Optimizing the built environment via simulations of building models hinges on standardizing data acquisition. In this research, we put forward distinct levels of detail for geometry and material inputs, specifically tailored for indoor daylight applications. We primarily focus on understanding the uncertainties arising from imprecise estimations of material optical properties and incomplete geometrical inputs in climate-based indoor daylight simulations. Employing a Monte Carlo approach, we analyzed six office and teaching spaces, creating 20 variations for each by altering geometrical completeness and material accuracy. The technique of excluding non-permanent objects below certain sizes in four graduated steps was used to derive and test the impact of various geometrical levels of detail. Our findings reveal that different levels of geometrical completeness lead to errors ranging from 1.08% to 18.05%. Additionally, a twofold increase in simulation time was noted when geometrical detail was enhanced relative to the most basic model. Errors stemming from imprecise definitions of material optical properties showed a normal distribution. The uncertainty in simulation outcomes showed a linear rise with increasing input material uncertainty, lying between 10% to 30%, depending on space configurations. We observed heightened uncertainty near openings, attributed to window transmittance effects. The research underscores that daylight predictions are markedly more sensitive to transmittance uncertainties than to those in reflectance, regardless of the window-to-floor ratio. These insights may help to guide a more efficient data acquisition process of indoor spaces for daylight simulations.

A key aspect of daylight modeling is the definition of material optical properties. Characterization of such properties in existing indoor spaces with current methods is a labour-intensive and time-consuming task, especially in surfaces with considerable visual complexity. Faster and more accurate estimations of such properties will lead to more efficient workflows. Towards this direction, the present work studied the feasibility of using two novel approaches i.e. illuminance-proxy and probabilistic image based material characterization methods for implementation in daylight modeling. These approaches are compared with two common techniques, namely the manual selection from a measured dataset and the use of illuminance/luminance measurements. According to the results, both novel techniques are able to predict spatiallyaveraged Daylight Autonomy, continuous Daylight Autonomy, and Useful Daylight Illuminance in 300-3000 lx range with less than 5% error