Re: [Brad] Help:Setting up a radiance system--brad

[Francesco Anselmo]

Hi Steve,

> I've been using brad and generally find it handles the main radiance tasks 
> quite well.

I'm happy you can make some use of it :)

> But I found three issues: (these don't prevent me from using brad but maybe 
> need to be addressed by the programmers)

Thanks for posting your comments and issues to this ml.

> 1/ starting brad generates the following errors at console:
> 
> <<Compiled with Python version 2.4.
> Checking for installed Python... got it!
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'config_path' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'brad_path' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'configparserok' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'lang' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'editor_path' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'config_path' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'export_path' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'debug' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'brad_path' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'radiance_binaries_path' is assigned to 
> before global declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'radiance_library_path' is assigned to before 
> global declaration
> brad.py:0: SyntaxWarning: name 'configparserok' is assigned to before global 
> declaration
> brad.py:684: SyntaxWarning: name 'X' is used prior to global declaration
>   def mainguievent(evt, val):
> brad.py:684: SyntaxWarning: name 'Y' is used prior to global declaration
>   def mainguievent(evt, val):
> Retrieving previously saved configuration.
> brad path:  /home/family/.blender/scripts/brad
> gui path:  /home/family/.blender/scripts/brad/brad/gui
> bradlib path:  /home/family/.blender/scripts/brad/brad/brad>>

These warnings should not do any harm, they are just a bit annoying.

> 2/ Using the sky weather settings and hitting the preview button results in 
> a python script error:
> 
> <<failed to initialise psyco

the psyco initialisation warning does not relate to this

> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "/home/family/.blender/scripts/brad.py", line 1150, in mainguibevent
>     skyweatherwindow.testSky()
>   File "/home/family/.blender/scripts/brad/brad/gui/SkyWeatherwin.py", line 
> 442, in testSky
>     self.exportSky(skyfilename, 1)
>   File "/home/family/.blender/scripts/brad/brad/gui/SkyWeatherwin.py", line 
> 359, in exportSky
>     skyfile = open(skyfilename, "w+")
> IOError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 
> '/home/family/.blender/scripts/brad/brad/tmp/tmp.sky'>>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It looks like you don't have a 
/home/family/.blender/scripts/brad/brad/tmp/
directory.
Make sure to create it.

> 3/ this issue is probably trivial for experienced users: SCALING of lights
> 
> If I insert a radiance ies light into a blender scene, how do I check that 
> the relative scales of blender objects AND radiance lights coincide????? A 
> room 10x 10 units in blender with an inserted light fixture from radiance 
> libraries might might too small or too big..does anyone know of this and/or 
> can explain???

Just make sure that you use units consistently in your file.
For instance I always use metres.
So if I get a model in millimetres, I scale it down with a .001 factor.
Then ies2rad by default outputs geometry and photometries using meters 
(-dm), so I have no problems.
Perhaps you're trying to use the desktop radiance luminaires?
They are in foot, if I remember well, so you must scale them
appropriately, and redo the ies2rad run to get the photometries right.

HTH,

Francesco