Integrated Environmental Solutions
Virtual Environment 2015
Release Notes
June 2015
Contents
VE 2015 Changes ..................................................................................................................................... 0
VE 2015 Changes
ApacheHVAC
Crash prevented in System Schedules and Setpoints dialog [ID-0078756]: A crash
has been prevented in the System Schedules and Setpoints dialog when trying to assign
a set of profiles to an already loaded HVAC network.
Range limit for "Fraction of design motor power (%)" increased [ID-0077449]:
Fan fraction of design motor power accepts percentage values in excess of 100% of the
design value. The range limit is now set to 0-150%.
Controlled variable column now displayed in Tabular Edit [ID-0071918]: Tabular
Edit now displays the controlled variable column when in multiple edit mode.
Crash prevented in "Edit System Parameters" dialog [ID-0077881]: A crash has
been prevented when closing the "Edit System Parameters" dialog.
HVAC sensor collision box correction [ID-0076350]: The placement of the collision
box has been corrected when a controller is placed above a vertically-orientated duct.
Design COP corrected [ID- 0076754]: The design coefficient of performance for the
the performance curve sets “screw/1compressor” and "hermetic reciprocating; 1
Compressor" have been corrected.
Cooling tower fan power can no longer exceed design fan power [ID-0076875]:
The maximum airflow fraction the fan can run at is the design (full) air flow. Hence, the
tower operating fan power should be constrained by the design fan power. This
constraint has been added in the cooling tower model, so that you will not see cooling
tower fan power exceeding the design fan power.
Autosizing error prevented in Chilled Ceiling controllers [ID-0077644]: Changes
made to the Loads data spreadsheet to prevent negative autosizing values mainly in the
event of Chilled Ceilings / Radiant Cooling Panels where room loads are low and
ventilation rates are high.
ApacheSim
NCM lighting control is applied only when the input mode is lux or inference
[ID-0070661]: When you commit changes to an internal gain its 'Use NCM simple
lighting control' option is only set if its input mode is either lux or inference.
Limiting capacity conversion correction [ID-0026290]: The Simulation Heating and
Cooling Unit Capacity values are now converted correctly when switching units between
metric and IP.
Results from Solar Hot Water Buffer simulation corrected [ID-0076237]: Issue
corrected relating to the Solar Water Heater when connected to the Hot Water Loop of
an ApacheHVAC network. The tank temperature is no longer updating faster than
simulation timestep.
ApLocate
ASHRAE design weather data correction [ID-0057520]: Richmond Intl Airport was
listed in the wrong state. It has been updated to Virgina.
ApPro
Copy and Paste no longer removes values and decimal places [ID-0075192]:
Copy and Pasting into the same profile will no longer remove rows or reduce the number
of decimal places.
Apache View
DHW storage insulation thickness precision reduced [ID-0071062]: You can now
only input the DHW storage insulation thickness in mm to one decimal place.
Building Template Manager
Add system button creates a new default system [ID-0039130]: The Add button
will add a new system called "New System" with default values. The duplicate button will
copy the currently highlighted system.
"Show NCM?" option added to BTM [ID-0072660]: An option to show or hide NCM
templates has been added to Building Template Manager. It is set to hide by default.
Component Modeller
Object Selection in component modeller is now consistent [ID-0069761]:
Selecting part of a component in the workspace will also select the correct part in the
browser.
Constructions
Material description can be edited [ID-0066934]: You can now edit the Material
description through the Opaque and Glazed construction dialogs. When you double-click
on the description field it will strip the "[ID]" prefix and let you modify the description,
after you have finished editing it will then re-add the "[ID]".
Constructions properly removed when manually deleted [ID-0043713]: Under
certain circumstances removing or deleting a construction would not get saved. Now
they will be properly deleted.
CDB UI improvements [ID-0071860]: A few improvements have been made in the
CDB dialog: The redundant "New" dropdown in the Ceiling and Int Partition dialog has
been removed. Ext shading device transmission factors are no longer partially hidden.
The Material column name is once again editable.
FlucsDL/FlucsPro
Special characters no longer cause issues [ID-0075875]: Special characters in room
names no longer cause problems in the XML files used in report transformations.
Daylight calculation correction [ID-0075582]: Some daylighting VERS calculations
use multiple time simulations, storing results for each time simulation, and combining
them to get overall results for the report. Results based on these simulations are no
longer over-counted by the number of working planes.
VE-Gaia
VE-Gaia Solar report contains images [ID-0077555]: The reports generated by the
VE-Gaia Solar Navigator are generated correctly and will include images from Model
Viewer 2.
General
Save dialog loop prevented [ID-0077278]: Save dialog loop prevented when running
a New Zealand or Singapore compliance simulation on an unsaved project.
Single file limit when using Export to CSV feature [ID-0063438]: Only one results
file can be selected when using the Export to CSV feature.
Trailing spaces in project name and directories are removed [ID-0077338]: When
saving a project, trailing spaces in the name and directories are removed.
Create new project based on template updated [ID-0076566]: New template
"Office UK" has been added to replace the one old one.
Tab Room Data shows correct tabs [ID-0078237]: When switching back to ModelIT
after running a compliance simulation, Tabular Room Data will show the real building.
The NCM tabs will not be shown.
South Africa EPW Weather Files added [ID-0076041]: South Africa EPW Weather
Files to have been added to the shared content.
Crash prevented when cancelling archive [ID-0073274]: In some circumstances
when cancelling the archive procedure when the project includes results files could cause
a crash. This has now been prevented.
MacroFlo
Errors prevented when project name contains dots [ID-0069746]: When the
project name contains dots then there are no longer issues when entering MacroFlo.
Equivalent orifice area updated when making changes in Tab Edit [ID-0078785]:
The Equivalent Orifice Area is now updated correctly when modifying relevant values in
Tabular MacroFlo.
MicroFlo
CO2 and CO scale display corrected [ID-0060540]: CO2 and CO scale is now
displayed to 2 decimal places.
Seed Point Coordinates displayed correctly [ID-0076421]: The Seed Point
Coordinates are now shown correctly in the Slice Display Settings dialog.
ModelIT
Surfaces colour corrections [ID-0075591] In some models the internal holes were
inadvertently being coloured yellow in the workspace rather than turquoise/blue (as
default). This has been corrected.
Folder path case retained when archiving project [ID-0078228]: When using the
Archive Current Project option, the folder path won't be forced to lowercase. The case of
the path selected will be retained.
Model report DHW Consumption shows correct units [ID-0076720]: In the Thermal
Templates section of the Model Report, the DHW Consumption has the correct units
displayed.
Correct profiles displayed in Model Report [ID-0076731]: In the Model Report it
now displays the correct profiles as used in the templates.
Orientation of PV panel components consistent between Model Viewers [ID0075736]: When viewing a model in both Model Viewer and Model Viewer II, the
orientation of the PV panel components will be the same.
Coordinates in Edit Vertices window refresh on undo/redo [ID-0073945]: When
editing vertices and then using undo/redo, the coordinates will now be updated correctly.
"Slice" showing colours for either "Layers" or "Room Groups" [ID-0076977]: The
Slice dialog has options to show colours, it can now show the colour "By Layer", "By
Room Group" as well as "By Object".
Sub-spaces highlighted when selected [ID-0073986]: In the Separate Spaces
dialog, sub-spaces will be correctly highlighted when selected.
Rename dialog improvements [ID-0076826]: When using the Rename dialog in
ModelIT (type rename into the key-in field), the OK button is highlighted by default so
pressing Enter key will apply the changes.
Model Report Thermal data corrections [ID-0074030]: The Thermal template values
in the Model Report now match the selected templates data.
Stamp Tool image displayed at cursor [ID-075168]: When using the Stamp Tool the
image of the stamp is placed at the cursor.
Stamp Tool cancelled when right click or press Esc [ID-0075167]: After using the
stamp tool right clicking or pressing Escape key will deactivate the tool.
Model Report create room group schemes improvements [ID-0076002]: When
creating room grouping schemes for consistency checks in the Model report dialog, all
groups will be created if the option is checked. If the "Remove scheme if no problems" is
also checked then only the schemes that have problems will be created.
Browser tree no longer collapses when zones deleted [ID-0074594]: Deleting
zones in ModelIT will no longer cause the model browser tree to collapse.
"Separate Spaces" toolbar button is disabled unless a composite space is
selected [ID-0073982]: The "Separate Spaces" toolbar button will be disabled unless a
composite space is selected.
Average height removed from Model Report [ID-0075033]: The average height has
been removed from the Model Report and has been replaced by base height and body
height.
Connect Spaces dialog improvements [ID-0069821]: Deselecting rooms with Ctrl
click refreshes the Connect Spaces dialog.
Monodraught Cool-Phase room group placement correction [ID-0061532]: In the
Shape Setting dialog, when drawing a zone and selecting the Monodraught Cool-Phase
group, the zone will be placed in the correct group.
Group selection now displayed in Connect Spaces dialog [ID-0078031]:
Selecting/Deselecting Groups from the room browser displays the rooms in Connect
Spaces dialog list.
Changing room type from Tabular Room Data rebuilds adjacencies [ID-0078250]:
In ModelIT when two rooms are adjacent, changing the room type through Tabular Room
Data will now rebuild the adjacencies automatically.
Editing operations on a zone no longer cause Luminaires to be lost [ID0078176]: Editing operations e.g. cutting, merging, subtracting, partitioning etc no
longer cause any defined Luminaires to be lost.
Model Report external hole correction [ID-0078464]: If a surface is split to have an
internal and an external portion and the internal portion includes a hole, then the Model
Report no longer flags this room as containing an external hole.
Partition tool improvements [ID-0076841]: Improvements have been made to the
partitioning tool to prevent invalid spaces from being created.
Correction made when deleting storeys [ID-0073227]: When deleting all zones in a
storey, the selected storey will update and the view will be correctly displayed.
DXF room names now shown [ID-0075129]: When you attach a DXF file the room
names now appear in the ModelIT viewport.
Key-ins at opening display level corrected [ID-0074741]: When the display mode is
set to "Opening and when using the "Open=" key-in, only the openings currently
highlighted will be updated.
Model Viewer II
Smooth edges in MVII [ID-0075216]: When you view models in Model Viewer II the
bounded box edges are no longer jagged and pixelated, they will be smooth.
Pan functionality improvements [ID-0073246]: When using the number pad to
switch views, the pan functionality works as expected.
Images can be saved when extended ASCII characters are used [ID-0077175]:
In Model Viewer II images can be saved when the path contains extended ascii
characters.
Solar Arc no longer passes through building [ID-0076427]: On taller models the
solar arc will no longer appear to pass through the building.
Assigning certain textures correction [ID-0076503]: Assigning the Flat (FLATxxx),
Water (WATxxx) or Miscellaneous (WINDxxx) textures to surfaces no longer breaks the
colouring in MV2.
VE Navigator for BREEAM
Only selected spaces reflected in BREEAM HEA10 report [ID-0076728]: The
BREEAM Comfort Report includes only the selected rooms in the analysis based on the
user selection in Select spaces dialog.
ASHRAE 90.1 App. G - PRM
Duplicate confirmation dialog removed from Profile Weekly Pattern Editor [ID0038124]: In the Update profile working week order section, only one confirmation
dialog will be shown. Profiles will only be updated once.
Daylight sim can be run on building with a modified orientation [ID-0077243]: If
the Building orientation has been modified then when you run through PRM workflow the
Daylight simulation will complete with no errors due to the site rotation.
Erroneous error message removed [ID-0058973]: Erroneous error message removed
when deleting all the characters from the "Floor Area" control in the Baseline HVAC
System Selection dialog.
Edits made in the infiltration dialog are now saved [ID-0057572]: Changes made
to Air Exchanges in the Infiltration item of the PRM navigator will now be saved when
you click OK.
System parameters Pressure drop text label updated [ID-0075340]: It now says
"System Pressure Drop Adjustment" with the units "iwc" (inches water column).
Radiance
Crash prevented when generating image [ID-0072250]: Crash prevented in certain
models when generating a Luminance image with components switched on.
Graphic showing Eye/Focus corrected [ID-0074968]: When in Plan view the correct
position and associated graphic is shown based on eye/focus settings.
Results file list improvements [ID-0075777]: When you have more than one WPD
files for the same zone, selecting anything other than the first in the list would previously
jump back to the first one. This has been corrected.
Map file updated when components deleted [ID-0074452]: Deleting components
will delete the map file reference to the component, which means the map file colours
assigned to new components will be correct.
Crash prevented running simulation with inner volumes switched on [ID0074439]: A crash has been prevented on certain models when running a Radiance
simulation with inner volumes switched on.
Default eye position updated for "Hemispherical Fisheye" or "Angular Fisheye"
views [ID-0070709]: The default view is now the centre of model (or centre of zone)
with view set to the south west.
Daylight factor units displayed in projects containing a dot [ID-0077416]: Can
now display the daylight factor units in projects that have a filename containing a dot.
Crash prevented when entering Radiance [ID-0076860]: A crash has been
prevented when switching to Radiance when the default sky file is set to 10K CIE
Overcast sky.
Tariff Analysis
Oil value in report matches the tariff dialog value [ID-0074478]: The oil value in
the report now matches the oil value shown in the Tariff dialog.
VE Compliance
CO2 emissions on Compliance Report bar chart displayed to 2 d.p [ID-0075035]:
The number of decimal places in the horizontal bar charts has been set to 2 d.p so Vista
Compliance Report matches the tables in the UK Part L Energy Performance & CO2
Emissions report.
Glazing and rooflight percentages are now displayed separately [ID-0075078]: In
the UK Part L2A DSM Navigator comparison report, the glazing and rooflight percentages
are now displayed separately.
Duplicate "Constant 0" profile no longer created [ID-0075566]: When first entering
VE Compliance, a duplicate "Constant 0" weekly profile (and its associated daily profile)
is no longer created.
Design Comparison report corrections [ID-0075079]: The Comparison Report
displays the rooflight percentage per surface orientation in the box diagram. It is now
the same as in the Project Summary section.
"High Pressure Air Drop?" no longer editable in Notional Building [ID-0043761]:
The "High Pressure Air Drop?" checkbox on the Building Regs tab of Room Query is no
longer editable when you are in the Notional Building.
Tabular Apache Systems correct heating fuels are selected [ID-0075194]: When
selecting heating fuels in Tabular Apache Systems, the correct heating fuel will be
displayed and selected.
Tabular Apache Systems enabled values match Apache Systems [ID-0075198]:
Values that cannot be edited when in Apache Systems now cannot be edited when in
Tabular Apache Systems and vice versa.
Tabular Apache Systems range validation updates [ID-0075195]: The range
checking validation limits are now consistent between Tabular Apache Systems and
normal Apache Systems.
Tabular Room Data imported only allows valid Occupancy Switching import [ID0074941]: If a room doesn't support the manual switching options for Occupancy
Switching, and you attempt to set them via a Tab Room Data import from Excel, an error
message will be displayed for the room(s) in question at the end of the import process
and the values for the rooms in question will remain unchanged.
Portable or Modular Building Factors updated [ID-0077319]: The Target Emission
Rate factors for Portable or Modular buildings were updated for Part L 2013 - England.
DCV Type and Air flow regulation selections retained [ID-0076283]: The Demand
Control Ventilation Type and Air flow regulation selections are not affected by switching
between applications.
SBEM NCM Lighting Data interface change for 2013 regs [ID-0072584]: Design
illuminance is now available as an input for 'chosen but not calculated' and 'only lamp
type known' SBEM design options for PartL2 (2013)- England and PartL2 (2014) - Wales.
District Heating Seasonal Efficiency correction [ID-0072416]: When the Heat
Source is set to be District Heating the system heat source seasonal efficiency is set to 1
(i.e. 100% efficient heat source and all system performance aspect set via District
Heating CO2 Conversion factor).
BRUKL Heat Fuel Type correction [ID-0036506]: When using a District Heating
system the BRUKL certificate generated from ApacheSim no longer shows HFT (Heating
Fuel Type) = Grid Supplied Electricity in the HVAC Systems Performance section of the
BRUKL certificate.
Adjacent building adjacency condition correction [ID-0071490]: For an adjacent
building the adjacency condition at surfaces where it meets a conditioned room is no
longer being affected by whether the adjacent building has a system assigned or not.
Crash prevented when generating BRUKL with link to ApacheHVAC but no proxy
apache system [ID-0062781]: A crash has been prevented when trying to generate a
BRUKL when the simulation uses ApacheHVAC but the Proxy apache system isn't
assigned to any rooms. A warning will now be shown advising to define and assign the
proxy system.
Crash prevented when Lamp type set to "Fluorescent (no details)" [ID0074510]: A crash has been prevented when generating an SBEM EPC when the Lamp
type is set to "Fluorescent (no details)".
Building area type default checkbox retained on VE 6.1.1 model upgrade [ID0075682]: When upgrading a VE 6.1.1 model, if the model and a thermal template have
different NCM building types, then the room with the thermal template set will now
retain its ticked default checkbox for its building area type.
HVACGUIDE-SFP written out correctly [ID-0074255]: When you have a natural
ventilation system (i.e. heating only and Vent mechanism is chosen as natural
ventilation) then the HVACGUIDE-SFP value should be written to BRUKL as code -1111
so it appears correctly on the BRUKL.
Zone level ventilation can now be set in VE-SBEM [ID-0076993]: When the Apache
System ventilation has been set to "Natural Ventilation", then the "Is there mechanical
supply in this room?" checkbox will be visible in SBEM mode. You can then set a zone
level fan power.
Section 6 Notional system uses correct heating tab efficiencies [ID-0076206]:
The Section 6 Notional system uses the correct heating tab efficiencies when switching
from electricity to district heating in the actual building.
Input Data Visualisation displays correct templates values [ID-0075974]: When
using the Input Data Visualisation tool while in Compliance the correct values from the
template are displayed.
Notional building model error message removed [ID-0062859]: When upgrading a
model and running ApacheSim compliance using the existing results you will no longer
get the message "Notional building model not present" when it switches to run the
notional sim.
User entered air permeability values retained [ID-0076063]: If a project is
upgraded from Part L2 2010 to any other non-residential compliance regulations, the air
permeability picks up the value entered in Part L2 2010 only in case where the default
option is ticked.
Crash prevented when generating BRUKL for shell and core building with no
core areas [ID-0061625]: A crash has been prevented when BRUKL.exe is running
when you have an 'As designed' Shell and core building but with no 'Core' areas.
Air exchange assignment corrections [ID-0056995]: If you have a thermal template
that has additional air exchanges of type Infiltration, Auxiliary Ventilation and Natural
ventilation and assign this template, only the Natural ventilation air exchange should be
assigned to the room and the Infiltration and Aux Vent should be ignored when in VE
Compliance.
Local manual switching corrections [ID-0013868]: Local manual switching in spaces
in the actual building is no longer limited to zones under 30m2. This limit will still apply
to the notional and reference buildings. See paragraphs 70, 84 and 161 of the NCM
modelling guide for more information and further conditions.
DCV is applied to the notional building in DSM simulations [ID-0077075]: As per
the NCM modelling guide, in zones with mechanical ventilation the Notional building will
benefit from demand control of ventilation through variable fan speed control based on
CO2 sensors.
Vista
Radiators dialog error removed [ID-0026893]: On the Radiator selection dialog
clicking the "Apply default radiator to all rooms" button no longer results in an error.
WAHP water loop temperatures variables reinstated [ID-0058990]: The following
WAHP Vista variables have been reinstated; Water entering temperature, water leaving
temperature and Water delta T.
Switching between graphs improvements [ID-0070075]: Switching between Peak
Day Graph and Graph no longer restricts the range of dates available to select.
Browser improvements when viewing HVAC network [ID-0078032]: Switching
between results files with the HVAC network displayed causes the browser to refresh
correctly and the correct components are displayed.
Selected time is maintained in MVII when switching between result files [ID0070072]: When using the visual analysis option in Model Viewer II, the selected time is
retained when switching between results files.
Custom variables that use both weather and component data now perform
interpolation [ID-0074464]: If a custom variable is created that uses a weather data
variable and a component output variable, interpolation is now performed when the
reporting interval is less than one hour.
Scale unit conversion applied [ID-0076474]: In VistaPro Visual Analysis (Model
Viewer II) unit conversion is applied to the scale.
Crash prevented using range test tool [ID-0076341]: A crash has been prevented
when using the Range test tool and deleting the contents of the "above" or "in steps of
box" text boxes.
Custom variables listed when switching to VistaPro [ID-0074480]: The custom
variables are displayed before refreshing the list.
Crash prevented when recreating custom variable [ID-0074233]: A crash has been
prevented when you recreate a custom variable that was previously deleted.
Renaming Custom Variable updated [ID-0074690]: The new name of a custom
variable shows up in the variable browser after renaming and clicking OK in "Manage
Custom Variables" dialog.
Custom HVAC Component variables listed correctly [ID-0074479]: When you
create a custom HVAC fan component variable that references a weather file, it will be
listed under the Fan component level as expected.
Combine Openings works as expected at opening level [ID-0074825]: When
Combine openings is ticked, VistaPro plots results for all the selected openings.
HVAC filename display corrected [ID-0075254]: When selecting the HVAC file
grouping scheme to access HVAC results, the filename shown will be the file associated
with the selected results file.
SET variable reinstated [ID-0078193]: The Standard effective temperature variable
has been reinstated.
Advanced cooling coil calculation of leaving moisture content correction [ID0067125]: At near zero levels of wet fraction, the advanced cooling coil calculates
leaving moisture content greater than entering moisture content. This discrepancy is in
the order of 0.1% (of total moisture content). The leaving moisture content will be set to
equal the entering moisture content when evaluating for wet coil conditions in the
situation where this discrepancy occurs.
SunCast
SunCast Analysis displays correct results on surfaces [ID-0077110]: The solar
exposure after running the analysis will display the correct results. Previously some
surfaces would appear to be missing results for high resolution grids.
Crash prevented when running SunCast calculation [ID-0076476]: A crash has
been prevented under certain circumstances where the INI file in SunCast has become
out-of-sync with the model.
Shadow display improvements [ID-0074688]: In some scenarios Topographical &
Local shades were causing problems with the display of shadows on an image. This has
been corrected.
Apply button active when changing the custom gradient scale [ID-0074160]: In
the SunCast Analysis tab, the apply button is now active after changing the custom
gradient scale.
Accessing Preferences menu no longer resets room browser [ID-0061541]: If you
open and OK the preferences dialog when in SunCast, the rooms browser will no longer
reset.
Changing room grouping scheme no longer switches tabs [ID-0076941]: When
selecting a new group from the Room Group dropdown the view will no longer be
switched to either of the additional tabs.
SunCast image generation improvements when importing SketchUp models [ID0077091]: When importing a model from SketchUp where the shading surfaces have
windows, then the openings are now considered as 100% opaque when generating
SunCast images. This is consistent with the convention that you cannot have openings in
shading objects designed in the VE.
GSK error messages more informative [ID-0076335]: If you encounter an error due
to complex shading objects then the error log will be more informative. It will be in the
following format –
"GSK@<Line Number>: [<Room ID>] <Error message>"
e.g. GSK(1234): Main Office, Surface 14 - Invalid number of openings (2).
Parallel SunCast calculation will only run for selected months [ID-0076688]:
When using parallel SunCast with multiple cores, calculations will only be performed for
the selected months rather than for the whole year.
Solar Analysis custom scale displays correct values [ID-0074159]: When in IP
units, the correct values will be displayed in the Solar Analysis custom gradient scale.
GMPro
Constructions added to correct category [ID-0074786]: The element types for the
constructions GMB_0032 and GMB_0048 have been added to the correct category.
Sizing error prevented [ID-0077927]: A sizing error had been prevented when doing a
GMPro HVAC sizing run with system 10.
Parametric Batch Processor
Edits to range input retained [ID-0076628]: In the Parametric Batch Processor
dialog, any edits made to the ranges will be retained.
Master Templates
Master Templates & Design Options Restore point time corrected [ID-0063036]:
The correct time will be used when a restore point is created.
Crash prevented when using Master Templates [ID-0061754]: A crash has been
prevented when using Master Templates on a project with missing templates. You will
now get a warning about invalid changes and will be asked if you want to view the log
file.
Matched room name improvement [ID-0076739]: Previously when importing a
model through Master Templates, if a target room has part of the source room name it
would be matched up even though there is a target room with the exact name available.
This has been corrected.
Design Options
Design Options improved so that constructions with existing IDs are replaced
[ID-0075889]: Design Options is improved so that replacing constructions with a new
construction that has the same ID imports a unique ID and this is assigned to the model
as specified in the rule.
Title 24
ParallelFanBox fan capacity is set based on Induction Ratio [ID-0074761]: Air
system Terminal units of type Parallel Fan Box will have fan flow capacity calculated as
product of Maximum Primary Flow and Induction Ratio.
Internal holes written out correctly [ID-0074554]: When model contains holes
between rooms they are written out to CBECC with properties to avoid an error in the
simulation.