VELUX Daylight Visualizer helps optimize daylight conditions

VELUX Daylight Visualizer is a professional software tool for analyzing and simulating lighting conditions in buildings. This intuitive program developed by the roof window manufacturer VELUX allows architects and designers to create visualizations and photometric analyses, determine daylight factor, and process year-round balances and sunlight studies.

The user-friendly program offers several unique features when designing, primarily the ability to accurately simulate and quantify various levels of daylighting in interiors. It also allows for comparisons of daylight illumination before and after, creating simple 3D models (with both roof windows and skylights as well as facade windows), and of course generating reports. With the VELUX Daylight Visualizer, professionals can be confident that none of their projects will lack sufficient daylight.

Light improves health, mood, and performance

Daylight shapes the experience of space like no other element and is a cornerstone for designing healthy and sustainable buildings. Every expert knows that daylight needs to be considered early in the building design phase. A good daylighting design can reduce energy consumption in a building and improve the health, mood, and performance of its occupants—whether it’s a home, school, or workplace. The degree of sunlight is strongly influenced by the design of the building envelope, as well as its geometric proportions, orientation to the cardinal directions, surrounding terrain, and buildings. Precisely defining the level of daylighting is therefore a complex task, but it can be much simpler with the use of the VELUX Daylight Visualizer. This tool can be used to evaluate a wide range of building types, from small to truly large, and has no restrictions regarding the complexity of the geometries of the models being assessed.

Rooms with deep layouts often suffer from a lack of daylight

Daylight Visualizer can better simulate and quantify levels of daylighting compared to standard CAD

Thanks to user-friendly navigation and an intuitive interface, working with the program is very easy and can be quickly learned. Using the integrated modeller, professionals can create 3D models with both roof windows or skylights and facade windows within minutes. It is also possible to import existing projects from BIM/CAD software. Very detailed 3D models can be imported from Revit, Archicad, Autocad, SketchUp, Rhino, and others. The main difference between the Daylight Visualizer and commonly used CAD programs is that it allows for the accurate simulation and quantification of daylighting levels in interiors, while standard CAD programs only perform 3D rendering without information about the amount and quality of daylight in the space. If you would like to see how the program works in practice, check out the video tutorials here!

Working environment of the Daylight Visualizer program

With the VELUX Daylight Visualizer, you can explore and optimize daylight conditions in any space. It is suitable for both standard and complex window systems. It visualizes the appearance of daylight in photorealistic images and quantifies the amount and distribution of daylight in images with false colors. Among other features, the program allows for the visualization of brightness, glare, and daylighting levels or shows the redirection of sunlight using light tubes. Architects can even simulate window systems (CFS) and shading products with BSDF materials.

Comparison of computer visualization (left) and a photo from a completed project (right)

The reporting system allows for the generation of automated reports with user-defined daylight measurement zones and evaluates and documents compliance with the European daylight standard for buildings EN 17037. Simulation results have been validated using the ENTPE system and compared with test cases in CIE 171:2006 Test Cases to Assess the Accuracy of Lighting Computer Programs.

Become a leader in daylight design with the VELUX Daylight Visualizer and design brighter and healthier buildings for everyone. Download the VELUX Daylight Visualizer for Mac and Windows.

For more information, visit www.velux.cz