Building Creation Tool
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Selection Tools
This tool allows for selection certain objects on the drawing canvas.
It can be accessed using CTRL + S. Once activated, a room can be selected in the drawing canvas.
This can be used to identify a given room in the Construction Tree to open its properties or to delete a single room.
Use the selection tool to select a single element or a set of rooms, windows or doors.
Hold CTRL key whilst selecting objects to select more than one item.
Delete Room
With a room selected, click the Delete Tool to delete the room. Use CTRL to select multiple rooms, windows or doors.
Alternatively, with a room or set of rooms selected, press the DELETE key to delete it.
Select Walls
When active, select walls in the drawing canvas using a selection box or by clicking on specific wall(s) on the active level.
With a valid section of wall(s), the dropdown is enabled.
Use the dropdown to change the selected walls to Adiabatic, Air Wall or Wall Template.
Selection = Adiabatic results in selected wall(s) set to adiabatic boundary conditions – no thermal transfer through the surfaces occurs for interior or exterior surface.
Selection = Air Wall results selected wall(s) set to Air Wall or Air Wall (SI) Construction Type, depending on Regional Settings.
This is used to model discrete rooms that have different internal loads or airflows in the same zone that are not separated by a physical wall or to enable for large spaces served by more than one system. An example might be a large retail store with many AHUs serving different portions of large open space.
Exterior surfaces are not permitted to use the Air Wall Construction Type. Exterior walls selected with this selection are not modified.
Selection = Wall Template can be used to revert room-level construction overrides back to Template constructions which includes reversion from Air Wall Constuction type or to clear Adiabatic Boundary conditions.
Input Considerations:
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A single wall can be selected from the tree with the Wall Select Tool active.
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Hold SHIFT for subsequent selects to add walls to the selection set.
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Neither Air Wall nor Adiabatic surfaces may have windows or doors on them – these are removed from the selection set when Adiabatic surface type or Air Wall Construction is selected.
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Invalid selections result in no change made to construction.
Floor Plan Image Import Tools
Tools used to import and manipulate plan image to the active level.
Import Image
Click Floor Plan Image Import Tools icon to open the toolbar.
Load Image
Click this icon to access the file selection dialogue. Available image types include .png, .jpg, .jpeg and .pdf can be selected by changing the file type.
Navigate to the desired plan image and click “Open” to add plan image to the project. Image is displayed on the active level and added to the tree in the active level.
For .pdf files, the image can be scaled at input time based on paper size and scale. Importing another plan image on any given level replaces the previously imported image.
Scale Floor Plan (.pdf only)
This dialogue enables scaling of .pdf plan images to be scaled based on actual scale in the file. This function should be used only with .pdfs that have been generated from a CAD tool, not for scanned .pdf images.
Original Width and Original Height are determined from the page size of the imported document.
Scaled Width and Scaled Height represent the dimensions of the image after scaling. The plan image document will be rendered in the drawing canvas matching these values.
Scale inputs are used to scale the image – be sure to read the scale on the image prior to importing. Alternatively, open the file in File Explorer to verify the scale prior to entering.
Scale: Default values are 1 Paper Unit = 1 Model Unit
Paper Scale: Use the list box to select the paper scale and units of scale.
Model Units: Feet or Meters, depending on Settings > Regional > Units for IP or SI, respectively.
Example: If the plan image has a scale of 1/8” = 1 foot, select 1/8 Paper Scale = 1 Model Unit in IP.
The page will be scaled and require only to be moved to the desired spatial location.
Move Origin
Use this tool to move the plan image to the desired location.
With the tool enabled, click on the desired reference point in the plan image. Drag the cursor to the point in the drawing canvas to be aligned with the selected point in the plan image.
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To move a specific point to the origin, drag to origin and snap to it. Click to complete the movement.
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When drawing a rectangular building, moving the center of the southwest corner of the building to the origin is recommended.
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Zoom in to gain precision on the point to be moved in the plan image.
In cases where plan images are sectioned, this tool can be used to align a new image with existing geometry.
Scale Image
The image scale tool is used to set the scale of an imported floor plan image. This tools is required for images non-native .pdfs.
This tool is active by default when file types other than .pdf are imported.
To scale an image, zoom into a point that has another reference of known distance.
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Enable the Scale Image Tool in the Floor Plan Image Import Tools.
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Click on the first point and drag to the second, click on the second reference point.
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Enter the actual distance between the two points in the dialogue box, units are based on Setting > Regional > Units.
The plan image is scaled based on the input.
Example:
Active tool and zoom in to first reference point. The cursor indicates the tool is active.
In this example, the net length is 46 feet.
Pan using right-click with the mouse to move to the secondary reference point.
Hold the SHIFT key to snap the scaling tool parallel with the axis.
Click on the secondary reference point to enable the scale plan image input dialogue.
Enter the actual distance between the points and click Apply.
The resultant distance is applied to the image.
Input Considerations:
Scale along the longest known length in the plan image to achieve the best precision.
Use SHIFT to align the scaling tool to the axes, when within 15 degrees.
The tool can be used to measure the distance existing geometry on an already created level. The value can then be entered as the scale for another plan image that has the same scale.
Rotate Image
The rotate image tool will rotate the imported floor plan image around a selected point.
This step is required most often for scanned images that are not aligned with an axes or for images that are rotated from Building North.
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Select the point around which the image shall be rotated.
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Zoom out to gain precision by selecting a line that traverses the extent of the plan image.
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Click to set the second point, representing the axis that will be rotated.
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Move the cursor to the point that represents the desired rotation.
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Click to apply the desired Plan Image Rotation.
Input Considerations:
Set the rotation link along the longest known length in the plan image to achieve the best precision.
Use SHIFT to align the scaling tool to the axes, when within 15 degrees.
The tool can be used to align a plan image with known geometry. Snaps can be used to align the rotation tool with edges or vertices of existing geometry.
Floor Plan Image Properties
Use to apply scaling, rotation or origin to one plan image from another.
“Current” Row indicates the properties applied to the selected Plan Image and is Read-Only.
“Proposed” allows for modification to each property.
“Copy Properties From” list box allows for all properties of an existing Plan Image to be applied.
Review the Proposed Row and click Apply to apply change to the selected Plan Image.
Modify input fields from this section as desired.
Each property field is propagated from the tool inputs if manual manipulation has been performed.
Scale
Scale applied to image from default imported scale.
Default: 1
Typical: 1-500
Image Orientation
Rotation applied to image in the clockwise direction.
Default: 0 degrees
Min Max: 0-360 degrees
Image Origin X
X coordinate of the center of the image in drawing canvas.
Default: Depends on scale,size of imported image.
Min Max: N/A
Image Origin Y
Y coordinate of the center of the image in drawing canvas.
Default: Depends on scale,size of imported image.
Min Max: N/A
Copy Properties From:
This list includes all plan images imported into the project file.
Default: “Copy Properties From”
Select an image in the project to assume the same properties.
Click Apply to apply any and all changes from the Proposed Row into the Current Row.
Room Drawing Tools
This set of tools are used to create/modify rooms in a building.
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Select Rooms
Use Select Rooms to select a room or set of rooms for deletion or marge. When deleted, this tool can be used to create a courtyard space.
With the tool enabled, click on the rooms in the drawing canvas to be deleted or merged.
Alternatively, access the tool using CTRL + SHIFT + S.
Once the selection set has been made, if rooms are eligible for deletion, the Delete Icon will be enabled.
Click the icon or use the DELETE KEY to delete the rooms
Input Considerations:
Only rooms that have a path to exterior may be deleted.
If delete is disabled, ensure there is some path to the outside.
Deleted spaces have the remaining boundaries exposed to sun and wind.
Merge Rooms
With adjacent spaces selected in the drawing canvas, use the Merge Rooms button to merge them together into one space.
Once clicked, the tool requests a basis room be selected.
The basis room provides the information that will be applied to the newly merged room. Room name, Room Type and Plenum Characteristics of the basis room are inherited by the merged room.
Input Considerations:
Standard Rooms and NonStandard Rooms merged together create geometry that may not have walls in some places – examples include T or I shaped rooms merged vertically. The spaces are fully merged and become one space which cannot be split for zoning purposes.
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Resulting rooms without uniform boundaries through all spanned levels result in Drop Ceiling and Raised Floor removal at time of merge.
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Adjacent rooms on two levels may be merged together one at a time using the Merge Tool.
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Move Wall tool can also be used to merge single-level (standard) rooms on a given level.
Move Walls
Use the Move Wall tool to move a single wall or to move all wall segments connected to a vertex.
With the tool enabled, all walls and vertices (corners) on the Active Level are rendered in Green.
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Drag a wall segment to extrude from the endpoints of the room to increase room’s size.
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To reduce the size of room, drag to shorten the edges.
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Rooms can be deleted by combining vertices or edges with each other.
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Create new rooms by extrusion from endpoint of dragged wall.
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Cancel the tool using ESC or by selecting a different tool.
Input Considerations:
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Use snapping to ensure alignment with existing geometry.
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Zoom in or out to reduce or reference more existing geometry during wall moves.
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To cancel a wall move, use ESC during an active move to cancel the input.
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Force vertex/vertices’ movement parallel with x-, y- axes using the SHIFT key to keep a vertex (or set of vertices for a wall) in a line parallel to the axes from the original vertex point(s).
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Use parallel snaps to force a wall parallel to existing geometry.
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Walls that span more than one level (NonStandard Room Walls) are not currently moved altogether with wall move. Wall movement is bound by the active level. Refer to Level Controls for more information about NonStandard Rooms and Level interactions.
These rules apply to the Peak Line Modification Tool as well.
Draw Rectangle Room
The rectangular room drawing tool is used to quickly create common rectangular rooms.
Open the tool with CTRL + R or click the icon.
Two clicks are needed to create a free-drawn room. Click once to create a corner and once for the opposite corner. Most frequently this will be used when tracing a plan image.
With the dimensions of the room entered, a room is displayed with interior dimensions as entered.
Move the room to the desired location, snapping to existing geometry and click to place the room.
With only length or width has been entered, one edge is displayed with the cursor.
Once the edge has been placed, drag the cursor to extrude the room.
Close the tool with ESC or by selection of another tool.
Length
Use to set the INTERIOR dimension of the room (measured along the X axis for non-rotated room). The length value is retained until changed or cleared, and when navigating out of Create Building.
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Default: 0 feet or meters (implies free drawn length)
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Typical Range: 10 – 100 feet (3.048 to 30.48 m)
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Min Max: min value: 0 max value: NA
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Units: ft, m
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Width
Use to set the INTERIOR dimension of the room (measured along the Y axis for non-rotated room). The width value is retained until changed or cleared, and when navigating out of Create Building.
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Default: 0 feet or meters (implies free drawn length)
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Typical Range: 10 – 100 feet (3.048 to 30.48 m)
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Min Max: min value: 0 max value: NA
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Units: ft, m
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Angle
Use to set the angle from a line parallel to the X-axis for a rectangle room. This value will be propagated from the Angled Rectangle Tool on subsequent use. This enables creation of rectangle rooms that are not aligned with the axes of the Drawing Grid.
Draw Angled Rectangle Room
Use the Angled Rectangle Tool to create rectangle that is not aligned with axes.
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Set the angle by first creating a line that serves as the edge of the room, then drag to extrude the room from the endpoints.
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Three clicks are required to create an angled rectangle.
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The first click creates a starting point for the line segment representing a wall of the room.
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The second click creates a wall between the two clicks at an angle, typically based on an imported plan image.
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Drag away from the wall to extrude the rectangle.
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Use ESC to cancel the tool.
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Once the angle has been set, it is propagated to the rectangle tool, allowing for standard rectangle tool behavior at the angle inherited from the first two clicks.
Example:
Click to set the endpoint of the first edge. In this example, the wall is 23.67 degrees from the x-axis.
Once entered, the angle field is set based on the drawn input.
Once the cursor is dragged away from the first edge, a rectangle is created.
On the third click, the rectangle is placed and is displayed in the tree.
The Rectangle Drawing tool assumes the angle set by this operation, enabling subsequent use of fixed length, width inputs.
Input Considerations:
When setting the angle for the Angled Rectangle tool, use the longest wall in a plan image to achieve the highest precision on the angle. A small error is multiplied with distance away from point of origin.
Draw Polyline Room
Use the polyline tool to create non-rectangular rooms.
Click in the drawing canvas to set the first vertex of a new wall, the second click places the second vertex to complete a wall segment. The tool automatically starts the next wall segment from the location of the second vertex. From that point forward, each (left) click completes a wall segment. This behavior continues until an area has been enclosed (creating a room) or the escape key is pressed (deleting the recently drawn wall segments which did not yet enclose a space).
Use CTRL-Z to remove a wall segment prior to enclosing a space.
Length
The length field can be used to set the length of a wall to an exact value when using the polyline tool. Type the desired wall length into the length field and begin drawing. The length field will remain fixed at the entered value until the length field is cleared.
Input Considerations:
Use the checkboxes for Drop Ceiling and Raised Floor to create rooms with Ceiling and Floor Plenums as they are created. Reference Room and Floor to Floor Height to ensure rooms are created per design deocuments.
When needed, the Edit Wizard can be used to modify a collection of rooms’ Ceiling and Floor Plenums.
Because the polyline tool cannot know until room is submitted which is inside or outside dimension, these values are updated at time of room enclosure.
Any room created assumes the properties of the Default Room Type Template as set in Templates.
Other Room Settings
Room Height
Room height is displayed as a read only value that is calculated as: Room height = Ceiling Elevation – Top of Floor Elevation
Floor to Floor Height
Floor to floor height is displayed as a read-only value that is set in the project defaults screen or the building properties. It is the distance from the top of the floor slab to the top of the inter-zone slab or roof above the room.
Drop Ceiling
The Drop Ceiling checkbox adds an overhead plenum to the rooms to be drawn. The default value is set in the project defaults and may be edited on a room by room basis. The ceiling and underfloor plenum heights are deducted from the floor to floor height to yield the room height.
Raised Floor
The Raised Floor checkbox adds an underfloor plenum to the rooms to be drawn. The default value is set in the project defaults and may be edited on a room by room basis. The ceiling and underfloor plenum heights are deducted from the floor to floor height to yield the room height.
Spans to Top of
Default: Active Level
Range: All levels in the building above the Active Level
Use this input to create rooms that span multiple levels. Most common usages include elevator shafts, stairwells, and tall rooms, such as gymnasiums and lobby spaces.
Room will span from the base elevation to the top of the selected level. Room Height is reflected when input is modified.
Door Drawing Tools
The Door Placement Tool displays an icon for each door form factor (single, double, roll-up, sliding).
The assembly construction (construction, overhangs, fins, shading control, etc.) of interior and exterior doors are defined in the theme and may be edited in the Room Properties > Construction for each door.
A window can be placed using a specific construction using the Edit Button in the toolbar in Window Library prior to placement.
Single
Place single door on a wall. To exit this tool, press the escape key or select another tool.
Double
Place a double door on a wall. To exit this tool, press the escape key or select another tool.
Roll-up
Place a roll-up door on a wall. To exit this tool, press the escape key or select another tool.
Sliding
Place a sliding door on a wall. To exit this tool, press the escape key or select another tool.
Door Sizing
The size dialog control provides a list of door sizes (height and width) to choose from.
Use the plus icon to the right of the size list box to enter Add Custom Size dialogue.In the list standard TRACE® 3D Plus door sizes are visually discernible from custom sizes. Custom door sizes are suffixed by asterisks – these are always at the top of the list.
Height
The height of the door is a measurement of how tall a door is, from the floor to the top of the door assembly. The elevation of the door is assumed to be the base elevation of the room, or at the elevation of the raised floor, so the door is mounted flush with the floor. Doors taller than the wall will not be placed.
Width
The width of the door is a measurement of how wide a door is, from the left edge of the door assembly to the right edge. Doors wider than the wall will not be placed.
Add Custom Size
Add a custom size using the Plus Icon to the right of the list of sizes.
Enter a new custom size in this dialogue to include doors per design documents, when not included in standard sizes.
Each custom size is specific to the door or window Type selected and are saved with the project file.
Width, Height:
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Default: 4 inches or 300 mm
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Typical Range: 24-90 inches (610 - 2286 mm)
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Min Max: 4 inches or 300 mm; Max: NA
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Units: inches, mm
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Delete Custom Size
With a custom size selected, use the Delete Icon to remove custom size from the list. It will no longer appear within the size list.
Standard TRACE sizes may not be deleted.
Input Considerations:
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Door construction for any type of door is pulled from the Construction Template. TRACE automatically applies the construction for interior, exterior and interior below grade windows and doors based on the boundary condition of the wall upon which the door or window has been placed.
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To modify the construction at time of placement, use the Library icon to change the construction from default. Typically variations should be modified through the use of Room Types, rather than individual changes to make it easy to modify construction, when necessary.
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Doors and windows cannot be placed on ground-contact walls.
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The cursor state denotes whether the door or window is valid to be placed on the wall.
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Place doors prior to windows, when band windows will be applied.
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Windows placed above other windows and doors are rendered in 3D views.
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Use snap to midpoint to place a window or door in the center of a wall.
Window Placement Tools
Window Placement Tool displays an icon for each door form factor (single, array, and band). The assembly construction (construction, overhangs, fins, shading control, etc.) of interior and exterior windows are defined in the theme and may be edited in the Room Properties>Construction for each door.
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A window can be placed using a specific construction using the Edit Button in the toolbar in Window Library prior to placement.
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All window types use the Elevation field to denote the distance from the slab to the bottom of the window.
Single Window
Place single window on a wall. To exit this tool, press the escape key or select another tool.
Array Window
Place more than one single window of the same width and height on a single or across multiple walls. To exit this tool, press the escape key or select another tool.
Quantity
Enter the number of windows in the array.
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Default: 2
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Typical Range: 2 to 10
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Min Max: 2 to 100
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Units: NA
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Spacing
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Default: Width of selected window
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Typical Range: 24 to 60 inches (610 - 1524 mm)
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Min Max: Min: 0 inches or mm; Max: NA
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Units: inches, mm
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Input Considerations:
Array of windows will be placed only when all can be placed on the wall(s). All windows must fit on the wall and no individual window surface in the array may cross an intersecting wall.
Band Window
Place a window that fills the horizontal area of a wall with a uniform specified % of wall area, or specified uniform height.
Height/Percent Glazing Numeric Input
Enter the height or % of occupiable wall area to be filled by a window that spans the entire length of a wall.
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Default: 30
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Typical Range: 2 to 10
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Min Max: 1 to 100
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Units: NA
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Height/Percent Glazing Unit Input
Select either % or inches for Settings > Regional > Units = IP (mm for Settings > Regional > Units = SI)
Elevation
Specify the elevation from the slab at which the window is to be placed. This value is with respect to the active level. The bottom of the window is placed at the elevation specified.
Add Custom Size
Add a custom size using the Plus Icon to the right of the list of sizes.
Enter a new custom size in this dialogue to include doors per design documents, when not included in standard sizes.
Each custom size is specific to the door or window Type selected and are saved with the project file.
Width, Height
Inputs represent the width and height of window being placed on the wall.
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Default: 4 inches (300 mm)
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Typical Range: 24 to 90 inches (610 - 2286 mm)
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Min Max: Min: 4 inches (300 mm); Max: NA
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Units: inches, mm
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Delete Custom Size
With a custom size selected, use the Delete Icon to remove custom size from the list. It will no longer appear within the size list.
Standard TRACE sizes may not be deleted.
Input Considerations:
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Place doors prior to band windows – doors cannot be placed inside band window area or within any existing windows.
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Percent glazing input results in window filling entered percentage of occupiable space wall, and does not include plenum.
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Band windows filling 100% of wall area will be shrunk by 1mm on each edge, so area will not be exact.
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When percent is greater than what can fit on the wall because the elevation doesn’t allow, elevation is ignored.
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The Numeric Input field hold the value input when units are changes, unless input would be invalid.
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For values higher than 100 units, on change to %, input will be updated to 100.
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Elevation input considers raised floor and drop ceiling. If window conflicts with plenum, invalid cursor is displayed and window may not be placed.For example: When Raised Floor exists, a window may not be a placed at elevation = 0.
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To place windows in upper levels of NonStandard Rooms, activate the lowermost level of the NonStandard room and enter the absolute elevation of the window.
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The wall area reported in Room Properties and in the Entered Values Report is the gross area of the wall – windows and doors are NOT subtracted from this area.
Roof Drawing Tools
With the Roof Tool active, roofs on the active level are displayed as solid grey for flat roofs. Shed, gable and hip roofs are displayed with shading to represent the slope, peak and valley lines.
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Darker color represents surfaces at lower elevation than lighter colors.
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Validation denotes whether area over which cursor is hovered can accept the roof.
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Sloped roofs assume the peak height of the level upon which the room being roofed resides.The volume of the room is decreased when a sloped roof is applied.
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Roofs do not assume any thickness, so when using ACH for volumetric flow rates, roof thickness is not subtracted out.
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Cursor state denotes validity of roof placement over hovered area.
Flat Roof Tool
Create a flat roof of the selected room. Flat roof may not be placed on rooms with room immediately above them.
This roof type is automatically applied to any rooms that do not have rooms above them. This tool is typically used to replace a roof of another type – shed, hip or gable.
Shed Roof
Create a shed roof on a room.
A shed roof is one that slopes in one single direction. The peak is at the elevation of the top of the level on which the room resides and slopes down to the base elevation of the level, when hip wall height is specified as 0.
One or more edges will have gable ends, and one will meet with the sloped roof surface, this could be a single point. Gable ends inherit wall construction and sloped roof sections inherit roof construction.
Click the room to receive the roof and drag in the direction of the downward slope. This tool can be used in tandem with snap settings to align the roof slope with another geometry within the file.
For rectangular rooms, a second click will set the slope downward, sloping down from the long edge to the west or south, with no drag motion.
Hip Wall Height
Create roof surfaces that does not extend to the lowest elevation of the room. The cursor state denotes validity of the input when hovered over any given room.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 4 to 20 feet (1.2 to 3.1 m)
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Min Max: 0 to 3 inches (0.80 m) from the top of the room accepting sloped roof
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Units: feet (m)
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Gable Roof
Create a gable roof on a room.
A gabled roof is one with a peak and two sloped surfaces, for the simplest case, with vertical gable ends.
For irregular shaped rooms, one or more peak line(s) will be created. Gabled roofs placed on rooms with irregular geometry will be created if they can be. Not all geometries support this roof type.
In these cases, the room may need to be split and covered with a series of shed roofs. At least two edges will have gable ends, and at least two roof surfaces will meet with the sloped roof surfaces – as in a rectangular room.
Gable ends inherit wall construction and sloped roof sections inherit roof construction.
Hip Wall Height
Create roof surfaces that does not extend to the lowest elevation of the room.
The cursor state denotes validity of the input when hovered over any given room.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 4 to 20 feet (1.2 to 3.1 m)
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Min Max: 0 to 3 inches (0.80 m) from the top of the room accepting sloped roof
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Units: feet (m)
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Hip Roof
Create a hip roof on the selected room.
A hip roof is one with a peak point or peak line and four sloping surfaces. No gable ends are created for this type of roof.
Hip roofs placed on rooms with irregular geometry will be created if they can be. Not all geometries support this roof type.
In these cases, the room may need to be split and covered with a series of shed roofs.
Hip Wall Height
Create roof surfaces that does not extend to the lowest elevation of the room.
The cursor state denotes validity of the input when hovered over any given room.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 4 to 20 feet (1.2 to 3.1 m)
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Min Max: 0 to 3 inches (0.80 m) from the top of the room accepting sloped roof
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Units: feet (m)
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Parapet
Add a parapet wall on the selected roof of the building of specified height.
Click to draw the parapet on a roof. Only flat roofs support parapets.
Leverage snapping indicators to align parapets with edges or vertices of the roof upon which the parapet is being placed.
Parapets do not add thermal mass, they are used only to provide shading surfaces.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 2 to 20 feet (0.6 to 6 m)
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Min Max: 0 to NA
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Units: feet (m)
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Overhang
Add an overhang on the selected roof of the building with specified extension from building edge.
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Hover the cursor over a roof edge. Leverage snapping indicators to see the selected edge.
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Overhangs follow the slope of the roof edge to which they are applied, and do not add thermal mass, they are used only to provide shading surfaces.
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To apply uniform overhang around the perimeter of a room, hold ALT while placing the overhang.
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To apply a roof that extends beyond the area below, draw a room that overhangs by the desired distance and apply sloped roof.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 2 to 20 feet (0.6 to 6 m)
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Min Max: 0 to NA
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Units: feet (m)
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Input Considerations:
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Sloped roofs do not create a volume above a given room, rather, they ‘eat into’ an already existing rooms.
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A level copied from one that contains sloped roofs will have the same roof surfaces as the source level.
Rotate Peak Line Tool
Use this tool to rotate hip or gable roof on a rectangular area.
Select the tool and click on the roof surface to be rotated. The shading is updated reflecting the peak line of the roof.
Input Considerations:
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Only rectangular areas can have their roof line rotated.
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Cursor state denotes if the area hovered over may have its roof rotated.
Peak Line Modification Tool
Use this tool to move peak lines of applied sloped roofs or to move vertices connecting peak and valley lines.
To enable the tool, click the Peak Line Modification icon in the toolbar.
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Click on the room to be modified – the peak lines and vertices are rendered in green.
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Drag a vertex or edge to modify the roof surfaces edges.
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When a peak line is rendered in red, it has not been accepted. Other modifications can be added to generate planar surfaces. Once all changes create planar surfaces, the lines will be rendered green and surfaces can be fully generated.
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Review the 3D view to ensure changes are as desired.
Input Considerations:
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Use snapping to ensure alignment with existing geometry.
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Zoom in or out to reduce or reference more existing geometry during peak line or vertex moves.
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To cancel a peak move, use ESC during an active move to cancel the input.
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Force vertex/vertices’ movement parallel with x-, y- axes using the SHIFT key to keep a vertex (or set of vertices for a wall) in a line parallel to the axes from the original vertex point(s).
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Use parallel snaps to force a peak line parallel to existing geometry.
Skylight Tool
Use this tool to draw skylights on any roof surface using rectangle or polyline drawing. Skylights can be created on flat or sloped roof surfaces.
When polyline tool is used, the skylight must have exactly 3 or 4 vertices (corners).
Rectangle Skylight Tool
Create rectangular shaped skylights on roof surface.
Length
Use the length field to create a skylight of known dimension projected onto the horizontal plane in the X direction.
The edge of the skylight travels with the cursor, once placed, drag to create a rectangle with fixed length.
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Default: 0 (implies free daw length)
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Typical Range: 2 to 100 feet (0.6 to 30.48 m)
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Min Max: 0 to NA
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Units: feet (m)
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Width
Use the width field to create a skylight of known dimension projected onto the horizontal plane in the Y direction.
The edge of the skylight travels with the cursor, once placed, drag to create a rectangle with fixed width.
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Default: 0 (implies free daw length)
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Typical Range: 2 to 100 feet (0.6 to 30.48 m)
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Min Max: 0 to NA
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Units: feet (m)
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Input Considerations:
When hovered over a sloped roof, the dimensions are updated based on the slope reflecting the actual dimension along with the actual area of the skylight.
Polyline Skylight Tool
Use the polyline tool to create polygon or non-rectangular skylights on flat or sloped roofs with exactly three or four vertices.
With an input specified in the length field, right-click to apply the fixed length and drag to desired angle.
Input Considerations:
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Cursor state denotes validity of skylight to be placed.
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Skylight may not be placed across room boundaries or over peak or valley line of sloped roof.
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Skylight may not be placed on existing skylight.
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Use snapping to align with edge of rooms in which skylight is to be added.
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Once a third vertex has been placed, the only acceptable point is the starting point of the polygon skylight.
Skylight Library:
By default, skylights assume the Skylight Construction of the Building Construction Template.
By selecting a different Skylight Library, skylights can be placed with a different construction at time of placement.
Room Properties
Access Room Properties by clicking the edit icon in the tree for a given element.
For elements selected graphically in the drawing canvas, the Properties Button in the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen launches Room Properties. When an element of a room is selected in the drawing canvas, the selected element is selected in the tree.
Click on any item in the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen to view properties.
This is quick way to access Building or Level properties from any view of the tree.
Close Room Properties by clicking the minimize icon in the upper left, the X icon in the upper right, or by clicking outside the Properties window.
Navigation
Navigate quickly between Properties of rooms using the breadcrumb. However over it to open the list of rooms on the active level.
To scroll between rooms, hover over the breadcrumb and use the ESC key to minimize the list. Use mouse scroll or up/down arrows to navigate through all rooms on the active level. This is useful to verify inputs of many rooms quickly.
Room Name
Name of the room as specified by the user or program.
Default Room Names are Room LL-RR where LL represents the level and RR is the room number. Modify from this field or from the Tree for existing rooms.
Room Type
Name of room type applied to room.
As rooms are created, they are assigned to the default Room Type as specified in the Theme. The default Room Type may be modified while rooms are being created to reduce rework for areas of a building that have similar room characteristic.
To add room types to the project from this field, use the Show Library Members checkbox.
Drop Ceiling Checkbox
Check this box to include drop ceiling in a room. This creates a ceiling plenum but does not default the return air into the plenum space.
When elevation entered for a given room is invalid, a red validation message is displayed above the box. Hover over the message to see the allowed inputs.
Ceiling Elevation
With Drop Ceiling checked, this field is enabled to set the elevation of the Drop Ceiling.
Ceiling Elevation is the vertical distance from the slab of the room to the drop ceiling.
Raised Floor Checkbox
Check this box to include raised floor in a room. This creates an underfloor plenum in this space but does not default the supply air to plenum supply.
Top of Floor
With Raised Floor checked, this field is enabled to set the relative elevation of the Raised Floor.
Top of The Floor is the vertical distance from the slab of the room to the raised floor. Doors are automatically placed at this elevation when added to rooms with raised floor.
When elevation entered for a given room is invalid, a red validation message is displayed above the box. Hover over the message to see the allowed inputs.
Floor to Floor Height
This field is not editable in the Room Properties and is read from the Level Properties. It depends on the number of levels spanned by a room and those level heights.
Occupiable Floor Area
Interior area of the space. This field is not editable in Room Properties.
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The floor area may only be edited by altering spaces in the Drawing Canvas.
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Wall thickness is subtracted from this value and is based on Wall Thickness from Project Defaults.
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Wall thickness is uniform throughout a project for all interior and exterior walls.
Internal Volume
Volume of occupiable space of a given room.
Volume is based on interior dimensions of a space – i.e.) wall thickness is considered – and does not include plenum volumes, when they exist. However, Slab, Raised Floor, Drop Ceiling and Roof surfaces are considered to have no thickness and this calculation assumes these surfaces at centerline. This impacts volumetric flow rates specified in ACH.
Input Considerations:
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Use CTRL+A to display all elements of a selected room after first selecting on item in the tree in the Properties View.
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Items displayed are added in the order they are clicked on – this allows for viewing only specific elements, when desired.
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When Drop Ceiling or Raised Floor is checked, the default elevation from User Defaults is applied.
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If the entered value cannot be a achieved, a red exclamation point is displayed above the input box. With TAB the value is reverted to the highest allowable elevation.
Construction
The construction tab is used to view/modify building element characteristic in the selected room. A horizontal scroll bar is available when fields are too long to display. Width of tree can be expanded or reduced by dragging the divider in the Properties view.
Tree
The tree on the left hand side of this view uses a nested structure, like the Construction Tree. Rooms are grouped under levels, windows and doors are grouped under wall they are placed upon. Plenum walls generated by addition of Raised Floor and Drop Ceiling are grouped and are minimized by default. Double click any group to expand its members. The order is from upper most elements to lower most elements within a room.
Width of tree can be expanded or reduced by dragging the divider in the Properties view.
Search
To find a known element in properties, use the search box to select the time in the Room Properties Tree. All elements containing string entered in this field are displayed. Use of search hides elements that do not include entered string. Use the X to clear the search.
Name
The name of the building element is editable from here. Use TAB to propagate name changes to the tree.
Type
Type denotes the boundary conditions of a surface or other building element. This is determined by the geometry created. Type determines what type of Construction Library may be applied to a surface or other building element, like windows or doors.
Construction
Construction library members are pulled from the Building Theme but may be overridden in the Room Type or in each individual room.
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To modify values associated with these libraries, enter the library to make these changes.
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To revert to template value, use the red triangle in the upper left corner of the input.
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To use a construction not includes in the Project Library, click Show Library Members to add from Global Library
Edit in Library
The Library icon to the right of Construction Library is used to view properties. To edit, use “Edit In Library”. Only custom library members can be edited.
U-Value
Inherited from the library member selected, not modifiable from this screen.
F-Factor
Inherited from the library member selected, not modifiable from this screen. This is column is populated only for F-factor walls or slabs
C-Factor
Inherited from the library member selected, not modifiable from this screen. This is column is populated only for C-factor walls or slabs
SHGC
Inherited from the library member selected, not modifiable from this screen. This is column is populated only for windows, glass doors or skylights.
Height
For vertical surfaces, windows or doors, the height in the z-direction of the element. This is based on the geometry created in the project. For horizontal surfaces, this value is not populated.
Width
For vertical surfaces, windows or doors, the width of the wall in any direction. For horizontal surfaces, this value is not populated.
Base Elevation
The lower-most elevation of a wall. Use this to identify walls that have been split due to adjacencies or grade-crossing.
Area
Gross area of surface
Azimuth
Denotes the outward normal of the surface.
Cardinal Direction
This field is populated only for exterior surfaces
Adiabatic Surface
Check this box for a given wall, slab, roof, floor or ceiling to create adiabatic surface. The same construction is used for the surface, but no conduction into zone bounded by surface occurs. Radiant energy from inside the zone is absorbed and reradiated by adiabatic surfaces.
When wall or roof contains a window, door or skylight, it cannot be made adiabatic – thus the checkbox is not displayed. Adiabatic surfaces cannot accept window, door or skylight.
Airflow
These airflows are associated with this room and may be auto sized or user specified.
Room Design Airflow
The following airflows are associated with the room, they simulate the heat and moisture gains and losses from air.
Cooling Flow Rate
Typically Auto Size should be checked to size the design cooling supply airflow for each room. Override this value by un-checking the Auto Size box and specifying the room's supply airflow.
When the design flow rate has been specified here, it may result Sizing Factor Adjustment reported in the load component reports.
Heating Flow Rate
Typically Auto Size should be checked to size the design heating supply airflow for each room. Override this value by un-checking the Auto Size box and specifying the room's supply airflow.
When the design flow rate has been specified here, it may result Sizing Factor Adjustment reported in the load component reports.
The main heating supply airflow refers to the hot deck or run-around deck of the following standard system types: Unit Heaters, Two-Fan Double Duct VAV, (Single-Fan) Double Duct VAV, Parallel Fan-Powered VAV, Series Fan-Powered VAV, and Terminal Air Blender.
Warning
For single duct /constant volume System Types (i.e. Variable-Temperature Constant Volume, Water Source Heat Pumps, Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners, Single Zone, etc.), be careful not to enter two different values for the Main Cooling Supply Airflow and the Main Heating Supply Airflow. Since the design cooling airflow must equal the design heating airflow for these types of systems, ensure that the same airflow is entered for both.
Ventilation
Ventilation is outdoor air brought into the building mechanically to meet ventilation requirements. View or modified these values from this tab. By default rooms inherit ventilation from the Airflows Template of the applied Room Type. The program has standard library members that include ventilation rate requirements from several sources. There are two categories for ventilation: ASHRAE 62.1 and 170 and General.
ASHRAE 62.1
People and area based ventilation rates are entered based on the space type selected. These values are determined by table 6-1 of ASHRAE standard 62.1, generally speaking, overrides should not be applied to the people and area based rates. Please note that ASHRAE 62.1 calculations must also be enabled at the system level (see Create Systems>Properties).
When a system has a mix of ASHRAE 62.1 and 170 space types attached, it is appropriate to turn on the 62.1 calculations at the system level. The 170 ventilation values will be viewed as Voz by the 62.1 zone and system level calculations. In this category, the ventilation library member details screen displays the following fields that must be defined:
Type
Space types as defined in standards such as ASHRAE 62.1, California Title 23, etc.
People Based Rate
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Default: Dependent on the space type selected. See Space Type library for more details
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Typical Range: 5 to 20 cfm/ person
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Min Max: 0 to 1000000
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Units: cfm/person; (L/s)/person
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The design outdoor air volume flow rate per person for this zone.
Area Based Rate
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Default: Dependent on the space type selected. See Space Type library for more details
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Typical Range: 0.06 to 0.18 cfm/ ft2
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Min Max: 0 to 1000000
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Units: cfm/ft2 ; (L/s)/m2
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The design outdoor air volume flow rate per floor area. The default rates are from table 6-1 of ASHRAE Standard 62.1- 2010.
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Input Considerations:
Cooing Ez, Heating Ez and Er are defined from the Zone Properties along with Supply and Return Path.
ASHRAE 170
Ventilation rates, supply airflow rates, and in some cases room exhaust rates are entered based on the space type chosen. The values come from table 7-1 of ASHRAE standard 170-2013, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities.
When all the rooms attached to a system use ASHRAE 170 space types, the system level ventilation requirement is simply the sum of the room ventilation requirements. When a system has a mix of ASHRAE 170 and 62.1 space types attached, it is appropriate to turn on the 62.1 calculations at the system level. The 170 ventilation values will be viewed as Voz by the 62.1 zone and system level calculations.
When ASHRAE is selected in the room exhaust units field, all air coming into the space will be exhausted as room exhaust. This includes ventilation, infiltration, adjacent room air transfer, and supply airflow. This will cause the room to become negatively pressurized. A consequence of this is that the airflows will no longer balance at the system level, it is the responsibility of the designer to select the correct airflow balance at the system level.
As a reminder, when the airflow units are selected in terms of air changes per hour (ACH) the program views that as a minimum and not a fixed value.
Type
Space type selected from table 7-1 of ASHRAE 170-2013
Outside Air Flow Rate
These ventilation rates for heating and cooling are defined in rates of Air Changes/Hour.
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Input Considerations:
Cooing Ez, Heating Ez and Er are defined from the Zone Properties along with Supply and Return Path.
General
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Default: Per ASHRAE 62.1- 2013 table 2 depending on the Application
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Typical Range: 15 to 60 cfm/person
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Min Max: 0 to 1000000
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Units: cfm/person, cfm/ft2; (L/s)/person, (L/s)/m2
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The standard library members under this category contain ventilation rates obtained from two sources: ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2013 and California Title 24-2010 minimum ventilation rates.
Type
Defines the name of the library member.
Outside Air Flow (rate, units)
The design outdoor air volume flow rate. The rate can be defined as a rate per area (flow/area), per person flow/person), air changes per hour or by the full design volume (flow).
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Infiltration
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Default: NA
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: 0 to 1000000
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Units: cfm/ft2 floor, cfm/ft2 wall, cfm/ft2 surface, cfm, ACH; (m3/s)/m2 floor, (m3/s)/m2 wall, (m3/s)/m2 surface, m3/s
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Infiltration is the unintended flow of air from the outdoor environment directly into a room or thermal zone. Infiltration is generally caused by the opening and closing of exterior doors, cracks around windows, and even in very small amounts through building elements.
The basic equation used by EnergyPlus™ to calculate infiltration is:
Infiltration = (Idesign)(Fschedule) [A + B|(Tzone − Todb)| + C (WindSpeed) + D (Windspeed2)]
Where:
A = constant term coefficient
B = Temperature term coefficient
C= Velocity term coefficient
D = Velocity squared term coefficient
The default coefficients (A=1; B, C and D = 0) create a constant airflow infiltration.
The infiltration library member details screen displays the fields that must be defined:
Type
This field is used to select typical infiltration loads from the Internal & Airflow Loads Library. Choose a standard member from the library supplied with the program or create a custom library member.
Override these values directly on the Create Rooms or Airflow Template screens, if desired.
Flow Rate (value, units)
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Default: 0.6 ACH
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: 0 to 1000000
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Units: cfm/ft2 floor, cfm/ft2 wall, cfm/ft2 surface, cfm, ACH; (m3/s)/m2 floor, (m3/s)/m2 wall, (m3/s)/m2 surface, m3/s
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The infiltration rate that will be applied to the room. The rate can be defined as a rate per area of floor (cfm/sq. ft. floor), wall (cfm/sq. ft. wall), and air changes per hour or by the full design volume (cfm).
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Room Exhaust
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Default: Per ASHRAE 62.1- 2013 table 6.5 depending on Occupancy category
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Typical Range: 0.25 to 1.5 cfm; 2.5 to 5 m3/s
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Min Max: 0 to 1000000
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Units: cfm/ft2 floor, cfm/ft2 wall, cfm/ft2 surface, cfm, ACH; (m3/s)/m2 floor, (m3/s)/m2 wall, (m3/s)/m2 surface, m3/s
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Room exhaust is room air that is directly exhausted from the room to the atmosphere. The program has standard library members that include typical zone exhaust rates from ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2013 Table 6.5.
Type
Defines the name of the room exhaust library member.
Flow Rate
Defines the exhaust rate that will be applied to a room. The rate can be defined as a rate per area of floor (cfm/sq. ft. floor), wall (cfm/sq. ft. wall), and air changes per hour or by the full design volume (cfm).
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Room to Room Air Transfer
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Default: 0 cfm
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Typical Range: 2 cfm/bathroom fixture; 0.001 m3/s/bathroom fixture
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Min Max: 0 to 1000000
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Units: cfm/ft2 floor, cfm/ft2 wall, cfm/ft2 surface, cfm, ACH; (m3/s)/m2 floor, (m3/s)/m2 wall, (m3/s)/m2 surface, m3/s
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Room Air Transfer is air that is transferred from one room (source room) to another (receiving room). A receiving room can pull air from multiple source rooms. A receiving room can also be a source for another room. TRACE allows for transfer of more air than is brought into the source room(s). Therefore, care should be taken to ensure airflows balance as unexpected results could otherwise occur.
Source Room
Defines the room(s) that are transferring air into the current room.
Flow Rate
Defines the rate which air will be transferred into a room. The rate can be defined as a rate per area of floor (cfm/sq. ft. floor), per occupant (cfm / person) and air changes per hour or by a nominal design volume (cfm).
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Internal Loads
Internal loads add thermal load to a space. People, Lights, and Miscellaneous Loads are added in this section. These loads contribute heat to the space and may consume energy.
Template Loads
Internal loads are automatically applied to each space based on the selected Room Type and are able to be enable by default. To disable a template Internal Load, uncheck the Enabled checkbox. When disabled the row is crossed out in this view.
Add People Load
The people internal load defines the heat gain from occupancy. Standard library members that include typical occupancy densities from NREL and heat gain per activity type per ASHRAE HOF 2013.
Name
Entered name for the internal people load from its library member.
Percent Floor Area
The percent floor area that receives the loads applied. This input impacts load to space only when people/area is used for units.
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Default: 100%
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Typical Range: 0 to 100%
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Min Max: 0 to 100
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Units: %
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Type
Specify the activity level undertaken by the people in the room.
It determines the amount of sensible and latent heat gain per person in the room under design conditions. The available options are taken from the ASHRAE Handbook of fundamentals 2013, chapter 18.
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Default: Per ASHRAE HOF2013
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: NA
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Units: NA
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Density
Specify the design population of people in the space.
It can be defined as a total number of people, an amount of area per person (i.e. ft.2/person, m2/person), or an amount of people per area (people/ft.2, people/m2). A value of "0" in combination with any of the units will be interpreted as zero people.
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Default: Per NREL table 4 Occupancy by space type
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Typical Range: 1 to 5000
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Min Max: 1 to 5000
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Units: people; ft2/person; m2/person; people/sq ft; people/m2
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Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Add Light Load
The lighting internal loads define the heat gain from internal lighting. They are applied to the zones in the Room Properties screen. The program has standard library members that include typical lighting densities and heat gains.
Name
Entered name for the internal lighting load.
Percent Floor Area
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Default: 100%
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Typical Range: 1 to 100%
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Min Max: 1 to 100
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Units: %
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The percent floor area that will have the loads applied.
Type
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Default: Per ASHRAE HOF 2013
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: NA
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Units: NA
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Defines the type of lighting load that is applied to the space. It determines the amount of heat gain associated with the lighting fixtures under design conditions. The available options are taken from the ASHRAE Handbook of fundamentals 2013, chapter 18.
Density
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Default: Per ASHRAE HOF 2013 depending on the space type
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Typical Range: 0.5 to 2 W/sq•ft (5.38 to 21.5 W/m2)
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Min Max: 0 to 100,000
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Units: W, W/ft2, W/m2, W/person, W/fixture
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Defines the design lighting density. It can be defined as a total number of watts in the zone, lighting power per zone floor area (i.e. W/sq. ft.) or lighting power per person (i.e. W/person)
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Add Miscellaneous Equipment Load
These library members are created to define the heat gain from various plug loads. They are applied to the room in the Room Properties screen. The program has standard library members that include typical miscellaneous load densities and heat gains. These loads are categorized by fuel type: Electric, Gas, Hot Water, IT Equipment, Steam and Other.
The Miscellaneous Loads library member details screen displays the fields that must be defined for each Miscellaneous Load library member.
Name
Entered name for the miscellaneous load.
Percent Floor Area
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Default: 100%
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Typical Range: 0 to 100%
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Min Max: 0 to 100
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Units: %
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The percent floor area that will have the miscellaneous loads applied. This input impacts load to space only when load/area is used for units.
Type
Defines the type of lighting load that is applied to the space. It determines the amount of heat gain associated with the lighting fixtures under design conditions. The available options are taken from the ASHRAE Handbook of fundamentals 2013, chapter 18.
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Default: Per ASHRAE HOF 2013
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: NA
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Units: NA
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Density
Defines the design maximum input to the equipment. It can be defined as a total number of watts or Btu, load per zone floor area, or load per person.
This value is a property of the selected Equipment Type and is defined in the Library. However, this value can be overridden directly on the Create Rooms or Internal Load Template screens, if desired.
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Default: Per ASHRAE HOF 2013 depending on the space type
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: -10,000 to 10,000,000
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Units: W, W/ft2, W/m2, W/person, W/fixture
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The Energy Consumption Value must be entered in combination with Energy Consumption Units.
A heat gain need not be associated with equipment.
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Fuel Type
Fuel Type is used to tell the program what utility type is being used to produce the given internal load. If left blank, the miscellaneous equipment defined will not consume any energy.
Input Considerations:
Utility Type can be modified only from the library.
Electric and Gas
Heat Gain
Peak heat gain in the space.
Latent Fraction
The amount of latent heat given off by the miscellaneous load. It affects the moisture balance within the zone. Enter the value as a decimal.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 0 to 1
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Min Max: 0 to 1
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Units: %
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Radiant Fraction
The amount of long-wave radiant heat being given off by the miscellaneous load. This value is multiplied by the total energy consumed by the load to give the amount of long wavelength radiation gain. Enter the value as a decimal.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 0.1 to 0.2
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Min Max: 0 to 1
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Units: %
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Fraction Lost
The amount of heat which is “lost” and does not impact the zone energy balances. It might correspond to energy converted to mechanical work or heat that is vented to the atmosphere. Enter the value as a decimal.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 0 to 1
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Min Max: 0 to 1
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Units: %
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Note: The total sum of the Latent, Radiant and Lost Heat percentages must be 100% or less.
Account only for energy use: This checkbox allows the user to select in the project if a miscellaneous load will only spin the meter and will not add any load to the space.
Hot Water
Peak Flow Rate
The peak demanded hot water flow rate. It can be defined as a total flow rate, a flow rate per floor area or flow rate per person.
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Default: 2.5 gpm
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Typical Range: -10000000 to 10000000
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Min Max: -10000000 to 10000000
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Units: gpm, gpm/person, gpm/sq ft, m3/s; m33/s/person, m3/s/m2
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Entering Water Temperature
The supply hot water temperature at the tap.
Leaving Water Temperature
The leaving cold water temperature.
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Default: 55
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Typical Range: Entering 32 to 150°F (0 to 66°C); Leaving 80 to 200°F (26 to 94°C)
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Min Max: 32 to 150°F; 0 to 66°C
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Units: °F; °C
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IT Equipment
Electric Consumption
The design maximum input to the IT equipment when fully loaded. It can be defined as the number of watts per unit or watts per area or load per person.
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Default: Per ASHRAE HOF 2013 depending on the equipment type
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: -10,000,000 to 10,000,000
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Units: W, W/ft2, W/m2, W/person
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Number of Units
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Default: 1
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Typical Range: NA
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Min Max: 0 to 10,000,000
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Units: NA
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The total number of units that have the electric consumption from the previous field.
Fan Powered percentage
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 0 to 1
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Min Max: 0 to 1
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Units: %
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The percentage of the total power input that corresponds to the cooling fans. Enter the value as a decimal.
Steam and Other
Heat Gain
Peak heat gain in the space.
Latent Fraction
The amount of latent heat given off by the miscellaneous load. It affects the moisture balance within the zone. Enter the value as a decimal.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 0 to 1
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Min Max: 0 to 1
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Units: %
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Radiant Fraction
The amount of long-wave radiant heat being given off by the miscellaneous load. This value is multiplied by the total energy consumed by the load to give the amount of long wavelength radiation gain. Enter the value as a decimal.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 0.1 to 0.2
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Min Max: 0 to 1
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Units: %
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Fraction Lost
The amount of heat which is “lost” and does not impact the zone energy balances. It might correspond to energy converted to mechanical work or heat that is vented to the atmosphere. Enter the value as a decimal.
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Default: 0
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Typical Range: 0 to 1
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Min Max: 0 to 1
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Units: %
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Note: The total sum of the Latent, Radiant and Lost Heat percentages must be 100% or less.
Account only for energy use: This checkbox allows the user to select in the project if a miscellaneous load will only spin the meter and will not add any load to the space.
Add Stand Alone Water Heater
Add water heater in a space to consume utilities and impose space loads due to jacket/tank losses. Refer to the library item to see more details about this equipment type.
Name
Entered name for the water heater load.
Type
The library item applied as Stand Alone Water Heater.
Default Value: Stand Alone Water Heater from the library
Density
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Default: Per ASHRAE HOF 2013 depending on the space type
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Typical Range: 0.5 to 2 W/sq•ft (5.38 to 21.5 W/m2)
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Min Max: 0 to 100,000
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Units: W, W/ft2, W/m2, W/person, W/fixture
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Defines the design lighting density. It can be defined as a total number of watts in the zone, lighting power per zone floor area (i.e. W/sq. ft.) or lighting power per person (i.e. W/person)
Schedule
Schedules define the 24-hour percentage profiles for the variable loads in the room, such as people, lights, miscellaneous equipment, ventilation, infiltration, and more. The % Value entries for each hour in the schedule act as direct multipliers on the corresponding design value
For example, a schedule can be created to define the amount of heat gain due to lighting in a room if the amount of lighting for a room is entered as 250 Watts. This value is considered the design value for that room (i.e., the 100% value). If the schedule selected for the lighting in this room reads 50% for the period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the lighting load in the room during that period is 125 Watts (or 50% of 250 Watts). The percentage of a given load present during time of space and coil peaks depends on the value entered in the associated schedule for that month and hour, as well as the cooling methodology selected. Choose a standard member from the Schedules Library supplied with the program or a custom schedule in the library.
Efficiency
Thermal Efficiency of the water heater.
Flow Rate
Peak flow demand of the water heater.
Flow Rate Units
Units applied to the peak Flow Rate input.
Default: gpm
Options: gpm, gpm/sqft, gpm/person, m3/s