IES-VE User Forum

Hi there, i have encountered some problems when i am trying to import from Ecotect. The reason i do this is because i have already made my model in ecotect simplifying the initial archicad model with just zones and windows. I am exporting it simple in GBxml and importing it in IES. Most of the times in the checking there are missing surfaces and i am going back in ecotect to fix geometries and again importing. I have a house with many rooms and slope roofs which create living spaces below them like lofts. and the slab between ground floor and 1st floor is half and creates a balcony. Also there is an atrium with internal and external windows. I want to use Microflo to see airflow. my problem is that when i import the model even when there are no geometry problems the microflo seems like there are some walls and some are missing, i mean it is like there are certain boundaries in the middle of the space, it doesn't take into account the atrium at all and the half slab is like a whole slab. Although in the import it looks fine. SO do i have to import several zones-rooms and make the internal walls partitions or should i make it one zone?How can i simulate the atrium for microflo? do i have to change the walls into partitions for that? again it doesn't take it into account.
Thank you

Hi,

I haven't tried to import an xml from Ecotect. In general the quality of gbXML export from different packages varies and we have very few trusted sources (Revit, ArchiCAD should be ok). By trusted I mean those who have a consistently good quality export of the model geometry data that VE import has been enhanced to read.

In general for simple geometry then you should get something in that you can work with however some processing either before export or after import may be required. The gbXML import report should draw your attention to areas that haven't come in properly, after you have resolved this you want to see the quality of your VE project (ModelIT Settings menu >> Model... tick Intersections, Zones and Surfaces then click Check to get a report).

In some cases you might want to be open to the idea of deleting rooms that have imported badly and quickly redraw them.

For any analysis but particularly CFD you have to do the work early to get a good robust geometry so the analysis can be as effective as possible

Phil