[Radiance-general] modelling software

[Guglielmetti, Robert]

Speaking of free, and SketchUp, NERL has been hard at work for the last year on an entirely new version of OpenStudio. OpenStudio was originally just a SketchUp plugin for the creation of EnergyPlus models, but we have rebuilt it from the ground up as an "analysis platform" for doing parametric analysis of whole building energy models. 

For more information visit http://openstudio.nrel.gov, and for Radiance-specific info see this post:

https://openstudio.nrel.gov/forums/openstudio-plug-google-sketchup/help-desk/it-possible-connect-radiance-open-studio-if-it-yes-

It's very much in alpha phase at this point, but we are planning to get more of the Radiance functionality wired up in the coming months. 

- Rob

________________________________________
From: Randolph M. Fritz [RFritz at lbl.gov]
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 10:15 AM
To: radiance-general at radiance-online.org
Subject: Re: [Radiance-general] modelling software

> which software is more preferable to create geometry and then export
> to radiance for results.

Depends a lot on your goals and budget, as well as personal
preferences.  As Guigi says, obj2rad is your friend.  If you are
primarily an architectural designer and already have a preferred
modeling tool, I would say stick with it if at all possible.  If your
interest is simulation design and you have a budget I'd pick up
Autodesk Ecotect, which has some nice tools for setting up simulations
and processing the results, but is a rather difficult modeling tool.

If you're starting out and have a modest budget, try Rhino.  If you're
starting out and have no budget, try SketchUp.

Other tools: Free - Blender, but the UI is 20 years old and it takes a
long time to learn.  AutoCAD is widely used in architectural practice,
but the full version is expensive, the 3D modeling capabilities are
cranky, and the student versions are limited in ways that may interfere
with simulation work.  Still, if you have it, you might give it a try.

Anyone used Revit, Microstation, or Bentley with Radiance?

--
Randolph M. Fritz • RFritz at lbl.gov
Environmental Energy Technologies Division • Lawrence Berkeley Labs

Links:
http://usa.autodesk.com/autocad/
http://www.blender.org/
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=12602821&siteID=123112
(Ecotect)
http://www.rhino3d.com/
http://sketchup.google.com/



_______________________________________________
Radiance-general mailing list
Radiance-general at radiance-online.org
http://www.radiance-online.org/mailman/listinfo/radiance-general