Flash_Outdoor has unique interactive functionality:

By clicking on the Add button in the lower right corner of the calculation area you can add a new luminaire arrangement to the plot area. Move any location by simply clicking and dragging.

Hover over a location to display the Edit/Delete functions.

The Edit screen is shown here. You have complete control over luminaire aiming and positioning.

The graphics are interactive so it's easy to just click and drag any graphic, or use the menus.

Have a peek at all of the input sections below.

The Arrangement and Layout section of Flash_Outdoor is very powerful allowing its use as a template generator or layout tool.

To use Flash_Outdoor as a simple template generator (one pole arrangement), set the arrangement from the pull down menu and leave the Layout and Spacing section blank.

To use Flash_Outdoor as a layout tool, select the Arrangement for the majority of your locations from the menu. If you want a uniform luminaire position (array) to begin, enter the Column and Row quantities and the spacing between. This is simply a starting point, as the layout is completely interactive. You can add different arrangements, change, move and manipulate aiming in any way from the graphics area using the mouse.

Complete control over the illuminance contour values (isolines) is available from this section. All cells with checkmarks are included; set the values as desired.

Click in the color cell to change the color if something else is preferred. Different default colors and values can be set in the XML input.

The Display section is very important as it controls not only the appearance of the graphics area but how fast the tool computes and the number of point by point values visible.

The Scale can be set in this section. However, interactive zooming changes the scale (fixed plot size). Interactivly zoom using the mouse wheel or the Zoom indicator in the upper right corner of the graphics area. Panning is also possible by holding down the mouse wheel as you move.

The Precision setting controls how smooth the isolines appear, and how many calculation points are used. The higher the precision, the smoother the plot and the more points displayed.

Isoline Labels, Illuminance Points and the background Grid can all be controlled from here.

The statistics are normally computed on the area covered by the plot, which is controlled by the zoom level. If you want more specific statistics, set the coordinates of the statistical area here. This area should always be visible in the graphics plot in entirety. The number of computation points is governed by the plot area and level of zoom.

Switch the statistical display on and off and select its contents from the Summary section.

The default Units are set in the XML input file. Mixing and matching is allowed.

The Output and Help section offers printing options and the ability to send email directly from the tool if your webmaster can construct server side scripts.

The printed output consists of the graphics area containing the isoline contours and illuminance values if enabled. The summary provides statistical information and luminaire location specifics. Each output section is a single page.