Even with the improvements with Revit MEP 2008, some of the wish list items I hear from MEP Engineers have not been met. However, now that Autodesk has partnered with IES , MEP Engineers have the abilitly to work on their analysis within Revit MEP itself, rather than having to rely on a third party software to do so. I recently took a look at the IES website, and found the following information:http://www.iesve.com/content/default.asp?page=s4_24
Revit & the IES
There is now a direct link between the 3D modeling platform Revit and the IES . Jointly developed between IES and Autodesk, it represents a revolutionary change for design teams working from a common model. Not only does IES software calculate heating & cooling loads within Revit MEP, but the suite can be launched in order to carry out the full range of sustainable design analyses. Dedicated toolkits have been developed to make these analyses more accessible to users who are new to the field.
The Toolkits make it extremely easy for Revit users to undertake a range of building simulation analyses from the earliest stages of design which will greatly assist the sustainable design process. The Toolkits are available to Revit MEP 2008 through a direct link. Revit MEP has an interface that enables the user to assign information to the building and individual rooms. This information is then passed through the IES and the Toolkits are displayed.
The Sustainability Toolkit
This is the first of the toolkits to be launched within Revit MEP 2008. IES have developed a LEED Toolkit which is free upon request to all Revit users until its release in October 2007. The Toolkits could not be easier to use. Select any button and the Toolkit will run the chosen analysis by using the model transferred from Revit and automatically running the analysis, interrogating the results and creating an html report of relevant information.
Currently the Sustainability Toolkit consists of the following three tools & the following informaiton is provided by each report:
ASHRAE Loads calculation:
> System Heating Loads
> Room Heating Plant Loads
> System Cooling Loads
> Room Cooling Plant Loads
> Room Sensible Cooling and Air Flow Rates with engineering checks.
ApacheSim: Dynamic Thermal Simulation:
> Building Systems Energy Consumption for each month
> Monthly CO2 emissions for the building.
> Peak Hourly Room Loads plus cooling checks.
> Room Environmental Conditions including Comfort Measurements for occupied period
> Room Environmental Conditions including Comfort Measurements for all periods.
FlucsDL: Daylighting Assessment:
> Percentage of area above 25 fc.
> Average illuminance in each room.
> Average weighted percentage of area above 25 fc.
A series of Revit animations have been created to help demonstrate the integration of Revit MEP 2008 & the IES . Take a look, they are a great learining tool!
http://www.iesve.com/content/default.asp?page=s4_24_14
