YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → How to Draw Lighting Plans Faster Than AutoCAD

How to Draw Lighting Plans Faster Than AutoCAD — Transcript

by Rayon Academy · 6,531 words · 919 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:00Do you want to create professional
0:01lighting and power plants faster than
0:03ever without the headache of complicated
0:05CAD software? In this video, I'll be
0:07showing you how to design clear build
0:09ready electrical drawings step by step.
0:12So, let's dive in. Hi, I'm Chris, an
0:15architect based in the UK. And today,
0:16I'm going to be showing you how to
0:17create lighting and power plans faster
0:20and more efficiently than with
0:21traditional tools like AutoCAD. We'll
0:24cover everything from the basics like
0:26understanding lighting types to placing
0:28lighting symbols on your drawings,
0:30indicating switch circuits, and even
0:32creating an outline spec sheet. I'll be
0:34using Rayon Design, a free browserbased
0:372D architecture drawing tool. With
0:39features like the powerful wall tool,
0:41style presets, and the vast block
0:43library, including side views, Rayon
0:45helps me work twice as fast. To follow
0:48along, just create a free account and
0:49open the template linked below. Let's
0:52get started.
0:54Okay. So, what is an architectural
0:56lighting and electrical plan? It's a
0:58detailed drawing that shows you the
0:59placement of lighting fixtures, power
1:01outlets, switches, and wiring parts
1:04within a space. And the purpose is
1:06really to guide an installation team.
1:08So, whether it's electricians or
1:09contractors to implement your design
1:11intent accurately. Depending on your
1:14project's scope or complexity, the
1:16lighting and electrical plans may be
1:18combined into a single drawing or
1:20separated. In this tutorial, I'm going
1:21to be showing you how to create a
1:23comprehensive plan covering both
1:24aspects. Right, starting at the
1:26beginning, this is the apartment that
1:28we're going to be looking at. So, it's a
1:30pretty standard apartment. Um, a living
1:32dining space, two bathrooms, an entryway
1:34with some storage, um, a master bedroom
1:37with, uh, an outside terrace space, and
1:39then a second bedroom and some store
1:41space as well. And we'll get started by
1:43making sure we've got all our layers set
1:45up correctly. So, if you look on the
1:48left hand side here, we have our series
1:49of layers, our furniture layer, our wall
1:52layers, everything nice, neat, and tidy.
1:54And we'll get started by introducing um
1:57a lighting and electrical layer. Okay.
1:59So, we'll start by creating our
2:01dedicated layer for lighting and power.
2:04Um so, we'll go into layer. We'll create
2:07a new layer called lighting
2:09and power.
2:12Um and then I will create an additional
2:14layer. Um, and you'll see why in a
2:17second. And we'll call that one um,
2:20background.
2:23So, one thing to really note is that we
2:25want to keep all the furniture on when
2:27we're designing lighting layouts because
2:29the really key thing is to understand
2:31where people are going to be dwelling,
2:33where they're going to be sitting, what
2:34different tasks they're going to be
2:35doing. So, the furniture is really,
2:37really key to that. I want to be able to
2:40host my background layer within my
2:42lighting layer. So, I'm just going to
2:44drag that down and it will be nested
2:47within that layer family. And on my
2:49background layer, I want to create a
2:51zone. So, with the zone tool down here,
2:53I'm just going to create a rectangle
2:56that sits over our plan. And what I want
3:00to do is make that white.
3:04Make it say 50% transparent. I can get
3:07rid of the stroke.
3:09And that basically means that with that
3:11layer on,
3:13just hide an edge for you. So you can
3:15see that it knocks the um transparency
3:18of the drawing back. And that means when
3:20I start drawing my lighting symbols, um
3:24they will be very clear on the page and
3:26the actual background layer will be
3:27slightly ghosted. Um it will really help
3:29the drawing read a lot better. We'll put
3:31that on. We'll lock it. So that means
3:33that I don't touch that layer, but I can
3:35still click through it if I want to. Um,
3:38I could lock those other layers as well
3:40if I wanted to as well. And with that
3:42set up, we can now go in and start
3:44thinking about our lighting layout. So,
3:46we can go into blocks, um, and into
3:48libraries. Um, and Rayon has an
3:51incredible array of blocks, um, all the
3:54different furniture, all the different
3:55types of things that I would want for my
3:57drawings. And obviously, it has a lot of
3:59lighting symbols as well, um, and
4:00electrical symbols. So, we can go down
4:02to, uh, the lighting, um, symbols. It
4:06does have a lot of lighting fixtures as
4:07well, which I'll just show you. So,
4:08these are obviously visual things that
4:10can appear in your drawings um as visual
4:13elements. So, say you were doing a um
4:14elevation, for example. Um but for this
4:17drawing, I want to be looking at the
4:18symbols. So, I'll find lighting symbols.
4:22Um and here are the array of different
4:24symbols. Um the other thing it does is
4:27have um a lighting legend. So different
4:31um countries will have different types
4:33of symbols that they use as standard. So
4:36um within Europe, within the UK, within
4:38America, they may have nuance different
4:41um symbols. So I can find uh the UK
4:45symbol, which is down here. And I can
4:48drag and drop that into my drawing. I
4:51can scale that up. And obviously when
4:53I'm thinking about this, I want the
4:55symbols to be legible on the drawing.
4:57you know, it's not about having uh the
4:59lighting the exact size it's going to
5:02be. This is a key drawing, you know, and
5:04is showing symbols to be um emblematic
5:07of the actual lighting. So, we want
5:09these to be visible on the page. So,
5:12we'll make that quite large so we can
5:14reference it. And then when you start
5:17thinking about your lighting, you know,
5:18there are obviously lots of different
5:19types of lights. So, we've got things
5:22like ceiling mounted lights, wall
5:23lights, um different types of switches,
5:26um pool cord switches, um you know,
5:29emergency lighting if we need it,
5:31chandeliers, spotlights, LED strip
5:33lights, all the different array of um
5:36you know, different lights that we're
5:37going to be thinking about as we go. One
5:38thing I do want to do is um make this
5:41layer colored. So, I would normally use
5:44a different color to make it stand out
5:46again. So, I'm going to set all these to
5:48red. So I can come into that block and I
5:51can go down to the style um and I can
5:53edit the style um to be red. Okay. So
5:57you can see that that all the elements
5:59are now set to red. Um and then when I
6:01start populating the drawings that will
6:03have some level of consistency. Okay. So
6:05we can now start thinking about actually
6:07lighting our plan. So we'll start with
6:09um ambient lighting. So the sort of
6:11background lighting to the spaces. Um
6:13I'll go with a sort of standard down
6:16lighter. um
6:18symbol.
6:20Paste that into the drawing. We want to
6:23make sure that that's the correct layer
6:25for us so it appears above the rest of
6:28the drawing. For example, um and in the
6:31kitchen space, uh we'll say
6:35we'd want a light over the sink. Having
6:38it in front of you rather than shining
6:40on the back of your head is really
6:41important. So, shining the um the space
6:44that you're actually working on. Um, and
6:46maybe there are four of those that light
6:50that general space of the kitchen. Now,
6:52when I'm starting to think about it,
6:54it's all quite intuitive and it's all
6:56kind of thinking about how I would be
6:58using the space and that's why the
6:59furniture is really important. Um, and
7:01there's a kind of an idea of general
7:03alignment and then we'll come on to sort
7:04of refine that alignment as we go. Um,
7:07so we've got our sort of four spotlights
7:10in the living in the kitchen space. Um,
7:14and actually, you know, a really good
7:15thing is to have a a pendant light um,
7:18within the sort of main living space so
7:20that the pendant light isn't on the UK
7:23lighting symbols. So, I can go to
7:25blocks, I can go to my library, and the
7:28search feature is another really good
7:29thing that I use all the time with Rayon
7:31um, with the libraries. So, I'm going to
7:33just search for pendant
7:35um, and we'll go with this one. So, we
7:38can drag that in.
7:42And then with this I can think of kind
7:44of two plausible options for the
7:46pendant. So one would be in the very
7:48center of the space um and one could be
7:50on over the dining table. Um personally
7:52I like to center it um to the window. So
7:58if I think about you know it being
8:00aligned with the center of that window
8:03and then being aligned with the living
8:05space, it's a nice feature. it sits
8:07comfortably um and provides a nice
8:09balance um amount of light and then I
8:12can see you know as I start placing
8:14things actually these three lights could
8:16align and that will be you know helpful
8:18and you know visually appealing. So we
8:21then have our lighting for the kind of
8:24living area. We have lighting for this
8:26area of the kitchen. Um but this bottom
8:29end of the kitchen's not very well lit
8:31and this is another counter space. So
8:34maybe here we want a um sort of an LED
8:37strip type light that will provide a
8:40nice linear um lighting to that space
8:45and that can sit just over here. So I'm
8:48lighting the space that's not going to
8:50be blocked by um my head using the
8:52space. And then finally um something you
8:56know you then start to think about sort
8:57of accent lighting um and um you know
9:00more sort of mood lighting that you can
9:02introduce. So, uh, wall lights, for
9:04example, could be good in this space as
9:06well. So, we'll take that out of there.
9:08And actually having, you know, two wall
9:11lights
9:12here creates a nice sort of comfortable
9:15space for that sofa. And we'll add a
9:17little element of sort of warmth um and
9:20variety because, you know, you don't
9:21always have to have all the lights on at
9:23the same time. You can have a sort of
9:24different um scene to be set um at
9:28different times of the year, at
9:29different times of the day. Um, so that
9:31feels like a nice sort of balance for
9:33that space as an example. Okay. So, as
9:35another example, we could look at the
9:37entry space. So, maybe one of the
9:39bathrooms. Um, so within the entry, we
9:42want a nice sort of balanced light. So,
9:45I think it's a another sort of ceiling
9:47mounted light fitting that's probably
9:50central within this space. But maybe
9:52it's a different type of light. So, it's
9:54not, you know, it's not a um sort of
9:56recess spotlight. is actually um a
9:59surface mounted light. Um so we could
10:02then start to code our different lights
10:05um by numbers or by letters. So we could
10:08say these are type one lights and these
10:10are type two lights. So I can add a um a
10:13text tag onto that and say number two
10:17for example. And then if that's number
10:19two then I can say these are actually
10:21number one. So then I know that you know
10:24my standard recess spotlights are number
10:27one. This is number two. So that's
10:30sitting comfortably you know giving a
10:32nice balance light in that space. Again
10:34I think a wall light would be nice on
10:38one of these walls and it gives you
10:40something to kind of draw to. So having
10:41having a wall light off in the distance
10:43with a slightly different type of glow
10:45acts as a really nice sort of feature on
10:47that wall. Um, and another thing that I
10:49always tend to do is incorporate um, PI
10:53based um, lighting within wardrobes. So
10:56that means that when you opening when
10:59you open the wardrobe, it has an inbuilt
11:02um, normally a linear light fitting in
11:06there that will provide, you know, a
11:08nice even light into the cupboard for
11:11whatever you're looking at. So, and
11:13that's that's based off when you open
11:15the door, the light turns on. So having
11:18two of those in each of there is
11:19perfect. Um further along the corridor
11:23uh I like to think about say we want to
11:25hang some pictures or some artwork um on
11:27the walls. So this is where directional
11:29lighting can be really helpful. So you
11:31can see the symbol just here. I can drag
11:33that directional symbol in again. Scale
11:37it up on here
11:42and
11:44you know, maybe there's an opportunity
11:46for something on that wall. Maybe
11:48there's an opportunity for something on
11:51that wall. Opportunity on that wall. Um,
11:55and again, you know, I'd be I'd be
11:56centering those within the corridor and,
12:01you know, centering those within the
12:03door space. But again, that gives a nice
12:05idea. It gives variety. So, you know,
12:08light bouncing off different walls. Um,
12:10and obviously a well-lit piece of
12:12artwork um is, you know, really really
12:14beneficial. In the bathroom space, we
12:17can just quickly look at an idea. Um, so
12:20take this uh bathroom space for example.
12:23Um, I'm always thinking about alignment
12:24when I'm doing lighting plans. So, for
12:26me, I'd be thinking about this sort of
12:28central corridor. You know, it's quite a
12:29long um bathroom, this one. So, you
12:33know, I'd be setting up a a relationship
12:36um with the door.
12:39I'd probably have some simple um
12:42spotlights. One,
12:45two, three, for example. Um, and you
12:50know, I'd normally sort of set these at
12:52least sort of 450 500 mil off of a wall
12:55surface. Um, and then equally space
12:58them. Similarly, within a shower space,
13:01for example, um, a really nice thing to
13:04do is have a recess cove light. So,
13:06where um, you have a linear LED fitting
13:09um, within a recess along the sort of
13:12long wall of a bath or shower. Um, so we
13:15can do that here for example. And that
13:18provides a really nice indirect type of
13:21light, very soft. Um, and normally, you
13:24know, shows off if you had a sort of
13:26marble surround for that shower, that
13:28would be perfect. Um, and similarly, you
13:32know, a wall-mounted light fitting next
13:34to your sort of sink, mirror, vanity
13:37space, um, provides a nice, you know,
13:40sort of balance amount of light across
13:42your face when you're looking in the
13:43mirror and can be an attractive, um, you
13:45know, little feature within the bathroom
13:48space again. So, that's how I would sort
13:50of plan out um, you that bathroom space.
13:53So, I'll just carry on um you know,
13:56setting the lighting up for um the rest
13:59of the apartment and then I'll come back
14:00to you. Okay. So, I've just spent a
14:02little bit more time adding the rest of
14:04the sort of basic lighting layout um for
14:07the spaces um populating it as I see
14:10fit. So, you know, bedroom spaces
14:12slightly different to the secondary
14:13bedroom spaces. We've got an external
14:15terrace space with some floor mounted um
14:18lights and a wall-mounted um light. the
14:22second bathroom, a small store space.
14:24Um, and as I said, the next step would
14:27be sort of aligning them, setting them
14:29out, um, and, you know, dimensioning the
14:32drawings, for example. So, I'll make
14:33sure that I'm again on the correct
14:36layer. I can start to think about, um,
14:40my sort of setting outline. So, a, um, a
14:43wide dash. So, as I've drawn is quite
14:46helpful, um, for that. And I basically
14:50want to sort of pick up where there are
14:52alignments. And alignments are a sort of
14:57architect's best friend and something
14:59that um you know sometimes I just sit in
15:02a space looking at what aligns on a
15:06ceiling. You know, say if I'm out at a
15:08restaurant for example, I'll always be
15:10looking at alignment because when it's
15:13done well, it looks natural. It looks
15:14right. Um and when it's not, it's really
15:17obvious. So again, you know, just
15:20thinking about the alignment of these
15:22spaces. You know, we said earlier that,
15:24you know, this is centered within that
15:26space.
15:28Obviously, these lights that we're
15:30saying are directional, but we want
15:32those, you know, centered within that
15:35corridor space. Similarly, um, you know,
15:39the entrance like for example
15:42wants to be centered within that
15:44initial, you know, lobby space. And
15:47again, the bathroom, you know, as we
15:50discussed, wants to be located centrally
15:53within there. Um, so I'm just starting
15:56to pick up um those things. And I can
15:58even, you know, add notes, for example.
16:00So here, you know, I'd say at C-L
16:04or center line um window. Um cuz the
16:08other thing you need to think about is
16:09the sequencing of when these things are
16:11going to be set out and what's going to
16:12be in the space for you to be aligning
16:15to. So, for example, I can say center
16:17line to window because I know that that
16:19window opening will be formed when
16:21they're going to be setting these lights
16:22out. It might not be the case that this
16:25kitchen is in when they're setting the
16:26lights out. So, I would be better off
16:28measuring off um a wall um or a surface
16:32of a wall or aligning to something that
16:34I know is going to be, you know, in the
16:36scheme earlier than, you know, some of
16:38the furniture. for example, I'll start
16:40to do um you know those alignment pieces
16:43and then I can add um dimensions for
16:46example. So I can you know like I said I
16:49can either add a dimension here so you
16:53know just a number and I can um change
16:57the style I can change the size of the
16:59text. I can change the line you know I
17:02can save that
17:04as a style. So recall that um lighting
17:09dims for example the wall lights for
17:13example
17:14um you know when I was placing them on
17:16the drawing I wasn't really you know
17:18thinking of a dimension but you know for
17:21example we could say those are around
17:24450 mil off of that side.
17:28Um and again
17:30450 mil off of that side. And for me,
17:35using these um annotation lines really
17:39help sort of speed up the process um of
17:42me setting things out. And then I can
17:45dimension off of the wall again there.
17:49Um and then I can just use the picker
17:51style um little picker and that will
17:55make sure that my um dimension lines are
17:59nice and consistent. So similarly um I
18:02could use equal equal um and that's
18:05something I do very often with lighting
18:07layouts. So for example um because of
18:09you know sight tolerance and things like
18:11that this final dimension um you know is
18:15drawn as 1241 but the reality is it's
18:18probably plus or minus a couple of mil
18:19either way. So to avoid you know doubt I
18:24would be much better off putting a
18:26dimension one side a dimension the other
18:28side and I can just override um the um
18:33the thing that's been read out and just
18:35put equal
18:38again I can make sure it's set to be
18:41visually consistent. Um, and that just
18:44means that whoever's doing it on site
18:46will make sure it's in the center of the
18:47space and that's much easier to
18:49communicate. Okay, so I've just added a
18:51few more dimensions to the plan. Um, and
18:54now I want to think about the switching.
18:55So the switching is again a really kind
18:58of intuitive thing. It's about thinking
19:00about when a person is walking through a
19:02space where they need to be when they
19:04enter the space to switch a light on or
19:06off. Similarly, you know, I like to
19:08think about if I'm going to bed, for
19:10example, where do I need a switch to
19:11make sure that I can turn the lights
19:13off, um, you know, in an easy way, not
19:16have to be sort of annoyed or frustrated
19:18that the switching isn't in the sort of
19:20natural location. So, think about it
19:23intuitively. So, you know, let's start
19:26at the front door, for example. You
19:28know, when you come in, you would want a
19:30switch, you know, probably on this side.
19:32So, we can go to our blocks. We can go
19:34to libraries again back down to our um
19:37lighting symbol. Um I'll just search for
19:43and we just drag in
19:45this really simple symbol.
19:49And again there are different standards
19:50for um switches um based on where you
19:55are. So that's where we want our switch
19:58naturally to sit. Um similarly on a lot
20:01of projects that I work on um you have
20:03you know much sort of higherend um
20:05control systems. So Lutron keypads and
20:08things like that where you can set
20:09scenes where you can you know
20:10automatically set things on your iPad
20:12for example. Um but just thinking about
20:14this in a sort of more traditional way.
20:16Um you know similarly as I walk through
20:18this space I think a switch here um I
20:23can rotate that would be really helpful
20:26you know as my sort of main point of
20:28access into the living um dining space.
20:32But you know take it for example if I'm
20:35sitting on the sofa and I want to change
20:38my lighting. So, I want to turn the
20:40pendant light off because I want
20:41something a bit comfier, bit cozier. I
20:43just want my wall lights on. Um, you
20:46know, having to walk all the way over
20:47there is a bit of a pain. So, actually
20:49having a secondary switch maybe on the
20:52return of this wall, you know, nice and
20:54discreet, out of the way. You know, I'm
20:57sitting on that sofa and I can just
20:58quickly switch the light is really
21:01helpful. Again, think about it. Um, you
21:04know, the switches, you know, you
21:06wouldn't have a switch unless it was
21:07like a pool cord or something in the
21:08bathroom. So, they would be on the
21:10outside of the walls, outside of the
21:12space, for example. Um, or, you know,
21:15over here, for example, if I'm on my way
21:17to bed, um, and I want to turn these
21:19hallway lights off. I don't want to have
21:21to turn them off, you know, over here
21:23and then walk through that space in
21:25darkness. Ideally, I would have a light,
21:28you know, a switch over here, you know,
21:30and earlier we said that this light is
21:33pointing at that wall for artwork. So,
21:35actually, I want that wall quite clear.
21:36So, I'll put the switch on this wall.
21:40And you you will sort of design and
21:43think about the process as you go. You
21:45know, you'll discuss this with your
21:46client, see what their feelings are. Um,
21:49but again, it's very sort of intuitive.
21:51uh you know similarly you know when I
21:54enter the space having a switch
21:58on this wall is kind of key I don't want
22:00it hidden behind the door for example um
22:03but similarly actually having a switch
22:06next to um my wall light when I'm laying
22:09in bed again might be really helpful um
22:13so incorporating something over there
22:15that maybe controls you know allows me
22:17to set different levels of light um or
22:20you know turn the pendant off and keep
22:21the wall light on even that could
22:24control um the outside spaces. Once I've
22:27started to think about the switching, I
22:30then um start to have a bit of fun with
22:32these wiggly lines. And that's something
22:33that always kind of attracted me to um
22:36lighting plans is that they always have
22:38these sort of wiggly lines that I never
22:40really quite understood. The reality is
22:42with those lines, they're very easy to
22:44draw. So you you just go to the shapes
22:46panel, you go to curve. um they're just
22:49about showing the sort of sequence of
22:51the lights and which switch connects to
22:54which lights um and which are on
22:56separate circuits. So if a line is
22:59connecting a series of lights, they are
23:01on the same lighting circuit. So when I
23:03switch one, it switches all of those on.
23:05So for example, from this light, I could
23:08say actually all four of these kitchen
23:11lights are one on one circuit. So, for
23:15example, just in this space, I can have
23:18um some different lighting circuits. So,
23:20one could be, you know, that's the
23:22kitchen lighting circuit.
23:24We could have the pendant on a different
23:26circuit.
23:29We'd want the wall lights
23:32on a different circuit.
23:34And again, you know, you could have that
23:37separate light um for those units on a
23:40separate circuit again. So you know that
23:42would allow you that flexibility of
23:45control. Um you know and similarly in
23:48this bedroom for example. So my switch
23:50is over here. So you know I've got one
23:54circuit for my pendant light. Um
23:58we've got like a nice task light above
24:00the desk here.
24:03Um we've got some lighting in
24:07the sort of wardrobe space. Um
24:12and then you've got this separate
24:16wall light here. Okay. So you can see
24:18that I've sort of finalized um the idea
24:20of the um the lighting circuit and the
24:22connections. Um and we did say at the
24:24beginning that this is a combined
24:26lighting and electrical plan. So let's
24:29have a quick think about the electrical
24:31um element. So again I can go down to uh
24:35electrical electrical symbols. Um and
24:38you know similarly to the uh lighting
24:41we've got a legend over here. So we can
24:43drag that in. Perfect. Um and now we
24:47want to start thinking about the um
24:49electrical elements. So this is you know
24:51plug sockets, things like that, data
24:52outlets. Um and I'll just show you a few
24:54examples. Uh so you know a twin um
24:59switch socket outlet for example. um you
25:02know that's something quite standard. So
25:04again we could just copy that out and
25:07again it's that sort of intuitive thing.
25:08So as you go. So you know earlier we
25:11would have thought where the placement
25:12of the TV is um you know so obviously
25:17the TV requires um some switch sockets
25:20and you know we don't want to pepper the
25:23drawing with them but people will thank
25:25you later on for having enough sockets
25:29particularly around the TV area. Um, you
25:33know, similarly, these are helpful, you
25:36know, if you're on the sofa, you know,
25:38maybe eventually you've got like a
25:40little coffee table here, you want to
25:42charge your phone while you're sitting
25:43down, or maybe you've got a little lamp
25:45on your um side table. You again, having
25:50sockets on your kitchen worktops is
25:54really key. You might have, you know,
25:56things like toasters um or kettles
25:59sitting on the worktop that you want to
26:02power. And again, you know, even think
26:04about um you know, stuff like hoovering,
26:07for example. So, you know, having a
26:09socket at low level um somewhere in the
26:13hallway is really beneficial for that.
26:15And you know I like to think about them
26:17you know placing them kind of
26:18conspicuously
26:19um you know amongst the space not having
26:22too many but you know having enough that
26:24you you know you've designed it in in
26:27such a way and again with the sort of
26:30setting out I'm either thinking about it
26:32in a sort of discrete way. So, I'm
26:34placing it, you know, in a corner, um,
26:36you know, behind something, you know,
26:38sensibly, you know, I'd be centering
26:41these within these units, for example,
26:43or centering them within this space. Um,
26:46but again, you know, most of the time
26:47these are either at low level or just
26:49above sort of worktop level. You know,
26:51if we're thinking about these spaces,
26:54you know, in the in the bedrooms, for
26:56example, you know, this could either be,
26:59you know, somewhere um to do some work,
27:02um a little workstation, or it could be
27:04somewhere to do some makeup. So, either
27:06way, having, you know, power outlets um
27:10is really helpful. Um and in some
27:13projects, you may have data outlets as
27:15well. So you know actually wired in um
27:18internet rather than Wi-Fi um or you
27:21know things around um data for the
27:24television for example. So you know we
27:26start to populate the drawing with those
27:29again referring back to our key and you
27:32know again you have different types of
27:34standard symbols you know even things
27:36like telephone phone handsets or CCTV
27:39outlets. So eventually the drawing is
27:42doing a lot of work and really, you
27:44know, communicating everything you need
27:45to know, but in a considered way. You
27:47know, we're setting things out, we're
27:49aligning them. Um it's all very clear
27:51and hopefully with that sort of knocked
27:53back plan. It's all, you know, sitting
27:55visually well um on the drawing as well.
27:59The final aspect just to consider are a
28:01series of notes. Um and these can be
28:04really helpful on a drawing and they can
28:05kind of think about them like a set of
28:07rules. So, if I'm talking to the
28:10electrician or whoever's going to be
28:11setting out um the light fittings and
28:14the power sockets, for example, um
28:16having a note section can be really
28:18helpful because it just kind of sets the
28:20guidelines. So, setting either standard
28:22heights, so um you know, the UK building
28:25regulations have requirements about
28:26certain sight heights of sockets off of
28:29floor locations or off of um work
28:32surfaces, for example. Um or we can you
28:35know set parameters for um the fixing
28:38requirements or you know sort of making
28:40sure distances off of walls. So for
28:43example you know one sort of niggly
28:45element is sometimes having the archetra
28:48of a door um and you have a socket
28:50that's too close to the edge of that um
28:52or a switch that's too close to the edge
28:54of that. So you know setting a sort of
28:56rule um you know a minimum of 150 mil
28:59for example set off of um an archetrave
29:02and if that's not achievable to you know
29:04let the architect know and then you can
29:06make a decision later down the lines
29:07sort of thing. So it's a really kind of
29:09helpful tool in your arsenal to make
29:12sure that your design intent is you know
29:15met and and kept to and and no one's
29:18sort of frustrated or disappointed.
29:20Okay. So, with the plan drawn to help
29:22clients visualize the products that
29:24we're going to be using, creating a mood
29:26board can be really, really helpful. And
29:28that can obviously relate with product
29:30images um and dedicated information that
29:33relates to each tag of the lighting. So,
29:36you remember that I was going through
29:38adding, you know, key numbers, for
29:40example, to the lighting as I was going.
29:44Um, you know, I've started thinking
29:45about what those actual fittings are
29:47going to be like. So, you know, earlier
29:49on I knew that that was going to be a
29:51directional light. So, these number on's
29:53um you know, and it allows me then to do
29:55a bit more research, find a suitable
29:57product, find something that meets my
29:59sort of aesthetic and budget
30:01aspirations. Um, and it's really simple
30:04to add those images into Rayon. And for
30:08me, that's a really powerful thing that
30:10I can do this in exactly the same
30:11software that I'm drawing in. You know,
30:13normally I'd have to be doing that in a
30:15separate piece of software. I'd have a
30:16different um you know either spreadsheet
30:18or um you know either an inesign file
30:21for example. Um and I can now just sort
30:23of copy and paste these from the
30:25manufacturer's website. Um so you know
30:28we've looked at directional spotlight.
30:30We've got a recess spotlight. What about
30:32a pendant light or a wall light? So I'm
30:34just going to quickly show you you know
30:35I can go to uh a manufacturer for
30:38example um and you know I can do my
30:41research. So I can find pendants for
30:44example or maybe cluster pendants
30:48and you know I can find something
30:52that's maybe suitable
30:54um
30:56yeah here we go something that will sit
30:59nicely
31:01within the living space. Um yeah that
31:05will do. So I can literally just copy
31:08that and paste in it comes. And you know
31:14similarly with the wall light I can find
31:16a wall light and a wall light. Um
31:21maybe something like that is quite nice
31:24in
31:27the bathroom.
31:30So again I can copy
31:34paste very simply
31:36and the really helpful thing is that I
31:38can also edit the image. So I can go
31:40into edit and um Brown's got these kind
31:43of incorporated AI tools as well which
31:44are really helpful. So I could remove
31:46the background for example or if the
31:49image is coming in really low res I can
31:51upscale it. So let's just show remove
31:53background for example.
31:56So you can see there that's removed the
31:57background. Um
32:01you can see there it's transparent. So
32:03you know I could start layering these up
32:05and create a really sort of attractive
32:07mood board if I wanted to. So that can
32:09obviously sit as a page. Um you know we
32:12can add you know more manufacturers
32:13information, things that are helpful to
32:15the site team for example um or codes,
32:18quantities. Um, you know, we can even
32:21set up a whole spreadsheet uh that
32:23details more information out about these
32:25light fittings. And obviously, these
32:27two, you know, elements sitting next to
32:29each other, the very factual setting
32:30out, um, you know, electrical lighting
32:33plan and the visually appealing mood
32:35board are a perfect set of information
32:37for us. Okay. So, finally, we can
32:39prepare a drawing set for export,
32:41setting the scale, paper size um, in the
32:44page panel and organizing multiple
32:45layouts as needed. We can even export as
32:48PDF, PNG, DWG or DXF. So, let's get
32:52started. Um, within the um canvases,
32:55we've got our model space and we can
32:57create now a paper canvas. Um, it will
33:00come up, if you haven't done that
33:01already, it will come up with create
33:03page. Um, and we can set our page size
33:06and our scale. So, I normally work on an
33:09A3, for example. So, that's set there.
33:13Um, the paper space will always be at 1
33:15one. um and you'll be looking at your
33:18view of your model space at a certain
33:20scale. We can now bring in um a drawing
33:23sheet. So we can go to blocks. We can go
33:26down to title blocks.
33:29Um and again search feature comes in
33:31handy. We can now put A3 finder title
33:35block.
33:37Yeah, that one looks good. Align that
33:40with our page.
33:42Copy that over. And then we can close
33:46the blocks. We go back to layers. Um,
33:48and now in the layer tab, I can go to
33:50new and I can go to view. So I can do
33:53that from the model space. And that is
33:55now taking a view of your model space.
33:58Um, and that view will be at a certain
34:00scale. So you can see we can change the
34:02scale to 1 to 50 for example. So a
34:05larger scale drawing um is actually
34:07really helpful when you're doing this
34:09type of thing.
34:11And if I double click on it, I can then,
34:13you know, scroll about. If I start to
34:15zoom, that will obviously change the
34:17scale. Um, so I can flip back to 1 to
34:2050. If I come out, if I, um, change the
34:24crop region, that then hides the rest of
34:27the drawing
34:29and then I can neatly fit it on my page.
34:32So, we've got our keys on the left hand
34:35side. We've got our notes. Um, and then
34:37I can just copy that
34:40over here.
34:44And I can move over here. So, I'm just
34:47scrolling in. Make sure that fits on the
34:49page nicely. And I can set that
34:51centrally or however I feel. So, really,
34:53really simple. Uh, and then I can just
34:55flick back to the model space if I
34:57wanted to make a change to the drawing.
34:59Um, but in the paper canvas, I can turn
35:01things on and off. So I because we've
35:03set up the layers correctly, I could
35:05decide to turn the furniture off or turn
35:06the walls off or, you know, change the
35:08color for example. So with those
35:10drawings set up, I can do a couple of
35:12different things now. So I can export
35:13it, export it as a PDF, for example. So
35:16it's literally export PDF. I could
35:18export the pages separately or I can
35:20export both pages as a um a document. I
35:23can change the file size. I can decide
35:26if it's a PDF, a PNG. Um and then just
35:29press export and that'll come out as a
35:30um as a PDF. Similarly, which is a um
35:34element that I love about Ryon is being
35:36able to share um my um projects and
35:41presentations. So, I could share this as
35:44a link for collaborators. So, I could um
35:47get the rest of my team involved, you
35:49know, having um feedback and
35:51coordination across disciplines. So, um
35:54you know, I could even send it to a
35:56lighting designer for their impact and
35:58then their comments, for example. Um,
36:00similarly, which is an element I love is
36:03that I can publish as a presentation.
36:05And this completely avoids the need for
36:07exporting as a PDF, downloading, sending
36:10a link, you know, waiting for client
36:12comments. I can just send it as a
36:14presentation and it gives them one link
36:15and they can open it from there straight
36:17away. Simple as. So, I just go to
36:19presentation over here. Click there and
36:23there's my link. So, I can open that.
36:26Gives it a second to load the
36:27presentation.
36:30And there we go. There's our drawing.
36:35Wonderful. And I can obviously zoom in
36:36and zoom out um as I see fit. Okay. So,
36:41we've covered everything from setup and
36:43symbol placement to circuit logic,
36:45annotations, visual referencing, and
36:47exporting. So whether you're designing
36:50for a home, office, or retail space,
36:53these methods should hope deliver you
36:55clear, functional, and buildable
36:58lighting and electrical plans. Thanks
37:00for watching this tutorial on creating
37:02lighting and power plans with Rayon. I
37:04hope you found it helpful and feel more
37:06confident tackling your own projects. If
37:08you're ready to get started, just click
37:09the link below to open the free template
37:12and begin designing your own lighting
37:13and electrical plans. No prior
37:16experience needed. If you have any
37:18questions or want to share your work,
37:20drop a comment or reach out anytime.
37:21Don't forget to subscribe for more
37:23architecture and design tutorials.

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of How to Draw Lighting Plans Faster Than AutoCAD by Rayon Academy, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 6,531 words across 919 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.