Update history​

CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems

New method for connecting applications to the BIMserver.center platform

The mode of communication between Open BIM applications and the BIMserver.center collaborative work platform has changed. In previous versions, the applications used the "BIMserver.center Sync" tool to upload and download the files of the contributions associated with the project from the platform. This tool was downloaded from the BIMserver.center platform or installed together with the installation of the platform applications if users so desired.

From version 2024.a onwards, applications are now able to work directly with BIMserver.center without an intermediary. That is, without the need for the "BIMserver.center Sync" tool.

This modification will improve the performance and efficiency of Open BIM applications significantly. By removing this dependency, the applications have more autonomy and the waiting times for communication between BIMserver.center Sync and the program have been considerably reduced. The process of downloading contributions has also been optimised, as users no longer need to obtain the entire content of a project from BIMserver.center in order to work, but only the contributions to be read.

The way of authenticating a BIMserver.center user in the applications has also been modified. Now, this process is carried out within the BIMserver.center web platform. To do this, the application with which the user is working will run the user's default browser when the "Login" button is pressed. When the credentials are entered, or after opening the browser if the user is already connected to the platform, an authorisation page will be displayed. This page details the resources the application is requesting access to and two buttons for granting or denying this access.

The authorisation must be carried out for each application. Once access has been granted, it is saved for the next time the program is run and there is no need to perform this process again for that application.

As well as performance improvements, changes have been made to the user interface of the Open BIM applications regarding the connection to BIMserver.center.

  • The "Connect to BIMserver.center" window now includes a "Configuration" button. Clicking it launches a menu from which you can edit the "File directory stored in local cache". This is the path where the files that make up the contributions will be downloaded when working with them from the applications. In previous versions, this location could be selected from the BIMserver.center Sync tool.
  • The appearance of the "Project selection" window has been modified.
  • In the "Select project" list, the "View only my projects" option has been added to show only the projects where the connected BIMserver.center user is the owner. Icons have also been included for the "Type of project" column in order to make it easier to identify them. The detailed data of a project now shows the image of each contribution, the description and the tags.
  • The "Review new contributions" and "Review updated contributions" options have been added to the "Create new project" window.
  • The list for selecting contributions ("Import BIM models") now includes the images of the contributions and the tags. The name of the contribution will be displayed in blue to indicate that the owner is the logged-in user.
  • When sharing a contribution or selecting contributions during the process of linking to a BIMserver.center project, a progress window will appear during the upload or download process.

To work in BIMserver.center with versions of Open BIM applications prior to 2024.a, users must continue to use the BIMserver.center Sync tool. This is still available for download from the platform and was included in the installation packages of the CYPE Open BIM applications prior to 2024.a.

Applications with a 3D environment. Level management

As of version 2023.g, applications with a 3D work environment can include a new feature that allows users to associate the elements of their model with levels (the programs that have this utility in version 2023.g are listed at the end of this new feature). The levels can correspond to the floors of a building or any other reference plan required for the model.

The level management menu is included in the applications by means of a dockable window. In this panel, there is a drop-down list with the buildings and levels defined in the model, as well as the available options (create, edit, delete, assign, etc.).

The options in the "Levels" window allow new buildings and levels to be entered in the model. Levels must be defined within a building. Next to each level, we can see its elevation and, shown in brackets, the number of associated model components. Their visibility in the work area can also be activated or deactivated.

Using the "Assign elements to a level" option, we can select components of the model from the work area and associate them with the level selected in the list. The "Unassign elements to a level" option allows the reverse operation to be carried out. To help users when using these tools, the elements that belong to the selected level will be shown in green and those that belong to another level will be shown in red. The "Information on the level of an element" option is also available, with which it is possible to inspect an object from the work area and obtain its current level. Finally, the "Automatic level assignment" option associates the components of the model to the defined levels automatically. To do this, the geometry of the element is analysed and the level immediately below it is searched for.

When linking to a BIM project, the application can read the buildings and levels of the contributions. These will be listed in the "Levels" window in blue and we can assign model components to them. To avoid congruence issues between contributions, buildings and levels that have been read from the BIM project cannot be edited.

The levels are exported in IFC format via the "IfcBuildingStorey" entity. As this is an entity included in the standard, applications from other manufacturers that work with IFC files can read the levels and their relationship with the components of the model.

In this 2023.g version, the level management window has been included in the following applications:

  • CYPEFIRE
  • CYPEFIRE Hydraulic Systems
  • CYPEHVAC
  • CYPELEC Distribution
  • CYPELEC Electrical Mechanisms
  • CYPELEC PV Systems
  • CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems
  • Open BIM Analytical Model
  • CYPE Lightning
  • StruBIM Rebar

Cost database based on resources from CYPE's construction cost database "Generador de precios" and mapping files

As of this version of CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems (2023.g) users can now generate a cost database of resources from the CYPE construction cost database "Generador de precios". For this purpose, the "Generador de precios - CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems" option (which includes a version and date reference) has been added within the window for creating a cost database, in the "Bill of quantities" tab of the application. When selected, a new button will appear to define the "Site data" of the job. This site will be used to complete the information associated with the resources.

Once the "Site data" window has been accepted, users can view the generated resources grouped in a work section structure. Each resource corresponds to a different material and contains a breakdown that includes the material itself and the labour and auxiliary materials needed for its installation. Please note that, apart from the price, these elements contain information on their physical properties, environmental data and waste.

To use this cost database in a project, it must be combined with a mapping file in order to establish the relationship between the elements of the model, defined in the "Installation" tab, and the cost database resources. To do this, users should use the resource mapping tools that have been available since version 2023.e.

However, to make the association process easier, the following file has been added to the list of mapping files, which will appear by default.

  • Price Generator - CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems (EN 806-3)

This mapping file complies with the predefined standard "EN 806-3", which can be imported in the "Installation" tab from the "General options" window. This file includes all types of elements from this standard. Consequently, if only these components are used, no mapping needs to be defined for the "Bill of quantities" tab.

Implementation. RENISDA (water supply Bolivia)

"Reglamento nacional de instalaciones sanitarias domiciliarias (RENISDA)".

  • "Instalaciones domiciliarias de agua potable".

Implemented in CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems.

Status bar

The "Bill of quantities" tab now includes a status bar at the bottom of the main window that displays contextual information about what is being carried out in the application.

Graphical representation

As of version 2023.g, the bill of quantities data can now be displayed graphically. For this purpose, the "Graphs" window has been added to the "Bill of quantities" tab. This window contains a drop-down list for selecting the graph to be displayed. In this version, the graphical representations (columns, circles, lines, etc.) of the following concepts are available:

  • Bill of quantities
  • Breakdown
  • Breakdown (with/without BIM link)
  • Energy cost
  • CO2 emissions
  • Waste mass (Type)
  • Waste volume (Type)
  • Waste mass (Code)
  • Waste volume (Code)
  • Certificates (Amount)
  • Certificates (Quantity)

The graph generated depends on the component of the bill of quantities table that has been selected. It is important to note that the available graphs depend on the type of element (work section, item or quantity detail line). By hovering the cursor over a section of the graph, a box will appear with the parameter reference and its value, allowing users to have a better understanding of the data shown.

Graphs with a key allow data sets to be hidden by left-clicking on their reference. When a set is not visible, its reference is crossed out and can be reactivated by clicking on it.

"Breakdown" tab in work sections

The "Breakdown" tab has been included in the "Data" window for the work sections of the bill of quantities. In previous versions, the "Breakdown" tab was only available for the items, where a table with their breakdown into resources is shown.

Now, the work sub-sections or items that are part of a work section can be displayed in this table.

Price increment

The "Price increment" option has been added to the editing window of the "Project database" or a "Cost database. With this tool, the prices of the concepts contained in the database can now be adjusted according to a "Factor". Furthermore, the application allows users to indicate the nature of the concepts ("Unclassified", "Labour", "Machinery and auxiliary resources" and "Materials") on which the operation is to be applied.

Improved filter options

The following improvements have been made to the "Filter" option, available in the "View" group of the toolbar:

  • A list of filters can now be defined for the project. The selected element will be the one to be applied to the bill of quantities.

  • The "Filter" option has been added to the editing window of the "Project database" or a "Cost database".

  • Filters can be exported as a file (".bib767") to be used in multiple projects.

  • In the list of conditions of a filter, the "Cut", "Copy" and "Paste" tools have been added. These allow conditions to be moved or copied from one filter to another.

  • The "Search text in" and "Parameter" fields have been added to the window for inserting a condition within a filter. This way, the program now allows users to filter by parameters other than the "tag" of the "quantity detail lines", as was the case up to now. In this version, the following options are available for these fields:
    • Search text in: Item
      • Parameter: Code
      • Parameter: Summary
      • Parameter: Type
      • Parameter: Key terms
      • Parameter: Amount
    • Search text in: Breakdown concept
      • Parameter: Code
      • Parameter: Summary
      • Parameter: Type
      • Parameter: Key terms
    • Search text in: Quantity detail line
      • Parameter: Tags

Character set in FIEBDC-3 export (.bc3)

As of version 2023.f, the character set to be used when exporting the bill of quantities in the standard FIEBDC-3 format (.bc3) can be selected from the "Bill of quantities" tab in the applications that have it. For this purpose, the "Character set" field has been included in the export configuration window and has three options:

  • Automatic selection
    The ANSI character set shall be used whenever possible. If the application detects characters that are not compatible with ANSI encoding, the UTF-8 character set shall be used.
  • ANSI
    This is the character set defined for Windows and the default character set used in previous versions. Not all Unicode characters can be represented by this encoding format.
  • UTF-8
    Through this standard encoding format (RFC 3629) all Unicode characters can be represented. However, the current FIEBDC-3 standard specification (3/2020) does not support UFT-8 encoding, so the ANSI character set should be used where possible (Automatic selection).

Thanks to the possibility of exporting and importing the bill of quantities in UTF-8 encoding, applications can now share bills of quantities that include Unicode characters. This establishes a fully multilingual environment for managing the project’s bills of quantities.

In the FIEBDC-3 standard, the character set is specified in the CHARACTER_SET field of the V record.

Mapping to resources

As of version 2023.e, applications with a "Bill of quantities" tab can map their model's elements to an item's resource. For this purpose, in the editing of a mapping file, the "Resource code" option has been added when components are modified in the "Classification" list. By activating this option, users can specify the resource code on which the quantity of the model element will be mapped. This will be added to the breakdown of the concept described by means of the "Concept code" and "Concept reference"  fields.

When the resource indicated in the mapping file is a cost breakdown in the associated cost database, only the unit components of this breakdown shall be assigned to the concept.

“UNTEC method” work section structure

The predefined work section structure "France - UNTEC Method" has been added when creating a new "Set of measurement rules" (Open BIM Quantities) or a "Mapping file" (applications with a "Bill of quantities" tab).

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