Lighting Design and Simulation

Lecture 8. Calculations interior lighting

TDMU
Lecture overview
• Calculations in lighting design process
• Calculation methods
• Calculating the direct illuminance
• Zonal cavity method
• Radiosity
• Raytracing
• Calculation methods in simulation software

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Lighting Design Process
• Room analysis
• Modelling
• Determining the lighting requirements (e.g.,
maintained illuminances, glare limitation)
• Selection of lamps and luminaires
• Determining the number of luminaires
• Placement and orientation of luminaires
• Calculation of the lighting scene
• Comparison with the recommendations and if required,
re-calculation

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Calculation methods
• Calculating the direct illuminance
• Zonal cavity method
• Radiosity
• Raytracing

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Calculation methods | Calculating the direct illuminance

© eLAD

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Calculation methods | Calculating the direct illuminance
• What does the inverse square law tell us?

The irradiance emitted by a point

light source is reduced by the
square of the distance from the
source

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Calculation methods | Calculating the direct illuminance
D

≥5 or even ≥3

Inverse square law:

= cos Ep = Illuminance at point P [lx]

I = Luminous intensity of light source [cd]
r = distance between light source and point P
ε2 = angle of incidence

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Calculation methods | Calculating the direct illuminance
• Strictly speaking, the inverse square law only
applies for a point light source.
• Literature: The inverse square law can be applied if
the distance r (between the light source and the target area Ap) is
at least 10 times D (the maximum dimension of the light emitting
surface) ( ≥10 ).
• Practical applications often also work with the
condition ≥5 or even ≥3 . Whether these
approaches are acceptable depends on the
maximum tolerance for calculation errors that has
been set. ≥5 or even ≥3

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 Calculation methods | Calculating the direct illuminance
Otherwise partition the luminaire:

1 ,
, = ( , ) = cos ,

Note that the geometry is different for each of the luminaire fractions.
• The distance ri, and all the angles gI, ji and eI are different for each term.

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Calculation methods | Calculating the direct illuminance
• Very easy
• Very quick

• Interreflections and the material properties are

not considered.
• This very simple calculation method is therefore
not suitable to determine the number of
luminaires needed to lit a room.

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• It determines the Luminous Flux on a target plane

• Assumptions:
• The room has a rectangular footprint
• The room is empty
• The inner surfaces of the room (ceiling, wall and floor)
reflect the light spectrally aselective and absolutely
diffuse
• The luminous reflectances of a room surface are
constant over its entire area

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 Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
Ceiling (1) Ceiling Cavity (2)
Wall (3)

Task area (4)

Floor (5)

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Required illuminance on work plane:

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Required illuminance on work plane:

= What does MF mean in this formula?

Maintenance factor, depends on:

• Maintenance interval
• Maintenance type
• Lamp type
• Luminaire type

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Required illuminance on work plane:
Em = Maintained illuminance
= MF = Maintenance factor,
E4 = Target illuminance for the work plane

• For a rectangular room:

a = Width
Φ = = b = Depth

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• The luminous flux provided to the work plane:

Φ = , Φ Φ
, =
Φ
Φ = The luminous flux of one lamp
z = The number of lamps per luminaire
n = The number of luminaires in the room
Another limitation of this
= The light output ratio of the luminaire method: The utilance only
, = The utilance for the reference surface k considers one type of
luminaire.
,4 = The utilance of the room
Φk = The luminous flux hitting surface k
Φk = The luminous flux emitted by a luminaire in the room

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
Φ = Φ
Φ =

= Φ

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• The number of luminaires needed in the room can
be calculated using:

= Φ

=
Φ

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• For simplify, the light output ratio and the
are combined to utilization factor
= *

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• The utilance depends on:
• the luminous intensity distribution of the luminaires,
• the luminaire placement within the room,
• the room geometry,
a = Width
= b = Depth
ℎ ( + ) h = Height

• the luminous reflectances of the inner surfaces

• CWF 70 50 20 is a standard assumption for the room surface
reflectances: ceiling 70%, wall 50%, floor 20%

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Determining the utilization factor:
• Using tables for specific luminaires

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Determining the utilization factor: K=
( )

• Room:
• width=5m,
• depth=4m,
• height=2.2m
• CWF=“50,50,20”

• What is the utilization

factor?

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Determining the utilization factor: K=
( )

• Room:
• width=8m,
• depth=6m,
• height=3m
• CWF=“70,50,20”

• What is the utilization

factor?

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 Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Calculate needed luminaires in a room
• Room width=6m, K=0.8
• Room depth=4m,
= 0.36
• Room height=2.5m
• CWF=“70,30,20”
• Em = 500 lx = 3.3
• MF = 0.85
=4
• ΦL = 4921 lm
• z=2
• How many luminaires do we need to lit up
=
the room as requested? ΦL

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Calculation methods | Zonal Cavity Method
• Simple estimation method
• Accounts for interreflections
• Determines the average illuminance on a target
plane

• No illuminance distribution
• Target area must span the entire room
• Only for “standardized” setups

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Calculation methods | Radiosity

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Calculation methods | Radiosity
• More powerful than the zonal cavity method but also
requires more computing power to get a result.
• A scene, consisting of a room and some luminaires is
divided up into several smaller surfaces (patches).

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Calculation methods | Radiosity
Approach:
1. Weighting factor between each pair of patches 
form factors
• Assuming completely diffuse reflection
• How much of the incident light is directed to the other patch?
• Form factors depend on the geometry alone
2. Square Matrix describing all form factors
• Main diagonal consists of zeros (unless patches are “bent”)
3. Considering “light sources”
• Position and luminous intensity distribution of luminaires
4. Solve for the illuminance of each patch

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Calculation methods | Radiosity

• Fundamental law of
Φ= photometry

Φ
, = • Form factor
Φ

Φ =

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Calculation methods | Radiosity
dAi

• Form factors: dAj

• , : Luminous flux exchange between

two infinitely small areas and dAi

• , : Luminous flux exchange between

Aj

an infinitely small area and a finite area

• , : Luminous flux exchange between Ai

a finite area and an infinitely small area dAj

• , : Luminous flux exchange between two

finite areas Ai

and Aj

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 dAi

dAj

Calculation methods | Radiosity

• Luminous flux exchange between two infinitely
small areas dAi and dAj:
Φ= =Φ

= = .

, =
Φ =

Φ = = , =

Φ
, =
Φ , = ,

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 dAi

Aj

Calculation methods | Radiosity

• Luminous flux exchange between an infinitely small
area dAi and a finite area Aj:
, = =

, = ,

, =

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 Ai

dAj

Calculation methods | Radiosity

• Luminous flux exchange between a finite area Ai
and an infinitely small area dAj:
Φ
, =
Φ ∫ ,
, =
Φ =

1
Φ = , , = ,

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 Ai

dAj

Calculation methods | Radiosity

• Luminous flux exchange between a finite area Ai
and an infinitely small area dAj:

1
, = ,
1
, =

, = , =

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 Ai

Aj

Calculation methods | Radiosity

• Luminous flux exchange between two finite areas Ai
and Aj:
Φ
, =
Φ
∫ ,
, =
Φ =

1
Φ = , , = ,

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 Ai

Aj

Calculation methods | Radiosity

• Luminous flux exchange between two finite areas Ai
and Aj:

1
, = ,
1
, =

= =
,

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Calculation methods | Radiosity
• General form factor equation:
1
, =

1
, =

• HIDij stands for the obstruction of each point on Ai

towards each point of Aj.
• For example: furniture
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 Calculation methods | Radiosity
dAi

dAj
• , , =

dAi

• ,
Aj
, =

Ai

• , dAj
=
,

Ai

• , 1
Aj
, =

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Calculation methods | Radiosity
• Characteristics of form factors:
=0

=1

• The form factors as described in this lecture only

apply to “clear” media (the transport medium does
not interfere with the light).
• The assumed medium air does not impact the
calculation results, but a foggy scene would.
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 Calculation methods | Radiosity Luminous exitance is the sum
of the initial luminous exitance
and the contribution from
other patches:

• The total flux leaving the areal patch Aj is: Φ = = , +

• The luminous flux leaving Aj towards Ai is: Φ =

• The luminous flux reflected by the areal patch Ai is: Φ =

Φ
= =
• That means for the luminous exitance from Ai:

= =

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Calculation methods | Raytracing

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Calculation methods | Raytracing

• Yellow = Field of view

• 4 yellow arrows = The
corners of this field of
view
• Light blue lines = Contour
of the room surface lying
in his field of view
• Green arrows = Light rays
that would contribute to
the scene
• Red arrows = Light rays
that would not directly
contribute to the scene as
they would not be seen.
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Calculation methods | Raytracing
• Backward raytracing
• Green line starting at
observer’s position = The
ray that has been traced
back
• It hits the wall which is
assumed to reflect diffusely.
• Dashed lines = A bunch of
subsequent arrows which
will be further traced back
towards a light source.
• One arrow is being further
traced back and hits a
luminaire after second
reflection.
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Calculation methods | Raytracing
• Backward raytracing
• Recursive algorithms call themselves until a stopping
criterium is fulfilled.

• Stopping Criteria:
• An active light source (luminous surface) was hit by the ray, or
• The contribution of the ray towards the luminance of the scene
is below a minimum threshold

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Calculation methods
Tool Algorithms used Purpose Availability

• Applied in different AGi32 • direct calculation

• Radiosity
Luminaire design
Daylight
• paid

simulation software DIALux

• limited raytracing
• direct calculation
integration
Luminaire design, • free
programs: • daylight calculation
• POV raytracer for images
daylight
integration
• proprietary
software
Inspirer • bidirectional raytracing General purpose • paid

mental ray • photon map General purpose • found within

• radiosity principles paid modelling
• raytracing principles software
Radiance* • backward raytracing General purpose • free
• scene radiance • open source
Relux • direct calculation Luminaire design, • free
• Radiosity and modified daylight • proprietary
Radiance raytracing integration software
Velux • Photon map Conceptual • free
Daylight • bidirectional raytracing stages in daylight • proprietary
Visualizer • irradiance caching application software
*the photon map version of Radiance follows forward raytracing and photon map
models
Ochoa C, Aries MBC, Hensen JLM. 2012. State of the art in lighting simulation for building science: A literature
review. Journal of Building Performance Simulation 5(4):209-233

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Questions?