Can GH automatize the process making .ill files to .csv files? + any solution to make 8760 UDI values in LBT?

Hello,
i wanna convert ill to csv automatically in GH-LBT to make lighting schedule according to UDI results on HB.
But you know, UDI results come out from annual daylight component only result in sun-up hours. so i add sun-set hours on that results like this (the blue column) and match UDI values (the yellow column) :


UDI_SAMPLE.csv (140.9 KB)

i used excel macro stuffs to make this cvs file, so i dont know how it works… anyway, i import the cvs file in GH and make the lighting schedule according to UDI like this:

0729_UDI_AL.gh (117.2 KB)

My quesntion is:

  1. Can LBT automatize the process making .ill files to .csv files?
  2. Any solution to make 8760 illuminances value from annual daylight in LBT? (no way to add sun set hours??)

thank you for any response!

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I have never worked with ill files, but I have used python in similar conversions between simple file formats that are easy to decode and encode

Hi ae,
if you don’t mind, could you share the file conversion python code?
i have not worked in python since i made codes above.
it would be very appreciate if you give me a help…!

.ill files are CSV files.

They just use a white space for a delimiter instead of a comma. So all that you really need to do to make a .ill file into a .csv is to change the file extension.

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Hi chris,
i understand that .ill file is CSV file.
then is there no solution to make 8760 illuminance values (not just sun-up times, whole a year sheet) from annual daylight component in LBT tool?

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Ok, I have something that should make you happy, then @Alex999 . There’s a new component in the development version of the LBT plugin, which can import the illuminance values of the .ill files as Data Collections. It’s called “HB Annual Results to Data” and it can import illuminance values for specific sensors or for the whole analysis:

This allows you to visualize the illuminance values using the LBT Ladybug visualization components. It also means that you can deconstruct the Data Collection into a Grasshopper data tree with 8760 values for each sensor. Then, you can write them into excel or do whatever you like with them.

Also, given that your original goal was to develop electric lighting dimming schedules, you may also be happy to know that I added a component to automate this process:

Here’s a sample file that shows you how to use both of the new components:
annual_daylight.gh (87.3 KB)
Note that you’ll have to upgrade to the development version of the LBT plugin (with the LB Versioner) and restart Rhino/Grasshopper in order to be able to use the sample file.

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Thank you for kind answer! it helps a lot :smiley:

Hi Chris,

The daylight control schedule is a great tool! But its logic is once the ill exceeds the setpoint, the light is dimmed; it doesn’t consider the time when the ill is above the UDI upper bound, e.g., 2000 lux, where “blinds down, lights on” may happen, am I right?
I’m still trying to figure out how to model the “blinds down, lights on” hours. I may use the annual results to data component to read the ill result, and then define the daylight harvesting schedule myself. If you have any suggestion, please share.
I’m also doing tests to see how partial sensor grid coverage works, i.e., if the sensor grid covers only the perimeter space (say 5 meters) of a deep open office. If you have sample files, that would be the best.
Thank you!