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CYPETHERM LOADS
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CYPETHERM LOADS

Long access paths

In previous versions, file paths used by applications were limited to a maximum length of 256 characters. This restriction is not specific to CYPE tools but is set by default in the Windows file system. As of version 2024.b, CYPE applications can bypass the restriction and allow the use of an extended path length for a maximum total path length of 10,000 characters. This eliminates the problems caused by the default limit and allows users to work with long access paths.

This improvement is particularly useful when working on projects with a complex directory structure or with long file names. By allowing longer paths, CYPE applications offer greater flexibility in file organisation.

New method for connecting applications to the BIMserver.center platform

The mode of communication between Open BIM applications and the BIMserver.center collaborative work platform has changed. In previous versions, the applications used the "BIMserver.center Sync" tool to upload and download the files of the contributions associated with the project from the platform. This tool was downloaded from the BIMserver.center platform or installed together with the installation of the platform applications if users so desired.

From version 2024.a onwards, applications are now able to work directly with BIMserver.center without an intermediary. That is, without the need for the "BIMserver.center Sync" tool.

This modification will improve the performance and efficiency of Open BIM applications significantly. By removing this dependency, the applications have more autonomy and the waiting times for communication between BIMserver.center Sync and the program have been considerably reduced. The process of downloading contributions has also been optimised, as users no longer need to obtain the entire content of a project from BIMserver.center in order to work, but only the contributions to be read.

The way of authenticating a BIMserver.center user in the applications has also been modified. Now, this process is carried out within the BIMserver.center web platform. To do this, the application with which the user is working will run the user's default browser when the "Login" button is pressed. When the credentials are entered, or after opening the browser if the user is already connected to the platform, an authorisation page will be displayed. This page details the resources the application is requesting access to and two buttons for granting or denying this access.

The authorisation must be carried out for each application. Once access has been granted, it is saved for the next time the program is run and there is no need to perform this process again for that application.

As well as performance improvements, changes have been made to the user interface of the Open BIM applications regarding the connection to BIMserver.center.

The "Connect to BIMserver.center" window now includes a "Configuration" button. Clicking it launches a menu from which you can edit the "File directory stored in local cache". This is the path where the files that make up the contributions will be downloaded when working with them from the applications. In previous versions, this location could be selected from the BIMserver.center Sync tool.

The appearance of the "Project selection" window has been modified.

In the "Select project" list, the "View only my projects" option has been added to show only the projects where the connected BIMserver.center user is the owner. Icons have also been included for the "Type of project" column in order to make it easier to identify them. The detailed data of a project now shows the image of each contribution, the description and the tags.

The "Review new contributions" and "Review updated contributions" options have been added to the "Create new project" window.

The list for selecting contributions ("Import BIM models") now includes the images of the contributions and the tags. The name of the contribution will be displayed in blue to indicate that the owner is the logged-in user.

When sharing a contribution or selecting contributions during the process of linking to a BIMserver.center project, a progress window will appear during the upload or download process.

To work in BIMserver.center with versions of Open BIM applications prior to 2024.a, users must continue to use the BIMserver.center Sync tool. This is still available for download from the platform and was included in the installation packages of the CYPE Open BIM applications prior to 2024.a.

Dockable windows

As of version 2023.e, some CYPE applications have a new dockable window system that replaces the main screen user interface. As a result, users can now customise the workspace to suit their needs.

The list of applications that have this dockable window system appears at the end of this new feature. In future versions, the number of applications with this window system will be increased.

Dockable windows can be moved and resized. They can be either floating windows, pinned to a location within the application's main dialogue box, dragged outside of it, or even moved to another monitor.

Move windows
A docked window can be moved by clicking on the title bar at the top of the window and dragging it.

When dragging a dockable window, several visual aids are displayed to make its relocation easier. Next to the cursor, a text box appears containing the title of the dockable window being moved. Whenever the cursor approaches the edge of another window, a box appears showing a preview of the space it would occupy.

It is possible to leave a window as a floating window without docking it to another window, and it is also possible to dock windows within a floating window. Holding down the CTRL key can prevent a floating window from being docked while it is being moved.

Group windows
It is possible to group several windows in the same space by dragging one window to the top left-hand corner or to the bottom left-hand corner of another window. When this is carried out, tabs will appear at the bottom or top of the group, allowing users to alternate between the grouped windows. If the tabs are at the bottom, the title of the group of windows corresponds to the active window. On the other hand, if the tabs are at the top, they will be used as the title.

Show/Hide windows
The icon to close the window can be found in the top right-hand corner of each dockable window.

To manage the display of the dockable windows in the user interface, a "Window" button () has been added to the application environment, next to the "General Settings" button (icons on the top right-hand side of the program). By clicking on it, a drop-down menu appears with the available dockable windows and users are able to change their status. In addition, there is the "Reset Window Layout" option which allows users to restore the default workspace.

In some cases, such as the "Work area" of applications with a 3D environment, the window cannot be hidden. In these cases, the icon for closing the window is not displayed and, in the "Window" menu (), the "Work area" will be locked.

Collapse windows
When several dockable windows are arranged vertically, an icon is displayed, next to the close icon, which allows each window to be expanded or collapsed. When the window is collapsed, it will return to its previous size.

The window layout and display settings are saved when closing the application.

It is important to note that not all floating windows in an application are dockable windows. In order to tell them apart, the icon has been added to the title bar of windows that are dockable.

The following applications now include the new floating window environment in version 2023.e:

AcouBAT by CYPE
CYPE Architecture
CYPE Connect
CYPEFIRE
CYPEHVAC 3D
CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems
CYPESOUND
CYPETHERM LOADS
Open BIM Analytical Model
CYPE Construction Systems
Open BIM COVID-19
Open BIM Layout
CYPE Lightning
Open BIM Quantities
Open BIM Site
StruBIM Steel
The floating window environment also includes the "Bill of Quantities" tab in all applications that have this tab.

Improved data entry when the EN 12831 code is applied

The program allows users to select the infiltration analysis according to the EN 12831 code in the definition of the type of space.

When the selected analysis method for heating thermal loads is the EN 12831 code, the program considers the parameters defined in the "Calculation options" panel to analyse the flow rate due to infiltrations.

A wizard has also been added to make it easier to define the "Re-heating factor" parameter.

Curtain walls

Curtain wall systems can now be defined. To do this, the "Curtain wall" option is included in the elements library, which allows users to enter the thermal properties of the "Glazed fraction" and the "Opaque fraction" of a wall, in a similar way to the definition carried out for windows.

New "Drawings" tab

The "Drawings" tab has been included in the program. In this tab, users can create and edit the drawings of the thermal envelope used for each of the loadcases designed in the project.

Redesign of the "Thermal model" and "Thermal loads" tabs

The "Thermal model" (called "Building" in previous versions) and "Thermal loads" tabs have been redesigned to improve user experience when defining and maintaining the building thermal model, as well as when analysing the results.

“Thermal model” tab
Users can work on the 3D model of the building, so the elements within it can be selected, with no need to locate them on the tree diagram on the left-hand side.

Work on the building definition tree has also been improved by creating a more dynamic library system. Furthermore, each element can be modified individually, with no need to create new elements in the library.

“Thermal loads” tab
Users can also interact with the 3D model of the building here, meaning that the analysis of the results for each element is quicker and more intuitive.

Furthermore, the graphical analysis of the results has been added with the possibility of establishing analysis ranges. This allows the desired results to be displayed on the 3D model of the building.

Open BIM Analytical Model integration

As of version 2023.d, CYPETHERM LOADS now includes all the Open BIM Analytical Model tools in its new "Analytical model" tab, allowing the analytical model of the building to be created and managed in CYPETHERM LOADS itself.

Graphical editing of the reference system of the model

Since version 2022.a, the applications integrated within the Open BIM workflow via the BIMserver.center platform include a tool for managing project reference systems. This option is available from the configuration window that appears when linking or updating a BIMserver.center project via the "Geographic location and reference system" option. As of version 2023.d, the applications now allow users to run a graphical environment where they can visually define a reference system for their model. To do this, the "Geographic location and reference system" window now contains the "Visual editing of the local reference system of the model" option.

From the "Visual editing of the local reference system of the model" window, the origin and orientation of the reference system of the model can be indicated in the workspace with the "Define the reference system of the partial model" tool. Both the axes of the reference system of the model, which we have just entered and the axes of the reference system of the site can be viewed in the workspace. The latter appears with a "Site" tag.

To make it easier to define the reference system, the 3D models corresponding to the BIMserver.center project contributions selected during the linking process are displayed. The management of the visibility and object snaps of these models is carried out from the "Elements read" menu in the left sidebar of the window. The "Views" menu can also be found in the same options bar, from which different types of 2D and 3D views of the model can be generated. These tools can already be found in several CYPE applications. For more information on how they work, please refer to the User’s Manual for the 3D work environment tools available in CYPE applications.

Apart from 3D models, 2D drawings or plans can also be imported from CAD files (".dxf", ".dwg", ".dwf") or images (".jpeg", ".jpg", ".bmp", ".png", ".wmf", ".emf", ".pcx"). These files and object snaps are managed through the "DXF-DWG Template" and "Template object snaps" options accordingly.

Once the editing is complete, the coordinates and orientation of the reference system of the model with respect to the reference system of the site are moved to the corresponding fields in the "Geographic location and reference system" window.

The "Font size" option has been added to the general configuration menu of the applications. This tool allows users to increase or decrease the basic size of the font used in the user interface of the programs. Thanks to this implementation, the accessibility of the applications has been improved while also ensuring the correct visibility of the content on devices with different screen resolutions.

To enter a "Basic size" the "Set custom font size" option must be checked. The size users can enter is the application's basic font size. Any other font sizes that may exist in the program's interface will be automatically modified proportionally according to the change in the basic size.

It is important to note that, as this is a common parameter, its modification will affect all installed CYPE tools.

Latent heating load

As of version 2022.b of CYPETHERM LOADS, users can activate or deactivate the latent loads calculation from the “Calculation options” menu for calculating thermal heating loads.

Load report

In version 2022.b of CYPETHERM LOADS, new report options have been added in the thermal loads tab, thus providing easier access to the thermal load results report for each loadcase and their areas (graphs can also be included in each one) as well as their additional reports.

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