Lighting Coverage

[zimscho]

Hi All,

Is there a Visio shape or something similar that can be used to calculate the number of lights required in a building space?
I imagine this may be similar to the office space autosize shape and would display more or less lights when it adjusts to the space.
This would likely have adjustable coverage patterns/area for different types of lights.

Regards

Adam

[wapperdude]

Not run across any.  Google wasn't any help either.  You can make your own rather simply -- 

Basic shape, say, a circle.  Do solid fill.  Then, menu bar > format > shadow.  For style, chose custom offset & set the offset to zero.  Set the magnification to 200.  Choose fill pattern of 40.  Set transparency about 10%.  Say OK.

Now open the shapesheet, scroll to the Fill section.  Set the ShdwBkgndTrans to 100% and set the ShapeShdwScaleFactor to a desired value, e.g., 500.  Exit out of shapesheet.

I've attached an example that has 3 shapes, all use the above principles.  The middle shape is a groupped shape.  This gives more flexibility over the radiated light pattern as it can be changed independently of the shape.

HTH
Enjoy.

Wapperdude

[zimscho]

Hi Wapperdude,

Thanks for that, the lighting effect is awesome.

Is there some way this can be attached to a space autosize shape.
i.e:
If the room size is 10m x 10m you may have 4 lights showing with a 3.5m diameter;
If the room size is then changed to say 3m x 3m only one light would show still with a 3.5m diameter.

Adjusting the diameter of the light would obviously also change the number of lights showing in a fixed space.

Cheers

Adam

[wapperdude]

Are you making a linear array of single bulb lights, fixed spacing? 

Yes, that sort of thing can be done.

[zimscho]

Hi Wapperdude,

Yes a linear array of lights; like a chess board with fixed spacing.
The lights would all be of the same power, but if all the lights were more powerful the spacings would increase.

I am keen to understand how to put something like this together.

Regards

Adam

[wapperdude]

I'll throw some ideas out, some things for you to try, and perhaps elicit other ideas --

As far as controlling the size of the glow, there are two ways:
    1.  Add custom property to the shape and then push the value into the ShapeShdwScaleFactor
    2.  Use a Control Point, which you could drag.  It's location would map into the ShapeShdwScaleFactor.  This is less conducive to an array of lights, but, everything could be slaved to a single light.

As far as controlling the array, there are a several ways:
    1.  Use the Array Shapes add-on under Tools > Add-ons.  Will do nice linear arrays.
    2.  Use the ArcArray macro for curved arrays.  See Circle up the wagons, the arc is here! under User Submitted Stuff
    3.  If the array is no more than say 4 x 4 maximum, then, in the shapesheet for the "primary" light, manually build an array, i.e., add 15 additional geometry sections, plus two control points.  Then you can drag the control points to "grow" or "shrink" the array, using conditional statements that check the location of the controls and "add" members of the array based upon the size.  (There is a standard Visio shape that uses this technique, I just don't recall it off hand --  but just in one dimension.)

Anyway, there are some ideas and things to explore.

Wapperdude

[zimscho]

Wapperdude,

Thanks for your detailed reply.
I will follow your advice and post what I end up with.

Regards

Adam