In the field of lighting, simulations can be used to evaluate different aspects related either to electric light or natural light. Depending on your specific goal, you need to choose the most appropriate software.

A first distinction must be made between software based on a static calculation approach and those based on a dynamic approach. Thanks to the former, it is possible to evaluate the distribution of electric or natural light in the environment; calculate the parameters for which the standard provides the limit values in order to meet the conditions of visual comfort in the presence of electric light (such as the values of illuminance and uniformity on the surfaces of the space or the values of UGR); Evaluate the availability of natural light in specific weather conditions (e.g. clear or overcast sky) and at specific times and days of the year. 
Thanks to dynamic calculation software, on the other hand, it is possible to evaluate the availability of natural light in indoor environments over the course of an entire year and with a generally hourly interval, considering the variations in the specific climatic conditions of a given geographical area, modeled from the data contained in the climate files.  In this way, it is possible to obtain more complete information on the distribution of natural light in the environment during the year, to evaluate the amount of electric light necessary to integrate natural light over time, to calculate the corresponding energy consumption, to analyze the performance of automatic control systems or shading systems and to evaluate, with a statistical approach, the occurrence of any risks of uncomfortable conditions due to the presence of natural light.

Finally, it should be emphasized that researchers are paying great attention to the so-called “non-visual effects” of lighting (effects on mood, work performance, circadian rhythms), which has led to the development of some software capable of accurately simulating the spectral interactions between light and matter and then evaluating the spectral irradiance to the eye of the occupants of a space, thanks to which it is then possible to estimate the non-visual effects of light.

The most common simulation tools in the field of lighting are listed and described below:
http://www.ibpsa-italy.org/en/software-en/lighting.html