Luka Stefanovic

Hi @Poot The VECC can be used in any industry or project really, and the latest version (2024) has no Door/Window section, only Materials and individual objects, which are handled through Record Formats. In short, if you assign Materials to Vectorworks objects their quantities will be calculated automatically in the worksheet and EC obtained based on Material property (such as density and EC factor). Additionally you can attach a Record Format to any object that has a manufacturer's EPD data, say a bench Symbol in your model, you can add declared EC for the bench as a product and the worksheet will count how many of those are there in your project and tell you the total EC for all benches. In terms of negative carbon, you would simply enter a negative value for the EC in the Material property and the calculation would take that into account. I hope that makes sense, but to repeat - VECC is really adaptable to handle different projects as it is based on model quantities of Materials and Material properties, the only reason it has an architectural flavour in the presentation is because I am an architect!

@Tim Harland I still think it would be possible to do it through Excel Referencing, but I'll need those examples to understand what exactly needs to be done. Let me know when you put it together and I will try to do it. @Amanda McDermott Can you also send me an example of what you're trying to do along with a Vectorworks and Excel file and I can see if I can put that one together for you. It sounds like it should be possible to do. Thanks! And happy holidays!

Hi @Tim Harland it sounds complex what you're trying to achieve. Can you send an example of what you're trying to do, in Excel and in Vectorworks, and I can try to put it together as a sample. I think what you describe should work but it's easier to understand by looking at actual examples rather than just a description 🙂 Thanks, Luka

@Tim Harland In short, there are two ways you can use referenced Excel data in Vectorworks - just bringing a worksheet in and viewing it as such, for example a consultant list, or a product data sheet. The other, more complex way, is to use referenced Excel data in another database worksheet - for example, creating a furniture schedule that counts the Symbols in your model and hooking that up to a product price list from a manufacturer. In both cases, integration goes both ways - if you make a change in Excel and update the reference, the data in Vectorworks worksheet will be updated. If you make a change in Vectorworks, you can push it back to Excel and update the worksheet. What you seem to be describing is the complex workflow in reverse. It is certainly possible, but I think it's overly complicating - taking advantage of reading the model as a database, then pushing that data back to Excel to be a plain spreadsheet just for the sake of formatting in Excel, which can be done in Vectorworks too, seems overly complicating the workflow to me. As I said, you should be able to do it, but I would recommend a simpler way of formatting a door schedule in Vectorworks. Good luck with setting it up!

My apologies @Tom W. I've been beta testing for too long! Wall Tag reading IFC mapped Data v2023.vwx

There you go! Hope that makes sense how it's set up and what it does. This one looks at component names and thicknesses rather than Materials, but the principle would be the same. Correct, currently it's not possible to list subparts (Components) and break them down into further parts in the reporting system. Something I know engineers are looking at, but I don't know if there is a solution coming.

@Tom W. @Samuel Derenboim I'm a bit late to the party so there is a lot to unpack here - let me start by saying that Data Tags can only tag Walls, but they can't tag Wall Components. This is why you need to use formulas like ComponentMaterial. I sometimes use the Data Manager to map formulas to Wall data, IFC in particular has fields for Materials that you can populate with concatenated information like component material name + thickness etc. This would allow you to potentially enter different data to these fields but still use a single Data Tag to display it. As far as I'm aware, there is no way of showing Simple Materials that constitute a Compound Material - you can get their accurate volumes for example Concrete = 0.95%Cement + 0.05%Rebar, so if you ask for quantity of cement, you will get a correct volume (which you can later use to calculate weight via density, or cost or embodied carbon) Of course, it depends what you're trying to achieve but there is a lot of flexibility between the Data Manager, Data Tags and Worksheet formulas to get you pretty much all data about objects in Vectorworks.

Sorry I'm a bit late to the conversation, but the reason for using a class in that particular webinar was that at the time, you couldn't hide objects completely using Data Viz. Now you can so you could use only Record Format and Data Viz to render objects invisible in both Design Layer view and Viewports. However there is still a benefit of using a dedicated Demo class and dedicated proposed and existing sets of Design Layers - you can use Grey or Show / Snap other Layers or Classes. While Data Viz does make pen and fill invisible, the objects are still there and you could accidentally select them or join a Wall with an invisible one. So it's a kind of safety net, both workflows are valid and will do what you need graphically, it's just a matter of workflow preference.

Hi @Samuel Derenboim let me try and answer this question: There are several prescribed methods to accurately determine a compound material R-value taking thermal bridging into account. One of those is called Isothermal Planes method, and uses lambda values of individual materials within the compound and applies percentages to obtain the lambda value of the compound material. This method is described by ASHRAE and is what Vectorworks uses to calculate compound material lambda values and it works well for timber studwork and masonry, bit less so for metal studwork which needs a complex modelling assessment to get accurate lambdas or R-values. If that's what you need and the Isothermal planes method is not precise enough, you have the option of doing manual calculations separately for those wall assemblies and inputing that R-value in the Insertion tab of the Wall settings instead of using the automatic calculation. Interior and exterior surface resistance (air film layer) is automatically taken into account - you can actually see those if you go to Edit List under Object Boundary Type in Energos section of Walls, Slabs and Roofs. These are constants depending on building element position and whether the thermal flow is upward, downward or horizontal so you just need to choose a correct option for each element. As a general comment on compound Materials, they provide you with a solution for multiple distinct materials within a single thickness component. Without them, there is no real way of handling something like insulated studwork. Using compound Materials allow accurate quantity take-offs for example, and embodied carbon assessments to include correct areas/volumes of each of these materials. Hopefully I've answered some of the queries, but as you said - it starts a productive discussion. Thanks for asking these great questions!

Hi @Dan Ryder VECC won’t work in 2020 because it’s based on Materials and quantity take-offs that haven’t really been possible before we introduced Materials. Vectorworks 2021 version is available as a standalone file to download but it has limited functionality as a first iteration of the calculator. Full version has been included since 2022 and can be found in preformatted worksheets.

Hi @Christian Fekete These values are calculated automatically, but the Spaces need to be auto-bounded to Walls and also the Walls with Windows/Doors inserted in them need to be checked as Exterior in Data pane of the Wall Settings. When both of those conditions are met, you will see the Glazing areas automatically calculated.

@sixfootzero I've had a look and I presume the reason for this is that your model is at a very early stage where it's essentially a really well insulated box form an energy point of view - if you create a label, it gives out A+ rating! There are no windows in the model, so there is no solar gain and I think between good insulation and ventilation set to mechanical, that's probably more than enough to handle cooling. There is an actual cooling energy demand value, but it's very low, which means you need very little energy over a year to keep the set comfort parameters. Load is the cooling required at hottest period and I think it probably has a value, but it's smaller than two decimal places so it's not showing. Having said all that, if you go into advanced ventilation settings and into summer ventilation, then drop your overheating limit to say 73F, you'll start seeing cooling loads appear. Also, when the model starts developing further and you have glazing, then solar heat gains will also come into play and it will become a more realistic scenario with cooling loads becoming a much more prominent factor. Early stage assessment is useful for many reasons, but it's crude based on what information is provided to the model and should be taken with a good chunk of salt!

@sixfootzero It could be a number of things - it's hard to tell like this. Have you checked U-values/R-Values of the Building elements (Doors/Windows, Walls, Slabs, Roofs)? Are you using Spaces to give you areas and volumes? Also under advanced set of parameters you should include the cooling system, and potentially check advanced ventilation settings to set overheating limit. Just a few things off the top of my head, let me know if it still doesn't work and it would be best if I have a look at the model in that case.

@Tom W. I'm still not sure why some of the Windows won't show if the Space doesn't have the projection towards it - though if you set the boundary of the Space to Auto-boundary, it creates those automatically and the worksheet will display everything correctly. The trick with the Door is to uncheck 'Show 3D open' as that only shows the Space the Door is opening into.

Hi All, Delighted to say that VECC is now available for download - you can find the link here: https://university.vectorworks.net/mod/page/view.php?id=2508 Please let me know your thoughts and feedback, it would be very useful in the further development of the tool. A webinar on the topic is in plan, but I'm happy to schedule some time to go through how VECC works. Happy Embodied Carbon calculations!

Hi All, Delighted to say that VECC is now available for download - you can find the link here: https://university.vectorworks.net/mod/page/view.php?id=2508 Please let me know your thoughts and feedback, it would be very useful in the further development of the tool. A webinar on the topic is in plan, but I'm happy to schedule some time to go through how VECC works. Happy Embodied Carbon calculations!

There will be resources released in due course, for now I just wanted to share that it's out there and working! For now you can get in touch with me directly for more information and a demo before this is fully released.

You're right - most importantly I think those objects would be Windows and Doors. They are accounted for in the calculator separately, based on few inputs added to Data pane in Door/Window settings, where you would input glazing and frame material. In short, any other object could be added in a similar fashion, but just off the top of my head I think ones used most often in architectural projects would be accounted for with Materials apart from those mentioned above. Also any free modelled geometry, such as Extrudes, Extrude Along Paths or Generic Solids will also have Materials.

Hi everyone - apologies for the long silence but in short I wasn't too happy with what we had at the moment and wanted to have something more substantial before I emerge above the parapet. We’re happy to share that Vectorworks now has an integrated Embodied Carbon Calculator. Complementary with the Materials workflow introduced in 2021, it allows accurate reporting of quantities and assessment of Carbon Critical elements. The calculator uses the most comprehensive and industry standard guidance available in the UK AEC sector, as the foundation for the assessment methodology (RICS: Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment,2017 and RIBA: Embodied and Whole Life Carbon Assessment for Architects, 2018). It also derives material Properties for Density and Embodied Carbon Coefficients from University of Bath Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE) Database V3, 2019. Further improvements are expected in the oncoming months as we add further automation. For more information and a demonstration of the calculator, please get in touch with me at lstefanovic@vectorworks.net

Hi everyone - apologies for the long silence but in short I wasn't too happy with what we had at the moment and wanted to have something more substantial before I emerge above the parapet. We’re happy to share that Vectorworks now has an integrated Embodied Carbon Calculator. Complementary with the Materials workflow introduced in 2021, it allows accurate reporting of quantities and assessment of Carbon Critical elements. The calculator uses the most comprehensive and industry standard guidance available in the UK AEC sector, as the foundation for the assessment methodology (RICS: Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment,2017 and RIBA: Embodied and Whole Life Carbon Assessment for Architects, 2018). It also derives material Properties for Density and Embodied Carbon Coefficients from University of Bath Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE) Database V3, 2019. Further improvements are expected in the oncoming months as we add further automation. For more information and a demonstration of the calculator, please get in touch with me at lstefanovic@vectorworks.net

For structural framing I'd recommend using Structural Member tool. =LENGTH will give you the length of the member and you can use =CONCAT('StructuralMember'.'ProfileShape', ' ', 'StructuralMember'.'ProfileSeries', ' ', 'StructuralMember'.'ProfileSize') type of formula to concatenate the profile shape to show 'Wide Flange BSI (Universal Beams) 203 x 102 x 23' for steel profiles for example.

To be perfectly honest @jmanganelli, I'm not sure. I'm not very familiar with either of the two standards, only PassivHaus. I don't know the requirements of LEED reports, it may be that there is no such value like the ones Energos results produce to compare against in those standards. We have set about to find out this with a case study one of my colleagues at Vectorworks is doing and will share those findings.

I think you are spot on there @gester Energos really is a designed energy evaluation tool that taps into the architectural design process. It's not intended for energy certification and there are other software, often mandated, doing that job. Benefit of something like Energos is that you know where you stand before that certification process because you can check the building performance and how design changes affect overall results. Thanks for sharing the energy certificate document, very interesting to see the format.

@line-weight you can see and edit the parameters such as SHGC, Thermal Bridge for glazing edges, Air leakage etc in Frame and Glazing settings list under Energos tab of Door and Window Styles. This is what the U-Value calculations are based on

Hi @line-weight On the subject of workflows, I'd echo Mark and say it's up to you to work however you feel is best for your projects, there is no perfect one. You can add custom modelled geometry to Energos calculations - have a look at this thread : You can also use Symbol as Window object definition, add custom modelled geometry to Walls using Wall Projection etc... Q1 - Energos does take that into account in the calculation. You can test that by adding muntins or mullions to a Window and seeing the U-Value change. Multiple muntins/mullions are not necessarily poorer, it depends on the performance of the frame. Try choosing from defaults a Passivhaus frame and metal with no thermal break and see the difference. Q2 - Spaces don't need to have cuboidal shape. Under AEC/Space Planning there is a command to Fit Top/Bottom of Space to Objects and it will take the shape of a Slab, 3D poly or a NURBS curve. It will then report a correct volume based on what you modelled Q3 - That depends on how you build your model - Energos won't assume anything you don't tell it. You can model an insulated ceiling that is included in the calculations and assign Boundary Type as Slab at Unheated Attic Space Above. Have a look at the webinar I did recently, there are some explanations in there too: https://university.vectorworks.net/mod/scorm/player.php?a=351&currentorg=articulate_rise&scoid=702 Finally, for Building Regulation, I agree with Mark -Energos is not intended as a replacement for SAP or other paid for tools that do Energy Performance Certification (certification being the key word here). I think if accepted for what it is, a very useful and in-depth energy performance evaluation tool to accompany your architectural design process from the very beginning, then it has a real value to Architects and gives them power to make informed design decisions at every step in that process do they can create truly sustainable and energy efficient architecture.