BEMTrace: Visualization-driven approach for deriving Building Energy Models from BIM

• Published in: IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics Vol. PP; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Walch, Andreas, Szabo, Attila, Steinlechner, Harald, Ortner, Thomas, Groller, Eduard, Schmidt, Johanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 23.09.2024
• Subjects: 3D Data Wrangling; 3D selections; BEM; BIM; BIM-to-BEM; Buildings; Computational modeling; Data models; Data visualization; Object oriented modeling; Solid modeling; Three-dimensional displays; Visualization for trust building
• ISSN: 1077-2626; 1941-0506; 1941-0506
• DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2024.3456315

Building Information Modeling (BIM) describes a central data pool covering the entire life cycle of a construction project. Similarly, Building Energy Modeling (BEM) describes the process of using a 3D representation of a building as a basis for thermal simulations to assess the building's energy performance. This paper explores the intersection of BIM and BEM, focusing on the challenges and methodologies in converting BIM data into BEM representations for energy performance analysis. BEMTrace integrates 3D data wrangling techniques with visualization methodologies to enhance the accuracy and traceability of the BIM-to-BEM conversion process. Through parsing, error detection, and algorithmic correction of BIM data, our methods generate valid BEM models suitable for energy simulation. Visualization techniques provide transparent insights into the conversion process, aiding error identifcation, validation, and user comprehension. We introduce context-adaptive selections to facilitate user interaction and to show that the BEMTrace workfow helps users understand complex 3D data wrangling processes.