gbXML import into Revit MEP 2011

[andrew.b]

I'm using Revit MEP 2011 and am trying to import results from IES back into Revit. I know Revit is capable of exporting out to gbXML for IES and other pakages, and this is how I have created my IES model for heating and cooling load calcs*. The analysis has been performed, and now it is time to get the results back into Revit to populate the space with the loads and airflow information, similar how to these fields are filled by the built in load engine.


IES does not create a gbXML output file, only XML files with just the load results. Trying to import these into Revit using the Insert>Import from gbXML brings up a message saying there is no gbXML information. Trying to import the original gbXML file sent from Revit brings up a message saying there are no results fiels. By doing a bit of hacking away in an XML editor and trying to graft the IES results into the original gbXML file with the building geometry information brings up the window shown in the attached image when using the import gbXML tool. The checkboxes can't be selected, and selecting ok fills all the relevant fields with "Not Calculated".


I seem to be on the right track, but is there any resource, prefferably from Autodesk, outlining the way results need to be formatted in order for Revit to import them. I've tried following the gbXML schema, but it isn't terrible user friendly in terms of explaining what kinds of inputs it expects for attributes such as the startTime. Ideally we would like to be able to crack the translation code, so a script can be written to automatically copy the relevant results into the original gbXML file ready for import back into Revit. (even more ideally there would be an export results to gbXML option in IES or a return of the import results from IES fuction from Revit 2009)


I realise there probably isn't much on this or many people who have mucked around with this, but we're trying to really get the "I" in BIM working to make the whole design workflow more efficient.


* we have tried the built in load calculation engine within Revit, but the results are discouraging for our engineers who are quite used to IES. Using the Revit MEP 2009 tutorial file as a test project, the built in 2011 calculations gave heating/cooling loads and required airflows around 2 times smaller than both the leftover IES report from when IES was built into Revit and also the gbXML file exported to the full blown IES package. It is a shame there isn't more documentation on the built in loads engine to allow us to troubleshoot the errors.