GBXML 2010

To save time and energy I'm attaching a link to the Bimology post on the same topic. Without re-hashing any details I plan to dwell on only a couple of things: shading devices and curtain walls.

When exporting to gbxml you now have 5 settings for how Revit will translate the model. You can either export as "simple" or "complex" which determines whether or not glazing will be broken up by mullions. If you choose "complex" Revit translates the window openings very accurately while still rationalizing curves. If you choose "simple" the panes all cluster together into one large window with an equivalent area. Both settings give you the choice to export with or without shading elements(4), and with "complex" you can also choose to export the mullions as shading elements(5)

Troll House shown in Revit

Detail level:"simple with shading surfaces."

Detail level:"complex with shading surfaces and mullions."

When importing the gbxml into Ecotect you can clearly see the differences in the curtain walls between "simple" and "complex." The 5th options which now allows us to export mullions as shading elements gives us some new options when designing exterior shading devices. But if you'll notice one of the overhangs was ignored.

If we are using Ecotect we can still import this as geometry and incorporate it either in our Ecotect analysis or in an export to another program like Green Building Studio.

If you are using Ecotect there is one glitch however: an entire curtain wall is read as a window with windows inside of it. When you look at what's supposed to happen in the Revit export you see that the perimeter, the mullion gaps between panes, and any solid curtain panels should translate as a single, solid wall.

But in Ecotect it all comes in as glass so you need to take a minute to reassign the parent wall as a material other than glass.

Now that was all fairly simple but let's look at a more complicated building. Below we have on the right side a glass curtain wall with horizontal shading elements made out of "mullion" objects. On the left we have a solid wall with the circular curtain wall elements cut out, or "embedded."

Revit actually does a fairly good job of rationalizing these shapes for the energy model.

When we view by "zone color" we can see that we have a problem with one floor. Ideally we would solve this issue by diagnosing or Revit model so we would never see it again. However if our diagnosis did not fix the problem, or if we were working in a non-integrated team structure where we didn't have access to the source file, we could always clean this up quickly in Ecotect

For buildings with repetitive floor plates you can always take one clean floor and copy it up. Or if you are doing design energy modeling and are only worried about relative values you can delete all but a typical level, make the floor and ceiling adiabatic, then study different form and facade options in your energy model.

Surface Subdivision 2010

The 2010 release of Revit Architecture has made a huge improvements in form generation, gbxml exporting, and what makes me most happy, new tools for surface subdivision.

First let me apologize that these buildings are less than spectacular, I had to rush to get this post out before my nemesis, Tzigo (who's actually a really nice guy, to his disadvantage), could do it and take credit. But as you can see these very strange shapes have surfaces that can be divided up and rationalized into various patterns which are easy to manipulate.

This level of control is extremely useful when you develop curtain systems in detail, but much earlier in concept design it also simplifies solar radiation analysis. When calculating incendent solar radiation in Ecotect the values are not consistent across non-planar surfaces. In urban settings also the shadows from the surrounding buildings will cause inconsistent insolation values across the building surfaces. For these reasons it's important to be able to subdivide large surfaces before running analysis.

In previous versions of Revit the triangulation of complex shapes has made Ecotect analysis very time consuming and sometimes nearly impossible. When they weren't too small the triangles would often be long and narrow which can misrepresents results diplaying deceptive data. Now in Revit 2010 you can take any curving, warping, bent out of shape surface and subdivide it exactly as you want for easy and efficient analysis. You can analyse a single building or easily run it for an entire neighborhood. For Revit users who've never done this before (I can't tell you have much easier is) now is definitely the best time.

Thanks for that.

Shading Devices 2010

Warning!!
I first reviewed Ecotect Analysis 2010 before I had begun using Revit Architecture 2010. My updated post on gbxml 2010 goes into much more detail about the translation of Revit shading devices. Be sure to read both posts.

The development of BIM energy modeling has often been plagued with shading device difficulties, but the tools are getting better all of the time.

When you export to Ecotect you are able to import zones, as you can with other analysis programs such as IES and Green Building Studio, but with Ecotect you can also import building geometry. This ability allows you to separately import shading devices, testing out multiple options for optimal performance.

In the past I've used this method to import shading devices and complex shapes from Revit to Ecotect to IES-VE, now we can go from Ecotect into Green Building Studio.

In Ecotect Analysis 2010 the direct link to Green Building Studio enables users to create much more accurate models for energy analysis. This link also enables Green Building Studio users the opportunity to become involved in facade design, quickly relating geometry variations to energy consumption.

Thanks for that.

Introducing Freeform Energy

Freeform Energy was started in the Spring of 2009 by Jon Allen Gardzelewski with the intent to bring sophisticated environmental design skills and services to the North American market. With international, cross disciplinary experience Freeform Energy is a model firm to fill the knowledge gap in AEC efforts at achieving energy efficient design.

Located in Washington, D.C., Freeform Energy is ideally situated to support the priority shifts of the new administration—a change which is wholeheartedly welcomed in the green building industry. A high performance building culture requires a policy shift at the top levels and integrated teams making informed decisions on the ground. A careful understanding of decisions and their impacts on building performance is key, creating a more transparent and accountable design environment that replaces guesswork with information.

Freeform Energy is a great believer that through the use of technology and ingenuity we can realize clean energy solutions, cut out carbon and improve the natural environmental. Green as much more than the business of saving energy—we're creating a higher standard of living for both ourselves and our planet.

www.freeformenergy.com

SketchUp Virtual Environment

The green software industry moves forward yet again with the recent announcement of an IES plug-in for Google SketchUp. Similar to the Revit Architecture plug-in IES now offers their VE-Ware, their sustainability toolkit and a direct link into Virtual Environment, one of the most robust, engineering grade analysis programs in the industry.

At the basic level this means that with a free version of SketchUp and a free VE-Ware plug-in, anyone across the globe can design a building or a home and evaluate the energy performance while tracking carbon emissions against the 2030 challenge. For those like myself who are passionate about change, we warmly welcome the opening up of the competition to any clever person owning a computer.

At the professional level this opens up these free tools to those modeling accurately in any non-BIM tools which can be exported into SketchUp (Rhino, 3DS Max, etc.). In essence, any firm using Revit in conjunction with other design tools now has the ability to track carbon at every stage of every project…with a free plug-in.

Sketchup Model...

IES import

As a personal opinion, for those who have been following earlier blogs I can say that IES has taken the lead among energy modeling tools. http://greenbimnetwork.blogspot.com/2008/06/engineer-takes-lead.html “But perhaps more importantly this software will be able to reuse architectural design models, architectural construction models, and will promote interoperability by cleanly exchanging data between all design and analysis platforms.” While IES is not yet fully interoperable with all platforms, they have swung the door wide open.

Autodesk Ecotect

Autodesk takes a giant leap forward in the green software industry with the aquisition of Square One Research LTD including substantially all of the assets related to of the Ecotect software tools for conceptual building performance analysis.

Available for Free Now!

"Square One Research and Autodesk share a commitment to using technology to make the design and construction of sustainable, high-performance buildings easier and more efficient," said Dr. Andrew J. Marsh, Co-Founder and Head of Research & Development, Square One Research. "We are pleased to join Autodesk and look forward to helping develop and deliver simple and effective building performance analysis to architects and engineers around the world."

Autodesk announced simultaneously that it had acquired substantially all assets related to Green Building Studio, Inc., the intent of which they had announced in February of this year.

What the Square One acquisition should mean:

• Improved gbxml workflow
• Improved IFC workflow
• Improved geometry workflow from Revit and other Autodesk applications
• Development of LEED toolkit within Ecotect
• Supported use of Ecotect in conjunction with other energy modelling software
• Improved transfer of metadata for more iterative analysis opportunities
• The View Cube and Steering Wheel now found in all other Autodesk products will be replaced by the Ecotect right mouse orbit and the F5-F8 standard views (please not the other way around)

See related story...

Change The World 2008

Change the World 2008:
Harnessing BIM Technology and Integrated Project Delivery for Sustainable Design

Change The World 2008

A pre-convention to the AIA National Convention next week in Boston will be taking place on the 13th and 14th. I'll be blogging LIVE about the sessions I attend, so stop by and throw in your 2 cents if you have a chance.