Useful support to help you plan your lighting layout

aqr81 · Sep 5, 2010

I have recently been wading my way through deciding upon a lighting plan and want to share a few things. First, start by doing your research here and on the web.

Next, go to Lithonia’s site – you can get to their resources HERE. Download and install “Vision” which will help you with all the calculations and layout for your project. If you don’t set up an account for software usage, it will expire at the 30 day mark. All the tools are there for you for free. You can download the photometric file from the mfg and select the light fixtures you are considering for use.

You will need to enter all the pertinent parameters; length, width, height, reflectance, work plane height, mounting height, select the lighting fixture etc. It will even let you change layout by rotating the fixture 90 degrees. You select the variable: fc, lux etc. The software does all the calculations and shows you the results of average illumination, layout with the specs for spacing.

When you are doing comparisons of various lighting options make sure to have the parameters set correctly and consistently:

Make sure your working plane is set at the correct height
Set the fixtures at the same elevation (check the software and try different heights and see impact of these changes)
Consider low bay lights and direct lighting over work benches
There are many references on the web for various lighting requirements depending on the type of work being performed. More is better and can be controlled with multiple switched circuits.
Don’t forget to search here and do a lot of reading of available information on lighting layout…

I hope you also find this tool to be useful and a big help to you in your efforts and decision making around your lighting plan. Good luck!

Larry

fflintstone · Sep 6, 2010

I was hopeful that this program would help me with a lighting layout. After a successful download I launched the program and only got halfway thru it before asked for photometry files and there were not any in the library provided. All in all it seem to require more information than the download provided.

aqr81 · Sep 6, 2010

fflinstone, you just didn't poke around enough in the program and use the help function. Go HERE and you will be able to download by mfg. You will need to open that file and then put the files in the photometrics folder in the Vision program itself. It helps to know which fixtures you are interested in first, then dl the appropriate files. All the info you need is really there...

I hope this helps you.

fflintstone · Sep 9, 2010

I finally got to use the software and for my usage it put things on a simple grid.
It told me I would need about 20% more fixtures than I thought necessary to provide a “power density” of 2W per Sq ft. I think I will be settling for about 1.75W per Sq. ft.
I did not play around with spots for task lighting and what not.
Maybe I will play with it more later.

aqr81 · Sep 9, 2010

I'm glad you got it working for you and hope you also found it to be helpful.

halltrail · Sep 12, 2010

Hey aqr81, thanks for posting the link up. Im having fun with the program...as Im about to install some lights.

aqr81 · Sep 12, 2010

halltrail, I'm glad you find it useful. It sure did the trick for me; and it is pretty cool playing with it by changing the variables to see how it impacts the recommended layout. :thumbup:

KYGTP · Sep 27, 2010

I just tried to mess with this program, and I guess I just have NO idea how or what I want. 90% of the questions that need to fill out in order to proceed, I don't have any answers too. :headscrat

It seems to ask alot of tech. question, but maybe I am not doing it correctly. I was hoping for a simple program, but I guess if you want it done correctly it is best to have all the information, which I don't have or don't understand.

If anyone can help me, then that would be great, but at this point I have no idea what brand lights I am going to get and I don't fully understand what all the "jargon" is that needs to be filled in.

My electrician started today, so I am under the gun on how to figure all of this out in a VERY short amount of time. He was supposed to start at the end of the week, but started today and I am not prepared. :wtf:

fflintstone · Sep 28, 2010

KYGTP said:
I just tried to mess with this program, and I guess I just have NO idea how or what I want. 90% of the questions that need to fill out in order to proceed, I don't have any answers too.

It seems to ask alot of tech. question, but maybe I am not doing it correctly. I was hoping for a simple program, but I guess if you want it done correctly it is best to have all the information, which I don't have or don't understand.

If anyone can help me, then that would be great, but at this point I have no idea what brand lights I am going to get and I don't fully understand what all the "jargon" is that needs to be filled in.

My electrician started today, so I am under the gun on how to figure all of this out in a VERY short amount of time. He was supposed to start at the end of the week, but started today and I am not prepared.

General rule of thumb is 2watts of light per sq foot (that’s what light density was in the program) if your shop is say 1,500 Sq feet then you want 3000 watts of light total.
You will most likely use a fixture with 4 32w t8 lamps (128watts total per fixture)
Roughly 24 fixtures. You should space them out evenly. You can run up to 1500 watts on a 14A circuit but I wouldn’t go that high. I would break them up in 3 groups of 8 fixtures 1000w ea.
You may want to add task lighting depending on what you are doing.

Thruxton · Feb 19, 2011

Just found this thread, downloaded Visual - great program! Easy to use, very useful. Many thanks Larry for the post.

aqr81 said:
I have recently been wading my way through deciding upon a lighting plan and want to share a few things. First, start by doing your research here and on the web.

Next, go to Lithonia’s site – you can get to their resources HERE. Download and install “Vision” which will help you with all the calculations and layout for your project. If you don’t set up an account for software usage, it will expire at the 30 day mark. All the tools are there for you for free. You can download the photometric file from the mfg and select the light fixtures you are considering for use.

You will need to enter all the pertinent parameters; length, width, height, reflectance, work plane height, mounting height, select the lighting fixture etc. It will even let you change layout by rotating the fixture 90 degrees. You select the variable: fc, lux etc. The software does all the calculations and shows you the results of average illumination, layout with the specs for spacing.

When you are doing comparisons of various lighting options make sure to have the parameters set correctly and consistently:

Make sure your working plane is set at the correct height

Set the fixtures at the same elevation (check the software and try different heights and see impact of these changes)

Consider low bay lights and direct lighting over work benches

There are many references on the web for various lighting requirements depending on the type of work being performed. More is better and can be controlled with multiple switched circuits.

Don’t forget to search here and do a lot of reading of available information on lighting layout…

I hope you also find this tool to be useful and a big help to you in your efforts and decision making around your lighting plan. Good luck!

Larry

hevnbnd · Feb 19, 2011

I for one am NOT a fan of this program at all. It took me from needing 4 lights to buying 17.

Tsunami · Feb 19, 2011

Still trying to figure out what it takes for a 36X60 with 15 feet high ceilings. Would like to have on three or four circuits. Went to Lowes and looked at 4 foot T8 dual bulb fixtures. Any recommendations. Problem downloading the app.

hevnbnd · Feb 19, 2011

Get the 8' T8 Fixtures from Home Depot. NOT FROM LOWES. They are $40 each at home depot and have 4 t8 bulbs in each fixture.

TNDan · Apr 16, 2011

I'm just now building a 30x60 with 13 foot ceilings. Sounds close to yours. What did you end up doing and would you do anything differently? Thanks for the help.

Mystic_Cobra · Oct 16, 2013

Working on a lighting layout. I already have three 4 ft double T8 fixtures in the garage and will be reconfiguring and adding more.
Is there a conversion from watts to lumens for the advice above? With CFL and LED technology, watts don't really work anymore, right?
OR was the above based on the assumption that we are using fluorescent tubes?

aqr81 · Nov 4, 2013

You can go the Home Depot or Lowes site and look up the bulb you are interested in. Depending on the light value you desire it will give you the lumen output for the bulb.

Larry

Charles (in GA) · Nov 4, 2013

Go to www.lithonia.com

Then select the lighting area you are considering, for example "fluorescent and LED High Bay"

http://lithonia.com/pt/fluorescent+and+led+high+bay/#.Unhn03C-2uI

Then select the type of lighting you might consider, for example the I-Beam series from the featured products section.............

http://lithonia.acuitybrands.com/IBEAM/IBEAMhome.aspx

Then select "Specification Data" from the LH menu....

http://www.lithonia.com/commercial/ibz.html?pt=Fluorescent and LED High Bay#.UnhofnC-2uI

Then from the menu on the right, select the "Photometric Data"

http://www.lithonia.com/commercial/ibz.html?pt=Fluorescent and LED High Bay#.UnhofnC-2uI

The fourth item down looks promising. IBZ 432 WDU which means it is an I-Beam series fixture, with 4 ea 32 watt lamps (meaning they are T8) and with Wide Distribution and Uplighting.

To the left of the descriptions is two boxes, one has a couple of red "arrows" pointing down, and the other has a red and blue squiggly line. Select the one with the red and blue lines, click on it.

http://www.visual-3d.com/tools/photometricViewer/default.aspx?id=31494

You are now at the Visual-3D online page with the data for that fixture. From the menu at the top, select the "Interior" button and you get an interior layout. Change the dimensions, the reflectivity, etc, and you get some sense of how many fixtures you need of the type you have selected.

http://www.visual-3d.com/tools/interior/Default.aspx?id=31494

Sometimes it doesn't update properly when you make changes, you may have to back out and re-start it.

Charles

Useful support to help you plan your lighting layout

aqr81

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fflintstone

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aqr81

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fflintstone

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aqr81

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halltrail

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aqr81

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KYGTP

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fflintstone

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Thruxton

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hevnbnd

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Tsunami

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hevnbnd

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TNDan

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Mystic_Cobra

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aqr81

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Charles (in GA)

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