Thursday, June 29, 2023

Early Energy Modeling with Autodesk Insight - Free YouTube Course

The third of three courses I am making freely available is fully uploaded: Early Energy Modeling with Autodesk Insight!

This course covers the same workflows we use at Lake|Flato, which results in the data we enter into the AIA 2030 Committment DDX... all of which is free if you already have Autodesk Revit.

Course highlights:
  • 14 Videos
  • 1.0+ hours

This course is ideal for anyone interested in early energy modeling in an architectural practice. Even experienced Insight users will find value in the tips and tricks offered throughout the course.


keep reading to learn more...

This course provides an in-depth look at Insight and how to use it with Revit to better understand your building's performance.


Playlist link:


Course Description

Energy modeling and building performance simulation are critical tools to help you understand the impact of design decisions on your building's performance. These tools are also essential to demonstrate your building meets specific energy guidelines.

Autodesk Insight is an online tool from Autodesk that calculates building energy use and performance. It is integrated into Revit and provides visualizations on key building performance metrics. 

This course provides an in-depth look at Insight and how you can use it with Revit to better understand your building's performance.  

Course Objectives

  • Create massing models in Revit for energy simulation.
  • Conduct building performance simulations using Insight.
  • Develop different scenarios in Insight to compare design options.
  • Experiment with different Revit elements and model settings to better understand their impact on building performance.
  • Analyze Insight results to determine the best design options to meet your project's performance goals. 

Video Index


01 - Introduction
  01.1 - Course Objectives
  01.2 - Getting Started with Insight
  01.3 - PDF Guide

02 - Overview
  02.1 - Quick Overview
  03 - Location and Site

03.1 - Changing Location
  03.2 - Adding Site Context
  04 - Massing and Modeling

04.1 - Massing Options
  04.2 - Massing with Building Elements
  04.3 - Model Elements
  05 - Revit Inputs

05.1 - Material Inputs
  05.2 - Future Addition

06 - Advanced Modeling
  06.1 - Complex Building Massing
  06.2 - Complex Building Elements

07 - Additional Topics
  07.1 - Export to AIA 2030 DDx
  07.2 - Team Involvement

08 - Conclusion
  08.1 - Conclusion

Not the Only Option

Autodesk Insight is not the only tool on the market for early energy modeling for architects. I recommend you use a tool rather than no tool at all. This results in design teams asking questions and challenging assumptions and traditional thinking on building performance.

Another tool in this space is Climate Studio, an add-in for Rhino. I wrote a blog post comparing Insight with Climate Studio: EARLY ENERGY MODELING AND COMPARING TOOLS TO VALIDATE RESULTS.



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Lighting design professionals: check out my Revit & ElumTools training https://bit.ly/3NJjhCV