English
equa-logo

Highlights in IDA ICE 5.1.1 

Learn more about IDA ICE here


leafYearly climate-based daylight1 calculation using Radiance™

daylight800

 Until recently, the daylight factor (DF) was the most widely used metric for evaluating daylight performance. However, it is a simplified method that does not consider factors such as orientation, direct sunlight, local climatic conditions, or dynamic shading systems.

The new yearly climate-based daylight function in IDA ICE offers a major step forward by incorporating all of these factors. Using actual weather data for every hour of the year, IDA ICE can simulate daylight with high accuracy.

This capability can also be used for solar radiation studies with high accuracy including reflections in nearby objects and complex shadings, detailed overheating risk assessments, and PV-analysis. Climate-based daylighting is often used in local building codes and certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, and DIN V 18599. 

Key features of climate-based daylighting in IDA ICE:

  • Easy to setup, simulation, and visualization — entirely within IDA ICE
  • Calculation of selected zones or user-defined measuring planes placed inside or outside of the building.
  • Support for fixed shading systems
  • Support for detailed window shadings like venetian blinds and switchable panes
  • Results are presented in customizable reports and interactive 3D views, with color-coded field visualizations and the option to display the percentage of area above or below a threshold value
  • Common predefined daylight metrics like Spatial daylight autonomy (sDA) and Useful daylight autonomy (UDI) during daylight hours that can be easily adapted
  • Support for Relative annual useful illuminance according to DIN V18599
  • Yearly external irradiance


 leaf Improved productivity and stability

IDA ICE 5.1.1 contains more than a hundred bug and stability fixes. These will not affect numerical results but will help improve the overall experience of using IDA ICE. A major effort has been made to avoid data loss due to memory limitations.


leafNew feature - Unloading CAD objects

You can now unload CAD files (e.g. DWG) while preserving key data such as insert point, scale, and transparency, making it easier to work with multi-level models where each floor has a separate CAD file.
 


 leaf Improved 3D animation of simulation results (beta)

3D animation

IDA ICE now includes a new 3D animation tab, offered as an alternative to the existing animation view. This new tab delivers significantly improved performance — supporting much larger models and simulation datasets — and introduces a number of powerful features designed to enhance workflows, particularly for climate-based daylighting analysis and for the upcoming CFD extension.

Some of these features are:

List of Animations: With this new concept it is possibility to add and save a number of visualizations. When an animation object is created and a specific variable is visualized, the settings of this visualization are automatically saved and stored in the animation object. 

Variable list: A new feature in the Animation tab is that the result is visualized directly after selecting a variable instead of pressing 'Show', then 'Close' and then 'Animation' and finally selecting a new variable. In order to get a better overview of variables for animation, it is possible to expand the variable list (by clicking on the expand icon) in a separate window which can also be positioned on a separate screen.

Visualization options: Options are dynamically hidden and shown, cut levels can be given numerically and visualization of cut plane is automatically hidden.

Custom views: With this feature, users can define and save arbitrary many custom views for easy access of different settings like view angle and camera distance in the custom view for the building. To indicate that custom views are available, the 3D model in Animation tab has a text overly at the bottom center of the pane showing 'Custom views' and numbers of views defined. 

Custom cuts: This feature offers custom section cuts in any direction. Sections cut direction can also be created from reference surfaces. 

Cell data: This option allows users to turn off the interpolated result.


leafVDI 2078 Cooling load calculation extension2

The VDI 2078 cooling load simulation, available as part of the Germany localization, provides an efficient way to perform cooling load calculations in compliance with the VDI 2078 guidelines – a standard frequently required as a minimum specification in German building projects. Fully integrated into the IDA ICE modeling interface, this feature enables automated cooling load calculations directly based on your original IDA ICE model, with minimal additional input.

  • Selection of location-specific data according to VDI 2078, directly in the new VDI 2078 tab
  • Definition of periodic and aperiodic load calculations
  • Automatic conversion of the detailed window model into the VDI-compliant window parameterization
  • Automatic adjustment of the native IDA ICE zone model and relevant boundary conditions using VDI-compliant calculation methods
  • Fully automated generation of a VDI 2078-compliant results report
  • Presentation of VDI 2078 results in the familiar IDA ICE results interface – including detailed outputs and summary views
 

 1 Included in the Expert edition and available as extension (Daylight) to the Standard edition. 

2 Included in Localization Germany. 

 

Print Email

BUILDING SIMULATION

TUNNEL SIMULATION

SOCIAL MEDIA