Download - AECOsim Building Designer V8i (SELECTseries 5): What is New · This is a quick way to define several of Part & Family mappings at one time. Many families that use type catalogs (types

AECOsim Building Designer V8i (SELECTseries 5) What’s New

Copyright © 2014 Bentley Systems, Incorporated | AECOsim Building Designer 1

AECOsim Building Designer V8i (SELECTseries 5): What is New

Version 08.11.09.7xx

Index:

New for AECOsim Building Designer V8i (SELECTseries 5) (v__8x2dotVERSION__) o Building Platform:

Windows 8.1 Compatibility Microsoft Office 2013 Compatibility RFA Interpreter Reporting Enhancements Replicate Drawing Option IFC Export Enhancements Create Plan View(s) Tool Enhancement Label Coordinate Annotation Tool Sneak Preview of Future Enhancements

o Mechanical: Duct Sizer (New and Improved) New Mechanical Content Drawing Enhancements

o Structural: Steel Deck Enhancements Bar Joist Enhancements

New Configuration Variables for AECOsim Building Designer V8i (v__8x2dotVERSION__)

Deprecated Configuration Variables for AECOsim Building Designer V8i(v__8x2dotVERSION__)

New & Changed for V8i (SELECTseries 3), Platform Update 2



New for AECOsim Building Designer V8i (SELECTseries 5) (v__8x2dotVERSION__)

The following outline identifies new features and enhancements in this release of AECOsim Building Designer V8i v__8x2dotVERSION__.

For more information about what's new, see "What's New?" sections in the online help. To open the help document in AECOsim Building Designer V8i select Help > Contents.

New features and enhancements in AECOsim Building Designer V8i include:

Building Platform:

Windows 8.1 Compatibility

AECOsim Building Designer V8i includes compatibility with Microsoft® Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 (64-bit) operating systems.

Microsoft Office 2013 Compatibility

AECOsim Building Designer V8i includes compatibility with Microsoft Office 2013.

RFA Interpreter

Content, Content, Everywhere!! Now you can read Autodesk® Revit® RFA parametric content into AECOsim

Building Designer V8i using the "RFA Interpreter Wizard"

Many manufacturers offer the option of RFA formatted content, so AECOsim Building Designer V8i provides the RFA Interpreter, which allows you to import that content into your workspaces for use in projects as you see fit.

The RFA Interpreter retains the geometry and parametric controls that are defined in the original RFA but behaves like native components in AECOsim Building Designer V8i. The properties and attributes of the RFA are listed out so you can map them to their counterparts in your Workspace (or just accept the defaults).

There’s really two parts to the interpreter:

1. Select the RFAs & map them into your workspace using the RFA Interpreter Wizard 2. Place them into your project using existing AECOsim Building Designer V8i tools

The RFA Interpreter wizard is accessible from the file menu Building Designer>DataGroup - Building Components>Open RFA Interpreter Wizard... It is considered a component of the DataGroup System, since it is registering the RFA content with the DataGroup Catalogs. Of course, the RFA Interpreter Wizard works with ProjectWise Managed Workspaces, too.



The RFA Interpreter wizard lets you select just one RFA or dozens of RFAs scattered throughout a folder hierarchy, whichever you need at the moment. If you already know where the files are, you can drag and drop them from Windows Explorer into the Wizard’s Select Files panel.

We don’t want you to worry about what version the RFA was made in. We support versions 2009 through 2014 and handle any differences between versions behind the scenes, so you don’t even have to think about it.

Once you have selected the RFAs you want to import, you start the mapping process.

RFA Categories to AECOsim Building Designer V8i DataGroup Categories RFA Types to DataGroup Catalog Entries

You can select which types you want to import You can rename the types when you import them

RFA Object Styles (sometimes referred to as Visibility Graphics) to AECOsim Building Designer V8i Parts & Families

RFA Property Names to AECOsim Building Designer V8i Property Names Mapped properties appear in DataGroup catalogs and can be scheduled Unmapped properties are attached as virtual parameters (similar to how PAZ files work) Properties that are “Type” properties in the RFA are set to “not editable” in the DataGroups

catalog, mimicking the behavior from Revit (requiring an extra step to change properties that are defined by a manufacturer)



The Wizard remembers your selections and uses them for defaults in the future. The more you use it, the smarter it gets!

Once you have the RFAs in your workspace, the existing AECOsim Building Designer V8i tools can place them just as easily as elements you already have in your workspace. For example, an RFA door is placed with the AECOsim Building Designer V8i Place Door tool. Many items, such as Furniture, Interior Specialties, and Site Equipment, appear alongside their AECOsim Building Designer V8i counterparts in the Place User Defined tool.

In the placement dialog, any RFA properties that were not mapped to AECOsim Building Designer V8i properties will appear “above the line”. In order to mimic the RFA behaviors and protect the manufacturer catalog information, properties that were “type properties” in the RFA cannot be edited at placement time. They must be edited in advance in the DataGroup Catalog Editor.

RFA based objects will retain their interaction with other element types. Doors and windows will cut holes in walls. Mechanical and plumbing connections will provide size information to ducts and pipes. Face-mounted objects like grab bars can be attached to the surfaces of walls.

Mechanical and plumbing objects behave slightly differently. They are placed with a new Place Mechanical Content tool, which sorts the RFA into categories and then shows you the types defined for each RFA. The Place Mechanical Content tool is available within the mechanical discipline and is located near to the bottom of the HVAC Equipment Task Menu.



When you select a type, it shows a small preview of the object. When you click 'Place', AECOsim Building Designer V8i launches the placement command that all other mechanical content uses.

RFA Content Examples:

Below are a few examples of RFAs content displayed within Revit and the corresponding RFA displayed within AECOsim Building Designer V8i. As you can tell AECOsim Building Designer V8i can maintain a high level of graphical and parametric fidelity.



Tips and Tricks

The Wizard panel to add/remove RFA files supports drag & drop from Windows Explorer In any Wizard field where you can make a selection from a long list, you can start typing to filter down the

results. The "Discipline" property only applies to RFAs that contain mechanical or plumbing connections.

Assigning them to the "architecture" discipline lets an architect place sinks, toilets, or other items with the Place User Defined tool without their plumbing connections.

Assigning them to Mechanical or Plumbing will cause them to be placed with the new Place Mechanical tool

You only have to set this value yourself if the RFA contains both mechanical and plumbing connections. If it only contains mechanical connections, this will default to Mechanical. If the RFA only contains plumbing connections, this will default to Plumbing.

All your mapping settings are stored in a "sister file" that sits next to the RFA in your workspace. It is referenced every time an RFA is placed into a new file.



RFAs are stored in the dictionary model of each file into which they are placed. They are optimized so each instance in your project refers back to an original, minimizing the impact on file size.

The Place Mechanical Content command is only visible when the Mechanical application is loaded

For RFAs that require a host or cut an opening (like doors and windows) Make sure that your Sense Distance property is set to a distance greater than zero Make sure that your Dimension | Frame Depth property is set to Match Wall

Mechanical objects place by their origin point by default. AccuDraw shortcuts allow you to cycle through the available connectors to use them as placement points.

The mapping you select for each top-level Category in the Map Attributes panel will apply to all unmapped subcategories. This is a quick way to define several of Part & Family mappings at one time.

Many families that use type catalogs (types stored in an external TXT file) also have a type called "load type catalog", "error, use catalog", or some other name to indicate to Revit users that they need to load the types from the catalog. You may want to un-check these types when you import these RFAs into AECOsim Building Designer V8i to avoid any confusion when you are placing them into your projects.

Workspace Changes

There are a few changes to your Workspace to help the RFAs to work correctly:

ParaDef.XSD has a new value for file type: RFA (in addition to PAZ and BXF) All RFAs that you load into the Wizard are copied into the /cell/ or /frame/ folder, depending on which

category the RFA is mapped to An XML "sister file" for each RFA with a matching filename that contains all mapping settings for that RFA. An XML file that contains the types that are defined in each RFA (one for each RFA) An XSD file for each new mechanical object types that is imported

Configuration

There are a few new configuration variables that control destinations of files related to both the RFA Interpreter and the DataGroup Explorer. While there are existing configuration variables for these values, the existing ones are for reading existing files and allow multiple paths to be included. These are for creating new files and only allow a single path:

Configuration Variable Values Description

BB_DATASET_COMPANY_FILTER <path> Location of the Company (primary, shared, or centralized) dataset, to be used in as a destination for new files being created in the DataGroup System

BB_DATASET_PROJECT_FILTER <path> Location of the Project Dataset, to be used in as a destination for new files being created in the DataGroup System

BB_RFA_COMPANY_SETTINGS <path> Location of RFA wizard settings files for the Company Dataset

BB_RFA_PROJECT_SETTINGS <path> Location of RFA wizard settings files for the Project Dataset



Reporting Enhancements

View your data your way!! The DataGroup Explorer received several enhancements to let you view, filter,

and format your projects' information in great new ways.

DataGroup Explorer

First and foremost, it can now include multiple categories in a single report. You can now mix and match as many categories as you want! You can include all grilles and diffusers together in one report or you can list all of your furniture and the space that it's in!

Once you have the report created, you can sort it by any combination of property values and then create filters so that only the property values (or range of values) are included. A great new way to use this feature is to create "working" reports that show which elements still have fields that need to be filled out.

Since the additional functionality offers so many new options, we completely overhauled the user interface for the settings (which also gave us some room to grow in the future), making it easier for you to create your own reports. Some of the more commonly changed settings are accessible right from the DataGroup Explorer as right-click options so you don't have to return to the Settings menu every time. Also, there is no need to be concern about your existing schedules; they are completely compatible with these new changes.

There are some other more subtle features, such as a new option to only show elements in the current (active) DGN file and alternating shading that helps to read the columns more easily.



Single-category schedules are grouped together under Catalog Types. The + sign next to each category will show you the schedules that are defined for that category.

Multi-category schedules are grouped under (no surprise) Multi-Category Schedules. The + sign next to each schedule will show you the categories that are included in that schedule. If you click on one of those categories, you can see the elements that are included in that report from that category, letting you break down your reports if you need to.



Right-clicking on the column headers give you several helpful commands, letting you change the formatting, alignment, and other properties without opening the settings dialog. Since some companies want all-capital schedules, there is an override to show all content in a column in a different case. You can also drag & drop columns into a new location if you want them in a different order.

You have several options to create new schedules. You can click the "New Schedule" button on the Explorer toolbar; you can right-click a category and click "New"; you can right-click and existing schedule and click "Save as".

Schedule Properties

No matter how you create a new schedule, you will be taken to the Schedule Settings dialog, where you set the name for the schedule and where you want it to be stored.

If you save it to the Company library, everyone in your company will have access to it. If you save it to your project, only those on the same project will have access to it. After you pick a location, you can pick a file in which to store your schedule settings. If you want to create a new XML file in which to store your schedule, click the icon to the right of the drop-down.



After that, click "Edit Schedule Properties..." to define your schedule.

The Categories panel lets you select the DataGroup categories to include in your schedule (order does not matter)

The buttons in the middle let you add/remove the categories that you have selected or remove all of them at once. You can Shift-click and Ctrl-click to select multiple categories.

The list of Categories defaults to "Show Grouped Sorted", which sorts the categories by disciplines. You can change that to "Show Sorted A - Z" or "Show Sorted "Z - A" to sort them all alphabetically regardless of disciplines.

When they are grouped, you can collapse the group by clicking the small blue arrow next to the discipline name.



The Properties panel lets you select the properties to include in your schedule. It works just like the Categories panel with the addition of Move to Top, Move Up, Move Down, and Move to Bottom buttons.

Like the Categories pane, you can change how the properties are sorted and grouped. The properties are grouped by the XSD in which they are contained.

The properties of all categories that are included in the schedule can be included. Since some properties belong to some, but not all categories, some of them will be blank in the final report. For example, a round grille will have a diameter property that would not be included in a rectangular grille. "Diameter" would be blank in rows that list rectangular grilles, just as "Length" and "Width" would be blank in rows that list round grilles.



The Properties panel only selects properties that are displayed in the schedule. You do not need to include a property in your report in order to create a filter based on that property. For example, you can create a schedule that only includes doors with a fire rating, even if "Fire Rating" is not listed in the schedule.

The Filters panel lets you control what elements are included in your schedule.

Get started by clicking "Add Search Criteria", then selecting a property from the drop down. The list will include all properties of all categories included in the report, not just the properties that you chose to display in your report (removing the need to include a property just to hide it later)

Then select the test (equal to, greater than, not equal to, etc.) and a value.

When you add subsequent search criteria, the first field can be "and" or "or", which determines whether both criteria must be met of just one of them.

You can move each criterion up or down to control the order in which they are processed.



The Sorting/Grouping panel lets you select which columns are used to sort the schedule and whether it is ascending or descending.

You can have as many values as you want, sorting first by one property and then by another. A great use for this is when everything is sorted by manufacturer and you have fifty items from that manufacturer. Now you can sort them by some second property (and third and fourth...) that puts everything in the order you want it.

The Formatting tab contains all the options for formatting each column.

The options that are shown here vary by data type. All data types have the same Field Settings options. Text Case is only available for text properties. Number Format is only available for decimal number properties.

Configuration

There are a few new configuration variables that control destinations of files related to both the RFA Interpreter and the DataGroup Explorer. While there are existing configuration variables for these values, the existing ones are for reading existing files and allow multiple paths to be included. These are for creating new files and only allow a single path:




BB_DATASET_COMPANY_FILTER <path> Location of the Company (primary, shared, or centralized) dataset, to be used in as a destination for new files being created in the DataGroup System

BB_DATASET_PROJECT_FILTER <path> Location of the Project Dataset, to be used in as a destination for new files being created in the DataGroup System



Replicate Drawing Option

The 'Replicate Drawing' option is new to the Create Drawing Dialog and is intended to help compose the drawing and sheet models in a DGN in preparation for the future export to DWG. In order to accommodate the strict relationship in a DWG file, between the model space and paper space, The 'Replicate Drawing' options automate the additional of a drawing model reference to the sheet model to maintain the DWG model to paper space 1:1 relationship. This option is only available when the sheet destination (Filename:) is defined to be in a file, separate from the current DGN file.



The following diagram depicts the differences in the composition of the Model > Drawing > Sheet chain with and without the "Replicate Drawing" option. Both scenarios define a new DGN for the Drawing and a new DGN for the Sheet

Without the "Replicate Drawing' option - This represents the standard composition of Model > Drawing > Sheet chain as defined within the Create Drawings dialog and represents the current behavior available in AECOsim Building Designer V8i (SELECTseries 4) and below. In this scenario, the Drawing is composed by referencing a Dynamic View (Saved View) from the Design model to the Drawing model. The Sheet is composed by a direct reference to the Drawing model to the Sheet model.

With the "Replicate Drawing' option - This represents the addition of a drawing model reference to the sheet model to maintain the DWG model to paper space 1:1 relationship when the 'Replicate Drawing' option selected. In this scenario, the Drawing is composed by referencing a Dynamic View (Saved View) from the Design model to the Drawing model and the composition between the Design Model and the Drawing model remains unchanged by the Replicate Drawing' option . The Sheet, however is composed of two models. A drawing model, representing "model space" which is a direct reference of the official standalone Drawing model and a sheet model, representing "paper space", which is a direct reference of the Drawing model within the Sheet.

IFC Export Enhancements o IFC 64-bit scalability - The IFC Export is now a 64-bit process; hence IFC Export can handle significantly larger

models.

o IFC Export Performance and Quality - The IFC export processing time is now considerably shorter with

improved performance resulting in up to a 25% reduction in process times. The IFC Export quality has been further improved, providing a greater fidelity of the information model within the IFC file.

o IFC File Optimization (‘Bentley IFC Optimizer') - With increasingly larger IFC files, IFC portability and

efficiency has become a critical issue. In response to our ability to produce extremely large IFC files from very large projects, we are delivering a 'Bentley IFC Optimizer', w which can reduce the IFC file size by as much as 70%. The 'Bentley IFC Optimizer' iterates repeatedly and optimizes the IFC file until the return on optimization is less than 2% of the file size of the previous iteration. This normally takes 6 to 8 iterations for maximal effect. However, users have the option to control optimization limits as well as interrupt the process whenever they are satisfied with the optimization rate. This optimizer can be engaged as part of the IFC export process by selecting the 'Optimize IFC File' option (on by default) or as a post process to optimize a previously created IFC file. The standalone 'Bentley



IFC Optimizer' utility is accessible through the file menu Utilities>Building Designer Utilities>IFC Optimization Utility; however, it is not yet ProjectWise integrated and not available during a ProjectWise integrated session.

o IFC Facet Tolerance - Another option to control the IFC export file size is the ability to define the IFC Facet

Tolerances. For IFC Export, AECOsim Building Designer V8i must convert native arcs and curved surfaces into faceted geometry; hence the size of the faceted IFC geometry can be substantially larger resulting in much larger IFC files. A ‘Facet Tolerance (file size)’ control has been added to the IFC Export to define the degree of faceting of curved surfaces via a slider: coarser facets reduce, finer facets increase file size. The default IFC Facet Tolerance of 1000 should be appropriate for most projects, but the tolerance can be increased as the project's architecture or complexity dictates. (Note: The increase of file size due to finer faceting will not be recovered through IFC optimization). The Facet Tolerance can also be administratively controlled and set by IFC_EXT_TOLERANCE (acceptable range values are 1000 (default) to 3000, coarse to fine). If Facet Tolerance is set by the configuration variable, then the slider control is disabled as indicated by the flyover hint.

o IFC Log File -Messages created during IFC Export are no longer written to the Message Center, but written to a

log file with .ifclog extension. On completion, there is a new option to open the ‘IFC Log Viewer Utility’ dialog to review the export messages. Only the notification that the IFC Export operation has completed is still written to the Message Center - ‘IFC export finished.’

Messages created during IFC Export are displayed in the ‘IFC Log Viewer Utility’ dialog box. If available, additional message details for the selected message are displayed in the message window.



Messages can be filtered by ‘errors’, ‘warnings’, and/or ‘notifications’, with an option to hide similar messages.

Selected elements can be highlighted in the model and zoomed to in the active view. The ‘IFC Log Viewer Utility’ dialog box can also be opened from Utilities>Building Designer Utilities>IFC Log

Viewer Utility with an option to open any .ifclog file.

o IFC Batch Option - An IFC Export key-in is available to accommodate IFC batch exporting through "Batch

Process" (file menu Utilities>Batch Process...)

1. Prior to every use of IFCOUT you must load the TFIFC mdl application via key-in MDL LOAD TFIFC or from Utilities>MDL Applications> TFIFC, because IFCOUT unloads TFIFC after export. 2. Command line syntax: IFCOUT [filename [options]]

Please Note: Key-ins do not enforce prerequisite requirements as with the IFC export dialog; If you do not set the model view definition to Facility Management Handover (FMH), when creating a COBie spreadsheet you can create an invalid COBie Spreadsheet and\or i-model.

[options] default value

values usage example

m[vd]:<value> CV FMH or CV m:CV OR mvd:CV Defines the active model view definition (mvd), currently the "Coordination View (CV) or Facility Management Handover (FMH) definitions are available.

c[obie]:<value> 0 boolValue: 1/0 c:0 OR cobie:0 Defines "Output Options" for the creation of the COBie Spreadsheet. (prerequisite: the model view definition (mvd) must be set to Facility Management Handover (FMH))

i[-model]:<value> 0 boolValue: 1/0 i:0 OR i-model:0 Defines "Output Options" for the creation of the COBie Spreadsheet. (prerequisite: the model view definition (mvd) must be set to Facility Management Handover



(FMH) and the COBie spreadsheet must be created)

o[ptimize]:<value> 1 boolValue: 1/0 o:1 OR optimize:1 Defines "Output Options" to produce an optimized IFC file

z[ip]:<value> 0 boolValue: 1/0 z:0 OR zip:0 Defines "Output Options" to produce a zipped IFC file

Examples:

mdl load tfifc; ifcout * This example will export an IFC file with preset defaults (IFC file exported using Coordination View (CV) model view definition (mvd) and optimized)

mdl load tfifc; ifcout * m:FMH c:1 i:1 This example will export an IFC file using the Facilities Management Handover (FMH) model view definition (mvd) with the creation of a COBie spreadsheet and i-model; (optimized by default)

mdl load tfifc; ifcout * mvd:FMH cobie:1 i-model:1 Same as previous example but using verbose values - IFC file exported with Facilities Management Handover (FMH) model view definition (mvd) with the creation of a COBie spreadsheet and i-model; (optimized by default)

mdl load tfifc; ifcout * c:1 i:1 (Invalid COBie and I-model w/o mvd:CV)

Please Note: Key-ins do not enforce prerequisite requirements as with the IFC export dialog; This example will export an IFC file using IFC2x3 Coordination View 2.0 mvd; it will also create a COBie spreadsheet and an i-model, however they will both be INVALID since COBie requires the Facility Management Handover (FMH) model view definition (mvd) as a prerequisite; (optimized by default)

Create Plan View(s) Tool Enhancement

The 'Create Plan View(s)' tool is intended to allow for custom plan view definitions and help automated the creation of any Plan Views for multistory structures. In AECOsim Building Designer V8i, The ‘Create Plan View(s)' tool has been enhanced, allowing the Plan Views to be created at alternate orientation through a new 'Align View' option. This ‘Align View’ option allows the view to be orientated in alignment with the Global Coordinate system, the Active ACS (Auxiliary Coordinate System) or as defined within the Floor definition. This option in all three modes of the Create Plan View (Create Plan By User Definition, Create Plan By Floor & create Plan By Floor Set).



Label Coordinate Annotation Tool

The 'Label Coordinate' tool is a new annotation tool with the leader line and terminator support to label the ACS or the Global Origin based coordinates. In addition there is a corresponding 'Label Coordinate Update" tool that can be used to update the placed coordinate labels with the selected coordinate option.

These new Label Coordinate tools are located in the Annotation Task menu.



Sneak Preview of Future Enhancements

The following are a sneak preview of future enhancement to but only portions are ready to be included within this AECOsim Building Designer V8i release. These enhancements are currently only exposed via configurations variables and have not been fully integrated or exposed in the UI. However, they could still prove to be very beneficial in certain workflows and projects and are in direct response to several user requests, which is why they are being previewed in this release.


BB_DG_ANNOTATION_HONORS_ACS boolValue: 1/0 If set to '1', the annotations created by the Drawing Rules (Auto Annotations) within a Drawing will honor the active ACS of the drawing model and will be generated to align with active ACS. .If set to'0' or 'undefined' (default), Annotations created from Drawing Rules will align with the global coordinate system of the Drawing model. Whenever a new drawing is created, the ACS typically aligns with the coordinate system of the drawing model. To align the Auto Annotations to an new ACS, follow the following steps:

Make sure BB_DG_ANNOTATION_HONORS_ACS = 1 is defined for the project

In the drawing model, redefine the active ACS. The best practice is to leverage the 'Floor Selector' to manage the ACS

To persist the ACS within this Drawing Model, select 'Save Settings' from the file menu (File>Save Setting or Ctrl+F)

Select the 'Refresh Automatic Annotations' tool (E5) from the 'Drawing Composition' task. This will refresh all the Auto Annotations to align with the new ACS. Please note: the 'Refresh Automatic Annotations' does not apply the ACS alignment to manually placed DataGroup annotations.

BB_GRID_EXCLUDE_REF_FLOORS boolValue: 1/0 If set to '1', The 'Create/Update Grid Models' feature within the Grid Systems tool will not create Grid models for 'reference floor' definitions and will only create models of primary floor definition .If set to'0' or 'undefined' (default), It will produce a model for all floor definitions, including reference floors.



Mechanical:

Duct Sizer (New and Improved)

The Duct Sizer tool has been completely re-designed and enhanced for the SELECTseries 5 release. The tool allows for both Metric and Imperial unit input and results, incorporates material type, roughness, air temperature and other necessary variables to define the information for accurate feedback. Duct shape options, dimension constraints, and number of alternative options for rectangular and flat oval provide the user with choices and controls to “right size” the duct. Output results display sizes, velocities, pressure drops and other pertinent values derived from the calculations. (Note: The Trane Ductulator is no longer delivered with AECOsim Building Designer V8i).

This new Duct Sizer tool is available within the mechanical discipline and is located in the HVAC Analysis Task Menu

New Mechanical Content

Several new HVAC components have been added. These include:

o Linear Slot Diffusers - The addition of the Linear Slot Diffusers, which are generally used as perimeter heating

and cooling terminals, makes it much easier for the designer to place rather than changing multiple settings on a generic diffuser.

o Multi-Port Plenums - These plenums can be used in concert with the Linear Slot Diffusers and other

equipment. These plenum boxes are completely parametric and allow the user to configure the component to include multiple duct connection ports for all duct shapes and locations on the plenum.

o Nested Fittings- The nested fittings component supports up to three converging or diverging rectangular duct

sections into a single “nested” fitting. The component is parametric and allows the user to set elbow types, angles and lengths for up to three branches.



o Drawing Enhancements

New enhancements for drawing representation will be delivered in the Ss5 release of AECOsim Building Designer V8i that will allow the user to utilize mechanical overrides to customize drawing output for many HVAC components based on customer requirements. Depending on the override setting different view information can be created:

Text Only – Removes drawing symbol graphics leaving text elements to be added to 3d geometry Append Symbol - Appends 2d drawing symbol graphics to 3d geometry 3d Only - Ignores 2d drawing symbol and uses 3d geometry 2d Only - Ignores 3d geometry and uses 2d drawing symbol only

If you have the configuration variable BMECH_WATCH_OVERRIDE_FILE = 1, when you edit the overrides file, it will update the drawing dynamically. The MechanicalOverride.xml file is located in:

...\AECOsimBuildingDesigner V8i Ss5\WorkSpace\BuildingDatasets\Dataset_xx\setting\MechanicalOverride.xml

This is where the settings are stored. To edit or override these settings, select Building Designer->Mechanical->Mechanical Drawing Override Settings from the file menu. Some of the effected components include rectangular dampers, rectangular silencers, rectangular VAV’s, round dampers, round silencers, round FPU’s and round VAV’s.

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Structural:

Steel Deck Enhancements – Steel Decks have been aligned with the behaviors of slab tools to allow vertices to be

added or subtracted thru standard insert or delete vertex modification tools.

Bar Joist Enhancements – the bar joist tool has been enhanced to allow graphical definition of bar Joist span. It has

also been enhanced to permit unequal top chord extensions at either ends.

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New Configuration Variables for AECOsim Building Designer V8i (v__8x2dotVERSION__)

The following are new Configuration Variables available in AECOsim Building Designer V8i (displayed in alphabetical order):


BB_DATASET_COMPANY_FILTER <path> Location of the Project Dataset, to be used in destination filtering in the DataGroup System (Currently used by DataGroup Explorer and referenced by the IFC property mapping to designate that the schedule and/or mapping definitions are to be stored at the dataset vs the project level.

BB_DATASET_PROJECT_FILTER <path> Location of the Primary, Company, shared or centralized dataset, to be used in destination filtering in the DataGroup System. (Currently used by DataGroup Explorer and referenced by the IFC property mapping to designate that the schedule and/or mapping definitions are to be stored at the project vs the dataset level)

BB_DG_ECSCHEMA_CACHE <path> Undefined (default) - Specifies the location to cache DataGroup system based EC schemas that is used for the element info and other EC based tools. This configuration variable must be set to a valid location where the cached schema can be stored. If the cache schema is not stored locally, the cache schema will be copied to a local temp folder to improved performance. If the location is invalid the schema cache will remain memory (RAM) but be clear at the conclusion of each session and each new session will have to recreate the cache.



BD_HIDERFAWIZARD boolValue: 1/0 If set to'0' or 'undefined' (default) the RFA Wizard is available from the UI. If set to'1', the RFA Wizard is hidden from the UI



BMECH_OVERRIDESETTING_FILE <path\filename> Sets the path and file name for the Mechanical Override Settings.

BMECH_WATCH_OVERRIDE_FILE boolValue: 1/0 If set to '1' (default), when you edit the overrides file, it will update the drawing dynamically.

IFC_EXP_ABSSTOREYELEVATION boolValue: 1/0 If set to'0' or 'undefined' (default), sets IfcBuildingStorey.Elevation to be defined as "relative" elevation. If set to "1' sets IfcBuildingStorey.Elevation to be defined as "absolute" Elevation

IFC_EXP_EXCLUDE_REFERENCES boolValue: 1/0 If set to'0' or 'undefined' (default), then only references that are displayed are exported; references who display state are disabled (Off) are not. If set to '1', all references are excluded from the IFC export, regardless of the display state (On or Off)

IFC_EXP_NODOORS2SPACES boolValue: 1/0 If set to'0' or 'undefined' (default), Doors and windows are assigned to space (IfcRelContainedInSpatialStructure). If set to '1' Doors must be contained in story.

IFC_EXP_OUT <path> Overrides the combined import/export directory defined by TFDIR_IFC and specifies a separate output directory for exported IFC files.

TFANNOTATION_LABELCOORDTERM_LIBFILE <path\filename> Name of the terminator cell library file used by the Label Coordinate tool

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Deprecated Configuration Variables for AECOsim Building Designer V8i (v__8x2dotVERSION__)

The following are deprecated Configuration Variables that are no longer used or valid for AECOsim Building Designer V8i:


IFC_LOG_LIMIT <integer> Sets number of messages in MicroStation message center required for IFC. < 0: do not change message center settings Default: 10 000

IFC_LOG_MESSAGES boolValue: 1/0 Specifies whether a log file with messages generated during IFC Export is created in TFDIR_IFC, i.e. …/support/out/ifc; file name same as IFC-file with extension ‘.log Default: 1

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New & Changed for V8i (SELECTseries 3), Platform Update 2

The following outline identifies new features and enhancements in the SELECTseries 3 Platform product.

For more information about what's new, see the "What's New?" > "New in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3) Update 2" in the online help. To open the help document in AECOsim Building Designer V8i select Help > Contents.

Color Enhancements o Updated RAL Color Books

Data Interoperability Enhancements o Autodesk RealDWG 2014 Support

Format Interchange Enhancements o Rhino V5 .3DM File Support

Geographic Coordinate System Enhancements o NAD83 2011 Coordinate System Support

Point Clouds Enhancements o Support for ProjectWise Point Cloud Streaming

Visualization Enhancements o Effects Manager o Irradiance Smoothing o Crease Threshold

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