Software News & Information
Thermal | Lighting | CFD | Multi-Purpose
Building Energy Software Tools Directory
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DesignBuilder is a new software tool for assessing and creating building designs. It provides a range of environmental performance data such as: annual energy consumption, maximum summertime temperatures and HVAC component sizes. The software can be used effectively at any stage of the design process from the conceptual stage where you may want to try out some façade options on a single room, through to production. |
Energy Express
| Energy Express estimates energy consumption and cost in commercial buildings, also providing peak load estimation. Offering a choice between a comprehensive air-conditioning model, and a simple generic air-conditioning model, Energy Express allows architects in particular, to evaluate building facade options without having to specify details about the air-conditioning. | |
| For more information click here. |
Energy Plus
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EnergyPlus is a building energy simulation program for modeling building heating, cooling, lighting, ventilating, and other energy flows. While it is based on the most popular features and capabilities of BLAST and DOE-2, it includes many innovative simulation capabilities such as time steps of less than an hour, modular systems and plant integrated with heat balance-based zone simulation, multizone air flow, thermal comfort, and photovoltaic systems. |
| For more information click here. |
Tas
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Tas is a suite of software products, which simulate the dynamic thermal performance of buildings and their systems. The main module is Tas Building Designer, which performs dynamic building simulation with integrated natural and forced airflow. It has 3D graphics based geometry input that includes a CAD link. Tas Systems is a HVAC systems/controls simulator, which may be directly coupled with the building simulator. It performs automatic airflow and plant sizing and total energy demand. The third module, Tas Ambiens, is a robust and simple to use 2D CFD package which produces a cross section of micro climate variation in a space. |
| For more information click here. |
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Adeline provides architects and engineers with accurate information about behaviour and the performance of indoor lighting systems. Both natural and electrical lighting problems can be solved, in simple rooms or the most complex spaces. Adeline produces innovative and reliable lighting design results by processing a variety of data (including: geometric, photometric, climatic, optic and human response) to perform light simulations and to produce comprehensive numeric and graphic information. |
Radiance
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Radiance is a suite of programs for the analysis and visualization of lighting in design. Input files specify the scene geometry, materials, luminaires,time, date and sky conditions (for daylight calculations). Calculated values include spectral radiance (ie. luminance + color), irradiance (illuminance + color) and glare indices. Simulation results may be displayed as color images, numerical values and contour plots. The primary advantage of Radiance over simpler lighting calculation and rendering tools is that there are no limitations on the geometry or the materials that may be simulated. Radiance is used by architects and engineers to predict illumination, visual quality and appearance of innovative design spaces, and by researchers to evaluate new lighting and daylighting technologies. |
Rayfront
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Rayfront is a platform independent toolkit that provides a graphical user interface to the lighting simulation software Radiance. . Radiance is the industry standard raytracing engine for physically correct lighting simulations (see comparisons).Rayfront is equally well applied to electrical lighting and daylighting. It has no limits for geometry size and complexity, but gives you fast and accurate results for small projects as well. |
| Flovent is a powerful Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software that predicts 3D airflow, heat transfer and contamination distribution in buildings of all types and sizes. | |
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Ecotect is a software package with a unique approach to conceptual building design. It couples an intuitive 3-D design interface with a comprehensive set of performance analysis functions and interactive information displays. |
Virtual Environment
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The IES Virtual Envionment is a unique, integrated system for building performance assessment that brings productivity to every aspect of the building design. It operates from a single building model, bringing together all the design strands you need in one unified system. |