Export to energy plus

[135916]

Dear All,

I have modeled one project in Revit an dexported in gbXML . I imported model into ecotect and after applying material , I wanted to export

E+ but I could not do it.I am  facing with error the thermal zone has a zero volume .Would you please help me by offeing any information how I can export correctly to E+ .Please also guide me the best way to analyse and simulate.

Thanks in advance for any help and consideration.

Yours sincerely

[Pennetier1]

Hello 135916, 

I have tried to replicate your error but to no avail.

What version of E+ do you use?  Ecotect export to version 3.0, so it would have to be converted to a newer version using the multi version converter that can be downloaded on the E+ website.

Also, there are some errors reported within the .idf file created by Ecotect that will need to be edited - see this post about it.

If you keep receiving the no volume error message, can you send me your .eco file or .idf file so I can see if I run into the same issue on my end?

As a guide to the analyses available through Ecotect, I would refer you to the Ecotect Wiki which provides tutorials about many analyses.

What type of analyses are you interested in? Thermal calculations can be much simpler than using E+, but much less accurate.  Ecotect's thermal analysis is mainly used to compare one design option versus another one, whereas you can identify trends in energy use.

Let me know if you have specific questions about any of the analyses featured in Ecotect.

Cheers,

[Pennetier1]

135916, 

I assumed you are receiving this error message from EnergyPlus, but now I am wondering if that is not an error from Ecotect when you are trying to export the model, as it has to go through the interzonal adjacency calculation...

if that is the case, then this error message means that you have some thermal zones that are not enclosed, i.e., they are missing some surface to enclose them.

To have a volume of air, a thermal zone needs to be entirely closed.  Sometimes it is just a matter of closing some small gaps between the walls and roof / floor elements.

Check out the Help file (F1) > Contents tab > General Concepts > Modeling > Layers and Zones > Thermal Zones for more info on how to create thermal zones.  I understand that these zones were created via gbxml, but you might find the information helpful to fix this error.

Let me know if you have more questions on this topic, otherwise please accept as a solution so that others can benefit from this information.

Cheers,

[135916]

Dear ,

I am so thankful for your complete response. I am using E+ 8.1 version? which there is the a convertor inside program.? I saw your post which includes errors reported within the .idf file

?but my problem is related to it.For instance , I am facing with the error that shows? the object x is both adjacent to another zone and partially exposed.

I have attached my .eco file to this mail for your consideration. I am interested in analyzing Heating , cooling and lighting loads,? thermal and lighting comfort .For instance , I am trying? to simulate user behavior in relation to environmental .I want also simulate lighting performance? in Radiance and Daysim. Would you please guide me by offering any information how I can manage E+ and Ecotect and Which factors is better to simulate in Ecotect or E+.

Yours sincerely

[Pennetier1]

Hi 135916, 

It is difficult to troubleshoot your error without the .eco file.

I am wondering if your error is not related to the fact that you have surfaces in your Ecotect model that are both adjacent to another zone AND not adjacent to any zone.

It is a limitation of E+ to be able to do the simulation on such surfaces, unlike Ecotect.  To remedy to this error, you have to break down your surfaces so that the surfaces that are adjacent to another zone are different from those that are not adjacent to other zones.

Check out the help file (F1) Contents tab > Analysis > Thermal Performance > Exporting to EnergyPlus > Modeling Constraints for more information on this issue.

Review the tutorials on the Ecotect Wiki page for thermal simulation (including exporting to E+) here: http://wiki.naturalfrequency.com/wiki/Ecotect_Thermal_Tutorials

A good tutorial on how to start on daylight analysis using Radiance and DAYSIM can be found here: http://web.mit.edu/SustainableDesignLab/projects/TeachingResources/GettingStartedwithEcotectRadiance...

Cheers,

[135916]

Dear ,

I am trying to send you my Ecotect file but I don not know why I can not attach to mail.
Would you please say me how I can send you? my Ecotect file.

Yours sincerely,

[Pennetier1 · Accepted solution]

Hi 135916, 

I have received your file thank you.

The model actually looks quite clean coming from the gbxml.

The errors you are receiving are indeed related to surfaces being both adjacent to another surface and not being adjacent to any surfaces. EnergyPlus cannot determine the adjacent surface area like Ecotect can, so you have to break up or "Split" your surfaces into smaller surfaces so that an object must be adjacent to another surface, OR not adjacent to any surface but NOT both.

See the help file which explain this error quite well:

Once you correct this issue in the few zones of your model, you will be able to start exporting to E+.

Let me know if you have more questions on this topic, otherwise please accept as a solution so that others can benefit from this information.

Cheers,

[135916]

?Dear Olivier,

I appreciate so much your time and consideration in this matter.
I hope I will be able to do correctly.

Yours sincerely,

[Mohammad_Asl]

Hi,

Here is the simpler process that you can take from Revit to Eplus: 

• Run energy analysis using energy analysis tool in Revit. 
• Export the IDF file from Results and Compare window. 

This process is much easier and straight forward and does not require you to take your model to Ecotect and add construction to it. See here for more detail. 

You can download the new Lighting Analysis for Revit 2014 and 2015 from here. You can directy perform the Daylighting analysis inside revit and automatically create LEED Daylighting schedule in your model. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Here to help if additional clarification is needed, otherwise please accept as a solution so that others can benefit from this information.