Population
There are often a lot of properties that must be included in every element when delivering an IFC. Some examples of these properties can be “Contract Number”, “LOD”, “IfcName”, or so. Properties like these can be automated with the Anker Automate feature.
In IFC delivery process, each element must include several essential properties. Common examples include "Contract Number," "LOD," "IfcName," among others. To streamline this task, we set population rules and leverage the Automation feature for properties automation across multiple files.
Here's how it works:
Here are some examples of automating properties in multiple files.
- All elements in selected files are targeted.
- The property "Project Number" is uniformly set to "100358005" for every element.
- The "Name" property derives from the IfcRoot Name. It employs a function that splits the value into two parts using "." as a delimiter. In our example, "Name" maps to the second part of the split, indicated by the number “2” in the function.
- For users utilizing the Parameter Link function in the Revit plugin, there's an additional feature. It captures the "LOD" from a mass object (Control Zone) and applies it to all elements within that mass. This process is further detailed in the Parameter Link workflow.
Video: How to Populate Project Name and Number (Example)
Functions
Various functions can be applied to parameter values, including:
- upper(value)
- lower(value)
- substring(value, start, finish)
- regexp_replace(value, pattern, replacement , flags )
- split_part(value, delimiter, index)
Example:
upper(value)
lower(value)
substring(value, 0, 10)
regexp_replace(value,'\w','','g')
split_part(value, ',', 2)
You can combine multiple functions:
upper(split_part(regexp_replace(value, '\w','', 'g'), ',', 2))
The above example will convert parameter value Abc,de 123 to DE123.
Note: A value is a fixed word that you need to use, it will be replaced by the actual parameter valueIMPORTANT: All text values should be enclosed in single quotes as shown in the examples
These features significantly enhance efficiency and consistency in property management across IFC elements.