Autodesk Ecotect Analysis is an environmental analysis tool that allows designers to simulate building performance right from the earliest stages of conceptual design. It combines a wide array of detailed analysis functions with a highly visual and interactive display that presents analytical results directly within the context of the building model, enabling it to communicate complex concepts and extensive datasets in surprisingly intuitive and effective ways.
Ecotect was acquired by Autodesk in June 2008 from Square One Research and adds to an already formidable array of analytical and sustainable design tools that augment the Revit BIM environment. Ecotect is quite different from other analysis tools in that it specifically targets the earliest stages of design, a time when simple decisions can have far-reaching effects on not just energy but almost every aspect of the performance of the final project. It’s intuitive wizard-based approach and range of data visualization options mean that designers can engage with complex performance issues quicker, earlier and at a much higher level. An engagement with simulation and analysis at a time when the design is sufficiently ‘plastic’ and able to respond is critical to achieving the high levels of performance being demanded of modern buildings.