The lower or upper edge of the window overlaps with the floor or ceiling surface due to the widths of these surfaces, or the left or right window edge overlaps with an adjacent wall. For more information on investigating and resolving this error please visit the associated FAQ in the 3D Modeller section.

You cannot create spaces within spaces without creating an insertion point for the inner space to occupy. If you create two Tas storeys both at ground level (Level = 0m) and create boxes on each storey that occupy the same Cartesian coordinates, then the spaces will overlap, or intersect each other. In other words, you would have a box within a box.

Suppose instead you modelled a 6mx6mx6m box on a ground floor storey. Imagine that you have used null walls to demarcate a 1m² zone on the south-east corner. Create a new storey on the same level as the ground floor elevation but with a default wall height of 3m instead of 6m. Copy the bounding walls of the 1m² zone using the Copy to Storey(s) facility. Raise the floor height of the 1m² zone contained within the 6mx6mx6m box from 0m to 3m. You will have created an inner space within the original box for the 1mx1mx3m space to occupy.

For a surface in Tas to be classed as exposed it must be adjacent to the outside, i.e. it is exposed to the external climate.

An external wall is exposed. A roof is exposed. An overhang is exposed. An entrance door is exposed. Anything internal to the building is classed as a “link” and is not classed as exposed.

A null surface is treated as an aperture in Tas. It is unusual to have an exposed null surface which is adjacent to a zone. It can obviously lead to high heating and cooling loads in amongst causing other simulation problems.

This error will also generate Warning – Spaces requires an external zone to be assigned.

Suppose you have created a 3mx3mx3m box with a partition or party wall dividing the space into two distinct areas on either side. If you were to reduce the ceiling height of one area to 2m and raise both the floor and ceiling height of the adjacent area to 3m and 5m respectively then the adjacent spaces will have been “sheared” vertically with respect to the party wall.

The two spaces will no longer be in contact with each other. You will be able to see this effect in a 3D Floors view. The adjacent zones will not be “linked” and it will appear that the internal partition is exposed on either side.

Tas treats null surfaces as apertures. A null surface represents a non-physical boundary which is modelled as a highly conductive surface transmitting all solar radiation and absorbing all long-wave radiation. You cannot position a window within a null surface.

Conversely to window types, a shade type can not be located within any element other than a null element. A vertical shading device can only be located within a null wall and a roof shading device can only be located within a null ceiling surface. See the associated FAQ in the 3D Modeller section for information on modelling an external shading device applied to a null ceiling element.

You cannot model curved surfaces in Tas. You must approximate the curvature of the surface by sub-dividing the surface using null walls. Suppose you have drawn a 3mx3mx3m box. If you raise the North East edge by 1m, then the ceiling surface can only be defined by a curved surface. As curved surfaces are not allowed, a Warning is generated. If you draw a null line either from the South West to North East edge or the South East to North West edge, then the curvature will be approximated by two planes. This slight modification will remove the Warning.

Suppose you have modelled a 3m tall space, and for simplicity suppose that the building element widths are all set to zero. This warning will be generated if you were to set the height of the ceiling surface to equal the default wall height of the current floor and then set the floor height to 3.1m.

On the Building menu click Building Elements. On the Building Elements dialog double-click the related building element from those listed in the table. On the Edit Element dialog you will see a Width text-entry box. The width of the building element is zero. The text-entry box is editable so if you need to set a non-zero width you can do so. You can select a colour for the building element if you need to easily identify where in your 3D model it has been applied. If this building element is adjacent to a zoned space then it will be exported to the Building Simulator. You can apply any construction to this building element and its thermophysical properties will be considered as the simulation proceeds.

Suppose that you have created a pitched roof. To do so you will have divided a space into two distinct areas using a null wall and applied a plane to the areas each side of the null wall. In the event that the highest point does not form an apex then you will have created a mismatch of heights and this warning will be displayed.

For example, if the highest point of one plane is 6m and the highest point of the other plane is 6.05m then the result will be a height mismatch of 0.05m.

After the Analysis model is created a new building element is created by the 3D Modeller, denoted by the label null element name-exposed. It will be applied to the exposed surface area parallel to the null wall. The surface area of null element name-exposed will be equal to the length of the null wall multiplied by the mismatch in height.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

If you have created your own null element by enabling the Null checkbox in the New or Edit Element dialog, then “null element name-exposed” will be used instead of “null-exposed”.

Suppose you have created two storeys, each containing a 6mx6mx6m box in perfect alignment with each other, with their south-west corners positioned at the origin. If you were to set both the ceiling surface of the lower space and the floor surface of the upper space to null then the two spaces will be co-joined, creating a double-height space.

If you moved the east-facing wall of the lower space by an arbitrary distance westward, towards the origin, then you would expose a null sliver of the upper space’s floor surface. The null floor surface in the upper space would be partially exposed to the external climate. The remaining surface area of the upper space will link to the lower space.

After creating the Analysis model the software will create a new building element denoted by the label “null-floor-exposed” and apply it to the exposed null sliver.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

Suppose you have created two storeys, each containing a 6mx6mx6m box in perfect alignment with each other, with their south-west corners positioned at the origin. If you were to set both the ceiling surface of the lower space and the floor surface of the upper space to null then the two spaces will be co-joined, creating a double-height space.

If you moved the east-facing wall of the upper space by an arbitrary distance westward, towards the origin, then you would expose a null sliver of the lower space’s ceiling surface. The null ceiling surface in the lower space would be partially exposed to the external climate. The remaining surface area of the lower space will link to the upper space.

After creating the Analysis model the software will create a new building element denoted by the label “null-ceiling-exposed” and apply it to the exposed null sliver.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

Suppose that you have created a pitched roof. To do so you will have divided a space into two distinct areas using a null wall and applied a plane to each side of the null wall. To each side of the null wall you have applied a zone.

In the event that the highest point does not form an apex then you will have created a mismatch of heights and this warning will be displayed.

For example, if the highest point of one plane is 6m and the highest point of the other plane is 6.05m then the result will be a height mismatch of 0.05m.

After the Analysis model is created a new building element is created by the 3D Modeller, denoted by the label “null-exposed”. It will be applied to the exposed surface area parallel to the null wall. The surface area of “null-exposed” will be equal to the length of the null wall multiplied by the mismatch in height.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

If you have created your own null element by enabling the Null checkbox in the New or Edit Element dialog, then “null element name-exposed” will be used instead of “null-exposed”.

See FAQ point 11 above.

See FAQ point 12 above.

An adiabatic link denotes any component connected to a space which is not being explicitly modelled. An adiabatic link is set up between a zoned and an unzoned space. Adiabatic links allow you to investigate the performance of part of a building, without modelling the building in its entirety. The thermal mass of adiabatic links is taken into account in the analysis. The adjoining space is assumed to be at the same environmental condition as the zone being described. In other words, there is no heat transfer between the zoned space and the unzoned space.

It is unusual to set up an adiabatic between two spaces which are joined by a null component. After the Analysis model is created the 3D Modeller will create a new building element denoted by the label “null-to-unzoned” which it will use as the dividing component. To this element you will be required to apply a construction in the Building Simulator.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

An adiabatic link denotes any component connected to a space which is not being explicitly modelled. An adiabatic link is set up between a zoned and an unzoned space. Adiabatic links allow you to investigate the performance of part of a building, without modelling the building in its entirety. The thermal mass of adiabatic links is taken into account in the analysis. The adjoining space is assumed to be at the same environmental condition as the zone being described. In other words, there is no heat transfer between the zoned space and the unzoned space.

An adiabatic link has been set up between a null floor and ceiling. After the Analysis model is created the 3D Modeller will create a new building element denoted by the label “null-floor-ceiling-to-unzoned” which it will use as the dividing component. To this element you will be required to apply a construction in the Building Simulator.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

See FAQ point 16 above.

For a surface in Tas to be classed as exposed it must be adjacent to the outside, i.e. exposed to the external climate.

An external wall is exposed. A roof is exposed. An overhang is exposed. An entrance door is exposed.

Anything internal to the building is classed as a “link” or “null-link”, it is not exposed. A null surface, sloped or otherwise, is treated as an aperture in Tas. It is unusual to require an exposed null surface which is adjacent to a zone. It can obviously lead to high heating and cooling loads.

This warning will also generate Warning – Spaces requires an external zone to be assigned.

For a surface in Tas to be classed as exposed it must be adjacent to the outside, i.e. exposed to the external climate. An external wall is exposed. A roof is exposed. An overhang is exposed. An entrance door is exposed. Anything internal to the building is classed as a “link”, it is not classed as exposed. A null surface is treated as an aperture in Tas. It is unusual to require an exposed null surface which is adjacent to a zone. It can obviously lead to high heating and cooling loads. This warning will also generate Warning – Spaces requires an external zone to be assigned.

When you enter a 3D Zones view the 3D Modeller creates what is known as the Analysis model. Floor and ceiling surfaces are merged and later exported as a single building element.

Suppose you create spaces on two storeys using only default building elements. The ceiling surface is denoted by the label Ceiling. The floor surface is denoted by the label Upper Floor. After creating the Analysis model the ceiling surface of the lower space and the floor surface of the upper space are merged. After the geometry has been exported to the Building Simulator a new element is displayed in the list of building elements.

The new element is denoted by the label Upper Floor/Ceiling. Only one construction need be applied, comprising of carpet through to ceiling tiles. If the floor surface of the upper space has been set to null then the null floor is merged with the ceiling surface of the lower space.

The resultant building element is denoted by “null-floor/Ceiling”.

When you enter a 3D Zones view the 3D Modeller creates what is known as the Analysis model. Floor and ceiling surfaces are merged and later exported as a single building element.

Suppose you create spaces on two storeys using only default building elements. The ceiling surface is denoted by the label Ceiling. The floor surface is denoted by the label Upper Floor. After creating the Analysis model the ceiling surface of the lower space and the floor surface of the upper space are merged. After the geometry has been exported to the Building Simulator a new element is displayed in the list of building elements.

The new element is denoted by the label Upper Floor/Ceiling. Only one construction need be applied, comprising of carpet through to ceiling tiles.

If the ceiling surface of the lower space has been set to null then the null ceiling is merged with the floor surface of the upper space.

The resultant building element is denoted by “Upper Floor/null-ceiling”.

For a surface in Tas to be classed as exposed it must be adjacent to the outside, i.e. exposed to the external climate. An external wall is exposed. A roof is exposed. An overhang is exposed. An entrance door is exposed. Anything internal to the building is classed as a “link”, it is not classed as exposed. Due to incorrect alignment the software was unable to merge these adjacent floor and ceiling surfaces to create a link between the two zones. The surfaces are being treated as exposed. You must redraw this section of your model to correct for the misalignment.

For a surface in Tas to be classed as exposed it must be adjacent to the outside, i.e. exposed to the external climate. An external wall is exposed. A roof is exposed. An overhang is exposed. An entrance door is exposed. Anything internal to the building is classed as a “link”, it is not classed as exposed. Due to incorrect alignment the software was unable to merge these two adjacent surfaces to create a link between the two zones. The surfaces are being treated as exposed. You must redraw this section of your model to correct for the misalignment.

This warning is unavoidable if you have modelled external shading devices in the 3D Modeller. An external shading device is applied to a null wall or ceiling surface which itself is adjacent to an external zone. As an external zone is applied adjacent to the shaded surface, the shaded surface is no longer classed as exposed. Internal shading is calculated for transparent surfaces which are exposed and adjacent to a zoned space. The only way you could ‘remove’ this warning is by disabling the Internal Shadows checkbox in either the Edit Window or Edit Element dialog.

On the Building menu click Building Elements and find the building element for which the window has been applied. You will find a Ground checkbox. The Warning has been generated due to the fact that this checkbox is enabled. If this surface should be defined as Ground then you should not have applied a window due to the fact that the window will be adjacent to a metre of soil and serves no purpose. If the surface should not be defined as Ground, then disable the Ground checkbox and click OK to accept changes.

Suppose that you have created a pitched roof. To do so you will have divided a space into two distinct areas using a null wall and applied a plane to the areas each side of the null wall. In the event that the highest point does not form an apex then you will have created a mismatch of heights and this warning will be displayed.

For example, if the highest point of one plane is 6m and the highest point of the other plane is 6.05m then the result will be a height mismatch of 0.05m. After the Analysis model is created a new building element is created by the 3D Modeller, denoted by the label null element name-exposed. It will be applied to the exposed surface area parallel to the null wall.

The surface area of null element name-exposed will be equal to the length of the null wall multiplied by the mismatch in height.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

If you have created your own null element by enabling the Null checkbox in the New or Edit Element dialog, then “null element name-exposed” will be used instead of “null-exposed”.

Suppose that you have created a pitched roof. To do so you will have divided a space into two distinct areas using a null wall and applied a plane to the areas each side of the null wall. To each side of the null wall you have applied a zone. In the event that the highest point does not form an apex then you will have created a mismatch of heights and this warning will be displayed.

For example, if the highest point of one plane is 6m and the highest point of the other plane is 6.05m then the result will be a height mismatch of 0.05m. After the Analysis model is created a new building element is created by the 3D Modeller, denoted by the label “null-exposed”. It will be applied to the exposed surface area parallel to the null wall.

The surface area of “null-exposed” will be equal to the length of the null wall multiplied by the mismatch in height.

This warning will generate Warning – Building element has no width.

If you have created your own null element by enabling the Null checkbox in the New or Edit Element dialog, then “null element name-exposed” will be used instead of “null-exposed”.

For a surface in Tas to be classed as exposed it must be adjacent to the outside, i.e. exposed to the external climate. An external wall is exposed. A roof is exposed. An overhang is exposed. An entrance door is exposed. Anything internal to the building is classed as a “link”, it is not classed as exposed. A null surface is treated as an aperture in Tas. It is unusual to require an exposed null surface which is adjacent to a zone. It can obviously lead to high heating and cooling loads. This warning will also generate Warning – Spaces requires an external zone to be assigned.

If a space is not fully bounded then it is considered to be open to the outside, i.e. section of the space is exposed to the external climate by an opening or aperture of some description. Any space which is open to the outside will need an external zone applied. This allows the simulation engine to perform calculations using the appropriate convection coefficient for an outside space. On the Analysis menu click Zones. Find the zone and enable the External Zone checkbox. Click OK to accept changes.

If a space is fully bounded and you have applied an external zone to it then this warning is generated. On the Analysis menu click Zones. Find the zone and disable the External Zone checkbox. Click OK to accept changes.