Outdoor Lighting Design Process Optimization

Igor Wojnicki, Adam Sedziwy and Leszek Kotulski

AGH University of Science and Technology, Department of Applied Computer Science,

Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Keywords:

Smart Lighting, Lighting Design, Outdoor Lighting, Control System, Optimization.

Abstract:

Outdoor lighting design process is based on trial and error approach. It takes considerable effort and time.

Furthermore, since the process involves several software components, some errors might be introduced which

make it even worse. It is proposed than to optimize it by automating transitions among selected stages. As

a result, there is a prototype software component implemented. It integrates photometric calculations with

photo-realistic rendering. Applying it greatly improves the design process and increases interactivity with the

designer.

1 INTRODUCTION AND

MOTIVATION

Outdoor lighting design is a multistage process which

results in precise information regarding light point

distribution and characteristics (S˛edziwy and Kozie

Wo´zniak, 2012). It is interdisciplinary, involving ar-

chitects, lighting engineers, and designers. The re-

sulting design should comply with both aesthetics and

formal requirements (e.g. street lighting regulations).

Emerging technologies, as LED, turn out to be

game changers by extending light point capabilities.

Light point parameters can be precisely designed to

give appropriate light stream characteristics prevent-

ing overexposure – potential overexposure leads to

increased energy consumption thus reducing it con-

serves energy and decreases CO

emission.

A LED light point can be precisely controlled.

While standard luminaries provide up to a few power

states, LED based solutions deliver hundreds of them.

It gives very ﬁne grained control over power con-

sumption and dynamic light stream distribution. Hav-

ing well designed light point distribution, multiple

light point power levels, sensors, and communica-

tion enable intelligent control (Wojnicki and Kotulski,

2012).

An analysis of software environment supporting

lighting design process is discussed below. Theoreti-

cal background supporting effectively the considered

problem, has already been established. Some exper-

iments regarding software solution have been com-

pleted.

The research is part of the Green AGH Campus

project (Szmuc et al., 2012) targeting emerging appli-

cations of Smart Grid solutions. The proposed light-

ing design process optimization and further intelligent

lighting control serve as test cases.

2 LIGHTING DESIGN PROCESS

The lighting design process is started by a lighting

designer or architect. Spatial and compositional as-

sumptions regarding the architectural space are made

resulting in conceptual sketch. These include light

point distribution and lighting effects taking into ac-

count aesthetics. The design at this stage is very in-

formal, see Fig.1. Usually some sketching software is

being used such as Google SketchUp. It represents a

general view of the scene with light points indicated

and their general parameters in terms of light cones.

It is manly to identify where the light points should

be and where the actual light should go.

Then the sketch is transformed into a two or three

dimensional (2D, 3D) technical drawing (Fig. 2) re-

sulting in a spatial concept, a wire-frame. This al-

lows to precisely specify places which are to be il-

luminated, color, temperature, quality and other pa-

rameters of a lighting composition. The drawing is

performed by a supporting software such as AutoCad,

ArchiCad, Revit or other.

A next step, veriﬁcation, is performed by a light-

ing engineer. Luminaries and intensities of light

sources are selected, according to the assumptions

231

Wojnicki I., Sedziwy A. and Kotulski L..

Outdoor Lighting Design Process Optimization.

DOI: 10.5220/0004379202310234

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Smart Grids and Green IT Systems (SMARTGREENS-2013), pages 231-234

ISBN: 978-989-8565-55-6

 2013 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

Figure 1: Conceptual sketch.

Figure 2: Spatial concept.

provided by the designer. Furthermore, they are ver-

iﬁed using photometric software (Dialux, Calculus,

Ulysse or similar) if technical capabilities of luminar-

ies meet requirements of the project. This phase im-

pacts number, power and detailed speciﬁcations of the

luminaries. Since the technical drawing (wire-frame)

can contain multiple elements not inﬂuencing photo-

metrics, it has to be tuned accordingly or even created

from very beginning.

Next the parameters calculated in the previous

stage are given to the lighting designer to prepare

three dimensional (3D), photo-realistic visualization

(see Fig. 4), a 3D model. It also supported by yet

another software (e.g. 3ds Max, Maya). A ﬁnal ef-

fect is analyzed. If it does not satisfy the designer it

is adjusted accordingly (see Fig. 5) and the process

is looped back to the spatial concept (wire-frame) or

veriﬁcation (Photometric calculations) stages. Based

on the adjustments of the 3D model the results from

previous steps need to be updated. These steps

are performed iteratively until satisfying results are

achieved, being a trial and error process.

Optionally alternative 3D models can be created

providing visualization under different lighting con-

ditions (see Fig. 6, low light conditions). Once again,

if it does not suit the designer the process loops back.

Since each stage is isolated some errors or artifacts

can be introduced unwillingly in the process. Com-

paring Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 it can be noticed that the lamp

Figure 3: Veriﬁcation of a concept against technical con-

straints.

Figure 4: 3D visualization.

Figure 5: 3D visualization, corrections.

Figure 6: 3D visualization, power saving mode.

poles are at different locations. This leads to inconsis-

tences and lengthens the entire process.

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3 DESIGN PROCESS

OPTIMIZATION

The design process described earlier is showed in

Fig. 7. It needs to be pointed out that there is lack

of automation between subsequent stages. Data pro-

duced as a result of the conceptual stage need to be

interpreted and recreated as a wire frame model and

so on. Human interactions are required for transiting

data between subsequent stages. Some support from

the editing tools is given. Data import/export capabil-

ities make it easier but still it is tedious and subject to

mistakes.

The most problems are caused by the looping over.

It is taking the corrections of the 3D model and feed-

ing them back to the veriﬁcation and adjustments

(photometrics) stage. Multiple iterations, to achieve

a satisfying result, might cause even more mistakes

and elongate the entire process.

Figure 7: Design process.

It is proposed then to reduce number of human in-

teractions. It is achieved through the following steps:

1. automated data translation among different tools,

2. simpliﬁed interaction scheme,

3. automated selection and testing of performance

parameters.

Step one is to unify data interfaces among appli-

cations to ensure proper import and export. It is to au-

tomate this process to rule out human factor as much

as possible. Data ﬂow among applications should be

provided with minimal human interactions. It can be

achieved through utilizing API

built into considered

applications (e.g. SketchUp, AutoCAD, Calculux,

Maya). Alternatively, if provided API is not suitable

or non existing, given application should be replaced

by software which provides one.

Step two, which is the simpliﬁed interaction

scheme, assumes that entire design process should be

presented to the users as a single environment rather

than separate cooperating applications. Switching

from the conceptual design to wire frame, or going

into photometrics or visualization should be perceived

as different perspectives of a single design.

Application Programming Interface

Finally, the most error causing part, which is ap-

plying corrections, should be as interactive as possi-

ble. It should also provide optimization and anima-

tion features to better understand and perceive the de-

sign, simultaneously verifying if all the light point pa-

rameters are within the assumed range. Optimization

criteria such as energy consumption reduction, public

safety increase, overexposure elimination should also

be considered.

The resulting process, taking into considerations

the above proposal, is given in Fig. 8. The main fo-

cus regards the loop, which is transitions: 3, 4 and 5.

It covers photometric calculations, 3D visualizations,

and applying corrections to the design, which require

recalculations in turn. Automation of transitions is in-

dicated accordingly (compare with Fig. 7).

Figure 8: Design process, desired state.

As a proof of concept a prototype tool has been

implemented. It is an extension to Maya rendering

and animation software. It mainly improves transi-

tion 3 by integrating photometric calculations with the

rendering engine. This extension is showed in Fig. 9

in action. The scene consists of a ﬂat urban area with

four lamp posts. At each lamp post there is a luminary

(a light point) with given parameters. While the ren-

dering engine shows how the scene would look like

photo-realistically, the photometric engine indicates

underexposed and overexposed regions (underexpo-

sure at the outer rim).

Furthermore, the proposed extension is capable

of calculating and optimizing luminary parameters,

minimizing or maximizing given criteria function

e.g. power consumption, public safety, overexposure

etc. It can also optimize number of light points or

their distribution, proposing corrections to the design.

The presented solution is highly interactive. While

changing light point parameters, the over and under-

exposure is interactively calculated and visualized in

real time. There is no need to switch back and forth

between photometric calculation tool and 3D visual-

ization one any more.

Since the photometrics is integrated into the 3D

visualization it is feasible to guard proper data import

from the wire-frame stage. It is indicated as an au-

tomated transition 2 in Fig. 8. It prevents a situation

of e.g. misplacing the light points which takes place

in Fig. 5 and 6. Since, the photometric extension is

capable of rearranging the light points, thus changing

OutdoorLightingDesignProcessOptimization

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Figure 9: A prototype tool integrating photometric calcula-

tions with a rendering and animation software.

the wire-frame objects, the wire-frame model, can be

also updated automatically.

4 SUMMARY AND FUTURE

WORK

Summarizing, actual lighting design process is based

on trial and error approach. There are certain difﬁcul-

ties identiﬁed:

• design process involves several incompatible

tools,

• numerous variants of the design need to be tested

manually.

The proposed solution reduces effort and time by au-

tomating selected operations, enhancing data migra-

tion among various software components and inte-

grating them.

A prototype software component integrating pho-

tometric calculations and 3D visualization is pro-

posed. It automates selected parts of the process.

Time and effort reduction are observed. It also min-

imizes probability of human errors which take place

during transitions among tools.

Further work focuses on perfecting the proposed

integration. Design optimization extension is needed

which ﬁnds light point parameters complying with

given optimization criteria. The proposed extension

could also be capable of assisting the user and sug-

gesting changes to the design according to the pro-

vided criteria e.g. power consumption optimization,

public safety increase, total or partial cost optimiza-

tion, to automate the process even more.

The proposed design process can be also inte-

grated with intelligent outdoor lighting control sys-

tem (Wojnicki and Kotulski, 2012). Such integration

enables veriﬁcation of the design under dynamically

changing lighting conditions against aesthetic vision

of the designer. The veriﬁcation can be performed

by the 3D rendering software after successful integra-

tion with a simulator of the before mentioned control

system. The result would be a complete, interactive

animation of the scene being designed.

It needs to be mentioned that the optimization pro-

cess regarding light point parameters results in combi-

natorial explosion of the state-space. To compensate

formal graph-based methods, tools, and algorithms

are used (S˛edziwy and Kozie

n-Wo´zniak, 2012). They

fully utilize parallel and distributed computations,

and agent-based approaches (S˛edziwy and Kotulski,

2011).

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GREENS, pages 159–162. SciTePress.

S˛edziwy, A. and Kotulski, L. (2011). Solving large-scale

multipoint lighting design problem using multi-agent

environment. Key Engineering Materials, 486:197–

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S˛edziwy, A. and Kozie

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Systems and Dependability, volume 170 of Advances

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Wojnicki, I. and Kotulski, L. (2012). Controlling complex

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