Tool · draft
Software (mainly Rhino/Grasshopper, but not only) used to calculate metrics.
| Platform | Rhino/Grasshopper |
| Category | Energy simulation |
| Developer | Ladybug Tools LLC |
| Website | www.ladybug.tools/honeybee.html |
| Licence | open-source |
| Status | draft |
Also known as: Honeybee[+] · honeybee-energy · honeybee-radiance · Honeybee for Grasshopper
What it does
Ladybug Tools plugin that turns Rhino/Grasshopper geometry into detailed building-physics models and runs them through EnergyPlus/OpenStudio (energy, HVAC, comfort) and Radiance (daylight, glare, radiation). It is the main validated-engine simulation layer of the suite, covering energy use, loads, annual daylight metrics and spatial comfort mapping.
What it can calculate
- Annual energy use / End Use Intensity (EUI, kWh/m²)
- Heating and cooling loads, peak loads and HVAC sizing
- Annual daylight metrics: Daylight Autonomy (DA), continuous DA (cDA), Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI)
- Annual Sun Exposure (ASE)
- Point-in-time illuminance
- Daylight Glare Probability (DGP)
- High-accuracy solar radiation with reflections
- Indoor thermal comfort maps / adaptive comfort
- Outdoor microclimate comfort maps
Status
Active; distributed in Ladybug Tools 1.x (latest lbt-grasshopper v1.10.53, 2026-08-18). AGPL-3.0.
Connections
- Metrics it can calculate: Energy use intensity, Heating energy demand, Daylight autonomy, Thermal comfort, Rooftop PV generation, Operational carbon
Something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction