Question
(1) How do I save the illuminance map as a text file? I have been looking at the menu and cannot find the right selection. How does the 'save raydata' option work? where does it save the raydata? How do I reload the saved ray data? --------------------------------------------- (2) I have run a long (17 hour) ray trace and set the checkmark flag for saving ray data to on (check in place). I then saved the data as a txt file. Tracepro actually saved it as a .ray file. I do not now seem able to reload the .ray file and see the illuminance map (or the ray data with other illuminance map options)????? I fear that I have lost the data!!!! I have tried loading the .ray file into Excel (spreadsheet) and have no success whatsoever, excel does not recognize it as a valid input file!!! 1) Have I lost the data? 2) Is it possible to recover the data from the .ray file? 3) How do I import the .ray file into excel? 1) How do I save the map as a .txt file (specific instructions on the menu bar)? 2) Can I recover a .txt file from the .ray file?
Synopsis
Saving Irradiance Maps as Text Files, and saving Ray Data
Solution
(1) With the Irradiance Map as the active window, go to the main menu and select
File/SaveAs, or right-click on the Irradiance Map and select
Save As from the pop-up menu. In the Save As dialog box, select "Save as Type" to be ".txt". Under the File menu, when Save Ray Data is checked, any subsequent saves of the file will also create a .ray file. The Ray File will have the same root name and be saved to the same directory as the .omlb file. As long as the .ray file and the .oml file are in the same folder, then the ray data will automatically load when a TracePro .omlb file is opened. If the .ray file is moved to another folder, then when the .omlb file is opened, TracePro will prompt the user to browse to the ray file. ------------------------------------------------ (2) The Save Ray Data option from the file menu only works for a ray trace in Analysis Mode. When Simulation Mode is selected, the ray data is being deleted as the ray trace progresses, so saving it after the ray trace is useless. The provision for saving ray data for a Simulation Raytrace is found under Analysis / Raytrace Options / Simulation & Output. Before performing a Simulation ray trace, check the box for the data you want to save. When reopening the file, open the Irradiance Map and then select File/Import/Simulation Data to bring in the data and view the map.
