# Cyclops courses

> **PAACADEMY provides online courses on the Cyclops Grasshopper plugin, teaching architects how to execute precise daylight simulation, solar radiation mapping and illuminance analysis.**

Cyclops is a Grasshopper plugin for daylight and solar radiation simulation, providing architects with the tools to run illuminance analysis, radiation mapping, and solar access studies directly inside the parametric design environment. It enables quantitative daylighting performance evaluation at the level of detail needed to support design decisions rather than simply meeting minimum compliance standards.

At PAACADEMY, Cyclops is taught in _Building Performance with Forma and Opossum_ as a critical layer in the environmental design workflow:

- **Illuminance Analysis:** Measuring exact light levels on interior floor plates to optimize window sizing and shading devices.
- **Solar Radiation Mapping:** Visualizing direct solar gain on building facades to inform material selection and cooling loads.
- **Performance-Driven Design:** Connecting Cyclops output data to optimization plugins like Opossum or Wallacei to automatically generate the best-performing facade iterations.

## At a glance

- Software hub: Cyclops
- Courses listed: 2
- Canonical: https://paacademy.com/software/cyclops

## Courses

- [Building Performance with Forma & Opossum](https://paacademy.com/course/building-performance-with-forma-opossum)
- [Design Integration with Cyclops, Ladybug & Wallacei](https://paacademy.com/course/design-integration-with-cyclops-ladybug-wallacei)

## FAQ

### What is Cyclops and what does it simulate in Grasshopper?

Cyclops is a Grasshopper plugin for daylight and solar radiation simulation, enabling illuminance analysis, radiation mapping and solar access studies directly in the parametric design environment. At PAACADEMY, it is taught in _Building Performance with Forma and Opossum_ as the daylight simulation layer in a complete environmental performance workflow that also covers Ladybug, Honeybee, Wallacei and Opossum.

### How does Cyclops fit into PAACADEMY's performance simulation course?

In _Building Performance with Forma and Opossum_, Cyclops handles the daylight and solar simulation stage after site-level microclimate analysis with Ladybug and the Forma Rhino plugin. It produces solar radiation maps and illuminance data that inform the building design and feed into subsequent energy modeling with Honeybee. The course by Olaf Olden runs 8 hours across 11 beginner-level lessons.

### Do I need prior simulation experience to learn Cyclops at PAACADEMY?

No. _Building Performance with Forma and Opossum_ is beginner level, designed for architects and sustainability consultants new to computational performance analysis. It teaches daylight simulation, microclimate analysis and energy modeling from foundational principles, with no prior experience of Cyclops, Ladybug or other simulation plugins required.