Overview

What is the Apache View?

The Apache View is a view within the Virtual Environment’s Thermal category.

Apache is the name given to the thermal analysis programs in the Virtual Environment. The Apache view provides facilities for:

Preparation of input data for the thermal analysis programs; ApacheSim ASHRAE Loads and CIBSE Loads
Calculations and simulations using; ApacheSim, ApacheHVAC, MacroFlo, ASHRAE Loads and CIBSE Loads.

The preparation of thermal input data consists of three main tasks:

Specification of building location and weather data
Specification of building element data (properties of the building fabric)
Specification of space data (conditions in each space)

The interfaces to the thermal analysis programs provide facilities for:

Setting up the calculations and simulations
Specifying the results to be recorded

Context of ApacheView

To put the Apache view in context, it is useful to examine the steps involved in creating a thermal model and running the thermal analysis programs. This outline is intended as a guide. Many of the steps may be interchanged and data of all types may be edited at any stage.

Creation of building geometry

Start the Virtual Environment.
Enter the ModelBuilder Category and create the building geometry in ModelIT.
During this phase you may find it helpful to use Templates. Templates contain collections of data for thermal and other applications, and are created using the Template Manager. When a template is set as the active template, its data is automatically assigned to spaces or elements as they are created.

Assignment of Apache thermal data

Select the Thermal Category.
Enter the Apache view
Run the APlocate utility to define site location and weather data (for thermal and solar shading calculations).
Run the utility APcdb to define constructions.
Assign constructions to building elements as appropriate.
Run the utility APpro to define operational profiles.
Define the characteristics of the building’s HVAC systems using Apache Systems and assign systems to spaces.
For each space, assign Space Data to specify heating and cooling, internal gains and ventilation.
Use Space Thermal Templates to facilitate the previous two steps.

Assignment of other thermal and solar data

At this stage (or at any suitable time) you may wish to leave the Apache view to carry out the following additional tasks:

Within the MacroFlo View set up opening air flow characteristics for the MacroFlo simulation program.
Within the ApacheHVAC View set up HVAC system data for the ApacheHVAC simulation program.
Within the SunCast view of the Solar Category perform solar shading calculations.

Thermal analysis and results review

In the Apache view, perform either of the following analyses:
- Industry-standard thermal calculations (ASHRAE Loads, CIBSE Loads & related programs)
- Dynamic simulation (ApacheSim & related programs)
Review results from the thermal analyses using:
- Vista - a View for displaying and exporting ApacheSim ASHRAE Loads and CIBSE Loads results.

Overview of the ApacheView Interface Features

The Apache view consists of the following interface features:

Virtual Environment menu bar

These menus provide functions used throughout the Virtual environment and Apache view.

Apache edit toolbar

These icons provide a quick route to functions on the Apache menu bar.

Model workspace

This displays the model geometry and provides a graphical means of selecting geometrical objects.

Model view toolbar

This provides functions for manipulating the view of the geometrical model.

Model Browser

This list of spaces, opening up to display surfaces and openings in those spaces, provides an alternative way to view and select geometrical objects.

Space Group tools

These tools allow the creation, application and selection of Space Grouping Schemes. See the ModelIT user guide for further information.

Thermal analysis buttons

These buttons invoke the thermal analysis programs CIBSE Loads, ASHRAE Loads and ApacheSim, and Batch Simulation.

When the Loads Methodology on the Apache View Settings menu is set to ASHRAE, CIBSE Loads is replaced by ASHRAE Loads.

Common tools for model viewing and interrogation

Before using the Apache view you should familiarise yourself with the following tools, which provide the means for navigating around the model to view and set space and building element attributes:

The Virtual Environment menu bar
The model workspace
The model browser
The model view toolbar

In particular, you should be familiar with the following procedures described in the ModelIT User Guide:

Selecting a view of the model workspace using the following buttons on the model view toolbar:

Fit view
Zoom window
Zoom in
Zoom out
Pan
Zoom previous
Zoom next
View axis (Plan, Right, Left, Front, Back, Axon.)
Set axonometric rotation
Rotate view
- Selecting a single space or a set of spaces by clicking in the model workspace.
- Selecting a single space or a set of spaces by clicking in the model browser.
- Panning and zooming the model image.
- Moving between the following model decomposition levels using the up and down arrows on the view toolbar (or by double-clicking on a space or surface):
- Model or HVAC Zone level (HVAC Zone mode allows HVAC zones to be selected on the canvas and disables access to the lower levels of decomposition)
- Space level (only surface mode applies in the Apache view)
- Surface level (opening or adjacency mode)
- Moving between model decomposition levels by clicking in the model browser.