Room, Space, Sheet, Element Numbering

Room Numbering – opens numbering dialog for Rooms category

Space Numbering – opens numbering dialog for Spaces category

Sheet Numbering – opens numbering dialog for Sheets category

Element Numbering – opens numbering dialog for any other category

The workflow for creating and using a numbering/sorting configurations looks like this:

1. Select Category

The category can be selected in two ways:

• From Model. Select any element from the desired category in the current project and click Element Numbering

• From List. Run Element Numbering and then select any category from the list of available categories based on the current project.

2. Select Parameter

The next step is to select any text instance parameter where the calculated values will be entered.

The window will show a list of all possible parameters that are created under the selected category.

The user can also choose to Create New Shared Parameter for a selected category.

If a numbering configuration with predefined parameter already exist, users will have an option to Select Predefined Configuration with Parameter.

Example of Create New Shared Parameter:

3. Sort and Mark Elements

Category – displays the name of the category that will be numbered (Doors).

Write to parameter – displays the name of the parameter into which new values (Marks) will be filled. It can be changed by clicking the button.

Mark elements – shows the amount of selected elements that will be renumbered. If none or only one element is selected, then all elements of the category will be numbered (All elements

4. Grouping

Grouping – If the user wants to create a group in which elements will be isolated for numbering, the parameter has to be chosen to define different groups. If none of the parameters is selected, then all elements will be numbered globally.

Example task: The interior door number must consist of Level Number (just the number), the door swing direction letter (L or R), and the running number of the door for separate door swing direction. (E.g. 2.L-12).

• In this case, the Instance: Swing shared parameter should be selected to group the doors.

5. Filtering

Filtering – The user can specify parameters and their values to filter out elements that will be numbered.

Example task: The interior door number must consist of Level Number (just the number), the door swing direction letter (L or R), and the running number of the door for separate door swing direction. (E.g. 2.L-12).

• In this case, only interior doors have to be numbered, so the rule says that the "Function" of the doors has to contain the "Interior" value.

6. Numbering

Numbering – The user has to select parameters for element numbering. The parameter value defines whenever a unique mark value should be created. Every different parameter value gets a different numbering mark.

Note that this does not affect the numbering sequence or mark value. It defines only if the mark value is different from other elements.

Example task: The interior door number must consist of Level Number (just the number), the door swing direction letter (L or R), and the running number of the door for separate door swing direction. (E.g. 2.L-12).

• In this case, Instance: ID parameter should be selected for numbering.

7. Sorting

Sorting – The user has to select parameters for the sorting order of the elements.

Example task: The interior door number must consist of Level Number (just the number), the door swing direction letter (L or R), and the running number of the door for separate door swing direction. (E.g. 2.L-12).

• In this case, Instance: Element position X should be selected if it is required to start element numbering on the left side and go to the right.

7.1. Sorting by Model line

Another available option for sorting elements is by Model Line. This way of sorting is especially convenient when the elements are aligned diagonally, as opposed to the x or y directions.

Example task: The interior door number must consist of Level - Number (from Name), the door swing direction letter (L or R), and the running number of the door for separate door swing direction. (E.g. 2.L-12).

Before creating the mark, a Model Line chain that follows a desired future mark direction has to be drawn. The chain of lines has to be drawn starting from the beginning of your desired elements to the end. In this case - from the right bottom to the top left.

After finishing the configuration and clicking OK, you have to select the first model line of your chain, to ensure the beginning of your chain.

7.2 Tolerance for Model line

In the Sorting tab, Element position by Model Lines has to be selected. When this parameter is selected, an option for Tolerance becomes available. It determines the offset from the drawn Model Line to include elements in the marking.

• In this case, all of the door elements have to be marked by Model Lines, so 4200 mm is chosen for the “Tolerance”.

7.3. Sorting interior doors by Model Line (Full Example)

Grouping

Filtering

Numbering

Sorting

Sort Mark

Result

8. Marks

Marks – this tab is visible only for structural elements such as Walls, Structural framing, Structural columns, etc.

For wall elements, the Marks is provide a specific marking by according to the Function.

For other structural elements, the Marks tab provide a specific marking by the Material for Model Behavior or Structural Usage.

9. Sort Mark

Sort Mark – this is where the final value that gets written to the selected text parameter ("Write to parameter:" value) is composed.

Available parameters – all available parameters from the grouping, numbering, sorting tabs and additional Calculated: Sort Mark Number parameter which will be generated automatically based on the parameters that were selected in the Grouping, Numbering and Sorting tabs. If the user wants to include more parameters, it can be done by selecting "Show all parameters".

Example task: The interior door number must consist of Level Number (just the number), the door swing direction letter (L or R), and the running number of the door for separate door swing direction. (E.g. 2.L-12).

• In this case Instance: Level - Number (from Name) should be selected as the first parameter. It can be found by clicking "Show all parameters". For the suffix, we use a dot.

• The second selected parameter is Instance Shared: Swing with a dash as for suffix.

• And the last parameter is Calculated: Sort Mark Number.

10. Result

The example task was:

Example task: The interior door number must consist of Level Number (just the number), the door swing direction letter (L or R), and the running number of the door for separate door swing direction. (E.g. 2.L-12).

Final result:

11. Other parameters

11.1. Enable non-compact numbering (preserve used numbers)

Enabling the non-compact numbering checkbox gives you the possibility to apply new configurations for already numbered parameters.

• If “Enable non-compact numbering” is not ticked, then all defined elements in the project will be renumbered after changes have been made.

• If “Enable non-compact numbering” is ticked, then existing numbers will stay the same after changes have been made and the rest of the elements will be numbered starting from the last numbered element.

11.2. Do not override calculated Sort Mark value

The "Do not override calculated Sort Mark values" checkbox gives you the possibility to apply new configurations for already numbered parameters.

• If “Do not override calculated Sort Mark values” is not ticked, then all defined elements in the project will be renumbered after changes have been made.

• If “Do not override calculated Sort Mark values” is ticked, then existing numbers will stay the same after changes have been made and the rest of the elements will be numbered starting from '1'.

11.3. Exclude Void Elements

The "Exclude Void Elements" checkbox is used to exclude void elements when numbering.

11.4 Use Project Unit Rounding

This checkbox function gives you the flexibility to set the rounding number limits for the unit values and apply that for the elements with nearly the same parameter values.

If “Use Project Unit Rounding” is not ticked, then parameter values in the element’s Mark, that can be controlled in “Project Units” dialog, will not use any rounding.

If “Use Project Unit Rounding” is ticked, then parameter values in the element’s Mark, that can be controlled in “Project Units” dialog, will use the same rounding as set in the “Project Units” → “Format” dialog.

11.5 Example task

Example task: A marking configuration for beams, that numbers them by Type Name and Length parameters, needs to be created.

In the “Project Units” → “Format” dialog, “To the nearest 10” has been selected for “Rounding”.

Three of the created beams are 4500mm in length, and one of them is 5500mm in length. However, one of the three beams is actually of 4503mm in length, but the measurement shows 4500mm, because in the “Project Units” → “Format” dialog, “To the nearest 10” has been selected for “Rounding”.

The beams will be numbered by Length and Type Name parameters:

If “Use Project Unit Rounding” is ticked, then the parameter values in the elements Mark use the “Rounding” that was set in “Project Units” → “Format” dialog, in this case, - “To the nearest 10”.

As a result, a single Sort Mark Number – SO1 is created for all three beams, that share a rounded length of 4500 mm.

If “Use Project Unit Rounding” is not ticked then the parameter values in the elements do not use any rounding.

As a result, a separate Sort Mark Number – SO2 - is created for the third beam.