The Ceilings of a Zone are distinct from the Floors of the Zone, even if they share similar geometry & many features.
A Ceiling is created automatically when a Zone is drawn and might be automatically Split and Connected to any Floors on Levels above on creation.
CEILINGS WITHIN THE VISUAL VIEW
Selecting
Ceilings are selected in the Visual View if the Floor / Ceiling Visual Layer is currently set to Ceiling on the Visual View’s Top Toolbar. For further information on the Floor / Ceiling Visual Layer see: Visual View Top Toolbar
Ceilings can also be selected within the Data-Grid within the Ceiling tab.
Ceilings share the Select Parent Context-menu item similar to most objects (or it’s 🖱 Double Left-Click mouse shortcut). In this case, the action selects the parent Zone of the Ceiling.
Deleting
Ceilings cannot be Deleted, instead they must be Merged back together with any Split Ceilings of the Zone. Ceilings are merged by using the Merge Drawing Mode which is explained in further detail in Split & Merge Drawing Mode
Splitting Ceilings
Ceilings can be Split into separate Ceilings within a Zone through various means.
Firstly they can be Split manually by the user using the Split Drawing Mode feature (Split & Merge Drawing Mode). This is typically performed when the Ceilings across a zone have differing properties such as Assembly or Construction, or Insulation or External Colour or Adjacency.
E.g. In the Kitchen/Dining/Living Room below which is modelled as a single Zone, the Ceiling changes from an Attic type (i.e. Ceiling is adjacent to a Roofspace Zone), to a “Raked” Flat Roof Ceiling section (i.e. is not adjacent to a Roofspace).
To model this situation, we would Split the Ceiling into two using the Split Drawing Mode feature (set to “Split Ceilings Only” Sub-Mode), and then assign the characteristics of the Flat Ceiling as required within the Ceiling Data-Grid.
Automatic Splits
Ceilings are also Split Automatically by Hero when any adjacent Floors are detected on the Level above. This can occur after a new Zone has been created or when Floors or Ceilings are moved.
Offset Points
Ceilings can have Points added to their polygon shape after they’ve been created.
To do so, 🖱 Right-Click near an edge of a Ceiling (not clicking a Wall) and select the Add Point action.
This will add a Ceiling Point at the location as well as to any adjoining Ceilings, and to any Floors at that location if appropriate.
These Points are not shared with any Wall point, if you desire to add the point to a Wall point as well as a Floor/Ceiling point then you should use the Split Wall feature.
These Ceiling Points can be deleted by 🖱 Right-Click them and choosing the Delete Point action. If the Point can be validly deleted while keeping the Ceiling polygon regular, then the Point will be deleted.
These Ceiling Points are also created when Ceilings are automatically or manually split by Hero.
Moving
Ceiling Points can be moved around within the Visual View by 🖱 Left-Clicking & Dragging the Ceiling Points. If there is a Floor Point sharing this Point, it will also be moved. Similar to many Move actions, holding ⌨ Shift-key while moving will lock the move in a straight ↔ or ↕ direction.
Auto-Merge
Note that at the end of a Move, Hero performs a check for whether the Ceilings within a Zone should Auto-Merge. This feature is required to reduce the number of Ceilings that get created through splits & moving points.
A Ceiling will automatically merge back into other similar Ceilings if they share similar properties such as Assembly, Insulation, Colour & Adjacency type.
If you have just split a Ceiling and then are trying to adjust the points of the Split, to avoid this Auto-Merging of similar Ceilings you should change the properties of the newly split Ceiling to the different properties that it represents before doing the move point, otherwise you’ll merge the newly split Ceiling and have to repeat yourself.
CEILING CONSTRUCTIONS
Similar to Walls & Floors, Ceilings have a Construction or Assembly as well as Ceiling Insulation & Roof Insulation Options that defines the material makeup of the Ceiling for Simulation. Theses are discussed in further detail in the Data-Grid section below.
CEILINGS WITHIN THE DATA-GRID
Property | Description | Edited Within |
|---|---|---|
Assembly | Hero has a variety of Ceilings Assemblies that can be used, and these are visible within the Construction column of the Ceiling Data-Grid. The current Assemblies include assemblies of the following Types:
Changing the Assembly in the Data-Grid may change the Adjacency type of the Ceiling if required such as when changing from a Flat Roof Assembly which has a External Adjacency to a Roofspace Assembly which changes the adjacency to Roofspace adjacency. Internal Floor/Ceiling ConstructionsWhen a Ceiling has an Adjacent Floor above it, such as on a two-story dwelling, or between two apartment dwellings, the full material buildup for the Assembly is determined by both the Floor & the Ceiling’s properties. An Internal Ceiling can only have a plasterboard ceiling or exposed ceiling Assembly applied to it; and the internal Ceiling will not be able to have Insulation applied to it in the Data-Grid. If this internal Floor/Ceiling is to be insulated, the insulation is to be applied to the Floor above. The complete material build-up that will be Simulated is the Floor Covering + the Floor Assembly + any Floor Insulation + the Ceiling Assembly below. | Construction Column |
Type | In addition to the Construction or Assembly of the Ceiling, the Ceiling Data-Grid also contains a Type column that is used for reference & information but that if changed may change both the Assembly and Adjacency Type to the relevant defaults for that Type as required. See above Assembly row for details. | Type Column |
Ceiling Insulation | A Ceiling has two Insulation Options, Ceiling & Roof, that are positioned accordingly within the Assembly. This feature was implemented to enable flexibility & rapid design changes to both common Insulation locations within the Hero interface. The Ceiling Insulation Option is the Insulation Material(s):
| Ceiling Insulation Column |
Roof Insulation | The Roof Insulation of the Ceiling. See above Ceiling Insulation section for details. The Roof Insulation is the Insulation Material(s):
| Roof Insulation Column |
Ceiling Pitch | For raked or sloped ceilings within a Zone, the Pitch can be entered in degrees. This is the Internal Pitch of the Internal Ceiling Layer of the Ceiling, and not the pitch of the External Roof. The Pitch of the External Roof of a Ceiling is set by Hero automatically and cannot currently be adjusted. The Pitched Area of a Ceiling is shown in the Data-Grid Area column in square metres and represents gross area not accounting for any Skylight area. The Area is the Pitched Area, in that any Pitch entered in the Pitch column will automatically adjust the 2D Area of the Ceiling to account for the increase in area by any slope or raked Ceiling. E.g. In a Zone with 100m2 floor area, if the Ceiling Pitch was entered in the Ceiling Pitch column as 30 degrees, then the Area automatically adjusts to 115.5m2 | Pitch Column |
Area (Pitched Area) | The Pitched Area (see above) of the Ceiling in Square Metres. Can only be adjusted as the Ceiling is moved & adjusted within the Visual View. | Visual View |
External Colour | The External Colour (and it’s associated Solar Absorptance) of a Ceiling can be selected within the External Colour column of the Ceiling Data-Grid. | Colour Column |
Adjacency | The Adjacency Type of the Ceiling (see below for full details) | Adjacency Column |
Roofspace Ventilation | Ceilings with a Roofspace Adjacency can toggle the Ventilation Rate of that Roofspace Zone through the Ventilation column of the Ceiling Data-Grid. Roofspace Zones & Ventilation Rates are described in further detail in the Zones section. | Roofspace Ventilation Column |
Adjacency Types
Similar to Walls & Floors, Ceilings have a variety of different Adjacency Conditions that are determined by whether the Ceiling is adjacent to actual model objects or that can be selected manually be the user.
Most “Automatic” Adjacency Types (i.e. those determined by Hero) cannot be changed within the Data-Grid Adjacency Column, whereas the Manual Options can.
Adjacency Type | Description | Editable within Data Grid |
|---|---|---|
External | The Ceiling is directly adjacent to External Environment. This Adjacency Type is used for Flat Roofs where no Roofspace is present between the Ceiling & the External Environment. If Adjacency Type is changed to External within the Ceiling Data-Grid then the Assembly, Type and potentially Insulation may change as appropriate for an External Adjacency. | Yes |
Roofspace | The Ceiling is adjacent to a Roofspace Zone. This Adjacency Type is used for Attic Roofs where a large air volume is created between the Ceiling & the External Environment. When a Ceiling has a Roofspace Adjacency, Hero will automatically create a Roofspace Zone above the Ceiling, or if a Roofspace Zone already exists on that Level, will expand the Roofspace Zone to encompass the area above the newly changed Ceiling. If Adjacency Type is changed to Roofspace within the Ceiling Data-Grid then the Assembly, Type and potentially Insulation may change as appropriate for an Roofspace Adjacency. | Yes |
Internal | Ceilings adjacent to a Floor from the same Dwelling | No |
Neighbouring (Actual Connection) | Ceiling adjacent to a Floor from a different Dwelling. Neighbouring Adjacency Types are simulated as Adiabatic boundaries in the Simulation meaning that no effective heat transfer is modelled between them. | No |
Neighbouring (Manual Selection) | Ceilings adjacent to a Conditioned Space that is not part of the Hero model (i.e. Adjacent Buildings, Commercial Spaces etc). Neighbouring Adjacency Types are simulated as Adiabatic boundaries in the Simulation meaning that no effective heat transfer is modelled between them. | Yes |
Carpark | Ceilings adjacent to an actual Carpark Zone that is part of the Common Area Dwelling | No |
Corridor | Ceilings adjacent to an actual Corridor Zone that is part of the Common Area Dwelling | No |