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Open BIM Analytical Model

Dockable windows

As of version 2023.e, some CYPE applications have a new dockable window system that replaces the main screen user interface. As a result, users can now customise the workspace to suit their needs.

The list of applications that have this dockable window system appears at the end of this new feature. In future versions, the number of applications with this window system will be increased.

Dockable windows can be moved and resized. They can be either floating windows, pinned to a location within the application's main dialogue box, dragged outside of it, or even moved to another monitor.

Move windows
A docked window can be moved by clicking on the title bar at the top of the window and dragging it.

When dragging a dockable window, several visual aids are displayed to make its relocation easier. Next to the cursor, a text box appears containing the title of the dockable window being moved. Whenever the cursor approaches the edge of another window, a box appears showing a preview of the space it would occupy.

It is possible to leave a window as a floating window without docking it to another window, and it is also possible to dock windows within a floating window. Holding down the CTRL key can prevent a floating window from being docked while it is being moved.

Group windows
It is possible to group several windows in the same space by dragging one window to the top left-hand corner or to the bottom left-hand corner of another window. When this is carried out, tabs will appear at the bottom or top of the group, allowing users to alternate between the grouped windows. If the tabs are at the bottom, the title of the group of windows corresponds to the active window. On the other hand, if the tabs are at the top, they will be used as the title.

Show/Hide windows
The icon to close the window can be found in the top right-hand corner of each dockable window.

To manage the display of the dockable windows in the user interface, a "Window" button () has been added to the application environment, next to the "General Settings" button (icons on the top right-hand side of the program). By clicking on it, a drop-down menu appears with the available dockable windows and users are able to change their status. In addition, there is the "Reset Window Layout" option which allows users to restore the default workspace.

In some cases, such as the "Work area" of applications with a 3D environment, the window cannot be hidden. In these cases, the icon for closing the window is not displayed and, in the "Window" menu (), the "Work area" will be locked.

Collapse windows
When several dockable windows are arranged vertically, an icon is displayed, next to the close icon, which allows each window to be expanded or collapsed. When the window is collapsed, it will return to its previous size.

The window layout and display settings are saved when closing the application.

It is important to note that not all floating windows in an application are dockable windows. In order to tell them apart, the icon has been added to the title bar of windows that are dockable.

The following applications now include the new floating window environment in version 2023.e:

AcouBAT by CYPE
CYPE Architecture
CYPE Connect
CYPEFIRE
CYPEHVAC 3D
CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems
CYPESOUND
CYPETHERM LOADS
Open BIM Analytical Model
CYPE Construction Systems
Open BIM COVID-19
Open BIM Layout
CYPE Lightning
Open BIM Quantities
Open BIM Site
StruBIM Steel
The floating window environment also includes the "Bill of Quantities" tab in all applications that have this tab.

Graphical editing of the reference system of the model

Since version 2022.a, the applications integrated within the Open BIM workflow via the BIMserver.center platform include a tool for managing project reference systems. This option is available from the configuration window that appears when linking or updating a BIMserver.center project via the "Geographic location and reference system" option. As of version 2023.d, the applications now allow users to run a graphical environment where they can visually define a reference system for their model. To do this, the "Geographic location and reference system" window now contains the "Visual editing of the local reference system of the model" option.

From the "Visual editing of the local reference system of the model" window, the origin and orientation of the reference system of the model can be indicated in the workspace with the "Define the reference system of the partial model" tool. Both the axes of the reference system of the model, which we have just entered and the axes of the reference system of the site can be viewed in the workspace. The latter appears with a "Site" tag.

To make it easier to define the reference system, the 3D models corresponding to the BIMserver.center project contributions selected during the linking process are displayed. The management of the visibility and object snaps of these models is carried out from the "Elements read" menu in the left sidebar of the window. The "Views" menu can also be found in the same options bar, from which different types of 2D and 3D views of the model can be generated. These tools can already be found in several CYPE applications. For more information on how they work, please refer to the User’s Manual for the 3D work environment tools available in CYPE applications.

Apart from 3D models, 2D drawings or plans can also be imported from CAD files (".dxf", ".dwg", ".dwf") or images (".jpeg", ".jpg", ".bmp", ".png", ".wmf", ".emf", ".pcx"). These files and object snaps are managed through the "DXF-DWG Template" and "Template object snaps" options accordingly.

Once the editing is complete, the coordinates and orientation of the reference system of the model with respect to the reference system of the site are moved to the corresponding fields in the "Geographic location and reference system" window.

The "Font size" option has been added to the general configuration menu of the applications. This tool allows users to increase or decrease the basic size of the font used in the user interface of the programs. Thanks to this implementation, the accessibility of the applications has been improved while also ensuring the correct visibility of the content on devices with different screen resolutions.

To enter a "Basic size" the "Set custom font size" option must be checked. The size users can enter is the application's basic font size. Any other font sizes that may exist in the program's interface will be automatically modified proportionally according to the change in the basic size.

It is important to note that, as this is a common parameter, its modification will affect all installed CYPE tools.

Reading the edges defined in the IFC model

The "Use the edges defined in the IFC model" option has been added to the configuration panel for the automatic generation process of the analytical model. When activated, instead of detecting the edges of the analytical model from the generated analytical surfaces, the edge definition of the geometric model will be used directly when available. In order to use this method, users must first select the "Use the outlines of the spaces defined in the IFC model" option.

The IFC Builder application currently exports the edges of its geometric model in the standard IFC format. Thanks to this new feature, all the analytical information generated by both tools can be read in Open BIM Analytical Model.

Reading the analytical models of the BIMserver.center project

As of version 2023.c, Open BIM Analytical Model can read the analytical models of the BIMserver.center project contributions. This way, a new analytical model does not need to be redefined from scratch in Open BIM Analytical Model.

By using the "Analytical model" option available from the "Generate" group in the toolbar, users can choose between two different generation methods as long as there are analytical models of the BIMserver.center project that already exist and have been read:

Import an analytical model of the project
A list is displayed with the analytical models of the project contributions that have been read in the application. Selecting one of them will import its components into the current job. The model reference is the name of the contribution.
Generate the analytical model based on the architectural model
The options for the automatic generation process of the analytical model from a geometric model are displayed, as in previous versions. This is the method that should be used if no analytical models have been read from the BIMserver.center project.

Other improvements and corrections

Open BIM Analytical Model version 2023.b includes the following improvements and corrections of the program for certain cases:

Deselecting an adjacent surface
Adjacent surfaces can now be deselected in the configuration panel of an analytical model surface adjacent to "Surface".
Checking adjacent surfaces
In previous versions, the "The adjacent surface is not defined" check was treated as an error message, it is now a warning.
Check for elements of the physical model
The "No analytical surface has been defined for an element of the physical model" is now unchecked by default.
Opening detection
Opening detection in the automatic analytical model generation process has been improved.
"External environment" type spaces
A problem that could cause warnings on external analytical surfaces due to the "A valid volume must be defined for the space" volume check being carried out in "External environment" type spaces has been corrected.
Joining surfaces
An error that could occur when using the "Join surfaces" tool with more than two surfaces of the analytical model has been corrected.
Generating an opening on an analytical surface
An error that could occur when using the "Generate an opening in an analytical surface based on an opening of the physical model" tool has been fixed.

Tool for combining spaces

The "Group spaces" tool has been added to the list of spaces in the analytical model and is available via the "BIM Model" button on the toolbar. By running it, users can choose several spaces and the application will group them into a single space, which will contain all the surfaces and edges of the selected spaces. Furthermore, the surface area and volume values of the new space will be calculated.

This tool is particularly useful for spaces that are entered independently in the architectural model but are connected and, therefore, form a single analytical space.

Managing the visibility and object snaps of external elements

A new tool has been implemented in the user interface that is common in Open BIM applications with a 3D working environment. Now, the management of the elements from the digital model of the building, which comes from the associated BIMserver.center project, is carried out from the "Elements read" menu located in the left sidebar of the application.

The elements read are structured in the form of a tree based on two classification types: "Models" and "Categories". The organisation by "Models" allows users to inspect each contribution linked to the job and each associated 3D model within it. On the other hand, the "Categories" group the "Elements read" into families according to their features. Next to each tree component, three buttons are displayed to control the visibility, the display mode (solid, transparent or wire) and the object snap. It should be noted that the organisational settings applied to the organisation by "Models" prevail over those indicated by "Categories".

Applications can have default visibility and object snap settings when creating a new view. Furthermore, when entering new components with the tools in the program, the application itself can force the activation or deactivation of the visibility and object snaps of certain categories. When this happens, a yellow padlock will be displayed next to the set options. When users finish using the tool, the tree will return to its original state.

In previous versions, the management of the visibility of BIM project models was carried out in the configuration panel of a view. As a consequence of this improvement, editing is now managed from the "Elements read" menu in the left sidebar and has therefore been removed from the previous location. However, in the editing panel of a view users can indicate whether the view should have its own configuration for viewing these elements or whether it should use the general configuration of the job. For this purpose, the "Use a specific view configuration for the view" option has been added. When this option is active, the "View" text will appear in the "Elements read" menu.

In addition to the component tree of the external models, the "Elements read" menu includes a toolbar with a group of buttons that allow the following actions to be carried out:

Isolate selection
Allows elements from the 3D model to be isolated. Users can select the elements of the 3D model that they wish to isolate and when right-clicking on them, the rest of the elements from the model will disappear.
Hide
Allows the selected elements to be hidden. Users can select the elements from the 3D model that they wish to hide and by right-clicking on them, they will disappear.
Show all
Shows all hidden elements.
Aspect
Allows users to choose between normal drawing or monochrome drawing.
BIM information
Displays a panel showing the attributes associated with the selected component.

In version 2023.a, the management of visibility and object snaps of external elements is available in the following CYPE Open BIM applications:

CYPE Architecture
CYPELEC Distribution
CYPELEC Electrical Mechanisms
CYPELEC PV Systems
CYPEPLUMBING Water Systems
CYPETHERM RE2020
CYPEURBAN
Open BIM Analytical Model
CYPE Construction Systems
Open BIM COVID-19
CYPE Lightning
Open BIM Sampling
Open BIM Site

Other improvements and corrections

Version 2023.a of Open BIM Analytical Model includes other minor improvements and corrections of the program for certain cases:

Inserting an opening in an analytical surface
When inserting an opening on an analytical surface, the surface containing the opening was assigned as the element in the opening. This has been fixed in version 2023.a.
Modifying the points of an opening
A problem that occurred when modifying the points of an opening has been fixed. The program did not allow the surface containing the opening to be redrawn. Although this was not an analysis error, it generated a strange effect in the 3D model.
Generating analytical spaces
An error that could appear when generating the analytical spaces during the automatic generation process of the analytical model has been fixed.
Adjacencies of the analytical surfaces
An error that could occur when determining the adjacencies of analytical surfaces during the automatic generation process of the analytical model has been fixed.
Entering an opening with the “Orthogonality” tool
Orthogonality can now be used when entering an opening into a surface of the analytical model.

Tool for generating an opening in an analytical surface from an opening in a physical model

The "Generate an opening in an analytical surface based on an opening of the physical model" option has been added to the "Elements" group of the Open BIM Analytical Model toolbar. When using this feature, an opening from the physical model and a surface from the analytical model can be selected. Based on the geometry of the opening, the program will create an opening in the selected surface and a new surface with the "element in opening" attribute at the position of the opening.

Tool for assigning the properties of a surface of the physical model to an analytical surface

The "Assign the properties of a surface of the physical model to an analytical surface" option has been added to the "Elements" group in the Open BIM Analytical Model toolbar. When selecting an analytical surface with this feature, a list of all available construction elements is displayed. Users can choose one of them and its properties will be assigned to the surface. If the application detects that a component of the physical model may correspond to the analytical surface, it will be marked by default.

This tool is also available from the editing panel of a surface. In this case, a blue arrow icon has been added next to the surface reference. Clicking on it will display the list of available construction elements.

Tool for generating analytical surfaces from the 3D contour of a space in the physical model

The "Generate analytical surfaces based on a space of the physical model" option has been added to the "Elements" group in the Open BIM Analytical Model toolbar. This feature allows users to obtain the surfaces outlining a space from the physical model and creates the equivalent analytical surfaces. The space will also be added to the analytical model and all generated surfaces will be assigned to that space.

Update history

Open BIM Analytical Model

Dockable windows

Graphical editing of the reference system of the model

Font size

Reading the edges defined in the IFC model

Reading the analytical models of the BIMserver.center project

Other improvements and corrections

Tool for combining spaces

Managing the visibility and object snaps of external elements

Other improvements and corrections

Tool for generating an opening in an analytical surface from an opening in a physical model

Tool for assigning the properties of a surface of the physical model to an analytical surface

Tool for generating analytical surfaces from the 3D contour of a space in the physical model

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Open BIM Analytical Model

Dockable windows

Graphical editing of the reference system of the model

Font size

Reading the edges defined in the IFC model

Reading the analytical models of the BIMserver.center project

Other improvements and corrections

Tool for combining spaces

Managing the visibility and object snaps of external elements

Other improvements and corrections

Tool for generating an opening in an analytical surface from an opening in a physical model

Tool for assigning the properties of a surface of the physical model to an analytical surface

Tool for generating analytical surfaces from the 3D contour of a space in the physical model

INFORMATION

FOLLOW US

Update history