The application of RAD files entered as “context” which get included in the calculations for the daylight matrix only, and not to the subtraction or addition of the direct sun contribution in a five-phase method, severely limits the utility of this input path. This current mode of operation means that adjacent buildings or anything else that shades the window cannot be entered via a .rad file, which is a limitation that would hopefully be eliminated in the future. I would expect this file to include adjacent structures, but it appears it can only be used for elements that are below the window in height, which many users may not apply correctly.
I would also like to see a separate path for .rad file input to be applied to the interior world (for the calculation v matrix) for all aspects of a five-phase simulation. These seem like very small changes, but they would be a great improvement to the operation of HB+.
Hi @RMistrick, Thank you for posting the issue here.
If this is a case then it’s a mistake. The Rad files should be included in direct calculation as well. I’m in the process of making a number of major changes to Honeybee recipe structures which I mention in more details below and prefer not to work on the current code if you can use the HBSurfaces input for now but if it is an urgent matter I can take a look and try to get it also fixed for the current version.
This is a great suggestion and has been on my radar for some time. I have been working to come up with a standard folder structure for Radiance projects to support such needs without the need to make changes to all our recipes every time.
In a sense it is a similar effort to what project STADIC was trying to achieve through this project but it is based on folder structure and not a JSON file which should make it more appealing to non-developers and day to day radiance users.
You can see the proposed folder structure for geometry folders here:
Inside project_folder/scene/scene folder there are separate folders for interior vs exterior. The folders are both optional and are considered to address what you mentioned above (separation of geometries for view matrix vs daylight matrix).
In the new workflow once the folder is provided one should be able to run it from command line using honeybee recipes. e.g. daylight-factor ., five-phase . and so on.
Honeybee will also generate the folders first from Grasshopper/Dynamo/… and uses the same command line approach. It will provide several other benefits including the fact that one can create the folders manually or from any other interface and the study should run with no issues.
Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for the folder structure. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to finish them after the first commit 7 months ago! but I have to get back to them very soon to update them for our cloud-based services. Any suggestions from the folder structure to naming will be really helpful. For instance using scene/scene is not really the best naming strategy but I couldn’t come up with a better one.
but I have to get back to them very soon to update them for our cloud-based services. Any suggestions from the folder structure to naming will be really helpful. For instance using