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Base geometry
The command begins with the selected Rhino model. This is the source condition before mesh preparation or filtering.
InputSelected surfaces and blockers
Personal tools / Environmental analysis / Geometry
Geometry +
Environmental Tools.
Rhino and Grasshopper tools for geometry, daylight, solar radiation and wind analysis. The page includes interactive demos and Rhino workflow recordings.
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Analysis engines
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Refinement passes
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Quality levels
Independent tool / 02
Room Performance Lab
Work with one room model, evaluate daylight and annual thermal performance, then compare design candidates and their trade-offs.
Tool overviewDiagrams explain the analysis steps; recordings show the tools in Rhino.
Five tools
Tools for geometry and early-stage environmental analysis.
Each demo shows selected inputs, calculations and results. The diagrams summarise the methods; recordings show selected Rhino workflows.
Circle Coverage SolverGHPython / Grasshopper · boundaries → circle geometry, density and gap checks
Daylight + UDI SimulatorGHPython / Grasshopper · room, windows and sun → sampled illuminance and UDI distributions
Solar Radiation (GH)GHPython / Grasshopper · meshes, blockers and periods → face-level radiation values and legend
Radiation StandaloneRhino Python command · selected surfaces and time range → mapped results and statistics
Wind AnalysisGHPython / Grasshopper · geometry and wind inputs → exposure, pressure coefficient and pedestrian-comfort readings
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Circle Coverage Solver
LinkedIn solver project notes →Circle placement solver.txt · v5.0
GHPython / Grasshopper
Circle placement interfaceSet a site boundary, exclusion zones and a target radius to compare circle placement, density and gaps. Useful for planar site studies such as street-light or fire-stair layouts; highly concave or non-planar boundaries need manual review.
Drag a green vertex or boundary edge to reshape the site. Click inside to add a circle; double-click an edge to add a vertex.
circles 0coverage 0%vertices 0
Analysis workflow / circle coverage
From boundary input to refined circle placement.
Reshape the boundary to update candidate circles, remove invalid placements and identify remaining gaps.
Boundary
+ exclusions
+ exclusions
Hexagonal
seed layout
seed layout
Clip
+ prune
+ prune
Gap-pull
+ relaxation
+ relaxation
Coverage
metrics
metrics
multiple regionsrepeatable seeddensity + gap readout
Workflow diagram / Circle Coverage Solver — Representative component sequence.
Boundary curvesCurve / Brep input
Radius + exclusionssliders / regions
Seed gridhexagonal points
Clip + pruneinside / overlap tests
Gap-pull + relaxiterative placement
Circles + metricsgeometry / coverage
inputsprocessingoutputs
Hexagonal Grid
Establishes an initial distribution with hexagonal spacing, giving the refinement process a consistent starting geometry.
Lloyd Relaxation
Spreads circles evenly while maintaining coverage. Iteratively repositions centers toward uncovered regions.
Gap Detection
A demand-sampling grid identifies uncovered regions, then gap-pull moves circles toward areas that need attention.
Redundancy Detection
Removes redundant circles where overlap makes them unnecessary, supporting a more compact result for review.
Multiple Boundaries
Processes disconnected regions independently. Respects exclusion zones and secondary boundaries for constrained placement.
Output Metrics
Returns circle count, density percentage, and maximum gap distance. Seed-based randomization enables repeatable sensitivity testing.
Analysis workflow / daylight + UDI
From sun position to a room-level light map.
The front-end moves the sun, room and windows. The computational layer evaluates direct rays, diffuse sky contribution and selected reflected light before assigning values to the analysis points.
Room, windows
+ materials
+ materials
Sun position
+ sky model
+ sky model
Direct
ray checks
ray checks
Diffuse +
reflected light
reflected light
UDI
+ heatmap
+ heatmap
blocker samplingmaterial responsequality tiers
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Daylight + UDI Simulator
LinkedIn solver project notes →Daylight.txt · v1.4
GHPython / Grasshopper
Daylight + UDI interfaceA GHPython daylight tool for Grasshopper. It reuses cached blocker samples for visibility checks, trading later-stage precision for faster feedback as geometry changes.
Drag the sun or scrub the hour; drag a window or its edge; drag a room corner to resize the room; double-click a wall to add a window.
lit 0%in shade 0%time 10:00windows 0
Daylight + UDI demonstration The video shows the interactive front end of the GHPython/Grasshopper simulator: room geometry, windows, sun position and analysis points are changed while daylight distributions update.
Workflow diagram / Daylight + UDI — Representative component sequence.
Room + windowsgeometry / openings
Sun + sky settingshour / quality / materials
Ray samplerdirect sun checks
Diffuse / bouncesky + selected reflection
Point aggregationilluminance bins
UDI map + datalit points / heatmap
inputsprocessingoutputs
Sun Position
Computes solar altitude and azimuth from date, time, latitude, and longitude for accurate sky position.
Three Components
Direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation via Perez model, single-bounce reflected light from blockers.
Perez Sky Model
More accurate than isotropic sky. Captures circumsolar brightening and horizon effects for realistic gradients.
Area-Weighted Blocker
Samples blocker faces proportional to actual triangle area, not face count. More accurate reflection calculation.
Per-Material Props
Each obstacle has R,G,B color tint, reflectivity, and per-material transparency (glazing, curtains, fins).
Quality Tiers
Multi-tier resolution scaling with 6-48 sample points per blocker. Supports evolutionary-design workflows.
Analysis workflow / radiation grasshopper
From live parametric geometry to face-level radiation values.
Grasshopper supplies geometry and settings as live inputs. The component prepares the mesh, selects the analysis period, compares surface orientation with the sun path, and returns a visual result for the next design iteration.
Mesh / Brep
+ blockers
+ blockers
Period
auto-detection
auto-detection
Sun vectors
+ face normals
+ face normals
Incidence
accumulation
accumulation
Analysis mesh
+ legend
+ legend
annual / monthly / dailyquality selectionraw values available
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Solar Radiation (GH)
LinkedIn solver project notes →Radiation_GH.txt
GHPython / Grasshopper
Solar radiation interfaceCompares cumulative radiation, peak irradiance, direct-to-diffuse fraction and sun hours across meshes or Breps. Mesh quality settings control the balance between resolution and solve time; validate results before making performance decisions.
Click a box to select it; drag its X, Y or Z arrow to move it along a plane or lift it; drag the white puck to slide it freely; drag the sun to change its position.
sun altitude 0°irradiance 0 kWh/m²boxes 0
Grasshopper radiation demonstration The video shows the parametric component receiving geometry and sun-path settings, evaluating face-level radiation and updating the analysis mesh and legend.
Radiation + Wallacei optimization The solver becomes a fitness function inside Grasshopper: facade fin spacing, depth and orientation are tested against cumulative radiation and fin area, exposing a Pareto front instead of hiding the design trade-off.
Workflow diagram / Solar Radiation (GH) — Representative component sequence.
Mesh / Brepanalysis geometry
Blockers + periodsun path / dates
Face normalsmesh preparation
Sun vectorsincidence tests
Accumulate valuesface-level totals
Legend + valuesanalysis mesh / export
inputsprocessingoutputs
Mesh Coercion
Accepts meshes directly or auto-converts Breps to FastRenderMesh. Works with parametric geometry without preprocessing.
Blocker Support
Separate context geometry (buildings, fins, overhangs) casts shadows but isn't directly analyzed. Models real site constraints.
Mode Auto-Detection
Annual (no month/day wired), Monthly (month wired), Daily (both wired). Adapts simulation scope automatically.
Quality Tiers
Multi-tier resolution scaling across standard, high and ultra modes. Supports iterative exploration and evolutionary-design workflows.
Live Parametric
All settings wire from GH sliders and inputs. Results update in real time as parameters change during design iteration.
Legend Generation
Auto-anchors legend below bbox or repositionable via custom point. Outputs per-simulation: analysis mesh, legend mesh, labels, raw illuminance values.
Analysis workflow / radiation standalone
From selected Rhino geometry to face-level radiation values.
The standalone command packages the same kind of analysis into a focused Rhino workflow: select surfaces, establish a location and time range, then inspect the calculated result and summary statistics.
Selected
surfaces
surfaces
Mesh + normal
validation
validation
Sun path
time steps
time steps
Direct / diffuse
face checks
face checks
Color map
+ statistics
+ statistics
date rangemesh qualityplayback / export
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Radiation Analysis Standalone
LinkedIn solver project notes →radiation_standalone.py
Standalone Rhino Python
Standalone Rhino command interfaceA native Rhino command for reading facade exposure across a date and time range. It filters enclosed faces before analysis; use it for early comparisons, then validate performance with a dedicated simulation workflow.
Drag the sun; adjust mesh resolution.
faces 0
peak 0 kWh/m²
mean 0 kWh/m²
lowhigh
Why standalone?
Unlike the Grasshopper solvers, this runs as a regular Rhino command. No Grasshopper canvas, no component wiring. Select geometry, run the command, get results baked into the model. Useful for quick checks during design without setting up a parametric definition.
EPW weather file input
auto-mesh selected Breps
per-face normal . sun dot product
color-mapped bake to layer
CSV export of face values
WinForms progress dialog
Standalone Rhino radiation demonstration The video shows geometry selection, analysis sliders, per-face solar evaluation and the return of a color-mapped result inside Rhino.
Rhino-native playback workflow A second recording shows the analysis moving through time inside the Rhino panel, making a full day or period readable as a continuous design condition rather than a single isolated sun position.
Process record / 05 pages
Standalone solver / from geometry to filtered result
A page-by-page record of the command’s reasoning: prepare the model, remove misleading geometry, then inspect the result.
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Auto-playing · click the page to pause
Pseudo-Rhino command canvas / Radiation Standalone — representative processing topology, not source code.
Selected surfacesRhino selection
Location + timedate / quality
Mesh + normalsvalidation pass
Sun path stepsdirect / diffuse checks
Map face valuescolor assignment
Rhino resultgeometry / statistics
inputsprocessingoutputs
Spencer Solar Math
Calculates sun position from day-of-year, UTC hour, latitude, longitude using precise Spencer equations for any location and time.
Clear-Sky Irradiance
Models Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) and Diffuse Horizontal (DHI) based on air mass and atmospheric conditions.
Per-Face Ray Casting
Shoots sun vector to each mesh face, records direct hit or blocked, auto-flips inward-facing normals for correct results.
Interactive UI Sliders
Real-time control over latitude, longitude, month, day, hour range, quality. Mesh, legend, and statistics update live on every slider change.
Multiple Analysis Modes
Cumulative (seasonal totals), Peak (maximum irradiance), Direct/Diffuse split, Sun Hours (hours above threshold).
Dynamic Mesh Filtering
Automatically removes tiny faces (window slivers) that don't affect results. Min face size slider auto-adjusts for quality vs. performance.
Analysis workflow / wind analysis
From wind direction and geometry to four analysis modes.
The interaction changes direction, speed, density and obstacles. The analysis layer combines the represented geometry with height and exposure conditions, then applies the selected reading mode to the resulting flow field.
Geometry
+ wind inputs
+ wind inputs
Height
profile
profile
Directional
ray fan
ray fan
Occlusion,
wake + smoothing
wake + smoothing
Exposure / Cp /
comfort output
comfort output
exposurepressure coefficientturbulence / pedestrian
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Wind Analysis
LinkedIn solver project notes →Wind.txt
GHPython / Grasshopper
Wind-analysis interfaceAn early-massing study with four readings: exposure, pressure coefficient, turbulence and pedestrian comfort. Runs across wind directions reveal persistent patterns; use CFD or an equivalent validated workflow for final assessment.
Drag the red handle to change wind direction; drag blocks to move them; double-click a block to remove it.
direction 0°blocks 0
Wind-analysis demonstration The video shows directional wind input, geometry and roughness controls, flow-field updates and mode-specific outputs for exposure, pressure and comfort readings.
Workflow diagram / Wind Analysis — Representative component sequence.
Building geometrymassing / obstacles
Wind vector + speeddirection / height / density
Height profileexposure conditions
Directional raysblocker / wake checks
Smooth fieldmode preparation
Modes + readingsexposure / Cp / comfort
inputsprocessingoutputs
Logarithmic Wind Profile
Maps height Z to wind speed multiplier based on terrain roughness (z₀). Higher surfaces experience greater wind amplification.
Wind Shadow & Wake
Exponential decay models wind shadow/wake effects. Blockers near the surface have more impact; distant obstacles fade naturally.
Cone Direction Rays
Casts 8-point radial fan around prevailing wind direction. Captures 3D flow disturbance, not just inline testing.
Four Analysis Modes
Wind Exposure (raw factor 0-1), Pressure Coefficient (-1 to +1), Turbulence (% of mean), Pedestrian comfort (m/s at 1.5m).
Topology Smoothing
Vertex-based neighbourhood averaging denoise noisy face-by-face scores. Optional 2-pass smoothing for publication-ready output.
Surface Classification
Labels each face as Roof, Floor, Facade, or Sloped. Normalizes height within geometry bounds for consistent exposure analysis.