This is a list of a few known issues which are generally easily resolved and helpful information below to get the best experience from the software.
Results
Issue: When Calculating Solar Loads in the Building Manager, results do not appear or take a long time to process.
Solution: Please Sign Out and Sign back into the application. (The License token may periodically expire if the Stay Signed in is not checked. Expired license tokens will prevent the application processing results). Use the icon on the bottom toolbar to Sign Out as shown below. Re-launch the application and the Sign in window will appear. Please enter your credentials again to proceed (your email and password).
Note: If you have curtain walls in your project, the panels must be a curtain panel family in Revit. This can be confirmed by selecting a curtain panel and going to Type Properties. If any panels are wall type families, analysis will not be possible. Please see the Section on Model Preparation for guidelines on other criteria for auditing your Revit project before analysis.
Fully glazed door families in Revit will not usually contribute to glazing percentage since their VLT value will typically be zero. There are a few workarounds for this.
- Option 1: Change the door family into a window family. You may select the door family and open Type Properties in Revit. Then duplicate the family and edit the name if required.
- Select the element and open this family in the Family editor.
3. You can make this a window family instead of a door family. Once in the Family Editor, go to Family Category and Parameters. Change the category by highlighting windows in the list. Save the family and load into the model.
You cannot simply replace a door with a window family by changing the type using Type Properties in Revit (since it will not appear under the door types), you will have to place the window element on the model instead of the door element. This widow element can then have its glass type modified by going to Type Properties in Revit or by using the Glass Database in the application.
If you choose to change the family back to a door family, the glass type will remain in the family with its properties for u-value, SHGC and VLT. If you change this construction type to another in the Type Properties list, it will be lost however, since glass types are not available for door families in Revit.
4. Option 2: Define analytical properties for the family. You may also hard-code values into the Door family by using the Family Editor and entering values for each parameter. These values will then always display in Type Properties, even if a different construction type is selected. Only parameters which are not hard-coded will change as different construction types are selected.
When using Linked Elements/Files, they should be set as Room Bounding. These will then contribute to model enclosure (they may be Roof, Floor, Wall elements etc).
Analytical Properties in these elements will not be read by the application however and Glazed Families that are links or are hosted on walls which are linked into the project, cannot be modified by the application. Glass Types in these linked elements cannot be accessed or substituted. Glazed Elements need to be in placed the host project. Rooms or Spaces will also need to be in the Host model (instead of in the linked files). Generally is is best if all elements are accessible in the Project rather than being linked in.
The building enclosure is required to be in the Host model (not linked in). Other solid elements may be linked in (Roofs, Floors, Walls) and if set as Room Bounding, they will help enclose the model and the application will produce results for the glazed elements. Solid elements that are linked into the project, will not provide results or display analytical properties under the Performance tab however, even if these have been set in the linked file.
A separate Revit file may be required for Energy Analysis by binding the links or copying and pasting the linked elements into the Host project.
The Model Diagnostic Tool currently will not provide information or on linked elements or display them in the viewer.
Surrounding Masses linked into a project, will also not create shading effects on the model which would normally affect the outputs for Solar Loads and Daylight.
Open Building Manager and calculate the Solar Loads again .This will populate the latest results for the model in its current state. Possibly, the model was modified or there was an error contacting the web server to get the solar data.
For Conceptual Mass Models – check that a glazing percentage has been applied to the model. This may be done in the Performance tab or in Revit’s Energy Settings. For Conceptual Mass models – make sure that there is a glazing percentage assigned to the model in the Performance tab. This can also be set in Revit’s Energy Settings.
It is a good idea to extend the panel to the side and leave open the General Tab which will display any errors. You may check there to see if there are any messages about your internet connection or issues with the web server. A poor connection may not allow FenestraPro to calculate the Solar Loads or display the Charts.
Users should note that the selection of Surfaces will affect the results displayed. Choosing one Surface with 50% Glazing and another Surface with 0% Glazing will display an average of 25% Glazing. Solar Load and Daylight average values will also be different on the Dashboard than when a glazed surface only is chosen.
Where Surfaces may be grouped/filtered by Percentage Glazing, a user may wish to avoid any surfaces which have zero glazing for this reason.
When creating a Curtain System, they should be created separately on each orientation and for each wall of the project. If Curtain Systems are placed on several orientations and on several different areas of the model at once, it will be read as one object and separating these out into Facades and Surfaces will not be possible.
Creating multiple curtain systems at once in Revit, provides information to the application for one system with a number of grids. The application will get an average orientation across all grids. This could lead to unexpected orientations and results. It is best therefore, if 'Select Multiple' is not used during Curtain System creation.
Curtain System creation is most compatible when the glazed walls are modeled in separate editing sessions in Revit.
If some Surfaces are not highlighting on the model, this may be due to model issues or missing properties for glazing elements.
Please ensure that model issues are reviewed before launching the application and that all glazed elements have thermal properties assigned. You might try to place Rooms in spaces which do not have any. If you are unable to place rooms, this will indicate that there are issues in the model - walls/floors etc may not have a 'room bounding' condition. You may select a wall element and check in the Properties Palette in Revit if this is set.
Please see this article for model preparation issues and for how to assign analytical properties to glazed elements.
https://support.fenestrapro.com/knowledgebase/2-0-1-model-preparation/
In the Facade Navigator, each Facade should have a list of Surfaces with the same orientation. For example, Facade 1 South, should list all South Surfaces under that Facade.
If you expand an item such as Facade 1 South, and you notice some North Surfaces in this list, this may be due to building enclosure issues. This is where floors, walls, roofs or glazing allow significant gaps in the model. Shafts may penetrate floors or roofs and compromise the enclosure when Revit's Energy Model is generated.
If you notice that Surfaces under a Facade orientation have a mixture of different directions, this may also be due to elements that have have been placed inside out.
If elements such as Curtain Walls and windows are placed facing inside out, this can also affect the orientations in the list. When creating a Curtain Wall, this should be placed in a counter-clockwise direction to ensure that it faces outwards. Windows also have a toggle arrow to flip their directions if necessary.
There are more details from Autodesk here:
This happens if the setting in Options for including ‘Surfaces smaller than..’ is set to a higher value than is appropriate for the project. This setting will filter out Surfaces which have areas below this value. In some projects, these may add up significantly. Try setting this value to a lower figure or even zero.
If changes are made to the model geometry, Solar Loads will need to be recalculated in the Building Manager to update any modified orientations. By opening the Building Manager, you may notice that an orientation has gone grey and has reverted to zero. The application has identified that modifications have been made and Solar Loads will need to be recalculated.
If the model is changed substantially while FenestraPro is open (glazing is created or deleted or geometry is altered), you may need to go back to the Building Manager to Calculate Solar Loads again. In some cases it may be prudent to close FenestraPro to make the model changes in Revit and then reopen FenestraPro to start afresh.
Areas reported are taken from Revit elements, not from the Energy Model which provides a further breakdown of glazed surfaces etc. Please note that where Openings have various materials but only part is glazed, the entire opening area is reported. If you require more detailed areas, please refer to the Revit model itself and glazed families.
These issues are to be addressed in future versions of this tool.
It may happen that after several models have been analyzed, that results fail to display on the Dashboard.
Models with enclosure issues, clashing elements, roofs modeled as floors, missing thermal properties etc may cause this issue. Please review model issues and resolve before relaunching the application.
The Model Diagnostic Tool may be used to review issue in the project. Thermal Properties may be assigned to Glazing using the Model Diagnostic Tool. Properties for solid elements will need to be assigned in Revit by creating assembly layers, adding thicknesses and materials.
This may also be due to Revit not releasing resources from a previous session. If this occurs, you may clear the cache files from the Settings area (files that have been saved to date regarding building conditions and settings). This will reset the application. Note: Previous results/Codes/Custom Groups/Glazing data will be removed from the application history.
This may also be done manually by going to the FenestraPro folder on your machine if you have permission to edit files. This may be found using this path: C:\Users\Your User Name\App Data\Local\FenestraPro (the App Data folder may not always display until folder view settings are adjusted on your machine). Recent Log Files (dates are included in the names) may be safely deleted here. A fresh one will be created when you start a new session. Note: All results/data from previous sessions on these dates will be deleted.
Several requests in succession may also backup in the queuing system to the webserver. Please be patient and wait for the Dashboard to display results after using the Building Manager.
If you are using Test Models with the same Name and Project Information, previous results and settings may persist from the previous model. In this case, please Clear the Cache (record of previous results and settings) as shown above to reset the model condition and start afresh.
If a problem persists, please contact us support@fenestrapro.com
This may occur if the Energy Model was created but then masses were modified/moved/deleted. The Analytical Surfaces may still be in the model but may be hidden. These can be removed by going to the Energy Settings and changing the Mode to another type. Apply this and then change it back if needed. This should clear the redundant surfaces.
It will be necessary to close FenestraPro and re-launch if True North is modified during a session. The Energy Model will need to be recreated and the Solar Loads will need to be recalculated in the Building Manager to update the results to the new site condition.
Functions
Periodically, your license token may expire. This may happen over an extended period or if your FenestraPro session is left open in Revit. This is easily resolved by signing out and signing back into the application. Use the Sign Out button next to the Settings wheel on the lower right corner of the main window. When signing in, you may also check the option 'Stay Signed in'. This will prevent the license token from elapsing.
If FenestraPro does not appear to add new entries to Revit's list, Revit may need to restart to update its list. The new Glass Types will then be added and the properties will be applied.
There may also be an issue with access to this file and permissions to edit. During installation, FenestraPro will check that permissions are set correctly to allow the application to update this Revit file. If the Constructions.xml file is subsequently edited manually, substituted by another file eg. with extra materials/construction types, permissions may revert to read only, then updating of this file with new Glass Types will cease to function. This may be resolved by re-installing FenestraPro for Revit. This will restore permissions to edit the file.
Security permissions may be manually set for this file, this is an advanced process and is recommended to be done by those with sufficient expertise. Please contact us if editing permissions are restricted on your machine or if your Revit files are stored in a location other than the C: drive.
Another instance where new Glass Types do not appear in Revit's Type Properties is when a second or third Glass Type is applied in the same Revit session. Revit may not add this immediately to it's internal list. Please restart Revit and confirm the message in FenestraPro which appears (asking if you wish to proceed with changing the properties). These new properties will then be used and will appear in Revit. You may apply multiple new Glass Types to the model and then restart Revit when complete. All new Glass Types will be written to Revit's internal list once you restart. Please save the model, close the application and restart Revit.
When launching FenestraPro after the Revit restart, a message will display asking you to confirm the changes from the previous session. You may select Yes to proceed and use the new Glass Types that were applied. No will cancel the operation. Don't Ask again will cancel the operation and you will not be asked again about these set of changes when FenestraPro if launched again.
Users are therefore advised to check the thermal properties in Edit Type to confirm that the entry has mapped correctly and that these are the properties that they intend to assign. This may be resolved by editing the name in the Constructions.xml file to avoid duplicate names. This is an advanced process and should only be attempted by an experienced Revit user. Editing the file incorrectly may cause errors and prevent the file from being read so caution is advised. Users with expertise in writing syntax and coding should only attempt modifying this file.
It is known that older versions of Internet Explorer (eg. Version 7 and older) and other older browsers may not provide the required links to the online service.
Please use a more up to date browser or another browser type eg. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge etc
This may also occur when you are creating a password for your online Account. If possible, use a more up to date browser and make this the default browser before clicking on the invitation email link. Alternatively, you may copy and paste the url from the non-functioning browser into another browser.
An error may occur if FenestraPro is used to map glazing properties in the model which has just been modified or deleted. This may occur for example, if the Add Windows or Add Curtain Walls feature is used and then this is reversed (the glazing that was created is then removed/undone). Attempting to apply properties to this glazing in FenestraPro may cause an error since the element no longer exists in the model.
This may also occur if properties have been applied to glazing which is subsequently deleted. This is not an error but simply a referencing issue where model elements are created or removed, and dependent properties need to update. Users are advised to work methodically and allow the application to refresh and update as changes are made. If major changes to the model geometry are to be done, it is best to close FenestraPro, modify the model and open the application when you are ready to analyze again.
If any changes are made to the model geometry, please use the Refresh button on the Dashboard to re-create the Energy Model to keep the results, surfaces and referenced elements current.
Check that the Revit View is not set to the Energy Model view. Rotation and highlighting functions are not compatible with this View. Change to a default 3D View in Revit to see highlights display and to use the rotation feature when selecting Facades or Surfaces. The application also needs to be relaunched after making changes to the settings.
To Add Windows or Curtain Walls using the tools in the application, the wall selected must be free of any existing glazed elements. The function may not operate if glazing on an adjacent wall is very close to the corner. If possible, temporarily move the glazing back away from the corner. There is also a tolerance value in Settings which may be adjusted an may help when using these tools.
Please close Revit and restart to reset internal references. Open the model again. (Shading Factors needs to have been included in the Building Manager to view shading effects in the Shading Viewer).
If this does not resolve it, it may be necessary to clear previous stored files that are saved in the FenestraPro folder. This may be done in Settings, under the Common tab, use the Clear Cache button and relaunch the application.
Where the Add Windows function does not become available for a selected area on a model, this may be due to adjacent glazing being too close to the solid wall. Glazing that abuts a solid wall where windows are to be added, may prevent placement of windows there as the joint condition cannot be verified.
This may be overcome by moving the glazing away from the solid wall (eg. 3 feet / 1 metre). This may also occur where internal glazed partitions abut a solid exterior wall – the Add Windows function may be disabled. You may temporarily move the internal glazed partitions back away from the exterior wall in order to place windows using FenestraPro and restore them when windows are placed.
You have forgotten your password or need to reset it. When you enter a new password, you are not able to sign in with this.
Please check that you are using the same email that is in the system for your Account (you may have several email addresses).
Also ensure that the password is correct and that case sensitivity is observed.
This may happen if you are using an older browser version (such as Internet Explorer 7 and older). Older browsers have a know issue that they may not send the updated password information to the system. Please use a more recent version, update your current version or try another browser.
You may also request that you be sent the reset password invitation link. You may copy and paste this link into any browser to reset your password.
You may request a link to reset your password by using the link on the welcome screen.
A browser window will open for you to enter your email. A reset link will be sent to this address. You may copy and paste this into any browser to access the reset password section.
Then sign into FenestraPro using these credentials.
You open the Snapshot function and select 'HTML' but the browser window does not open with your report.
This may happen if there is a disconnect with the Account that you are signed into the application on and how you are signed into the Platform/Cloud area.
If you are using a hot-desk for example, another user may have signed into their Account on an open browser but you have signed into FenestraPro with a different Account.
If there are may open browsers where this might be the case, please sign out of any open online sessions. You may also check by clicking on Platform on the Welcome Screen. This will take you to a browser window to sign into the platform.
It may also happen if permissions are not granted to access Revit's Constructions.xml file. There may be restrictions in your office on user's changing permissions for files on their machine. This permission should be set to Full Control (Read and Write). During installation, this will be automatically be set by the application. It may happen in some instances that there are firm-wide restrictions or User Profile restrictions on modifying file securities. Please contact us for more information.
You may also send a report (log file) to us from your application. This will provide details of the event which caused an issue. This report may be accessed from Settings - Send Report. You may add a description if you wish (optional).
There is a known issue in metric models if the Perimeter Zone is adjusted in Revit's Energy Settings before the application opens or while FenestraPro is open. This may interfere with the Core Offset function's ability to update the Dashboard. Saving the model and restarting Revit does not resolve.
Adjustments should be done from within the application for Core Offset. This value will also update in Revit's Energy Settings. Modifying the value will affect the Solar Loads and Daylight results on the Dashboard. A smaller value for Core Offset/Perimeter Zone will produce higher results as the Heat Gain and Daylight will be contained in a smaller area. A higher value for Core Offset/Perimeter Zone will produce lower results as the Heat Gain and Daylight are spread over a larger Floor Plan.
Starting with a perimeter zone value in the Energy Setting of other than the standard 6 metres, may prevent the function updating the Dashboard results. Ensure that the starting value in the Energy Settings is 6 metres. Modifying the value in Revit's Energy Settings may also disrupt the function so that it will not update the Dashboard. There are also maximum and minimum values accepted for the input box (Minimum 1.5 metres, Maximum 8 metres). Values that are outside these ranges will default to 6 metres. Excessive values (eg. 20 metres) entered for the Perimeter Zone in the Energy Settings will not be corrected by the application and will remain at this value.
There do not appear to be any issues for imperial models.
Errors
This has been known to occur if an element in the Revit model has been modified or deleted and the Energy Model has not yet updated. You may need to click this message several times to close it. When the message has closed, please recalculate the results in the Building Manager to bring the application up to date.
This is may be due to the Energy Analytical Model (EAM) being out of date after changes have been made to the model in Revit. Windows or Curtain Walls may have been created or deleted. In this case, the Surfaces may need to be updated to include the recent changes.
If you try to run calculations but have recently changed the model, the objects may no longer be in that location. The changes may not be updated or Refresh may not have completed. In some cases, after major modifications, it may not be possible to continue without closing down the application and re-launching.
This may happen if the number of Surfaces have now changed and need to be re-assigned.
If major modifications are to be done to the model, it is best to close the application before you embark on these changes. You may relaunch when the model is ready for analysis once again.
When the Calculate Shading Factors is turned on in the Building Manager, the progress bar may run continuously without completing. This may occur if the distance between Revit's internal origin and the model or the distance between the Survey Point and Project Base Point is more than the maximum limit (16km or 10 miles allowed by Revit).
Please review this in your Revit project to ensure that the model is within the limits allowed by Revit. If necessary, relocate the model/Survey Point or Project Base Point to comply with the limit.
FenestraPro for Revit identifies previous versions of the application and will manage the database files which are stored on your machine (previous Solar Load Calculations, Custom Groups and Codes, and Log files etc). Once installed, FenestraPro will rename older folders and save this data.
If an error message appears, try clearing the cache files in the FenestraPro folder. This contains folder contains previous data and calculations from projects which have been analysed. If the project has been modified or was previously viewed in a different version of FenestraPro, this database may need to be deleted to start afresh.
- The folder may be found in this location on your machine:
C:Users\< User Name>\AppData\Local\FenestraPro.
All the files may be deleted here. New files will be created when FenestraPro is opened again in Revit.
FenestraPro usually supports the latest 3 versions of Revit. For example as of May 2021, Revit Versions 2021,2020 and 2019 are supported and the application will install into all these versions.
If you have an earlier version of Revit, eg. 2018 or 2017, the Addin will not appear in your Revit Menu. If you have multiple Revit versions, the application will install into all supported versions.
Please check that your version of Revit is up to date. You may do this in the Revit Menu by clicking on About Autodesk Revit.
Please check if your Revit version has the latest update and patches/fixes from Autodesk. The Autodesk Desktop App is available for this purpose. It will suggest relevant updates for your applications.
It is important that whatever Revit version you are using has the most recent updates from Autodesk so that it will work well with FenestraPro. Your Revit version may be checked by navigating to the Help Menu and scrolling down to the About Revit section. Clicking on this will open a new window where you may view the current version number that is installed.
Please check regularly that any updates released by Autodesk are installed if required.
Access to FenestraPro’s web-service may also be blocked by your company firewall or anti-virus. Please check with your IT Department if this is the case.
Please contact us for assistance in this event at support@fenestrapro.com and we can send you our online paths to confirm that access is available.
This error message may display if you are launching the application.
In this event, please clear the cache files that are periodically stored on your machine as results are gathered.
This may be done by browsing to the FenestraPro folder on your machine.
This may be found at C:\Users\YOUR USERNAME\AppData\Local\FenestraPro. All files here may be safely deleted as they will be recreated when you launch the application again.
Please then relaunch the application and sign in with your credentials.
This means that there is a problem connecting to the internet. Please check your network connection and retry. FenestraPro for Revit requires an internet connection to calculate Solar Loads for the glazing.
Recent versions of Revit include several options in the ‘Define Thermal Properties by’ parameter in the Analytical Construction area. You may access this by selecting an element in the Revit model and then using Type Properties/Edit Type in the Properties Browser. The parameter should be set to Schematic Type for glazing properties to update correctly with new Glass Types from the application database.
Note: If this area has been set to User Defined or Building Type, the application will not be able to change the glass type for the Revit element. Please ensure that this setting defines thermal properties by Schematic Type unless there is a specific reason to customize or override.
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Another reason why the glass element does not update is that Type Properties is left open in Revit. Please ensure that this window in Revit is closed before applying a new glass type from the Glass Database in the application.
With some models, loading elements may be affected by other views being open in the background eg. Plan Views open as well as a default 3D View. In this case, please close other views that are open or tiles views before launching the application.
Certain windows themes or personalizing your desktop may conflict with the graphics used in FenestraPro. If this occurs, please try changing the desktop theme to a simpler Microsoft Windows theme to see if this improves display of the application. Please report any issues to us at info@fenestrapro.com
This is due to the Energy Analytical Model (EAM) being out of date after the model is modified in Revit. A typical message displayed is ‘The referenced object is not valid, possibly because it has been deleted from the database or its creation was undone’. Attempting to apply a new glass type to tan element that has been deleted may also display an error message such as 'the selected glazing has been updated...'. Highlighting may also fail on the model or the Surface Viewer may not display in the list of Surfaces (Facade Navigator).
Windows or Curtain Walls may have been created or deleted or the geometry changed in some way. In this case, the Surfaces may need to be updated to include the recent changes. Objects may no longer be in the previous location. This may happen if the number of Surfaces have now changed and need to be re-assigned.
The changes may not be updated to the Energy Model or Refresh may not have completed. If major modifications are to be done to the model, it is best to close FenestraPro before you embark on these changes. You may relaunch when the model is ready for analysis once again.
When using the Spatial Elements option and launching FenestraPro, a Revit message may display:
This message may display, even though there are Roofs and the Room upper extent appears to reach the Roof element.
If you click OK and continue, FenestraPro will launch but Roof properties will not display in the Performance area.
This may be resolved by closing FenestraPro and going to the Properties palette in Revit. Select the Roof element(s) and check the settings for Upper Limit and Limit Offset. The Upper Limit may need to be set to the Level above the Room base. The Limit Offset may need to be adjusted so that the Room Upper extent touches or extends past the Roof.
Where the Upper Limit is set as the Room base level, this message has been seen to display. A Section View can help to visualize and understand the Room extents in the model
