eplusout.wrl[LINK]

The VRML output report file is formatted according to the “Virtual Reality Modeling Language” standard rules for representing building type surfaces. The file can be used in several inexpensive, shareware or freeware viewers. There are a variety of stand alone and viewers integrated within browsers. A good list of viewers can be found at:

http://cic.nist.gov/vrml/vbdetect.html

This site detects what, if any, VRML plugin is installed in your browser as well as gives a list of active ones with links to their sites.

This file is generated when the following line is included in the IDF.

Output:Surfaces:Drawing, VRML;

In addition, like the DXF output, you can ask it to triangulate (algorithm within EnergyPlus) surfaces with >4 sides:

Output:Surfaces:Drawing, VRML, Triangulate 3dface;

Most viewers will illustrate a solid model by default:

Figure 10. VRML output - solid model

With some/many viewers, you can also see a wireframe model; some will even fill this model. Also, viewers can triangulate any surface that isn’t labeled as “convex” by the software writing the file (i.e. EnergyPlus). However, this triangulation may not be correct so you may wish to do it from within EnergyPlus as illustrated above.

A wireframe model of the same building as above is:

Figure 11. VRML output - wireframe model

The actual file produced is a text file. EnergyPlus adds some comments, such as the list of zone names and surface names before each coordinate specification. The line/solid colors are set as Floor, Wall, etc. so the file is somewhat readable.

#VRML V2.0 utf8
WorldInfo {
   title "Building - Building"
   info ["EnergyPlus Program Version EnergyPlus <version>, 9/14/2006 1:31 PM"]
}
# Zone Names
# Zone = 1:PLENUM-1
# Zone = 2:SPACE1-1
# Zone = 3:SPACE2-1
# Zone = 4:SPACE3-1
# Zone = 5:SPACE4-1
# Zone = 6:SPACE5-1
Shape {
appearance DEF FLOOR Appearance {
material Material { diffuseColor 0.502 0.502 0.502 }
}
}

# PLENUM-1:WALL-1PF
Shape {
appearance USE WALL
geometry IndexedFaceSet {
solid TRUE
coord DEF Surf5 Coordinate {
point [
        0.00000         0.00000         3.00000,
        0.00000         0.00000         2.40000,
       26.41377       -15.25000         2.40000,
       26.41377       -15.25000         3.00000,
]
}
coordIndex [
 0 1 2 3 -1
]
ccw TRUE
solid TRUE
}
}

# PLENUM-1:WALL-1PR
Shape {
appearance USE WALL
geometry IndexedFaceSet {
solid TRUE
coord DEF Surf6 Coordinate {
point [
       26.41377       -15.25000         3.00000,
       26.41377       -15.25000         2.40000,
       34.01377        -2.08641         2.40000,
       34.01377        -2.08641         3.00000,
]
}
coordIndex [
 0 1 2 3 -1
]
ccw TRUE
solid TRUE
}
}