Lighting design based on luminance contrast

Most of the visual tasks and objects that lighting designers illuminate have variable material and form properties such as reflectance patterns, textures and different surface normal orientations. Their prominent characteristics can be defined as desirable visual features that need to provide visual impact through illumination. Visual impact can be translated into a luminance contrast between two different, representative surface elements of the object. On the basis of the desired luminance contrast and specific material characteristics, luminaire locations can be computed such that the desired luminance values are achieved.