Re: [EnergyPlus_Support] EnergyPlus Sketchup workflow

Great tips. Thanks. I did not know all of those. I absolutely agree about reading idf. I am also happy to mention that the DesignBuilder team have taken the idea to heart and it has become one of the future developement goals (appearing on the meeting minutes of the last reseller meeting). I should also mention that attaching pieces of idf code has become easier with the new EMS and FMU interface GUI built in. In combination with better naming conventions for objects, it really opens things up in terms of flexibility.

So as you say, that "first pass" is becomming increasingly better. And on complex simulations you'll most likely windup in a text editor. But thank goodness for that first pass! DB is not "the right software" for everyone for sure, and as you illustrated, usually forms part of a toolkit of softwares that we use to get the job done.

My real problem is change management and specifically regarding a BIM that is in constant flux. But I've spoken to DB and they have some good ideas on how to handle that so that you don't loose an existing import and all the setup work in DB when you get an updated gbXML from the architects.

Here's an extract of an email I recently sent Dave Cocking at DB.

â??BIMâ?? is what â??Greenbuildingâ?? was in 2009.

â??The [UK] Government Construction Strategy was published by the Cabinet
office on 31 May 2011. The report announced the Governments intention to
require: collaborative 3D BIM (with all project and asset information,
documentation and data being electronic) on its projects by 2016.â?? ?
http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/

And guess what? DesignBuilding is a BIM Software. It re-uses the same
building information model to do several independent simulation analysis (e+, CFD, radiance, parametric optimization).
It can also import BIM models from other software and it can export
information like idf files and excel files to be further used in other
external programs. It does not have a free viewer, but an exported dxf can
be viewed by several free viewers. An idf can even be viewed in free
google sketchup with openstudio and an external partner could review the
information contained in the objects! He could even run the simulation?

DeesignBuilder is about as BIM as it gets at the moment.

On 17.06.2015, at 23:43, "Mark Carey markc@xxxxxxxxx [EnergyPlus_Support]" <EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

The legacy OpenStudio plugin does no checking of surface names, so Iâ??ve seen it cause problems with windows â??poppingâ?? off surfaces when surface names are not unique. Unhelpfully sketchup tries to check geometry on import, so I use an RCS tool (I choose the FOSS tool git) in combination with the others to only check in (accept) changes to parts of the model that I want.

That said I use a combination of;

sketchup (with legacy plugin)

gitscm (https://git-scm.com/), great for managing branches, diffs between different model configurations etc

designbuilder ? typically for first pass HVAC systemss

sefaira (http://sefaira.com/) revit plugin and web interface which allows me to take a revit file model import the envelope into sefaira and then extract the idf file from the webinterface and use in other tools

custom c code for generating HVAC descriptions for large systems, and complex geometry that â??confusesâ?? the other tools, i.e the designbuilder geometry modeller has relatively easy to encounter limitations

notepad++

The main consideration for tool use and position in a workflow is the ability to read an idf file, many tools are able to write idf files but not many are able to read in idf files so you inevitably end up in a text editor.

Mark Carey | Mechanical Engineer

Powell Fenwick Consultants Ltd
Cnr Bealey Ave & Churchill St
P O Box 25 108, Christchurch 8144
P: (03) 366-1777 | M: 021 135 5335 | E: markc@xxxxxxxxx | W: www.pfc.co.nz

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From: EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, 18 June 2015 2:35 a.m.
To: EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [EnergyPlus_Support] EnergyPlus Sketchup workflow

The Legacy OpenStudio plugin for Sketchup can make geometry easier, but beware that reopening and modifying files can be problematic in my experience. I find that some geometry can get lost or confused or that some objects slip away. I try to do all the geometry in one session and then do the rest of the work in the IDF editor. I often open IDF files sent to me for review in Sketchup to review geometry, but I find modifying and saving changes with Sketchup is not reliable. Perhaps that is because I use an older version of Sketchup?

Ned Lyon, P.E. (MA, WV)
Staff Consultant
SIMPSON GUMPERTZ & HEGER
781.907.9000 main
781.907.9350 direct
617.285.2162 mobile
781.907.9009 fax
www.sgh.com

From: EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 8:58 AM
To: EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [EnergyPlus_Support] EnergyPlus Sketchup workflow

Hey, I need help for my Phd thesis where I want to simulate buildings in EnergyPlus. So my question is what is the common work-flow for modeling a building regarding geometry, materials and weather data. I tried to built a model in Legacy OpenStudio sketchUp plugin but I dont know how to put parameters of materials into the model. Is the sketchUp plugin only used for geometrics or is it also possible to include material parameters in SketchUp? Or do I have to export geometric data from Sketchup to OpenStudio Application and then run a simulation out of the OpenStudio? Kind regards, Gosia