IES file API

[csmilo]

Greetings,

Are there any functions available to interface with IES files? I am trying to build out a plugin to be able actually take photometric measurements in Vectorworks. Our company needs to start doing grid layouts, and frankly, AGI32 is crap. Not for the quality of the calculations, but the interface is horrible.

Anyway, are there any hooks into Renderworks, or anything else that would allow one to get the candela at a certain orientation and distance?

[PVA - Admin]

If you create a Light object in Custom configuration, you are able to load a distribution from an .IES file, but I have not worked with it much at all personally:

http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2015/NNA/eng/index.htm#t=VW2015_Guide%2FRendering%2FInserting_a_Custom_Light.htm&rhsearch=ies&rhhlterm=ies&rhsyns=%20

http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2015/NNA/eng/index.htm#t=VW2015_Guide%2FRendering%2FLight_Source_Properties.htm&rhsearch=ies&rhhlterm=ies&rhsyns=%20

[csmilo]

I understand that part. What I need to know is where in the API can I extract the information that Renderworks uses. Renderworks has to have some way to calculate the illumination from these files. Can I query a point to receive an Illumination factor?

[JBenghiat]

IES files are an open standard and the data is a simple text file. Vectorworks use of the IES file is part of the rendering algorithm, so there is not really a way to access RW's calculations from an API. You can read data from the IES file and perform calculations. Perhaps searching for a Python IES library would be the first step.

-Josh