The Sustainable Design Toolbox

Ecotect Analysis - Comparing Analysis Grid Results

Here is another Tip and Trick for Ecotect Analysis, this time showing how you can compare analysis results by exporting and importing the grid data. I always forget how to do this, so thought I would put this video together as an aide memoire:

 

Ecotect Analysis - Modelling Shading Effect of Wall Thickness

I thought it would be useful to start doing some video Tips & Tricks and Tutorials. In this one I cover a quick method to model the shading effect of the wall thickness when you have a model created in Ecotect or imported via gbXML:

I have also set up a YouTube channel you can also subscribe to:

Sustainable Design Toolbox YouTube Channel

Ecotect Analysis - Curtain wall mullions from Revit misbehaving

I have been rather slack on coming up with Tips and Tricks over the last year so thought I better crack on and start doing some more. I actually wrote this one last year and posted it to our UKAEC site, but omitted to post it here. As it is something I have come across several times and not many seem to know about it, here it is again to get the ball rolling:

You have exported geometry from Revit using the DXF file format for use in Ecotect Analysis. Curtain wall mullion geometry behaves incorrectly after import. In this example they extend up through the roof but on other models I have also seen them change axis, E.g. laying horizontal rather than being vertical:

 

 
  
This behaviour typically occurs with DXF files exported from Revit in AutoCAD 2004, 2007 and 2010 format. To overcome the problem, export the DXF from Revit in AutoCAD 2000 format:

 
You then get the mullions behaving correctly after import into Ecotect Analysis:

 

 

Is your Revit model floating in space?

About time I started doing some tips and tricks so here is one to kick off proceedings.

If you are importing gbXML from Revit into Ecotect Analysis are you finding the geometry is floating above the model grid? 

This happens when you are using shared coordinates in Revit to enable the use of real world levels and it is really easy to overcome:

1. First of all make sure you are in the 3D Editor page in Ecotect Analysis
2. From the Modify pull down menu select Transform Origin>Set Interactively
3. Select a point on the model that you want to exist on the ground plane:

 

4. From the Modify pull down menu select Transform Origin>Reset World Origin and then OK the resulting dialog.
5. The geometry will now be placed on the model grid.
6. If you then switch to the Visualise Page just click Fit Grid to Objects on the View Toolbar to update the view.