Direct solar radiation has a major influence on a building's thermal
behaviour. Current simulation engines are not up to the challenge of
accurately modelling solar gains for buildings with complex or curved
geometry and buildings sited in dense urban areas. Accurate thermal
performance prediction for buildings in early stages of design is
hindered by excessive computation time and incompatibility between
architectural models and building energy simulation software. This paper
proposes using a combination of modern computer graphics rendering
techniques and parametric B-spline interpolation methods to quickly and
accurately calculate solar gains over a full year based on sparse data
with a continuous interpolation method. These new procedures accommodate
complex building geometries and intricate shadow patterns and can
accelerate shading calculations by several orders of magnitude. Faster
calculations allow studies to be made at the early stages of design when
modifications can have the greatest impact on a building's thermal
behaviour.

Authors: Nathaniel L. Jones, Donald P. Greenberg & Kevin B. Pratt

Read the full paper here:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19401493.2011.582154

Warm regards,

Joe