Guest Blog: Breaking Silos: Read BIM data from Autodesk Revit and ACC using data exchange with CCTech

This is a guest blog from Autodesk Platform Services Certified Partner CCTech. You can catch CCTech at Autodesk University 2023 and get a live demo of Autonomous HVAC 2024 at Booth # 583,

CCTech has recently released a new version of their Autonomous HVAC CFD for 2024. The new release comes supercharged with the fusion of AI and CFD to drastically improve the HVAC design professional's productivity. The new version reimagines the indoor environment design journey, providing engineers with advanced tools to streamline building physics workflows, increase accuracy, and enable the creation of mechanical design outcomes that meet ASHRAE and building code standards while ensuring optimal comfort and IAQ.

“Every moment of our life, we breathe air, feeling the thermal sensation of surroundings. The air around us profoundly impacts our physiology, thinking, creativity, innovation, relationships, life expectancy, daily actions, productivity, and well-being. Our gadgets, such as phones, cars, and laptops, are highly engineered using a lot of CFD simulations. On the contrary, CFD is not used while designing homes, offices, schools, and malls, where we spend most of our time. It's the indoor environment that affects our health and well-being more,” said Sandip Jadhav, CEO of CCTech. “We at CCTech have developed an Autonomous HVAC CFD 2024 to remove all the barriers hindering HVAC professionals from applying advanced CFD simulation in every built space design. HVAC professional engineers and architects can leverage our new app to build better indoor environments and better HVAC designs that ensure every occupant has optimal thermal comfort, excellent indoor air quality, building code compliance, energy efficiency, and a minimum carbon footprint towards a more sustainable future.”  

Revit & Autodesk Construction Cloud data integration

The big challenge of our construction industry is that our data is scattered all over the place, locked in different softwares. One uses on average five to eight software to do different things. A lot of time is wasted in file translations, data extraction, transformations and loading manual data, thus increasing the possibility of compromising the data security. HVAC design is an iterative process, therefore it’s very important to have connected workflows that can handle changes easily. 

To solve this problem, this year we built two Data Exchange connectors with Revit and Autodesk Construction Cloud for AHC 2024. Users can download them from the Autodesk app store for FREE. These connectors bring highly granular BIM data into the AHC 2024 application. Engineers can leverage Revit's advanced modeling capabilities, extensive library, and create intricate architectural designs while exploring multiple air distribution design options. 

Connectors have been intelligently designed to handle the seamless flow of data from source to AHC application, under the hood doing all the required validations and mappings. Users can easily reach the simulation stage in just a few minutes.

Effortless Load Calculations and Optimal CFM Suggestions 

In direct response to user feedback, AHC 2024 now makes it easy for HVAC engineers to perform load calculations and upon completion, provides a promptly generated load calculation report in PDF format. The software guides engineers with CFM suggestions for each space while constructing an air distribution system,  ensuring proper equipment sizing. Engineers can delve deeper into design intricacies by assessing component loads under varying conditions, including weather and internal influences.

ASHRAE 55 Compliance and  Local Thermal Discomfort 

Within this year's specialized and interactive results section, a new badge takes center stage: ASHRAE 55 Local Thermal Discomfort results. Beyond general comfort parameters like PMV and PPD, this innovation allows you to delve into the specifics of ASHRAE 55 compliance. Additionally, receive a comprehensive auto-generated compliance report for detailed scenario assessment.

Introducing Comfort AI: New AI engine for quick insights   

Comfort AI is our new AI engine developed using data-driven methodology to predict occupant thermal comfort quickly.  Comfort AI assesses thermal comfort for every occupant using the Predictive Mean Vote (PMV) index and ASHRAE 55 local discomfort parameters.  You can now gain important insights into how your HVAC design impacts comfort, enabling informed decisions at an early stage. Comfort AI provides all the required feedback to correct an early design.  This helps to avoid wasting time and money in setting numerous and less perfect CFD simulations.  Users can now perform detailed CFD simulations based on Comfort AI results and get highly accurate results and compliance validation. 

Performance Indices

The software now introduces essential performance indices required for a comprehensive assessment of HVAC systems. Among them are Air-diffusion Performance Index (ADPI) and Air Change Effectiveness (ACE). ADPI enhances air distribution assessment, while the latter evaluates the system's ability to supply ventilation air effectively.

Autonomous HVAC CFD 2024 has been available starting August 29, 2023. The app brings a revolutionary Pay As You Go pricing model to the industry, which means users pay only for credits they have consumed for a project. For more information on AHC 2024, please visit https://simulationhub.com/. 

About CCTech

Our Mission: “Transforming Human Life by Democratization of Technology” 

Centre for Computational Technologies (CCTech) is a leading digital transformation company building applications in areas of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Engineering Design & Simulation, 3D Web Applications, Augmented Reality, Digital Twins, and other enterprise applications. 

simulationHub is a cloud-based CFD application platform developed by CCTech. At simulationHub, we strive to transform human life by democratization of technology.