<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">I've had some limited experience using
the Revit IES VE link and have found the translation of building information
to work well. In some cases I did find that building materials specifications
didn't translate properly and had to be re-specified inside IES VE. Revit
also lacks the ability to specify HVAC zones and equipment parameters so
these also had to be input directly into IES VE. I think these tools
are very promising for analyzing early design decisions without the need
to create a separate thermal model. Unfortunately the interoperability
only works in one direction so changes to the building in IES VE don't
translate back into Revit. In the future I would like to be able
to create a gbXML file from Revit and import that directly into eQuest.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Chris Buntine</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Project Manager</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Design and Engineering Services</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Southern California Edison</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">626 812 7593</font>
<br>
<br><font size=1 color=#800080 face="sans-serif">----- Forwarded by Chris
Buntine/SCE/EIX on 12/21/2007 09:25 AM -----</font>
<br>
<table width=100%>
<tr valign=top>
<td width=40%><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>"Brain, Joshua"
<JBrain@Vanderweil.com></b> </font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org</font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">12/21/2007 09:11 AM</font>
<td width=59%>
<table width=100%>
<tr>
<td>
<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">To</font></div>
<td valign=top><font size=1 face="sans-serif">"Renee Azerbegi"
<renee@ambient-e.com>, "Mike Roberts" <Mike@roberts-engineering.com>,
"Karen Walkerman" <kwalkerman@gmail.com>, <bldg-sim@lists.onebuilding.org></font>
<tr>
<td>
<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">cc</font></div>
<td valign=top>
<tr>
<td>
<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Subject</font></div>
<td valign=top><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Re: [Bldg-sim] simulation
software</font></table>
<br>
<table>
<tr valign=top>
<td>
<td></table>
<br></table>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=2><tt>I would like to know other people's experience as
well. I have been using eQuest for some time and more recently have
been experimenting with IES <VE>. I have been entering geometry
into IES by hand so that I could become familiar with the program. In
the mean time I have been given 2 different Revit gbxml files that were
provided by architects but I have been unsuccessful in importing them into
IES. Problems with the zones not being identified and other related
issues have been the sticking point. Once these issues are resolved
and the architect understands what needs to be done prior to exporting
a gbxml file I will have a much better feel of Revit/ IES capabilities.
On paper this looks like a very powerful tool... <br>
<br>
-Josh <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org]
On Behalf Of Renee Azerbegi<br>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 11:47 AM<br>
To: Mike Roberts; Karen Walkerman; bldg-sim@lists.onebuilding.org<br>
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] simulation software<br>
<br>
I think eQuest and TRACE are becoming dated with new architectural programs
such as REVIT, ARCHICAD, etc. that most architects are using that can be
used with IES-VE, Energy Plus, and other programs. I'd be curious about
any opinions on the success or failure of those who have taken that next
step of taking a 3D archicad or revit model and imported into IESVE or
Energy Plus and how easy it is for architects to produce a compatible file
for modelers to use as they have to do a few things to make it compatitable
for moderlers to use.<br>
<br>
<br>
Renée<br>
Renée Azerbegi, CEM, LEED-AP<br>
ambient energy - solar & sustainable design solutions<br>
t 303.278.1532 | f 303.278.8533 | c 303.885.2695 | renee@ambient-e.com
| ambient-e.com (updated website!) <br>
<br>
Don't Google....... Blackle blackle.com<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org]
On Behalf Of Mike Roberts<br>
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 1:15 PM<br>
To: 'Karen Walkerman'; bldg-sim@lists.onebuilding.org<br>
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] simulation software<br>
<br>
Now this is the beginning of a very useful thread!<br>
<br>
Steve Playo pointed out some important things to consider in choosing an<br>
energy simulation program. I also agree with Karen Walkerman in her
defense<br>
of eQUEST. I, too, would use it in preference to TRACE in most cases.<br>
<br>
What too many people do not realize is energy simulation is a very<br>
complicated and detailed process. Far too many assume the eQUEST
wizard or<br>
the TRACE entry method will allow them to simulate a building for LEED
or<br>
whatever without going through the agony of learning what the building
is<br>
doing or how the program models it. It just isn't going to happen.<br>
<br>
I have been doing energy simulation for 30 years. I started with
Cal-ERDA<br>
1.3 (predecessor to DOE-2.2, the eQUEST calculation engine) on a time shared<br>
main frame computer. After a couple years of expensive time sharing,
I<br>
helped my employer install DOE-2.1 on a DEC System 10 main frame. In
1986,<br>
I left that employer to do energy simulation for my own company. Over
the<br>
years, I have used DOE, TRACE, BLAST, and a number of other simulation<br>
programs. I have taken training courses in most of the ones I have
used and<br>
assisted in training courses for eQUEST. The point is that even now,
I<br>
learn something new on every project. I used to say that running
DOE took<br>
the equivalent of a five hour college course. Now, I think it is
the<br>
equivalent of a college degree.<br>
<br>
Don't worry about how cheap the program is to obtain. Whatever it
costs<br>
will pale compared to the cost of learning how to use it. Take the
training<br>
for whatever program you are going to use and then expect to spend a lot<br>
more time on the learning curve.<br>
<br>
This is not to discourage using energy simulation. Energy simulation
is a<br>
wonderful tool. It is easy to come up with more than enough energy
and<br>
dollar savings to offset the additional engineering hours. And it
will only<br>
become more important in the future. It's just not as easy as some
people<br>
would like to think.<br>
<br>
Mike Roberts<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org<br>
[mailto:bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Karen Walkerman<br>
Sent: 12/18/2007 11:49 AM<br>
To: bldg-sim@lists.onebuilding.org<br>
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] simulation software<br>
<br>
<br>
Hi All,<br>
<br>
I too have spent many frustrating nights trying to figure out what is wrong<br>
with my eQuest models. After all the brow-beating, I have always
come to<br>
the conclusion that something was wrong with my inputs, not with the<br>
software, and been able to remedy the issue. Not true for Trace700.
I<br>
spent about a year with Trace, found a number of bugs (some of which the<br>
company is now fixing), got frustrated with the long (hour-plus) simulation<br>
times, and limitation to modeling 4 alternatives in one file. Yes
it's nice<br>
that there's someone to call when you have questions, but they don't always<br>
know the answer. I had people telling me to check my fan energy inputs
when<br>
the odd data I was getting had nothing to do with fans.<br>
<br>
In addition, I often have trouble with data corruption when editing<br>
templates. Granted, templates are a great idea and I wish eQuest
had a<br>
similar option, but when your inputs are corrupted and you have to go<br>
through and check room by room to see what remains... not a fun process.<br>
<br>
Trace700 has no visual feedback for window, wall, room or roof geometry.<br>
This can be a pain.<br>
<br>
I also believe that their water source heat-pump system does not share<br>
energy in the loop properly. I created a test-file, consisting of
two<br>
10X10X10 rooms. One room had a large cooling load, the other a large<br>
heating mode. Neither had any external surface areas. The total
energy<br>
required to condition the spaces should have been much lower for heat pumps<br>
than for fain coils... but, they were practically identical. I sent
the<br>
model to Trace, and they argued that this was not a fair test of their<br>
software????<br>
<br>
So... though eQuest can be frustrating at times, I gladly use it over Trace.<br>
<br>
~Karen~<br>
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