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AECbytes Tips and Tricks Issue #55 (Dec 16, 2010)

Assigning Information in ArchiCAD for Material Takeoffs

Thomas M. Simmons

President, ARCHVISTA Building Technologies

A Building Information Model is built on an integrated 3D database. This database allows you toautomatically generate sections, e levations, plans, details, 3D views and more. In this article, we will

examine ways that you can use this database to assign properties to building elements andgenerate a material takeoff .

This tutorial will take you through an example of assigning properties to a wall, programming these

properties, linking these properties to the database, assigning the properties to building elements,and viewing a material takeoff. The concepts we present with this example are applicable to all

construction elements in ArchiCAD including roofs, slabs, oors, columns and beams.

Step 1: Activating the Calculation Commands

Before we can start we must turn on the Calculate commands within the menu. To do this, selectthe Work Environment command from the Options menu.

With the Work Environment dialog open, click Menus within Command Layout Schemes withinthe Work Environment Profiles in the left column. Next, click Menubar Options and select New

Menu. Type Calculate in the New Menu dialog and click OK.

Next, select the All Commands by Theme option in the pop-up menu within the Application

Commands and Menus column.

ning Information in ArchiCAD for Material Takeoffs: AECbytes Tip... http://www.aecbytes.com/tipsandtricks/2010/issue55-arch

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Scroll down to the commands called 16 Calculate and select the commands shown in the imagebelow. Then click the Add Selected button to add these commands to the Calculate menu you

created.

Finally, select the Command Layout Schemes option in the Work Environment Profiles columnon the left and click the Store As button. Enter My Commands or your own custom name. This

will save the settings so we can re-activate this menu in the future. Click the OK button in the WorkEnvironment dialog and you will now see the Calculate menu within the ArchiCAD menus at the

top of your screen.


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Step 2: Building the Properties of a Wall

We are now ready to begin building the properties of a wall which we will use as the example in thistutorial. The rst s tep is to create a Custom Property Object that we can assign to a wall type. Todo this, select New Properties from the Calculate menu.

With the Untitled-1 Properties dialog open, click the Components button on the left and thenclick the New button at the top of the dialog. A series of new Component properties is added that

enable you to define the building element composition for use in listing and calculation features.They include:

DB SetKeyNoteCodeQuantityUnitProportional With


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Next, enter the Components that describe the wall type. Lets start with the wood studs. Enter theproperties for each component category as shown below. Note that to space the studs at 16 O.C.

we use .75 for Quantity (12 / 16 = .75). This will produce a list of .75 studs per 1 foot of walllength.

To add another component, click the New button again and, this time, lets link the new property to

an existing database component. To do this, click the Link to Database Item button and in theSelect Components dialog, open the ArchiCAD L ibrary database. In this database, select

Finishes within the CSI Chapters section and select the following Gypsum Wall Board finish:

We now have two components assigned to the wall. To save the Custom Property Object, select

Save from the File menu, enter Shaft Wall Partition 2x4 and save.


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Step 3: Link the Property Object to a Wall Element

The next step is to link the Property Object you created to a wall. To do this, double click to open

the Wall Tool. Open the Listing and Labeling panel. Uncheck the Link Properties By Criteriabutton and click the Individually button. In the Link Properties dialog, select the Shaft Wall

Partition 2x4 you created and click the Link button. The property object is now linked to the Wall.

Finally, set up the wall by selecting a Fill or Composite Structure for the Cut Fill option within the

Floor Plan & Sections panel of the Wall Tool. Set the Layer, Pen & Color settings and then clickthe Favorites button to Save as a Shaft Wall Partition 2x4 as shown in the image below.


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Step 4: Setup the Project Preferences for Listing

Before we can create a listing, we need to set up the calculation unit preferences to show the studspacing as one stud per foot (default would show one stud per inch). To do this, choose Options >Project Preferences > Calculation Units & Rules and set:

Length Unit to decimal feetArea Unit to square feetVolume Unit to cubic feet

Step 5: Create a M aterial Takeoff List


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Finally, we are ready to create a material takeoff list. To do this, first draw several walls using thesettings for the Shaft Wall Partition 2x4 you created.

Once these walls are complete, go to the Document menu and choose the Basic list option fromthe Component Lists within the Schedules and Lists.

The Basic Component Lists will create a takeoff that contains a detailed breakdown of thenumber of studs as well as the number of gypsum wall board sheets, as shown below.

Larger image

To learn more about using BIM in construction, including how to customize Material Takeoff reports,how to integrate Excel into the takeoff process using a BIM model, and how to track change orders

during construction, visit www.learnvirtual.com/BIM-training.

This exercise was part one of a three Construction focused series:

Assigning Data to Building ComponentsCreating a Material Takeoff & Cost EstimateTracking and Managing Change Orders

As a LearnVirtual member, youll have access to recordings of each eClass in the series mentionedabove, as well as over 160 other recorded eClasses on a wide range of topics including modeling

techniques, drafting techniques, process management, revision management and design review.Also, new LIVE eClasses occur each week! To learn more about LearnVirtual, go to

www.learnvirtual.com.

About the Author

Thomas M. Simmons, the founder of ARCHVISTA, Inc. and

LearnVirtual, has spoken at major industry events including AECSystems, Ecobuild, AIACC Desert Practice Conference, and the

AIACC Monterey Design Conference. He has authored severalbooks on Building Information Modeling, ArchiCAD, and

architectural technology. He was formerly the Director ofTechnology with the award winning firm of EHDD Architects, San

Francisco, and has earned a Masters of Architecture f rom UCBerkeley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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