Radiation analysis in Ladybug for Grasshopper: Example file

How to set up an incredibly simple solar radiation analysis in Grasshopper using the Ladybug plugin. Read this post if you need to install Ladybug.

This example creates a simple shoebox that receives radiation from a sky. It is coloured according to how much radiation it receives across its surface. It is also partly shaded by a shading object (another shoebox) so you can see how to set up shading objects, and see the effect on your measurement objects.

Just follow the picture below! You can also download this GH file with the link at the bottom.

ladybug-radiation-example-grasshopper

Click the image for full size.

You should get something like the image below. Notice how the context geometry (coloured red at the right) provides shading on the left hand block, producing blue (shaded) results in its shadow.

radiation-analysis-example-ladybug

Download example file

How to install Ladybug for Grasshopper

Ladybug is a free plugin for Grasshopper that uses the EnergyPlus engine to provide a range of environmental calculations and visuals for input geometry. This guide will show you how to install Ladybug.

If you are looking to install the more recent Ladybug + Honeybee components for Grasshopper, this guide will help you too.

Check you have the right software

Firstly, you need Rhino 5. Rhino 4 won’t do! You can download a free trial here.

You also need Grasshopper, a free plugin for Rhino. Download the latest version here.

Then you need GHPython. Download it, and unzip it. In GH, open your components folder:

grasshopper special folders drop down menu

This should open a folder in a location like C:\Users\jramsden\AppData\Roaming\Grasshopper\Libraries. Paste GHPython.gha into this folder.

Install Ladybug

Visit the Ladybug page, take a read of it and have a look at the video. Then download the unlocked version from the page (or quicklink here). This should download a zip folder. Unzip this folder (the next step won’t work if you don’t unzip it first!).

Within the folder should be about 28 .ghuser files. Select them all and drag them directly into the GH window.

ladybug for grasshopper install components

Done! To double-check, go to your GH User Object folder under the Special Folders as above (e.g. C:UsersjramsdenAppDataRoamingGrasshopperUserObjects). The .ghuser folders should be in here.

Now a new tab should have appeared in your GH window called Ladybug.

ladybug ribbon icons grasshopper

There are 5 categories of components, labelled 0-4. In using Ladybug, these are run through roughly in order.