CYPELUX

As of version 2025.d, CYPELUX can configure the type of design mesh in the "Zones" and "Design areas", offering greater flexibility in the distribution of the light evaluation points. To this end, the "Type of design mesh" field has been added with the following options:

• Automatic
  CYPELUX automatically determines the number of points in the design grid according to the characteristics of the space. This is the default option and follows the behaviour of previous versions.
  
  
• Quantity
  Manually defines the number of points on the X and Y axes, leaving the program to distribute them equidistantly within the design area.
  
  
• Distance
  Specifies the exact spacing between points on the X and Y axes, providing more detailed control over the density of the mesh.

This improvement adjusts the accuracy of the lighting calculations according to the project's needs, optimising the balance between performance and detail in the lighting assessment.

A "Design options" option button has been added to the "Design" menu in the application toolbar. This feature can be used to adjust the parameters of the analysis engine, giving more control over the performance and processing speed of the lighting calculations.

The following parameters can currently be modified:

• Design method
  Two processing methods are available:
  • Standard. Used by default in previous versions, it prioritises accuracy in calculations.
  • Fast. Slightly reduces accuracy in exchange for higher calculation speed, optimising processing time in complex projects.
    
    
• Only direct light
  By activating this option, lighting calculations are performed without considering light bounces on the model surfaces, which speeds up the process and allows for a faster estimation of lighting levels.

This improvement provides greater flexibility and efficiency, allowing calculations to be adapted according to the project's needs, whether prioritising accuracy or speed in obtaining results.

As of version 2025.d, CYPELUX incorporates the "Sheets" tab in the toolbar, so that drawings of the lighting installation can be generated and edited.

This feature makes it easy to include graphical information from both the model itself and other project inputs in BIMserver.center.

When accessing the "Sheets" tab, the application automatically generates drawings based on the views defined in the "Installation" tab. To customise this process, the "Drawings generation" option has been added to the "Project" menu, from where the users can configure the creation of drawings according to the needs of the project.

When sharing the analysis results in a BIMserver.center input, it is now possible to select the "DXF/DWG drawings" option to include the sheets.

More information on the features of the "Sheets" tool can be found at the following link: https://info.cype.com/en/product/edit-sheets/.

The "Prescription options" button has been added to the "Project" menu of the application toolbar. By using this option it is possible to configure the documents produced by the program (drawings, reports, quantities, etc.), establishing the criteria for the generation of the descriptions of equipment, materials or services selected from the catalogues downloaded from the Open BIM Database and included in your project.

In previous versions of CYPELUX, the visualisation of the results on the model design surfaces could be done by means of contour plots, contour lines or numerical values, but separately.

As of version 2025.d, the possibility of selecting and overlaying several options simultaneously is introduced, allowing a more detailed representation of the results.

As of version 2025.d, lights from manufacturers integrated into the Open BIM Database can include realistic 3D models. These models can be displayed both in the luminaire selection panel and once they have been entered into the model. In addition, they can be shared in the 3D model of the installation for the BIMserver.center project, improving the quality of the project representation and facilitating integration with the other disciplines.

The "Daylight" configuration window in CYPELUX has been reorganised to improve its clarity. This option, accessible from the "Lighting" group in the toolbar, now has a more intuitive and segmented structure.

The data related to the location of the model and the reflectance of the exterior surfaces have been separated from the specific configuration of the various calculations available. In addition, the simulation parameters required for the verification of LEED 4.0 CAI CREDIT 8.1 have been integrated, allowing a more precise adjustment of the sky model used in the simulation.

As of version 2025.d, CYPELUX incorporates the "Design surface" option in the "Design elements" group in the toolbar. This new feature can be used to define a grid of calculation points for the lighting analysis in a zone. As a result, the level of illuminance or glare can be evaluated in specific areas of a space, without having to take the entire space into account.

Design surfaces inherit certain parameters of the area in which they are located, such as the maintenance factor and reflectances, but allow specific settings to be adjusted, including the following:

• Type of design mesh
• Height of the workplane (normal lighting). For illuminance.
• Height of the workplane (normal lighting). For glare.
• Checks.

The results obtained in the design surfaces can be consulted via the "Check results" option and are included in the "Calculation annex" and "Project" reports, improving the documents of the lighting analysis.

As of version 2025.d, CYPELUX has extended and improved the lighting distribution options in the "Lighting" group of the toolbar. Users can now choose between different types of distributions and customise them according to the project's needs:

• Linear distribution
  Places lights along a reference line.
  
  
• Circular distribution
  Distributes lights on a circumference by adjusting an "initial angle" with respect to a reference line.
  
  
• Rectangular distribution
  Defines a grid of lights by means of a rectangle drawn by three points.
  
  
• Polygonal distribution
  A grid of lights can be outlined from a user-defined polygon.
  
  
• Distribution by zone
  Selects an area of the model and generates a polygonal distribution adjusted to its outline. It also includes the "Automatic distribution" tool, which calculates the optimum number of lights to achieve a target illuminance.

When selecting a distribution type, a dockable window is displayed where different parameters can be configured:

• Light
  Selects the type of light (indoor, outdoor or emergency) from a manufacturer's catalogue or a customised definition.
  
  
• Axis direction
  Adjusts the individual rotation of the lights, about their Z-axis, with respect to the reference line.
  
  
• Position
  Defines how the lights are placed according to the following criteria:
  • By quantity. They are distributed uniformly according to the number of lights indicated.
  • By distance. A fixed spacing is established between lights, measured between centres or between edges.
    
    
• Alignment
  Defines how the lights are placed with respect to the boundaries of the layout:
  • Symmetrical
  • External edges
  • Centre-centre

In the rectangular, polygonal and zone distributions, the "Only enter lights that are completely contained in the area" option has been added, which automatically excludes lights whose geometry is partially outside the distribution polygon.

As of version 2025.d, CYPELUX incorporates the element selection tool, available in the "Work area" when no other operation has been started.

This new feature allows users to select model elements intuitively and perform various tasks on them, such as modifying their properties, deleting them or adjusting them according to the project's needs. Its implementation improves the fluidity of model editing, optimising the design process and facilitating the management of the elements within the work environment.

In CYPELUX version 2025.d, the Radiance analysis engine, developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been updated to its latest official version (Radiance 5.4).

The program lets users continue to work on 2D templates from the BIM model or on templates imported from the program in DXF, DWG, DWF formats; or in various image formats (JPEG, JPG, PNG or WMF). This maintains the compatibility of work in those projects that do not have a 3D architectural model.

Unlike the implementation of the "Bill of quantities" tab in other CYPE apps, in CYPELUX it is not necessary to establish a correspondence between the elements measured on the design model and the bill of quantities concepts (mapping). This is because CYPELUX has the capacity to generate items automatically from the lighting from the Open BIM Database.

Within the data table associated with each light, the "Bill of quantities" field has been included, which indicates whether the product contains the necessary information to generate the bill of quantities for the installation. In addition, the "Cost databases" button has been added within the "Project" group of the toolbar. This option can be used to indicate the location of the job and its characteristics in order to adjust the bill of quantities.

The documents for the bill of quantities can be extracted in various types of reports (Quantities, Price justification, Bill of quantities, Detailed priced bill of quantities, BOQ summary) which can be exported in HTML, DOCX, PDF, RTF and TXT format. When sharing the results in a BIMserver.center contribution, it is also possible to include these documents via the "BoQ Reports" option.

More information on the "Bill of quantities" tab in Open BIM project phase applications.