In this area, you can audit the model for issues, as well as visualize and review how to improve the model condition.
If glazing elements do not have properties, this will be flagged in red font and the Assign Glass button will appear. Click on this to ‘fix’ this issue. This was covered in the previous article Section 7.0.1.1
Once Assign Glass is done, you may advance to the Model Check function. This is recommended the first time you load your project to ensure that model integrity is good. It is an optional stage if you are confident that the model is in good condition, you may continue to the next step (Element Performance and Compliance).
Model Check
A list of warnings may appear here if there are issues in the model. Warnings can advise when:
- Elements are not Room Bounding
- Elements do not have thermal properties
- Elements overlap
- There are Energy warnings in Revit etc
Click on the Model Check button to start the wizard and go step by step to visually check for issues. This is a preliminary check for elements present in the model. Checking if Analytical Surfaces and Spaces exist in the model and if they are complete (all areas of the model are covered or if some are missing) will help to understand if some areas are not getting results. Walls with ‘Exterior’ function in Revit should be used externally (not for internal walls), walls with ‘Interior’ functions should only be used internally. Where walls begin externally and continue internally, there should be a break at the boundary and separate walls with different functions used. All walls with external functions are read and will contribute to results, therefore internal walls should typically not be included.
You may also check if Roofs have been modeled as Floors (they should be modeled as Roof families). It is good practice to check from under the building also, eg. ceilings should not be used as external soffits (for overhanging roofs etc), and all gaps should should be closed. If floors are missing (the application will only use thermal properties of the Ground Floor later for compliance). Balcony Floors should have ‘external’ functions in Revit and separating external balcony walls should not continue inside the building (make a break and use separate ‘interior’ walls). Generally building elements should be set to ‘Room Bounding’ in Revit (Properties Palette) so that Energy Spaces have correct boundaries. In some cases, you may wish to turn off the ‘Room Bounding’ setting (eg. for structural columns, to ignore certain elements etc).
Each step will highlight relevant elements in the Model Viewer:
Check Analytical Surfaces. This will display all energy surfaces on the model. If some are missing, the model may need attention.
Check Analytical Spaces. This will display all energy spaces in the model. These are randomly colored boxes and it will be obvious if any are missing and the model may need attention.
Check Exterior Walls. This will display all the walls set to ‘Exterior’ function in Revit (Type Properties). There should typically not be any internal walls included.
Check Interior Walls. This will display all walls set to ‘interior’ function in Revit (Type Properties). There typically should not be any external walls included.
Check Roofs. This will display all Roof elements in the model. If some are expected to display but do not, they may have been modeled as Floors. These should be checked in Revit and corrected if required.
Check Floors. This will display all Floor elements in the model (both interior and exterior function). They should line up with levels set in Revit
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Check Room Boundaries. This will display all elements that are set to ‘Room Bounding‘ in Revit. Elements that do not have this setting will not be included. Elements that do not have this setting will also be listed under warnings.
Check Levels. This will display all Levels set in Revit. Floors and Roofs should generally align with levels so that Energy Surfaces and Spaces are assigned correctly.
Automatic Test
You may also run a Test if you wish to check the model integrity. This will produce a list of outstanding warnings. Family Types in Revit without analytical properties will be listed (not each instance).
Warnings are color coded. Red warnings indicate issues which may have a significant impact on the results eg. No Analytical spaces (the Energy Model did not generate in Revit) or No Analytical Properties for Glazing.
Yellow warnings relate to missing Thermal Properties for non-glazed envelope elements (Roofs, Floors, Walls). Checks are done for the Energy Mode set in Revit and Phase setting. Energy warnings from Revit are filtered into the most relevant for energy analysis.
Hovering over or clicking on an item in the Warnings List will highlight the element in the Model Viewer to identify the location and assist in resolving issues in Revit. The application can resolve missing glazing properties (See the previous Section on Assign Glass) and override thermal properties for Roofs,Floors and Walls where missing. Currently, other issues are not fixed by the application but this may be expanded in a future version. Changing element functions automatically is not simple as it may affect other elements in the Revit model and fixing Room Bounding conditions cannot take into account user intentions.
Note: If model conditions are resolved or modified in Revit, you must relaunch the application to update to the current model condition (there is no Refresh/Update button provided at this stage). You may close the application and relaunch if any modifications ned to be made in Revit (Room Bounding settings, element functions, remodeling a Floor as a Roof element etc). Any default glass that was assigned will be remembered on relaunch and you will not have to repeat this. If you quit the application before onboarding is complete, you will need to start from the beginning (Model Check – Define a Code – Check compliance – Get Results). You will also need to save the model in Revit to retain any changes, since closing the Revit model will lose any recent changes and the model will revert to the previous condition.
