A Lighting Simulation and Design Program (LSDP)

This computer program simulates a user-defined 'lighting configuration. It has been developed as a tn»o3 to aid in the design of exterior lighting systems. Although this program is used primarily for perimeter security lighting design, it has j*Bt«>nt i a 1 use for any application where the light •cam be approximated by a point source. A data base raff luminaire photometric information is maintained for use with this program. The user defines the surface area to be illuminated with a rectangular grid and specifies luminaire positions. Illumination values are calculated for regularly spaced podmts in that area and isolux contour plots are generated. The numerical and graphical output for a particular site model are then available for analysis. The amount of time spent on point-to-point il llnanination computations with this program is much Hess than that required for tedious hand calculations. The ease with which various parameters can toe interactively modified with the program also reotoces the time and labor expended. Consequently, ttoe feasibility of design ideas can be examined, imnwSiffiied, and retested more thoroughly, and overall dtesijpn costs can be substantially lessened by using this program as an adjunct to the design process.