Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Architectural Design with SketchUp
so forth, as well as add labeled spaces. It is even possible to use an autosurfacing function
that will do most of this work for you. gbXML files can then be exported as well as imported.
Graphing Plugins
If you need to visualize mathematical functions in SketchUp either
to serve as a basis for geometry creation or simply to get a 3D representation,
these plugins will help you.
GraphIt—by R. Wilson—Free [4]—Draws 2D Cartesian
equations.
k-tools—by K. Krusch—Free [3]—Draws 2D and 3D Cartesian,
polar, and cylindrical functions. Creates faceted shells for 3D
functions.
Menger Sponge—by Regular Polygon—Free [5, 6]—Creates
a fractal geometry “spongy” box.
Sierpinski Tetrahedron—by Regular Polygon—Free [5, 6]—
Similar to the Menger Sponge, but with triangles.
IES Virtual Environment
By IES—Free/Commercial [www.iesve.com]
IES provides a free building energy estimation and carbon analysis
plugin (VE-Ware) for SketchUp as well as a commercial plugin
(VE-Toolkit) that allows for quick, iterative, early-stage design analysis
of a SketchUp energy model.
The commercial plugin analyzes climate, natural resources, building metrics, construction
materials, energy, carbon, daylight, solar shading, water, low- and zero-carbon technologies,
and ASHRAE/CIBSE heating and cooling loads. A further module can also provide Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credit assessment.
Example 4.8: Creating an Energy Analysis Building Model with OpenStudio
In this example, we create a small “building” (only a single room, actually) using the OpenStudio
plugin, which could serve as a model for use in EnergyPlus building energy analysis. This is
just a very basic example model. For more details and to learn about running and interpreting
the analysis, consult the OpenStudio documentation. To enable the OpenStudio functionality,
make sure you have the plugin installed before you begin.
When you create building models for energy analysis, keep in mind that you
usually don’t need to model actual material thicknesses. Walls, for example, are
just single quadrilateral faces in SketchUp. Too much geometry is often counterproductive
(and increases analysis time); therefore, you can usually ignore small wall
recesses or protrusions.
1. Before we can add any walls, we need to designate a space (a zone) that will contain
the area. Use the New Space tool on the OpenStudio Tools toolbar for this.
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