poka.sh

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IDF

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EnergyPlus IDF Preview.

At a glance
Original creator EnergyPlus (U.S. Department of Energy)
Purpose The EnergyPlus input file: a building energy model as comma-separated objects in plain text, from geometry and constructions to schedules and HVAC.
Extensions .idf
Poka parser poka-idf
Viewer poka-tree-viewer
Depth tier Parser with a shared viewer (see Depth tiers)
Breadth tier B2 Broad (see Breadth tiers)

How much Poka reads

B2 Broad. The common content of the current and the common older versions is decoded. Some named features or versions are not, and are listed.

Confidence: high (the reviewer read the code and a test that proves the claim). Basis: Reviewed 2026-10-16: poka-idf src/lib.rs (parse_objects, build_tree), src/geometry.rs, main.rs and tests/samples.rs; corpus 1ZoneUncontrolled.idf, 5ZoneAirCooled.idf, modeltok-pthp.idf and modeltok-pthp-sim-in.idf (tests check 3D counts, north-axis rotation and the tree for each). Covers the IDF text format across versions: every object and every field is listed by class, positionally, and detailed surfaces are drawn in 3D (including the field shift at 9.6 for Space Name). The epJSON files in the corpus belong to a different parser.

What Poka does not read

  • field names are not shown: comments are stripped and the IDD is not carried, so fields appear as Field 1, Field 2 and so on, with no units or choices
  • simple rectangular geometry objects (Wall:Exterior, Window, Door, GlazedDoor, Shading:Overhang, Shading:Fin and similar) are counted but not drawn
  • the tree is capped at 3,000 nodes, so a model with several thousand objects loses the later classes
  • no schedule, construction layer, HVAC or plant rendering beyond the raw object tree
  • references between objects (zone names, constructions, schedules) are not linked
  • IMF macro directives (##include, ##def) are not expanded (judgement from the parser, not tested)
  • Starting Vertex Position and similar geometry rules that do not change the polygon are ignored

Background

An IDF is the input EnergyPlus reads for a simulation: each object is a class name followed by comma-separated fields and a semicolon, with ! comments anywhere. The objects and their fields are declared in the IDD. Poka groups the objects by class in a tree and draws the building's surfaces in 3D, but only those written as detailed-vertex classes; simple rectangular objects such as Wall:Exterior and Window are counted, not drawn, and the tree stops at 3,000 nodes. It does not carry the IDD and strips comments before parsing, so fields are shown by position, not by name; poka-idd reads the dictionary that names them.

Versions

Version Identifier Poka Note
EnergyPlus IDF Version object Read

Libraries

Libraries Poka uses or has assessed for this format, with the status, licence and language the registry records.

Software that uses it

  • EnergyPlus (US DOE / NREL)
  • IES VE (IES)

Sources