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Purpose

The purpose of this tutorial is to provide an overview of DIALux. In this tutorial we will present the DIALux graphical user interface and its basic functionalities. DIALux can be used for planning of indoor lighting, exterior scenes and street lighting; throughout tutorials 2, 3 and 4 we will walk you through different indoor, outdoor and street lighting scenes, and we will introduce different DIALux features.

Download and Installation

DIALux can be downloaded from DIAL’s homepage (www.DIAL.de). Once you have downloaded the DIALux setup.exe file on your hard-disk, double-click on the file to start the installation. Follow the simple instructions on the screen to complete the process. DIALux requires version 5.5 or later of Microsoft Internet Explorer.

What is DIALux?

It is a free software developed by Dial for effective and professional light planning. With DIALux you can simply create photorealistic visualizations of your own virtual worlds. Similarly, it is possible to import CAD data of other architecture programs and different 3D models from the internet. DIALux enables you to build daylight and artificial light scenarios through which, you can glide with camera runs. Above all, you can carry out different lighting calculations, and issue normative documentation to validate your design. Upon startup of DIALux, you will be prompted with the Welcome dialogue screen, where you can select your indoor, outdoor or street lighting project. If you already have an existing project, select Open Project.

Figure 1 Welcome Screen

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The DIALux User Interface DIALux has adopted the user interface of Windows XP. The user interface is divided into three main work areas:

• Project Manager

• CAD – Window

• The Guide Different features and edit options under these three work areas enable the proper and effective planning of lighting installations within DIALux.

Figure 2 DIALux GUI

CAD Window The CAD window is used for the interactive lighting design. With the mouse, you can graphically select, rotate, zoom, move and roam the room, the street or the exterior scene:

• Left-button: used to trigger the selected option in the graphical user interface. • Middle button (scroll wheel): used to move the lighting scene. It is

also used to zoom in or out, if scrolled up or down within the GUI.

• Right button: Depending on the selected object and the working area, various options can be accessed. Similarly, you can right-click inside the room to access the select, rotate, zoom, move and roam options; these options can also be selected from the toolbar menu.

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Figure 3 CAD Window

In addition to the 3D view, you can use the ground view, side view and the front view to create your model. You can obtain different views of your planning using the View toolbar. Similarly, you can right-click inside the room to select the 3D view or the ground view of your design. Use the tabs at the top of the CAD window to toggle between different views.

Figure 4 Different CAD Window Views

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Project Manager

The Project Manager includes the Inspector and the respective tree structure of the Project, Objects, Colors, Luminaire Selection and Output menus. The Project Manager enables a smooth workflow with the elements used in your design. Elements can be individually selected and their properties can be viewed and modified in the Inspector.

Project menu

The Project menu organizes the global project information such as the project name, contact/address information, and the location. The Inspector lists different room, exterior scene and street elements. The following figure depicts an indoor scene, where the room consists of room defining surfaces (work plane, floor and ceiling), walls, objects, and luminaires.

Figure 5 Project Menu

Objects menu

The Objects menu enables the user to add new furniture to the project. It consists of seven main subdirectories: standard elements, room elements, windows and doors, exterior scene and elements, sports facilities, calculation surfaces, points and grids, and object files. You can simply add different elements to your project via the mouse using “drag and drop”. Once you have inserted an object into your project, you can select it and change its properties under the Project Manager.

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Figure 6 Object Menu

DIALux allows the user to create and delete new object folders; the user can also move/copy objects from one directory/folder to another.

Colors menu Using the Colors menu the user can modify the surface properties of the room elements. The Colors menu consists of four main subdirectories: textures, colors, light colors and color filter. The textures and colors can be applied to different room surfaces, and the light colors and color filter are applicable to the luminaires. The user can simply insert a texture via the mouse using “drag and drop”. Once you have you selected a texture, you can view and modify its properties under Project Manager. Similar to the Objects menu, you can create and delete new folders, and you can move/copy textures from one directory/folder to another.

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Figure 7 Color Menu

Luminaire Selection menu The Luminaire Selection menu enables the user to insert luminaires into the project. From the tree structure of the Luminaire Selection menu you can import luminaires. Double-clicking on the Not Installed Catalogs will open the internet homepage of the manufacturer, where you can download different Plugins to your DIALux database. If you do not wish to download the Plugins, you can directly import luminaires from the manufacturer’s website; double-click on the Online Catalogues of a manufacturer and select a luminaire directly from their website. Keep in mind that the Inspector differentiates between a luminaire arrangement and individual luminaires. Luminaire Arrangement is used to change/modify physical properties (luminaire type, position, arrangement, mounting height, etc…) of the luminaire. To change the technical properties (flux, power, PF, filter, etc…) of your luminaire select individual luminaires.

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Figure 8 Luminaire Selection Menu

You can also import your own luminaire IES files into DIALux. DIALux treats imported IES files a “point source“. Therefore, you do not need to model individual LEDs within a fixture; in other words, you must simply specify the properties of the fixture as a whole. While software is running in the background, locate your file, right-click on it and select insert into DIALux Project. Once you have inserted your luminaire into your project, you can modify its properties under Project Manager.

Figure 9 Importing IES Files

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Output menu The Output menu is used to display different outputs/calculations. The user can select different outputs/calculations to be displayed on the screen or to be exported as a .pdf document. To view an output type on the screen, double-click on the corresponding icon. To view an output type on a separate window, right-click on the output icon and select Open in New Window.

Figure 10 Output Menu

To print, select the desired output types from the tree structure and follow the command File → Print Preview → Print.

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Figure 11 Output Menu – Printing Outputs

Similarly, to export different outputs as a .pdf document, select the required output types from the tree structure, select the PDF icon from the main toolbar menu and save the document.

Figure 12 Output Menu – Exporting Output

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The Guide

The Guide enables the user to access all the necessary steps for quick and efficient light planning. It consists of seven sub-menus: Indoor Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, Street Lighting, Light Scenes, Emergency Lighting, Daylight, Energy Evaluation, Sport Site Lighting, and Adjust Guide. If The Guide is hidden, you can access it from the Window → Display guide window.

Figure 13 The Guide

The Guide can be customized based on the user’s needs. From the Adjust Guide check/uncheck the task areas you want to show/hide, and apply your selection.

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Figure 14 Adjust Guide