Spaces is the model area editor of the ENVI-met suite. It is where you can build the three-dimensional model of your study site: buildings, vegetation, terrain, soils and surfaces, pollutant sources and the receptor points where you want detailed results.
An ENVI-met model area is a grid of cells. Each cell can hold part of a building, a plant, a soil profile, terrain, a source or a receptor. You can draw a model area from scratch in Spaces, or create it from geodata or a 3D model with our QGIS, SketchUp or Rhino/Grasshopper plugins and then check and refine it in Spaces. Using one of our plugins to create a model and using Spaces to check/refine it is the recommended way to use Spaces.
Spaces is a powerful tool. For a full guided walkthrough we recommend the free ENVI-met Onboarding Course.
Where Spaces fits in your workflow
Build the model area in Spaces (open it from the Launcher with Edit model area). Spaces saves it as a model area file (.INX).
Set up the simulation in Simulation Settings, where you select the model area file and define the meteorology. This creates the simulation file (.SIMX).
Run the simulation, then analyse the results in the visualization and thermal comfort tools.
Key concepts
Grid cells. The model area is divided into x-, y- and z-grids. The cell size (dx, dy, dz) sets the spatial resolution and has a large effect on simulation time.
Projects. Select your project before you start (project selector at the top right of the window). This makes your project's own database items available, and Spaces needs a selected project to save your model area.
Concept Design and Detailed Design. A new model area starts in Concept Design (2.5D): each grid column holds one building block with a top and bottom height, and materials apply to the whole building. Detailed Design (full 3D) lets you edit every cell in 3D, for example individual facade segments, overhangs and single walls. Switch with Edit ▸ General ▸ Convert to Detailed Design…. Converting back to Concept Design removes the detailed 3D information, so plan your vertical grid before converting (see below).
No undo. Spaces has no undo function. Save regularly, and use Save model as… to keep versions.
Recommended resolution: 2 m with splitting. We strongly advise against using a grid resolution finer than 2 m. ENVI-met's processes work most accurately at a resolution of 2 m combined with splitting of the lowest grid cell. A finer resolution does not improve your results; it only increases the computational demand. The 2 m resolution with splitting can also be combined with telescoping (see Finding the right vertical grid below).
Exception: if your model area contains terrain (DEM), switch off both splitting and telescoping.
The Spaces window
The ribbon at the top holds the main commands:
Tab | What you find there |
Start | Create a new model area or edit the settings of the current one (Edit Area / Create New Area), open and save model areas |
Edit | Analyse model… (Model Analyser), convert between Concept and Detailed Design, add empty cells at the borders, cut the model area to a marked section |
View | Switch to the 3D view (Open 3D View…) and control the 3D camera |
Digitize | Load a background image to trace over (shown when Advanced Settings is switched on) |
User Info | Your account and licence information |
Help | Forum, wiki, video tutorials and the list of Shortcuts |
At the top right you find the Advanced Settings switch (shows additional tools), the project selector and a button to open the Workspace Manager.
Below the ribbon are three panels:
Objects (left): one tab per type of object you can place: Buildings, Vegetation, DEM / Terrain, Soil and surface, Receptor/ Marker, Sources and Single Walls (Detailed Design in the 3D view only).
Model Area (centre): the 2D map of your model, or the 3D view, with a toolbar for zoom, grid, north arrow, markers and image export.
Model Information (right): details of whatever is under your cursor, such as building number, heights, materials, plants, soil profile and terrain height.
How editing works
Choose the tab of the object type in the Objects panel, for example Buildings.
Select what you want to place (a material, a plant, a soil profile, a source…) and set its properties, for example the building height.
Choose Add, Remove or No Action.
Click or drag on the map to edit cells.
On the Soil and surface tab every click assigns the selected profile. There is no Remove, because every cell needs a surface.
Right-click a building to open its tools: apply materials and greenings, set a building name, set its indoor climate or add it to the building output.
Heights and IDs are written into the cells once you zoom in far enough. If you don't see them, zoom in.
To look at your model in 3D, click View ▸ Open 3D View….
Getting started: create a new model area
Select your project at the top right of the window.
Click Start ▸ Edit Area / Create New Area (Ctrl+N). The window Change or create model domain settings opens.
Model Location: enter the name, latitude, longitude and time zone of your site, or use Find location…. This setting matters: the solar radiation in the simulation is calculated from the position on Earth.
Model Geometry: set the number of x-, y- and z-grids, the cell size (dx, dy, dz), the vertical grid options (splitting and telescoping, see below) and, if needed, the model rotation out of grid north. We recommend a cell size of 2 m with splitting, optionally combined with telescoping, and strongly advise against going below 2 m: a finer resolution does not improve your results and only increases the computational demand. If your model area will contain terrain (DEM), switch off splitting and telescoping. ENVI-met LITE is limited to 50 x 50 x 40 grids.
Georeference and DEM Level (optional): the coordinates of the lower left grid and the height above sea level of terrain level 0.
Default Settings: the default wall and roof material for new buildings.
Surrounding Area: describe what lies beyond each border of your model with a preset, for example "Compact mid-rise" or "Open water".
Description and Copyrights (optional): notes stored with the model.
Click Create new empty area. To change the settings of an existing model later, open the same window and click Apply changes to existing area instead. (Create new empty area always starts a new, empty model.)
Place your buildings, vegetation, terrain, soils, sources and receptors, check the model with Edit ▸ Analyse model…, and save it with Start ▸ Save model as….
Finding the right vertical grid
Most ENVI-met studies analyse outdoor thermal comfort near the ground, so they need a fine vertical resolution there. As a rule of thumb, the model area should be at least twice as high as the highest building. With tall buildings this quickly needs many z-cells: a 100 m building needs 100 z-cells at 2 m resolution to reach twice its height and still give results at 1 m. In models without terrain, you can reduce the number of z-cells in three ways:
Telescoping stretches the cells above a start height. Each cell is larger than the one below it by the telescoping factor. Start telescoping at or above the height of your highest building, so the buildings are still gridded correctly. Example: with a telescoping factor of 20 % and a start height of 60 m, 45 cells instead of 100 reach more than 200 m.
Splitting divides the lowest grid cell into 5 sub-cells. You keep high-resolution results near the ground while using a coarser vertical resolution, for example 5 m, above. Example: with splitting and 5 m resolution, 41 cells reach more than 200 m and you still get results at, for example, 1.5 m height.
Both combined: with splitting, 5 m resolution and the telescoping settings above, 22 cells reach more than 200 m. You can invest the saved cells in a finer resolution (3 or 4 m), more free air above the buildings, or a gentler telescoping factor.
Models with terrain (DEM): switch off splitting and telescoping. The vertical grid is built upwards from the bottom of the model area, not from the local ground surface. Where the terrain is raised, the fine split cells end up inside the terrain, so the air cells directly above the ground are regular full-height cells: you lose the fine resolution near the ground while the model still carries the extra cells. Telescoping is also measured from the bottom of the model area, so on raised terrain the stretched cells start closer to the ground than intended.
When it loads a model with terrain and splitting, ENVI-met shows this warning: "Model Area Warning: Splitting enabled and DEM included. That is impractical and computationally inefficient. It is strongly recommended to either disable splitting or remove the DEM."
For models with terrain, use an even vertical grid (for example 2 m) and allow for the additional z-cells this needs.
Settle the vertical grid before you digitize your model area in detail. A Detailed Design model has to be converted back to Concept Design if its vertical grid changes, and its 3D details are lost.
Use the Model Analyser (Edit ▸ Analyse model…) to check your grid: it shows every vertical level, checks the space between your highest building or terrain point and the model top, and lets you try different telescoping settings.
Keep the model borders free
Leave a few cells at every model border without buildings. Terrain, soil profiles and plants can still be placed there. Buildings close to the border can block or channel the wind flow, which can cause instabilities and crashes. As a rule of thumb, the distance between the model border and the first building should be half the building height, which usually means 4–8 free cells at each border. The Model Analyser shows the smallest distance between your buildings and the border.
Soil profiles under terrain
Where you add terrain (DEM), the soil profiles underneath are hidden in the view but still used correctly in the simulation.
Models from earlier ENVI-met versions
Spaces 6.0 can open model areas from earlier versions. When you save, the file is replaced with the new 6.0 format, so keep a copy of your older files if you still need them. Older models get a default surrounding area ("Compact mid-rise" on all borders); check and adjust it in the Surrounding Area tab.
Keyboard shortcuts
Shortcut | Action |
Ctrl + N | New model area / model area settings |
Ctrl + O | Open a model area |
Ctrl + S | Save the model area |
Ctrl + Q | Add mode |
Ctrl + W | Remove mode |
Shift + Move mouse (no click) | Move the camera (3D view) |
Ctrl + Move mouse (no click) | Rotate the camera (3D view) |
Scroll | Zoom the camera (3D view) |
You can also find this list in Spaces under Help ▸ Shortcuts.
Learn more
Materials and Objects Library: create and edit the materials, plants, soils and sources you place in Spaces
Local Climate Zones (LCZ) in summary: background for the surrounding area presets
Simulation Settings: the next step after building your model area