I am a new user of Energy Simulator. I would like to ask for help with regards to roofs. I have a building where there are internal ceilings for the individual rooms.
Above the internal ceilings there is an exposed pitched roof.
When I produce the 3D model and add the shape of the roof, the software extends the room walls and room volume to match the shape of the pitched roof assuming that the rooms have vaulted ceilings and not rooms with internal ceilings.
Do I not add the shape of the roof to my model and assume that the roof is a flat roof, or is there a setting to tell the software that there is an internal ceiling between the rooms and the exposed roof. I watched your learning video and it doesn't say anything.
Hi Sean,
Many thanks for raising this - I agree that such an option should be incorporated. I understand that development work is planned on the roof modeller so I will log your request as an enhancement.
For now, you can model this by using a Plenum room as your "attic" space.
Say for example your roof rises to 5m, and your rooms have a ceiling at 3m, when entering the room you could enter:
Then, trace the roof and set up over the Plenum room.
Hope that clarifies. I will create a WIki article to expand on this further and will send to you once complete.
Shane Regan | Principle Building Performance Support EngineerHevacomp to OpenBuildings - A complete guide for every user | Bentley Communities
Hi Shane, Thanks. I think, and I maybe wrong, that your answer assumes that the roof is flat at 2.0m above the ceiling and thus the plenum is consistent height., however in the case of a pitched roof the plenum height will vary from 0m on the roof edge to whatever the height of the apex.
Hi Shane,
That is very frustrating.
Completely agree, apologies our developers were unable to recover this data. We believe that your difficulties with missing data appear to stem from creating the model in one Workset, but then subsequently opening it in another Workset.
(The Workset is the project folder and contains all data for the project, such as construction types for example. So, when you open a model but a new Workset is specified, there will be missing data as the new Workset will not contain the same constructions).
For future projects I would advise creating them as detailed in the following article, which should prevent this issue reoccurring:
Creating a Project - Workspaces and Worksets explained
Hi Shane, we have been saving our files as you have described. One question though, should the dwg files - the drawing files - be saved in the Design File along with the DGN File?
Hi Sean, thanks for confirming about the Worksets - will refer this info to development. No that should be fine, the background plans can be anywhere in theory, as long as you have full permissions to them.
Hi Shane, I have made a few changes, I think the problem was with the length of my path where i was saving on to our central servers, as now with a shorter path there is no loss of data as previously reported and the program works. However, we are having other issues that I hope you can solve please.
Firstly, both my colleague work remotely and we both want access to the same model at different times. I have created the WorkSpace "Energy Simulator Projects", does my colleague have to create the same on her computer so we can view each others files and we are getting back messages that we can not share?
Secondly, I have noticed that when I created it the root directory path is :\ProgramData\Bentley\OpenBuildings CONNECT Edition\Configuration\WorkSpaces\ whereas my colleague root directory path is C:\Bentley\OpenBuildings CONNECT Edition\Configuration\WorkSpaces which is different to mine Our software is downloaded from your server to our individual computers by our IT Department - albeit at different times, so why should the standard path downloaded different as we both have a common copy of the software?
Thirdly, how do I share my colleagues files and vice versa?
Fourthly, I am going to revert to an original problem about ceilings and roofs, where your original suggestion worked about increasing the plenum height to the height of the roof and then deduct the room height which creates the plenum. All that is fine, however when I view the model, the model shows all the internal walls going up to the roof and leaves gaps in the roof. I would like to upload the file to you so your developers can see what I mean, please would you send me an upload link. Maybe a phone conversation may be easier, I can send you an email with my telephone number on it.
Do you have any answers to my questions last Thursday?
I have also noted that when I carry out the heat loss calculations, the heat losses for the first floor rooms and the loft space are treated as separate rooms each with a internal ceiling/floor and the exposed roof is within the plenum.
Yes we have been investigating this for you here. Many thanks for confirming in relation to the path length - this was actually something that we also suspected so have been testing accordingly however we have not reproduced the behaviour as of yet. It is most helpful to have your feedback in this regard. We will continue to test this.
Should saving at your server location not be working at this time then for sharing project data at this time please refer to this article.
We are examining the ideal workflows for your other queries at this point and I will get back to you shortly with clarifications.
In relation to the project files I will send you a private mail shortly to which you can reply with your email address and I can obtain the project from you.
Ok. I received your friend request which i have accepted. I wait to receive your email. My email address is in my profile
Hi Sean, I sent you an email a while ago but haven't received a reply, or the project, so just checking you got it? If not please check your spam folders for emails from support@bentley.com.
Hi Shane, Sorry i was in a meeting. I have sent it just now.