Professional Documents
Culture Documents
© Relux Informatik AG, Dornacherstrasse 377, CH-4018 Basel, Switzerland. Tel +41 61 333 07 70, Fax +41 61 333 07 72, info@relux.ch, www.relux.ch
Preface
A warm welcome!
This Manual is intended to assist you in familiarising yourself with our Relux
Professional calculation and visualisation program.
In what follows:
Menu options are in bold and italic print.
Buttons are in bold print
Windows and inscriptions are enclosed between “…”
We also offer training courses at regular intervals; the dates are published in the
Internet.
Relux Informatik AG
Dornacherstr. 377 | Postfach
CH-4018 Basel
tel: +41 61 333 07 70
fax: +41 61 333 07 72
web: www.relux.ch
1 INSTALLATION
1.1 System recommendation
• Windows 2000/XP/Vista
• Pentium with 2 GHz or above, 1 GB RAM or more
• Graphics card supporting OpenGL
The disk space required on your hard disk can vary depending on the
installation type selected.
The installation program starts with the opening screen for selecting the
language. The language selected here applies for the installation only.
Different languages can be selected later on when using the program and
also for the program outputs.
You start the installation of the main program by pressing on “Relux
Professional 2007” (see Fig. 1—1).
Note
If the 2006 Version is already installed on your system, you will be prompted to
first uninstall the 2006 Version. The project folder, the folder with the imported
LDCs and the object directory will not be deleted. After this, you must re-start
the installation. Enter a new path for the 2007 Version, and your 2006 folder will
not be deleted. If you need your projects from Relux Professional 2006 and the
imported LDCs at a later date, you can copy these into the Relux Professional
2007 directory.
You should now select “Install Relux Professional 2007”. (See Fig. 1—2).
You should now read the licence agreement and accept it so that you can
continue with the installation.
In the next window, you can specify a path for the installation of Relux
Professional. The default proposed for Relux is “C:\ Program Files”.
Once the setup routine has copied the program data, you can specify the
language for the user interface, the outputs and the database. (See Fig.
1—4) You can change these settings in the program at any time.
You can choose whether you install the manufacturer data locally (this is
recommended if you have sufficient memory space, duration approx. 20
minutes) or whether you wish to use this data off the DVD. In the case of a
network, we recommend copying the data to a network drive, so that all
users can access it. You can select the manufacturers by double-clicking
the tick or by using +++ or ---.
INSTALLATION 9
Databases can subsequently be copied to the hard disk at any time using
Relux Administrator (see ).
If your project needs a luminaire from a company that is not installed on
your hard disk, the program will prompt you to put the Relux Professional
DVD in the drive.
INSTALLATION 10
Click on the Products link to take you to the product zone. Then, by
pressing on the icon, you will be taken to the registration page for the
download zone. You must log on with your user name and password before
you can enter the download zone.
If you are not yet a registered Relux user, you can register via the Please
register link. You can select a user name and a password at this point.
After logging on, you will be taken to the download zone where you can
download the program under Relux Professional 2007.
Once this file has been fully loaded, you can start the program installation
by double-clicking on the file.
The download version of Relux Professional contains a sample
manufacturer’s database (Demo). You can either access the manufacturers’
databases online from within the program or download the desired
manufacturers’ data from the download zone.
The update manager will start and you can specify whether Relux
Professional should look for updates on a regular basis. We recommend
you to leave this option switched on, with a time interval of two weeks. You
will then always be able to work with the latest program and database
versions.
Click on the Check now button. In the “Relux Update” window, you must
then enter the user name and password that you selected when registering
under My Relux on the Relux Informatik AG homepage.
After you have entered your user data and clicked on the Update button,
Relux Professional will look for updates.
INSTALLATION 12
The “Select packages” window will open, showing you all the updates that
are available for your Relux Installation. You can select each item
individually for the update in order to keep down the size of the download.
From Fig. 1—8 "Select packages" window you can see that a program
update is available. We recommend that you always install any program
updates that are available.
Updates are available for the “Regent” and “TRILUX” manufacturer’s
databases. The “Metalspot-Lus” manufacturer’s database is new and can be
added to the existing luminaire database.
You can start downloading the files that you have selected by clicking on
the Update button.
If Relux Professional is still open, it will then be closed. If there are projects
that have not been saved, you will be prompted to save these before the
update is stated.
Note
By activating “save password” & “login automatically” you can have further
checks for updates performed automatically, without a password.
INSTALLATION 13
The list of manufacturers on the DVD is read in from scratch each time the
program is started and whenever the Select button is pressed (after the
source folder has been confirmed). In other words, new manufacturers on
future DVDs and new database versions will be displayed automatically and
made available for DVD access.
All manufacturers are listed in the manufacturers’ list. Two entries are
possible for each manufacturer: “CD/Net” and “Local”.
“Local” will only appear if you have installed one or more companies locally
during installation of the RELUX program.
The Show button allows you to specify which data you wish to access
(DVD or local) and also allows you to hide a manufacturer during the
RELUX luminaire selection. No data is deleted in this case. The company
INSTALLATION 14
You can use the Import companies button to read in luminaire data from
companies that are not Relux members. The light distribution curves of
these luminaires must be in “EULUM”, “IES”, “TM14”, “LTLI” or “CIE”
format.
In the Company section of the “Import luminaires” window, the selection
box will show you which companies have already been installed. All further
steps relate to the company selected here.
By pressing the New company button, you will open a window where you
can enter a company name and the folder containing the luminaire data of
the company that is not a Relux member.
INSTALLATION 15
After clicking on the OK button you will see from the “Luminaires” section
of the “Import luminaires” window just how many luminaire files Relux
Administrator has assigned to the company that is not a Relux member and
has found to be correct.
You can now use the New luminaires button to import luminaires from
the currently selected company.
The Assign section will show the line of the LDC file from which the
luminaire name and the luminaire order number are being read in. This
also specifies the code system employed to interpret the lines. In the case
of ANSI, the file is already written in Windows ANSI code. It will then be
shown correctly in the standard Windows programs, such as Notepad.
Otherwise, the relevant OEM code will be taken as a basis (generally ASCII
with the standard extensions for a PC). You can adapt these values to your
requirements via the Edit button.
You can remove the company that is not a Relux member again by
pressing the Delete Company button. If required, you can also delete the
associated subfolder and all its contents.
Note
If you wish to continue using the data, you must confirm this dialog with the No
button.
INSTALLATION 16
Relux Vision is automatically installed as well, in its demo mode. You can
select Relux Vision materials and perform calculations with them. The
outputs will, however, have a watermark added to them.
You can order a program licence under the main menu option Help –
Relux Vision licence. The “Licence” window will open. You can then place
an online order.
• Undo/Redo actions
Relux Professional 2007 shows you the most recent actions you have
performed, which you can undo. If you wish to repeat an action that you
have undone, you simply have to press on the ‘Redo’ option in the toolbar.
2 RELUX INTERFACE
• Main menu
• Toolbars
• Project manager
• Action window with the individual menu
Toolbars
You can adapt the appearance of the Relux interface to suit your
requirements (you can move or switch off tool bars and hide part of the
Project Manager, etc.). If you make changes that you subsequently don’t
like, then you can restore the original appearance of the Relux interface by
selecting the main menu option Window – Reset layout .
RELUX INTERFACE 19
You can use the main menu option Window – big symbols to switch the
big icons in the toolbars on and off.
You can switch the status bar on and off with the main menu option
Window – Status Bar.
RELUX INTERFACE 20
2.1 Toolbars
There are eight different toolbars:
Standard
Scenes
Edit
Settings
View
Insert
Calculate
Outputs
Not all the icons on the toolbars are active all the time. Whether an icon is
active or not will depend on which object(s) have been selected (e.g.
luminaire, furniture, measuring surface), the action window that is
displayed or the calculations that have been performed. Non-activated
icons are shown in grey. If no calculations have so far been performed, for
example, the icons on the “outputs” toolbar will be grey .
The “Undo action” and “Redo action” icons have an arrow on the
right.
If you click on this arrow with the right mouse button, a window will appear
showing all the possible actions that can be undone or redone.
You can use the main menu option Window – Toolbars to have either
individual toolbars or all the toolbars shown or hidden. Depending on
whether there is a tick in the box or not, the toolbar will either be shown or
not.
You can also move the toolbars and arrange them differently.
You could place all the toolbars one under the other, for example.
To move toolbars, you must place the cursor on the left-hand edge of the
toolbar. The cursor will then change its appearance.
Now select the toolbar with the left mouse button and, keeping this button
pressed, drag the toolbar to the desired position.
The “Project” tab allows you to display the objects used in the currently
selected room/installation (e.g. windows, measuring elements, luminaires
and the like).
You can select the object types that are to be displayed. If you select All
elements, all the objects will be displayed. If you select Luminaires, only
RELUX INTERFACE 24
Fig. 2—8 “Project” tab with the menu for the objects to be displayed
RELUX INTERFACE 25
Fig. 2—9 “Project” tab with the context menu for the reference plane
The “Output” tab shows which output windows are open in the action
window.
Directories can be marked with:
a red tick , i.e. all the sub-options for the directory are open
a grey tick , i.e. only individual sub-options for the directory are open
a blue tick , i.e. this sub-option will only be displayed in the active
window until a new sub-option is selected
a red monitor , i.e. the window will always be opened after the light
calculation
The “Coordinates” window will display the position, rotation and size
(where possible, i.e. for a luminaire group, but not for a cube). The objects
selected can be moved, rotated and, to some extent, have their size
changed through the input of numerical values.
RELUX INTERFACE 27
Note
The reference point of the object for the specification of the coordinates is shown
in the form of crosshairs in the action window.
You can adapt the appearance and arrangement of all or part of the Project
Manager to suit your requirements. All the Project Manager displays shown
so far have been shown in Docking mode. Other display modes can be
selected from the context menu for the Project Manager (the context menu
is called up with a right click).
Hide can be selected to hide the window from view. It can then be
switched on again via the main menu option Window – appropriate tab
(Project, Object, Output or Coordinates).
By selecting the Floating mode, you can have the docking display
converted into a window that can be placed anywhere on the Relux
interface and can be varied in size.
RELUX INTERFACE 28
To change the size of the window, move the cursor to one of the edges of
the window. The cursor will then take on a different appearance: Now click
on the edge of the window and, keeping the mouse button pressed, drag
the window to the desired size.
The project can be edited in the “Floor plan” and “3D view” windows. The
“Results output” and “3D luminance” windows are only available after the
light calculation has been completed; they show the lighting engineering
results.
The different action windows have their individual menus at the top edge
(see Fig. 2—16). The different menu options can be used to edit objects
and to modify displays and window properties.
In the case of the “Floor plan”, “3D view” and “3D luminance” windows, the
context menu can be called up with a right click. There is no context menu
for the results output. The context menu varies for the different windows.
Depending on the object that has been selected, different menu options are
either available for selection or are blocked (depicted in grey).
RELUX INTERFACE 30
You can change the width of the action window. To do this, move the
cursor to the left edge of the window. The cursor will then take on a
different appearance.
Now click on the edge of the window and, keeping the mouse button
pressed, drag the window to the desired size.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 31
3 PROJECT EXAMPLES
3.1 Relux Express
Once you have started Relux Professional, the start window containing a
number of options will appear.
First of all, by selecting Relux Express, you have the option of compiling a
project for an interior room in a simple manner.
The Relux Express function guides you through all the inputs required for
an indoor room project and thus provides you with support in compiling
your project. This function is particularly suitable for beginners, since it will
familiarise them with the program and allow them to compile an indoor
room project rapidly.
After you have clicked on the icon, Relux Express prompts you to
enter the project data. The input window is shown in Fig. 3—2.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 32
Chapter 4.1 Project data explains how project data is set out on the
printout.
You can select the colour of the wall directly from this window by pressing
on the “Color selection” tab. In the right-hand section of the window, Relux
shows you the colour selected and the composition of the colour in terms of
the three primary colours (red, green, blue). Relux additionally calculates a
proposal for the reflectance.
Note
Only diffuse reflections are used for the calculations. The supplementary “Relux
Vision” module can also perform light calculations with other materials (see the
Quick Guide to "Relux Vision") which have reflecting or only partially-scattering
reflection characteristics.
By clicking on the OK button, you can allocate the colour and the
reflectance to the selected wall.
In order to allocate a colour to the other surfaces too, it is first necessary
to mark the area that has the desired colour with the mouse and then
move the mouse and use it to mark the other surfaces. To do this, you
should keep the left mouse button pressed and move the mouse cursor up
or down.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 34
By clicking on the same material button, you can have the colour of the
marked walls changed to the colour of the first wall you marked. Fig. 3—5
shows the procedure for adopting a colour on other walls.
You should then click on the “Luminaire selection” tab. As the next step,
you can click on a luminaire company of your choice. The list under “Item
number” will then show you all the luminaires from this company that are
available in Relux. You can select one of the company’s luminaires by
pressing on the Add button.
If you wish to position several different luminaire types in the room, you
can add the additional luminaires by using the Add button again.
If you click on the “Luminaire type” tab, you will see all the luminaire types
that you have selected. You can confirm this selection by pressing on the
OK button, and Relux Express will continue with the positioning of the
luminaires.
There are several different approaches that can be adopted to selecting a
luminaire for your project. These are explained in detail in Chapter 8.1
Luminaire selection.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 36
in the “Luminaire type” section to have the list field displayed. All the
luminaires that have been added will be shown here, and you can select
one of them.
In the “Maintenance factor” section, you can enter a maintenance factor of
your choice or leave Relux to calculate this by selecting the appropriate
entry from the list field. You can also click on to start the
Maintenance Factor Manager so as to have the maintenance factor
determined there.
Following this, in the “Mounting type” section, you should specify the
mounting type for the luminaires from the list field.
Once you have entered the illuminance required for your room, EasyLux
will calculate the necessary number of luminaires and position these
uniformly in the room.
In the right-hand section of the window, you can change the positioning
and the number of luminaires. After each change, EasyLux will re-calculate
the illuminance again. This then ensures that you always have an overview
of how your changes affect the illuminance. You can thus also use EasyLux
to determine the illuminances for different numbers of luminaires and
different luminaire arrangements.
The Number of luminaires section specifies the overall number of
luminaires in the room. The luminaires are always arranged symmetrically.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 37
If you specify five luminaires and the luminaires are arranged in two rows,
EasyLux will use six luminaires (three luminaires in each of two rows).
In the Luminaire arrangement section, you can specify that the
luminaires must be arranged uniformly in the room. Alongside this, you
also have three options for mounting strip lights (a 100%, 50% and 33%
strip light configuration). The empty spaces will correspond precisely to the
length of one or two strip lights.
With Orientation of major axis, you have the option of positioning the
lights longitudinally or transversally in the room.
In the Number of luminaires section, you can enter two numbers to
specify the number of luminaires in a row and the number of rows.
By clicking on , you can switch between the floor plan and the 3D view.
In the 3D view, you can rotate and move the room with the mouse so as to
obtain an overview from different positions.
In the 3D view, the mouse has the following functions:
You can start the printing by clicking on the Print button. You can now
press on the Complete button to quit Relux Express.
You are now in the Relux interface, which is explained in detail in Chapter 2
Relux Interface.
Finally, you must save your project under the menu option File – Save
As…. As you can see from Fig. 3—9, you have to select a folder and a
project name and then save the project by clicking on the Save button.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 39
If you try to close the project without saving it first, the prompt shown in
Fig. 3—10 will appear by way of a safety measure. If you click on the Yes
button, the window from Fig. 3—9 will appear, and you can enter a file
name and save the project.
You can enter the required data and close the window by pressing the OK
button.
In Chapter 4.1 Project data you will find information on how the project
data is presented on the printout.
We will select the room name Office and the room type Polygon for our
project (information on this may be found in Chapter 5.1 Room types.
We enter 2.8 m for the height, and the defaults for the reference plane are
adopted as they stand.
We now enter the individual points of the room. For rooms with a
complicated floor plan, the easiest approach is to read in the floor plan as a
background image and then generate the corner points of the room.
(Information on this may be found in Chapter 6.2 Importing background
images).
After this, the materials and colours for the floor, ceiling and walls can be
specified. For the floor, for example, we press the Materials/Textures…
button and select the Carpet Blue texture from the “Fabric” directory in
the Relux texture library. (Information on this may be found in Chapter
10.2 Textures). For selecting the colour, you can enter a reflectance
directly by clicking on the “Colour” input field (e.g. ). If, after clicking
on a input field, you click on the arrow, the “Select material
colour” window will open. (Information on this may be found in Chapter 5.1
Room types). It is possible to use RAL colours here.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 42
Fig. 3—14 “Select material color” with the “RAL Farbe/RAL color” tab
After the above work steps have been completed, the data shown in Fig.
3—15 should be displayed in the “Interior” window.
Fig. 3—15 "Interior" window with the data for the sample room
You can specify the room orientation with the North angle button.
PROJECT EXAMPLES 43
After the above work steps have been completed, you can have the four
overview displays presented by pressing the icon.
Fig. 3—17 Overview presentation of the sample room with a changed floor plan, wall colours
and floor and ceiling textures
PROJECT EXAMPLES 44
Please note that, in the case of windows, it is the transmittance that has to
be specified and not the reflectance (as is required for walls, for example)!
After windows have been entered, it is now possible to perform daylight
calculations (Information on this may be found in Chapter 14 Daylight
calculations).
PROJECT EXAMPLES 45
The room element “Picture” has had a photo allocated to it via the
Material/texture button. (Information on this may be found in Chapter
10.3 Special features in picture selection).
PROJECT EXAMPLES 46
Fig. 3—20 Overview presentation of the sample room with the door, windows and picture
PROJECT EXAMPLES 47
Fig. 3—21 ”Luminaire selection” window with the “Luminaire type” tab and the luminaire types
selected
Fig. 3—23 Overview presentation of the sample room with the furniture in position
Fig. 3—24 "Properties" window with the measuring surface for workplace A1
Fig. 3—25 Overview presentation of the sample room with the measuring surfaces in position
Fig. 3—27 Overview presentation of the sample room with the luminaires in position
PROJECT EXAMPLES 51
3.2.6 Calculations
When you have placed all the necessary objects in the room, you can start
the light calculations via the main menu option Calculation - Calculation
manager… (Information on this may be found in Chapter 12 Calculations
and 14 Daylight calculations).
Fig. 3—30 Results output for workplace A1 in the form of pseudo colours, isolinies and a table
PROJECT EXAMPLES 53
Fig. 3—31 3D Luminance with Relux Professional and with Relux Vision – artificial light
Fig. 3—32 3D Luminance with Relux Professional and with Relux Vision – daylight and artificial
light
PROJECT EXAMPLES 54
If you try to close the project without saving it beforehand, the prompt
shown in Fig. 3—34 will appear by way of a safety measure. Once you have
clicked on the Yes button, the window shown in Fig. 1—1 will appear, and
you can enter a file name and save the project.
The data on the object, installation, project number and date appear as a
header on the project printouts.
For the location, it is possible either to select a location from the location
list or to enter a new location.
User interface:
Language for dialogs and input masks
Output:
Language in which printouts are to be compiled
Database:
Language for dialogs for selecting luminaries
Note
Changes to the language settings for the user interface will only take effect after
the program has been restarted.
GENERAL PROGRAM SETTINGS 59
When selecting your company logo (bmp, dib or jpg file) you must ensure
that it is not too wide and does not cover up the header lines. If you wish
to change the size of your logo, you can retain its original aspect ratio by
specifying a size and selecting Maintain proportions.
Note
The paper size, margins and portrait/landscape mode can be set by selecting
main menu option File – Active window… or main menu option Output –
Print… and then pressing the Page setup button. Further information on this
may be found in Chapter 13 Outputs.
GENERAL PROGRAM SETTINGS 60
Fig. 4—8 Left: default setting: no luminaire type shown; Right: luminaire type shown
As the default, you can move the entire room with the cursor keys in the
“3D view” action window. By selecting the “Selected objects…” option, you
can shift the selected object using the cursor keys.
You can employ different 3D drivers depending on the PC that you are
using.
GENERAL PROGRAM SETTINGS 61
The maximum number specified for Undo Redo determines how many
steps can be undone again.
Default values:
Here you can specify the values that are to be used as defaults when
compiling new projects.
• Reflectances and colours for the floor, ceiling and walls etc.
• Planning, reduction or maintenance factors
• Height of reference plane
• Distance between reference plane and wall
• Maintenance factor, individually for each luminaire type
GENERAL PROGRAM SETTINGS 62
Exterior area:
Here you can specify values for the wall and ceiling thickness, the
reflectance of the outer walls and the q0values for the road surfaces, which
are to be used as defaults when compiling a new project.
GENERAL PROGRAM SETTINGS 63
Fig. 4—11 “Properties” window for the coordinates origin, placing grid and drawing grid
The placing and drawing grids can be set on different values and can also
be switched on and off.
Frequently-used settings for the coordinates origin and the placing and
drawing grids can be saved as variants and thus rapidly called up again. A
new variant can be created with the icon. The icon can be used to
save this variant as the default.
All the different variants but one can be deleted with the icon.
The coordinates origin and the placing and drawing grids can similarly be
set via the menu for the “Floor plan” action window, by selecting menu
option Edit – Properties or menu option Display - Origin, raster
width….
GENERAL PROGRAM SETTINGS 64
Fig. 4—12 “Floor plan” action window: Edit–Properties and Display–Origin, raster width…
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 65
You can give the room a name in the “Room name” field. This is important
if you are going to enter more than one room in a project – something
which is explained in Chapter 5.2 Multi-room capability.
In the preview window, you will see the selected room type of “Rectangle”
and the distribution of the walls.
In the “Dimensions” field, you should enter the lengths of Walls 1 and 2
and also their height. This room type is then clearly described. The room
type “Rectangle” thus always produces a cube-shaped room.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 66
For the height of the reference plane and its distance from the wall (offset),
Relux Professional will always propose the default values from the Extras
– Options… – Default values menu. You can adapt these values for
your project.
In the right-hand section of the window you can allocate a reflectance to
each of the walls, the floor and the ceiling. You can enter a reflectance
directly by clicking on a “Colour” input field (e.g. ). If, after clicking on
an input field such as ,, you then click on the arrow, the
“Select material color” window will open.
In this window, you can select the colour of the wall directly, via the
“Colour selection” tab. Relux shows you the colour selected in the right-
hand section of the window, together with composition of the colour in
terms of the three preliminary colours (red, green, blue), and it also
calculates a proposal for the reflectance.
Note
Only diffuse reflections are taken into account for the calculation. The additional
"Relux Vision" module also offers a light calculation with other materials (see the
Concise User Manual for "Relux Vision" on this), as well as for mirror reflecting
characteristics and for reflection characteristics with only partial scatter.
You can assign the colour and the reflectance to the selected wall by
clicking on the OK button.
To assign a colour to the other surfaces too, you must first mark the area
in the required colour with the mouse and then move the mouse and mark
the other areas with it too. In doing this, you should keep the left mouse
button pressed and move up and down with the mouse cursor.
By clicking on the same material button, the colour of the marked walls
will change to the colour of the wall you marked first.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 67
You can import and edit additional textures via the Materials/textures…
button. You can then allocate a texture to a wall, the floor or the ceiling in
the manner shown in Assigning a colour to other walls. The precise
approach is set out in more detail in Chapter 10 Materials.
You can use the North angle button to specify the orientation of the room
vis-à-vis North on the compass. The alignment of the room is relevant for
daylight calculations. The North angle that is entered is also shown on the
floor plan.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 68
Fig. 5—5 The "North angle" window and its depiction on the floor plan
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 69
Semi-circle
The sole difference compared with the room type of “Rectangle” is Wall 2,
which is semi-circular. The size of Wall 4 determines the radius of Wall 2.
To ensure that the L-shaped room can be precisely specified, you must
enter the size of two walls (Wall 1 and Wall 6) and the lengths for “Ax” and
“Ay”. “Ax” corresponds to Wall 5 and “Ay” to Wall 2.
Polygon
In the dimensions section, you simply have to enter the height here. A
polygon can contain as many points as desired, and you must enter these
in the “Geometry” section. You thus have to measure out the coordinates
from the project plans. Wall 1 is to the right alongside Point 1. This is the
next wall that follows on from Point 1 in the anticlockwise direction. The
other walls are similarly next to their Points in the anticlockwise direction.
There will always be the same number of walls as points.
You can delete marked points via the Delete button and insert a new point
with the same coordinates before a marked point by pressing the Insert
button.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 72
A polygon can be created more simply via a background image. The precise
approach is explained in detail in Chapter 6.2 Importing background
images.
Gable roof
Trapezoid
The “Trapezoid” room type requires three wall lengths to be entered (Walls
1, 3 and 4). Wall 4 is at right angles to Wall 1. Walls 1 and 3 will be linked
by Relux Professional, thus forming Wall 2.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 74
Exterior installation
When it comes to entering the points, what has already been said under
“4. Polygon” applies here once again.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 75
The window in which you can edit the room type will open. It is
recommended that you enter a room name here. You can then rapidly
distinguish between the different scenes in the project manager.
You can assign a different North angle to each scene – something which is
important for daylight calculations.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 76
You can switch between scenes either by using the toolbar or by going via
the Project – Select scene menu.
To open the window in which you can edit the room data, you should
double click on the inner room perimeter and select the Project – Edit
scene… menu options or press on the icon.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 77
If you have to plan the lighting for several similar rooms, you can duplicate
a room by selecting the Project – Duplicate scene menu option, or by
selecting the “Project” tab in the Project Manager and then the Duplicate
scene option in the context menu, or you can press the icon.
In the next picture you can see that the “Office” scene has been duplicated.
There is now a “Copy Office” scene in the Project Manager that you can
edit.
ROOM TYPES AND MULTI-ROOM CAPABILITY 78
You can delete the active scene via the menu option Project – Delete
scene, or by selecting the “Project” tab in the Project Manager and then
the Delete scene option in the context menu, or you can press the
icon. You will see the currently active scene in the toolbar.
Relux Professional will issue a safety prompt asking if you really want to
delete the room.
There must always be at least one scene in a project. In other words, you
cannot delete the last scene.
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING FLOOR PLANS AND BACKGROUND IMAGES 79
Fig. 6—2 shows an import with a scale of “1” (above) and a scale of “0.5” below.
When the room is imported with a scale of 0.5, it is twice the size in the
project. If you do not know the precise scale, you should start by importing
the room with a scale of “1”. You can now compare the length of a wall in
the Relux project with the actual length and calculate the scale from this.
For the second import, you should use the scale you have calculated, and
the room will have the correct size in the Relux project.
To give a clear example:
If the bottom left wall in our project is really only 1.5m long and not 2m, it
is necessary to enter a scale of “1.3333” (2 / 1.5 = 1.3333).
If you use AutoCAD®, Relux Informatik AG can provide you with the
ReluxCAD PlugIn.
The luminaires can be selected from the manufacturers’ databases in an
easy and user-friendly manner and are displayed true-to-scale in all
individual CAD plans.
Administering the luminaires used is very simple: once all the luminaires
have been put in position, ReluxCAD automatically generates a precise
parts list with information on all the products used in the project. The
contents can displayed can be selected individually.
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING FLOOR PLANS AND BACKGROUND IMAGES 81
You specify the scale by zooming into the background image and looking
for a known length. You should select the menu option Display –
Background image – Set scale in the action window. In Fig. 6—4, for
example, we know that the meeting room is 7.5m long. Click on the left-
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING FLOOR PLANS AND BACKGROUND IMAGES 83
hand corner and, keeping the mouse button pressed, drag the line to the
right-hand corner and then let go of the mouse button again.
The “Scale background image” window will open, in which you can enter
the length of the line that you have traced.
As the third step, select menu option Display – Background image – Set
origin in the action window. The cursor will change into a cross. Click with
this cross on the point where the room coordinates 0m; 0m are to be
positioned.
You can now use the background image as a template for positioning
objects or measuring areas.
Another possible approach involves changing the room to the size of the
meeting room.
You change the room by using the background image as a template again.
Click on the room and you will see the corner points. Click on a point, keep
the mouse button pressed, and drag it onto one of the corners of the
meeting room.
If necessary, you can convert a rectangular room into a polygonal room via
the Convert into polygonal room context menu in the action window.
After clicking on the floor plan you can add points to the polygon or remove
points from it via the icons, and drag these onto the points in the
background image.
From inside the “Floor plan” action window, you should select the menu
option Edit – Properties and then switch on the Show background
image only in the room switch. The background image display will then
be confined to the room.
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING FLOOR PLANS AND BACKGROUND IMAGES 84
Fig. 6—6 Entire background image and background image restricted to the room
You can use this option and the option described in Chapter 6 to process
several different scenes in a single file and thus plan the entire office
storey.
If you duplicate the scene, you must insert the same background image
again. The scale and origin will be adopted and do not have to be aligned
once more.
Adapt the room to a different office in the background image and repeat
the process until all the rooms have been entered.
You can remove the background image from the floor plan via menu option
Display – Background image – Remove… in the action window.
The second and third rotations are based on the body axis as it results
from the preceding rotations.
There are two different versions of the “Standard” tab in the Control Centre
and the “Properties” window of the individual object involved: one for
rectangular elements and one for polygonal elements.
Fig. 7—2 "Properties" window for the cube type – “Standard” tab
Fig. 7—3 “Properties” window for the cube type – “Extended” tab
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 88
Note 1
The material allocation can be performed for all the surfaces of an object under
the "Standard" tab or for other surfaces in the "Extended" section.
Note 2
It is also possible to have the horizontal illuminances output for all the room
elements. To do this, please mark the checkbox on the far right in the "Output"
column.
Fig. 7—4 “Properties” window for the cube type - "Insertion point" tab
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 89
Specific points on the cube can be readily selected from the list:
Fig. 7—5 "Properties" window for the cube type - "Insertion point" tab - defaults
Fig. 7—6 The Project Manager with luminaires and the “Coordinates” window
Click on the desired luminaire and move it by means of Drag&Drop into the
floor plan or a 3D view. You can also call up the context menu with a right
click on the luminaire and insert a luminaire at coordinates 0 m / 0 m via
the Insert into room menu option. Relux Professional selects the height
of the luminaire from the luminaire data. A ceiling luminaire is thus
mounted on the ceiling and a suspended luminaire is suspended. If you
click on the luminaire, you will see the precise position and orientation of
the luminaire in the “Coordinates” window. New values can be entered and
then adopted by pressing the Apply button.
You can move the luminaire around the floor plan and a 3D view by means
of Drag & Drop. The “Coordinates” window will show you precisely how the
position of the luminaire is changing.
In a 3D view you also have the option of changing the height and rotation
of the luminaire by means of Drag & Drop. To do this, you must move the
cursor over a coordinate axis in such a way that it becomes yellow. You can
now move the luminaire in the required direction by clicking on the mouse
button and keeping it pressed. Once you let go of the mouse button, the
new coordinate will be shown in the “Coordinates” window.
Fig. 7—7 shows a luminaire being moved along the x axis. The designation
“x 0.500” shows you that you have moved the luminaire 0.5 m along the x
axis. While the luminaire is being moved, it will be set on the placing grid if
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 91
this is switched on. By pressing on the Shift key, you can switch off the
placing grid for a time and move the luminaire around to the nearest
millimetre.
Note
The position of the cursor is shown in the status bar on the bottom right.
When you select an object and move it, the coordinates for the moved object will
be shown in the status bar.
If you call up the context menu from within the action window of a 3D view
by means of a right click, you can then click on the Rotate menu option.
When you click on a luminaire, the area around the luminaire takes on a
different appearance, as is shown in Fig. 7—8. To rotate the luminaire, you
should follow the same procedure as for moving a luminaire.
You can start the control centre by pressing the icon. Then, by pressing
on the New button, the “Insert new object” window will open. You should
select the Single luminaire menu option and quit the window.
You are now in the “Control centre” window again and you can select the
luminaire via Type and allocate it a name under Designation.
Aiming point
You can specify the position, rotation or aiming point for this individual
luminaire.
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 93
The following options are available in the dialog – all the configurations
apart from the circular and mirror arrangement are based on the standard
field, and only a number of parameter prompts are different:
The different group arrangements will be explained here, together with the
key parameters, in order to provide an overview:
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 94
Fig. 7—11 “Control centre" window with the properties for Field
The left-hand section contains the information on the starting point for the
group, the central section the number of columns in the group (number of
elements in the X direction of the coordinate system) and the right-hand
section the number of lines (number of elements in the Y direction of the
coordinate system).
The second tab "Position/Rotation" similarly contains the starting point of a
configuration and, in addition to this, the specification of three angles of
rotation which can be used to rotate the entire group around its axes (see
"right-hand rule" at the start of this chapter).
The third tab "Object arrangement" contains the angle of rotation of the
individual object within the group.
After selecting the desired group type and clicking on the OK button, the
“Insert new object” window will be closed in the Control Centre and the
“Properties” window for a luminaire group in a field arrangement will be
displayed.
Preview window
with icons for
rotating,
zooming and
moving the
object
Fig. 7—13 Control centre with “Properties” window for a luminaire group in a field
arrangement
configuration in the preview window and change the preview to suit your
requirements with the three , and icons.
In the left-hand section of the window, the coordinates for starting point A
of the group (x=1 m / y=1 m) are given under Position. In the central
section of the window, the number of luminaires in the x direction (3) and
the luminaire spacing (2 m – centre point of luminaire to centre point of
luminaire) is given under Distance. In the right-hand section of the
window, under Distance, you can see the number of luminaires in the y
direction (2) and the luminaire spacing (1.5 m – centre point of luminaire
to centre point of luminaire). Fig. 7—14 shows the luminaire arrangement
that would result after clicking on the OK button.
If you wish to move the luminaire field you can do this by means of the
offset, for example. In the example shown, the offset for the x and y
direction is 2 m.
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 98
Note
By pressing the icon you can have the action window re-drawn, and the new
luminaire arrangement will be visible.
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 99
In the right-hand section of the window, you can determine the angle
between the individual rows. The default is 90°, which makes sense for
most applications. In the example, the angle vis-à-vis the main axis is 45°.
Note
The luminaire then starts at position (x=1 m / y=1 m). This is where the centre
point of the luminaire was before.
Fig. 7—2 Positioning on the basis of the distance between the luminaires
In the left-hand section of the window, you can select the Start/End
point option instead of the Position option. The starting point (A) and end
point (B) of the group will then be specified (A: x=1 m / y=1 m; B: x=9 m
/ y=1 m). The Distance or Distance between objects is then no longer
relevant, only Uniformly or Centred.
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 104
With Centred, the luminaires are arranged in such a way that the distance
between the starting point and the centre point of the first luminaire and
the distance between the centre point of the last luminaire and the end
point is equal to half the luminaire spacing (from luminaire centre point to
luminaire centre point) in each case.
In the example: 9 m distance between the starting and end point, i.e. the
luminaire spacing = 3 m (from luminaire centre point to luminaire centre
point) and 1.5 m between the starting point and luminaire centre point of
the first luminaire, plus 1.5 m between the luminaire centre point of the
last luminaire and the end point.
In the left-hand window section you can also specify a Wall. Its starting
and end points are then starting point (A) and end point (B). An
arrangement based on Uniformly no longer makes sense, because the
luminaires are outside the room. It is also necessary to specify an offset so
that the first row of luminaires is not up against the wall.
The wall is always the main axis (A-B), which means that offset y is always
the distance between the first row of luminaires and the wall.
You want to place three luminaire rows, each with six luminaires, in the
room in a uniform arrangement.
You want to position one row of luminaires with three luminaires along Wall
W3 at a distance of 1 m, but only over half the length of the room.
Fig. 7—9 1 Luminaire row along Wall 3 over half the width of the room
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 111
Creating an object group via the context menu in the “Floor plan” action
window and the Place objects in row menu option:
Once you have selected an object with a click, you should open the context
menu with a right click and select the Place objects in row menu option.
The cursor will change into crosshairs. You can use the crosshairs to draw a
line that determines the end point and the direction of the luminaire group.
To do this, click on the point where the luminaire group is to end. The
“Properties” window will open, and you can make further changes here
(see Fig. 7—10).
Fig. 7—11 "Control centre" window with the properties for a circle of luminaires 1
Note 1
Note 2
Under the "Position/Rotation" tab, the angle of rotation "AZ/Z[°]" for ellipses can
be used to set the position of the ellipse segment in relation to the coordinate
axes.
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 113
Fig. 7—12 Control centre window with the properties for mirrored luminaires
You can now mirror the individual luminaires separately. Start the Control
Centre via the Project – Control centre menu option or the icon.
After that, you should select the luminaire that is to be mirrored. Then click
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 115
on the Group button. The “Insert new object” window will appear. You
should now select the Mirroring option here, confirm your selection with
the OK button and return to the properties window in the Control centre.
Fig. 7—21 Mirroring the second luminaire at the x, y' and x'/y' axis
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 121
Fig. 7—23 Prompt for breaking up a group; right: depiction of a free group
Mark the corresponding group with the mouse and press the Break
button. A window will now open in which you can break up the group
entirely, into a free group, or terminate the process. If you break up the
group completely, you can edit the objects individually again. If you
convert the group into a free group, you can similarly edit the objects
individually. The groups are still linked together as a group, however, and
can thus be selected as a group in the “Floor plan” action window, for
example, and moved around together.
POSITIONING OBJECTS AND OBJECT GROUPS 122
8 LUMINAIRES
This chapter gives detailed information on searching for, selecting and
positioning luminaires. You will be shown how you can equip the luminaire
with a specific lamp type or specify a louvre from a given selection.
Fig. 8—1 The “Luminaire selection” window the first time it is called up
LUMINAIRES 124
Relux Professional offers you further options for the user-friendly selection
of luminaires:
1. Once you have clicked on an article number, this section of the screen
will be activated. You can now start entering the desired article number via
the keyboard without pausing. The blue bar will come closer to your
desired article number with each number or letter that you enter. No
distinction is made between upper-case and lower-case letters here.
2. After clicking on the Extended search button, the “Extended search”
window will open. Employing the following search criteria, you can now find
one or more luminaires that fit your search criteria:
Relux Professional will then find two luminaires that fit your criteria. Since
you are looking for a ceiling luminaire, only luminaire “91W04.135.7” will
be appropriate. You should select this with a click and add it.
The Extended search (active) button shows you that only luminaires
that fit the criteria you have entered are being shown. If you want all of a
manufacturer’s luminaires to be shown again, you must open the
“Extended search” window once again and click on the reset button. All the
entries in this window will then be deleted. After you have clicked on the
reset button, all the article numbers will be shown again.
3. You can also select luminaires by entering the luminaire name and the
product group. You can select the luminaire name and the product group
by clicking on the appropriate list field.
You select the luminaire by clicking on the article number. You must then
press the Add button to have the luminaire included in your project.
The Luminaire name and Product group buttons with a grey background
show that you have restricted the article numbers to this luminaire name
or product group. If you click on the two buttons, all the article numbers
will appear again.
Fig. 8—4 Selecting a luminaire via the luminaire name and product group
After selecting a luminaire, you can then select any combinations or lamp
types that may be available, after clicking on the appropriate list field. You
should pay particular attention to the different lamp types with different
light colours and hence different luminous fluxes. For luminaire
“91W04.135.7”, for example, you can change the default light colour of
LUMINAIRES 127
You can select a luminaire on the basis of the luminaire name, the
luminaire number and the file name of the LDC file. If you wish to add a
luminaire to your project, you must click on the Add button.
LUMINAIRES 129
You can also specifically load company catalogues of this type on to your
computer. By clicking on the Available Plug-Ins button, your Internet
browser will automatically start up and a page on www.relux.biz will open,
showing you the Plug-Ins that are available. You can then download the
required Plug-Ins from there and install them.
After you have selected a Plug-In with a click, it will start when you click on
the Start Plug-In button.
To adopt the Plug-In in Relux Professional, you should look out for the
Relux program icon or the “Use in Relux” menu option.
The search, selection and insertion procedure for a sensor is the same as
that set out in Chapter 8.1.1 The “Luminaire selection” tab .
LUMINAIRES 131
You can, however, save your light distribution curves for non-Relux-
member companies in any desired directory and switch to there. Here, you
can select the required luminaire on the basis of the file name and click on
the Open button to place the luminaire in the “Individual luminaire” tab.
Here again, you must press on the Add button once more so as to be able
to use the luminaire in your project.
You can also follow this approach to incorporate more than one luminaire in
your project. In this case, you must work through the different steps
several times over.
LUMINAIRES 132
Once you have selected a luminaire by clicking on it, you can call up
certain items of information on this luminaire and edit the luminaire data.
Here you can specify how the luminaire is to be used in the case of
emergency lighting or in combination with the normal artificial lighting. You
also determine the luminous flux that the light is to emit for emergency
lighting mode.
LUMINAIRES 134
In the section entitled “Calculate luminous flux for artificial lighting”, you
can specify how the luminaire is to be switched in normal operation.
Note
After clicking on the Planning aid… button, you can click on the
Determine button to obtain an estimate of the maximum possible
luminaire spacing for a given luminaire height and a minimum illuminance.
LUMINAIRES 135
Note
If you make changes to a luminaire, the luminaire number will be marked with a
leading “!”.
In this window, you can adapt the luminaire and the lamp to suit your
requirements. The correct luminous flux for a lamp is particularly
important. The luminous flux forms the basis for calculations and has a
decisive impact on the results. Please note that you should enter the
luminous flux for just one lamp. Relux Professional will determine the
overall luminous flux from the luminous flux of an individual lamp and the
total number of lamps.
It is conceivable for the luminous flux to be reduced manually, such as if
the luminaire is to be used under extreme environmental conditions. The
lamp manufacturers provide you with diagrams for this, showing you how
the luminous flux changes at certain temperatures.
You can also assign a colour to the lamp if you activate the Lamp colour
on/off switch and press the icon. Relux Professional then takes this
spectral distribution into account for the calculations. You can see from the
3D luminance view how the different lamp colours affect the result.
Fig. 7—13 shows the same room twice over. The picture on the left has the
“Lamp colour” option switched off. For the picture on the right, an orange
bulb colour was selected. This option is particularly useful for coloured spot
beams or RGB applications, because it gives you an estimate of the effect
that the light will have.
LUMINAIRES 137
In Fig. 7—14 you can see how the colour temperatures of light sources and
colour filters or RGB values have been actively included in the processing
and how their colour impact is visualised.
If you activate the Lamp colour on/off switch without changing the
colour via the icon, the light colour saved in the luminaire data will be
used for the calculations.
These two screen shots show a light colour of 3000 K on the left and 4000
K on the right, depending on the lamp type that you selected during the
luminaire selection.
LUMINAIRES 138
After you have selected luminaires, the “Coordinates” window in the Project
Manager also shows the … button. If you click on this button, an “Options”
window will open and you can specify whether the aiming point of the
luminaire is to be moved when the luminaire is moved or whether the
previous aiming point is to be retained. In this way, the luminaire can be
moved without changing the area that the luminaire lights up. This can be
useful for a luminaire aimed a picture, for example, when the luminaire has
to be moved but the picture still has to be lit up. If the option “Fix aiming
points of luminaires when changing their position” is not switched on, Relux
Professional will not change the rotation of the luminaire when it is moved.
The alignment arrow will thus move with the light.
If you want to light up a picture with a spot, it would be useful if the spot
could be aligned to the middle of the picture without having to know the
precise angle of rotation. This will save you the time required to establish
the optimum angle of rotation by trial and error. Relux Professional offers
you this possibility with the Aim luminaires… menu option that can be
found in the context menu for the “Floor plan” or “3D view” action window
icon, the cursor will change into a target . You should then click on the
luminaire.
You can now click on any point on a wall, the floor or the ceiling. The
alignment arrow will move on to this bull’s eye and rotate the luminaire in
this direction.
LUMINAIRES 140
In Fig. 8—17 you can see that the alignment arrow is now aimed at the
picture.
Once you have aimed all the luminaires, you should click on the icon
again, or on the Aim luminaires… menu option in the context menu for
this action window, so as to deactivate the aim luminaire mode.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 141
9.1.1 Selection
You can select and position all four types in different ways:
In the Project Manager, under the “Objects” tab and in the “Room
elements” folder and then with the mouse:
Fig. 9—1 Project Manager, "Objects" tab and "Room elements" folder
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 142
The simplest method is to drag the required object with the mouse onto
the corresponding wall or into the desired room (for the skylight) – the
dialog window for the additional settings will then open automatically.
You can open the context menu for the required wall or ceiling by right-
clicking on it. Under the New menu option, you will see the room elements
that are available. After you have selected the required room element, the
relevant “Properties” window will appear. You will find details on the
properties of the room elements under 9.1.3 Editing and properties of
room elements.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 143
After selecting the required icon, the “Selection” window will open. In the
case of a door, window or picture, you should select the corresponding wall
or, in the case of a skylight, the ceiling.
After you have selected the required room element via the main menu
option Insert – Room elements you should follow the same procedure as
under 1. above.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 144
9.1.2 Positioning
Since the positioning of room elements works in the same or a similar way
to luminaires, 3D objects, measuring elements and basic objects,
information on this has been summarised in Chapter 7 Positioning objects
and object groups.
Note
When the coordinates for the window are entered, they are not checked for
correctness. Please use the floor plan and the 3D view to conduct a check. The
preview window at the top right of the “Properties” window is also useful here.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 145
Note
When the coordinates for the window are entered, they are not checked for
correctness. Please use the floor plan and the 3D view to perform a check. The
preview window at the top right of the “Properties” window is also useful here.
Note
No collision test is carried out between the inputs for the skylight data and the
building surface. Please use the floor plan and the 3D view to check this. The
preview at the top right of the “Properties” window is also useful here. This
shows the view from inside the room up towards the ceiling (i.e. it differs from
the skylight view with the coordinates)
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 148
A picture is defined by the starting point X’/Y’ at the bottom left corner and
by its width and height.
Note
When the coordinates are entered, they are not checked for correctness. Please
use the floor plan and the 3D view to perform a check. The preview window at
the top right of the “Properties” window is also useful here.
9.2.1 Selection
You can select and position all four types in different ways:
In the Project Manager, under the “Objects” tab and in the “Basic objects”
folder:
Fig. 9—10 Project Manager, “Objects” tab and “Basic objects” folder
Click on the required object and move it by Drag & Drop to the required
position on the floor plan or a 3D view. You can also right-click on the
object and open the context menu and then select menu option Insert
into room to insert an object into the room at coordinates 0 m/0 m. You
can also insert the object at the coordinate origin by means of a double
click.
You will find details on the properties of the basic objects under 9.2.4
Editing and properties of basic objects.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 151
By clicking on the individual icon, the desired basic object will be inserted
in the room at coordinates 0/0.
You will find details on the properties of the basic objects at 9.2.4 Editing
and properties of basic objects.
After the required basic object has been selected via main menu option
Insert – Basic objects, it will be entered in the room at coordinates 0 m /
0 m.
You will find details concerning the properties of the basic objects under
9.2.4 Editing and properties of basic objects.
9.2.2 Positioning
Since the positioning of basic elements works in the same or a similar way
to luminaires, 3D objects, measuring elements and room elements,
information on this has been summarised in Chapter 7 Positioning objects
and object groups.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 152
9.2.3 Drawing
You can also draw cubes, working surfaces and partition walls. To do this,
call up the context menu of the “Floor plan” action window and select menu
option Draw object or use the “Insert” toolbar.
After clicking on the required basic object, crosshairs will appear in the
“Floor plan” action window. You can place the crosshairs on the required
starting point and create this with a click. After this, you should go to the
next points, one-by-one, and create these with further clicks. The
connecting lines between the points will be shown in black. You must
double-click the last point. The object will then be created and depicted
with coloured lines. Depending on the desired accuracy of the area, it can
make sense to switch off or refine the placing grid beforehand.
Note
There are two basic types of objects for objects entered by drawing. Area-type
objects (cube, working surface) are drawn as a closed polygon. The area drawn
constitutes a reference area which can, if necessary, be extruded in the Z
direction by the height that is entered.
Line-type objects (partition wall) are drawn as an open polyline. This polyline is
interpreted as the median line, which is extruded in accordance with its width
and height.
A cube can be freely dimensioned over its length, width and height. It can
be positioned at any desired point in the room by specifying three angles of
rotation and a central point (X, Y, Z).
All the sides (the standard number is 6) are included in a calculation.
A material and/or a colour can be allocated to all the sides either
simultaneously or individually.
Four options are available for all basic objects that are based on the “cube”
type:
In the “Extended” tab, it is possible to select the material or colour for each
individual object surface and specify whether it is to be calculated (tick
next to output). In the case of polygonal objects, it is possible to add
corner points or delete them from the list.
In the “Insertion point” tab, it is possible to set the point of insertion for
the object (more on this in Chapter 7.1 Positioning objects).
In the “Calculation” tab, you can enter the surfaces to be calculated and
the calculation raster to be used.
Preview window
with icons for
rotating, zooming
and moving the
object
Three options are available for all basic objects that are based on the
“working surface” type:
In the “Extended” tab, it is possible to select the material or colour for each
individual object surface and specify whether it is to be calculated (tick
next to output). In the case of polygonal objects, it is possible to add
corner points or delete them from the list.
In the “Insertion point” tab, it is possible to set the point of insertion for
the object (more on this in Chapter 7.1 Positioning objects).
In the “Calculation” tab, you can enter the surfaces to be calculated and
the calculation raster to be used.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 156
Pillars are displayed and calculated as cube elements, starting at the floor
and extending up to the ceiling. They can be converted into polygonal,
round or rectangular pillars in the input dialog for pillars.
The side lengths can be varied as required. The minimum side length is 10
cm.
Three options are available for all basic objects that are based on the
“pillar” type:
Design object These elements are not taken into
account in the calculation of measuring
elements (they are not cut out).
Shading is, however, generated for the
visualisation
Locked Can no longer be changed or moved
via the mouse..
Hidden The element is no longer shown on the
floor plan, it is, however, calculated.
In the “Extended” tab, it is possible to select the material or colour for each
individual object surface and specify whether it is to be calculated (tick
next to output). In the case of polygonal objects, it is possible to add
corner points or delete them from the list.
In the “Insertion point” tab, it is possible to set the point of insertion for
the object (more on this in Chapter 7.1 Positioning objects).
In the “Calculation” tab, you can enter the surfaces to be calculated and
the calculation raster to be used .
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 157
A partition wall is defined as a footprint which starts at the floor and can be
of any height.
The partition wall can be positioned at any desired point in the room, but
always stands at right angles to the floor.
The dimensions for the partition wall are entered by specifying the starting
point (left) and end point (right).
The partition wall is shown with a thickness of 10 cm as the default, but
this can be changed in the Width dialog field.
Four options are available for all basic objects based on the “partition wall”
type:
In the “Extended” tab, it is possible to select the material or colour for each
individual object surface and specify whether it is to be calculated (tick
next to output). In the case of polygonal objects, it is possible to add
corner points or delete them from the list.
In the “Insertion point” tab, it is possible to set the point of insertion for
the object (more on this in Chapter 7.1 Positioning objects).
In the “Calculation” tab, you can enter the surfaces to be calculated and
the calculation raster to be used.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 159
Fig. 9—17 Main menu option File – Import -3D object… and “Open” window
After the file has been selected, the “Scaling” window will open. Here you
will see the scaling factor and the size of the bounding box (a cube that the
object fits into).
You can change the scaling and, after you have entered this, see how the
size of the bounding box and hence of the object changes. The number
(amount) of triangles gives you information on the degree of detail of the
object.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 160
The imported files are only available in the current project. After they have
been imported, they are visible in the Project Manager – in the “3D
objects/furniture” folder – and can now be used in the project.
The user’s customised furniture is available in the form of object groups for
all new projects.
Method:
Assemble all the elements for the new item of furniture at the coordinate
origin (x=y=z) in the desired orientation.
Mark all the elements at once;
a) keeping the left-hand mouse button pressed, create a frame around the
elements
b) click on the elements individually, keeping the “Shift” button pressed
Call up the context menu with the right-hand mouse button and select the
“Create” furniture” command. The ‘Edit library’ dialog will open.
A "Customized Objects will now appear at the end of the list, in the section
on the left, showing the new furniture object as a sub-option.
Enter the designation and activate the areas for which outputs are to be
compiled by marking the checkbox in the corresponding line.
Terminate the dialog with "OK".
Note
9.4 3D objects
9.4.1 Selection
After 3D objects (3DS, VRML, DXF) have been imported, they are available
in the project library and can be used in the project.
If you wish to insert furniture from a furniture library, you must first select
the corresponding furniture so that it is available for the project.
To do this, go to the Project Manager, click on the “Objects” tab and then
select the Add option. The “Selection” window will then open. You can then
open the Relux standard furniture library by pressing on the Standard
objects button, or open the furniture library with the furniture you have
compiled yourself by pressing on the Own objects button. You can also
search for and open other libraries with the icon.
If you wish to select several items of furniture, you should press the
Accept button. If you only wish to select one item of furniture, or once you
have selected all the desired items of furniture, you can press on the
Accept and close button.
The selected items of furniture are now available in the current project and
are visible in the Project Manager under the “3D objects/furniture” tab.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 164
You can select and position the 3D objects and furniture in different ways:
1. In the Project Manager, under the “Objects” tab and the “3D
objects/furniture” folder:
Fig. 9—23 Project Manager, “Objects” tab and "3D objects/furniture" folder
Click on the required object and move it by Drag & Drop into the required
position on the floor plan or a 3D view. You can also right-click on the
object and open the context menu and then select menu option Insert
into room to insert an object into the room at coordinates 0 m / 0 m. You
can also insert the object at the coordinate origin by means of a double
click.
You will find details on the properties of 3D objects/furniture under 9.4.3
Editing and properties of 3D objects.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 165
After selecting main menu option Insert – 3D objects, you have the
option of positioning one of the items of furniture that is available in the
project or of going via menu option New 3D Object… to select a new type
of furniture.
The selected object is inserted in the room at coordinates 0 m / 0 m.
You will find details on the properties of 3D objects/furniture under 9.4.3
Editing and properties of 3D objects.
9.4.2 Positioning
Since the positioning of 3D objects/furniture works in the same or a similar
way to luminaires, room elements, measuring elements und basic objects,
information on this has been summarised in Chapter 7 Positioning objects
and object groups.
ROOM ELEMENTS, BASIC OBJECTS, 3D OBJECTS 166
In the “Insertion Point” tab, you can specify the insertion point for the
object (more explanations may be found in Chapter 7.1 Positioning
objects).
MATERIALS 168
10 MATERIALS
You can depict your planning on a realistic basis with the aid of materials
(colours, textures and Vision materials). A material can be allocated to
each individual design object or 3D object in Relux.
10.1 Colours/Reflectance
You will find information on the subject of colours and reflectance in
Chapter 5.1 Room types.
MATERIALS 169
10.2 Textures
In the Project Manager, open the “Properties” window by selecting the
“Project” tab and double-clicking on the desired surface (e.g. Wall 1)
Fig. 10—2 Opening the "Properties" window via the Project Manager
In the left-hand section of the window, select the Texture library menu
option.
Different folders will then come into view, from which you can select the
desired texture.
MATERIALS 171
Fig. 10—6 "Edit materials…" window with the selected texture; right: context menu
MATERIALS 172
You can either give the texture you have added a name or adopt the name
from the library. With a right-click of the mouse, you can open the context
menu. This allows you to delete materials that are not being used in the
project, for example.
You can also alter the properties of the texture with the Edit… button.
The “Process surface picture…” window opens, with the two tabs
“Reflectance (Rho)” and “Scaling”.
Fig. 10—7 "Process surface picture…" window with the "Reflectance (Rho)" tab
MATERIALS 173
In the ”Scaling” tab, you can specify the size in which the texture is to be
depicted.
Fig. 10—9 "Edit surface picture…" window with the “Scaling” tab
You can specify a length for the marked line. This is particularly useful for
textures such as tiles or ceiling panels. You can then stipulate how big
these are to be.
You can use the mouse to go on to the picture and draw a line (red line)
yourself (picture points) and then specify a length. This is especially
practical for objects such as doors, where you know the dimensions.
MATERIALS 175
If you tick the option “scale to fit object size”, the texture will be
displayed once on the picture, for example, that has been selected. If the
option is not ticked, the picture will be shown several times, side-by-side,
in accordance with the specified scaling.
The height to width ratio of the texture must correspond to the height to
width ratio of the surface to which the texture is to be applied. If this is not
the case, the texture will be distorted.
Fig. 10—13 The “Scale to fit object size" option leads to distortion in the picture on the right
The appearance of the surface that you have edited will be displayed in the
preview window.
Another approach is to go via the Project Manager and select the “Objects”
tab. In the Materials/textures folder, you can then select the Add menu
option to take you to “Select material…” and follow the procedure set out
above.
Here too, you can open the context menu with a right click of the mouse
and delete materials that are not being used in the project, for example.
Fig. 10—15 "Objects" tab with the "Materials/textures" folder and the context menu
MATERIALS 178
Using the mouse, you can drag materials that you have read into the
project on to the corresponding surface of a wall, floor, ceiling, 3D object
or room element, etc. The 3D View must be displayed in the action window
to do this.
Fig. 10—16 Textures dragged on to walls, the floor and 3D objects with the mouse
MATERIALS 179
The “Open” window will appear. You can now select the desired picture
(picture formats: bmp, gif, jgp and jpeg).
After the picture has been selected, the properties of the picture are
specified in three steps.
Fig. 10—19 "Define size of picture", "Name reflectance" and "Insert scale" windows
In step 1, you can define the size of the picture. The picture should not be
too big (a maximum of 1024x1024), because this will make the Relux file
unnecessarily large and take up a great deal of memory space.
Steps 2 and 3 are performed as described in Section 10.2 Texture.
You can now press the OK button to proceed. The “Edit materials…”
window will open. You now have the same editing facilities as those
described in Section 10.2 Textures.
MATERIALS 181
Fig. 10—20 The "Edit materials…" window with the new "Edit" button
11 MEASURING ELEMENTS
Measuring elements are virtual measuring surfaces (which do not cause
any shading) that can be used to calculate illuminances or UGR values, for
example. There are four different measuring elements that you can use:
Virtual measuring surface
Reference plane for emergency lighting (this is only calculated for
emergency lighting; in accordance with EN 1838 “Lighting Applications –
Emergency Lighting” only the direct illuminance is calculated; a value must
be specified for the minimum illuminance that is required)
Escape route (a median line is defined, plus a maximum width of 2 m, as
per EN 1838 “Lighting Applications – Emergency Lighting”; this is only
calculated for emergency lighting; in accordance with EN 1838 only the
direct illuminance is calculated; a value must be specified for the minimum
illuminance required)
Task area (as per EN 12464-1 “Lighting of work places. Indoor work
places” it is possible to define a task area and assign partial surfaces and
surroundings to these)
All the measuring elements have an active side. It is thus important for the
measuring elements to be correctly positioned/rotated. The active side is
the side that points towards the room interior (points upwards) in the basic
state. On the floor plan, these areas are shown with red lines and, in the
3D views, with red lines and red shading (only if the menu option
Measuring surface off has not been switched on in the context menu for
the “3D View” action window).
MEASURING ELEMENTS 183
Fig. 11—1 Measuring element with the active side pointing up (left) and with the inactive side
pointing up (right)
The active side is similarly shown in the preview window of the “Properties”
window.
Fig. 11—2 Measuring element with the active side pointing up (left) and with the inactive side
pointing up (right
MEASURING ELEMENTS 184
11.1 Selection
Relux Professional offers you several ways of selecting measuring
elements.
Fig. 11—3 Project Manager, "Objects" tab, and "Measuring elements" directory
Click on the desired measuring element and move it onto the floor plan or
into a 3D view by means of Drag & Drop. You can also right-click the
measuring element to call up the context menu and then place a
measuring element in the room, at coordinates 0/0, via the menu option
insert into room. You can also incorporate a measuring element with a
double click.
Fig. 11—4 Control centre with the “Insert new object” window
Confirm your selection by pressing the OK button, close the window and
you will find yourself in the “Control centre” window again.
11.2 Positioning
Since the positioning of measuring elements works in the same or a similar
way as for luminaires, 3D objects, room elements and basic objects,
information on this has been summarised in Chapter 7 Positioning objects
and object groups. Only the special features that apply in the case of
measuring elements will be explained here.
11.3 Drawing
You can also draw all the measuring elements by calling up the context
menu for the “Floor plan” action window and the Draw object menu
option, or by going via the “Insert” toolbar
Fig. 11—6 Context menu for the “Floor plan” action window
For the “escape route” measuring element you must mark the median line
of the escape route. The final point must be marked with a double click;
the surface will then be compiled automatically with a width of 2m.
Note
There are two basic types of objects in the case of objects entered by drawing.
Area-type objects (virtual measuring surface, reference plane for emergency
lighting) are drawn as a closed polygon.
Line-type objects (escape route) are drawn as an open polyline. This polyline is
interpreted as the median line of the object, which is extruded in accordance
with its width.
MEASURING ELEMENTS 188
Open the Control centre via the menu option Project – Control centre…
or the icon. After selecting the desired measuring element, the
“Properties” window will similarly appear. The Control centre has the
advantage that the New, Delete, Duplicate, Group and Break buttons
are also available to you – in other words, you have the possibility of
administering the objects.
The “Properties” window gives you access to all the settings that can be
made via the different tabs for “Standard”, “Extended”, “Insertion point”
and “Calculation”.
Note
Depending on the object selected, not all the settings listed below will be
available
MEASURING ELEMENTS 189
• select the type (virtual measuring surface, reference plane for emergency
lighting, escape route)
• allocate a name
• specify the position, rotation, shape (rectangular, round or polygonal) and
size
• specify the evaluation type (standard, task area or reference
plane/environment)
• freeze the measuring element (the measuring element can no longer be
selected with the mouse in the “Floor plan” action window or “3D view” but
only via the Control centre or via the Project manager and the “Project” tab
or icon )
• hide the measuring element (the measuring element is no longer visible in
the “Floor plan” action window or “3D view” and is also frozen at the same
time, i.e. it can only be selected via the Control centre or via the Project
manager and the “Project” tab or icon)
• specify a minimum illuminance (only for the reference plane for emergency
lighting and the escape route)
• assign partial surfaces (only for the evaluation type of task area)
• In the “Extended” tab you can:
• change the shape (rectangular, round or polygonal)
• In the “Insertion point” tab you can:
• specify or move the position of the insertion point of the object
MEASURING ELEMENTS 190
If you wish to change the shape of a measuring element later on, you can
select the measuring element in the “Floor plan” action window and move
an individual vertex (corner point) with the mouse.
If you wish to change the size of the entire measuring element, you can
increase or reduce the size of the object as a whole by selecting the
measuring element in the “Floor plan” action window, right-clicking it to
call up the context menu and then selecting the menu option Scale, or you
can press the icon. The scaling direction can be defined via the menu
option Scale type… or the icon, or you can have the scaling performed
via a manual factor.
MEASURING ELEMENTS 191
12 CALCULATIONS
12.1 Calculation manager
After you have created a room and positioned luminaires, you can start a
calculation via the Calculation Manager. You can specify all the different
parameters for the calculation via the Calculation Manager.
To start the Calculation Manager you should either select the Calculation
– Calculation manager… menu option or press the icon.
In the left-hand section of the window, Relux Professional sets out all the
possible calculation variants for the project. The switches for those
calculation options that are not possible are highlighted in grey and cannot
be switched on. If you have created a room without windows or skylights,
only the Artificial Light switch will be activated.
If the Save results after calculation switch is on, Relux Professional will
save the project automatically once the calculation has been completed.
This means you don’t have to remain at your PC while lengthy calculations
are being performed, and you can still be sure that the results of the
calculation will be saved.
The title in the right-hand section of the window shows the room and
calculation variant that you are entering the settings for.
After you have clicked on the Start button, Relux Professional will start the
calculation. To save your settings and quit the window, you should press
the Close button.
CALCULATIONS 193
In Fig. 12—2 you will see the calculation variants for the same room, i.e.
the “Office”, with windows added to it. Relux Professional recognises the
possibility of an additional daylight calculation and allows you to select this
via the switches. The tabs shown will change according to the calculation
variant selected.
The individual calculation variants are explained in the chapters that follow.
Since the setting options are the same for the individual variants in some
cases, these are set out at the end of the “Artificial light” calculation
variant, and only the specific differences are then explained for the other
variants.
CALCULATIONS 194
As soon as reflecting objects such as walls and a ceiling are available, you
should just use the “only direct fraction” option for a rough calculation or a
control calculation. The “only direct fraction” option can, however, be
selected for exterior installations, such as football pitches.
Note
If the “only direct fraction” accuracy level is selected for an indoor room this will
not produce any results of relevance for the lighting planning! The printouts are
thus marked to this effect.
The settings in the “Raster” section also have an impact on the calculation
accuracy and the computing time. We thus recommend that you adopt the
default settings.
After clicking on the Extended>> button, you will see the setting options
for the raster spacing.
The raster spacing that you can change here relates to the room surfaces
and the surfaces of the design elements. The raster spacing for the
measuring areas is set in the measuring surfaces tab, via the Project
Manager or the Control Centre (Chapter 11 Measuring elements).
The Activate dynamic raster switch is used to switch on the dynamic
rastering. Here, the program establishes (in the course of the calculation)
CALCULATIONS 195
the luminous fluxes and illuminance gradients that are being processed.
The program then works out which surfaces need to have additional raster
points incorporated on them. The dynamic raster can be set anywhere
between “coarse”, “medium” and “fine” using the slide controller.
Note
The computing time is influenced to a major extent by this setting. The finer the
raster-point monitoring is to be, the longer the computing time that will be
required for this.
You can also have the maintenance factor determined for each individual
luminaire type via the “EN12464” option, with the detailed specification of
the maintenance factor, as required by Standard EN 12464.
To do this, you should click on the EN12464… button, and the assistant
for specifying the maintenance factor will open. In Fig. 12—7 you can see
that the data for the room, the luminaires and the lamps has to be entered
into the assistant. Relux Professional uses this data to calculate the
maintenance factor for the particular lighting situation and the selected
luminaire type.
You can enter a general note for each luminaire type in a text box.
This data will be output in the maintenance plan.
CALCULATIONS 196
Note
More recent lamp types from the individual manufacturers may differ from these.
After activating the Maintenance factor manually switch you can enter a
maintenance factor manually for each luminaire type, by adjusting the
value in the “Maintenance factor luminaire” field.
A “Maintenance factor luminaire” box highlighted in yellow shows you that
Relux Professional has calculated the maintenance factor automatically on
the basis of your inputs for the room, luminaire and lamp.
If the Maintenance factor manually switch is switched on, the
“Maintenance factor luminaire” will be white to show that you have entered
the maintenance factor manually.
CALCULATIONS 197
In the “Miscellaneous” section, you can determine whether the body of the
light is to be taken into account for the calculation and can thus cast
shadows on other objects.
Note
If luminaires are fitted some distance into the building structure (i.e. if they are
mounted behind a suspended ceiling or in a concrete recess) it is important to
activate the luminaire shadows, because there will otherwise be excessive
deviations in the results.
For the fields with a white background, only the horizontal illuminance is
calculated at present, and you can make entries in these fields.
You can enter the number of calculation points for the x direction and the y
direction via “x” and “y”.
Alternatively, you can also specify the desired spacing of the calculation
points via “dx” and “dy”.
If you enter a number of calculation points, the corresponding spacing will
be indicated automatically.
When a spacing is entered, Relux Professional takes the next possible
number and determines the precise spacing from this.
Several different calculation types are already specified for the fields
highlighted in grey. No entries can be made in these fields.
CALCULATIONS 199
You can use the switches to activate the calculation for the corresponding
illuminance or for the UGR method and to set the raster and the height for
the calculation.
For the vertical and semi-cylindrical illuminance you can select the direction
in which the calculation is to be performed. You can add additional
directions with the button.
For the camera illuminance, you should enter the position of a camera. You
can add more cameras by pressing on the button.
CALCULATIONS 200
The half raster width distance to the edge switch lets you specify that
the first calculation point should start at a distance equivalent to half the
raster width. (See Fig. 12—11)
Fig. 12—11 first: calculation points on the edge; then: first calculation point half a raster
You can add an observer by clicking on the icon and delete a selected
observer by clicking on the icon.
Entering a designation will make it easier for you to identify the observers
on the floor plan.
In the “Number of observers” section, you can control the animation of the
selected observer. The slide controller allows you to set how rapidly the
sightline zone should be depicted for the animation. This then allows you to
control both the position and the sightline of the observer.
CALCULATIONS 202
In Fig. 12—13 all the luminaires are activated in the emergency lighting
field. If you wish to activate individual luminaires, you must break up the
luminaire group and activate the desired luminaires via the escape route,
for example.
CALCULATIONS 203
You can enter a separate reduction factor for the emergency lighting in the
“Calculation” tab.
This output in Fig. 12—15 shows the detection range of the sensor in
pseudo colours, on the basis of its characteristics, as follows:
light green area: detection of the tangential direction of motion (the person
moves in a circle around the sensor easy for the sensor to detect)
green area: detection of the tangential direction of motion (the person
moves towards the sensor difficult for the sensor to detect)
blue area: detects very small movements (person only moves slightly
(presence) very difficult for the sensor to detect)
grey area: no persons can be detected here (obstacles, distance too great)
By clicking on the icon, you can add an observer. You can delete a
selected observer with a click on the icon.
If there are a large number of luminaires in a room, it is advisable to
restrict the list via the Limit list button on the basis of the minimum
luminous intensity and the number of lights that are output.
OUTPUTS 206
13 OUTPUTS
Project data and calculation results can be output on the screen, printed
out or compiled in the form of a pdf document.
Apart from this, the user can see which output windows are open in the
action window.
Folders can be marked with:
a red tick , i.e. all the sub-options of the folder are open
a grey tick , i.e. only individual sub-options of the folder are open
Sub-options can be marked with:
a blue tick , i.e. this sub-option will only be displayed in the active
window until a new sub-option is selected
a red monitor , i.e. the window is always open after the light calculation.
First of all, you must open the corresponding output window by clicking on
the monitor or the name. Following this, you can select the Edit – Open
after calculation menu option in the results output window, and the
monitor will go red . It is not necessary for there to be a tick in the
monitor. Another way to make this setting is to go via the template
manager. You will find more on this in Chapter 13.4 Print manager.
OUTPUTS 207
A rapid output of individual windows can also be obtained using the icons
and “View” .
OUTPUTS 208
3D view
Overview representation
Vision results
By selecting the Window – Close output window main menu option you
can have all the output windows closed.
The output windows can be arranged differently with the Window –
Cascade, Alongside each other or Tile main menu option.
OUTPUTS 209
via the menu options in the “Zoom” menu for the individual action window
the “Properties” window will open when you select the Edit – Properties –
Floor plan menu options
here you can switch on and off the options of label room elements and
label luminaires; you can also have the luminaire orientation, cameras,
observer, background images and placing grid etc. either displayed or not
displayed.
via the menu options in the “Zoom” menu for the individual action window
press on the icon and click on the 3D view then, keeping the mouse
button pressed, move the 3D view, or use the right/left cursor keys
OUTPUTS 212
press on the icon and click on the 3D view then, keeping the mouse
button pressed, move the 3D view or use the cursor keys:
shift+right/left/up/down
Setting the viewing angles for the variable 3D view (View 1):
via the icon or with the View – Set 3D view menu option, or with the
Edit – Properties – 3D views menu option
you can set, save and add your own observers/3D views, or delete existing
observers/3D views (see Fig. 13—5 “Properties 3D views” window).
Setting the properties for the action window:
select the Edit – Properties menu option to open the “Properties” window
on the left, you can choose the following icons: “3D views” , “General
settings 3D” or “Origin and placing grid”
3D views:
here you can define observers, select standard views and have exterior
views or wire frame views or the like shown.
3D general settings:
You can specify step sizes for the change by using the keyboard and
specify whether:
in the case of suspended and freestanding luminaires, the suspension and
stand are to be shown on the 3D views or not
in the case of exterior installations and daylight, the background is to be
coloured black or not
Making changes via the action window menu:
user-defined observers/3D views can be selected via the View – User
defined views menu option
by selecting the “Display” menu and then different menu sub-options, you
can have the exterior view and wire frame model displayed and either have
the luminaire orientation shown or not
you can copy the current output window to the clipboard via the Copy
picture menu option
you can save the current output window as a jpg or bmp file via the Save
picture menu option
OUTPUTS 214
you can have either the C-planes, the volume model or the luminaire
orientation displayed via the Show 3D ldc menu option
you can aim luminaires by specifying the aiming point (see Chapter 8.1.2
The “Online” tab); to do this you should select the Aim luminaires…
menu option
you can have the desired view displayed by selecting the Exterior view
menu option or the Wire frame view menu option
you can switch off the hatching on the measuring surface and simply have
the edge displayed by selecting the Measuring surface off menu option
OUTPUTS 215
tabular output:
select the “Overview” icon: set the number of decimal places, display
uniformity
select the “Isolines/Pseudo colours“ icon: you can now set your own
scaling and also set your own colours for the pseudo colour diagrams
select the “Overview” icon: set the number of decimal places and show
uniformities
sections:
you can select where the sections are to be made.
via the menu options in the “Zoom” menu for the individual action window
press the icon and click on the 3D view then, keeping the mouse button
pressed, move the 3D view or use the right/left cursor keys
rotating the 3D view:
press the icon and click on the 3D view then, keeping the mouse button
pressed, rotate the 3D view or use the following cursor keys:
shift+right/left/up/down
setting the viewing angle for the variable 3D view (View 1):
you can select the following icons on the left-hand side: “Brightness” ,
“3D views” , “3D general settings” or “White balance” .
OUTPUTS 219
you can copy the current output window to the clipboard via the Copy
picture menu option
you can save the current output window as a jpg or bmp file via the Save
picture menu option
you can have either the C-planes, the volume model or the luminaire
orientation displayed via the Show 3D ldc menu option
the brightness can be set manually via the Brightness menu option
you can have the raster points displayed by selecting the 3D raster points
menu option.
The left window shows the folder trees and the available outputs.
The right window shows the output selected in the left window (marked in
grey or blue ) as a print preview of the page.
You can change the size of the presentation (Zoom) or browse through the
pages by means of the toolbar above the right window
.
The Properties button under the left window will open the “Properties”
window for the page selected in the left window (marked in blue or grey).
You can make a large number of changes, as set out in Chapter 13.2
Changing screen outputs
OUTPUTS 222
You can make a large number of settings under the right window.
When you click on the Project data button, the “Enter project data”
window will be shown. You have the option of making changes to the
project data. You will find more information on this in Chapter 14.1
Entering the project location.
After selecting the Page setup button, the “Page setup” window will
appear.
Here you can set the paper size and source, portrait or landscape format
and the size of the margins. By pressing the Printer… button you can
select the desired printer. The printout or PDF compilation can then be
started by pressing the OK button.
When you select the Header and Footer button, the “Header and footer”
window opens, where you can make changes to the page layout. You will
find more information on this in Chapter 4.4 Page setup.
Additional selection fields allow to you select whether chapter numbers
and page numbers, are to be output or not, which pages are to be printed
out, and which printer is to be used, or whether a PDF document is to be
compiled. You can start the printout by pressing the Print button.
OUTPUTS 223
The Print Manager summarises all the data from the Project Manager
(“Output” tab) and the “Page preview” window in a single window. It also
gives the user access to the Template manager. The left-hand section of
the window shows the available outputs, the central section, the selected
outputs, and the right-hand section the print preview.
Select the outputs you require from amongst the available outputs in the
left section of the window. When you click on the printer symbol prior
to the output, a red tick will be added to it for the output and the
output will be placed in the current print outputs (central section of the
window). If entire folders are to be output, this can be done by clicking on
the printer symbol for the folder. A red tick is then assigned to the folder
and all the sub-options. If only parts of a folder are to be output, it is first
necessary to open the folder. You can then select the required output by
means of a click on the printer symbol. The folder will then be marked with
a grey tick , meaning that only parts of the folder will be output.
If you had already marked outputs in the project beforehand, these can be
adopted by pressing on the Add to printjob button under “Open screen
outputs”. If this function has already been implemented or if all the
windows are already contained in the current output, the Add to printjob
button will not be displayed.
OUTPUTS 224
Template manager
On the bottom left, under “Template” you can select a standard template
(Basic, Advanced, Highend or User-defined), or you can start the Profile
Manager by pressing the icon and then define new templates. All the
templates are not only available in the current project but can also be
called up for other projects.
When you press the Create new profile button, the “Add new profile”
window will open and you can create a new profile. The new profile can be
based on any existing profile or on the standard profile. The standard
profile is always empty and cannot be edited.
All the possible outputs are shown in the “Available outputs” window on the
left, and you can select the ones you require from amongst all the outputs
shown. A distinction is drawn between a screen output and a printout
:
screen output: all the selected windows will automatically be opened after
the calculation; this is highlighted in the “Output” tab of the project
manager through the red monitor
printout: all the selected windows will be printed out
The right-hand “Current print outputs” window only shows the selected
outputs for printouts. You can also define the properties of the printouts
selected. You will find more on this in Chapter 13.2 Changing
screen outputs.
With the option Accept current profile as default, you can determine
which profile is to be used as the standard. It is important here that you
should save your selection with the Save button and then, when quitting,
answer the prompt regarding changes with “yes”.
The functions in the central and right-hand section of the “Print manager”
window have already been described in Chapter 13.3 Page preview and
will not be described again here.
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 226
14 DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS
14.1 Entering the project location
The project location is entered via main menu option: Project - Location.
A location can either be selected from the location list, or a new location
entered.
To register a new location, it is necessary to enter the geographic longitude
and latitude and the time zone (difference compared with UTC – Universal
Time Coordinated).
It is also possible to make allowance for daylight saving time (summer
time) and enter the start and end of daylight saving time.
You can use the North angle button to specify the orientation of the room
compared with geographic north. The orientation of the room is important
for daylight calculations. The North angle that is entered is also shown on
the floor plan for each room separately. An example for a North angle of
30° is set out in Fig. 14—3.
Fig. 14—3 "North angle" window and depiction on the floor plan
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 228
These settings are only relevant for the daylight and sun calculations.
The thickness of the walls is necessary to ensure the correct calculation of
daylight/insolation, so that allowance can be made for niches in the wall.
The thickness of the ceiling is necessary to ensure the correct calculation of
daylight/insolation, so that the influence of openings in the ceiling can be
taken into account.
14.4 Canopy
You can enter a canopy in the Control centre. To start the Control centre,
select menu option Project – Control centre or the icon. Following
this, select the New button. The “Insert new object” window will open.
Here you should select the Canopy menu option and confirm it with the
OK button, which will take you back to the Properties window in the
Control centre.
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 229
Fig. 14—5 Control centre with the "Insert new object" window
Fig. 14—6 Control centre with the Properties window for a canopy
The starting point x' can be established by looking at the wall in question
from the outside and from the front. The starting point x’ is then calculated
from the left-hand outermost corner (including the wall thickness).
The canopy reduces the impact of daylight in the indoor room, as well as
the insolation. The canopy is taken into account for calculating the lighting
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 230
in the room. The "Extended" tab corresponds to the one for a cube object.
It is also possible to subsequently change the associated wall that goes
with the canopy here. The sides can be assigned different materials,
textures and colours. The desired surfaces can be marked for the
calculation outputs.
Fig. 14—7 Room with a canopy – floor plan and exterior view
The 3D exterior view can be called up via the context menu of the “3D
view” action window by selecting the Exterior view menu option (see Fig.
14—8).
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 231
Fig. 14—8 Context menu for the "3D view" action window with the "Exterior view" menu
option
The 3D exterior view can be called up via the context menu for the “3D
view” action window by selecting the Exterior view menu option (see Fig.
14—8).
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 232
Note
Ei
D = 100% •
Ea
Apart from the daylight factor, the program also calculates the resultant
illuminance for the uniformly overcast sky to DIN 5034.
Since, with a uniformly overcast sky, the illuminance in the indoor room
always changes in proportion to the outdoor illuminance, once the daylight
factor has been calculated, this is independent of the time of day and time
of year and can be taken as a basis for further work with daylight.
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 233
In the “Calculation manager” window that then opens, you can choose
between a Daylight calculation or a Solar altitude graph. It is also
possible to opt for Artificial and daylight. You will find further details on
this in Chapter 12.
14.8.1 Daylight
There are three tabs for the Daylight calculation.
Under the “Calculation” tab, you can select the calculation precision, the
raster, the sky model and the options listed under Miscellaneous.
In the top section of this tab, you can set the desired precision (number of
interreflections).
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 234
The central section contains the setting for the raster interval on the room
surfaces and the surfaces of the structural elements. The raster intervals
for the measuring areas are set in the “Measuring areas” tab or in the
Properties window for the measuring areas. You will find more details on
this in Chapter 11.4.
You can also switch on a "dynamic raster" in order to improve the results.
This means that the program will work out the luminous fluxes and
illuminance gradients while the calculation is progressing. The program
then works out from this which areas need to have additional raster points
inserted on them.
Note
The calculation time is influenced to a major extent by this setting. The finer this
verification, the longer the computing time that will be required.
In the “Measuring areas” tab, you can enter the calculation parameters for
the measuring surfaces in the project. You will find more on this subject in
Chapter 11.4.
Fig. 14—12 Calculation manager with the "Measuring areas" tab and the "Calculation
parameters" window
In the “Date” tab, you still have to enter a date and a time of day so that
the solar altitude can be determined, together with the resultant luminance
in the sky. In addition to this, you can enter the project location and the
North angle.
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 236
Note
The local time can be entered for the time. The true local time required for the
calculation is calculated on the basis of the location.
The areas shaded in light yellow show the time of year and time of day
when direct sunlight falls on the previously-defined point.
The solar altitude can be precisely calculated for each individual point on
the Earth’s surface and for each point in time. The height and azimuth of
the sun can thus also be read off the picture provided.
DAYLIGHT CALCULATIONS 238
Note
For this calculation, it is mandatory to ensure the correct North angle and also
the degrees of latitude and longitude for the building’s location.
A point in the room must be specified for the calculation. The calculation is
then started by pressing the Start button.
15 ECONOMICS
You can perform economic efficiency calculations for daylight or artificial
light via main menu option Calculation – Economics - ….
Note
Ei
D = 100% •
Ea
highly, since these months generally have 20-30% clear sky, and it also
underrates the summer months.
The sun probability for Basel is saved in the tables and should form the
basis for all calculations.
To ensure that the calculation is as accurate as possible, only those times
for which the office is actually used are taken into account. For this reason,
the program only makes allowance for working days (Monday - Friday). If
necessary, the staff breaks, holiday periods and public holidays can also be
taken into account.
The following steps are necessary for calculating the economic efficiency
for daylight:
1. Defaults
The average daylight factor is generally obtained from the detection range
of a daylight sensor that controls the system. You must decide on a
location for one or more sensors and conduct a daylight calculation so that
you can enter the value here.
Note
The geographical data (location, degree of longitude and latitude) and the
project data will be taken from the current project.
2. Sun probability
In this window, the sun probabilities for determining the average sky are
selected.
The DIN Standard makes provision for a breakdown into 40% clear sky and
60% overcast sky, i.e. 40 will be entered for all the months if the DIN
Standard button is pressed.
It is also possible for you to enter your own values for each month, e.g.
those taken from DIN 4710 for eight German cities. If you enter your own
values for your project location, you will receive an additional button (in
the Figure, this is Basel, for example).
ECONOMICS 242
Lighting installation
Data on the number and power consumption of the luminaires and also on
the electricity tariff
4. Isolux curves
Once all the data has been entered for the luminaire types that are to be
compared, the output of the calculation results can be started with the OK
button.
ECONOMICS 245
Fig. 15—10 Results output for the artificial light efficiency calculation
ECONOMICS 246
Basic values
Installation costs
16 OFFER PROGRAM
Fig. 16—1 The “Relux Offert” offer program with data from the Relux project
You can use the Relux Offert program to compile offers (with a price) or
tenders (without a price, leaving space for alternative products).
You will find further information in the Help provided in the Relux Offert
program.
OFFER PROGRAM 249
17 ANNEX
17.1 Shortcut table for main menu
Main menu
This table only lists the shortcuts that are not already contained in the
other tables.
This table only lists the shortcuts that are not already contained in the
other tables.
Fig. 3—17 Overview presentation of the sample room with a changed floor plan, wall colours and floor
and ceiling textures ......................................................................................................................43
Fig. 3—18 "Properties" window for the windows ...............................................................................44
Fig. 3—19 "Properties" window for the door and picture ....................................................................45
Fig. 3—20 Overview presentation of the sample room with the door, windows and picture.....................46
Fig. 3—21 ”Luminaire selection” window with the “Luminaire type” tab and the luminaire types selected.47
Fig. 3—22 "Properties" window with the furniture for workplace A1.....................................................48
Fig. 3—23 Overview presentation of the sample room with the furniture in position ..............................48
Fig. 3—24 "Properties" window with the measuring surface for workplace A1 .......................................49
Fig. 3—25 Overview presentation of the sample room with the measuring surfaces in position ...............49
Fig. 3—26 "Properties" window with a suspended luminaire ...............................................................50
Fig. 3—27 Overview presentation of the sample room with the luminaires in position............................50
Fig. 3—28 "Calculation manager" window ........................................................................................51
Fig. 3—29 “Print manager” window.................................................................................................52
Fig. 3—30 Results output for workplace A1 in the form of pseudo colours, isolinies and a table ..............52
Fig. 3—31 3D Luminance with Relux Professional and with Relux Vision – artificial light ........................53
Fig. 3—32 3D Luminance with Relux Professional and with Relux Vision – daylight and artificial light ......53
Fig. 3—33 Save As .......................................................................................................................55
Fig. 3—34 Safety prompt when a project is closed ............................................................................55
Fig. 4—1 The “Enter project data” window .......................................................................................56
Fig. 4—2 Illustration of the header lines ..........................................................................................56
Fig. 4—3 Excerpt from the cover sheet............................................................................................57
Fig. 4—4 “Location” window...........................................................................................................58
Fig. 4—5 Language settings ...........................................................................................................58
Fig. 4—6 “Header and footer” window .............................................................................................59
Fig. 4—7 "Options" window with the general settings ........................................................................60
Fig. 4—8 Left: default setting: no luminaire type shown; Right: luminaire type shown ..........................60
Fig. 4—9 "Options" window with the defaults ...................................................................................61
Fig. 4—10 "Options" window with details of the exterior area .............................................................62
Fig. 4—11 “Properties” window for the coordinates origin, placing grid and drawing grid .......................63
Fig. 4—12 “Floor plan” action window: Edit–Properties and Display–Origin, raster width… .....................64
Fig. 5—1 Room type: " Rectangle"..................................................................................................65
Fig. 5—2 "Select material color" window..........................................................................................66
Fig. 5—3 Assigning a colour to other walls .......................................................................................67
Fig. 5—4 Selecting a texture ..........................................................................................................67
Fig. 5—5 The "North angle" window and its depiction on the floor plan................................................68
Fig. 5—6 Room type: "Semi-circle" .................................................................................................69
Fig. 5—7 Room type: "L-room shape" .............................................................................................70
Fig. 5—8 Room type: "Polygon" with a sample geometry...................................................................71
Fig. 5—9 Room type: "Gable roof ...................................................................................................72
Fig. 5—10 Room type: "Trapezoid" .................................................................................................73
Fig. 5—11 Room type: "Exterior installation"....................................................................................74
Fig. 5—12 Menus for multi-room capability ......................................................................................75
Fig. 5—13 Selecting a scene via the toolbar .....................................................................................76
Fig. 5—14 Selecting a scene via the menu .......................................................................................76
Fig. 5—15 Duplicating a scene .......................................................................................................77
Fig. 5—16 Active scene and safety prompt ......................................................................................78
Fig. 6—1 Scale for the DXF import ..................................................................................................79
Fig. 6—2 shows an import with a scale of “1” (above) and a scale of “0.5” below. ................................80
Fig. 6—3 An example of planning with ReluxCAD..............................................................................81
Fig. 6—4 Specifiying the scale for the background image...................................................................82
ANNEX 256
Fig. 9—10 Project Manager, “Objects” tab and “Basic objects” folder................................................. 150
Fig. 9—11 Inserting basic objects ................................................................................................. 151
Fig. 9—12 Context menu of the "Floor plan" action window.............................................................. 152
Fig. 9—13 "Properties" window for cubes....................................................................................... 153
Fig. 9—14 "Properties" window for working surfaces ....................................................................... 154
Fig. 9—15 "Properties" window for pillars ...................................................................................... 156
Fig. 9—16 "Properties" window for partition walls ........................................................................... 157
Fig. 9—17 Main menu option File – Import -3D object… and “Open” window ...................................... 159
Fig. 9—18 "Scaling" window......................................................................................................... 160
Fig. 9—19 objects/furniture folder with an imported 3D object ......................................................... 160
Fig. 9—20 "Edit library” window ................................................................................................... 161
Fig. 9—21 Adding furniture from the library to the project ............................................................... 163
Fig. 9—22 3D objects/furniture folder with imported furniture .......................................................... 164
Fig. 9—23 Project Manager, “Objects” tab and "3D objects/furniture" folder ...................................... 164
Fig. 9—24 Insert 3D objects/furniture ........................................................................................... 165
Fig. 9—25 "Properties" window for 3D objects/furniture .................................................................. 166
Fig. 10—1 Indoor room project with different textures .................................................................... 168
Fig. 10—2 Opening the "Properties" window via the Project Manager ................................................ 169
Fig. 10—3 “Edit materials…” window ............................................................................................. 169
Fig. 10—4 "Select material" window.............................................................................................. 170
Fig. 10—5 Relux Texture Library – showing tiles as an example ....................................................... 171
Fig. 10—6 "Edit materials…" window with the selected texture; right: context menu ........................... 171
Fig. 10—7 "Process surface picture…" window with the "Reflectance (Rho)" tab.................................. 172
Fig. 10—8 Left: Original colour; right: modified colour .................................................................... 173
Fig. 10—9 "Edit surface picture…" window with the “Scaling” tab ...................................................... 174
Fig. 10—10 Door with a width entered by the user ......................................................................... 175
Fig. 10—11 Tiled material............................................................................................................ 175
Fig. 10—12 “Scale to fit object size” option.................................................................................... 176
Fig. 10—13 The “Scale to fit object size" option leads to distortion in the picture on the right .............. 176
Fig. 10—14 "Properties" window with the new texture..................................................................... 177
Fig. 10—15 "Objects" tab with the "Materials/textures" folder and the context menu .......................... 177
Fig. 10—16 Textures dragged on to walls, the floor and 3D objects with the mouse ............................ 178
Fig. 10—17 Select material…” window........................................................................................... 179
Fig. 10—18 “Open” window for picture selection............................................................................ 179
Fig. 10—19 "Define size of picture", "Name reflectance" and "Insert scale" windows .......................... 180
Fig. 10—20 The "Edit materials…" window with the new "Edit" button ............................................... 181
Fig. 11—1 Measuring element with the active side pointing up (left) and with the inactive side pointing
up (right) .................................................................................................................................. 183
Fig. 11—2 Measuring element with the active side pointing up (left) and with the inactive side pointing
up (right ................................................................................................................................... 183
Fig. 11—3 Project Manager, "Objects" tab, and "Measuring elements" directory ................................. 184
Fig. 11—4 Control centre with the “Insert new object” window ......................................................... 185
Fig. 11—5 Control centre with virtual measuring surface ................................................................. 185
Fig. 11—6 Context menu for the “Floor plan” action window ............................................................ 186
Fig. 11—7 Example: traffic roundabout – polygon surfaces .............................................................. 187
Fig. 11—8 Escape route: median line and area............................................................................... 187
Fig. 11—9 "Properties" window – Virtual measuring surface ............................................................. 188
Fig. 11—10 Position of the calculation grid..................................................................................... 190
Fig. 12—1 Calculation manager .................................................................................................... 192
Fig. 12—2 Calculation variants with windows in the room ................................................................ 193
Fig. 12—3 Calculating a multi-room project ................................................................................... 193
ANNEX 258
17.6 Index