Problems merging zones and with voids

Carlos · Posts: 25

Hi DB Support,

Here we are simmulating a school with some different kind of roofs. Some of them are pitched roofs, so we created them as constructions over the original block and tryed to merge their single zones. First, how do we do it?

Second, we didn't know how, but we merged them... and all the zones after that (created by partitions) are automatically merged to the first merged zone, how do we stop it? (we only want one zone to be merged with another, not all the zones).

Third, we tryed to make a void (inner garden), but somehow we created mini voids... with phantom walls. We cannot select these walls and erase them, they don't appear in edition, but they do appear in visualization and for the snaps.

Four, when drawing partitions, the first time, it lets define the wall width, but later, the option dissapear and now we no longer can define the width (kept on the original value we entered, but the partition walls are not all of the same width).

Five, Imagine we have a block of 4 sides and 2 zones. We want to modify one of the exterior walls in a zone so we draw several more walls (a more complicated perimeter, lets say 7 walls), how do we do it?

Regards,

Charly

AOG · Posts: 85

Hi Daniel,

Some thoughts:

1. and 2. There are two ways to merge zones: by holes and by activity. Possibly you will need to use the former, drawing as many zones in the upper block as in the lower one, and then drawing a hole to connect each pair of zones. If you have already merged zones, it means one of those options is active (model options > advanced > simplification). To know more about please see this help topic:

http://www.designbuilder.co.uk/helpv1/Content/Lumping_and_merging.htm

3. It is difficult to figure out what the problem is. Could you upload the model in order to review it? If you do please don’t forget to save the file without results, so it will be more light.

4. Right now it’s not possible to change partition thickness after it was created. However, it doesn’t matter in terms of calculation, as DesignBuilder-EnergyPlus only takes into account the “real” thickness (indicated by the construction component).

5. If you can’t do that by mean of editing block tools (e.g. drag, divide), it is possible you will need to draw again the block. Anyway, if you still have doubts please post a drawing to visualize the form you are trying to achieve.

Regards,

Arturo

Carlos · Posts: 25

Hi Arturo,

Thanks for your answers. They were not asked directly from me, but from a schoolmate, so she sends thanks too.

1) and 2) The problem was she selected 'merge zones by activity' but she didn't told (I cliked there but didn't think it changed anything).

3) I asked her also to upload to file, but she erased it.

4) We didn't mean to change the thickness of an already drawn partition wall. We meant that when selecting 'Draw Partitions' for the first time, it lets you choose thickness, but not in the next partitions. For example. I have a zone, I select 'Draw Partitions' and write 0.2m for thickness. I draw a wall and then change thickness to 0.5m, draw the continuation of the wall, then change to 0.1m and draw another part of the wall. So far there is no problem, even visually the 3 parts of that partition wall appears with different thickess.
But, if later, I select again 'Draw Partitions' there doesn't appear the optio for thickness anymore and it keeps the last used thickness. That's the problem.

5) I think you are right and it has to be re-done (but the change was easy, so it was solved with voids).

Regards,

Carlos

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