We are constantly moving towards sustainable buildings that consume less yet provide greater occupant productivity, comfort and safety. Hence, it becomes extremely important to run energy simulations for our buildings. For this reason, we have an energy simulation component within OpenBuildings Designer called OpenBuildings Energy Simulator. Here, we will see how to transfer an OpenBuildings Designer model to OpenBuildings Energy Simulator using Analytical Space Model. Additionally, we will also mention some guidelines necessary to make this transfer seamless. Solution Step 1: Enclosed Volume To begin, the primary aspect that you need to keep in mind while transferring a model from OpenBuildings Designer to OpenBuildings Energy Simulator is to make sure that the model is an enclosed volume. As an illustration it can be as simple as a rectangular space with four walls and a ceiling/roof whose ceiling height matches the height of the walls/bottom of the ceiling/roof.  Gaps and overlaps should be avoided. An Enclosed Model Step 2: Analytical Space Model Explorer Subsequently, go to the Analysis tab in OpenBuildings Designer and click on Energy Analysis icon, this will launch the ASM Explorer. Here you can see a preview of your model and check for errors if any.For example, if

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a methodology that involves planning, executing, and managing buildings and other structures with software. Relevant building data is digitally modeled, combined, and recorded.

In OpenBuildings Designer it is possible to create Compound Wall adjusted to your project needs. In this article we are going to learn how we can create a compound wall, how we can then place it in our model and take advantage of editing layers.  Compound Wall Solution STEP 1: Create compound parts in Family/Part Editor Open Family/Part Editor, in the folder tree scroll down to the Compound Parts, notice that we have three paths listed for Dataset, WorkSpace and Workset. You can choose the level on which you would like to create new compound Parts. Right click on the empty field and select New, now you can create a new xml file. This is just a file where the compound part is going to be stored.Subsequently, when you have that xml, you can create the families. After creating the family you can populate it with information by using the provided fields. Here you can provide information such as wall name and description. Creating Compound Parts https://youtu.be/tmHoifHf_54   Next, we will insert the wall layers.It is easier to start putting your layers from left to right because it keeps adding them in that direction. You need to select Family and

In this article we will explain the folder structure of OpenBuildings Designer and briefly understand it’s configuration. To begin with, the OpenBuildings Designer Configuration is a combination of resources, Configuration Files, Configuration Variables, WorkSpaces, and WorkSets. They provide a tailored work environment for maximum user productivity. Configuration Variables are entities, many of which help to specify locations for files or directories containing resources such as level libraries, fonts, and cell libraries. Additionally, Configuration Variables can be set to particular values to control some behaviors within OpenBuildings Designer. Configuration Variables are specified in Configuration Files. To begin with, the Configuration is partly specified by system Configuration files and indicate the location of system resources. They depend on the location of installation for OpenBuildings Designer on your computer. The remaining Configuration is specified by Configuration Files which the organization can customize for the particular work you are doing. An administrator in your organization typically maintains the configuration files. Every user organization has specific standards for the usable resources in their designs. Besides organization-wide standards, there may be standards and file locations that are appropriate for certain subsets of the overall design work. For example, engineering firms may have clients that specify particular standards,

View Attributes are a set of tools in OpenBuildings Designer that control the display feature of a particular view. View Attribute tool box contains the dropdown for Display Styles as well as a number of switches, these control the visibility of certain non-building elements on the screen inside a particular view depending on the user’s requirement. For example, if someone wishes to switch off the visibility of the ACS Triad in a particular view, it can be done by easily switching off the ACS Triad switch from the View Attribute tool box. It is the same for the Dimension Lines, Tags, Hatch patterns etc. In this article we will understand View Attributes as well as the usefulness of the tool View Attributes in OpenBuildings Designer https://youtu.be/HbmiD9FktUs Previous Video You can have a look at the Knowledge Base to understand the Family and Parts System in OpenBuildings Designer.

The Family and Parts System in OpenBuildings Designer helps a user in multiple ways. The list below shows the advantages of this system.

In OpenBuildings Designer we use the DataGroup System to manage, edit and assign these data. The assigned catalog item data is placed with each item instance and consequently the system tracks and manages the data for schedules and reporting.

OpenBuildings Designer provides a comprehensive set of Grid Systems in which buildings can have multiple grids for specific floors or ranges of floors in specific buildings