Interfacing Computer-Assisted Drafting and Design with the Building Loads Analysis and System Thermodynamics (BLAST) Program

Energy efficient building design requires in-depth thermal analysis. Existing Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) software packages already enhance the productivity and quality of design. Thermal analysis tools use much the same information as that contained in CADD drawings to determine the most energy efficient design configuration during the design process. To use these analysis tools, data already contained in the CADD system must be re-keyed into the analysis packages. This project created an interface to automate the migration of data from CADD to the Building Loads Analysis System and Thermodynamics (BLAST) analysis program, which is an Army-standard system for evaluating building energy performance. Two interfaces were developed, one batch-oriented (IN2BLAS7) and one interactive (the Drawing Navigator). Lessons learned from the development of IN2BLAST were carried into the development of the Drawing Navigator, and the Drawing Navigator was field tested. Feedback indicated that useful automation of the data migration is possible, and that proper application of such automation can increase productivity.