I'm interested in hearing what would be the best approach to parring back the UK dataset somewhat?
The out-of-the-box Dataset_UK is very buildings & architecture focussed, whereas my clients' organisation is a multidisciplinary site construction company. I find the dataset content is too detailed for our needs in areas, and then virtually non-existant in other areas.
Every piece of help or guidance I've found, as well as every consultant I've spoken to has told me that AECOsim is great for *ADDING* content, and has shown me how to do that. And they've told me that the datasets are intended to be tailored to suit particular needs. However, I haven't actually seen anyone successfully *REMOVING* dataset content, at least without errors & instability ensuing, I think simply because the various tools & procedures AECOsim relies on are so interdependent.
Lets, for instance, say that I want to remove all datagroup content where the uniclass code is 3-digits or longer (i.e. retaining everything under the G0 & G00 level tables, for instance). How would I approach this? Is there a particular order I should tackle the Level Library, Family / Part libraries and Datagroup catalogue definitions? Are those the only things that would need changing, or have I overlooked something? Which config or PCF files would maybe need amending?
The end goal I guess, is that I want to vastly simplify the AECOsim user experience for our staff, who are mostly very new to AECOsim. It presents them with too many options, most of which are irrelevant to their needs as designers and engineers. If we could par back the level libraries, define our own set of useful families/parts, and ensure that our datagroup catalogues contain only the most basic & most-used items for our firm, then we would be able to slowly build & develop content from there.
I'm told, "oh you just need to make a Dataset_Company" for your own standards. But this doesn't stop all the Dataset_UK content seeping through into things from people's local C-drives.
Any help / advice / pointers would be much appreciated, as not being able to *subtract* out-the-box content seems like a fundamental flaw in AECOsim's supposed capability & flexibility (which is why my client invested in Bentley in the first place).
Thanks in advance.
Hi Thomas,
The configuration scenario where the default dataset is used with company/user content separated into company/project dataset locations is intended to be a relatively simple solution that offers some performance benefits by using the local copy of the default dataset (an aspect that we are reviewing while compiling similar guidance for CONNECT Edition) and to simplify the application of future dataset updates.
If one of the primary requirements is to reduce/minimize the delivered content a different approach is required.
One option would be to copy the UK dataset to your network, remove unwanted content, then use that as the location for your own custom content. I would not do that as your custom content would be mingled with the remaining delivered content.
A better option is to copy the UK dataset to your network, remove unwanted content, but have a Company dataset location to maintain the separation between Bentley and custom content.
To reduce DataGroup content you could try the Catalog Item Manager. This tool moves xml content from the delivered dataset to a library file, so the content still exists but is not present in the UI. In its current form the tool ahs limitations. It only move the xml content and does not affect related resources such as cells used by DataGroup items; but in your context where you wish to simplify the user experience should provide the required outcome.
The way I would use this tool is to modify a copy of the delivered dataset, treat that as the WiP source for the operational dataset.
Steps:
There are some details to fill in around this, but that is the overview.
Are you considering moving to CONNECT Edition? A point of change like this would be the best time to do so.
We have minimized the content in parts of the CONNECT Edition UK dataset.
Marc
Answer Verified By: Thomas Hartley
Thomas,
I would concur with Marc's approach. My set-up includes the delivered UK dataset at system level with company and project level datasets above. I have used the catalog item manager(or manual xml editing) to remove all unwanted delivered content from the menus, though it still exists at base level to ensure no tools etc break by accidentally removing default content.
In terms of my company dataset, I have copied the structure and naming of the delivered UK dataset, as duplicate part.catalog names will always be taken from the highest level, ie I can copy company data into project and amend/customise without it affecting either the company standard, or delivered default.
In terms of connect and datasets:
I have configured connect to work with my legacy SS6 datasets, and also have created a new dataset based on the connect delivered Dataset_UK.
I would urge you to dive head first into Connect and the new dataset at the earliest though as it is quite different from the previous UK versions, naming conventions and content is drastically diffident, is based on Uniclass 2015 and as it has been compiled in connect so is better suited than the effort it takes to port an SS6 dataset(I only did this out of neccessity for legacy jobs). If you persist with SS6 now, particularily when you are still quite new to it, you will find it harder to migrate further down the line.
From what I have seen so far, I have not found anything missing in Connect that was present in SS6 other than DEM.
Hi Duncan,
That sounds promising on CONNECT. I've obliterated DEM from the company deployment anyway, so not bothered about that no longer being there. Its good that it sounds like older Datasets can be migrated manually if required, and I also take your point about it being better to go straight to CONNECT & Uniclass 2015.
Can I ask, have you found any route to enable CONNECT projects to be output into a format suitable to feed into v8i at client hand-over? I'm just thinking mostly for if/when Network Rail insist that we provide information to them compatible with their systems.
Not a problem outputting to v8i. Do you mean output in terms of drawing packs or model files. If drawings, then cached dv's from connect work no problem whatsoever in v8i and indeed flattened dgn's are v8 format anyway. If it is more for model files and assuming that network rails standards are set in v8, I would recommend 1 of two options.
1. migrating the v8i dataset and working within that environment in Connect. I have found that I can work seemlessly with both versions without any mishaps. indeed I find some models export to IFC easier in ss6 than they do in connect and vice versa.(and also the odd function that bugs up like flooding floor slabs)
2. would be to backward migrate the Uniclass 2015 dataset to ss6, though this will probably be more work that it is worth.
In short v8i will read any connect files. it is just a question of linking the datagroup catalogues and F+P info so that all displays correctly.
OR just use idgn format. read only but retains all info and readable in both.
HTH