Better "Incadesent Fixture" Tool

[Tom Klaber]

The Incandescent Fixture tool needs a big overhaul - it should be the Lighting Fixture tool and should have the following capabilities:

1) Both Default + Custom 2D + 3D geometry. 

2) Type (Style) control.  So that I can select the fixture and select C4 from my list and have it update to the project type of C4.

3) Wattage Info for scheduling and energy Calcs

4) Built in ability to be lighting elements for Renders (Ability to turn on and off individually or by circuit.

5) Ability to be flush mounted in Slab objects without having to cut the slab (the same way doors work in walls). 

6) Story aware placement.

7)Ability to connect lights into circuits and assign those circuits to switch locations in an intelligent way.  (ie - select the ligth switch and have all lights controlled by the switch highlight)

 

 

[Thomas Wagensommerer]

This tool would need my proposed "Flexible Plugin Object". Depending on menu choice you would want a point object, linear object or rectangle object.

[Tom Klaber]

@Thomas Wagensommerer - Not sure what the Flexible Plugin Object is.  Send me a link to the thread.  I was thinking that any hybrid symbol could be used as a Lighting Object.  So it would be up to you to build or import the fixture you wanted - include a pint or linear light if desired.  Then you could go to the lighting object manager - and set up your types.  Assign the correct symbols to your project types.  Then you could use the tool to place the fixture in the project - and use the family of electrical circuiting tools to put together your circuit plans.  

[Thomas Wagensommerer]

If I were the developer for your new Lighting Fixture tool I would want a spot to be like a regular symbol, a led stripe behave like a line or polygon and a lighting screen behave like a rectangle. Currently this is not possible within a single tool. So I suggested a new type of object for plugin development.

[Thomas Wagensommerer]

I hope this made sense. If not, I humbly apologize. I have no experience whatsoever with Lighting Objects.

[Tom Klaber]

I see where you are going, but since we deal with actual products (we deal with LED strips a lot, but the actual length is not important) I am more concerned about an intelligent resource management in the tool - that will keep track of the different lighting types I have, allow those types to have associated 2D + 3D geometry that correctly interacts with other building elements, allows me to schedule and make broad changes to fixtures of a type, and then easily allows me to make circuit and switching plans.  So while not mutually exclusive with the ability for a version of these objects to behave like simple 2D lines and rectangles - that is much secondary to the intelligent information rich BIMy behavior and management that I need.  

[mgries]

I noticed that VW2018 has included incandescent fixture as one of the new and exciting "style" based plug-ins. I'm not running 18 yet. Can anyone report on what added benefits the style based version brings to the table?