HVAC 4.5 Features
General
New Button Graphics: The graphics for some buttons were redrawn
to clarify their functionality.
Automatically Turning on Duct Centerlines: Previously, any duct
centerline layers that were off were turned on for various duct editing
functions. Now, duct centerlines are turned on automatically only if all
of them are off. If any centerline layer is on, then their layer states
are not changed. When you are working in tight spaces, it is beneficial
to be able to turn off the centerline of duct systems that you are not
working on. This change allows you to do that.
New Layer Buttons: The buttons for controlling double-line and
3D drafting lines were improved. There are now buttons to turn them both
on, both off, or one on and the other off.
Standards Files: The standards files have been changed from comma-delimited
files (CSV's) to tab-delimited files (TXT's). This allows commas in fields
to make information more readable.
Metric Duct Labeling: We have added the ability to support work
done in metric. There is a setting in the Options window that allows you
to specify if your project is using the inch or the millimeter as the
basic unit of measurement.
You are able to label your ducts in mm rather than inches and display
your diffuser air volume in LPS rather than CFM.
The only limitation is that load calculations do not work in drawings
where the base unit is one mm. All other calculations work correctly,
but English units are used. The result is that your ducts will still be
sized to even increments, but you can display the dimension in cm's.
In order to display metric labels, you need to modify your dm_hvac-standards
file. For duct labels, on round ducts, DM will be replaced with the diameter
of the duct, and on rectangular and flat oval ducts, WM will be replaced
with the width and DM with the depth. For diffuser labels, you need to
add a new line under Other Style Information that is labeled CFM Label
Format. When the diffuser label is drawn, $CFM will be replaced with the
CFM of the diffuser and $LPS will be replaced with the LPS of the diffuser.
For a more detailed explanation, refer to the new user guide or call Design
Master for assistance.
0 Length Ducts: CFM calculations no longer crash when ducts with
a length of 0 are present.
Copying Ducts and Diffusers: In certain cases, when diffusers
and ducts were copied together, the connection between the new items was
not properly created. The result was that ducts that appeared to be connected
to diffusers were not, and CFM totals were improperly calculated. This
has been fixed, so that diffusers and ducts that are copied properly maintain
their connections.
Duct Calculations: The duct calculations dialog has new options.
The first button will calculate the CFM and the size of ducts. The second
button will calculate the CFM and pressure of ducts. The third button
will calculate the CFM, size, and pressure.
This change forces a calculation of the CFM before any other calculations
are run, which will prevent errors. It also allows you to easily calculate
the sizes of ducts without also calculating the pressure drop. This is
useful because the pressure drop calculation is time-consuming and does
not need to be run as often as the duct sizing calculations.
Drawing to Drawing Connection: The drawing to drawing connection
command no longer changes the case of the drawing names.
Negative Elevations: Negative ductwork elevations are now stored
and displayed properly.
Vertical Connect From an Offset Duct: A macro was added that makes
creating a vertical duct coming out of an offset duct easier. You select
offset duct that the vertical is coming out of and the location of the
vertical duct. The macro then inserts a set of transparent ducts automatically
to maintain the airflow. Refer to the user manual for more detail.
Coordinate Light Fixtures with Diffusers: This function now works
properly with round diffusers.
Master to Project Schedule: Copying diffusers from the master
schedule to the projects schedule now works properly.
Spaces in Diffuser Callouts: Spaces are no longer removed from
diffuser callouts. Spaces are still inserted before numbers to help maintain
the proper ordering of diffusers.
Diffuser Editing: The Edit Diffuser command has been replaced
with Query Diffuser and Edit Multiple Diffusers. The query command allows
you to look at a single diffuser and make changes to it. The edit multiple
allows you to make changes on more than one diffuser at a time.
Side Connection Graphics: The graphics for side connections have
been updated for slot and ceiling diffusers.
Transparent (Phantom) Diffuser Connections: The Phantom Diffuser
Connection function was renamed Transparent Diffuser Connection. When
you insert a transparent connection, it now inserts an extra duct so that
the ducts move properly when you move the diffuser.
Top Diffuser Connection: You can now show the connection coming
into the top of a diffuser as either an elbow (the only option previously
available) or as a tee. This change affects 2D graphics only. The 3D graphics
remain unchanged.
Diffuser Connection Offset: Perpendicular diffuser connections
now come in as centered, rather than inheriting the offset setting of
the duct they are being connected to.
Default Connection Type: The default connection type for bottom
connections is now set independently of ceiling diffusers.
Locked Diffuser Connection Shapes: Diffuser shape for ducts connection
to diffusers can automatically be locked, so you can easily implement
rectangular trunk ducts and round run-outs.
Lining: The width of lining is now specified and drawn correctly.
A two-inch duct lining will make your duct draw four inches bigger (two
on each side). You can label ducts using either their interior or exterior
dimensions. The choice of using exterior or interior duct dimensions is
set in the standards file. On round ducts, DE and DME will display the
exterior diameter (in inches and in cm). On rectangular and flat oval
ducts, WE and WME will display the exterior width and DE and DME will
display the exterior depth.
Duct Labeling: You can now append a prefix or a suffix to duct
labels on a per system basis. If you would like to add more information
to your labels, please email us a copy of your dm_hvac-standards.txt file
with a description of what prefixes or suffixes you would like included.
Dashed Ductwork: You can now more easily draw dashed ductwork.
Please contact us if you would like more information on how to configure
Design Master for this.
Ductwork That Does Not Hide The Background: There is an Option
to draw ductwork below the background so that the hide command will no
longer obscure the background.
Improved Fitting Graphics: The 2d graphics for the following fittings
were improved.
- Offset Vertical Ducts: These vertical ducts now draw correctly
all the time.
- Wyes: When a wye is used as a bullhead tee, it can be drawn without
transitions. This requires that the branch pointing to the left be set
as Flat on Right and the branch pointing to the right be set as Flat
on Left.
- Tees and Takeoffs: Previously, the layer of these fittings
was controlled completely by the main trunk duct of the fitting. Now,
the layers of the various pieces of the fitting are controlled by the
settings of the different ducts. For example, the branch duct and not
the main trunk duct control the layer of the branch.
- Straight Takeoff: The connection on this fitting to a branch
duct is now as short as possible. This change makes it possible to connect
sidewall diffusers directly to the edge of ducts.
- Variable Angle Branch: This fitting now draws correctly when
it is offset. Also, it is now inserted automatically at nodes where
the ducts are not orthogonal.
- Split Fittings: This fitting can now be drawn with square elbows
in addition to radius elbows.
Dampers: Dampers can now be moved.
Offset Vertical Ducts: This fitting now draws better in 2d.
Duct Labels: Ducts labels are now drawn above so that they are
not hidden when HIDETEXT is on.
Fittings Before Transparent Ducts: A fitting is no longer automatically
drawn before transparent ducts. This annoyance would often happen when
drawing transparent ducts through equipment.
Vertical Graphics: The vertical graphics for many situations were
improved.
Branch Fitting: Rectangular branches coming out of round trunks
draw correctly in 3d now. Previously, the rectangular branch was rotated
90 degrees.
Saving Wall Heights: Wall heights saved using the Query Wall Command
show up properly the next time you query the wall.
Load KW Display: The load KW on the load calculation dialog now
lists 2 decimals places
Zone OSA Calculations: Fixed incorrect calculation of OSA CFM
/ person for zones.
Shared Wall Points: Rooms with walls that share a common start
or end point can now be properly edited.
Break Wall: This function now divides the glass and door area
evenly between the two walls, rather than giving each wall the original
amount. This only applies when the area is set as an absolute number and
not a percentage. If it is a percentage, both walls keep the same percentage
as the original wall.
Remove Wall Node: This function now adds the glass and door area
from the two walls together for the areas in the new wall. If the areas
are a percentage, then an the average percentage is calculated and applied
to the walls.
Wall Color: Wall colors settings are properly saved now in the
wall project and master schedules.
Glass SHGC: Several releases ago the glass shading coefficient
(SC) was changed to the more commonly used solar heat gain coefficient
(SHGC), but the formulas were not adjusted accordingly. As you know, all
values of SHGC are 87% of the SC. This release has been updated to reflect
the proper definition of SHGC. Design Master was incorrectly calculating
the glass load. We were using the glass Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)
as the Shading Coefficient (SC). This resulted in glass loads that were
about 15% too low. SHGC is equal to SC multiplied by 0.87.
To maintain consistent load numbers between the two versious, the SHGC
for all glass defined in project schedules was multiplied by 0.87. This
will balance out the change we made to the glass load formula, resulting
in loads that are the same.
Glass SHGC in Master Glass Schedules: Previously, the SHGC of all the
master glass schedules were set to a default of 1.0. This release includes
updated values for the SHGC with numbers The SHGC numbers in the master
schedule will be updated to reflect better numbers based upon charts 4
and 13 of Chapter 30 in the 2001 ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook.
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