric lighting components for Honeybee are now available for download. You can either get them with the next release of Honeybee or update them in your existing installation by using the Honeybee_Update Honeybee component.

The video below (best viewed in full-screen mode) provides an idea of what these components are capable of being used for:

The video below shows how these components can be used in an existing Honeybee project (for additional links please open this video in youtube):

I have uploaded two examples as Hydra files that show how these components can be used for grid-point and image-based simulations:

Example1 : Grid Point Calculations

Example2: Image based simulation

Finally, a more esoteric application is demonstrated in this video:

These components are still in the beta-testing stage. Some of the limitations of the components are:

1. Only Type C photometry IES files are supported at present.

2. Rhino is likely to get sluggish if there are too many luminaires (i.e. light fixtures) present in a scene.

3. Due to the spectral limitations of the ray-tracing software (RADIANCE), simulations involving color mixing might not be physically realizable.

Additional details about photometric and spectral calculations are probably an overkill for this forum. However, I'd be glad to answer any related questions. Please report any bugs or request new features either on this forum or on Github.

Mostapha, Leland Curtis, Reinhardt Swart and Dr. Richard Mistrick provided valuable inputs during the development of these components.

Thanks,

Sarith

Update 16th January 2017:

An example with some new components and bug fixes since the initial release announcement can be found here

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sarith Subramaniam on August 10, 2016 at 6:07pm

Hi Mona,

Assuming that your IES file is appropriate, I think the only issue with your file is that points are below the ground. It should run fine otherwise. I did a random test with your file and it turned out okay for me....

The IES file that I used is attached. Lithonia Lighting has a vast collection of IES files. http://www.lithonia.com/photometrics.aspx?Fid=75036

Trilux (https://www.trilux.com/en/) also has a good collection of IES files. Actually, nowadays every lighting manufacturer has IES files on their website.

I noticed that you are using slightly older version of the components. Chris Mackey has made several improvements to these components over the past month. So, you might be better of using the newer versions of these.

I don't have proper access to Rhino or Gh right now so in case you have further queries I might be able to answer them only by the end of this week..

Sarith

Attachments:

RT5_2x2Recessed.ies, 2 KB

Permalink Reply by mona rezk on August 19, 2016 at 3:21pm

Hi Sarith ,

Hope my message finds you well , as an attempt to try another example , I can't simulate light from lighting unit as you did in your video . plz find attached my file and I used the same ies file that you sent to me . also I downloaded the last version of openstudio but why Honey bee cant find it ?

Thank you

Mona

Attachments:

mona trail 4.gh, 1.4 MB

Permalink Reply by Sarith Subramaniam on August 19, 2016 at 8:22pm

Hi Mona,

If you use the Mesh2Rad component, both the materialFile and radianceFile need to be included in the simulation (and in that order i.e. materialFile first followed by radianceFile). I think that was the only issue with your simulation as the materialFile was missing in the simulation. I have attached the gh file and also the IES file that I used.

I think the dimensions of your space and also the light fixture are probably large for a small lamp like the one that I used. So, I had to crank up the candela multiplier to a high value and adjust the exposure to spread enough light in the scene. If you use the same IES file in a smaller room, you should get proper results.

Regarding your OpenStudio question, I have raised an issue on github with Mostapha and Chris about this. Lets see what they have to say about it..

Sarith

(Great model for the light fixture by the way! I have no idea how to create a shape like that in grasshopper)

Attachments:

v0_180h0.ies, 4 KB
monatrail4S.gh, 1.4 MB

Permalink Reply by mona rezk on August 22, 2016 at 7:41am

Sarith ,

Thank you so much for your help , I learnt a lot from you about electric lighting simulation with HB :) . for the lighting unit model , it's made by my friend Youmna , she is talented architect here's her FB page ( https://www.facebook.com/moony.kalid) . I'm happy that you liked the model :)

wish you all the best ,

Mona

Permalink Reply by Chris Mackey on August 19, 2016 at 8:48pm

Mona,
The electric lighting components use Radiance and not OpenStudio. The warning you get to install OpenStudio only has to do with energy workflows and not lighting.
-Chris

Permalink Reply by mona rezk on August 22, 2016 at 7:31am

Hi Chris,

Hope you are well . thank you for your reply , I'm wondering that I updated my Openstudio version but honeybe can't recognize it . You know I'm using HB in energy simulation too :)

Mona

Permalink Reply by mona rezk on August 12, 2016 at 11:29am

Hi Sarith ,
Thank you for your help , I fixed the issues you mentioned and I had the results with your IES file . and I also updated my LB plugin . Thank you so much.

wish you all the best ,

Mona

Permalink Reply by mona rezk on August 30, 2016 at 2:39pm

Hi Sarith ,

I opened the same file you uploaded for me , used the same Ies and I unblocked the honeybee rad material file but the result wasn't the same . I don't know what's the problem now !!! please tell me if you have any advices .

Thank you ,

Mona

Attachments:

0.jpg, 287 KB
00.png, 68 KB

Permalink Reply by Sarith Subramaniam on August 30, 2016 at 3:08pm

Hi Mona,

Can you post your gh file here. I am pretty sure that issue is with the way the light fixture geometry is incorporated into the scene...

Permalink Reply by mona rezk on August 30, 2016 at 3:25pm

Sarith,

thank you for fast reply , plz find attached the gh file & IES file .

Mona

Attachments:

monatrail4S.gh, 1.4 MB
v0_180h0.ies, 4 KB

Permalink Reply by Sarith Subramaniam on August 30, 2016 at 3:53pm

Hi Mona,

Try the attached file. The IES file is embeded in the gh definition. So you don't have to do anything to it. It should just create the view shown below automatically.

In case it doesn't work can you send me a screenshot of the Output From MSH2RAD part of the gh file on your system. You can see the screenshot from mine in the image above. It might be that the Mesh isn't converting to Radiance definitions on your system.

Permalink Reply by Sarith Subramaniam on August 30, 2016 at 3:54pm

Forgot the attachment in the previous reply...

Attachments: