AGi32：evaluate your work

Evaluate Your Work

 

AGi32 offers a dynamic and intuitive working environment to evaluate your calculated results, make changes and fine tune your projects to meet specifications.

 

Value highlighting is one very effective method to see a project’s weak points at a glance. Monitor the overall statistics for all calculations, even those that are not currently visible from the Statistics window.

 

 

Modeling

 

AGi32 provides the tools needed to model many common architectural spaces. Using shapes like barrel vaults, cones, spheres, pyramids and vertical extrusions, you can build complex geometries directly in AGi32.

 

However, if you already have a three-dimensional CAD model composed of surface information, it can be imported and utilized as if created internally. Surface properties such as color, reflectance, texture and surface type (glass for example) can be easily assigned during the import process.

 

AGi32 imports and exports DWG and DXF formats using the Autodesk RealDWG® toolkit.

 

Our free plug-in for Trimble® SketchUp® exports to an intermediate format (LaiDex) readable by AGi32.

 

AGi32 created architectural geometry

 

3D CAD model of Boeing 737 imported

 

For simple point by point calculations with no surfaces (exterior site lighting for example), AGi32 can easily import two-dimensional CAD drawings to be used as a background reference.

 

Object Libraries

 

AGi32 is delivered with a number of factory-provided library objects that may be used at any time to add detail, scale and realism to any lighting project.

 

Objects you create or import from CAD or SketchUp® can also be added to custom libraries and organized to suit your needs.

 

 

Rendering

 

Radiosity AGi32's rendering engine uses the latest developments in radiosity techniques to compute the direct and interreflected components of light in your environment. Radiosity calculations can accurately model color bleed, enhancing the realism of your visualizations.

 

All calculations performed in Full Radiosity calculation method produce a radiosity based rendering automatically. This rendering can be viewed interactively without recalculation. Available interactive tools include Walk, Orbit, Pan, Dolly, Zoom and Clip.

 

 

Texture Mapping Textures are bitmap images that may be applied to any surface in AGi32. The image can be stretched across the surface, or a repeating pattern may be applied to the surface by tiling the texture with a fixed texture size. AGi32 is provided with a textures database from which you can select a number of common architectural materials such as brick, tile, fabric, and wood. Making your own textures is easy by cropping your digital images and importing to the library.

 

Textures can make your visualizations look more realistic

 

New to AGi32 version 19 is the ability to modulate the reflectance value of your textures. This makes the library more flexible and enhances the role of textures to conform to your project specifications.

 

Carpet on left of 50%, carpet on right is 20% using same texture

 

Also new to version 19 is the ability to easily make textures out of your Google Earth or PDF images. This can impart a new sense of realism to a rendered site and ground your presentations in reality!

 

Assign a real image of the site as a texture

 

Pseudocolor with Scaling

 

Pseudocolor provides a numerically accurate color representation of the calculated environment. Each luminance or illuminance value is assigned a unique color value ranging from blue (minimum value) to red (maximum value). This allows an alternative way to view the luminance or illuminance distribution in the environment without displaying numeric values.

 

A scale can be assigned to the image to discern precise illuminance or luminance information. Renderings from different lighting scenarios can be compared by setting an equivalent maximum point.

 

 

Model Overlay

 

Visualization is an indispensable tool in any designer’s workflow, not only for presentation, but often more importantly, for constant evaluation of results as you work. AGi32 provides the ability to overlay the rendered model with imported CAD backgrounds, text, isolines and calculated values, creating a more effective frame of reference and clarity of results.

 

 

Ray Tracing

 

AGi32 provides a post-radiosity process ray tracing engine to enhance any single view to approach photorealism.

 

Specular reflections can be rendered by assigning a specular component to appropriate surfaces. This allows materials such as glass, tile and mirror to appear realistic in a rendered view. Advanced techniques such as glossiness and soft shadows can also be applied.

 

Ray-tracing can be applied to any single viewpoint or batched with multiple viewpoints and be automatically saved as a JPG or BMP image.

 

 

Animation

 

Any AGi32 rendering can be animated by recording a series of viewpoints while using AGi32’s interactive viewing commands. The animation path is then computed with adjustable walk speed and pause capability. Animations can be created with multiple scenes, frame sizes and opening and closing frames. An interactive preview function makes it easy to create successful animations. It is also possible to ray trace all frames to make a truly professional production. The end result is an AVI animation that can be viewed on any computer, independent of AGi32.

 

 

And More …

 

Presentation Output

 

AGi32 can produce output in many ways. For example: anything you see in AGi32’s Model construction mode can be printed in WYSIWYG fashion, and all calculations can be exported to DWG or DXF for integration with your CAD software. Renderings can be exported to single bitmap images (JPG, BMP) and can be sized independently of your display. Renderings can also be animated and saved as AVI movie files for playback independently on any computer. However, all of these methods aside, it is the AGi32 Page Builder function that provides the ability to produce printed or electronic output containing your choice of calculation and visualization views for a truly complete presentation.

 

With Page Builder you can utilize a completely automated approach to output, or, select any media size and number of pages to hold your project presentation. Take a few minutes to create a series of master templates containing your logos and title blocks (bitmaps too) to be used anytime. Then call up a template and place your various point-by-point views, schedules, and visualizations on the various pages. You can also incorporate external files (TXT) for disclaimers, if required. When complete, either print/plot or export to PDF* or MDI. *PDF writer required.

 

 

Daylight Study

 

AGi32 can run complete daylight studies over multiple days and multiple hours per day in a single execution. Once a daylight study has been completed, the rendered images are written to the project folder to be viewed in sequence using Windows Preview or the tools of your choice.

 

Background Images

 

AGi32 can import a series of JPG or PDF images to be used as a background for your lighting work. The images can be scaled, seamed together and faded to show underneath your lighting layout and calculations. This is immensely powerful for retrofit work as images can be captured in seconds from Google Earth, all you need is an address! Images can also be automatically added to the textures library to be used in renderings.

 

 

Try AGi32!