Barn Door Light Modifiers

[sgreenEG3XN]

Does anyone know where I can get some barn door light modifier revit families? I'm trying to create a light wash that has a hard edge for wall hung artwork.

[syman2000]

Is this what you are looking for?

https://www.revitcity.com/downloads.php?action=view&object_id=19147

[sgreenEG3XN]

I'm more so trying to create a lighting effect so that the rectangular painting/artwork has an accent light pointed at it, and the edge of the lighting that is cast is a very hard edge so it matches the size of the artwork exactly and doesn't bleed out onto the wall.  I can't find any example images online but our lighting designer is lighting the artwork this way and I'd really like to be able to represent that with the revit lighting.

[syman2000]

Are you looking for thin linear light like this product?

https://www.bimobject.com/en-us/eae_elektrik/product/miniwasher

[sgreenEG3XN]

It's basically a spot light like this

But the light it casts is rectangular with a sharp edge like this painting on the right:

And I'd like to figure out how to achieve this affect in revit. Apparently, they're called contour lights.

[SteveKStafford]

If you create barn doors in or for the family then they can influence the way that the light source projects light much like they do in the real world. It will take some effort to make a parametric barn door family because each door (usually four of them) can fold in/out and usually the whole barn door frame can rotate around the light source.

You might be able to accomplish it just creating a variable sized rectangular opening the the light shines through but you'd have to sort out if that form needs to be visible to affect the light, assuming it isn't acceptable to see it in a rendering, 3D view etc.

[SteveKStafford]

I was thinking the external barn doors used on theatrical lighting but those are similar to ones used on ellipsoidal theater stage lights and internal except for the tabs that stick out the side of the fixture. You could model those into a fixture and use parameters to adjust how much of the light they let through. Mimic the way they work IRL. I'll be interested to see what you come up with.

These are what I was thinking...

[ToanDN]

Place a light without a light source (only if you want to show the housing, if not, don't even place it).  Then create a material for the painting that is self-illuminating.

[SteveKStafford]

Good idea, I'm still curious if building one can reproduce the effect in the fixture. Interested to see how closely Revit modelling could mimic reality. A project for later 🙂

[barthbradley]

Not sure what you mean exactly by light wash/hard edge, but have you played around with the Photometrics and Light Source Definition in the Lighting Family Template.  

Use a Photometric Web File Light Source Definition and you can assign an ies file.  

[sgreenEG3XN]

I'm thinking about trying this option. It seems like the simplest way to go.

[sgreenEG3XN]

haha yeah. this is something to add to my long to-do list of revit families to make one day.

[sgreenEG3XN]

I have a little bit, but I didn't see any parameters that let you make the shape of the light rectangular so that it is casting a rectangular light onto the artwork. These LED framing projectors are essentially used for artwork to light up just the artwork itself and stop at the edge of the artwork.

[barthbradley]

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@sgreenEG3XN wrote:

...I didn't see any parameters that let you make the shape of the light rectangular so that it is casting a rectangular light onto the artwork. 

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use an ies file.  That is, define the distribution as Photometric Web File.  

[barthbradley]

https://ieslibrary.com/en/browse

[syman2000]

You can always sketch out the shape and block the light to create a rectangle light effect.

[barthbradley]

[SteveKStafford]

Well there you go, that's what I was imagining...not the Batman logo but that's a nice touch 🙂 Now I don't need to test it out.