2.5. Cameras and Grids

Once you have created geometry, assigned materials, and (if necessary) set up a sky environment, you have the complete makings of a static daylighting scene. Now comes the task of setting up measuring devices, so that data about the scene can be gathered. DIVA for Grasshopper contains two types of measuring devices, which collect different types of information about the light observed at a point (or points) in a model.

• Cameras collect luminance data from a view point looking in a particular direction, much like a physical camera or human eye. The resulting images can be used to quantitatively assess visual comfort, identify potential sources of glare, or understand the visual appearance of a scene.

• Grids, meanwhile, collect illuminance data, or the total luminous flux incident at various points on a surface. Grids are useful for understanding the amount of light available for completing a task (such as doing office work at your desk, or powering a PV panel), and are the basis of LEED's spatial daylight metrics.