Trial / Demo
Following on from my previous Top Tip release; in which I looked at VistaPro, I am going to continue the theme and review a few more underused aspects within VistaPro.
As I said last time, we all get what we need from the VE to complete an assessment; normally a graph, synopsis, range test or monthly total, but there could be a better way. VistaPro has a wide range of variables and many different ways of looking at your information.
In the previous Top Tip I mentioned sessions, the refresh button, custom variables and preset data. In this VistaPro Top Tip I will cover a couple of result outputs.
Visualisation
Visualising results can be a great QA tool. It can quickly highlight areas that you may not notice easily within a summary table. It is also a great way to communicate the results to a third party. There are a considerable number of outputs available.
Changing units of measurements
A couple of functions, which people do miss and are amazed when they do find out they are there, are difference in units of measurements.
The default view is to see the results in a total building load. However, you can also view your building load by area or volume. For example, let us say you are considering the heating sensible load. If you display your result by selecting the details box and going to the drop down menu within the division box, you can select to view your result by area or volume.
Another method is to actually change the type of units of measurement. Within the settings menu, you are able to change certain variables for example, rather than looking at the flow rate as l/s, you could look at air changes per hour.
Improved Graphing
I see people using the graph function all the time, which is fine, but take a look at the XY Graph, it could give you so much more. Not just the threshold and synopsis plotting, but the Analysis tool gives you a much better way to interoperate the results and show a better understanding of the result. (This is my personal favorite!)
Psychometric Chart
If you are opening this function for the first time, you may just take a look, close it down and get on with your work. But have a look in more detail and it can be a great results tool and also a better and very quick way for you to understand certain design characteristics.
I think the best chart type is the use of the ASHRAE 55 Comfort chart, more specifically the use in conjunction with the comfort settings for TM59 and TM52.
Recently, I was helping a user understand the activity and clothing setup within their TM52 calculations. By means of this chart, they very quickly understood the implications of these settings with regards to the calculation of their results.
More information on the use of this chart type is found within one of our Lunch-N-Learn videos. If you are interested in Thermal Comfort, this video will help you understand TM52, ASHRAE 55, PMV and PPD.
If you want more information on VistaPro, our Lunch-N-Learn videos, or any other applications, please contact sales@iesve.com for more details.
If you want to review any of my previous Top Tips, click here.
If you have any ideas or requests for Top Tips to help users get the most of VE please let Dave know: david.pierce@iesve.com
