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The use of energy simulation tools has historically been hampered by the difficulty involved in gathering and accurately entering the myriad building description data required for simulation.
There are several activities that support getting building geometry and other
data from electronic CAD files into EnergyPlus format including the
IAI IFCs and Green Building Studio.
The International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) is developing a common data model for the exchange of data between software applications for the Architectural/Engineering/Construction and Facilities Maintenance Industry (AEC/FM). This data model is called Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). Software that implements the IFC data model can easily share input and output data that is stored in IFC data files.
For more information on IFC-compliant software tools visit the IAI Implementation Support Group website. To check on the status and availability of specific IFC-compliant software tools see the International Overview of IFC-Implementation Activities.
Several popular CAD tools now have implementations of IFC-compliant import/export capabilities that allow the geometry created in these tools to be written to, and read from, IFC data files. Commercially available versions of these tools will likely be based on different released versions of the IFC data model, including R1.5.1, R2.0, and the 2x Platform. A software development middleware tool called BSPro COM-Server by Olof Granlund Oy (see www.bspro.net) provides access to IFC data files based on all of these release versions, and is tailored to the Building Services sector of the AEC/FM Industry.
A LBNL-developed client software module based on the BSPro COM-Server was available
for EnergyPlus version 1.0 through 1.3. The BSPro Com-Server middleware is
currently not translating IFC data correctly and the EnergyPlus utility (IFCtoIDF)
is not currently available.
The Green Building Studio web service (GBS) version 2.0, provided by Green Building Studio, Inc., gives Autodesk Revit, Architectural Desktop, Building Systems, and Graphisoft ArchiCAD users the fastest path from CADD to EnergyPlus IDF. These 3D-CAD/BIM applications all support the gbXML (Green Building XML) schema which can be immediately translated to an EnergyPlus IDF on the GBS. Watch a video of the complete process from 3D-CAD through EnergyPlus simulation. The gbXML data that is currently translated to an EnergyPlus IDF by the GBS include:
- DesignDay data
- Operational Schedules
- Surface construction and materials
- Thermal zones
- HeatTransfer Surfaces and Subsurfaces
- Interzone surfaces
- Shading surfaces
- Internal loads (people, equipment, lights)
- Exterior loads
- Compact HVAC Objects
In essence, the EnergyPlus IDF provided by the GBS is a simulation-ready file that contains all the information used in a GBS simulation including the geometry from the 3D-CAD/BIM application. The GBS service to create EnergyPlus IDFs
is available for a fee.
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