Energy Modeling with Grasshopper (Proof-of-Concept)

Grasshopper users have all kinds of simulation tools at their disposal... however, I have yet to see an attempt at integrating energy simulation tools with Grasshopper... so here is a 'weekend warrior' study which links Grasshopper to EnergyPlus.

I wrote a few custom components which automate the formatting of Grasshopper geometry into a simulation-ready model that can be read directly by EnergyPlus. The colorful visualizations show a simple box structure going through an hourly analysis on a specified design day. The analysis results are streamed back into Grasshopper after the energy analysis is run

There is much potential here (and work to be done before I can put this into a full release!)... I would also like to consult with the experts first before I release this as a plug-in. I am not an MEP expert, after all...

We have just about everything else: solar (DIVA, Geco), structures (Karamba, StructDraw), physics (Kangaroo).... What other simulation tools will we see in Grasshopper's future?

Kangaroo Physics

Below are some videos showing off some of the fun I am having with the Kangaroo Physics engine by Daniel Piker. Kanagroo is a powerful and intuitive tool that allows you simulate physical phenomena, such as gravity, within the Grasshopper environment.

You can test drive Kangaroo by visiting KangarooPhysics.com

Click the images to go to videos:

Simulated gravity loading on a truss structure.

Catenary surface creation