Update history​

Open BIM Quantities

Clear cache

The "Clear cache" button has been added to the CYPE applications included in the Open BIM workflow in the "Configuration" dialogue box that opens with the following sequence of commands: Select any of the options in the "BIMserver.center" tool group > "Configuration" option in the dialogue box that appears. When clicking on "Clear cache", the following options are displayed:

  • Projects
    Deletes projects, contributions and documents downloaded from the platform that are in the "File directory stored in local cache".

  • Sessions
    Deletes the data of any active sessions. This action will require applications to be re-authorised to access BIMserver.center.

  • Log files
    Deletes transaction logging from applications with BIMserver.center.

Long access paths

In previous versions, file paths used by applications were limited to a maximum length of 256 characters. This restriction is not specific to CYPE tools but is set by default in the Windows file system. As of version 2024.b, CYPE applications can bypass the restriction and allow the use of an extended path length for a maximum total path length of 10,000 characters. This eliminates the problems caused by the default limit and allows users to work with long access paths.

This improvement is particularly useful when working on projects with a complex directory structure or with long file names. By allowing longer paths, CYPE applications offer greater flexibility in file organisation.

Sorting criteria of quantity detail lines

The "Sorting criteria" field has been added to the editing window of an "Item", in a rule of measurement. This way, users can now indicate the order in which the quantity detail lines should be inserted in the item after applying the set of measurement rules to the model.

When editing the "Sorting criteria" field, a list is displayed where users can select properties and quantities of the BIM model components, and also indicate whether they want to sort the value in "Ascending" or "Descending" order. Different sorting criteria can be entered so that when the criterion parameter coincides with several quantity detail lines, the next one in the list will be applied. If no criteria have been specified or if all the criteria match, the same criteria that have been used in previous versions shall be used. This compares the attributes of the quantity detail lines in the following order:

  1. Number of tags.
  2. Comment on the detail line.
  3. Quantity.
  4. Value of field "A".
  5. Value of field "B".
  6. Value of field "C".
  7. Value of field "D".
  8. First identifier of the "BIM Model".

Cost databases and mapping files, and sets of measurement rules

As of version 2024.a, users can manage the "Cost databases" and "Mapping files" databases (in applications with a "bill of quantities" tab), and the "Sets of measurement rules" databases (for Open BIM Quantities) in two different locations, which can be toggled via a drop-down menu:

  • Database directory
    A directory containing the databases is indicated. This makes it easier to use databases shared by several users. This option was used in previous versions.

  • Project databases
    The databases are saved together with the project in the application. When it is compressed from the "File" menu in the application, the databases will be included in the CYP file generated. This way, the project can be shared with the databases used to obtain the bill of quantities.

Exporting "BIM model element identifiers" to FIEBDC-3 (.bc3)

The "BIM model element identifiers" option has been added to the bill of quantities export panel to FIEBDC-3 format (.bc3). When activated, the IDs of the elements in the BIM model will be added to the comments of the quantity detail lines, as indicated in the code from version FIEBDC-3/2016. In previous versions, these fields were always added to the file, but to ensure compatibility with other applications that are not able to work with them, the export of these fields can now be controlled. 

This option is activated by default. Furthermore, the FIEBDC-3 files included by the "Bill of quantities" tab in the contributions for the BIMserver.center platform always contain the identifiers of the BIM model elements.

Composite elements of the IFC model in the rules of measurement

As of version 2023.g, Open BIM Quantities can read and display composite elements from the IFC model. Now, in version 2024.a, this relationship between components can be used for generating the bill of quantities via the rules of measurement. For this purpose, the "Spatial structure element" option in the drop-down menu associated with the "Entity" field has been replaced by the "Parent component" option. This allows users to access the parent entity of the selected element without the need for it to be a spatial structure element ("IfcSite", "IfcBuilding", "IfcBuildingStorey" or "IfcSpace"), as was the case in previous versions. To make it easier to select the parent component, a button has been added that displays a list of all the IFC entities available in the model.

An example of using this new feature is the subtraction of the area of the openings ("IfcOpeningElement") contained in a wall ("IfcWall") or slab ("IfcSlab") from the gross area of the building element ("GrossSideArea") when the net area ("NetSideArea") is not available. The properties of the individual components of an element defined by parts ("IfcBuildingElementPart") can also be accessed.

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.

Status bar

A status bar has been included at the bottom of the main window. As well as displaying contextual information about what is being carried out in the application, the status bar indicates the reference of the active set of measurement rules. This reference can also be displayed in the status bar of the "Bill of quantities" tab.

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.

Composite elements of the IFC model

As of version 2023.g, Open BIM Quantities can read and display IFC model elements ("IfcElement") that contain other elements. This feature allows users to explore the relationships between different elements of the model in a more complete and detailed way.

When using the "View" mode by "Structure", components that are part of an element can be seen in the "Entities" tree. Examples of such a situation are walls ("IfcWall") and the relationship with their openings ("IfcOpeningElement"), as well as the subordinate parts of a building element ("IfcBuildingElementPart") and their relationship with the main component.

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