Validation of lighting parametric workflow tools of Ladybug and Solemma using CIE test cases

The Grasshopper environment permits the use of the widely accepted Radiance benchmark simulation engine through different parametric tools. Parametric workflows allow complex ap-proaches such as multi-criteria analysis or large-scale urban analysis. This potential, harnessed by multiple lighting simulation tools or plugins, results in more complex and accurate calculations which can be addressed more efficiently in terms of computational cost. Although this widely used computational engine has been adequately evaluated, detailed workflows and different applications need to be assessed. Therefore, four workflows of different parametric tools which are increasingly used without verification have been validated. The accuracy of these parametric workflows is compared with the CIE 171:2006 Test Cases. The precision of the parametric workflows was verified by validating the calculation of static metrics with the four analyzed tools, allowing these to be used in any lighting studio. The results have demonstrated the accuracy of the four tools, as relative error is under +/- 10% even in the most unfavorable cases. Furthermore, all four tools perform better the higher the lighting level and display a similar performance. This research not only confirms the accuracy of these parametric tools but also serves as a guide for their correct use by technicians and users.