0.5.0 (In progress)
Feature changes:
Additional required Python libraries now sit with the addon directory tree.
Python scripts can now be used for custom data processing.
User-defined number of legend levels.
EnVi material nodes are now used to specify EnergyPlus materials. This removes the 5 layer limit in EnVi and 10 material layers can now be specified, which is the EnergyPlus limit.
Shades, blinds, screens and switchable glazings are supported for window constructions.
Photovoltaic simulations can now be accomplished with EnVi based on the Energyplus ‘Simple’ and ‘Equivalent-one-diode’ formulations.
A new node “I-Simpa Ply Export” exports Blender materials and geometry to a ply file for acoustic analysis with I-Simpa.
EnVi boundaries now only use the zonal approach if the surface U-values do not match. The zone surface that forms the output socket of the boundary socket pair takes precedence.
Gridify now uses face normal.
Shadow map calculation speed-ups.
Bug fixes:
Ground colour and reflection works with HDR generation.
Gendaylit now works with HDR generation and changes Blender sun position
0.4.13a
Bug fixes:
Fixes for EnergyPlus 8.9 syntax change.
EnergyPlus Air and Occupancy metrics now correctly processed
Paths are now set even if the RAYPATH environment variable is already set.
0.4.13
Feature changes:
User can now change the legend unit, and modify the legend display number with a Python expression in shadow map and livi display panels. This can be used to display total sunlit hours for example. Changes also apply to point visualisation.
Simple EnergyPlus window specification is now supported.
EnVi zone node now flags red, and shows an error message, if the the number of airflow surfaces within the zone is one.
Update to EnergyPlus 8.8 and Radiance 5.1.
Gendaylit can now be used to generate Radiance skies
Ground reflectivity and colour can now be set in the LiVi Context node
Multi-core processing support for Radiance image generation (OS X & Linux only)
New LiVi Image & Glare nodes
Added an emission/diffuse switch for result material visualisation in Cycles (with emission strength).
Experimental support for multi-core processing of parametric EnVi runs.
Sun-path now modifies sky strength.
Bug fixes:
Modifier in the VI Chart node now modifies the 2nd and 3rd Y-axes.
The user can now pick a specific panoramic HDR file for CBDM exposure analysis.
When going from a single to multiple sun sun-path the label for the original single sun is now not shown.
Addon path selection should now work with relative paths
Fixed a bug where multiple LiVi photon port materials were not exported
IES file path is now correctly recognised
HDR environment now equivalent to Blender mapping
Improved Rvu camera angles
Known issues:
The RVU Radiance previewer does not work on the Windows platform. This is an upstream bug – https://unmethours.com/question/26917/radiance-rvuexe-error/ – which should be fixed soon.
0.4.12
Feature changes:
Indicative U-values for opaque building constructions are now shown in the EnVi material panel upon EnVi geometry export for the exported materials.
EnVi now checks if the energyplus binary is executable
LiVi geometry export node now contains a fallback option. This option forces a simpler geometry export in case the more complex default export fails.
Bug fixes:
Fixed a bug in EnVi U-Value calculation when an air air layer is specified as part of an EnergyPlus wall construction.
Fixed a bug in EnVi schedule creation when a second year period is created and then removed.
Added missing Radiance binaries to the Linux release (thanks to Koji Takemasa).
0.4.11
Feature changes:
Added ‘Sky View Factor’ calculation with it’s own dedicated node.
If using custom accuracy, LiVi preview, simulation and image buttons will only be visible if the custom parameters are valid.
Sunpath analysis now allows multiple suns to be created either monthly, for a specified time, or hourly, for a specified day. As this now represents a traditional shadow study analysis the ‘Shadow Study’ node has been renamed ‘Shadow Map’.
Capitalised names for the some nodes. This may require node re-creation if using an older file.
LiVi now tries to streamline geometry before export.
Kivy now indicates what type of simulation is running.
Update to EnergyPlus version 8.7. Previous versions will no longer work.
BSDF generation is now modal and opens up a kivy window. The Python module psutil is now required in Blender’s Python installation (included in the VI-Suite zip files).
Bug fixes:
Fixed a bug in LiVi export if exported geometry has an empty material slot.
Fixed a bug in LiVi export if IES lights are not on the active layer.
Photon map calculation window now shows up during LiVi image generation.
Exiting BSDF display now reverts to previous display options.
0.4.10
Feature changes:
Splitmesh option has been removed from the Esri grid import node. Splitmesh is now the default as it reduces memory consumption. Meshes can be joined by the user after import if desired.
Added a ‘No data’ option to the Esri import node to either delete or zero non-valid data.
Added Aerogel insulation to EnVi material database
Bug fixes:
ESRI ASC import now works for non-square files.