Engineering On Demand puts the architect back in the driver’s seat by giving them instant feedback on HVAC space requirements.  The plugin does this by producing a separate, automatically generated, HVAC model based on the architect’s model.  It then imports “Placement Blocks” that represent the size and shape of the HVAC space requirements into the architectural model, which the architect can then move around the project to better fit the building.

As the project grows, changes and information is added, the architect can re-run the plugin to see the impact on the HVAC space requirements.

The plugin can be used with “rule-of-thumb” engineering values, so even if you don’t have windows or thermal properties defined yet, it can still provide a good estimate of mechanical room space requirements.

The engineer who receives the model can then use Ripple’s HVAC Toolkit to make any modifications they see fit. This fosters better communication between the architect and engineer, which leads to a smoother and quicker design process.  Most importantly, it removes surprise mechanical room requirements that always seem to come at the end of the job.

When using Engineering On Demand, the expectation is:

1. Ripple’s HVAC manufacturers are used as the basis of design for the project. Ripple only uses the highest-quality manufacturers for each equipment type and the equipment can still be bid, so we don’t anticipate this being an issue.
2. The engineer of record who receives the automated model has an account with Ripple. Engineering On Demand has a partner program that allows individual assumptions to be modified. It’s important that the engineer of record understands the assumptions and how to change them.

Note: This app uses a custom installer (and not the standard App Store installer).