What is going on when MicroStation Visibility Calculator runs?

Hi Chris,

The difficulty is that the properties of each DataGroup Object instance are stored in the typical floor model, so as things stand the door annotation in each floor plan can't be unique. I take it that the ability to do this is something that you and the others on this thread would like to see as a future enhancement?

In the meantime, how about the following? Give each of the referenced floors a logical name that fits with your project coding, I've just used the obvious name for demo purposes. Then add the Internal Data property Logical to the schedule (shown here in SS5):

You can then schedule the doors by floor (this one is an SS6 screenshot):

Obviously this does not address the annotation on the Drawing but it does allow schedules to be produced with floor identification. The resulting Excel data can be manipulated further as required.

Unknown said:

Steve Cocchi

That said, Ss6 will offer a few enhancements in this area (particularly for caching)

Interesting ! When will ss6 be out for EAP?

Soon....  very soon. 

--> http://communities.bentley.com/products/building/building_analysis___design/f/343463#pi20290=1

I don't necessary agree with your comment, "I cannot see how it could possibly handle but the simplest of annotation tasks - certainly not producing construction documentation." We use auto-annotation for our CDs. We have even added DG annotation for elements beyond those delivered with the package. Now, you have to touch much of that annotation to clean-up its position for readability, but if the symbol is designed properly, then that is relatively easy. We have found this is not only faster, but can eliminate errors. That said, we don't use auto-annotation for everything. We use what makes sense. But we have gone beyond the delivered auto-annotation content including some custom DG stuff and we are using it to produce CDs.

For multi-story buildings with typical floor plates we use the convention of FFNNN where FF is the floor number and NNN is the room number, so the room number for a typical floor is entered as XX101, etc. In the general notes we indicate that XX should be substituted for the applicable floor number.

If you are doing take-off using this method, you need to multiply the number of typical floor plates by the number of doors, etc. to get the proper take-off. Our work is often design-build, so we are closely tied with the constructors. Therefore we are very cost control conscious. We are constantly doing take-off as control checks as well as in relation to cost control. A lot of folks think you press a button and get a take-off out of a BIM model. We use both Revit and ABD and have to massage the data from each to create a valid take-off. That said, BIM is 100-times faster than in times past when he had to do much of the base take-off by hand. Once a model is validated for the take-off, I can now produce a take-off to hand to the estimators in half-a-day. (Validated meaning, Does the model has the elements we need for the take-off at that state in the project development?)

Understand, thanks Mark, I have processed that info now.
My previous views on auto annotating in general remain unchanged though. I cannot see how it could possibly handle but the simplest of annotation tasks - certainly not producing construction documentation.
By way of example, let me share this "little" problem with you.
In multistorey projects in general, a typical situation is that of similar floors being multiple instances of the same reference file. So far so good.
But... IF you want to use auto annotation, the same door repeated on any floor through your referencing will have the SAME annotation - which of course is incorrect since EACH DOOR, even if they are " the same" should have a unique number or text, usually including the floor number but not necessarily. That's basic architectural documentation. Same for windows, curtainwalls etc etc.
mmm so there goes the Xreferencing for the sake of auto annotation? I don't think so.

Unknown said:

That said, Ss6 will offer a few enhancements in this area (particularly for caching)

Interesting ! When will ss6 be out for EAP?