I am re-connecting my knowledge with NREL product(s), and user groups and have recently become a new member of the Github ‘glbrown’.

I have little programming background other than some Ruby work with sketchup, but understand systems and directories computer database and storage information fairly well. I have been viewing the GitHub website – specifically the; (https://github.com/NREL/OpenStudio/wi...) in an attempt to correctly load the respective software versions, and also follow the correct installation order on to my system (Windows 7 SP1 64bit).

Questions: • OpenStudio as listed on the Matrix = version V2.5.2, does this Openstudio version as stated explicitly have to be loaded in order for the ‘work flow’ to make the correct connections i.e. E+ to Radiance to Sketchup 2017 to Ruby to SHA ect....? OR, could I just install the latest version of OpenStudio and expect the different wares and extensions to communicate perfectly well? o Also what order of installation – i.e. OpenStudio installed before Euclid legacy or before both Euclid legacy and Sketchup 2017?

• E+ Version 8.9.0 was fairly straight forward. But the legacy OpenStudio version downloaded from the Bigladder site version 0.9.3 when checking within the sketchup 2017 'Extensions' ~ Euclid, pull-down menu under 'Preferences', after selecting "apply" for the Energy Plus engine yielded a warning dialogue specifying ( that the Energy Plus version 8.9.0 was not designed to work with the plugin which is designed to work with 8.7.0. The message says that there may be problems with compatibility and you could receive several simulation errors. I can change the E+ version to 8.7.0.

• Radiance - I’m still working on, however I think I may understand the ‘cmake’ ~ don’t know exactly where this goes within Radiance files. . . maybe (/lib), would like some hand holding a bit here if you’ve got a good help file?

• Sketchup Pro 2017 was installed correctly before Euclid ~ (latest version of the legacy work) directly from the Big ladders site via the Sketchup Pro Extension Manager resident within Sketchup Pro 2017 using the (.rbz) file installation.

• Have not yet loaded Ruby version 2.2.4 as per the compatibility matrix (are the columns within the matrix in a specific order)? I do plan on initiating some contributions in the future toward Github.

• I don’t really know what (SHA) actually is, could you provide a url to understand this and its capabilities. How integrates with the Matrix as stated per the latest version (a5af93e7ed).

Could you please answer these questions without the assumption of programming expertise (please be somewhat explicit).

Thank you for your work in support of all of us.