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ClimateStudio Daylight Availability Setup
Brendon Levitt
Overview
This video tutorial explains how to set up a daylight availability simulation in Climate Studio. It covers defining analysis zones, such as work planes on floors or specific areas within rooms, and setting up various types of shades, including fixed, automated, and manual controls. The process involves creating layers for analysis zones, checking surface normals, and adjusting material properties for different shading scenarios. The tutorial emphasizes the importance of correctly defining these elements for accurate annual daylight simulations, preparing the user for the subsequent video that will cover result interpretation.
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Chapters
- The tutorial focuses on setting up annual daylight availability simulations in Climate Studio, not just point-in-time analysis.
- Key steps include setting climate, north offset, materials, defining analysis planes (often work planes), and analysis zones.
- Unlike point-in-time simulations, annual simulations consider hourly conditions throughout the entire year.
Understanding the setup process is crucial for accurately simulating how daylight will perform in a building over a full year, which informs design decisions for occupant comfort and energy efficiency.
The presenter starts with a pre-made model and navigates to the 'Daylight Availability' section to begin the setup.
- Analysis planes are typically set as work planes, often using the floor as a proxy for light availability.
- Analysis zones are selected from these planes, excluding areas that will not receive daylight (e.g., elevator lobbies).
- Geometry can be trimmed or split to create precise analysis zones, and surface normals must face upwards for correct sensor orientation.
- Zones are named (e.g., 'Sculpture', 'Reading Room') and assigned specific illuminance targets (minimum, target, maximum, supplementary).
Accurately defining analysis zones and their target light levels ensures that the simulation reflects the intended use of each space and provides meaningful data for design evaluation.
The presenter trims a floor geometry to exclude an elevator lobby and then booleans two separate floor sections into a single analysis zone named 'Sculpture'.
- Operable shades are defined based on material properties and can be categorized by orientation.
- Different shading strategies (no shade, fixed shade, automated, manual) are applied to different window types (skylights, clerestory, vertical glass).
- Fixed shades use a specific material and are always deployed or retracted for the entire year.
- Automated shades adjust based on sensor readings to maintain desired light levels, with adjustable thresholds and sensor ignore distances.
- Manual shades assume user intervention based on certain conditions, like direct sun exposure.
The type of shading control significantly impacts daylight levels and solar heat gain, so correctly configuring these settings is essential for achieving desired comfort and energy performance.
For clerestory windows, the presenter sets up automated shades using a 10% transmissive material, with the system automatically deploying them when light levels exceed 3,800 lux.
- Vertical glass can be split into multiple zones to accommodate different shading strategies (e.g., above and below a light shelf).
- Manual shade control in Climate Studio assumes users will close shades if direct sun hits more than 2% of sensors.
- Different facades (e.g., north, west, south) require tailored shading strategies based on sun exposure and room function.
- Complex shading elements like 'egg crate' designs can be modeled by creating multiple distinct shading zones.
Modeling complex shading scenarios accurately, especially for different orientations and window types, allows for a more nuanced understanding of how daylight and glare will be managed throughout the year.
The presenter splits the north-facing reading room window into two zones: an upper 'north window' and a lower 'north view' window, each with potentially different shading controls.
- Before running, it's advisable to turn off furniture and other non-essential elements to reduce computation time.
- The daylight availability simulation processes hourly data for the entire year, using a different method than photorealistic renderings.
- The simulation provides annual metrics on daylight availability, which will be explained in the next tutorial.
- Initial results may indicate unexpectedly high daylight levels, suggesting potential over-design or the need for further analysis.
Successfully running the simulation is the culmination of the setup process, generating the data needed to evaluate the daylight performance of the design and identify areas for improvement.
The presenter clicks 'play' to start the annual simulation after ensuring furniture is turned off.
Key takeaways
- Annual daylight simulations require careful setup of analysis zones and planes to represent occupied spaces accurately.
- Different shading types (fixed, automated, manual) offer varying levels of control and impact, and must be chosen based on design goals and building use.
- Surface normals must be correctly oriented (facing upwards) for sensors to register light properly.
- Trimming, splitting, and boolean operations on geometry are essential for defining precise analysis zones.
- The choice of illuminance targets and thresholds for automated shades directly influences the simulation results.
- Understanding the assumptions behind manual and automated shade controls in Climate Studio is key to interpreting simulation outcomes.
- Preparing the model by removing unnecessary elements can significantly speed up simulation runtimes.
Key terms
Daylight AvailabilityClimate StudioAnalysis PlaneWork PlaneAnalysis ZoneSurface NormalsIlluminanceUseful Daylight Illuminance (UDI)Fixed ShadeAutomated ShadeManual ShadeTransmittance (VT)
Test your understanding
- What is the primary difference between a point-in-time sky condition and an annual daylight availability simulation in Climate Studio?
- How does one define an analysis zone to exclude areas that will not receive daylight?
- Explain the difference between automated and manual shade controls in Climate Studio and how they function.
- Why is it important to check and correct surface normals when setting up analysis zones?
- What steps can be taken to optimize the simulation runtime before initiating a daylight availability analysis?