02664nas a2200217   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260002800043653001900071653001500090653001600105653003000121100002000151700001800171700001500189700002100204245010300225856015300328520194300481020002202424       2015                            d  c09/2015bEPFLaLausanne10aphoton mapping10araytracing10aredirection10aspatial daylight autonomy1 aRoland Schregle1 aCarsten Bauer1 aLars Grobe1 aStephen Wittkopf00aEvalDRC: A tool for annual characterisation of daylight redirecting components with photon mapping  uhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/282662869_EvalDRC_A_Tool_for_Annual_Characterisation_of_Daylight_Redirecting_Components_with_Photon_Mapping3 aAnnual simulation is a significant indicator of a daylight redirecting component’s per- formance, since it accounts for seasonal variations in daylight availability as well as the system’s response under such conditions. This study details the simulation of a representative redirecting component using a 3D forward raytracing technique to assess its annual daylighting performance. We streamline and largely automate this workflow with the EvalDRC tool, a Python script which implements a simulation frontend based on the Radiance photon map, coupled to a postprocessing and evaluation backend. The redirecting component selected for our case study combines retroreflection with redirection and is designed for optimal daylight availability over the entire year without the need for adjustment. The lamella profile can be mounted in a forward and reversed configuration to combine retroreflection with redirection in the lower resp. upper portions of the fenestration. We evaluate our simulations visually and numerically as high dynamic range (HDR) renderings and a spatial daylight autonomy (sDA) metric based on climate based sky distributions for Geneva, Switzerland. Our case study satisfies the sDA requirement that 55% of the workplane receives an illuminance exceeding 300 lux during 50% or more of the occupancy hours for a whole year. In addition, we propose the msDA, a detailed monthly breakdown of the sDA, for which the criteria are specifically met in the months March–September, while a minimum of 32% is predicted for December. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of photon mapping for this application, and that the simulation accurately predicts the redirecting component’s expected seasonal behaviour for multiple solar angles and sky configurations. This applies in particular to complex redirecting systems which cannot be reliably simulated with a backward raytracer at reasonable computational cost.  a978-2-9701052-2-0