Autodesk Building Performance Analysis (BPA) help provides help and support for building performance studies using Autodesk tools. When it comes to Building Performance Analysis, the features of the tools break into two main categories:
The following infographic demonstrates the main structure of BPA Help.
| Energy Analysis with Autodesk Tools |
Designing, building and managing an energy efficient building can be a complex and daunting task. Energy simulation can help you analyze the movement of energy in, out, and through the rooms and volumes in a building model. This information can help designers make better informed decisions that cost-effectively improve the performance and reduce the environmental impact of buildings.
Autodesk's analysis tools are built into its Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools: Vasari and Revit.
- · Autodesk Vasari is an easy-to-use and expressive design tool that helps you create building concepts. With integrated analysis for energy and carbon, you gain design insight where the most important design decisions are made.
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Autodesk Revit is the tool to use when it's time to move to production. You can transfer your Project Vasari design data into Revit, ensuring clear execution of design intent. Revit is specifically built for BIM, helping building professionals design, build, and maintain higher-quality, more energy-efficient buildings.
Autodesk BIM tools support both whole building energy analysis and more targeted design studies (like daylighting and solar radiation analysis) to help optimize performance
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Whole building energy simulation:
Whole building energy simulation measures expected energy use (fuel and electricity) based on the building's geometry, climate, building type, envelope properties, and active systems (HVAC & Lighting). It takes into account the interdependencies of the building as a whole system, so it is a particularly useful way to "keep score" as you work to reduce building energy use.
Green Building Studio is Autodesk's core whole building energy simulation engine, and powers the analysis in both Revit and Vasari. Green Building Studio is a flexible cloud-based service that uses the DOE2 simulation engine and allows you to run building performance simulations to optimize energy efficiency and to work toward carbon neutrality earlier in the design process. GBS will help extend your ability to design high performance buildings at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional methods.
Revit supports energy analysis for both conceptual forms and detailed architectural models . Vasari supports energy analysis only for conceptual forms - but the "autozoning" features of Vasari make it a better tool for conceptual energy analysis because it more closely follows industry conventions (ASHRAE). The following chart shows how these tools are integrated:
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Performance-based Design Studies
Autodesk tools (Revit and Vasari) have some additional built-in capabilities for doing performance-based design studies. The following types of design studies can be done in conjunction with whole building energy analysis to help analyze and optimize more targeted aspects of the design. In some cases they pull from the same back-end data (i.e. climate data) that is used for Autodesk's GBS-based whole building energy analysis. You can learn more about them in the Help for the appropriate products.
- Climate Analysis
- Sun & Shadow Studies
- In Revit
- In Vasari
- Solar Radiation
- In Revit
- In Vasari
- Daylighting in Revit
- Conceptual CFD Analysis in Revit
- Climate Analysis
For free online courses that cover Autodesk's building performance analysis workflows, see here. You can get continuing education units for completing these courses.