Abstract:

In lighting design education, a lighting laboratory would be a great asset to enhance the learning experience of students, especially when the quality of light is concerned in terms of visual effects. However, building and maintaining a physical lighting laboratory requires substantial fiscal commitment and technical supports. This is difficult for most of the schools to support lighting design class projects. This paper discusses the benefits of using digital lighting simulation technology in combination with a web-based lighting control interface to create virtual lighting experiment environments in a lighting design class for interior design students.

The students first build the 3D models of their interested space using a CAD program of their choice; the models are then imported into lighting simulation program (3DS MAX Design) to do lighting simulation. The simulation uses luminaire photometric files obtained from lighting manufacturers’ websites. The simulation results in rendered images of lighting scene of each lighting system separately. The images are connected in an html file that allows each lighting system to be adjusted with sliders. This html file can be placed on website for others to control the lighting systems and learn the effects of the individual systems and their combinations in layers.

The use of the virtual lighting laboratory in the interior lighting design class shows the following benefits.
1) The software of both CAD and the lighting simulation program is free for student use, and therefore, there is no cost to the school.
2) Since most of the lighting manufacturers provide their luminaire photometric files, the simulation can have unlimited number of luminaires available.
3) The spaces for experiment can be constructed in virtual reality at will without limit. The experimental space with lighting created by students can be saved and used as demonstration cases.
4) The virtual lighting laboratory can provide virtual design-build feedback faster than a physical lighting laboratory. The students can then focus on the design issues without the distraction of construction of the experiment settings.
5) The web-based virtual lighting control interface provides a dynamic lighting environment for the student to experience the coordinated effects of lighting design.
6) The web-based virtual lighting laboratory can be used as design presentation to communicate with people in remote locations.
7) The web-based virtual lighting laboratory html file is easy to edit. Any student with experience using Notepad can do it.

Keywords:

Interior lighting design education, virtual lighting laboratory, lighting simulation.