Building Performance Analysis

EnergyPlus Cloud API Webinar Posted

Last week we hosted a webinar on the EnergyPlus Cloud API. The recording is now available and you can view it here. To summarize the webinar, Pete Thompson covered the workflow for using the API as follows: Generate input file using an IDF authoring tool Submit IDF/EPW files Receive an email to download output Additionally, you can find the new C# project and Python code here. Thanks to all who attended and asked some great questions on the line. We hope you enjoyed it and learned enough about the EnergyPlus Cloud API to start using it. For any questions, comments,... Read more →

Solar Analysis plugin now includes Revit Building Elements

At the end of last year we announced the release of the Solar Analysis plugin for Revit. Earlier this month we released a new updated version with several new features we think you’ll enjoy. You can now visualize solar impacts on Revit building elements in addition to on the faces of mass models. This means as you develop your Revit model, you can continue to do analysis and make informed design decisions. We’ve also tried to take the guesswork out of analysis by using smart defaults. This means that you don’t have to configure 20+ settings before you can get... Read more →

Energy-Efficient Sustainable Homes on a Budget

What can $20k buy you? A quick search and I found some used mini-vans, a very modest inground outdoor pool, and the NFL’s “Touchdown Club” ticket package for two. How about building an energy-efficient sustainable home? Rural Studio at Auburn University has done just that. Read more at Line/Shape/Space. Courtesy Rural Studio/Auburn U. Read more →

EnergyPlus Cloud Webinar Posted

Earlier this week we hosted a webinar on EnergyPlus Cloud. The recording is now available and you can view it here. Thanks to all who attended and asked some great questions on the line. We hope you enjoyed it and learned about our new EnergyPlus Cloud features. During the webinar, we conducted a few live polls. Similar to the early adopters of EnergyPlus Cloud we were interested in what role attendees identified most as, their current usage of EnergyPlus and EnergyPlus Cloud, the typical amount of time it took for them to perform an EnergyPlus simulation, their preferred authoring tool,... Read more →

Don’t forget to register: FREE EnergyPlus Cloud Webinar

On Tuesday next week we will be hosting a FREE webinar on EnergyPlus Cloud, its features, and application workflow. During the session Principal Engineer and Product Owner Krishnan Gowri will show you how to utilize EnergyPlus Cloud in addition to facilitating an open forum discussion for feedback. Tuesday, February 10th 9:00 – 10:00 AM PST Register here. Webinar attendees will receive 1 AIA LU. Get your hands on EnergyPlus Cloud right now. Access the project on Autodesk Labs. Related articles FREE Webinar: Cloud-based Energy Simulation using EnergyPlus Newest Release of Project Energy Cost Range Includes an HVAC Widget and ASHRAE... Read more →

ASHRAE Winter Conference & AHR Expo

We’re in Chicago this week attending the ASHRAE Winter Conference as well as the AHR Expo! What are we talking about this week? Well in addition to creating an energy analytical model directly from your Revit architectural geometry, customizable Revit dashboards and runsets, and fast daylighting analysis, we’re highlighting the following new announcements. EnergyPlus Cloud, which upon its initial launch could analyze EnergyPlus models 5x-10x faster than desktop simulations, is now announcing improved performance up to 20x. Also, the service will now include additional EnergyPlus reports for HVAC sizing and design. Test it out for yourself and let us know... Read more →

Newest Release of Project Energy Cost Range Includes an HVAC Widget and ASHRAE 90.1 Benchmarks

In December we announced the release of Project Energy Cost Range for the web as Technology Preview, available on Autodesk Labs. We have just released the latest version, which now includes an HVAC widget, and a Design Potential widget to easily compare various benchmarks, including ASHRAE Standard 90.1. Project Energy Cost Range for the web is a simple interactive tool to help you quickly understand a project’s overall potential energy use range. The Energy Cost Range (ECR) was first introduced in FormIt for iOS, and was subsequently made available in Revit , and Vasari. A previous blog posting discusses some... Read more →

FREE Webinar: Cloud-based Energy Simulation using EnergyPlus

Join us for a FREE webinar next month and learn about EnergyPlus Cloud, its features, and application workflow. Specific topics to be covered by the webinar include: Why EnergyPlus, and why now? Advantages of cloud-based simulation EnergyPlus Cloud workflow demonstration EnergyPlus Cloud API EnergyPlus Cloud Autodesk Labs user experiences and examples How does EnergyPlus Cloud integrate with other Autodesk tools? Tuesday, February 10th 9:00 – 10:00 AM PST Register here. Autodesk Principal Engineer and Product Owner Krishnan Gowri will lead the webinar and show you how to utilize EnergyPlus Cloud in addition to facilitating an open forum discussion for feedback... Read more →

Building Performance Analysis Resolutions

What’s your New Year’s Resolution? There’s always traditional self-improvement; eat healthier, exercise more, learn a new language. But what about improving your analysis and simulation skills? It’s easy to get comfortable with what’s familiar, but what’s familiar might not always be the most straight-forward or effective way of getting the information you need. I’d like to challenge all readers to make a “BPA Resolution” of sorts. Whether it’s to brush up on the fundamentals, or learn a new software tool, we owe it to ourselves. Things are changing every day, and we need to make sure we keep up. Here... Read more →

Dynamo for BPA

Have you checked out Dynamo recently? Last year we featured a few posts on the computational design tool, but this year there were a slew of new developments, especially with respect to building performance analysis workflows, we decided to tie off the year with an update. Who this is for: Architects, Engineers, Programmers, and Designers Dynamo is a visual programming platform for BIM, specifically it’s an open source platform for Revit and Vasari. There’s really no end to what you can do with Dynamo. Just check out their new gallery. Applications range from automatic shading design to modeling a woven... Read more →