[Radiance-general] Re: New Installation

[Lars O. Grobe]

Hi!

> input. What concerns me is that my 3D models can get very complex.

Than it is even better to stay on the command line, you can e.g. have 
one model for the landscape, one for the building, one for trees etc. 
and combine them using command line techniques even without opening the 
files. Believe me, when working on complex file sets, you will love 
command line work after a while! Have a look at renderings of a highly 
detailed model (down to 1.5cm) of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul we did using 
only lots of small files and shell scripting to combine them - a model 
noone will be able to open at once in a conventional CAD (sorry for the 
ultralong URL) for the near future:

http://www.archipelagus.de/lenya/archipelagus.de/live/projekte/rekonstruktionen-index/HagiaSophia-index/Kollonaden-Bild-mittel.html

> How do I know what wall I'm working on or the color of the staircase
> ,etc.

You "alias" the layer names to materials in a library, e.g.

> How do I choose the locations of light sources, such as a table
> lamp without seeing it in model form?

One way to do this is to place a triangle "marker" on a layer called 
"table_lamp" and have the radiance command "replmarks" replace all 
markers on that layer with the lamp geometry and illuminaire description.

> export to DXF, DWG, GTF,STL and SKP. It also has a translator to
> export to "Lightscape" ( .lp  file).

We will have to check for the export routes. I love obj, but it looks 
like this one is not supported by Arris. dxf is fine with dxf2rad 
(www.schorsch.com). But there may be other ways, too, if you could 
export to the old arris format e.g., or use 3rd party tools (I love 
brlcad as a converter tool, but there are others).

> modified, since ARRIS changed it's file format. I did see the
> Rayfront site and downloaded the Demo. But it runs in AutoCad.

There is a standalone version for Solaris, too. But as I told you - 
Rayfront is a great tool for professionals, as it supports a workflow 
and libraries, but it does not make it "easy" to render with Radiance. 
You will need an understanding of what important tools Radiance offers, 
what input and processing parameters are needed to describe and process 
a scene for the simulation (you would need that with a GUI as well), and 
the rest is to develop a workflow for your needs. Actually, if you will 
have established that workflow, this might be reduced to one script 
calling the converters, referencing you libraries and viewfiles and 
running the rendering process incl. preview and converions all at once - 
but you must know what happens, because in most cases you will want to 
tweak some settings or just better understand the resuts.

Really, the tutorials are a great help to avoid frustration and losing 
time by "just trying".

CU Lars.