Solar + Energy Analysis

Start a BIM workflow by evaluating the performance of elements from the beginning of the design process.

Energy Analysis in FormIt

Analyze your building model for energy efficiency early in the design process.

View Your Insight Projects

Energy Analysis with Insight

With a FormIt Pro subscription through the AEC Collection, you have access to Energy Analysis with Insight:

  • Analyze early-stage design models with Green Building Studio's analysis engine

  • Connect to a dashboard view of the analysis results to compare options for your design

  • Adjust the Energy Analysis factor widgets, such as Window to Wall Ratio, Building Orientation, and others

  • Summarize your building's energy impact with a single number calculated as a bottom-line cost per area

  • Save your Energy Analysis results for future review with clients and other stakeholders

What's New With FormIt + Insight

Improvements to Insight Reliability

  • FormIt 2021 now checks your model for common model issues before launching Insight runs, and fixes common Insight failures for a more reliable experience.

  • FormIt 2021 also generally improves reliability of the FormIt + Insight connection, addressing many known failures and improving run success rates.

Getting Started

How It Works

  • Insight Energy Analysis uploads your FormIt model data, and runs several hundred analyses in the cloud to determine various energy scores

  • Energy Analysis uses Revit to analyze your model, so just like when sending FormIt data to Revit, you'll need to ensure your FormIt model is watertight and manifold

Preparing Your FormIt Model

  • Insight will use any visible geometry in your FormIt sketch

    • Ensure the building shell you want to analyze is the only visible geometry

    • Put supporting geometry like entourage, furniture, and site elements on a separate Layer, and turn the Layer off

  • Insight works best with a simple, solid building model

    • Ensure your building mass is solid and watertight

    • If your building design already has openings for windows and doors, it's best to create a new mass with no openings specifically for Energy Analysis, and hide the more detailed version using Layers

  • The simple building mass needs to have Levels applied

  • The FormIt model needs to have a Location set

Starting Energy Analysis

  • Look for the Energy Analysis button in the toolbar

  • Click "Generate Insight" to start the process

  • This will upload the visible model data, and will run several hundred simulations in the cloud

  • When complete, a message will appear at the top of the screen, and the menu will update to indicate a new Insight is ready to view

    • Click "View Insight" to view the analysis in your web browser

    • You can also find all your Insights at Autodesk Insight.

Troubleshooting

Common Errors

Detailed Logs

  • FormIt Web provides additional details when Energy Analysis fails:

    • Open the model that's having issues with Energy Analysis

    • Run Energy Analysis

    • Open Developer Tools (hit F12 in either Google Chrome or Firefox)

    • Look at the Console tab

    • Copy or screenshot any errors, and report them on the FormIt forums

Solar Analysis

With a FormIt Pro subscription through the AEC Collection, you can visualize the sun's impact on your building:

  • Specify relevant faces to be analyzed for solar impact

  • Visualize results in seconds within the app canvas

  • Hover your mouse over an input point to see specific calculated values of solar impact

  • Choose to view results as a monthly glazing study, or as a yearly solar panel feasibility study

Learn more about Solar Analysis in FormIt Pro.

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