Interoperability between Autodesk Revit and EnergyPlus for thermal simulations of buildings

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the reliability of the interoperability possibilities between Autodesk Revit and EnergyPlus by using BIM models for thermal simulations in EnergyPlus. The methodology consists of case studies targeting building models based on Case 600, from ASHRAE Standard 140, and Casa Eficiente Project, located in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil. The digital models of both buildings were produced in Revit with different modeling processes and software settings, exported in IFC, gbXML and IDF file formats and converted using additional tools in order to be opened in EnergyPlus. Such files were compared with the reference model of each building produced in EnergyPlus, using SketchUp containing the plug-in Euclid, in order to examine the process of data transfer based on parameters defined for geometry, simulation settings, and simulation results. It was concluded that the interoperability between Autodesk Revit and EnergyPlus for thermal simulations is not perfect, despite the possibility of data transfer, in this exchange, there are errors in the exported geometries and lack of the necessary data for accurate simulation in all exported building models.

Keywords

• Interoperability. BIM. Autodesk Revit 2019. Thermal simulation. EnergyPlus 8.7.0.