Toward Better Modelers

Another reason analytical systems have been traditionally difficult to use is that their interfaces for describing architectural form are rudimentary and must be supplemented by numerical data describing the thermal characteristics of each element. This input can take days or weeks depending on the size of the building, its complexity, and the number of options to be tested. CAD systems, especially those capable of building information modeling (BIM), have been facilitating this task by linking the architects' 3D model to the simulation programs.

 

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According to the engineers cited here, that software development is advancing rapidly, especially for preliminary studies, but no system has achieved full CAD simulation integration yet. Revit is developing integration with IES , and ArchiCAD links to EnergyPlus, Ecotect, and others. The Bentley Systems Building suite of multidisciplinary applications ties into EnergyPlus, Trane Trace 700, IES , and, most recently, Hevacomp Several CAD systems have the capability of exporting data in the gbXML format, which can then be subjected to analysis at the Green Building Studio Web site. There, the available tools are DOE-2, eQUEST, EnergyPlus, and Trane Trace 700. Exporting data from CAD to analysis is only half the story, though. Ideally, the results of an analysis would tie directly back to the design. A completely integrated, all-in-one design/analysis modeler is still a thing of the future. Autodesk has recently announced plans to acquire Green Building Studio and Carmel Software, which performs HVAC calculations. Acquisitions like these promise improvements in the CAD/analysis interface.