How to use LB+HB functions in a C# script

scripting
1

Dear friends and colleagues,

I am writing to ask if it is possible to use Ladybug and Honeybee functions in a C# scripting component or in Visual Studio under Grasshopper template?

If yes, is there any source to learn how to do that?

Thank you very much in advance,

Cheers,

Saeed

2

LB&HB is created by Python sothat I think it is impossible to decode into C#.

3

So, is it possible to use them in a Python scripting component?

4

You can use them in python components if you use the new libraries. The legacy plugin is not developed as a library so you have to copy-paste the code or load them from ladybug_ladybug component which is not very elegant. Here is the link to the new WIP libraries:

ladybug: https://github.com/ladybug-tools/ladybug

honeybee: https://github.com/ladybug-tools/honeybee

honeybee-grasshopper: https://github.com/ladybug-tools/honeybee-grasshopper

You can always wrap your python script in a file and call it from inside C# code. Also check this solution: https://github.com/pythonnet/pythonnet#example

1 Like
5

Thank you Mostapha,

Is there any sample code which shows how to use “lagacy honeybee for Grasshopper” for energy simulation?

6

There is no sample code but you can check the code inside Export to EnergyPlus and OpenStudio components. Click on Source code in these pages:

https://mostapharoudsari.gitbooks.io/honeybee-primer/content/text/c…

and

https://mostapharoudsari.gitbooks.io/honeybee-primer/content/text/c…

7

Thank you very much Mostapha, I do appreciate your consideration and support.

8

@mostapha @MingboPeng I would like to bring some Ladybug/Honeybee functionalities (for example HB weekly schedule) into a custom C# component.
What is the best solution?

  1. Using IronBug?
  2. Calling the Ladybug or Honeybee component from the C# component.
  3. Wrapping the python code of the component as you mentioned above in the discussion?

Thank for the help.

9

Hi @sonomirco ,

I think @MingboPeng might have some ideas about this. I know that he calls some of the libraries loaded in IronPython using C# in the Pollination Rhino Plugin.

10

Cool!
Looking forward to hearing from him!
Thanks, @chris

11

@mostapha and @MingboPeng any suggestions?
Thanks.

12

Hi @sonomirco,
In order to help you, I will need more details on how you want to use LBT objects in the C# component? What does your C# component do?

13

Hi @MingboPeng
Internally we have some custom components which work in combination with LBT.
For example, one component collects data from BCA - Building Control Act
that are fed into the Weekly Schedule HB component.
So the idea is to bring the functionality of the LBT component into the custom component so I can get immediately the output I need, without the need of using 2 nodes all the time.

14

Hi @sonomirco,

I just created an example for you to create a new schedule in C# and convert it to python object that you can output to downstream LBT components.

(I haven’t tested it, but you get the ideas)

        public static List<object> ToPythonObjs()
        {
            // create C# model
            var model = new HoneybeeSchema.Model("SomeID", HoneybeeSchema.ModelProperties.Default);

            var newScheduleDay = new HoneybeeSchema.ScheduleDay("MyScheduleDay", new List<double> { 1 });
            var newSchedule = new HoneybeeSchema.ScheduleRuleset("MyScheduleID", new List<HoneybeeSchema.ScheduleDay> { newScheduleDay }, "MyScheduleDay");
            model.Properties.Energy.Schedules.Add(newSchedule);
            //Or 
            //model.AddSchedules(new List<HoneybeeSchema.ScheduleRuleset> { newSchedule });

            // set up Python runtime
            var pyRun = Rhino.Runtime.PythonScript.Create();
            // convert the model to json sting and set to "_hb_str" in python 
            pyRun.SetVariable("_hb_str", model.ToJson());
            string pyScript =
$@"

import honeybee.dictutil as hb_dict_util 
from honeybee.model import Model 
import json

hb_dict = json.loads(_hb_str)
model = hb_dict_util.dict_to_object(hb_dict, False)
objects = model.properties.energy.schedules;

";
            // execute python script
            pyRun.ExecuteScript(pyScript);
            // get output objects
            var objs = pyRun.GetVariable("objects");
            var pyObjs = (objs as IList<object>)?.ToList();
            return pyObjs;
        }
1 Like
15

Thanks @MingboPeng
I assume the HoneybeeShema is come from here?
And the ‘from honeybee.model import Model’ from here
Ok, you are using the Rhino runtime. Did you try pythonnet?

Is ladybug-grasshopper-dotnet the way of calling LB nodes? I don’t see schemas for it.

16

Hi @sonomirco,

You are correct about the first two.
No, I haven’t tried pythonnet.

No ladybug-grasshopper-dotnet is not something else, you can install the HoneybeeSchema via NuGet.

1 Like
17

Thanks @MingboPeng
I’ll try the solution, and see how it works, as well as the use of pythonnet.
It will be interesting to bring the node-in-code capability to LB nodes.

18

Hey @MingboPeng
LBT.Newtonsoft.Json clashes with Newtonsoft.Json.Rhino.dll funny enough I can use Newtonsoft.Json but the compiler raises the error that doesn’t know which one has to use, but I can’t associate one.

19

Hi @sonomirco, have you tried to set Aliases for any of Newtonsoft’s references?

1 Like
20

Yeah is what I am going to do.
But is quite an annoying thing, for the same reasons expressed in this post.