About SUPERLITE 2.0

Welcome to SUPERLITE 2.0, a powerful lighting analysis program designed to accurately predict interior illuminance in complex building spaces due to daylight and electric lighting systems. SUPERLITE enables a user to model interior daylight levels for any sun and sky condition in spaces having windows, skylights or other standard fenestration systems. The principle new feature of Version 2.0 is the capability to calculate electric lighting levels in addition to the daylighting prediction. This allows lighting performance simulation for integrated lighting systems. Daylighting and electric lighting systems can also be modeled separately. The program calculates lighting levels on all interior surfaces, as well as on planes that can be arbitrarily positioned to represent work surfaces or other locations of interest to the user. SUPERLITE 2.0 is intended to be used by researchers and lighting designers, who require detailed analysis of the illuminance distribution in architecturally complex spaces. SUPERLITE continues to be enhanced to address current program limitations.

Key Capabilities

• geometrically complex spaces can be modeled, such as L-shaped rooms, trapezoidal surfaces, interior partitions and external obstructions
• window glazing can be clear glass, diffusing glass or clear glass with a diffusing sheer curtain
• daylight calculations can be performed for a variety of sky conditions, for a given sun position or geographic location, or for user-defined irradiance data
• illuminance data are calculated for points on user specified planes
• electric lighting fixture data are flexibly entered as candlepower distribution files

Key Limitations

• all surface reflection of light is assumed to be perfectly diffuse
• complex fenestration systems such as venetian blinds and specular light shelves cannot be modeled
• input and output are accomplished only through ASCII text files
• the numbers of surfaces, windows and nodes can be restrictive for complex spaces

SUPERLITE 2.0 operates on IBM-PC compatible computers under the DOS operating system. A minimum of 600 kilobytes of RAM and a math coprocessor are required. Program input files can be created by using any standard word processor. Program output is written to text files that can be viewed or printed by the word processor. This manual gives a general overview description of the SUPERLITE 2.0 program, provides installation instructions, and gives details of program input, output and operation procedures. A step-by-step tutorial is presented to take users through the entire process of performing and evaluating a SUPERLITE simulation. Several example input files are described to give insight into simulation methods. Appendices listing useful reference tables and a glossary of lighting analysis terms are also provided. For more detailed discussions of the simulation algorithms employed by SUPERLITE, refer to the sources listed at the end of the manual.

The User's Manual for SUPERLITE 2.0 is included on the distribution diskette as a Microsoft Word for Windows Version 2.0 document file. This manual can be viewed and/or printed using the Word for Windows software program. Other Windows-based word processing software packages that are capable of importing a Word document file can also be used to access this manual.

While we do not offer formal user support for SUPERLITE, we welcome your comments regarding the software. If you experience problems in using SUPERLITE, please document the circumstances of your problem and contact us by mail or fax as indicated below.

Thank you for your interest in SUPERLITE 2.0.

Disclaimer

It should be noted that while the Superlite daylighting calculations have been in existence for several years, and have been extensively used and tested over this time, the electric lighting calculations have not been as thoroughly examined. Additional caution should therefore be used in interpreting the results from electric lighting calculations.

This software was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.

Copyright 1994 Regents of the University of California - Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Mailing Address:

Building Technologies Department
Attention: SUPERLITE 2.0
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
Mailstop: 90-3111
Berkeley, CA 94720
USA

FAX: (510) 486-4089