AGi32 Knowledgebase

FAQ's Category

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb Contents

FAQ's 1 Q. Can I rotate drawing text? 1 Q. Can I display the photometric file's keyword and description information in Model Mode? 1 Q. Can I change the color of my text for printouts? 2 Q. What is a block? 3 Q. Can AGI32 consider Daylighting in its calculations? 3 Q. What is daylighting? 3 Q. What environmental components are considered when daylighting calcs are run? 3 Q. Can a Page Builder report contain multiple pages? 3 Q. My Schedule is not showing what I expected, why? 4 Q. Can I change the font of my schedule after I place it? 4 Q. My schedule is too small or too large how can I adjust it? 4 Q. The schedule I want is the correct height but the length is way too long, how can I change this? 4 Q. I have chosen the right schedule but I want to display more fields, how can I do this? 4 Q. Can I change the field size of elements in a schedule? 4 Q. Should I use adaptive subdivision with a daylight environment? 4 Q. How do I print a drawing with two different scaling factors? 5 Q. How relevant are the daylight sky condition models? 5 Q. How do I model windows in AGI32? 5 Q. Can AGI32 compute Daylight Factor? 5 Q. Why is the horizon line in my daylight environment higher in the ray traced image than in the rendering environment? 6 Q. How do I use the Compass in AGI32's Daylighting commands? 6 Q. Why does the Expanded Luminaire Schedule list a different aiming point when I aim luminaires at an elevation point other than Z = 0? 6 Q. Can I resize my text after I have placed it? 6 Q. Can I use a drawing entity block created by another user?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 7 Q. Can I resize my blocks? 7 Q. What methods of output are there with AGI32? 7 Q. How can I email AGI32 output? 7 Q. What types of printers/plotters are usable with AGI32? 7 Q. Is the dashed line representing the margin significant in Page Builder mode? 8 Q. Can I put a shadow effect border around my schedule? 8 Q. What is the meaning of the Watts cell in the luminaire define dialog? 8 Q. What is the easiest way to show or identify my high and low calculation point values? 8 Q. How do I place a calculation grid on a slope? 8 Q. How do I place a calculation grid vertically? 8 Q. I want calculation points along a line, how do I do this? 9 Q. I just want a few calculation points at random locations, how do I do that? 9 Q. I have an odd shaped site plan, how do I cover it with calculation points? 9 Q. How do I remove calculation points under Objects and Rooms? 9 Q. How do I replace removed calculation points? 9 Q. Can I display the calculation points Label on the drawing? 10 Q. Can I change the calculation points spacing after I have specified the grid? 10 Q. What is the fastest and easiest way to put calculation points on a multiple surface Object or Room? 10 Q. What is the fastest way to turn calculation points on and off? 10 Q. Can I move a calculation grid after I have placed it? 10 Q. What is a Statistical Area? 10 Q. Can I overlap statistical areas? 11 Q. When is a Statistical Area useful? 11 Q. How many Statistical Areas can I have in a file? 11 Q. Will Statistical Areas only read values in the view or plane that they have been drawn in? 11 Q. What are Isolines? 11 Q. Why would I use isolines? 12 Q. Why are my isolines not displaying?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 12 Q. How can I show the numerical analysis on my drawing (avg,max,min)? 12 Q. Why does the arm length appear in my drawing to be shorter than the arm length specified in the luminaire definition? 12 Q. What is EPA? 12 Q. Why should I be concerned about the luminous box coordinates? 13 Q. In the Luminaire Define dialog, what is that graph in the lower right hand corner? 13 Q. Do luminaire symbols block and or reflect light? 13 Q. Can poles and pendants block light? 14 Q. How do I change the label of a defined luminaire? 14 Q. Can I create my own arrangement of luminaires on a pole? 14 Q. If I have a pole mounted Luminaire, what is the difference between 'Dynamic: Attached to Z =' and 'Static: Length'? 14 Q. How do I rotate optics within a luminaire symbol? 14 Q. What is Roadway Optimizer? 15 Q. What is Room Estimator? 15 Q. Do I have to register AGI32 every time I install the software? 16 Q. What version of Windows do I need to operate AGI32? Is one better than another? 16 Q. Will AGI32 run on Macintosh, Linux, BeOS, or Solaris? 16 Q. Can I delete temporary files generated by AGI32? 16 Q. Can I move my AGi32 job files (*.AGI) to another computer or share with another user? 17 Q. Will AGI32 read AGI-dos files? 17 Q. How does computer hardware effect performance? 17 Q. What processors will AGI32 work with and what is recommended? 18 Q. My system is running low on memory. Is there anything I can do? 18 Q. Why do I get a black screen when going to Render mode? 19 Q. I get random crashes / blank screens / no mouse cursor, why? 19 Q. I updated the video card driver and I still can't see the cursor sometimes, now what? 19 Q. Can I use AGI32 in a multi-head display? 19 Q. My video card says it has OpenGL hardware acceleration, will this help AGI32? 20 Q. Why do the calculation points and or text appear faint or grayed out sometimes?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 20 Q. Can AGi32 read AutoCAD DWG files? 20 Q. Does AGI32 import and or export a Lightscape compatible file? 20 Q. When I draw lines or add text to the drawing, why don't they show up in the Render mode? 20 Q. How do I change line weight/width when creating drawing entities? 21 Q. Can I scale Drawing Entities? 21 Q. Can I scale drawing text? 21 Q. What file types can I import into AGI32? 21 Q. Why would I import an AGI32 file? 22 Q. Will objects and or surfaces import from other drawing programs? 22 Q. What will AGI32 export? 22 Q. How can I add dimension lines to my drawing? 22 Q. What angular positioning scheme does AGi32 employ? 23 Q. Should I use a 1x4 or 4x1 luminaire symbol for a fluorescent of comparable size? 23 Q. Does AGI32 come with manufacturer photometric files? 23 Q. Will AGI32 read any manufacturers photometric files? 24 Q. I know I have the IES file on my computer but I don't know where it is, how can I find it? 24 Q. What is a photometric file? 24 Q. In the Instabase, who is Z-Lux and how can I buy their products? 24 Q. Do I have to use the Photometrics that came on the CD or AGI32 website? 24 Q. How do I install/use photometric files that did not come on the CD or from AGI32.com? 25 Q. Can I put my own photometric files in the Instabase? 25 Q. Why don't I see an image for the photometric file that I have chosen? I see images with other photometric files. 25 Q. Can Objects and Rooms touch or overlap each other? 25 Q. Can I remove a surface of an Object or Room? 25 Q. Can I rotate an Object in elevation view? 26 Q. Can I create my own custom luminaire symbols? 26 Q. Can I create objects and rooms with curved surfaces?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 26 Q. Can I resize my Objects and Rooms after I create them? 26 Q. Can I scale existing library objects? 26 Q. Can I add objects to the factory libraries? 26 Q. What restrictions are there on complexity of interior or exterior environments? 27 Q. How do I accommodate windows and doors in interiors? 27 Q. Can I share object libraries with other users? 28 Q. What is the difference between single-sided objects and double-sided objects, and transmittance and transparency? 28 Q. What are textures? 29 Q. Where do I get textures? 29 Q. Can I make my own textures to use in AGI32? 29 Q. How do I apply a texture to a surface? 30 Q. How many different textures can I use in an environment? 30 Q. What is the best display mode to apply textures? 30 Q. Can textures be applied to luminaire symbols? 30 Q. Will textures appear in my VRML files? 30 Q. Why are some of my textures resized when added to the Texture database? 31 Q. I need to import my AGI32 file into another file. Are my textures imported as well? 31 Q. Why are my hot spots less noticeable when textures are applied? 31 Q. How do I delete a texture from a surface? 31 Q. Can I change the background color of the AGI32 desktop (Model mode)? 32 Q. Can I Zoom or Pan while another command is active? 32 Q. Can I have more than one view displayed on the screen? 32 Q. Why would I want more than one view displayed? 32 Q. What is Project Manager? 32 Q. How can I use Project Manager? 33 Q. What is VRML and how can it be used? 34 Q. Can AGI32 show specular surfaces? 35 Q. Can I render outdoor projects? 35

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb Q. What does a PsuedoColor image show? 35 Q. Can AGI32 perform walk-throughs of a rendered environment? 35 Q. What is OpenGL? 35 Q. Is there a way to emulate source/lamp color in a rendering? 36 Q. What sort of OpenGL support is required? 36 Q. Why are the calculated averages different between the Room Estimator and the point by point? 36 Q. What is the difference between Direct Only and Full Radiosity calculation modes? 36 Q. What is Convergence or Stopping Criterion? 36 Q. When I go to Render mode after I have calculated why do I see a wireframe and not a rendering? 37 Q. When I click the calculate button in the Render mode I get the message "This job has already been calculated do you want to recalculate", why? 37 Q. Why do I have lower than expected values in all of my calculation points? 37 Q. What is adaptive subdivision? 38 Q. When calculating large environments, why doesn't AGI32 provide an accurate time estimate in the very beginning? 41 Q. Why am I not getting the colors I want assigned to my entities? 41 Q. File In Use - What does this mean and what should I do about it? 41 How do I show lamp spectral effects (color, CCT) in AGi32? 42

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb FAQ's

Q. Can I rotate drawing text?

A. Yes. Use the Modify-Drawing Entity-Rotate command.

Q. Can I display the photometric file's keyword and description information in Model Mode?

A. Yes. The keyword and descriptive information can be included in normal mode using two methods. The first method would be to include the keyword and descriptive information by specifying the keywords you would like to use in the luminaire schedule. To access this dialog, go to Add-Drawing Entity-Schedule.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 1 of 44 The second option is to open the photometric file in Notepad or another program and Copy and Paste the keyword and description information into the Add-Drawing Entity-Text command. You can also bring in an entire IES file using the same command.

Q. Can I change the color of my text for printouts?

A. Yes. When in the Text dialogue select the Change button in the Font pane, change the color option to the color of your choice and click OK.

Q. What is a block?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 2 of 44 A. A Block is a grouping of drawing entities, including text, that can be saved, grouped and recalled. A block is composed of drawing entities present in AGI32 at the time of creation and is similar to Block in other CAD programs. Keywords: Add-Drawing Entity-Block

Q. Can AGI32 consider Daylighting in its calculations?

A. Yes. You may consider just the daylighting contribution or daylighting and electric lighting at the same time. In AGi32 >=v.2.00, use the "Daylight" button or, in AGi32

Q. What is daylighting?

A. The application of daylighting in AGI32 allows you to consider the effect of sun, sky and ground as a light source in the environment. The daily rotation of a geographical location about the sun produces a predictable amount of sunlight from a known location. As the sunlight enters the atmosphere, a portion of the light is scattered by the atmospheric conditions. The CIE recognizes the Kittler (CIE Clear Sky) model and the Moon and Spencer (CIE Overcast Sky) model as well as 15 additional Standard General Sky models. The IESNA further recognizes the Pierpoint (Partly Cloudy) model. The sky conditions used in AGI32 are based on accepted IES and CIE equations.

Q. What environmental components are considered when daylighting calcs are run?

A. AGI32 uses the IES and CIE Solar Equations to calculate the daylighting component. You must know your site location (Longitude, Latitude and Site Orientation), sky condition and date and time for consideration. You may consider several different dates and/or times in your analysis by doing a Daylight Study. This evaluation allows you to run multiple calculations over the course of several days or hours as well as save the AGI32 renderings for further analysis. In addition, you may place obstructive elements in your environment, such as fenestration or adjacent buildings, to block and shadow incoming daylight into the space. Daylight may also be calculated and rendered for exterior environments.

Q. Can a Page Builder report contain multiple pages?

A. Yes. A Page Builder report may contain up to 32,000 pages. When a Page Builder report is initially created, you are prompted to make the pages all the same size. Once the initial report is created; you may change the individual page sizes to something different using the Report Properties, and even add, copy and remove pages as desired. Each Page Builder page may contain any combination of entities on it from Viewports to Imageports to schedules, text and drawing entity Blocks. You may also save individual pages and/or reports for standardized output.

Q. My Schedule is not showing what I expected, why?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 3 of 44 A. Make certain you have chosen the correct Schedule type and make certain the Schedule is attached to the correct Project (or "All Projects" as the case may be).

Q. Can I change the font of my schedule after I place it?

A. Yes. Use the Modify-Drawing Entity-Schedule Edit command.

Q. My schedule is too small or too large how can I adjust it?

A. Use the Modify-Drawing Entity-Schedule Edit command. Then increase or decrease the text size.

Q. The schedule I want is the correct height but the length is way too long, how can I change this?

A. Use Modify-Drawing Entity-Schedule-Edit command. Check the column widths; you may have selected more characters than needed. To change the width of one of the included fields in the Schedule, edit the Schedule and right-click on the included field with the width you wish to change. Now change the width to the desired number.

Q. I have chosen the right schedule but I want to display more fields, how can I do this?

A. Modify-Drawing Entity-Schedule Edit command. In all the schedules there is an Available fields area, all of these items are available to insert into any column.

Q. Can I change the field size of elements in a schedule?

A. Yes. Simply right-click on the Width field for the column that you want to increase or decrease and, when the Field Properties dialog opens, change the Width the number of characters required (applies to AGi32

Q. Should I use adaptive subdivision with a daylight environment?

A. Yes. It is necesary that Adaptive Subdivision is enabled and appropriate settings used when Daylighting is considered. This technique will make your shadowing elements look more realistic and produce a much more detailed image with smoother appearances of highlight and shadow. Adaptive Subdivision is enabled in AGi32 >=v.2.00 via clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of the

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 4 of 44 "Calculate" button, selecting "Adaptive Subdivision", and making the appropriate changes in the Adaptive Subdivision dialog; in AGi32 =v.2.00 if the "High" button is clicked in the Adaptive Subdivision dialog.

Q. How do I print a drawing with two different scaling factors?

A. You can print multiple views on the same page using the Page Builder feature of AGi32. Go to Page Builder and create two Viewports with different scaling factors. For more information on Page Builder see AGi32's Help or the Online Help under Page Builder Viewports.

Q. How relevant are the daylight sky condition models?

A. AGI32 uses the IESNA and CIE accepted sky models to calculate the sky's contribution in the daylight calculations. The CIE recognizes the Kittler (CIE Clear Sky) model and the Moon and Spencer (CIE Overcast Sky) model as well as 15 additional Standard General Sky models. The IESNA further recognizes the Pierpoint (Partly Cloudy) model. These models provide mean data averaged over a variety of time, location and measurement conditions. They should not be compared to instantaneous sky conditions (especially for a partly cloudy sky, where the sky luminance distribution can change rapidly and in large amounts as the sun is revealed, partially obstructed or fully obstructed). It is not unusual for the instantaneous measured sky luminance to differ from the average mean value by 2x from measurement to measurement.

Q. How do I model windows in AGI32?

A. Transparent surfaces such as glass or plastic can be modeled with Planar Objects. Planar Objects can be created to fit openings and can be assigned a Transparency value. This is handled by using the Edit command to change the Surface Type to “Glass” when not enabling Daylighting or Daylight Transition Glass (Transparent, Diffuse) when enabling Daylighting and assigning a Transparency value equivalent to the visible transmittance of the window system. The visible transmittance of the window system may be obtained by examining the Window Label and acquiring the VT value (visible transmittance). Transparent surfaces behave as a Fresnel lens with an index of refraction of 1.5. They may be assigned a Transmittance color to tint the glass and the color of the altered light will be evident on any incident surfaces in both the radiosity and ray trace images. The transmission and reflectance of light through transparent materials such as glass and plastic (which are referred to technically as dielectric materials) is dependent on the angle of the incident light. When the direction of the incident light is normal to the material surface, approximately four percent of the light is reflected. However, at grazing incidence angles, nearly all of the light may be reflected. This Fresnel reflection is important for accurate daylight calculations.

Q. Can AGI32 compute Daylight Factor?

A. Yes. Daylight Factor is used to determine what impact the geometry of the space and location and amount of fenestration have on daylight penetration. For Overcast or Uniform skies, the DF ratio will not change over the year, unless the geometry or fenestration in the room changes. Although the available luminous flux may change (the Daylight Factor Basis), the percentage of light penetrating

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 5 of 44 the space will remain the same), therefore only one date/time analysis is required.

Q. Why is the horizon line in my daylight environment higher in the ray traced image than in the rendering environment?

A. The default sky dome radius is five times the radius of the minimum bonding sphere. For a single small room (20 ft x 20 ft), the sky dome is very small (radius = 5 x 20 = 100ft or diameter = 200ft.). The horizon line in the ray traced images extends to infinity. This explains the significant difference between the horizon lines in render mode versus ray tracing.

Q. How do I use the Compass in AGI32's Daylighting commands?

A. The compass is used to orient your site location to the WCS (World Coordinate System) used in AGI32. Specifically, the compass specifies the Orientation angle of True North in the environment. By default, AGI32 orients the Compass along the 0 degree horizontal axis - which points due East. To orient your compass towards the WCS North, enter a compass angle of 90. Specifying the correct orientation of North for your environment is very important, as this specifies the solar path position in AGI32.

You may also choose your compass direction visually by clicking on the Set Compass button. Specify two points parallel to the direction of True North on your site. Hint: If you have a North arrow graphic on your background, use it to specify your Compass angle.

Q. Why does the Expanded Luminaire Schedule list a different aiming point when I aim luminaires at an elevation point other than Z = 0?

A. This is by design. The Expanded Luminaire Schedule should not be used in this case. The Expanded Luminaire Schedule breaks single (applies arm), arrangements, and groups into individual locations. Based on these locations the program calculates the aiming point based on the given aiming parameters (e.g. orient and tilt) using the following rules: If tilt < 90, Z-Aimpt = 0 If tilt = 90, Z-Aimpt = LumZ If tilt > 90, Z-Aimpt = LumZ * 2 These rules are applied to all luminaires regardless of type (single, arrangement, or group) for consistency sake. The expanded routine doesn’t know what, if any, Z-Plane the luminaire is aimed on; it simply uses the aiming angles to calculate the aiming point. Bottom line – If you are interested in the original aiming point, use single luminaires and the basic Luminaire Schedule. Expanded Luminaire Schedules should be used when you want to extract individual luminaire locations and aiming parameters from arrangements or groups. Keep in mind that the calculated aiming points are correct, however, they may not be on the desired Z-Plane.

Q. Can I resize my text after I have placed it?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 6 of 44 A. Yes. Use the Modify-Drawing Entity-Edit Text command. Select the text and you will be able to make various modifications to the text.

Q. Can I use a drawing entity block created by another user?

A. Yes. Insert the block into a file, save the file and transfer the file to the other machine. Open the file with the Block and choose the Create Block command window around the block and click OK.

Q. Can I resize my blocks?

A. Yes. Prior to inserting the block, change block size by increasing or decreasing the X and Y extents. After inserting, you can use the Modify-Drawing Entity-Scale command.

Q. What methods of output are there with AGI32?

A. There are many methods of output from AGI32: printing, exporting to DWG or DXF, and saving as VRML, PDF (if you have Adobe Acrobat or similar software), MDI, JPG and BMP are the current possibilities. Printing can be achieved from the Model, Page Builder and Render mode. Exporting to DWG or DXF can be achieved from Model mode and saving to VRML, BMP and JPG are available from the Render mode. Printing to .PDF can be achieved through all modes if you have the Adobe Acrobat software (not just the free reader) or a program like CutePDF (a free program that will allow you to print to PDF). You may also print to MDI, the Microsoft Document Imaging Format if you have the Microsoft Office Document Imaging software (part of Microsoft’s Office software suites).

Q. How can I email AGI32 output?

A. Five ways: 1. You can export DWG or DXF from Model mode and send point by point, isolines and text in vector format. 2. You can export VRML, BMP or JPG from Render mode to send either a complete 3D world (VRML) or a single view (BMP or JPG). 3. You can use Adobe Acrobat to create a PDF file from Page Builder complete with point by point (multiple views), schedules and renderings (multiple views). PDF is excellent, try it! 4. You can use Microsoft Office Document Imaging to create an MDI file from any mode in AGi32. This produces a similar result to PDF output. 5. You can simply email your AGI32 job file (*.AGI or *.A32) to someone who has AGi32. Be sure and zip it!

Q. What types of printers/plotters are usable with AGI32?

A. Anything with a modern Windows driver should be accessible.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 7 of 44 Q. Is the dashed line representing the margin significant in Page Builder mode?

A. In Page Builder, all entities should be within the specified margins. Entities outside of the margins will produce undesirable results when printed.

Q. Can I put a shadow effect border around my schedule?

A. Yes, however this option is only available in Page Builder mode.

Q. What is the meaning of the Watts cell in the luminaire define dialog?

A. The Watts cell is intended to be the total connected load of the luminaire (all lamps plus ballast). This figure is extracted from the photometric file and is not always accurate (many manufacturers omit the ballast watts).You may change this figure as required. You will want it to be accurate with applied wattages if you plan on computing Lighting Power Density (LPD) in AGi32.

Q. What is the easiest way to show or identify my high and low calculation point values?

A. By using the Modify-Calculations-Highlight Values command (or by clicking the Highlight Values button in the Calculations Toolkit), there are many options depending are your needs. We particularly like highlighting the background of the value text with an easy to see color for large projects. You can then easily see the selected points when zoomed to extents.

Q. How do I place a calculation grid on a slope?

A. Use the Add-Calculation Points-2PT (or Roadway Grid, which uses a 3PT grid, for roadway models). Under Analysis type select the Normal. Under Add Grid, at the bottom of the dialogue, input the lower and upper Z-coordinates of the grid, click OK and draw the perimeter of the grid. For more information on Calculation Points see AGi32's Help or the Online Help under Calculation Points.

Q. How do I place a calculation grid vertically?

A. Generally, you should be in Elevation view at the coordinate value where you want to place the grid. Select a 2Pt grid and under Analysis Type select meter Normal to grid. Create the grid by selecting two points as you normally would. It is very easy to create a vertical plane of points on a surface using the Automatic Placement command (Add-Calculations-Automatic Placement). Select the Add-Calculations-Automatic Placement command from the Menu or by means of the "Automatic Placement" button in the Calculations Toolkit and then, when the Automatic Placement dialog opens, navigate to the surface on which you wish to place the grid, set "Calculation Points" to "On", and click "Ok", all from within the "Calculation Points - Automatic Placement" dialog.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 8 of 44 Q. I want calculation points along a line, how do I do this?

A. Use Add-Calculations-Line command from the Menu or the Calculations-Line button from within the Calculations Toolkit. Select your criteria in the calc points dialogue click OK and start drawing a continuous line, left click for every inflection. Right click to stop the current line, move the cursor to the start of the next line and continue. Right click to stop that line and then add a second right click to end the command.

Q. I just want a few calculation points at random locations, how do I do that?

A. Use Add-Calculations-Scattered command or the "Specify scattered Calculation Points" button in the Calculations Toolkit. Select your criteria in the calc points dialogue click OK and anywhere you click a calc point will be added. Continue to add points at every coordinate location clicked. Right click to end the command.

Q. I have an odd shaped site plan, how do I cover it with calculation points?

A. Use Add-Calculations-Polygon command or the "Specify Calculation Points within a Polygon" button in the Calculations Toolkit. Select your criteria in the calc points dialogue, click OK, then trace a line around the perimeter of your site plan. Right click to finish. Note: Enabling SnapTo may facilitate the creation of the polygon.

Q. How do I remove calculation points under Objects and Rooms?

A. Use the Modify-Calculations-Remove Points command or the "Remove Selected Caculation Points" button in the Calculations Toolkit. You have the option to remove points by "Polygon", "Single", "Window" or "Within Entities" (and the "Within Entities" option has 3 options associated with it: Single, Window, or All). If using the button in the Calculation Toolkit, you should click on the small drop-down arrow to the right of the button to see these other options. For more information on this topic see Agi32's Help or the Online Help under Calculation Points-Remove Points.

Q. How do I replace removed calculation points?

A. Use Modify-Calculations-Replace Points command or the "Replace previously removed Calculation Points" button in the Calculations Toolkit. You have the option to replace Single, Window or All. If using the button in the Calculations Toolkit, use the small drop-down arrow to the right of the button itself to see these options. For more information on this topic see the Online Help under Calculation Points Replace Points.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 9 of 44 Q. Can I display the calculation points Label on the drawing?

A. Yes. When in the calculation points dialogue select the "Labeling" button. You will find many options. For more information about labeling calculation points see AGi32's Help or the Online Help under Labeling Calculation Points.

Q. Can I change the calculation points spacing after I have specified the grid?

A. Yes. Use Modify-Calculations-Edit command or the "Edit Calculation Points" button in the Calculations Toolkit, select the calculation grid you would like to edit, change the point spacing and click OK.

Q. What is the fastest and easiest way to put calculation points on a multiple surface Object or Room?

A. By using Add-Calculations-Automatic Placement command or the "Automatic Placement" button in the Calculations Toolkit. Once your Object or Room is drawn, select the Add-Calculations-Automatic Placement command button (or click the button in the Calculations Toolkit). You will be able to choose which surface(s) you want the points applied to in the "Calculation Points - Automatic Placement" dialogue, along with a variety of settings to be applied to the calculation points. Once everything is set, make sure you turn the grid ON by changing the "Calculation Points" setting from "Off" to "On" [doing this will make the points appear in the selected surface(s) in the right side of the dialog, in the viewer] before clicking the "Ok" button.

Q. What is the fastest way to turn calculation points on and off?

A. Use the Modify-Project-Project Manager command or click the "Project Manager" button to the right of the "Calculate" button. Select and Load the desired Project(s) and select CalcPts entity type. You then have the option to turn ON and OFF the visibility of the calculation points by checking or unchecking the box in the calculation grids line in the "Vis" column as well as changing other elements/settings associated with calculation points.

Q. Can I move a calculation grid after I have placed it?

A. Yes, in most cases. Use Modify-Calculations-Move command or the "Move Calculation Points" button in the Calculations Toolkit. Select the calculation grid you would like to move, a reference point to move from, followed by the new location of the reference point. You cannot move a calculation grid placed with Automatic Placement because it is linked to a surface.

Q. What is a Statistical Area?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 10 of 44 A. A Statistical Area allows you to analyze calculation points within any user-defined region. You may break a single calculation plane into numerous statistical areas or combine the results of multiple calculation entities into one statistical area. Statistical areas consider the points within and on the polygon boundary and the results are shown in the Statistical Summary window. Statistical areas may overlap without influence. Statistical Areas are dynamic entities that update with every redraw. This allows you to place them at any time in the design process. Statistical Areas only consider visible calculation points. Important - Statistical Areas are really an infinite column of space and will incorporate all calculation points within its boundaries extending up and down from the drawn Statistical Area, including vertical calculation grids. To this end, it is possible to add a Statistical Area in Elevation View and obtain results for any calculation points falling within the infinite horizontal column specified by the area drawn in Elevation View.

Q. Can I overlap statistical areas?

A. Statistical areas may overlap without influence.

Q. When is a Statistical Area useful?

A. A Statistical Areas are useful if you want to analyze a subset of an area. For example: when you have a large parking lot and you need an independent reading for the handicapped parking area. Because the drawn boundary of a Statistical Area represents an infinite column of space above and below the specified stat area, it is also useful for obtaining summarized information on a series of calculation grids placed, for example, on different treads of a stairway.

Q. How many Statistical Areas can I have in a file?

A. As many as you like.

Q. Will Statistical Areas only read values in the view or plane that they have been drawn in?

A. No. Statistical Areas will read all the calculation points in the Statistical Area falling within an infinite column extending above and below the drawn stat area, even vertical grids. This may alter your results, so be aware which grids are encompassed by the Statistical Area.

Q. What are Isolines?

A. Isolines are contour lines assigned a specific value (Illuminance, Luminance, Exitance, etc.). The lines are displayed as contours along the calculation grid. For more information on this topic see AGI32's Help or the Online Help under Isolines.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 11 of 44 Q. Why would I use isolines?

A. To display the variation of calculated values within a grid of calculation points.

Q. Why are my isolines not displaying?

A. Check to make sure the isolines are selected and specified. If so and they are still not displaying, check the values you have assigned they may be too high or too low. Also, note that isolines can only be displayed for grids of calculation points. Consequently, isolines will not be displayed for scattered and calculation points along a line.

Q. How can I show the numerical analysis on my drawing (avg,max,min)?

A. Use the Add-Drawing Entity-Schedule command and select "Calculation Summary". Statistical Areas will also be included in the Calculation Summary. If you wish to add Statistical Areas to a seperate summary, you will need to open Project Manager, create a new Project, transfer the Statistical Areas to that Project, and finally (back in Model Mode) add a Calculation Summary and change the "Attach to Project" field to the Project containing the Statistical Areas. Project Manager can be used in this way to organize any set of calculation grids and stat areas for the purposes of summarizing that group as a whole. You can also add labeling to individual calculation and statistical areas.

Q. Why does the arm length appear in my drawing to be shorter than the arm length specified in the luminaire definition?

A. Arm length is the distance from the pole to the edge of the luminaire plus the distance from the edge of the luminaire to the insertion point of the luminaire symbol.

When utilizing a "Pole" with Full Radiosity Method, it is very important to specify and Arm unless you use a yoke mounted symbol. Otherwise, the pole will block a portion of the luminous area of the luminaire and produce erratic point-by-point results. AGi32 recommends a minimum Arm length in the lower right corner of the Render Symbol dialog. This "recommended minimum" arm length is the length needed to get the pole out from under the luminaire; any actual arm needed to move the luminaire away from the pole should be added to this recommended minimum.

Q. What is EPA?

A. EPA (Effective Projected Area) is used to size poles for wind loading conditions. This item is not currently used by any AGI32 computations but is intended for future use. Contact the individual

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 12 of 44 manufacturers for luminaire EPA values.

Q. Why should I be concerned about the luminous box coordinates?

A. AGi32 pulls the dimensions of the luminaire luminous area from the photometric file. If the luminous dimensions found in the photometric file are incorrect, the lighting calculations may not be accurate. For example, if the distribution of a 1x4 luminaire is emitted from a point source instead of an appropriately sized luminous area, the luminous area will not be treated properly as an area source and discretized appropriately. The effect is most noticeable when the luminaire is placed close to a reflective surface. Luminous Z-coordinates are very important. If the luminous Z in the photometric file is other than zero, you must make sure that this dimension is inside the confines of a Room for interior computations. Be sure to select an appropriate Render mode symbol and be aware of the "Insertion Point". AGi32 places the Luminous Box at the designated luminous area of the Render Mode Symbol (shown in white in the symbol dialog and with a line in Model Mode). If the luminous Z in the photometric file is zero, AGi32 will add a very small dimension to the luminous box (LLHC Z=-.01), this places the luminous area slightly below the ceiling plane for computational purposes. Note too that the luminous box is centered about the luminous Z dimension of the selected Render mode symbol. When calculating in Direct Only mode, the luminous source is located at the luminaire's Insertion Point, whether set to "Top" or "Bottom". This means that the location of the light source can be slightly different when calculating in Full Radiosity versus Direct Only modes. If trying to compare apples to apples between the calculation modes, use the "Null" luminaire symbol to ensure that the location of the light source is the same regardless of selected calculation method.

Q. In the Luminaire Define dialog, what is that graph in the lower right hand corner?

A. In the case of Type C photometry: Using AGI32's default colors, the blue graph represents a vertical slice through the luminaires light distribution at the horizontal plane containing the maximum candela value. The red graph represents a horizontal cone gained by a 360 degree slice around the luminaires light distribution through the vertical angle containing the maximum candela value. In the case of Type B photometry: you have a choice of Cartesian or Polar display. In either case the blue line will represent the horizontal axis (left to right) and the red line the vertical axis (top to bottom).

Q. Do luminaire symbols block and or reflect light?

A. Yes. With AGi32's Full Radiosity Method, the Render Mode symbol housing will block and reflect light returning through its space when reflected from another surface. This can often be the difference in computed values due to linear indirect systems when comparing AGi32 to other programs. As you might imagine, accurate symbol scaling is then important. For example: Consider a linear indirect fluorescent system with a width of 6 inches. If you use the 1x4_UP symbol the width is one foot by default, you would want to use the scaling cell in the symbol dialog to make the width 6" (multiplier=0.5).

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 13 of 44 Q. Can poles and pendants block light?

A. Absolutely. The pole option in the Define Luminaire dialog will attach a 4” square pole to the insertion point of the symbol if no Arm is specified. This will obstruct a portion of the luminous area of the luminaire and cause erratic Illuminance computations. It is therefore necessary to include an Arm of minimum length as recommended in the Render Symbol dialog (lower-right corner) to move the pole away from the luminaire. An exception would be when using a Yoke mounted symbol such as "Shoebox-Yoke". Pendants are also physical entities with a 2" diameter. Pendants should only be applied to direct- distribution luminaires (e.g., a Highbay) and should only be applied if the Insertion Point for the symbol is set to "Top." When used with an indirect luminaire and/or when the Insertion Point is set to "Bottom", the pendant blocks the luminous box.

Q. How do I change the label of a defined luminaire?

A. In the Define Luminaire dialog select the "Relabel" button on the right hand side of the dialog.

Q. Can I create my own arrangement of luminaires on a pole?

A. Yes. In the Define Luminaire dialog click in the Arrangements window (in the area showing a pictoral of the currently-selected Arrangement) and select the Custom button. In this dialog you can provide coordinate values from an insertion point (0,0) to locate the luminaires in the arrangement. You can utilize aiming angles orient, tilt roll and spin for each luminaire. Click the Open button and choose an existing arrangement to give you a starting point if you like. For more on Custom Arrangements, consult AGi32's Help or click this link: Custom Luminaire Arrangements.

Q. If I have a pole mounted Luminaire, what is the difference between 'Dynamic: Attached to Z =' and 'Static: Length'?

A. A Dynamic pole will always extend from the luminaire to the value entered in the 'Z = coordinate' cell. For example: If the ground is considered to be Z = 0 and some of your luminaires are mounted at 10' and others have a mounting height of 20' you would choose the Dynamic: Attach Z = 0. In the case of a Static pole, the pole will always be the length specified in the "Length=" cell. For example: If your site is on a hill and all the poles are to be 10' tall, the ground plane will slope and the luminaire mounting height will vary as it is always specified with respect to Z=0 datum. In this case using a Static pole length of ten will always draw a ten foot pole from the luminaire.

Q. How do I rotate optics within a luminaire symbol?

A. The idea of turning the reflector within the housing is often applied to shoebox style luminaires. The most common being a 90 degree Spin to make the light pattern emanate from the side of the luminaire. You can of course easily apply a Spin angle to any luminaire, but the question is how to keep the symbol from Spinning with it when using Arrangements. The answer lies in a "Custom" luminaire Arrangement. Click in the Arrangement window and then on the Custom button. Here you can enter relative coordinates from a center point (0,0) and aiming angles for each luminaire in the

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 14 of 44 Arrangement. It may be helpful to open (Open button) one of the factory arrangements and rename and modify to meet your needs. The following arrangement has been modified from "Back to back" to spin both luminaires to face North when the back to back luminaires face East and West.

You will find that the Arrangement "TWIN" takes care of the other typical car lot pole arrangement with no Spin required.

If trying to aim an individual luminaire by means of changing the applied Orient, Tilt, Roll, and/or Spin and you require assistance, search AGi32's Help for "Spin" (without the quotes) or click the following link for more on applying Aiming Parameters.

Q. What is Roadway Optimizer?

A. The Roadway Optimizer tool provides you with a means of designing typical straight roadway sections using illuminance and/or luminance criteria. You may optimize the pole locations based on known illuminance and/or luminance values or calculate metrics for set pole spacing. The criteria may be calculated in accordance with: AS/NZ 1158.2-2005, BSEN 13201-3.2003, CIE-140--2000 and IES RP-8-2000. Up to five layouts may be created and compared at any one time. Once the calculations are completed and the requested criteria met, you may print out the results. You may also export the layout information to AGi32's Modale Mode where modifications can be made and the layout can be integrated with other lighting information.

Q. What is Room Estimator?

A. AGI32 provides a quick design tool for interior spaces using the IES Zonal Cavity method, called Room Estimator. Use Room Estimator to determine an approximate number of luminaires required to meet a target average level of illuminance on a workplane or floor. Room Estimator will also reverse the process and calculate an estimated average illuminance level based on a set number of

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 15 of 44 luminaires. Once the basic inputs have been entered (room size, reflectances, luminaire label), Room Estimator will show you the calculated results immediately as you interact with the dialog. Simply, this means that you may change any of the variables used in your analysis while the results are continuously and automatically updated. You may create up to three different room layouts in Room Estimator at the same time and compare their results. Once the luminaire quantity has been determined, you may export your results to AGI32 and let Room Estimator automate the process of room creation, grid creation, and luminaire placement. To calculate point by point illuminance values in the room, you need only press the Calculate Now button on the General Status toolbar. Note that in versions of AGi32

Q. Do I have to register AGI32 every time I install the software?

A. No. AGi32 requires obtaining a registration/installation key when a major version (v.1.9x, v.2.0x, v.2.1x, etc.) is installed or, in the case of versions older than v.2.10, when the program is repaired or uninstalled and reinstalled. If AGi32 v.2.10 (or later) has already beein installed and keyed on a particular machine, repairing or uninstalling/reinstalling will not require a new license key. This is not true of AGi32 versions 2.04 and earlier. Installing an update (as opposed to a major release upgrade) for any version of AGi32 will not require a new installation key so long as an earlier version of the same major release has already been installed and keyed on the that computer.

Q. What version of Windows do I need to operate AGI32? Is one better than another?

A. Either Windows 2000, XP (Professional, Media Center and Home), Vista (Professional, Media Center and Home), and Windows 7, both 32 and 64-bit versions of these operating systems, are acceptable. These have proven to be stable platforms and support additional OpenGL hardware acceleration. The various versions of Windows 98 (FE, SE, ME) as well as Windows 95 are not supported. There are, however, some caveats with Windows Vista. Under Vista, versions of AGi32

Q. Will AGI32 run on Macintosh, Linux, BeOS, or Solaris?

A. No. At this time none of these markets justify porting the program over. There are translators available for these languages; however we do not support AGI32 on translated operating systems. However, as far as the Mac is concerned, with Bootcamp, Parallels, or Fusion (possibly other virtual machines as well) running on a Mac and a Windows OS installed, you can install and run AGi32 on the Mac in the Windows environment. We recommend Parallels or, better yet, Fusion because these are actually virtual machines running in the Mac OS rather than Bootcamp which will not allow the user to work on the Mac environment at the same time the Windows environment is running.

Q. Can I delete temporary files generated by AGI32?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 16 of 44 A. Yes, provided AGI32 is closed. Temporary files are self-deleted in versions 1.80 and higher under normal circumstances. However, abnormal termination of AGi32 versions greater than or equal to v.1.90 can leave these files behind in the following locations (you will need to have Windows set to show hidden files, folders, and drives to access these locations): In XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\AGI32\...

...Temporary ...Temporary\Render ...Temporary\Working

In Vista and Windows 7:

C:\Users\\AppData\Local\AGI32\...

...Render ...Working

Temporary files left behind in AGI32 versions prior to 1.80 may be deleted manually. They are located in subdirectories in the C:\Program Files\Lighting Analysts\AGI32 folder.

Q. Can I move my AGi32 job files (*.AGI) to another computer or share with another user?

A. Yes, AGi32 files are completely transportable. They automatically contain all associated photometry and symbols. Simply copy the [ in versions of AGi32 older than v.2.00] to the new location. If the file has a companion Radiosity Solution File you can optionally copy this file as well. RSF files can be quite large so a zipping tool is very useful. *.AGI Files are already compressed, they may be included in the same Zip file, but they will not compress any further. NOTE: AGI DOS used the *.AGI file extension and these files cannot be opened in AGi32 versions 2.00 and later and *AGi files created by AGi32 2.00 and later cannot be opened by AGI DOS.

Q. Will AGI32 read AGI-dos files?

A. No, AGI-dos files are no longer supported starting with AGi32 v2.00. The AGi-dos file extension (.AGI) is now used by AGi32 versions 2.00 and later. Files with the *.AGI extension that are created with AGi32 versions 2.00 and later cannot be opened by AGi-dos or any other versions of AGi32 older than v.2.00.

Q. How does computer hardware effect performance?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 17 of 44 A. Hardware will affect AGi32 in the following ways:

Faster processors, including L2 cache size, clock speed, etc, will calculate AGI models faster. A new processor with the same stated clock speed as an older processor will most likely outperform the older processor. Multiple cores (processors) can allow AGi32 to use a processor all to itself when calculating which will speed up calculation times. If multiple applications are run at the same time as AGi32, AGI calculations will benefit from having a processor with multiple cores. Multiple cores (processors) are utilized in the Ray Tracing process and will drastically lower the time it takes to perform a Ray Trace. More RAM will allow more complicated models to calculate without having to save temporary information to the hard drive and thus ensure the fastest calculation times possible. Faster bus and RAM speeds will speed up calculation times and performance but not nearly as much as a faster processor. Faster graphics cards with more video RAM will smooth view manipulation in Render and Model modes by being able to process graphics information and post it to the screen faster. However, some low-end and some very high-end cards will need to have Hardware Acceleration disabled to work properly (thus negating the benefit of having a very high-end card). Graphics cards need to be OpenGL compatible. Faster hard drives will speed up file access times and the time it takes to save a file. The computer will “feel” faster with a faster hard drive but as long as the machine has enough RAM, calculation times will not be affected by hard drive speed.

Of the above items, processor speed is the number one factor when it comes to lowering calculation times!

Q. What processors will AGI32 work with and what is recommended?

A. Please click these links to read about the current minimum and recommended minimum requirements: AGi32 System Requirements Photometric Toolbox System Requirements

Q. My system is running low on memory. Is there anything I can do?

A. In Windows you can increase the "virtual memory" size to up to several thousand megabytes (or gigabytes). This is a slower representation of RAM on the hard drive, which can help Windows juggle large segments of data in RAM. This is changed in the Systems Settings under the Windows Control Panel. Available space for Virtual Memory will depend on how much hard drive space you have available. Of course the other option is to purchase and install more RAM that is compatible with existing RAM (if you have RAM slots available to add more) and/or replace the existing RAM with more capable sticks (again making sure that the new sticks are compatible with the existing hardware).

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 18 of 44 Q. Why do I get a black screen when going to Render mode?

A. You may be running in 256-bit color, you need to change your Display Properties-Settings in the Control Panel to increase to 16- or 32- bit (true) color. This may also occur if Hardware Acceleration is set to Full. Make sure that AGI32 is closed and try changing the Hardware Acceleration slider to Low or None in the Display Properties-Settings-Advanced-Troubleshoot tab. If the model has already been calculated in Full Radiosity mode, a black screen can also be caused by one or more 'hot spots' in the model. Since AGi32 exposes the rendering, like a camera, to the brightest spot in the model, if you have intersecting luminaires, luminaires on Pendants that are set with a Pendant going from the ground up to the luminaire or pendants going down to but through the luminaire (because the Insertion Point is set to 'Bottom'), a 'hot spot' can occur on the end of the Pendant and, in addition to actually blocking the light, cause the rendering to appear black. The same thing can occur with luminaires on Poles when the Pole is under the luminaire and/or the Arm length is not at least the 'Recommended Minimum' or some Symbol other than the 'Yoke', 'Acorn', or other post-top Symbol is currently being used. When in doubt as to whether a Pole or Pendant might be causing the rendering to appear black, start by removing all Pendants and Poles, redefining the luminaire(s) after removing any Pendant or Post, and try calculating the rendering again. If this does not resolve the issue, search for any overlapping luminaires, multiple instances of luminaires placed in the same location, and luminaires that may be intersected by a Room or Object's surface. Often it is useful to change to Pseudo Color mode to track down 'hot spots' and identify issues in the model that may be causing the rendering to appear black.

Q. I get random crashes / blank screens / no mouse cursor, why?

A. The cause is likely related to the video card. We recommend you try the following two resolutions: 1. Make sure you are using the newest video card driver for your operating system and video card. These can be obtained from the video card manufacturer directly or from the computer vendor’s website. 2. Turn your Hardware Acceleration to Low or None.

Q. I updated the video card driver and I still can't see the cursor sometimes, now what?

A. In the Display Properties command in the Control Panel, navigate to the Settings tab then select the Advanced button, choose the Troubleshooting tab, within there is located a Hardware Acceleration slider bar to turn down the level of acceleration. Try knocking it down to Low or None; this will usually cure the problem.

Q. Can I use AGI32 in a multi-head display?

A. Yes. The success of AGI32 under such configurations may vary. Under Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7 you also have the opportunity to plug in several different video cards into the same computer and spread the desktop across multiple monitors. Check the Microsoft website for compatibility listings.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 19 of 44 Q. My video card says it has OpenGL hardware acceleration, will this help AGI32?

A. Not usually. You may see an indirect gain from the amount of time the CPU is freed from drawing graphics. Hardware acceleration may speed up the display and manipulation of the system in render mode due to custom silicon chips present on the card which can perform select graphic and mathematical tasks, several hundred times faster than the general purpose CPU of the computer. Hardware acceleration may also cause display problems such as computer lockups and crashes as well as corrupt images in render mode. If you are experiencing these types of problems in AGI32, we recommend that you turn Hardware Acceleration down to Low or None and use your CPU resources instead.

Q. Why do the calculation points and or text appear faint or grayed out sometimes?

A. You are not imagining things. Certain fonts appear gray at smaller sizes; this appears to be a function of Windows (or at least Windows XP). If you create a calculation grid and zoom out, at a certain point the text will appear to change from black to gray (using a white background). One possible workaround is to change your screen fonts to ClearType from Standard. In the Display Properties command (within Control Panel), navigate to the Appearance tab then select the Effects button; choose the ClearType option from the “Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:” selection.

Q. Can AGi32 read AutoCAD DWG files?

A. Yes: As of version 1.60, AGi32 reads DWG files (AutoCAD 2000 and earlier) As of version 1.90, AGi32 reads DWG files (AutoCAD 2006 and earlier)

As of version 2.00, AGi32 reads DWG files (AutoCAD 2007 and earlier) As of version 2.10, AGi32 reads DWG files (AutoCAD 2010 and earlier)

Q. Does AGI32 import and or export a Lightscape compatible file?

A. No.

Q. When I draw lines or add text to the drawing, why don't they show up in the Render mode?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 20 of 44 A. In versions of AGi32 older than 2.00, Text, Lines or Drawing entities are simply two dimensional vectors and not surfaces so they will not show up in the Render mode. In AGi32 version 2.00 and later, these entity types can be displayed in Render mode when Model Overlay is enabled. If they are not displaying in Render mode, check the Model Overlay button at the bottom of the AGi32 dialog window to make sure that it is enabled. Also note the small drop-down arrow to the right of the 'Model Overlay' button which will allow you to access the Model Overlay Settings and dictate what will and will not be displayed in the rendering.

Q. How do I change line weight/width when creating drawing entities?

A. Click on the 'Modify Drawing Entity Properties' button in the Drawing/Schedules Toolkit, select the drawing entity, right click and you will be presented with the option to change line Type and Width. Note that there is a drop-down arrow to the right of the 'Modify Drawing Entity Properties' button that will allow you to select all drawing entities at the same time or to 'window around' a group of them and change the line Type and/or Width of multiple drawing entities at the same time.

Q. Can I scale Drawing Entities?

A. You can increase or decrease the size of Drawing Entities by using the Modify-Drawing Entity- Scale command. You can also use the 'Scale Drawing Entity' botton in the Drawing/Schedules Toolkit. In the Toolkit, notice the available options when clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of the 'Scale Drawing Entity' button (by default, the 'Single' option is selected when the button is clicked).

Q. Can I scale drawing text?

A. Yes. After you have added your text you can use the Modify-Drawing Entity-Edit Text command to increase or decrease the size of the text selected. Using the 'Edit Text' button in the Drawing/Schedule Toolkit will also accomplish the goal.

Q. What file types can I import into AGI32?

A. Depends on the version of AGi32 you are using: In versions of AGi32 1.96 and earlier, you can import .DXF and .DWG files as well as .A32 files so long as the .A32 file was created by the same version of AGi32 as the version into which you are importing. In versions of AGi32 2.00 and later, you can import .DXF and .DWG files as well as .AGI files so long as the .AGI file was created by the same version of AGi32 as the version into which you are importing and the .AGI file was not created by AGI-DOS.

If the version of AGi32 that created the file is older than the current version, simply open the existing file in AGi32, save it, then import into the current file with the current version of the program. NOTE: versions of AGi32 older than v.1.96 cannot open .AGI files and thus you will not be able to import entities from a file created by AGi32 versions 2.00 and later into AGi32 1.96 and earlier; AGi32 v.2.00 and later can, however, open .A32 files and save them as .AGI files.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 21 of 44 Please note that you should consult AGi32's Help to discover what entitiy types AGi32 will and will not import as what the program will import is dependant on the version you are running.

Q. Why would I import an AGI32 file?

A. By importing an AGi32 file you can merge two files or just bring in certain parts of another AGi32 file. An imported AGu32 file is inserted as a separate project. By default, the imported project is unlocked and visible. Any combination of entities may be imported including drawing entities, text, schedules, luminaire types and locations, LPD/UWLR Areas, calculation points, statistical areas, rooms and objects. When merging a job file with several projects, AGi32 attaches all of the entities to a single project with the imported project name. Enter a unique project name in the Project Name text box. If desired, lock and/or make the imported project invisible. The Offset coordinates allow you to specify an insertion point, other than the origin, for the project. Offsets relocate the imported entities to a new location. Offsets are applied relative to the actual coordinate values. For example, if a luminaire was originally located at 10, 20, 10 and offsets of 100, 100, 0 are applied, the luminaire will now be located at 110,120, 10. Select the entities to import. Left click on the Select All button if all entities are to be imported. Click Ok.

Also, importing can be used to fix corrupt AGi32 files. When importing, the database relationships are reestablished and can, in many cases, correct the file's problems. Note, too, that AGi32 files need to be created by the same version of AGi32 into which you are importing. If the AGi32 file being imported was created with an older version of the program, simply open the file with the current version of AGi32, save it, then import the file into the desired model.

Q. Will objects and or surfaces import from other drawing programs?

A. AGi32 will import entities from DWG and DXF files so any program that properly creates these file types should result in a file that can be imported into AGi32. Versions of AGi32 older than 2.10 will import only planar (non-curved) surfaces. AGi32 v.2.10 will import curved surfaces as well as planar surfaces, but the curved surfaces will be converted to polygons during the import process. Please consult AGi32's Help to discover which entity types your version of AGi32 will and will not import as this does change from version to version.

Q. What will AGI32 export?

A. AGi32 will export DWG and DXF format files from Model mode; BMP, JPG and VRML files in the Render mode; and TXT (text) files via the Print Text function.

Q. How can I add dimension lines to my drawing?

A. Use the Add-Drawing Entity-Dimension command on the Menu or the 'Dimension' button found in the Drawing/Schedules Toolkit.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 22 of 44 Q. What angular positioning scheme does AGi32 employ?

A. AGi32 uses the CCE (Counter Clockwise from East) Positioning System. It is applicable to both Type C and Type B photometry. Aiming parameters are applied in the following order: Orientation, Tilt, Roll, Spin. However, you should read the information on the Aiming Paramerters - Procedures topic (click the link) in our on-line Help to fully understand how to apply these parameters. Also, please see the IESNA document - LM-72 for more information. Zero East - Counterclockwise: at Orient=0 the zero degree horizontal plane of photometry faces due East. Positive values of Orient rotate the zero plane counterclockwise.

Q. Should I use a 1x4 or 4x1 luminaire symbol for a fluorescent of comparable size?

A. The 1x4 (2x4 as well) symbol is intended for luminaires following standard fluorescent photometric testing convention of zero degrees horizontal parallel to the lamp/s. This condition is fairly easy to identify by looking at the IES file. Simply look to see what horizontal plane of data contains the maximum candela value. If the maximum occurs in the 90 degree plane then it is pretty safe to assume that the zero plane is parallel to the lamp. However, if the maximum occurs in the zero plane then the chances are that the zero plane is perpendicular to the lamp. In this latter case you will want to use a 4x1 symbol. This is generally applicable to wall wash distributions. Another way to tell is by looking at the luminous dimensions of the luminaire, for zero parallel the luminous length should = 4 and width =1 (1x4 example). Still another method: with zero parallel, the IES report is probably Quadrilaterally symmetric with only 5 planes of data reported (0,22.5,45,67.5,90). With zero perpendicular, the report is bilaterally symmetric with a number of horizontal planes ranging from zero to 180 Degrees. Note: Smart Symbols recognize the luminous box size, shape and distribution and will automatically recommend an appropriate symbol.

Q. Does AGI32 come with manufacturer photometric files?

A. Yes, though you will have to download the photometric files from our Photometric Instabase web site. To access these files:

1.) Run AGi32. 2.) Either click on the 'Define' button in the Luminaire Toolkit or click on Add-Luminaire-Define on the Menu. 3.) Click on the 'Instabase' button in the Define Luminaire dialog. 4.) When the 'Photometric Instabase' dialog opens, click on the 'Manage' button. 5.) When the 'Photometric Instabase' web page appears, put check marks next to the Instabases you wish to download. NOTE that putting a check in the 'Subscribe' box does not send anyone any of your information; what it does is notify you when any manufacturer posts a update to an Instabase to which you are subscribed. Without subscribing, you may not know whether you are using the most current IES files and Instabases. 6.) When you have selected the Instabases you wish to download and decompress into AGi32, click the 'Do it' button at the bottom of the web page. NOTE: it is not recommended that you try to download all the Instabases at the same time as it can take hours to download and decompress them. If you do choose to do this, do it just before going home and let the process run overnight, making sure that your computer's Power Management settings are set to 'Never' turn off hard drives.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 23 of 44 If you are unable to connect to the on-line Instabases, check your Windows firewall settings and/or have your IT people check any other firewalls that might be in place on the network to allow AGi32 to connect to the Internet. If company policies will not allow for changes to the firewall(s) and/or you are still unable to connect to the Instabases, you can go to our Connectivity Page (click the link) and read how to download and install the Instabases one at a time.

Q. Will AGI32 read any manufacturers photometric files?

A. Yes, provided they are in IES, EULUMDAT or TM-14 format and error free. However, in order to work properly with the Instabase, IES files must be in IESNA LM-63-95 format or later with appropriate keywords. All manufacturers supplying photometric files on www.agi32.com have taken the time to insure their files operate with AGi32.

Q. I know I have the IES file on my computer but I don't know where it is, how can I find it?

A. In the Define Luminaire dialog click on the Find button, choose a drive to look in and click the OK button and all the photometric files on that drive will be found. You can do smaller searches by opening a folder within the drive.

Q. What is a photometric file?

A. A photometric file is a collection of data assembled in a given format, IES, CIBSE, EULUMDAT are examples, that describes the output of luminous flux at specific angles from the tested lamp/fixture combination (lamp+ballast+fixture=luminaire). All lighting fixture manufacturers publish photometric data gathered through an elaborate testing process for products they manufacturer. The data is generally available through the manufacturer or a sales representative. A large variety of manufacturer products are represented in the Instabases available from our Photometric Instabase web site (accessible from within AGi32's Define Luminaire dialog). AGi32 utilizes photometric files in the North American standard IES format developed by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). AGi32 versions 2.00 and later, however, also support the CIBSE (TM-14) and ELUMDAT formats.

Q. In the Instabase, who is Z-Lux and how can I buy their products?

A. Z-Lux is a fictious manufacturer with fictitious photometric files. These files are used in sample files and should never be used in real projects. And, no, they are not available to buy!

Q. Do I have to use the Photometrics that came on the CD or AGI32 website?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 24 of 44 A. Not at all. You can use any photometric file as long as it is on your computer system or network and is a valid IES photometric file (conforms to IES document LM-63). Simply click on the Select IES Photometric File button and you can browse to the location of your choice.

Q. How do I install/use photometric files that did not come on the CD or from AGI32.com?

A. Simply copy them on to your hard drive to the location of your choice and use the Select IES File button to use them in the program.

Q. Can I put my own photometric files in the Instabase?

A. Yes. Each manufacturers data should be contained in a Manufacturer folder. The folder name should be enclosed in brackets [] to ensure that all sub-files and folders are considered under this manufacturer. If the Manufacturer folder is not enclosed in brackets, the resultant Instabase Structure will be based on the [MANUFAC] keyword found in each photometric file. Images are not included in the Instabase unless they follow the rules used to associate them with a file or folder.

Q. Why don't I see an image for the photometric file that I have chosen? I see images with other photometric files.

A. An association between the photometric file and the image file must exist. Generally speaking, photometric files not distributed with AGI32 will not have an associated image. Manufacturers including their data on the AGI32 CD and on AGI32.com have taken the trouble to prepare the data in a form where photographic images can be associated with photometric categories or individual files. If you don't see a manufacturer of interest, please ask them to contact us.

Q. Can Objects and Rooms touch or overlap each other?

A. In the case of Objects which are reflective on the exterior, it is completely acceptable for them to touch, overlap and even penetrate one another. However, Rooms are a different story. Rooms are reflective on the inside surfaces and when overlapped will bleed light from one room to another in a phenomenon called "patch leak". The minimum distance recommended between rooms is 0.1’.

Q. Can I remove a surface of an Object or Room?

A. Yes. Using the Surface Edit command, navigate to the surface to be removed, find the line stating "Removed", and change the "No" to a "Yes". Removed surfaces can be reconsidered by changing the "Removed" status from "Yes" to "No".

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 25 of 44 Q. Can I rotate an Object in elevation view?

A. Yes. You can rotate Objects in any Elevation View, including a User-Defined Elevation View.

Q. Can I create my own custom luminaire symbols?

A. Yes, it is easy using the object tools and is highly encouraged. Once created, use the Modify- Object-Create Render Luminaire Symbol command or use the "Create a luminaire symbol using existing object(s)" botton in the Luminaire Toolkit. Please consult AGi32's Help or our Create Render Luminaire Symbol on-line Help topic (click the link) for more on creating a custom luminaire symbol.

Q. Can I create objects and rooms with curved surfaces?

A. Yes. While in the appropriate command (Create-Room or Object) press the F4 key to begin an Arc. The starting point of the arc will be your last click (before pressing the F4 key) and you will be prompted for the second point of the arc. Select the second point and the arc will show as a dashed line. Move the mouse to fit the Arc (use F5 to reverse direction), then click again when the Arc is in place. You can then continue to create the remaining sides of the Room or Object. Note that the end point of the Arc cannot be the starting point of the Room or Object; if you need the Arc to end at a specific point, make sure to start modeling the Room or Object at a different point than the one on which any Arc will end.

Q. Can I resize my Objects and Rooms after I create them?

A. The only resizing that can be done is changing the height or extruded depth for most entities. If any other part of the Object or Room needs resizing it must be recreated.

Q. Can I scale existing library objects?

A. Yes. You can Scale the entire Library Object using the Modify-Object-Scale command. If you want to scale individual pieces independently of the composite you must first Explode the Library Object and then Scale. You can then make the composite into a new Library Object and add to a new library. You can also scale a Library Object in the "Object - Library Object" dialog that appears after selecting the Library Object from the "Object - Select Library Object" dialog and before the Library Object is placed in the model.

Q. Can I add objects to the factory libraries?

A. No. The factory object libraries are protected. However, you can add an object to libraries you define. For example, to resave one of the factory libraries as your own, select it, explode it and make the pieces into a new library object to add to your own libraries.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 26 of 44 Q. What restrictions are there on complexity of interior or exterior environments?

A. Only those imposed by the tools available, including the capabilities of your computer, and your imagination. AGi32's radiosity engine can accurately handle just about any model you create.

Q. How do I accommodate windows and doors in interiors?

Adding doors can be a challenge because, in the case of closed doors, it is necessary to avoid co- planar surfaces and, in the case of open doorways, AGi32 does not allow for cutouts that extend all the way to the edge of the surface. Adding closed doors is relatively easy as you can either avoid adding a door altogether or you can simply add an Object that is slightly offset from the face of the wall. Adding openings for doors is also relatively easy, but door openings that go between Rooms can be a challenge and this is the scenario that will be discussed here. First off, Rooms should have a physical space between them just like real rooms would have wall cavities between them. The space between Rooms should be at least 0.1 foot, but can be larger. With this in mind, it becomes necessary to add a reveal to the opening between the Rooms. This is accomplished by placing an Object with the dimensions of the desired doorway and the thickness of the space between the Rooms (the thickness of the wall) between the Rooms. It them becomes necessary to add cutouts to the Room walls for the doorway but because one cannot add cutouts that extend all the way to the floor, something else has to be done. The way around this issue is to open the 2 rooms in Surface Edit, set the 2 walls (one on each Room) with the doorway to “Removed=Yes”, and then add Planar Objects to replace each of the Removed walls. The Planar Objects would be the dimensions of the walls being replaced, but would be modeled without any surface area where the doorway Object is located. To add the Planar Objects, you will have to go into an Elevation View at the location of the wall being replaced, add the polygon Planar Object, then repeat the process for the second polygon Planar Object on the other Room’s wall. It will be necessary to check the surface normal of each of the Planar Objects to ensure that the normal surface is pointing into each respective Room and to ensure that the color, reflectance, etc. is set to match the walls that the Planar Objects are replacing. The next step is to perform a Surface Edit on the Object added between the Rooms and change some of the surface properties. First, set the parallel large surfaces, the ones that would be co- planar with the Room walls if left in-place, to “Removed=Yes”. Next, click on the “Tag All” button to tag all the surface on the Object then click the “Flip” button to make the surface normals point into the Object. That’s it! You now have an open doorway between the Rooms. Keep in mind that 2 of the Room walls were replaced with Planar Objects so if you ever want to change the properties of the Rooms walls, you will also have to change the properties of the Planar Objects to match. As a side note, if you wish to make the floor of all the rooms merge together as one Object, you can set the bottom surfaces of the Rooms and the doorway Object to “Removed=Yes” then add in a new Planar Object (polygon) that traces around the footprint of one Room, goes through the door opening, traces around the second Room, and finally goes back out into the first Room where it completes the polygon. The result of this will be one object for the floor that will have no breaks in it where the doorway and Rooms meet. You will also have to set the surface properties of this Planar Object to match those desired for the floor of the Rooms (including making sure that the surface normal for the Planar Object is facing up, into the Rooms). Windows are quite a bit easier though adding windows to a model where both Exterior and Interior surfaces are in place is accomplished in exactly the same manner as adding a doorway between Rooms. The difference here is that there is no need to add Planar Surfaces to replace walls because cutouts can be added to the Room walls to accommodate the windows. If a window is being added to a Room and there are no exterior surfaces, simply add a cutout to the Room wall where you want

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 27 of 44 the window and when AGi32 asks if you wish to add an Insert, say “yes”. If, however, you do have 2 walls between the environments to be separated by the windows, you will need to add cutouts to both walls, stating “no” when asked if Inserts should be added, add an Object between the walls that matches the size of the cutouts, then Flip the surface normals on the Object, set ONE of the large surfaces (the interior one) to “Removed=Yes”, and finally changing the properties of the other large surface on the Object to Glass or, if performing a Daylight calculation, Daylight Transition Glass. Whichever surface you use for the glass should have its surface normal facing into the Room. In this manner you are using the Object for both the window reveal and the window itself. Once you become familiar with the above process and understand how it is working, you will discover that there are a lot of things that can be done with Planar Objects to make your models more accurate and look better in Render mode (given that, as with the floor, you can use Planar Objects to replace several surfaces at the same time so there are no breaks or color changes where there shouldn’t be). Note: There is now a tutorial available on this subject, called Interior Windows and Doors (V2.1).

Q. Can I share object libraries with other users?

A. Yes. AGi32 object libraries can be copied to other machines and used there. The Object Library files have extension *.OBL and are stored in the Object Libraries folder under AGi32 (v2.1 and greater) [in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AGi32\ObjectLibraries (Note: the "Application Data" folder is a hidden folder); in Vista and Windows 7: C: ProgramData\AGi32\ObjectLibraries (Notes: the "ProgramData" folder is a hidden folder and under 64-bit operating systems, look in the "Program Files (x86)" folder rather than the "Program Files" folder)]. Just copy the libraries of interest and drop them into the Object Libraries folder on the new computer.

Q. What is the difference between single-sided objects and double-sided objects, and transmittance and transparency?

A. Single-Sided surfaces are reflective on one side only (unless Transmittance is applied; surfaces with Transmittance are always double-sided). Single-Sided surfaces will let electric light pass, unobstructed, through from the back or abnormal side (if any electric light exists on the abnormal side of the surface). A typical use of Single-Sided surfaces can be seen with the walls, floor, and ceiling of a Room. Room surfaces will keep light in, but let the observer “see” into the Room from the outside when viewed in Render Mode. By default, the normal side of surfaces composing a Room are on the inside of the Room itself. Double-Sided surfaces are reflective on both sides. Unless the surface is set with a Transmittance, this means that electric light will not pass through the surface from the normal or abnormal side of the surface. A typical use of Double-Sided surfaces can be seen with the walls, floor, and ceiling of an Object. By default, the normal side of surfaces composing an Object are on the outside of the Object itself because the observer is usually looking at an Object from the outside. With the Surface Edit command, it is possible to make Single-Sided surfaces into Double-Sided surfaces or make Double-Sided surfaces into Single-Sided surfaces. It is also possible to set/change the normal side of any surface with the “Flip” command in Surface Edit. With these options, it is possible to make an Object act like a Room or a Room act like an Object. By changing surface Type and (potentially) using the Flip command, it is also possible to add Planar Objects to replace multiple Room or Object surfaces and have the Planar Surfaces perform like the surfaces they are replacing. It should be noted that neither Single-Sided or Double-Sided surfaces are not considered in Daylight calculations unless set to the “Daylight Exterior” surface Type in the Surface Edit dialog. For Daylight to be considered in an interior space, the daylight must first pass through surfaces of Types “Daylight Transition Glass (Transparent)”, “Daylight Transition

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 28 of 44 Glass (Diffuse)”, or “Daylight Transition Opening” (yes, a Daylight Transition Opening is actually a surface). These Daylight surface Types should not be used except when Daylighting is enabled and in areas where daylight is to pass from the exterior of an environment into the interior where it is to be considered along with electric light (if any exists). Transmittance is defined as a material property that diffuses light in all directions equally (Lambertian). An example of a transmissive surface is fabric. Keep in mind that when adding Transmissive surfaces to a model, the surfaces will appear in Render mode darker than expected when the Transmittance is high and the Reflectance is low (because what you see int he Rendering is dependant on the light reflected off a surface). Transparent surfaces are used to model windows (glass or plastic) and account for the Fresnel refraction of light passing through a dielectric material. Transparent surfaces have no specifiable reflectance value since reflectance is based on the angle of incident daylight (per Fresnel reflectance equations).

Q. What are textures?

A. Textures are two dimensional images (.JPG or .BMP images/files) applied to surfaces in AGi32 to make them appear more realistic. Textures can be applied in a repeating pattern across the surface (good for architectural textures like brick, stone, stucco, etc.), stretched across the surface - like artwork, or tiled where the texture is repeated in a series of 4 instances and each instance is rotated 90 degrees from the adjacent 2 instances. For calculation purposes, the average color and reflectance of the texture is used. Although the texture may look three dimensional, it is really flat and casts no shadows on itself or other surfaces. For example, a texture of brick looks 3D, with the bricks and mortar appearing to have different thicknesses, but the texture is just a "picture" of the brick. When the brick wall is illuminated in AGi32, the surface is flat. Textures cannot be applied to Transparent surfaces but they can be applied to Transmissive surfaces.

Q. Where do I get textures?

A. Several textures are provided with AGi32. They are found in the Surface Edit dialog box. Click in the Textures field, and then select the ellipsis ("...") button. This opens the Textures dialog box, where several classifications and textures are available. Textures are also available for commercial sale and for free online but essentially you can use any image file with the .JPG or .BMP file extension as a texture. You can save them anywhere on your computer and access them from the Select Texture dialog box by clicking on the "Browse..." button in the Textures dialog.

Q. Can I make my own textures to use in AGI32?

A. Yes. You may make textures yourself by scanning in surface photographs or using a digital camera. When capturing images to use as tileable textures, care should be taken that the texture is uniform (no luminance contrast from one side to the other) and the image should be cropped such that it does not create an undesirable pattern (edges should be undetectable).

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 29 of 44 Q. How do I apply a texture to a surface?

A. Textures are applied to surfaces on Objects and Rooms. When creating the item, click in the Texture cell for the surface you wish to apply a texture to. The Select Texture dialog appears allowing you to choose a texture from the Textures database. If you are trying to apply the Texture after the Room or Object has been created, simply perform a Surface Edit on the Room or Object, click on the "Texture" cell in the Surface Edit dialog, then click the "..." button that will appear to the right to open the Textures dialog and let you select the desired Texture. After selecting the Texture, how you want it applied to the surface, and clicking the "Ok" button in the Textures dialog, click the "Ok" button in the Surface Edit dialog to apply the Texture and return to Model mode. Note: Textures will not appear in Render Mode unless the "Textures" button is turned ON. This ON/OFF toggle button appears at the bottom of the AGi32 window when in Render mode.

Q. How many different textures can I use in an environment?

A. You may use as many textures as you wish. However, you will probably discover that using too many different textures will make your environment overly gaudy and unrealistic. Select your textures carefully. Applying them in a realistic manner to a few well chosen surfaces will produce the best overall effect.

Q. What is the best display mode to apply textures?

A. In general, if the textures are to be applied in a repeating pattern across the surface, we recommend using the Fixed Size option. Examine the texture and select a realistic size for the piece you are using. For example, if your considering a brick texture with three bricks across - a realistic size is 2' (each brick is 8" across, 8 x 3 = 24"). By using the Fixed Size option, you are assured that the texture will remain a constant size regardless of the surface size to which it is applied.

Q. Can textures be applied to luminaire symbols?

A. Not at this time.

Q. Will textures appear in my VRML files?

A. No. The VRML 2.0 specification allows VRML files to have textures, but these cannot be shaded (or "modulated," to use the proper OpenGL terminology). As a result, the rendered environments look like cartoons, without any photorealistic shading. At this time, there are currently no industry-standard 3D virtual reality file formats that support modulated textures.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 30 of 44 Q. Why are some of my textures resized when added to the Texture database?

A. For display purposes, textures must be sized using power2 rules. The minimum texture size is 64 x 64, the maximum 512 x 512. Textures must be specified using the following multiples: 62, 128, 256 or 512. If the textures selected are not specified using these multiples, they will be resized to conform to these sizes. AGi32 attempts to maintain the best aspect ratio possible while using these values but your textures may be distorted. If the texture is distorted in an unacceptable manner, we recommend using a graphics program to crop the texture to an acceptable size and/or the a better aspect ratio (left-to-right and top-to-bottom).

Q. I need to import my AGI32 file into another file. Are my textures imported as well?

A. Textures defined in the imported file are included in the imported file if they are found in the local Textures Database. If they are not found in the local Textures Database, a Import Report will be displayed indicating the nonimported texture by name and correlated surface. When rendered, the surfaces will be a solid color (average texture color). To define textures for these surfaces, choose one of the following:

Add the indicated texture to your Textures Database and reimport

Import, then manually place the texture on the surface indicated

The above applies to versions 2.04 and earlier of AGi32. Version 2.10 will add the textures in the imported file to your textures database automatically and you won't have to go through the above steps.

Q. Why are my hot spots less noticeable when textures are applied?

A. Textures are not able to display hot spots as noticeable as untextured surfaces because the image used has a maximum luminance it can display. Textures can only be displayed in a darker manner than they were originally created not lighter. This is a known texture display issue for all rendered images.

Q. How do I delete a texture from a surface?

A. To delete a texture from a surface, use the Surface Edit command. After selecting the Room or Object that contains the surface, move to the surface in question. Click in the Texture cell where the name of the texture is listed and hit the Delete key. This will remove the texture and set the listed texture to "None".

Q. Can I change the background color of the AGI32 desktop (Model

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 31 of 44 mode)?

A. Yes. Go to Tools-System Settings, Defaults Tab, click on Model Mode Background color window, change the color to your choice.

Q. Can I Zoom or Pan while another command is active?

A. Yes, all of the Zoom and Pan commands are transparent in AGi32. You can also use keyboard strokes to Zoom and Pan. The Home and End keys may be used to Zoom In and Zoom Out and the Arrow keys to Pan. In addition, starting with AGi32 v1.9, you can use the wheel button on the mouse to zoom in and out and to pan (click and hold the wheel mouse button). Note that some mice do not have this button and other have the button, but it is not fully-functional.

Q. Can I have more than one view displayed on the screen?

A. Yes. You can have as many views open as practical. Go to the View Manager (Menu: View-View Manager)], enter the name of the new View in the Add New View section of the dialog, then click the "Add" button to add this new View to the list. Next select how you want the Views to be displayed and then click the "Ok" button. While in the View Manager dialog, you may use Shift+Click to select more than one view to be displayed, drag the mouse to select multiple views, or use Ctrl+Click to selectively choose Views from the list. Click the Help button in the View Manager for more information on this topic.

Q. Why would I want more than one view displayed?

A. Having more than one view open at any given time can be helpful when aiming luminaires or when preparing multiple views for Page Builder.

Q. What is Project Manager?

A: Project Manager enables you to work with multiple Projects in the job file and manage project entities in a layer-like fashion. When AGi32 is opened, all entities created are associated with the default Project, Project_1. A Project contains all information created (e.g., Drawing entities, Objects, Luminaires, Statistical Areas, etc.) while that Project is current. As entities are added and deleted in the job file, they are also automatically added to the current Project or deleted from whichever Project they currently reside. Create multiple Projects when there are several tasks in the job file that you do not want to interact. For example, you could have several levels of a building, each level being a separate Project, where all the Rooms, Objects, Luminaires, etc. for a particular level are in that levels Project. With everything separated in this fashion, you can turn OFF an entire Project or series of Projects, say Projects labeled “Level 3” and “Level 2”, so that only entities in the “Level 1” Project are displayed which will make it easier to make changes to the entities on the first level without having all the other entities stacked above and getting in the way. There are many ways to organize Projects to make your workflow easier and more efficient but it does require some forethought. If, however, you need to transfer entities between Projects, that can also be accomplished in Project Manager.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 32 of 44 Projects and their associated entities have certain properties that may be modified in Project Manager. To modify a Project or entity, select the item and edit the desired table cells. Multiple cells may be edited at once by selecting the entity rows and right-clicking after selection. A pop up menu will appear with appropriate options. Project-level modifications will affect all entities within the Project. As in the example in the paragraph above, if a Project is switched OFF, all entities associated with that Project will be switched OFF. Below are a few of the many things you can do in Project Manager: Manage Projects Turn entities or whole groups of entities (by Project) ON or OFF Freeze entities or Projects Delete Entities Open multiple Rooms or Objects in Surface Edit at the same time Open entities in Surface Edit that are difficult to select in Model mode Dim Luminaires Change the line color of entities appearing in Model Mode Make Calculation Grids visible in only certain Views

If you wish to learn more about using many of the features in Project Manager, please work through the Auditorium Tutorial found in AGi32’s Help. Although there are many features in Project Manager that are not mentioned in this Tutorial, it will give you a good start on using Project Manager. Also note that searching AGi32’s Help for any of the terms found in Project Manager will also expose more of Project Manager’s functionality.

Q. How can I use Project Manager?

A. Project Manager can be used as a central control point for your job file. All entities placed in the job file are documented in Project Manager. Separating each type of entity of your job file into different projects gives you a powerful method to control, construct, and test your job file. You can place luminaires, calculation points, rooms, etc. in respective projects (make sure the desired project is visible on the toolbar when placing entities) and then apply the following actions:

Off - Switching a project or individual entities off results in the project and/or associated entities being made invisible and no longer participating in the lighting calculations. In addition, the switched off project and/or associated entities will not be affected by other entities in enabled projects, such as luminaires in other projects.

Lock - Locking a project or individual entities prevents the project and/or associated entities from being modified. In addition, a locked project will not be affected by entities in other unlocked projects. Locked projects and/or associated entities can be switched on or off.

The following modification options are only available in the Project table on a project wide basis:

Load - Loading a project allows the user to make modifications to specific entities within the loaded projects. By default, only one project is loaded at a time. Multiple projects may be loaded for global modification.

Freeze - Freezing a project results in the project and associated entities within to no longer participate in the lighting calculations. The project is still visible - all entities are shown in Model Mode using the Frozen Entity Color specified in System Settings - Defaults. In addition, the frozen project and associated entities will not be affected by other entities in enabled projects, such as luminaires in other projects.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 33 of 44 Why use multiple projects? Create multiple projects when there are several tasks in the job file that you do not want to interact. For example, you could have several independent rooms in a building that do not affect each other. Create each room, and its associated luminaires, objects and statistical areas, as a separate project. Lock the other projects (rooms) in the job file so you can apply lighting metrics just to the one project (room) you are interested in. Multiple Project Concepts

Locate equivalent luminaire locations within individual projects. The ability to switch Off projects easily allows you to compare "equals" during design or bidding phases while maintaining all the data within one file for easy recollection.

Sports Lighting - Create a project for each field in a multiple use sports complex.

Sports Lighting - Separate horizontal and vertical calculation grids into multiple projects for optimization and analysis purposes.

Roadway Lighting - Create a project for each section of roadway or for proposed vs. existing.

Theatrical Lighting - Separate house and theatrical luminaires into multiple projects for analysis.

When multiple projects are specified, you can choose to associate a schedule with a particular project or all projects.

You can import selected entities of one job file into another, placed in a separate project in AGi32. Users can work on different parts of same project and merge them together for the final presentation.

You may also choose to break up luminaires into multiple projects, so that you can break up the Luminaire Location Summaries accordingly. If the projects remain unlocked and on, the lighting calculations will not be affected. Freezing projects

Projects can be frozen before or after calculation to prevent them from calculating and affecting/being affected by other projects. Transferring entities between projects

Entities may be transferred between projects at any time, as long as the projects are already created and are unlocked and on. This allows you to create all entities within one project, then separate them or move a mistakenly placed entity to the proper project.

Q. What is VRML and how can it be used?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 34 of 44 A. VRML stands for Virtual Reality Modeling Language. In short, AGI32 can export a complete 3D world for users to tour interactively with only a viewer required (most are free on the Internet). VRML files can be exported from an AGI32 rendering using the File-Export command. VRML files can be added to your Internet site or emailed to others allowing anyone with a VRML viewer to tour and interact with the rendered environment. VRML players are freely available from the Internet. Click here for more information: http://www.agi32.com/Support/VRML/vrml.htm

Q. Can AGI32 show specular surfaces?

A. Yes. Specular surfaces are only visible in the ray traced images, not in the radiosity only renderings. To assign specularity to a surface, use the Surface Edit command to select the Room or Object that contains the desired surface. Move to the surface, then assign a specular value between 0 and 1 in the Advanced Surface Properties. A specular value of 0 is assigned to all surfaces by default, indicating a matte (lambertian) surface. A specular value of 1 would be assigned to a surface simulating a mirror. All other glossy finishes will exhibit a specular value in between 0 and 1. For more on specularity and glossiness values, please search AGi32's Help for these terms.

Q. Can I render outdoor projects?

A. Absolutely, provided they contain surfaces (Objects) and the calculations are run in Full calculation mode. Download and check out the Burger World sample file that can be found by going to the Miscellaneous Downloads section of the Support - Downloads page (click the link) on our website. This file can be found in the "AGi32 Sample Files..." download.

Q. What does a PsuedoColor image show?

A. Psuedocolor images map areas of equal luminance to a color scale with the brightest areas being the warmest colors. Both Luminance and Illuminance may be viewed separately, and the user may choose a scale range to apply.

Q. Can AGI32 perform walk-throughs of a rendered environment?

A. Yes. There are several ways to produce "Walk-Throughs" of a space. The first method allows you to create an automated slide show using the Viewpoints feature in the Render mode. This slideshow can be displayed in AGI32 or exported to an AVI slideshow file. After aquiring the viewport locations, these viewports can be converted into an animation. The animation will interpolate the number of frames between each viewport, and allows for a smoother transitions between points. These animations can be shown in AGI32, or they can be converted into an AVI movie file (see the attached AVI file created in AGI32). These file types can be saved and shared with others using the AVI format and varied codecs for quality and space. You can also export to VRML and create a walk-through there.

Q. What is OpenGL?

A. OpenGL is a widely adopted graphics standard for developing interactive 2D and 3D graphics applications. Since its introduction in 1992, OpenGL has become the industry's most widely used and

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 35 of 44 supported 2D and 3D graphics application programming interface (API). OpenGL allows you to view and navigate through the rendered environment seamlessly in AGI32.

Q. Is there a way to emulate source/lamp color in a rendering?

A. No. However, you can simulate the effect of a color gel by assigning an SRE (Spectral Radiant Emittance) color to the Luminous Area of the luminaire symbol. The SRE color selected will de-rate the lumen output, as would a real color gel.

Q. What sort of OpenGL support is required?

A. Windows (95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7) provides OpenGL support as a native part of the operating system using the OpenGL API. Windows NT4, 98, and Windows 95 OSR2 use version 1.1 of the API. Earlier version of Windows 95 uses version 1.0 of the API. Version 1.1 libraries can be downloaded from Microsoft's ftp site at ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/opengl95.exe

Q. Why are the calculated averages different between the Room Estimator and the point by point?

A. Room Estimator uses the Zonal Cavity calculation method to estimate the average illuminance or luminaire quantity within a room. This technique is based on a number of assumptions and should be considered an estimate. The assumptions include: same reflectance for all walls; room is empty (no objects, no interior walls); ceiling is flat; luminaires are laid out uniformly; and only one luminaire type can be included at a time. The point by point is typically more accurate, as it is based on an average of many individually calculated points, and it can include objects or interior walls in the room, different reflectances on the various walls, an uneven luminaire layout, and more than one luminaire type at a time.

Q. What is the difference between Direct Only and Full Radiosity calculation modes?

A. Direct Only calculation mode: AGI32 will calculate the direct light component from all luminaires to the calculation points. AGI32 will consider blocking from surfaces but not surface reflection. This is fine for many exterior projects where shadowing and obstruction is of paramount concern but reflection is of little concern. Job files computed in Direct Only mode cannot be rendered. Full Radiosity mode: the Radiosity calculation process is utilized (see Stopping Criterion in AGi32's Help or in on-line Help by clicking Radiosity Stopping Criterion - Concepts) and the full interaction of all surfaces within the model is considered: blocking, reflection and transmission. Full Radiosity mode is required in order to see the rendered environment.

Q. What is Convergence or Stopping Criterion?

A. Depending on the version of AGi32 you are running, you will see settings for either Convergence

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 36 of 44 (versions 1.96 and earlier) or Stopping Criterion (versions 2.00 and later). Convergence indicates the amount of unabsorbed light remaining in the environment and Stopping Criterion indicates the amount of light already obsorbed in the environment. The reason for the switch from Convergence to Stopping Criteria is that it is more logical to set a number for the amount of light accounted for in an environment than it is a setting for how much light will not be left accounted for. To explain the concept further, imagine that all surfaces in the environment are divided into smaller pieces called Patches and Elements. This is a process called Discretization and the result is what we call a Mesh (it looks as if a mesh has been applied to all surfaces - the mesh can be seen when entering AGI32's Render mode prior to calculation). Now visualize that each Element absorbs (receives) light and each Patch reflects (emits) light per its assigned properties (reflectance/color). When light is initially emitted into the environment by a luminaire, it is accumulated on each Element visible to that luminaire. Each Patch then averages the light accumulated by the Elements and reflects light to all other Elements visible (not blocked by other surfaces). Light not reflected is absorbed. This process continues in a hierarchical fashion (luminaire to Elements, Patches to Elements, brightest to darkest) until the desired setting for Convergence or Stopping Criterion is reached (some percentage of light left unabsorbed). If Convergence is set equal to zero or Stopping Criterion set to 1 (100%), all light would be accounted for (or absorbed by the model). This setting is not practical, however, as the run time required for the last 1% cannot be justified for the increase in accuracy gained. The default setting for Convergence is .01 or 1% of the light remaining in the environment. The default setting for Stopping Criterion is .99 or 99% of the light absorbed before the calculation is stopped. The lower the Convergence value or higher the Stopping Criterion value (more light absorbed), the more accurate the rendered image and calculated environment. However, lower Criterion values and higher Stopping Criterion values can dramatically increase calculation time with minimal improvement in accuracy. Complicated environments generally take longer to Converge or meet the Stopping Criterion since there are more surfaces exchanging light.

Q. When I go to Render mode after I have calculated why do I see a wireframe and not a rendering?

A. You may not see the rendering after you have calculated if you have saved the file with system parameter 'Save Rendered Environment' disabled in Tools-System Settings. In this case, you need to recalculate in order to see the rendering. If you want the rendering to be visible after a save, or after closing and reopening the file you must instruct AGi32 to ‘Save Rendered Environment’. Select the Tools-System Settings-command, File System tab, and checkmark the appropriate box to Save Rendered Environment. Be sure and check the "Save Settings as Startup Defaults" on the right side of the dialog for the setting to be permanent. Otherwise it will apply only to this session with AGi32.

Q. When I click the calculate button in the Render mode I get the message "This job has already been calculated do you want to recalculate", why?

A. You are asked if you want to recalculate for two reasons. (1), in the event you hit the calculation button by accident, and (2), if you have recently calculated and then, recently saved, the Rendered Environment will be lost. You must recalculate in order to regenerate the Rendered Environment.

Q. Why do I have lower than expected values in all of my calculation points?

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 37 of 44 A. Check the following: Calculation points are not below the floor or surface Calculation points are not on the backside of the luminaire’s photometric distribution Calculation points are facing in the correct direction The chosen photometrics are being applied correctly Lumen and light loss factors have been applied correctly Luminaires are not turned of Final Percent Light Absorbed is 99% Pendants both extend above the luminaire and the defined luminaire has the Insertion Point set to "Bottom" Make sure "Recommended Arm Length" has been applied if Poles have been applied to the defined luminaire(s). Luminaires placed where the Symbols and/or Luminous Boxes of those luminaires intersect can also block light and cause the values to be lower than expected

Q. What is adaptive subdivision?

A. Adaptive Subdivision is the dynamic process of intelligently subdividing the initial environment mesh into smaller elements where required. Adaptive Subdivision is based on luminance ratios between adjacent elements and is completely under user control (click the small drop-down arrow to the right of the "Calculate" button and select "Adaptive Subdivision"). Adaptive Subdivision is often necessary when luminaires or objects are extremely close to other surfaces, when daylighting component is desired, and/or when the any portion of the interior environment is not uniformly lit. For example: constructing an object to model a cove against a wall surface will result in light leak below the cove unless Adaptive Subdivision is applied (or a cutout added to the wall of the room where the back of the cove meets the room's wall). Typically, the cove object will usually lie across the interior of an element on the wall surface and not along its edge. Adaptive Subdivision should be used to refine the elements on the wall so that the cove object lies along an element edge. Until the wall mesh is sufficiently subdivided, the presence of the cove object will not be accurately presented, as light will distribute linearly across the entire element, if any occur above and below the cove object.

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Light leak below cove (without Adaptive Subdivision) Element mesh shown (without Adaptive Subdivision) Light leak almost comlpetely eliminated below cove (with Adaptive Subdivision) Element mesh shown (with Adaptive Subdivision)

Two Adaptive Subdivision sections are provided and you must both Enable Adaptive Subdivision and enable the "Apply To Daylight Exterior Surfaces" option for Adaptive Subdivision to be applied to exterior surfaces. The settings for each section function in the same manner, only their surface association is different. Daylight Exterior Surfaces - Enabling Adaptive Subdivision section will subdivide surfaces identified as Daylight Exterior Surfaces. These surfaces are intended for exterior daylighting applications and for applications where exterior surfaces (light shelves, vertical fins, trees, etc.) obstruct and reflect light into the interior space. Exterior surfaces receiving and reflecting direct daylight must be assigned appropriate Daylight Exterior Surface Types in the Surface Edit command. Enabling Adaptive Subdivision - This section will subdivide surfaces not identified as Daylight Exterior Surfaces. By default, this includes all surfaces as they are automatically not created as Daylight Exterior Surfaces by AGI32. Surfaces will be subdivided based on Daylight and Electric Lighting luminances (if applicable). Recommended Levels For electric lighting applications it is recommended that the Adaptive Subdivision parameters be specified as follows (these are the "Default" levels): Maximum Subdivision Level = 3 Minimum Element Area = 0.5 Element Luminance Threshold = 1.5 Note: In applications where the candela distribution is especially narrow or where the proximity between luminaire and surface is less than one foot, the reccomended settings below will yield more desirable results. For daylighting applications it is recommended that the Adaptive Subdivision parameters be specified as follows (these are the "High) levels: Maximum Subdivision Level = 5 Minimum Element Area = 0.1 Element Luminance Threshold = 1.1 Nearly every model should have Adaptive Subdivision ON and set to at least the "Default" level. To turn ON this feature as a default setting, click [Menu: Tools-System Settings], click on the "Rendering" tab, put a check in the box next to "Adaptive Subdivision", put a check inthe box next to "Save Settings As Startup Defaults", and finally click the "Ok" button. Remember that changing the Adaptive Subdivision settings in any particular model can and should be done by clicking the drop- down arrow to the right of the "Calculate" button and selecting the "Adaptive Subdivision" option to access the dialog where changes can be made for the model that is currently open. Applies To: AGI32 >=v1.8

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 40 of 44 Q. When calculating large environments, why doesn't AGI32 provide an accurate time estimate in the very beginning?

A: The time estimate can only be determined when the environment starts to converge. Based on the percentage of convergence, current time and desired convergence, a time estimate can be determined. In some cases, the environment takes such a long time to start convergence and, therefore, the time estimate is not immediately posted (with environments with hundreds or more luminaires, it may take well over 1000 steps before the environment starts to converge).

Q. Why am I not getting the colors I want assigned to my entities?

A. This is controlled by the "Flip Color Tolerance" parameter found in Tools-System Settings- Advanced Settings. It is intended to prevent an entity from ‘disappearing’ from your drawing if the chosen color is too close to the background color. If the two colors are within a certain range (RGB components of the entity minus the Flip Color Tolerance is equal to or less than the RGB components of the background color) the entity's color may not be sufficiently different and will blend into the background. To prevent this AGI32 will change the entity's color to the opposite color. For example: Light Green - RGB (128, 255, 128) will flip to Magenta – RGB (128, 0, 128). You can change the Flip Color Tolerance to allow you to choose/display any color from the color palette for an entity. When the Flip Color Tolerance is set as low as possible (.0001), your entity will be assigned, and displayed with, the chosen color. Set this parameter to a higher number and more of your colors may ‘flip’.

Q. File In Use - What does this mean and what should I do about it?

Each time an AGi32 file is opened, the file is ‘tagged’ to prevent another user from accidentally opening the same file at the same time and overwriting another's modifications. If you attempt to open a file that is already ‘in use’, you will be presented with a dialog showing three options:

Create a copy of the file and open – Creates a copy of the file (naming convention is -Copy- .agi) and opens the copy. Select a different file – Returns you to the Open file dialog where you can select a different file. Open file – Opens selected file regardless if the file is already opened. Take care to use this option with caution! Changes made to a file that is already opened by another user may not be retained when the file is saved (your changes to the file may be overwritten by another user or vice versa). There may be times when this option can be used without issue: (1) If you already have the file open and decided to open a fresh copy of the file without saving any changes. (2)The file was not properly closed (e.g. AGi32 closed abnormally). This leaves the file ‘tagged’ as being already open when file fact it is not.

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 41 of 44 Recommendations: If the file was not closed properly (e.g. as the result of a crash), you should simply open the file. You have multiple instances of AGi32 open and you are attempting to open the same file multiple times you may want to use the ‘Create Copy’ option. Otherwise, changes made in one instance will not be reflected in the other instances. If you suspect someone else may actually be working on the same file (file is stored on a server), you probably should not open the file unless you simply want to look at the file without making any changes.

How do I show lamp spectral effects (color, CCT) in AGi32?

FAQ: How do I show lamp spectral effects (color, CCT) in AGi32?

Summary:

This is doable—with caveats. NOTE: This is for visual effect only; it should not be considered calculationally correct. (This statement applies to showing lamp spectrum effects with any of today’s software, not just AGi32.) The reason for this is below.

Background Information:

The color assumed by AGi32 is 6500K full-spectrum white light, mimicking daylight. That means that CCTs like 5000K and 4000K are warmer and will appear warmer if you mimic them on your screen.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

In the Define Luminaire dialog, click in the Luminous color box (next to the Render Symbol field) to bring up the SRE Selector dialog.

Click on the Help button in this dialog. (Version 2.1 - 2.17)

In the SRE Color topic that opens, scroll down to the section called RGB Conversions for Source Color. The table here gives RGB values to mimic source colors. Scroll a little further for RGB values to mimic various CCTs. The paragraph that precedes these tables is very important: Computer graphics rendering technology cannot easily simulate light source Spectral Power Distribution data (SPD). However, it is possible to convert SPD data to an RGB equivalent. While this is not a perfect conversion, it is usually adequate for convincing visualizations. The two tables below provide RGB equivalents for standard CIE light sources as well as common Correlated Color Temperatures (kelvins). It is important to remember to add the reciprocal of the SRE value as a multiplier in the LLF calculator (as a User Defined factor) if accurate calculations are expected. By the way, other software that lets you specify the CCT converts the selected CCT to RGB values for the purpose of the display. Same process, same shortcomings and caveats, which I will cover shortly. In AGi32, specifying luminous color this way is the same as how you would specify a color filter or gel, meaning that you get colored light, but you also lose some light. When light passes through a filter or gel, some is absorbed, and AGi32 accounts for this accurately. If you are using this method to show lamp CCT effects, you must compensate for this loss. The Help paragraph above mentions this. Example: If you are going to mimic the look of 4000K metal halide, you would use R=255, G=169, and B=94. (Try it, and you might think this looks a little too warm. Please read the second paragraph above for the reason why.) If you plug these values into the SRE dialog, you will get a

Generated by KnowledgeBuilder - http://www.activecampaign.com/kb 42 of 44 Spectral Radiant Emittance (SRE) of 0.71. If this were a filter, it would be absorbing 29% of the light that passes through it (emitting 71%). The inverse of this is 1.0/0.71 = 1.41. Remember this number. Back in the Define Luminaire dialog, click on the LLF Specify button. In the very last field, User Defined Factor, enter 1.41, the inverse of the SRE. This will reverse the effect of light reduction, since we aren’t actually applying a gel or filter.

Shortcomings and caveats: 1. As you know, light is not composed of just three wavelengths of light! Our eyes are fooled into seeing white light if we have just the right combination and balance of red, green and blue light. But with the exception of RGB-combination LED luminaires, our light sources have a much more complicated spectral power distribution, almost always spanning the entire visible spectrum. So, this method of showing lamp spectral effects isn’t real; it’s “faking it.”

As an example, the RGB values for mimicking standard HPS are R=255, G=63, B=0. This combination will create an HPS-like effect on the screen. (255 is the maximum value for R, G or B.) In real life, HPS lamps are rather weak in the red part of the spectrum. They have some red, a lot of yellow, a lot of yellow-green, and a little bit of blue and violet. The effect is that yellow-orange color that we perceive as HPS. HPS lamps do not render red well; they make it look dull and kind of brownish. But red surfaces in AGi32 will look great under this source because of the high R value.

2. In order to know what objects will look like, we need to know how they reflect light, in quantity, directionality, and spectrum. For the spectrum part, AGi32 displays all object/surface colors as a combination of red, green and blue components. With these three components, as well as variations in brightness and saturation, we can show essentially any color this way, at least for the sake of appearance. But (as you know) objects in the real world reflect more than just three wavelengths! So again, we are “faking it.” Why don’t we use full-spectrum reflectance information instead of just RGB components? Because that information is virtually non- existent. (Author's note: I saw a couple of graphs from GE Lighting once that showed the typical spectral power reflectance distributions for lettuce and tomatoes. Tomatoes reflect mainly red, as you might expect. But lettuce reflects a great many wavelengths, giving an overall effect of green. I am not aware of information of this kind on any other surfaces; who would take the time to measure it?)

The bottom line: When is this method of displaying lamp spectrum effects accurate, and when isn’t it? There are four general conditions that can occur: 1. Light that is not deeply colored, and surfaces that are not deeply colored; everything is rather neutral and bland: No problem. Without a lot of color in either the source or the surfaces, things should look pretty good; in other words, as we would expect them to look. 2. Light that is deeply colored, but the surfaces are neutral: No problem. The colored light will reflect off neutral surfaces with little change in color. 3. Light that is neutral, but the surfaces are deeply colored: No problem. The colored surfaces receiving neutral (RGB-balanced) light will reflect light that is colored like they are. 4. Light that is deeply colored and surfaces that are deeply colored: All bets are off. You might get lucky and have things look reasonably correct, or you might not. It all depends on how well those R, G and B components represent the light spectrum and the reflectance spectrum of the surfaces. You can look at a lamp’s SPD curve to get an idea of the first, but we have no idea about the second for most things in our world. Fortunately, most of our world is not deeply colored. We tend to use color as an accent rather than as a main color. And the light sources that we use are usually not deeply colored either. It’s even rarer that we get both at the same time. Also, it could be argued that most of the time it probably isn’t necessary to show lamp spectral effects, as our brain usually tries to see white light, as long as the color is consistent. (This is called chromatic adaptation.) We don’t perceive that incandescent is yellow unless we see it next to something that is quite a bit cooler, such as 4100K fluorescent. When all of the lighting is incandescent, we perceive the light as white. When all of the lighting is 5000K fluorescent, we perceive this light as white also. We are so easily fooled; we even perceive red + green + blue as white!

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Applies to: AGi32 version 2.1 - 2.17 only.

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