Custom Library of Materials

grasshopper honeybee-legacy
1

I’m starting to define a bunch of custom EP materials and constructions for honeybee, and I was wondering if these are specific to the Grasshopper file you are working in? For example, if I make those materials in one GH file, are they then accessible from the EP construction library for any other file I might make down the line? Is there a way to build up a central library of constructions that you can use on many different projects? Like just have one Grasshopper file where you define all you constructions, and then be able to reference those in many other files?

2

I will recommend editing the userCustomEPLibrary.idf that can be found in your C:\Users%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Ladybug\ or C:\ladybug folders.
This file will give you access to the general EP library for materials, constructions, schedules, etc that is defined in there.
The local definitions you are doing now are good for the specific file you are working on.

-A.

3

Thanks Abraham,

So when you use the “CallFromEPConstructionLibrary” component, you are calling from that userCustomEPLibrary.idf file? Can you edit that file somewhere if you have a custom material that you want to be able to reuse without creating it in every new project?

4

Yes

use Honeybee_Add to Energyplus library component

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5

Ahh I understand now. Thanks!

6

Hi! I have a qustion if this still up to date, I can not seem to find this component?
If it is not up to date, what would be the way to add a custom construction to a library that is available in all GH documents?

7

You can check the creating_constructions.gh file in the Exmples folder.
-A.

8

Thank you @AbrahamYezioro!

I found an answer. I’ll put it down here for others.

  1. Use the components HB Opaque Material + HB Opaque Construction + HB Object to String
  2. Copy the data from the HB Object to String output.
  3. Paste this text in the file ‘user_library.json’ in C:\Users*Username*\ladybug_tools\resources\standards\honeybee_standards\constructionsets

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9

An addition: what I described above just works to write one Construction in the file.
If you don’t want to mess with the JSON for multiple Constructions in one file, use the component described here: Import JSON ConstrucitonSets? - #8 by chris

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