Systems Analysis for Mechanical Design Using Revit
Overview
Get the skills to perform early-stage mechanical system design and analysis. Start by analyzing heating and cooling loads, equipment sizing, and system performance to make an early impact on your design requirements. Then create analytical systems that describe the location, equipment, and services included during analysis. Review workflows that consider the impact of Revit spaces, as well as the effect of material thermal properties. Then create an energy model and review analysis results in detailed and loads reports.
After completing this course, you’ll be able to:
- Review and establish energy settings.
- Understand and apply Revit spaces and associated properties.
- Define analytical water loops, air systems, and zone equipment.
- Create and assess an energy model.
- Perform a systems analysis.
- Review and understand analytical space properties.
- Produce and review a detailed report and a loads report.
- Change project details and observe effects of the analysis results.
- Perform a comparative analysis to assess the effect of change on physical system requirements.

Course modules
Getting started
The systems analysis workflow is a larger framework that begins with concept stage energy analysis and leads to HVAC systems sizing and selection. This end-to-end workflow is the wider context for the sections in this course.
Revit spaces are an integral part of performing systems analysis in a project. Understanding the options for creating and managing Revit spaces is key to determining your approach to systems analysis.
Systems analysis gives you a fast, simple, and flexible way to consider design options without having to create a physical model or system. Use these analytical systems at an early stage in your project to get the basis for load calculations, equipment selection, sizing, and system simulation.
After creating zone equipment and analytical systems, you’ll want to consider the application of system zones. System zones are used to designate areas of the building that'll be served by specific analytical systems and zone equipment.
The energy model is an abstraction of a building's overall form and layout into a computational network. This network captures all of the key paths and processes of heat transfer throughout the building.
Building materials and related thermal properties are a key variable in the outcome of a systems analysis. When creating an energy model from a linked architectural model, the material choices will depend upon the way the architectural model has been created and the material selections made in the Revit energy settings.
A systems analysis can be performed once the analytical spaces and systems are in place. This systems analysis will provide the basis for load calculations, plant selection, sizing, and system simulation.
Course challenge exercise
Final test