A d v a n c e d Ti p s f o r B e t t e r Tr a n s l a t i o n

Autodesk Revit 2010 IES

IES Worldwide Support Series

A. Chan and M. Farrell

 What is a gbXML?
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE
When you click on Set Model Properties, even though you are doing it within Revit using
the IES toolbar, in the background, you are actually exporting a gbXML file, and the 3D
model you are seeing is a gbXML model. This shows what will be exporting for analysis,
so its important to look at this model to see whats translating correctly and whats not

gbXML refers to Green Building XML (extensible markup language) schema was
developed to facilitate the transfer information from building information models to
integrate with building performance analysis. XML is a web-based, standards-compliant
specification that can be used to store and transport virtually any kind of data. It is based
on a relatively simple text-based syntax similar to HTML, on top of that, IES added many
improvements to the original gbXML format to enhance the translation. One drawback
with gbXML is that it is intended specifically for storing all model data, and so is not a
comprehensive list of data that is exporting out. Also, gbXML data that is edited or
changed outside of the model , such as in the Virtual Environment, cannot be re-imported
to the original BIM model. Even though this technically means that gbXML is not truly an
interoperable method of information exchange, yet it is still a useful data format for
obtaining building simulation. geometry

All bounding elements from the model will translate as 2D surfaces which represents their
geometry that enclose the 3D spaces (rooms). Anything you see in Blue means it is
translating as Rooms, and anything you see in Green means it is translating as
Shading Surface, and I will explain the difference between a Room vs Shading Surface
in a little bit.

In order to take advantage of this advanced workflow between the platforms, the Revit
model must be properly prepared for analysis. Like any type of analysis, the usefulness
and accuracy of the results depend greatly on the quality of the inputs. This is also where
you want to distinguish your Revit model that is used for documentation vs a Revit model
that is used for design/energy performance analysis.
 gbXML export hierarchy diagram
This diagram shows a summary of the data gbXML is exporting. REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

First, location, it is very important because it defines geographically where your

building is. That defines the what kind of climate and how it effects your building.
Location and climate dictate the performance of your building both in terms of design
and energy. You set this through the IES toolbar.

Next is Building type. Defining the proper building types will pull different building
parameters into the analysis; such as occupancy density, what the heating and
cooling setpoints are, occupancy or equipment schedules. For example, for an
Office occupancy density which is 150 sq.ft/person verses Retails occupancy
density which is 300 sq.ft/person. These are set through the IES toolbar, and are all
based on ASHRAE and standard profile data.

Rooms are the most fundamental and critical element for design/building
performance analysis. They are elements that determine the accuracy of your
analysis from your model. These must be places in every interior space, even if it is
not occupiable or accessible.

Shading Surfaces are necessary to use as shading devices, overhangs of roofs,

balconies or even surrounding buildings as part of the analysis

The difference between Rooms and Shading Surfaces is that Rooms are objects
that will be part of the model, and will be used for energy analysis, and shading
surfaces are objects that will shade the rooms, but are otherwise not part of the
energy analysis. Classifying rooms and shading properly is extremely important to
the accuracy of your analysis.

Surfaces, which are elements that are used to defined the rooms. These surfaces
include walls, floors, ceilings and roof. These surfaces bound the room volume in
Revit. Lastly, there are openings, which include doors, windows, and skylights.
These are housed on surfaces.
Adjacencies
Adjacencies
We spoke about the importance
of rooms. Within Revit, you can
define a wall to be an exterior
wall, but this will mean nothing
when it comes to the gbXML
translation. The only way a wall
is recognized as an exterior vs
an interior wall is by their
adjacencies.
Ground Floor Slab Roof
So for an element to be defined
Horizontal surface that is not in contact with any Horizontal surface that is not in contact with any
as ground floor slab, it is a
room below room above
horizontal surface adjacent to a
room (otherwise it is a shading
device) that is not in contact with
any room below. For a floor, its
a horizontal surface that is in
contact with a room above and
below. For a roof, its a
horizontal surface that is not in
contact with any room above,
Exterior walls are vertical
surface that is not in contact with
an adjacent room on one side

Floor Exterior Wall

Horizontal surface that is in contact with a room Vertical Surface that is not in contact with an
above and below adjacent room on one side
Adjacencies
Adjacencies cont...
To translate as an interior
walls, its vertical surface that
is in contact with rooms on
both sides. Exterior Windows
are windows on an exterior
wall, interior windows are
windows on an interior wall,
and lastly skylights are
windows on a roof
Interior Walls Interior Windows
Vertical surface that is in contact with adjacent A window on an interior wall
rooms on both sides

Exterior Windows Skylights

A window on an exterior wall A window on a roof
 Typical Workflow
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE
1. If its a central model, detach from central. Clean up views, elements that are not related to energy
analysis (casework, railings, etc) , and purge unused. This will help reduce the size of the file.

2. Try to keep the model as lean as possible in Revit, as it will be worth it when trying to run analysis,
and will impact runtime greatly. Only keep elements essential to the gbXML. Many firms have separate
Revit construction document models and Revit analysis models, though in the future hopefully that will
change. Simplicity of your model is key, like using a singular wall from ground to roof, instead of
stacked or layered, complex walls. Use actual window families instead of a curtain wall embedded in
opaque walls. Use simple, generic families if possible. Always use the appropriate family type for any
custom components you make.

3. Make sure all the room are placed in each and every space, and rooms are set to its proper upper limits
(tied to the level above, etc.). Area and volume computations must be turned on. Basically, review and
address all issues in the IES Revit 2010 White Paper. Those basic settings must be addressed or
the exported geometry will be inaccurate.

4. Export the lowest level of complexity possible. This means, when translating into VE, use the most
simple type of export possible for the analysis. This can be the difference between 50 and 500 shading
surfaces, and minutes verses hours for an analysis. Do 1 mullions really matter on a curtain wall to the
overall energy performance of the building?

5. Clean up/non-room bounding all the unnecessary jogs and surfaces, for example, you can make
shaft walls that are located on the exterior side of walls to be non-room bounding rather than placing a
separate room into them. If an interior space has many walls or jogs (that protrudes into but does not
divide two spaces), these walls can often be made non-room bounding, and leave a simple room
perimeter to bound the space. Think about where you really need to take account of the walls for your
type of analysis.
Rooms and Volumes Computation
Room and Volume
Computations
You must have Room and Volume
calculations turned on to properly bound
the rooms using the perimeter (walls,
roofs, doors, windows) of the space
rather than dimensions as it would with
area only.

This is one of the basic settings

explained in the Revit 2010 Whitepaper.
 Levels of Complexity with the Revit Plug-in
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE
The plug-in toolbar still looks pretty much the same as before, but you can now control the
level of geometric detail that is exported to the <VE>. There have also been updates to
heal the gbXML for use as an analysis model behind the scenes. This is why we
recommend that people use our plug-in over the Export gbXML option in Revit.

There are now five types of complexity that you can export your model at:

1. Simple: Simple means that curtain walls and curtain systems are exported with one
huge opening with the total opening area equal to all openings; a curtain wall with 50
panels gets exported as 1 opening

2. Simple with Shading Surfaces: Export with simple type and shading surfaces

3. Complex: Complex means that curtain walls and curtain systems are exported with
several openings, panel by panel; a curtain wall with 50 panels get exported as 50 openings

4. Complex with Shading Surfaces: Export with complex type and shading surfaces

5. Complex with Mullions and Shading Surfaces: export with complex type, shading
surfaces and mullion. With mullions mean that mullions in curtain walls and systems are
exported as shading surfaces. A simplified analytical shading surface is produce from a
mullion based on its centerline, thickness and offset . Remember that this is the most
complex type of export, and will create hundred, even thousands of shading surfaces. Use
the level necessary for your type of analysis.
Levels of Complexity with the Revit Plug-in
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Keep your geometry as simple as possible!

Is this geometry absolutely necessary for the type of analysis I am running?
Can I eliminate anything from my model? (Purge unused, etc)
There are often thousands of shading surfaces in a Revit file. If you are doing a daylight analysis, are the
4 cm mullions going to affect the outcome? They will affect the runtime significantly.
Essential Modeling Room inside a Room
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE
Room inside a Room
The VE does not translate the room inside a room or donut condition
shown below. This is because this condition cannot exist within the VE
based on our modeling principles, though it can exist in Revit. This will
cause issues during analysis.

Where do we see this condition?

Elevator Shafts
Chases
Closets
Core and Shell style buildings.
AVOID floor openings. Add these in VE if necessary.
 Essential Modeling Room inside a Room
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Room inside a Room

Solution: Use room separation lines to divide these open
spaces so no donut spaces remain. For core and shell style
projects, this is especially important.
 Basic Modeling - Columns
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Columns
1. Uncheck room bounding when using columns. You will build these
as components in VE if you need to do a 3D daylight study or
something, otherwise they are not necessary.

2. It doesnt matter if you are using structural or architectural columns,

or walls as columns

3. Notice that the room inside a room or donut effect occurs when a
centrally placed column is in the center of the space and is room
bounding. Avoid this condition is all cases possible.
 Essential Modeling Curtain Wall
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE
Curtain Walls
1. Try to do a full height curtain wall if possible, or as few sections as
possible. This means ideally the curtain wall goes from ground to
roof across all the floors. To insert opaque sections into the wall,
replace the glazed panel with a panel with 3% transparency or less
and it will translate as a solid wall. DO NOT stack walls, as is
common practice in many firms, as this confuses the room
perimeter. Grid the curtain wall and adjust the panels to get the
correct window/wall coverage, rather than many different walls, for
best translation.

2. Doors in curtain walls will not be translated. Leave as glazed panel

if glazed doors, as doors will come through as solid panels. For it to
translate as a door, it must be in the door family. Glazed doors are
not an option in the toolkits, and must be made in the VE.

3. Do not embed curtain walls into opaque or any other walls, as it will
cause issues with the translation of the glazing. Keep it simple,
using the correct family for the correct envelope element. Use a
custom created window if necessary.
 Linked RVT Files
Linked Revit files
1. If using linked Revit files, make
sure you set as room bounding
if you want their shading
surfaces and rooms to translate
into the VE with your file.
Basic Modeling - Walls
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Walls
Walls translate from the Centerline of the wall regardless if its a generic wall, interior wall or exterior wall. The thickness
of the wall matters as this defines where the centerline will be located. Align walls based on centerline when designing,
not wall face, if wall thickness varies.
Basic Modeling Problem Wall Conditions
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Wall Condition 1 Wall Condition 2

Wall change thickness Sill condition where the

vertically on one side but sill is made from a wall
align on another side element
Basic Modeling Problem Wall Conditions
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Wall Condition 1
Wall change thickness vertically on one side
but align on another side. The results can leave
holes on the exterior of the building. Though
there is a fix for this when using the IES/Revit
2010 or 2011 plug-in, a regular exported
gbXML will still present these problems.
Basic Modeling Walls Revit 2010
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Wall Condition 2
Sill condition where the sill is made from a wall
element. The results are that the room
perimeter is bound in Revit by the sill wall, not
the actual exterior wall. Make both the sill
vertical wall, but also the horizontal shelf
element, non-room bounding.
Basic Modeling Problem Wall Conditions
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Wall Condition 3 Wall Condition 4

Two layers of wall next to A room separation line

each other. (red) is next to the wall
Basic Modeling Walls Revit 2010
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Wall Condition 3
Two layers of wall next to each other. The result is much the same
as condition 2, as the interior wall becomes the bounding wall, and
the exterior wall becomes a shading element. Either make the
interior wall non-room-bounding, or build the core/layers of a wall
using the constructions rather than layering two elements.
Basic Modeling Walls Revit 2010
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Wall Condition 4
A room separation line (red) is next to the wall. This does almost the same thing,
except it makes a HOLE on the perimeter, with a shading element over it. ONLY use
room separation lines to separate two spaces with a hole between them (meaning
divided space without a wall or barrier). Never use around the perimeter of a room to
get it to bound quickly. If it is not bounding correctly, there is an issue with the Revit
model that must be addressed.
Basic Modeling Floors Revit 2010
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE

Floor Condition 3
A layer of floor on top of another floor

Translation to <VE> with Revit 2010

The lower slab will translate as a shading surface, and the finish floor would become the bounding
perimeter of the room as Revit fills the volume of the space with a room. This is similar to the wall
next to wall condition, and is often done at firms to apply different floor finishes to different rooms.

Solution
The same solution applies, and you make the finished floor surface non-room bounding. Ideally, you
have a singular floor slab for each floor. The other issue you will see with this is disappearing rooms
after you place them in Revit. Rooms can get caught between the floors, and placed over each other
many times until you realize what is happening. Avoid layered walls, floors, and generally any layered
elements that bound rooms/are in the gbXML hierarchy in the beginning of the document,.
Basic Modeling Floors Revit 2010
REVIT TO IES TRANSLATION ASSISTANCE
Floor Condition 4
A slope d floor or ramp

Translation to <VE> with Revit 2010

The ramp will bound the room, and create a sloped foundation to the room, when in reality it is
most likely a raised panel system or filled in material. The edges will translate as holes where the
slope intersects the wall.

Solution
Make the ramp or sloped floor non-room bounding. If you have things like lightshelves in rooms,
those are also room bounding and affect the way the room volume fills the space. Also make non-
room bounding.
 Shading Devices

To make a shading device that translates into VE from

Revit 2010
You must use one of the following family types for it to translate with the
gbXML as a shading device.:

Roof Family

Mullion Family

What DOESNT translate as a shading device in a gbXML?

Floor Family does not translate as part of the gbXML unless it is

bounding a room

In-Place System Family does not translate, same as above

Other Options

Use Massing tool to build shading, then apply walls, roof, or floor by
face
Basic Modeling - Openings
Doors
Use the correct template if creating custom
doors.
Elevator Doors will not translate into the VE
Glass Doors will not translate as glass, you will
need to define its properties as a construction
using the Building Template Manager in VE.
Doors in Curtain Wall Systems will not translate
in, and will translate in as an opaque panel.

Windows
Use the correct template if creating a custom
window
Try not to overlap window frames, or some
clipping will occur,

Skylights
There are no default skylights templates, so
users will need to save an existing skylight file
and erase everything in order to create a new
skylight from scratch
Can use standard skylights that come with
Revit.
 Basic Modeling - Families
What doesnt translate into the VE?

Building Constructions

These must be set using the IES toolbar. Though you add constructions
to your Revit BIM model, these constructions do not yet contain the
detailed parameters such as material density, conductivity, vapour
resistance, etc, necessary to use for a dynamic thermal analysis.

Lighting Fixtures
These do not export directly from Revit to <Virtual Environment>. If
your lighting files have .ies format photometric data, these can be
imported and used in FlucsPro, LightPro, and RadianceIES to explore
dimming strategies, energy usage, different layout options, etc. Many
manufactures will provide the .ies files on their website for all of their
luminaire products.

Furniture, Casework, Plumbing Fixtures, Railings,

Stairs, etc.
Cannot be exported into the VE, as it is not part of the gbXML file..
Components can be placed separately in <Virtual Environment>, and
used in daylight, natural ventilation, or CFD analyses as seen in the
images to the right.
Please attend the Revit to IES Workflow training for more information. Translation into the VE, or any other
analysis software through the gbXML language, is not perfect, and will usually require some editing to your
Revit model. By using the correct modelling settings, in combination with IESs gbXML healing tools, you
can successfully translate models into the VE.
IES Worldwide Support Series

This document is not meant to be a supplement to training and

support, and does not cover all issues that can occur during
translation.

Please contact support@iesve.com for prompt assistance.

Upload large models for support at http://upload.iesve.com/