Synopsis

RADIANCE is a physically-based lighting simulation program developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories in the US. It is used for the simulation and analysis of both natural and artificial lighting environments.

This tutorial explains how to download and install RADIANCE on a computer running Windows XP, for use in conjunction with ECOTECT.

Duration

You will need about 15 minutes to complete this tutorial.

Training and Accreditation

This tutorial does not relate to Square One training and accreditation packages, and is provided for informational purposes only.

Resources Required

To complete this tutorial, you will need access to the Internet and administrator access privileges in order to download and install Desktop Radiance.

Tutorial

Downloading and installing RADIANCE

1. In your preferred web browser, go to the following URL: [http://radsite.lbl.gov/downloads/drad20b_zip.zip], which will start the download process for version 2.00 beta of Desktop Radiance. Save the ZIP archive to a known location on your computer, such as Desktop or My Documents. The file is approximately 72Mb in size, and should take around 30 mins or so to download with a broadband internet connection.
   

   Download the Desktop Radiance ZIP archive.
2. Once the download has completed, extract the ZIP archive using your preferred compression software. In this screenshot, we are using the Compressed Folders utility that comes as part of Windows XP.
   

   Extract the files from the ZIP archive.
3. You will be prompted to enter a password in order to extract files from the ZIP archive. The password is [em]saveenergy[/em]. Enter the password and then click Ok to proceed.
   

   The password is 'saveenergy'.
   
4. Once finished, navigate to the folder where you extracted the files, and double-click on the Setup.exe file. This starts the Installation program for Desktop Radiance. Click Next, and then again to continue.
   
   
   

   Start the Radiance installation wizard.
5. Read the software license agreement (does anyone do this?), and then click Yes to proceed.
6. Specify the destination folder where to install Desktop Radiance. Unless you have a good reason to do so, accept the default location and click Next.
   

   Specify the destination folder.
7. Choose the setup type. If you intend to only use Desktop Radiance in conjunction with ECOTECT, select the Radiance for Windows option and then click Next.
   

   Specify the installation type.
8. Now choose the destination folder to install Desktop Radiance (yes, you've already done this, but do it again - this is a beta version, remember?). Again, unless you have a good reason to do so, accept the default location and click Next.
   

   Choose the destination folder again.
9. Select the Program Folder. Once again, unless you have a good reason to do so, accept the default name and click Next. Then confirm your installation selections on the next screen, and then click Next to proceed with the installation.
   

   Confirm the installation selections and then click Next to proceed.
10. A dialogue box will appear, checking if you have the necessary security permissions to be able to install the software. If you do, the dialogue box will look something like the following, and you can then click Ok to proceed. If not, you may need to contact your computer/network administrator in order to proceed with the installation.
    

    If you have the correct access privileges, you will see this dialogue box.
    
11. The Desktop Radiance installation process will pause for a few seconds, and then the following error message appears. Just click Ok to proceed (beta version, remember?). The installation process should then proceed without any further interruptions.
    

    Radiance should now install without any further problems.
12. Once the installation has completed, click Finish to exit the installation program. You have now installed Desktop Radiance, but there's still one more thing to do. Before proceeding, you may wish to restart your computer at this point.
    

    Click Finish to complete the installation of Radiance.

Configuring ECOTECT

1. You now need to configure ECOTECT so that it knows where to find the Desktop Radiance data files. Launch ECOTECT, and then go to the File»User Preferences... menu item.
2. In the dialogue box that appears, click on the General tab. Scroll down to the bottom of the list, and under the 3rd Party Tools section, double-click on the RADIANCE Directory entry.
   

   Double-click to edit the Radiance directory location.
3. A dialogue box appears asking you to locate the RAD.EXE executable file, the main system file for Desktop Radiance. If you installed it to the default location, navigate to the C:\Radiance\bin\ folder - find and select the RAD.EXE file and then click Open. Then click Ok to complete the configuration.
   

   Select the RAD.EXE file.

That's it! You have now installed and configured Desktop Radiance to work with Ecotect. If you're ready to start using Radiance with Ecotect to do a lighting simulation, have a look at the Daylighting and Artificial Lighting training packages for tutorials.