HOW TO USE COVE.TOOL PLUG-IN’S

REVIT, SKETCH UP, RHINO, & GRASSHOPPER

A guide to importing Building Geometry into the cove.tool web app

Cove Tool, Inc. www.covetool.comhello@covetool.com+ 1 404 998 5846

covetoolthe automated building consultant

Plug-in Help Document www.covetool.com 3

HOW TO USE COVE.TOOL PLUG-INS

ABOUT COVE.TOOL PLUG-INS

Our tool saves time by allowing one to export building geometry to existing cove.tool projects in the cloud. The plug-ins were created to work with the existing workflow of architects, engineers, contractors, and owners, not how energy modelers have made it work in the past. Knowing what an energy model is doing helps to demystify the process. Energy models are simply a series of equations that calculate heat flow in and heat flow out of a building. Cove.tool automates the process of setting up the model and running optimizations to find the highest performance options for least cost. The first step of setting up the equations is

HOW IT WORKS

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT COVE.TOOLPLUG-INS

Cove.tool allows architects, engineers, contractors, and owners to save money, comply with the latest energy codes, and make effective design decisions. One of the things that makes it unique is the ease with which anyone can operate the energy analysis tool. One example is cove.tool’s plug-ins.

Cove.tool has created one of the fastest geometry imports of any energy modeling software. The plug-in eliminates the need for model prep and has a growing library of participating modeling software.

inputting your building geometry values which will be the basis for the calculations. Most other tools require custom models to be created taking several hours depending on the extent of the analysis and complexity of building geometry. What cove.tool has done differently is create a tool which easily collects building geometry data straight from your working 3D Model and exports the values into the cloud. Our cloud-based process without having to remodel makes this tool the easiest and fastest geometry export tool in the industry. We have not found a project big enough, a file too messy, or a building unresolved enough to break cove.tool.

Cove.tool is the automated building consultant that parametrically optimizes design options for energy and cost performance in the early stages of the design process. Cove.tool is a unique automated energy modeling software that integrates design, cost and performance. Its validated results, unique features, and robust web app interface give every project team the edge to make the best decisions sooner and more often. Try cove.tool to save energy, time, money, and the environment.

covetool

REVIT ADEPTRevit software structure allows cove.tool to become integrated with your project as a unique view in the Project Browser. As you move further in the building design, you can easily export geometry making running a cove.tool model the easiest energy modeling software you have ever used.

Download Avaliable at Autodesk App Store

The Rhino-Grasshopper plug-in is our most exciting external tool. Cove.tool runs thousands of facade, massing, and glazing options easily, helping expand your parametric capabilities.

Download Avaliable at Food4Rhino.com

USING RHINO & GRASSHOPPER

This guide will help you take your SketchUp project from into cove.tool in minutes. The new plug-in has serveral reveolutionary new steps that will make the process quick, accurate, and error free.

Download Avaliable in SketchUp 3D Warehouse

IMPORTING WITH SKETCHUP

1000’sHours Saved

100+LEED Points Earned

1000’sof Bundles Created

Millionsof Dollars Saved

Plug-in Help Document www.covetool.com 5

HOW TO USE COVE.TOOL PLUG-INS

23

4Step 4: Now that all your viewports are complete, begin the geometry export process. Log in to your cove.tool account to connect your project to our cloud network. If you haven’t already, start a new project in our web-app so that there is a project to link to when you “Switch Projects” in Revit. Go through each tab/category and select the geometry. One category that may be tricky is the WINDOWS import. Depending on the window type property, a window object may be located in multiple visibility categories. Also, note that the cove.tool WALLS import does not require interior walls, only exterior walls which have an impact on thermal transfer.

Step 2: Enter any view. In these windows, you will set up views which only show objects in one cove.tool category. Once open go to the VIEW tab at the top of the Revit interface, and select the Visibility/Graphics sub tab to open the Visibility/Graphics Overrides Editor. In the Model Categories tab, deselect all Object Types in the Visibility Column which are not objects you want Cove.tool to import. Ex: A “WALL” import only needs the objects from the “Walls visibility category,” as would ROOFS need from Roofs, FLOORS from Floors, and so on. For categories left checked, deselect the subcategories as they are not relevant to cove.tool and can slow down the geometry export.

Step3: Objects which may remain in the view after the Visibility/Graphics change may have to be hidden manually. Jump back and forth using the Selection Filter Tool to identify unwanted stray objects and the Sunglasses “Hide Element” tab to purge these objects from your viewport. Once the Filter tool has been exhausted and a few more undesired objects remain, manually select the objects and Hide the Elements. Use Left Click option like Select Similar Objects-In Viewport, to make this step faster. Once complete, Apply Hide/Isolate View and complete steps for the other windows.

1Step1: Duplicate four 3D Views in your Revit’s Project Browser. Name each view after four of the eight cove.tool categories (Floors, Roofs, Walls, and Windows). These views will remain your standard cove.tool selection windows. As you update your project, these viewports will follow suit and throughout the project’s life, you will be able to go back and forth from Revit and cove.tool to learn about your building’s current energy performance.

CUSTOM 3D VIEWS

PREPPING A VIEWPORT

FILTER AND VISIBILITY

SELECTING &OBJECTS

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The Revit plug-in uses 3D views for its selection and data export process. These steps will not impact the building geometry at all, instead, the Revit plug-in will require edits in viewport settings to make seamless data collections. This process has yet to meet a building large or complex enough it couldn’t handle, but here are 4 steps you can take to make sure a geometry import in Revit, from beginning to end, takes 5 minutes or less.

Selecting the correct objects to import is important. One thing we are proud of is that our software can detect when these objects are and are not in the correct categories for import selection. This means that no matter what stage your Revit model is in when we want “wall” data the plugin will only take values from wall objects. Because of cove.tool only uses values from objects which directly affect a project’s energy performance (i.e. walls, roof, skylights, floors, and windows) and cuts out miscellaneous objects, it cuts the need for geometry oriented model prep.

ERROR FREEEXPORT

MODEL PREP?

AUTODESK REVIT TO COVE.TOOL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Cove.tool’s modeling software plugins were created to streamline the import of building geometry. With our custom data collector, we find your project, collect the geometry, and export the correct values into the cloud database to run a fast and accurate

energy analysis. Because the plugin imports information instantaneously every time you change your geometry, you can reload the project and see the latest update of your building’s performance. Here is how you can use Revit to start a cove.tool project.

Plug-in Help Document www.covetool.com 7

HOW TO USE COVE.TOOL PLUG-INS

1

3

2Step 1 is isolating the geometry that will be used during the export process. No context or extraneous objects should be left in the view. Pending on the users preference, there are two option to pursue when setting up a model. First, a user could export the building simple geometry and start a fresh new file with only the building as it’s content, or one could just hide everything else in view so that only the cove.tool project is left in view.

Next to make sure cove.tool’s plug-in can identify each building geometry object, make sure the objects are on the same layer and that the geometry is made up of single surfaces. Objects which belongs to groups or blocks will be skipped once the export process begins. The easiest way to make sure your geometry is all single surfaces is to highlight the model, then “explode.” The remaining geometry is ready for the next step.

Once the view is clear, the next step is to make sure you match your building ground level to the SketchUp ground plane. Depending on the stage of the model, the complexity of the file may vary. Models that are further developed, tend to have various changes such undulating contoured sites, this would cause the model to float in space once the context is hidden or removed. If your model ground doesn’t match project ground this could cause inaccurate calculation once you begin the geometry export process. Matching ground planes can be done be switching to a front view, and moving the building to line up with the ground plane, see left image.

CLEAR UP 3D VIEW

SINGLE SURFACES AND LAYER

MATCH THE GROUND

FROM SKETCHUP TO COVE.TOOL

56

The file is now ready for the geometry export. Again in the “Extensions” tab, select “Launch Cove.tool” to open a web-link inside the plug-in. Cove.tool’s login page will appear, as usual log into your account and navigate to the project you would like to connect to your SketchUp geometry. Inside the plug-in link, you have the option to either create a new project, or you can search through your project list to find the project you want.

The cove.tool project has now been created/selected. Next you will navigate to the geometry page, here you will find a new option at the top of the page where you will be able to auto-fill the geometry details with the “Sync with SketchUp” button. Click this to see a comprehensive area calculation of your building. If you notice some of the information does not look accurate, flip back to SketchUp and double-check your model’s measurements. Likely there might be a object that is mis-layered and has added up to a calculation in the wrong category. Once everything looks good, click continue to save the geometry export and move forward to see how your building performs.

4Now that the model is ready, it is time to use the plug-in. Once the plug-in has been installed and enabled, a new tab entitled “Extensions” will appear. Go ahead and click the tab and continue to select “Create cove.tool layers.” 11 new layers will appear at the bottom of the layers menu. Makes sure all the objects have been sent to their correct category. Misplaced object can be normally swapped between layers, so make sure this is done before launching cove.tool. Misplaced objects are the #1 cause of inaccuracy in this plugin.

CREATE COVE.TOOL LAYERS

LAUNCH COVE.TOOL

SYNC WITH SKETCHUP

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Cove.tool’s newest addition is the SketchUp Plug-in. Like our other plug-ins, cove.tool uses 3D model geometry from SketchUp to auto-fill the geometry input page to complete your building‘s project profile. Unlike our other plug-ins, the SketchUp

plug-in differentiates itself by being the only geometry export process which auto separates the different geometries into cove.tool‘ layers. This step makes sure all the objects area accurately categorized for final calculations.

a explodemove to one layer

create cove.tool layers

check object layering

i

12

b

ii

Plug-in Help Document www.covetool.com 9

HOW TO USE COVE.TOOL PLUG-INS

1First step to using the cove.tool’s grasshopper plug-in is setting Rhino units to meters, this will be necessary once inside Grasshopper. This step will not effect the values you will recieve once inside cove.tool, but when transfering area calculations through the plug-in, grasshopper’s structure only always accurate exports of objects in meters.

SET UNITS TO METERS

2Part 2 is to make sure your model is oriented to the correct cardinal directions, you can check this by viewing your model in the “Top View” to see if your north façade is facing project north (top of the screen). This will be important as data collected from the plug-in and inserted into the correct geometry categories. Correct cardinal positioning is crucial to getting a quick and accurate energy equation for performance simulations.

CHECK ORIENTATION

3Once the file is ready, the project geometry will also need to be checked for meshes. Cove.tool’s grasshopper plug-in will only select single surface objects to export area data. In order to convert mesh objects into single surface objects, use the following two commands. First, “MeshToNurb” to create polysurface copies of the mesh geometries and while still highlighted delete the original mesh-objects. Second use “MergeAllFaces” command to weld many polysurfaces into single-surface objects. Polysurfaces that do not weld into a single surface object can be converted to single surfaces by using the command “Explode”. Also blocks will not be read and will need to be converted to surfaces as well.

MESHES TO SURFACES

BC

Inside the Grasshopper file, there are only 3 areas which require your inputs. Step 1: Fill-in the login and password panels with your cove.tool information. This will link your Rhino project to the cove.tool cloud. Make sure you have started a new project in the cove.tool web app before continuing. Step 2: Once logged-in, the project list will update to show your cove.tool project history. Using the number that identifies the project you wish to link to the project in cove.tool, correct the project selector to connect.

You are nearly ready to begin the building geometry export process. Before doing any more actions, right-click the Grasshopper plane and activate the “LockSolver.” LockSolver is a Grasshopper tool which temporarily disables Grasshopper’s Solver, in other words, it freezes Grasshopper computing process so while activated any new components, parameters, or inputs added will not run immediately. Grasshopper is infamous for its freezing and crashing, but keeping Lock Solver consistently activated while you work, and only disabling when you are ready for the information to update, you should be fine and the entire process will be quick.

AUse the command “Grasshopper” to launch the app, open the covetool.gh file you should have downloaded earlier from Food4Rhino. Be careful navigating the file. Cove.tool’s grasshopper file was custom engineered to get the exact values from your project model. The entire process is modeled and several tips are placed around the file to keep you on track.

LAUNCHGRASSHOPPER

START A NEW PROJECT

USING THE LOCKSOLVER

FROM RHINO TOGRASSHOPPER

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Cove.tool‘s Rhino/Grasshopper plug-in is the most powerful of all the plug-ins. This walkthrough will take you through the two part process, first setting up the Rhino file and second, completing the geometry export process inside Grasshopper.

Plug-in Help Document www.covetool.com 11

HOW TO USE COVE.TOOL PLUG-INS

45

6Repeat the same steps in roof surfaces for window surfaces with a new Brep. Similar to Opaque wall surfaces, the window surface selection only pertains to areas on the exterior face of the project. Also, mullions would, in theory, be included in the window selection process and not in the wall surface category, however because of their general size they tend to be minimal blips in the energy simulation results especially for an early-stage energy modeling software, therefore are not necessary to export to cove.tool.

Repeat the same steps in roof surfaces for skylight surfaces with a new Brep. Not all projects have skylights, so it is ok to leave this category empty by not creating/connecting a Brep. This may give you an error prompt in the Grasshopper code, but will not affect the rest of the data exports, so there is no need to worry. Go into the cove.tool web app and manually enter zero in this category.

Repeat the same steps in roof surfaces for opaque wall surfaces with a new Brep. Because cove.tool is an early stage energy modeling software the only data we need from your building geometry are the areas in which Heat Transfer occurs. Thus when selecting walls for the cove.tool plug-in, only exterior walls should be selected, everything interior is unnecessary for the types of energy analysis and results cove.tool will generate. If you have a project that has Fins or Overhangs, those do not need to be exported as they have their own page in the cove.tool app that are manually recorded.

3Repeat the same steps in roof surfaces for floor surfaces with a new Brep. However you modeled the floors (with thickness, or not) throughout your project, the only surfaces you should select are planes which best illustrate the combined floor surface area or your entire project. Be wary of selecting multiple surfaces on the same plane, as they may double-log surface areas and will result in unrealistic calculations and results in your cove.tool report.

FLOORSURFACES

SKYLIGHT SURFACES

WALL SURFACES

WINDOW SURFACES

BEFORE YOU BEGIN 12Using a new Brep pill, right-click the Brep and select the

“Set Multiple Breps” prompt. Back in Rhino, select the single surface objects that best illustrate the combined surface area that entails your projects entire roof surface area. This includes all areas that are exterior and seal the areas below them, do not include cantilevers as they have no energy impact on a building. Once selected, back in grasshopper connect the Brep pill to the roof surface pill with a wire to complete the import.

Obtain building height by right-clicking the building height pill and selecting the “Set one Line” prompt. Jumping back to your Rhino model, begin a line from the lowest point of your model and continue vertically-locked to the highest point in your model. The measurement will be automatically recorded and once the “LockSolver” is disabled, the information will be updated in your cove.tool project summary.

BUILDING HEIGHT

ROOF SURFACES

FROM GRASSHOPPER TO COVE.TOOL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Now you are ready to begin the geometry import. To begin exporting geometry create Breps for the following pills, “roof surfaces, floor surfaces, skylight surfaces, opaque wall surfaces, and window surfaces.” Create Breps by double-clicking the grasshopper

plane and typing “Brep” (aka Boundary Representation). Each export is unique and the following will explore tips and challenges for each category. Once all Breps are completed and lines connected, disable the LockSolver and jump to the cove.tool web app to see your results.

Plug-in Help Document www.covetool.com 13

HOW TO USE COVE.TOOL PLUG-INS

Tools should empower teams by removing obstacles to sustainable project goals.

WEB INTERFACEEasy firm adoption with our clean

and rolling update interface.

EARN LEED POINTS Get the integrative process credit

with Energy-Related Systems analysis during schematic design.

AMAZING SUPPORTOur team of energy modeling

experts is always there ready to answer questions and add new

features.

AIA 2030Manage energy reporting in real

time from one dashboard and upload results automatically to

the DDx Dashboard.

ENGINEERSWORK FASTER

ARCHITECTSDESIGN SMARTER

CONTRACTORSBUILD SUSTAINABLY

OWNERSSAVE MONEY

REVIT PLUG-INWork with your existing model

and import geometry to get rapid feedback as the design

progresses.

SHARE RESULTSUse the interactive results tab to aid in decision making and share

with your clients.

CLOUD BASEDOptimization is made on demand via internet connectivity, so your

project can be larger and run faster all in the cloud.

VALIDATED RESULTSEvery input behind the scenes is validated using the ASHRAE 140

methodology.

CODE DATABASE Our database of energy codes

includes California Title 24, ASHRAE 90.1 (v. 2007, 10, 13)

and Canadian NECB (v. 2011, 15).

FAST RESULTSOur simulations are lightning fast allowing us to run optimizations

in a minute or less.

TEAM WORKFLOWOur Floating Licenses and

monthly webinars can get the entire team mastering energy

models.

RHINO/ GRASSHOPPER PLUG-IN

Use an energy model that keeps pace with the parametric

workflow.

FEATURES TO DRIVE HIGH PERFORMANCE DESIGN

TOOLS.

PROCESS.

PEOPLE.

DATA.

The world is experiencing dramatic climate change as the levels of carbon rise in the atmosphere. As the temperature differences between the poles and equator even out, more extreme weather events can take place and dependable weather patterns shift. Buildings account for 40% of those carbon emissions and 76% of electricity use in the United States. If we reduce building energy usage, we join the fight against climate change.

ENERGY CODES ARE CHANGING

SEERESULTS.By automating the simulation inputs and intelligently interpreting the results for report creation, cove.tool reduces the time to understand performance from 20 hours to just 5 minutes. Good data equals good conclusions, apples to apples comparison can suggest possible solutions that can be explored further, sooner.

“We decided to rethink the whole process of selecting building components and technologies by making it easy to factor in the construction cost for each one. When rational decision making is combined with good design the result is a compelling architecture that is respectful of the planet and costs less.”

–Patrick Chopson, Co-Founder of Cove.tool, Inc.

costenergyoptimize cove.tool

CONTACT

Address

Cove Tool, Inc.50 Hurt Plaza SE, Suite 0655 Atlanta, GA 30303United States

Mobile

Phone: + 1 404 998 5846

Online

Email: hello@covetool.com Website: www.covetool.com