10 ms·

Daylight Visualizer

113 points by breck 9y ago

ivanbakel 9y ago
Impressive splash page - but what makes this anything other than advertising? Is there something worth demonstrating on the technical side?
- teraflop 9y ago
  Yeah, I don't see what makes this software special. The main technical selling point seems to be the ability to provide quantitative illuminance values, but that feature has been available in both commercial (e.g. 3DS Max) and open-source (e.g. LuxRender) renderers for years.
- martinbundgaard 9y ago
  I think a bunch of HN readers are also interested in software product design. To me, this looks like a nice example of that. They appear to be taking a selection of fairly complicated functionality and packaging it so that non-technical people (architects?) can use it when discussing lighting options with people who they are helping design their houses.
  - Pulcinella 9y ago
    I wouldn't describe architects as "non-technical."
- abyssin 9y ago
  I thought it looked like a very clever way of advertising. It directly associates the brand with the idea of light.
matttproud 9y ago
Velux designs and manufactures fantastic windows. We had them in our German apartment and in few windows of our Swiss one. Folks in North America don't know what they are missing. Makes the highest quality windows available in the U.S. feel like they were bought at Wal-Mart.
- moomin 9y ago
  Got them in my loft. Love em.
- watty 9y ago
  Velux is at Lowe's and Home Depot in North America.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- tkubacki 9y ago
  Once I worked for roof window re-seller. They claimed that their competitor Fakro (fakro.com) is as good as Velux but has better quality/price balance.
knolan 9y ago
Reminds me of this blender/OpenFOAM based tool. https://www.ods-engineering.com/tools/ods-studio/ https://www.ods-engineering.com/tools/ods-studio/
mysterypie 9y ago
> promote the use of daylight I'd like to offer a contrary opinion about the obsession with daylight, floor to ceiling windows in new houses and condos, and glass skyscrapers. I'm fine with good artificial lighting. I don't mind some windows if it's a nice view or for fresh air (assuming the windows even open). But in my opinion, good man-made lighting is better and preferable to daylight. We don't live according to the sun's schedule anymore, so you do need artificial lightning for most of the time anyway. Optimizing houses and buildings for daylight leads to weird shapes (like those diagonal ceilings in the article), higher cost (of course), zoning wars when one building might cast a shadow on another, weaker structures, and terrible climate control (glass buildings trap more heat in summer and are colder in winter).
- ollifi 9y ago
  Standard lighting is way too dim and does not replace sunlight. It's very good idea to let as much sunlight in as possible. Even though it is only useful part of the day. Where I am from sun does not shine part of the year and living with artificial light only causes health issues to people.
- johanvts 9y ago
  In Denmark where Velux was developed sunlight can be pretty hard to come by and you want to absorb as much as possible. The windows work well for climate control, because the main concern is to capture heat, not get rid of it. About the cost you are right, windows are expensive. Regarding Velux it helps to know that the main shareholder is a non-profit foundation that was created by the founder. It supports a lot of scientific research among other things.
- CalRobert 9y ago
  Not to mention that for some of us, daylight is a scourge to be banished to the outdoors for much of the year. When I visit places with 4 AM sunrises and sheer curtains I wonder how anyone ever sleeps at all... Long ago I worked for a sporting goods retailer and edited photos of sporting equipment all day. The managers thought they were doing us a favour when they put us in a room with a dozen skylights. It was utterly, insanely, bright. After a week of staring at your own shirt's reflection in the monitor while trying to gauge colour (not to mention needing hats with brims or sunglasses indoors) we bought beach umbrellas to block out the skylights. Admittedly, this did make the office feel fun, but it definitely defeated the entire purpose of skylights. But then, I'm a little odd for preferring to work in my dark cave, I suppose. I just wish there were more openness to the idea that not everyone enjoys trying to look at a computer screen in a room as bright as a summer beach.
catpolice 9y ago
"Daylight visualizer" is basically my job title.

113 points by breck 9y ago

Impressive splash page - but what makes this anything other than advertising? Is there something worth demonstrating on the technical side?

teraflop 9y ago
Yeah, I don't see what makes this software special. The main technical selling point seems to be the ability to provide quantitative illuminance values, but that feature has been available in both commercial (e.g. 3DS Max) and open-source (e.g. LuxRender) renderers for years.
martinbundgaard 9y ago
I think a bunch of HN readers are also interested in software product design. To me, this looks like a nice example of that. They appear to be taking a selection of fairly complicated functionality and packaging it so that non-technical people (architects?) can use it when discussing lighting options with people who they are helping design their houses.
- Pulcinella 9y ago
  I wouldn't describe architects as "non-technical."
abyssin 9y ago
I thought it looked like a very clever way of advertising. It directly associates the brand with the idea of light.

matttproud 9y ago

Velux designs and manufactures fantastic windows. We had them in our German apartment and in few windows of our Swiss one. Folks in North America don't know what they are missing. Makes the highest quality windows available in the U.S. feel like they were bought at Wal-Mart.

moomin 9y ago
Got them in my loft. Love em.
watty 9y ago
Velux is at Lowe's and Home Depot in North America.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
tkubacki 9y ago
Once I worked for roof window re-seller. They claimed that their competitor Fakro (fakro.com) is as good as Velux but has better quality/price balance.

knolan 9y ago

Reminds me of this blender/OpenFOAM based tool. https://www.ods-engineering.com/tools/ods-studio/ https://www.ods-engineering.com/tools/ods-studio/

mysterypie 9y ago

> promote the use of daylight I'd like to offer a contrary opinion about the obsession with daylight, floor to ceiling windows in new houses and condos, and glass skyscrapers. I'm fine with good artificial lighting. I don't mind some windows if it's a nice view or for fresh air (assuming the windows even open). But in my opinion, good man-made lighting is better and preferable to daylight. We don't live according to the sun's schedule anymore, so you do need artificial lightning for most of the time anyway. Optimizing houses and buildings for daylight leads to weird shapes (like those diagonal ceilings in the article), higher cost (of course), zoning wars when one building might cast a shadow on another, weaker structures, and terrible climate control (glass buildings trap more heat in summer and are colder in winter).

ollifi 9y ago
Standard lighting is way too dim and does not replace sunlight. It's very good idea to let as much sunlight in as possible. Even though it is only useful part of the day. Where I am from sun does not shine part of the year and living with artificial light only causes health issues to people.
johanvts 9y ago
In Denmark where Velux was developed sunlight can be pretty hard to come by and you want to absorb as much as possible. The windows work well for climate control, because the main concern is to capture heat, not get rid of it. About the cost you are right, windows are expensive. Regarding Velux it helps to know that the main shareholder is a non-profit foundation that was created by the founder. It supports a lot of scientific research among other things.
CalRobert 9y ago
Not to mention that for some of us, daylight is a scourge to be banished to the outdoors for much of the year. When I visit places with 4 AM sunrises and sheer curtains I wonder how anyone ever sleeps at all... Long ago I worked for a sporting goods retailer and edited photos of sporting equipment all day. The managers thought they were doing us a favour when they put us in a room with a dozen skylights. It was utterly, insanely, bright. After a week of staring at your own shirt's reflection in the monitor while trying to gauge colour (not to mention needing hats with brims or sunglasses indoors) we bought beach umbrellas to block out the skylights. Admittedly, this did make the office feel fun, but it definitely defeated the entire purpose of skylights. But then, I'm a little odd for preferring to work in my dark cave, I suppose. I just wish there were more openness to the idea that not everyone enjoys trying to look at a computer screen in a room as bright as a summer beach.

catpolice 9y ago

"Daylight visualizer" is basically my job title.