Materials

The Materials panel is used to assign materials for lighting simulation. Each object in a Rhino model is located on a layer. ClimateStudio uses these layers to assign material properties to scene objects. When setting up a model, objects with different material properties should be placed on different layers, with each layer given an appropriate material. Objects on layers without an assigned material are ignored by all lighting simulations.

To assign a layer material, left-click on the material row next to the layer. A Select Material dialog will appear, letting you browse through ClimateStudio’s extensive library of measured materials:

Material Browser

The library is divided into nine material categories:

• Opaque Material

• Exterior Glass (with Dynamic Shade (optional))

• Exterior Glass (Electrochromic)

• Exterior Glass (Translucent Insulating)

• Interior Glass

• Dynamic Leaf

• Dynamic Snow

• Scheduled Material

• Custom Material

Use the dropdown (1) to switch between categories. Click on a row in the table (5) to change the current selection. The table is searchable (4) and its columns are sortable. The visual and physical properties of the selected material, as well as any relevant dynamic characteristics, are displayed in the panel (2) above the table

Once you are happy with your selection, click the Select button to apply the material to all selected layers. The Clear button will remove materials from all selected layers. Click Cancel to forgo any changes.

Dynamic Materials

Several material categories, including Exterior Glass (with Dynamic Shade), Exterior Glass (Electrochromic), Dynamic Leaf, Dynamic Snow, and Scheduled Material, contain materials or systems that change depending on the time of day or year. Exterior glass systems, for example, include (optional) shades that open or close in response to visual comfort conditions. Dynamic leaves, meanwhile, disappear or change color depending on the season and latitude.

When conducting annual simulations, ClimateStudio uses multiversal ray tracing to capture all of these dynamic conditions in a single run. Generally speaking, the engine computes the dynamic schedules automatically, but some of the systems permit customization (e.g. switching between manual and automated blinds controls). For point-in-time simulations such as renderings, states are either derived from the annual schedule or set by the user. For a detailed description of behavior and control options, follow the links for each type of dynamic material above.