QUESTION:

Can ECOTECT calculate the areas in my model with a daylight factor of more than 2% excluding areas with direct sunlight.

ANSWER:

Yes it can calculate the area for you -- a bit of a trick required though

You need to first set the minimum Grid Scale to 2% (under Grid Data & Scale in the Analysis Grid Panel), then you need to choose the Clip to Minimum checkbox in the Grid Settings (top of same panel).

You also then need to make sure you have the Show Average Value option checked -- this will display the grids average, the percentage above the clip threshold and the number of visible nodes in the bottom left of the drawing canvas.

The 'Above Clip Threshold' is the value you need -- this worked out to be the % area above the minimum value set... in your case 2%.

The direct sunlight aspect is irrelevant for DF calcs as they are always done as worst case scenarios i.e. with an overcast/uniform sky -- hence no direct sunlight involved in the calculation.

Also, if you go into the SUMMARY Page, you can choose the Report >> Analysis Grid >> Percentage Contours item, you can get a formatted report with percentages of the floor area in each contour band.