LD 

ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

LA 201 – ENVI-met

Lab 3:
SIMULATION PROCESSING:
In order to help illustrate what to expect when processing and to provide confirmation as
to whether or not it is working correctly, below are a series of screenshots of the
processing script.
1. Before any .SIM file has been loaded into the ENVI-met simulator – this is the
initial window that prompts you to “Load Simulation”

2. Once a .SIM file has been chosen and it is successfully ingested into the ENVI-
met simulator, the window will look like this – at this point the user can select Run
“File Name”

1 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

3. As the simulation begins to run its course, the processing window will review all
of the constructed features that were introduced into the 3D model, this includes
buildings, surfaces, and vegetation.

4. The next step in processing is for the simulation to “Calculate 3D View Factors”
which is accompanied by the percent that has been finished calculating. This
step will take anywhere from 1-3 hours to complete. The processing script will
show your model in 2D with buildings being represented by text.

5. After that step, the simulation will begin to determine the 3D initialization for all
variables – the most crucial factor to be determined is wind speed (i.e.
turbulence) and the variable to be modified is the “relax factor.” If the wind speed
is too high the simulation will get unstable and crash – giving the error message
“Float point overflow.”

2 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

6. Once all of the physical and meteorological variables have been established –
the simulation will begin to run through the prescribed time period – in the case of
this lab it will begin at 8am and run until 10 am. The passage of time can be seen
in the top left of the ENVI-met simulator window. Once the whole simulation is
complete the processing script will announce that it is done and say “Thank you.”

7. In order to find where the files resulting from the simulation are stored, navigate
to the C://Drive > Workplace Folder > Project Folder > Simulation Folder

8. The primary files of interest are found in the “atmosphere” folder:

The files generated from 8 to 9 AM are part of the parameter initialization process
within the simulation and will not provide any useful information as the data is
prone to error during this period. This will always be true for the first hour of any
simulation.
3 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

The file that will have useful information, in the case of this lab, will be found from
9 AM onwards.

LEONARDO – Analyzing Simulation Results:

9. Navigate to the ENVI-met 4 Headquarter > Leonardo 2014

10. Select DataNavigator found in the top right corner of the Leonardo window:

4 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

11. Once the DataNavigator opens, click on the Select File… icon and navigate to:

C://Drive > Workplace Folder > Project Folder > Simulation Folder > atmosphere
> File Name_AT_09.00.01_25.06.2016.EDX

12. A) Once a file is chosen and you return to the Leonardo interface, under the File
Set A icon note that there is now a series of boxes that represent the 24-hour
period and a portion are highlighted blue indicating the periods that there is data.

5 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

B) Next, select 2D Map.

C) Then navigate to the Data drop down menu and select Wind Speed (m/s) –
then select Extract 2D found in the bottom of the DataNavigator window in order
for the data to be visualized in the Leonardo map interface.

A B C

13. If the visualized wind

speed data does not
appear in the map
interface and the map
remains blue – right click
the Datalayers Settings
found in the left column
of the Leonardo
interface.

6 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

In order to activate any of the features in the left column, the user must right click
the menu item and if successful the “x” icon to the left of the menu item will turn
green – if inactive it will remain red.  
 
 

To provide site context for the following part of the exercise, the 3D model is provided below for 
reference. The site is a strip mall in San Jose. 

14. The results of your site can be analyzed via the ability to make section cuts along
the horizontal and vertical axis. In the right column is a window labelled Define
Type and Position of View Plane in which a transect is chosen in either plan (i.e.
X,Y) or section (i.e. X,Z), the example below is a plan view of the wind speed at
9.75 meters (31 Ft) elevation above the ground plane.

Note that to determine the distance along the axis in which the sectional cut is
made, k is a non-linear conversion factor to determine meters.

7 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

To visualize regions in section, there are two directions in which to make your
cuts (1) X-Z in which the cut is made in parallel to the X-axis (2) Y-Z in which the
cut is made parallel to the Y-Axis.

SECTION CUT 15. In

the
column to the right is
the Map Table of Contents in which there are a variety of profiles that allow the
user to analyze,
animate, and customize

SECTION CUT the

8 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

meteorological results and map layout.

Navigate to General Settings > Texts and Labels – in this profile the layout, main
title, subtitle, and footnotes can be specified.

16. Navigate to General Settings > Axis – in this profile the X- and Y-axis labels can
be specified in addition to axis label style and dash interval.

17. Navigate to General Settings > Arrows – in this profile the North Arrow
orientation can be adjusted and an additional arrow can also be introduced to
designate a secondary factor (i.e. wind direction).

9 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

18. Navigate to Datalayer > Datalayer Settings – as mentioned before this layer is
the on/off switch to being able to visualize results in the Leonardo interface.

Navigate to General Settings > Datalayer Legend – in this profile the legend
features can be modified - this includes the title, units, number of digits.

There is also the ability to change the legend colors that represent the
different increments of values.

19. Navigate to Vectors and Particles > Vector Settings and right click to activate the
profile in order to have arrows representing wind direction be shown. Each arrow
indicates a specific orientation and they can be taken to together to visualize
trends.

10 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

(I) Length Scale Vectors is set a default of 0.200

(II) Length Scale Vectors is changed to 0.009

(III) Length Scale Vectors remains at 0.009 and the box for Draw Random
Vectors is checked with a value of 25000 denoting the number of
vectors to be drawn.

II

III

20. Navigate to DataNavigator > 3D Map, then navigate to Data > Wind Speed,
finally select Extract 3D. The window will initially show you the wind speed data
represented at the very extents of the model space.

11 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

Use either the View Control tools or a combination of Shift/Ctrl to navigate into the
model space. There is the ability to zoom using your mouse, hold down the Shift
key and use the scroll wheel. Navigate to Map Table of Content > Vectorlayer 3D
> TubularBells 3D Settings and right click to activate

12 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

Inside the TubularBells 3D profile window the user can change the diameter of the
tubes in addition to the total length and number of tubes. In order to implement
changes to the tube dimension and color the user must select the Re-Build Tube
Geometry icon.

21. Navigate to TubularBells 3D Settings right click to deactivate. Then navigate to

Particle/Trajectory 3D Settings – in the profile window there are two sub-folders
(1) Particle Style and Color (2) Animation. These two tools folders enable the
user to direct the way that the particles move through the model space. Navigate
to the Animation subfolder and select the Play button. Explore the different ways
in which the particles can be animated.

22. Leonardo provides the ability to compare two different files, this could be two
different time points or alternative design proposals.

First select 2D Map and then navigate to the DataNavigator > File Set B > Load
File and choose the comparative file. Select from the Data menu the element of
interest (i.e. wind speed) and then select the Compare 2D icon.
 

13 
 
 LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

EXAMPLE:

File Set A

File Set B

File Set
Comparison

14 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

23. In order to get a better sense of direction when using the 3D view to navigate the
results there is a map tool that shows the viewshed orientation. Navigate to the
menu bar at the top of the Leonardo window and select the 3D tab > Map
Overview.

24. In order to get data for specific points on a map when using the 2D view,
navigate to Map Exposure and a then move the cursor into the map space. Note
that Grid on the left shows the X- and Y-axis values and Data shows the
meteorological value for that point on which the cursor lies.

15 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

ENVI-met DBManager – Introducing New Materials:

25. Navigate to ENVI-met 4 Headquarter > Manage Database

26. Find the Materials window > User Materials and then select the folder icon
indicated by the red box - this will add a new sub-folder to the User Materials.

Name it “LA 201 – New Materials”

27. Select the block icon indicated by the red box, this will add a new blank material
to the “LA 201 – New Materials” folder

16 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

28. Click on this link: https://www.u-wert.net/u-wert-rechner/?

This is a German website that contains a database of the properties of a vast

array of materials – it is recommended as a resource by the developers of the
software.

Google Chrome has a translate feature that will enable usage of the website, right
click in order to select Translate to English.

29. Navigate to Input > Wood > Solid Wood > Spruce – there will be a window to the
right that describes the wood qualities and provides different material properties
and their units. Record the information provided – thermal conductivity, emission
level for long-wave radiation, density, and heat capacity.
 

17 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

 
30. Return to the ENVI-met DBManager and begin to define the property values of
the new Spruce material. In order to change the value select the “…” icon to the
right of the parameter of interest.

Remember the importance of the Database-ID and the role that it plays in
connectings the core database with Spaces and the Envi-met simulator, in the
case of this example the ID will be “LA”. Choose a unique two digit combination
that can be both a letter or a number. Color selection in the Materials window is
not important as it is not the color that is represented in model space.

For Default Thickness, Absorption, and Reflection copy the values listed below
for those parameters. Default Thickness is 0.03 m (1.18 inches), the Absorption
is a safe assumption until more data can be found, and Reflection is entirely
dependent on the color or texture of the particular surface so 0.5 is also a safe
assumption.

31. Find the Walls window > User Walls. Follow the same procedure of selecting the
folder icon in order to create a new sub-folder to the User Walls.

Name it “LA 201 – New Wall/Roof”

18 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

32. Select the block icon indicated by the red box, this will add a new blank wall/roof
to the “LA 201 – New Wall/Roof” folder. In order to link this wall/roof to the newly
created Spruce material enter the same database ID, in this case the ID is “LA.”

It is in this Walls window that choosing a representative color for the new material
will be important as this is the representative color in model space.

33. Once the Database ID, Name, and Color have been established, select LA 201 -
Spruce Wall and double click.

19 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

This will open the Edit Wall window which enables the assembly of up to three
different layers should there be interest (i.e. multi-ply rooftop or insulated glass).

For the purposes of this exercise, select the new Spruce material for all three
layers with each being 0.1 m (10 cm) thick - totaling to 30 cm (11.81 inches).

Click Save Database. This is necessary so the file can be accessed in Spaces.

34. Open up Spaces and the latest 3D site model (.INX), then navigate to the
Buildings tab > Walls and see whether the newly created subfolder and Spruce
material registered in the Spaces interface.

If not, then make sure the Database ID was correctly linked and that the
databased was saved (i.e. updated).

20 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

35. Go back to the DBManager and find the Profiles window, follow the same
procedure as above to create a new sub-folder under User Profiles and a new
surface.

This alternative surface is going to be similar to asphalt, but with a higher albedo.
Look at the (ST) Asphalt Road properties for the z0 Roughness Length, Albedo
and Emissivity - record the values.

36. Return to User Profile > LA 201 – Surface Example > (01) New File

Assign a Database ID and name it “Asphalt High Albedo.” Enter the z0

Roughness Length and Emissivity of (ST) Asphalt, but change the albedo from
0.2 to 0.6.

Click Save Database.

21 
 
LD ARCH 201 FALL 2017    Environmental modeling exercises 
 

37. Return to Spaces navigate to the Soils and Surface tab > User Profile > LA 201 -
Surface Example > Asphalt High Albedo to determine whether the newly created
asphalt registered in the Spaces interface.

If not, then make sure the Database ID was correctly linked and that the
databased was saved

22