Learn about the features of Revit, a tool that allows users to analyze buildings and estimate their energy consumption. This step-by-step guide explains how to create analytical floor plans and area-based load boundaries to determine the power needs of various building sections.
Key Insights
- This guide provides instructions on using Revit to analyze a building's energy needs, starting with the creation of analytical floor plans from the View tab.
- By using the Electrical Analysis feature in Revit, two views are created in the Project Browser, allowing the user to view different levels of the building and make modifications as needed.
- The guide further delves into creating area-based load boundaries using the Analyze tab, demonstrating how to draw and trim lines to create accurate boundaries for different areas such as the kitchen, cafeteria, gymnasium, and library.
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Now that we have our Revit model open, we can determine how much energy this building consumes. Revit has tools that allow us to analyze this building and estimate how much power it needs. Let's get started by creating some analytical floor plans.
To do that, we'll go to the "View" tab, find the "Plan Views" dropdown, and select "Floor Plan." The default might be set to "Architectural Plan."
We want to choose "Electrical Analysis." We notice that we have both Level 1 and Level 2. We'll hold the Shift key on our keyboard, select both, and click OK. This will create two new views in our Project Browser.
If we go to our Project Browser, under "Electrical, " "Floor Plans, " and "Electrical Analysis, " and expand that section, we will see L1 and L2. I have L1 open right now, and I notice that there are already boundary lines drawn for Level 2. Let's go to Level 1. There are no boundary lines here, so it's ready for us to create our own, but we need to make a couple of modifications before we begin.
First, we have this orphaned area. We'll select it and press Delete on our keyboard. We also have a match line that we don't need.
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We'll hover over the match line, press TAB on our keyboard, select it, then right-click and choose "Hide in View Category." We'll repeat this for Level 2 as well, which also has a match line.
We'll hover over it, press TAB, click, right-click, and select "Hide in View Category." With that, we're ready to start creating our own area-based load boundaries. To do that, we'll go to the "Analyze" tab.
On the "Analyze" tab, we'll look across to the "Electrical Analysis" section, where there is a dropdown for "Area-Based Load Boundary." This section has all of the typical sketching tools. Let's start in the Kitchen area. I'll select the "Rectangle" tool, click on the top right of the Kitchen area, drag it down to the bottom left, and click again.
Now we have the Kitchen area, and we can get a little more detailed. I'll use the "Regular Line" tool to add a line along this outside wall. It's okay if the line extends past the edge because we'll use the "Trim" tool to clean it up.
I want to add another line here. Notice that Revit shows us these orange dots to indicate that something is not connected.
To connect everything, we'll use the "Trim" tool, which we can access by pressing TR on our keyboard. We'll trim these lines until we have a continuous boundary. That looks pretty good.
Now we have the Kitchen area. Let's move on to the cafeteria. We only need to draw one line to create the cafeteria. Let's return to the "Analyze" tab, choose "Area-Based Load Boundary, " select the "Regular Line, " and draw the outside wall line down. I went a little bit past the end.
Now, I can use the "Trim" command to clean up these lines. And just like that, the cafeteria boundary is set. This has been fun, so let’s keep going.
Next, we’ll create the gymnasium boundary. I’ll return to the "Analyze" tab, go to "Area-Based Load Boundaries, " and draw the outside gym wall here, extending to the top, and the outside gym wall on the other side. Again, I can use the "Trim Extend" tool to clean everything up.
All right, that looks pretty good. Now let's create the library boundary. For this, I'll return to the "Analyze" tab, choose "Area-Based Load Boundary, " and for the library, I’ll start by creating a rectangle.
I’ll click on the bottom right, then the top left, and just like that, I’m all set. All right, now it’s your turn. Follow along with the guide and create the classroom, hallway, and restroom boundaries.
Be sure to close the end of each hallway so that we have a continuous boundary for every area of the building.
