AECOsim Building Designer Quick Start Guide Chapter 2 Making the Mass Model Intelligent 2012 Bentley Systems, Incorporated www.bentley.com/aecosim
Table of Contents Making the Mass Model Intelligent...3 The ACS... 3 The Floor Manager... 3 Icon Locks (Ctrl+Shift+I)... 6 Creating floors with spaces... 6 The DataGroup System... 6 Creating Presentation Drawings... 8 Display Styles... 8 Clip Volumes... 10 Dynamic Building Views... 12 HyperModels... 13 The Project Explorer... 13 Creating Sections... 13 Adding DataGroupAnnotations... 15 www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 2 of 16 v2.0
MAKING THE MASS MODEL INTELLIGENT In order to start adding floors to the mass model it is necessary to establish the horizontal planes where the floors exist. To accomplish this, we will use ACS or the Auxiliary Coordinate System. THE ACS The ACS (Auxiliary Coordinate System) makes it very easy for designers to navigate in 3D space and know exactly where they are at all times. This is accomplished through the use of ACS Planes (which are created, saved and referenced throughout the modeling process) in conjunction with working planes. A working plane can be described as a plane that floats around, depending upon what needs to be accomplished. AccuDraw is one such plane (the visual reference for that plane being the AccuDraw compass) as it can float up, down, and along any axis. By using the ASC Plane Lock and ASC Plane Snap Lock, designers can draft or model locked on to the active ACS Plane with AccuDraw. There are several methods to create ACS Planes by either using the Auxiliary Coordinates dialog tool, or the Floor Manager. The Auxiliary Coordinates dialog can create Rectangular, Cylindrical, and Spherical types Auxiliary Coordinate Systems. The Floor Manager is a tool that creates Rectangular, stacked, ACS Planes that act as Building Floors and Floor Reference Planes. The Auxiliary Coordinate Dialog and ACS is native to MicroStation. Please refer to MicroStation help for more information about how to define, Set, and manipulate Auxiliary Coordinate Systems (ACS). THE FLOOR MANAGER The Floor Manager tool is used to create Rectangular, stacked, ACS Planes that look and behave like a system of floors in a building. The Floor Manager is used to: Create buildings Create and manage floor definitions Create and manage floor and sub-floor reference planes Create and manage floor groups and floor information for projects. The Floor Manager stores all this project information in a Master Floor DGN file. This file is named BB_FloorMaster.dgnlib and is located in the project dataset in the support/dataset/dgnlib folder. The Floor Manager opens when Building Designer > Floor Manager is chosen from the top menu bar. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 3 of 16 v2.0
Often projects have several buildings, or wings of buildings which have different floor heights. The Floor Manager accommodates this with the Create Building Tool. Once a new building is created and selected, each building can each have its own floors and floor reference planes. Buildings, Floors and Floor Reference Planes are created using the following tools: The Create New Building icon creates a top level container for storing floor and reference plane definitions. With focus in the text field, the name for the new building is entered to replace the default name. Building names are sorted alphabetically in the tree view. The Create New Floor icon creates a new floor entry at the top of the Floor Manager list box when selected. The new floor list box entry is an actively selected text field which displays the default name Floor 1. With focus in the text field, the name for the new floor is entered to replace the default name. A valid elevation must also be entered before focus is returned to the designer. The Create New Floor Reference Plane icon creates a new reference plane associated with the active and currently selected floor. The new reference plane list box entry is an actively selected text field which displays the default name Reference Plane 1. With focus in the text field, the name for the new reference plane is entered to replace the default name. A valid elevation must also be entered before focus is returned to the designer. Reference planes are relative to the floor with which they are associated and so are their elevations. The Create Typical Floors icon opens the Create Typical Floor Group dialog box where floor groups are created. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 4 of 16 v2.0
The Delete Floors, Typical Floor, and Reference Planes icon deletes the selected floor, floor reference plane, or typical floor. Reference planes established within deleted floors are also deleted. Typical floors associated with deleted master typical floors are also deleted during this type of operation. Generally when typical floors are deleted, elevations for typical floors above the deleted floor are lowered to maintain a constant elevation between the remaining typical floors. The designer is also given the option to maintain previous elevation(s) for the floors above the deleted floor. Once the buildings, floors and floor reference planes are created with Floor Manager, the Floor Selector tool is used to activate the buildings, specific floors, and reference planes. All design files (3D models) in the project will automatically have this capability with the Floor Selector tool. The Floor Selector can be opened by choosing Building Designer > Floor Selector from the top menu bar. Once opened, this dialog can be docked on the interface for easy access while working in the model. Selecting any floor or reference plane will change the active ACS to that floor s z-elevation so that any elements placed in the model will be placed at that floor elevation. In addition, the following tools can be used to select the active building and align the view with the selected floor. Set Active Building Align View with ACS www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 5 of 16 v2.0
Icon Locks (Ctrl+Shift+I) Icon Locks determine whether data points and snap points will be projected onto the ACS plane (locked mode) or remain at the true placement elevation (unlocked mode). Whenever a placement tool is chosen the locks will automatically be locked on. CREATING FLOORS WITH SPACES Spaces in AECOsim Building Designer can be used to track everything from areas to room numbers to finishes, and they can also be associated with their bounding elements so that the area information updates whenever those bounding elements are modified. The Space tools will be covered in more detail in AECOsimBD-A08-SpacePlanning, but it can be used in Concept Design as a means for tracking floor areas as the mass model is developed. The Space Tools are located on the Building Designer Task menu. In order to create and place spaces in the model, select the Create Space icon. While there are three methods for creating Spaces, the most powerful method is Flood area to Create Space, since it creates an association between the area and the bounding object. The Flood Area to Create Space method is a powerful method for creating Spaces because it can have an associative behavior after placement Any fully enclosed area can be flooded to create a shape. This area can either be defined by 2D geometry, 3D solids, or Walls with Compound wall assemblies. If Associate Flood Spaces is selected during Space creation, then the Space Flood will update when the boundaries change. For example, by flooding an area of a solid mass, the Space will update and automatically re-flood when the solid mass is modified. In a massing model, the Flood Area to Create Space tool can be used to quickly flood a solid massing model to track square footages. When the solids are pushed or pulled with the modeling tools, the areas in the Space are updated. Use the Floor Selector to select the appropriate floor level and the Icon Locks to lock on the floor planes. Next, create the space or floor area by flooding the mass model in the top view. THE DATAGROUP SYSTEM Once the Floor spaces have been placed in the model, the Datagroup System can be used to report and track the areas of each floor. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 6 of 16 v2.0
The DataGroup System drives and reports on the sizes of parametric building objects as they are being placed in the model, as well as any other non-graphical building data. This data can be assigned to the object at time of placement, or it can be applied at any time after placement. Building data such as areas, materials and finishes, phasing, etc. are stored in DataGroup Catalogs. The DataGroup System tools are located in the Data task bar on the Building Designer Task Menu. In order to view the data that is currently stored on objects in the model, select the Datagroup Explorer icon. The DataGroup Explorer Dialog will open. The DataGroup Explorer is used to review, edit, schedule and report on DataGroup Catalog Items. This is covered in more detail in AECOsimBD-A16-Schedules & Reports. In order to reduce the amount of catalogs listed in the DataGroup Explorer the filter on the left most field can be set to Show Used. This will only show DataGroup information that is currently used in the model. Schedule Layouts can be defined to show only the attributes of the object that are required for a particular schedule. Numerous Schedule Layouts are predefined, but customized layouts can be created, as well. In the example shown here, the Space Program Schedule Layout is reporting the Number, Label, Programmed Area, Actual Area and Ceiling Height for all the Floor spaces that were placed in the Mass Model. See the Bentley Building Help file for more information of the DataGroup System, and the DataGroup Classification Editor. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 7 of 16 v2.0
CREATING PRESENTATION DRAWINGS Once floor planes have been created, it is time to document the design with some initial floor plans. There are now many ways to present and document the design, even at an early massing model stage. Display Styles Display styles are predefined collections of render overrides that can be applied to views, clip volumes, or reference attachments. Display Styles are stored on a per file basis. Display Styles can also be saved as shared resources in DGN libraries, but are copied locally when used. The Display Styles are selected for each view from a pull-down menu in the View Control Bar. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 8 of 16 v2.0
Display Styles in View windows 1 4. View 1 is Illustration with Shadows. View 2 is Model Transparency. View 3 is Smooth with Shadows. View 4 is a custom style. For information on creating customized Display Styles see AECOsimBD-A07-Display Styles. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 9 of 16 v2.0
Clip Volumes Clip Volumes are elements that limit the displayed volume for a view to the region within the constraints of the clipping element. When a clip volume is applied to a view, only elements that are located within the clip volume are affected in that view. The Clip volume dialog is accessed from the Clip volume icon in the View Control Bar. Clip volumes may be created with an element such as any solid (other than spheres or feature solids), a closed surface extrusion or a cylinder. Clip Volumes may also be created using the Place Fitted Section tool which will create either a horizontal or vertical plane clipping the entire model in half. A Clip Volume can be applied to single or multiple Views. Once placed, the Clip Volume can be modified by selecting it and adjusting the handles. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 10 of 16 v2.0
When a clip Volume is applied in a view, the View Attributes dialog has additional settings to manipulate the Clip Volume Display Settings. Clip Volume settings to the right with the Forward View having an Illustration Display Style, the Back view is turned off, the Cut view having a Cut Drawing Display Style and the Outside view turned off. Views and their associated settings can be saved and recalled using the Saved View icon found on the Primary tool bar. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 11 of 16 v2.0
Dynamic Building Views A combination of Display Styles and Clip Volumes are used to create Dynamic Building Views that are then referenced to drawing and sheet models in order to create 2D drawings in AECOsim Building Designer. The Drawings created will be views of the model and therefore automatically update as changes and modifications are made to the model. The Create Floor Plan View tool is used to create a Dynamic Building Plan View and can be accessed from the Drawing Composition Task bar on the Building Designer Task Menu. The Create Multiple Floor Plans tool can be used to quickly create several floor plan views of the Mass Model. The Drawing Seed (Arch Floor Plan by default) will determine the Display Style along with other view attributes of the Drawing view created. Check each floor (harvested from the Floor Selector) to determine which floors need a floor plan view. A drawing model, a sheet model, or both, can be created after selecting the Create option. An Annotation Scale can be defined for both the Drawing Model and the Sheet Model. The drawing and sheet can be created as separate models within the same DGN file or created as separate DGN files. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 12 of 16 v2.0
HyperModels Once Dynamic Building Views are created, Markers are placed in the model to indicate the location of each view. Simply float the cursor over the marker and a mini-toolbar will pop up. From the Mini Tool bar it is possible to navigate to the newly created drawing and/or sheet. Additional Drawings can be placed on a sheet by right clicking on the desired drawing in the Project Explorer and using the Place Model option, or by simply dragging and dropping the file onto the sheet. The Project Explorer The Project Explorer efficiently organizes a project s design files, resources, and project related information such as Microsoft documents, photos, and PDFs, within Building Designer s interface Project data is stored in link sets in a DGN file or in a DGN library. A link set contains hierarchical information about links or grouped information in project data. By following a link users can open a design files, resource files, and the project files mentioned above. The Project Explorer manages project data and the links between the data and design files. It is very helpful in managing the links between design models, drawing models, and sheet models when plans, sections and elevations are created. The Project Explorer also harvests data project resource data in DGN and DGNLIB files such as Cells, Tags, Text Styles, Dimension Styles, Saved Views, Levels, and Models. Creating Sections Once Plans have been placed on drawings and/or sheets, Sections and Elevations can be created simply by placing the appropriate callouts on the drawing or sheet. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 13 of 16 v2.0
The Place Section Callout and Place Elevation Callout tools can be accessed from the Drawing Composition Task bar on the Building Designer Task Menu. The Place Section Callout tool can be used to create section views thru the Mass Model by placing a section callout on the floor plan. The Drawing Seed (Arch Building Section by default) will determine the Display Style along with other view attributes of the Drawing view created. The Height of the section can either be determined From View (a single floor) or From Model (the entire building). By selecting the Create Drawing option a drawing model, a sheet model, or both, can be created in the same manner as they were created for the floor plans. The section drawings can be dragged and dropped from the Project Explorer onto to the sheet. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 14 of 16 v2.0
Adding DataGroupAnnotations It is possible to quickly add annotations to the drawing by using DataGroup Annotations and harvesting attributes of objects in the model. As the model is modified and these attributes change (such as the Actual Area of the Floor Space shapes) the annotations will automatically update. The Place DataGroup Annotation tool can be accessed from the Annotation Task bar on the Building Designer Task Menu. Select the Place DataGroup Annotation tool while in either the drawing or sheet model and then one of the floor shapes in either the plan or the section and place the associated label. The text field will fill in with the attributes of that object. To set the annotation cell to be associated with a particular datagroup catalog type select Building Designer > Annotate tool settings form the top menu bar. www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 15 of 16 v2.0
MOVIE: Making the Mass Model Intelligent This movie shows: 1. Using the Floor selector 2. Creating Intelligent Floors with the Create Space tool 3. Reviewing Space Areas in the Datagroup Explorer 4. Creating Preliminary Floor Plans and Sections for Presentation 5. Labeling the Drawings www.bentley.com/aecosim Page 16 of 16 v2.0