1 - Installation and OpenStudio Resources

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Hi everyone, this is Harschul Singhal here. So, before we jump on the exercise, I would like to explain how to install this software on your computer. Again,it's very simple. For day one, we just need the OpenStudio plug-in for SketchUp. But, when you install OpenStudio, it automatically brings this plug-in for your SketchUp interface, as well. So, let me just explain how to install it.

What you need to do is: look for some internet browser;I'm using google chrome, go on this website,openstudio.net, go to download section, and download the latest version, which is 2.5.0. That's what we are going to do, use it.I'm using Windows on my computer, so, that's all I need to install on my computer, allright.

I'll ask for your the login credential, if you don't have any account on the OpenStudio website, please create an account for you, it's very helpful. Before you install OpenStudio,you need to install a SketchUp first. You can either install a SketchUp of Makeversion or a SketchUp Pro version.

The SketchUp Pro version is the licensed copy. You need to buy it, in somewhere around $600 for two copies. If you are going to use SketchUp or OpenStudio for commercial purpose, you have to download the SketchUp Pro version,all right.

After installing SketchUp Pro,you need to install OpenStudio. When you install OpenStudio, it will automatically create, or, it will automatically install the plug-in for you, as well. So, after installation, you will see new toolbars, something like this. You will have this extension menu bar here with all the OpenStudio tools. When you see them on your SketchUp interface, it means that you already have installed the software successfully, all right. If you don't see this extension, then there is a problem.

There is some other information that I want to explain here,for example, you have to create one account on this bcl.nrel.gov, and I will explain more of what it is. BCL means, building component library, where you can actually install the open stream measures. These measures do a lot of things for you. They are basically shortcuts, simple scripts. I will explain this to you in the actual class later. And, you can also download components from this, for example: if you go to "browse components," there are lot of different categories. You can download different to Ductless Heat Pumps, you can see there different kind of indoor units, and all these units are designed, or actually, the specs are provided by the manufacturers. So, you need not to worry about trying to touch base with the manufacturers to bring all the information. You can just download everything from this module in component library, very important thing again.

Couple of other things here.You know this simulate.energy, the OpenStudio live series. We already have uploaded the free class for you, the webinar one, which I actually recorded on June 6th. If you go down, you can actually buy the software. Go to this curriculum, there is a crash course, which I already provided last week. If you click on this,you will see, we also provide you, sorry about this. You can also see that we have provided you answers of the questions that people ask me. You can always ask us questions by posting comments here. We can always reach back to you, all right. If you find any difficulty in the future, regarding OpenStudio, or any other thing, you can also use this unmethours.com. You can sign in here; just provide your login information.And you can search your, either you can search questions here, or you can ask a new question. People are very active on this website so you will get your answer in a couple of hours. You can see some contributors here, who are actually the developers of this tool, as well,all right.

In case you want to read energy plus documentation, which is the software, orthe engine behind OpenStudio interface, you can actually go to this energyplus.net/documentation, and read more on this. Input Output References are there, Output Details are there, a lot more information here.

Okay, and to download weather files, you can go to energyplus.net/weather. You have weather files for each and every continent. For example, if you click on North and Central America, and then US, you have a weather file for each and everystate. For example, if I'm in California, I have weather files for almost every big location or the permanent location, all right. So, we always use a weather file generated by this website. Okay, click on this and it provides to EPW weather file as well as design data.