Question-and-Answer Resource for the Building Energy Modeling Community
Get started with the Help page
Ask Your Question
1

Difference in volume calculated via sketch up and openstudio API

asked 7 years ago

Karthick's avatar

updated 7 years ago

I am using space.volume to get volume of a space. There is marked difference between the volume returned by space.volume and volume returned by sketch up. I have gone through previous questions in the forum. My geometry seems to be ok but it would be great to have a check. I load by model in sketch up and the plugin doesn't throw any reverse face warning messages. I have also rendered the model by Surface Normal and the whole model is white from the exterior. I have a very simple model with a zone and hip roof. The volume of the zone is right but volume of roof is incorrect. Please find the model attached and also screen shot below image description. I can provide a OSM file if anybody is interested in loading it up in sketchup. Please let me know, I can send it to you.

Sketch up value of volume - 7.33 cubic metre but space.volume gives me 8.57.

Preview: (hide)

Comments

@Karthick can you post your model?

Avi's avatar Avi  ( 7 years ago )

Any chance you have something other than planar surfaces in Sketchup that is taking up some volume?

bbrannon4's avatar bbrannon4  ( 7 years ago )

@Avi The whole OSM file will jumble up the question. Please send me your email id or email to me @ Karthick.Narayana@doubleiq.com and I will respond to you with the OSM file.

Karthick's avatar Karthick  ( 7 years ago )

@bbrannon4 I don't understand your comment. Please clarify a bit more.

Karthick's avatar Karthick  ( 7 years ago )

@Karthick You can find my email in my profile

Avi's avatar Avi  ( 7 years ago )

1 Answer

Sort by » oldest newest most voted
1

answered 7 years ago

@Karthick have you checked what volume EnergyPlus calculates? There is a need to improve OpenStudio's volume calculations and also to make sure they agree with EnergyPlus's calculations. Couple of questions about the attic zone. Does it have a floor? Are the eaves modeled as shading surfaces?

Preview: (hide)
link

Comments

@macumber

  1. I don't use energy plus at my work here. I only use opentstudio to store the OSM model and send it to chenauth for processing.
  2. The roof space has the roof slanting surfaces at pitch - 26.6 degrees and a roof base. All the surfaces in the roof space are of type roofceiling.
  3. Eaves are modeled as shading surfaces.
Karthick's avatar Karthick  ( 7 years ago )

Hey @macumber, Any suggestions please on volume calculation.

Karthick's avatar Karthick  ( 6 years ago )

OpenStudio has a pretty simple volume calculation. My thought was to try to refactor out a volume calculation method from EnergyPlus and use that directly rather than try to replicate the same algorithm in OpenStudio. However, that might be a ways off. In the meantime, you can directly set the zone volume in OpenStudio using ThermalZone::setVolume as a workaround.

macumber's avatar macumber  ( 6 years ago )

Your Answer

Please start posting anonymously - your entry will be published after you log in or create a new account.

Add Answer

Training Workshops

Careers

Question Tools

1 follower

Stats

Asked: 7 years ago

Seen: 172 times

Last updated: Jan 15 '18