Lighting Colored Legend Plan

[jeff-220653428]

I am attempting to create a colored legend plan based on a Lumens/Area Space Parameter.

Revit has a built in “Average Estimated Illumination” parameter which colored legends can be generated from. This parameter is based on reflectances, room-cavity-ratio and other information extracted from the light fixture family’s .ies file. It is too complex and often inaccurate.

I simply want to create a colored legend based on the total Lumens in the Space, divided by the total Area of the Space. This number can be easily generated in a schedule using a calculated value. For example, the calculated value formula could be “Actual Lighting Load per area”, W/ft2 (Built-in Revit parameter) multiplied by the “Lumens per Watt” of the fixture [L/W] ( user created space parameter). The resultant calculated value is the total Lumens/sf [L/ft2].

Unfortunately, colored legends cannot be created based on schedule calculated values, they can only be created based on actual parameters. I could create a “Lumens per Area” parameter, but I don’t know of a way to automate the parameter to contain the correct value; I cannot use a formula in a Project Parameter. I could manually match the value of this parameter to the calculated value in a schedule but that would really ruin the effectiveness of the colored legend Plan; I would like to use this plan as a design tool, when lighting fixtures are added or removed from a space the color of the space changes instantly.

I was hoping there may be someone out there with more Colored Legend Plan or Project Parameter experience than I that perhaps has done something like this before.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Plan.jpg Schedule.jpg

[jeff-220653428]

Perhaps I should simplify my questions…

1) Is there a way to create a Colored Legend Plan based on a schedule “Calculated Value” ?
2) Is there a way to create a Space Parameter that utilizes a formula or references a "Calculated Value" ?

Thanks

[BenSammis]

I doubt it. Calculated values reside only in the schedule in which they're created. You could try creating a family parameter that derives its value from the data, but I don't think that would work, either.

[JoelLondenberg]

Perhaps I should simplify my questions…

1) Is there a way to create a Colored Legend Plan based on a schedule “Calculated Value” ?
2) Is there a way to create a Space Parameter that utilizes a formula or references a "Calculated Value" ?

Thanks

No to both questions.

However, you can simply use the schedule itself as your design double check. Schedules can also be set to use conditional formatting if you are checking against a static number.

[mhartmann]

i use a conditional format in a space schedule, that highlights in red if a calculated value is >1 (calculated value divides actual watts/sf by allowed watts/sf). i forget the actual formula and parameters, but i eventually got it to show me which spaces were over on watts/sf. i think you should be able to do the same with light levels
hth
mike

[BenSammis]

I've grown quite fond of Elum Tools this year. Point by point calcs, and it creates shared parameters from which light level and w/sf schedules can be generated. Only real problem is with bad modeling practices by architects causing it to throw errors.