Hello All,
I wanted to make irregular shape openings using "Place User Defined Type - Peneration" in OpenBuilding Designer where only rectangular and circular openings are available. This is not for actual slab or wall cuttings but for information exchange and creating opening schedule purpose. I cannot figure out how to do opeing with trapezoid shape as per below screenshot (green highlight). Kindly advise. Thank you.
Regards,
Thiha
Hi Thiha,
If I understand your request correctly, what you are making is an "Openings" model which (only) contains the geometry where openings need to be created and share this file (as IFC?) with other project members? And make a list of these openings for information management? So it is important that your "Openings" have a positive geometry, right?
The simplest way to do this - according to my experience - would be to create simple "solids" with the geometry that the openings need to be, using the tools from the "Modeling" workflow. There you'll have all you need to create the most complicated shapes. Then use the "Add Instance Data" (in the data/reporting tab) to attach BIM information to these geometry. You'll be able to select the penetration types that are available trough the "Place User Defined Type".
There should be also another way by using a parametric cell with variables that control the size of the geometry, but I have tried that a couple of times and always failed.
For your Trapezoid shape that could be something like "Length_1", "Length_2", "Width" and "Depth" (for the 3D). Use the same modelling tools as in option 1. but adding constraints to control the geometry. Then save as a parametric cell.
Then go to the catalog editor and create a new Catalog Type (make it similar/copy from Penetration) and add the same parameters that you have used in the parametric cell and map them. Now you should be able to create these "penetrations" with the same tool and select from the dropdown list.
Hi Johan,
Thanks for your advice. I would like to try option 2, creating PC and map with catalog. But I realised that opening should be PAZ file rathar than cel. Could you please advise how to create the PAZ file? Thanks.
I have no experience with the PAZ files (it's from the parametric cell studio if I'm not mistaken). It's the currently used technology for everything related to doors, windows, ...
However there is new functionality since a couple of versions which are Parametric Cells (.CEL) created with plain microstation tools. As I indicated in my previous post it is possible to map them to the Datagroup Catalog so that they can be placed from the OBD tools. But last time I tried (not sure when that was, but pretty certain it was in U9) it didn't work out properly with parametric cells. A 'static' cell works just fine, but then it will depend on the amount of different variants you'd need. If it's a limited amount, it seems doable to just create them as static/normal cells and create a Catalog Item for each of them.