Although our Energy3D software is billed as a piece of building simulation and engineering software, it has also become a powerful tool for constructing 3D models of buildings. With even more enhancements in the latest version (v 5.3.2), users can create incredibly complex structures in a short time.

Guanhua Chen, a graduate student from the University of Miami in Florida who joined my team this week as a summer intern, created an unbelievably detailed model of Ulm Minster — in JUST ONE DAY. In total, his model has 373 elements.

Considering that he is very new to Energy3D (though he previously had some experiences with Maya and Unity3D), this somehow indicates just how easy Energy3D may be for 3D modeling, especially for novices. (As a matter of fact, I must confess that we cheated a bit because, as he was working on it, I rushed to add new features to the software on the fly to address his complaints. Then he just restarted the program and got onto a more performant version).

This capability will be extremely useful for engineering design, which must address both structure and function and their relationship. Being able to create complex structures rapidly and then study their functions based on the building simulation and solar simulation engines of Energy3D allows users to explore many design options and test them immediately, a feature that is critically important to engineering education.