Smarter Buildings, Smarter Graphics: Visualized Operations Using Custom System Graphics

In this day and age, buildings are getting smarter and more complex. As a building operator or facility manager, you know the details of each HVAC, lighting, security, or water management system in your building. Common energy efficiencies associated with building automation, such as light displays recognizing grocery story occupants or the ability to remotely monitor an alarm system, have become second nature for building operators. As these building systems become more sophisticated, building operators like yourself require higher quality building automation graphics. Detailed, custom graphics make it possible to monitor complicated systems with ease.

Building automation systems typically come with a set of generic graphics and animations used to construct building control systems. With the rise of the Buildings Internet of Things (BIoT™) and a focus on connecting all components, the next generation of building operators want realistic, customized features to better manage their assets. QA Graphics has led this trend for nearly a decade, raising the bar for BAS graphics industry-wide.

QA Graphics specializes in taking mechanical control drawings and creating system graphics for the end user. Our team used their unique expertise to create the BAS Symbol Library, which offers more appealing and realistic graphics than standard libraries. The symbol sets offered in the BAS Symbol Library replace the existing library, letting building operators build photo-realistic control systems specific to their needs. All design is completed in-house with a team of both creative and technical staff, including graphic designers, mechanical engineers, architects, and 3D developers.

QA Graphics’ BAS Symbol Library has more than 200 components and UI elements, more than other libraries on the market. Building operators can drag and drop the library components and maintain command of their building control systems. The library is offered at two levels, Commercial and Lite Commercial, and each provides unlimited use by one company location. Additional sites may use the library for a one-time licensing fee, which allows companies to maintain consistency across all locations. The BAS Symbol Library includes boilers, chillers, dampers, filters, piping, fans, cooling towers, generators, valves, ductwork, and coils. This extensive selection lets users create more than 95% of mechanical systems.

For a more custom option, QA Graphics offers a 3D library with model-specific equipment graphics. QA Graphics’ designers can use existing images and create 3D models of equipment with animations. These models let building controllers view the interior of equipment and see how it functions, something that cannot be accomplished with a simple system graphic or photograph.

QA Graphics has collaborated with several leading control system manufacturers and private companies to develop custom libraries. These graphics are embedded within the control manufacturing software to provide a consistent style on any BAS.

With QA Graphics’ help, you can have customized building controls to monitor the unique systems at play within your building. To learn more about the BAS Symbol Library or QA Graphics’ other design services for the building controls and HVAC industry, contact QA Graphics at [email protected].