Settings window

Through this window, you can set/change the values of all the parameters used in the application. It relates to the display and viewing options, the Solar Access/Confort calculations parameters and some other miscellaneous options.

In the top bar of the window, you can select one of the settings groups.

The button confirms the selected settings.
If you check the field, the currently applied values are saved in the configuration file and will be used in futur sessions.


Display settings

This group contains parameters used in the rendering procedures of the active scene or the results. It relates to colors, motion, dispayed items, results style,...etc

Render options :
Show/Hide :

Solar Access settings

This windows manages the parameters used in the solar access and comfort evaluation analyses.

() below : means that if you change the value of that parameter, the results of the computed solar access analyses are no more valid.

Parameters :

Days :

The solar access analysis can be performed for any day of the year. You can use the tool button to pop up a calendar panel where you can select the day to add to the list. The tool deletes all the selected days from the list.
 
Note : As mentioned in the settings panel, only the days selected () are used in calculations

Monthly data :

In this section, you can set the monthly values of different parameters used to calculate the direct and diffused energies in clear sky conditions. The equtions used are based on the work of R. DOIGNAUX, Royal Institute of Meteorology, Belgium and J. TELLER LEMA-University of Liege, Belgium.

 
Weather data file :
TownScope calculates the maximum values for the direct energy, diffused energy and the possible sunshine time using the first four values of the monthly data described above (Humidity, Turbidity, Edhcs/Ethcs and Clouding rate). However, some of these parameters (especially Edhcs/Ethcs) are often difficult to get from weather data stations.
On the opposite, direct energy, diffused energy and sky cover values are much more frequently available. So TownScope allows you to specify these last values directly through the weather data file.
The weather data file is an xml style text file. It uses tags to indicate the data sections :
  • day : represented by month:day value for the calculated day.
  • direct : 24 hourly values (on the hour [0...23]) of direct solar radiation on horizontal surface in w/m2.
  • diffused : 24 hourly values (on the hour [0...23]) of diffused radiation on horizontal surface in w/m2
  • skycover : 24 hourly values (on the hour [0...23]) of sky cover factor in percent.
If you check and if the calculated day is in the specified weather data file, then TownScope will use those stored daily values to set the maximum values for direct/diffused energy and for real sunshine hours.
You can change and load any other weather data file by choosing one of the listed files : . This list is automatically generated by TownScope and shows all the files present in the Annexes/meteo/* subfolder of the software installation directory.

Since version 3.1.0 TownScope provides you with a graphical interface to edit and to manage weather data files :

Using the actions menu you can :

The file edition window is represented below :

 


Miscellaneous settings

The options available in this section :

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