Attributes and Properties

Every construction part or object has certain properties, also called attributes. These properties are created in various ways, for instance by using parametric objects during the design process or by manually adding information using free attributes. Not all object properties are visible to the user or can be edited. The property manager can be used to view certain object information or in some cases edit it.

Attributes and groups

Attributes always consist of an internal name, a display name and a data type. The display name is shown in the user interface and is language dependent. The internal name has to be unique and should be language independent (or when not possible, then in English). Attributes are structured in different groups.

Parametric attributes

These attributes are generated automatically during the planning process by using parametric construction parts. For instance, if a window is created, such attributes would be the height and width. The attributes can be changed by using the corresponding masks and dialogs of the object. The property manager does not display those attributes.

Quantity attributes (calc::)

Quantity attributes can be assigned to parametric objects, so that those objects can be evaluated in a certain way during quantity evaluation. Quantity attributes are not parametric attributes, which means their values do not change automatically whenever properties of the construction parts are changed. Quantity attributes always start with the prefix calc::.

Free attributes (free::)

Free attributes feature information about additional object properties, which cannot be covered by parametric attributes. For instance, information about fire rating, article numbers or manufacturer information. These attributes can be chosen freely from the user, and are added to objects using the property manager. Free attributes always start with the prefix free::.

IFC attributes (ifc::)

If building models are exchanged using the IFC interface, parametric and free attributes created by ELITECAD are mapped to the corresponding IFC attributes. If IFC files are imported, those attributes are displayed in the property manager. IFC attributes always start with the prefix ifc::.

Other attributes

Other attribute groups occur whenever import and export interfaces are used. For instance, when importing DXF files, the attributes are displayed in the property manager using the prefix dxf::.

Property manager

Property manager header

Add object type

Edit record

Expand/Collapse all

Filter/Search

Add object type

Using the dropdown menu, the following actions can be selected:

Object types can be used to provide information how certain objects should be evaluated. A detailed description can be found in chapter Object types. “Add free attribute” adds an existing free attribute to the selected object. “Add record” adds a predefined set of attributes to an object.

Edit record

This function can be used to edit predefined records, create new records and add new free attribute definitions.

Expand all/Collapse all

Using this switch all elements in the property manager can be expanded or collapsed at once.

Filter/search

The search function allows for a search for certain attributes in the property manager.

Free attributes

Free Attributes can be used to add information to objects that are not provided by parametric properties of construction parts. A large selection of predefined attributes is already included in the standard installation of ELITECAD. In addition, you can define your own new attributes.

Add free attribute

In order to add a free attribute, first a construction part has to be selected. Then, using right-click in the property manager, choose the option “Add free attribute”. A new dialogue appears, which includes a list of all predefined attributes. It is possible to select one or multiple attributes at once. Use to add the attributes to the object. Afterwards, the property manager can be used to assign values. The corresponding units of the attributes are displayed according to the selected data type.

Show free attribute

There are multiple ways to show the attribute definition, the data type and the name of a certain attribute. When hovering over an attribute, a tooltip shows a compact preview of the attribute definition. In order to see the detailed description, right-click to open the attribute definition. If the check box “Extended” is ticked, an even more detailed description is shown including data types and formats.

Remove free attribute

Free attributes that have been added to an object can be removed again using the context menu “Remove free attribute”.

Define free attribute

Attribute definitions are always linked to the records. How to define a new Attribute is described in the Records chapter.

Delete attribute from database

Improved · 16 R1 · Improvements

Free attributes created by the user and already saved in the database can be removed again using "Delete attribute definition". The function can be opened from the record manager and automatically only shows the deletable attributes. The desired attributes are selected by means of multiple selection and deleted from the database.

Attention

If an attribute definition was created but not yet saved in the database, it only exists in the drawing and cannot be deleted. As soon as a new drawing is opened, this definition is automatically removed.

Save attributes from drawings

Improved · 16 R1 · Improvements

If you receive drawings that contain useful attributes that you might want to reuse in later projects, it makes sense to save them in your own database right away. To do this, either a new data record is created or an existing one is extended with the drawing attributes. In the first step, the attribute manager is opened using "Add free attribute", then filtered on drawing attributes. The desired attributes can be selected from multi-selection and added to the record. After that, the record must be saved in the database with "Save" so it is available in future projects.

Records and Property Sets

It is often required to assign the same attributes and same values to certain objects. Records can be used to group those attributes together. A record is a collection of attributes including default values. ELITECAD features predefined records, also called property sets, which are specified by buildingSMART. You can also create and configure custom records.

Management of records

Records and free attributes are managed using an SQL database. Whenever a network installation is used, the database is centrally managed, which means there is only one data source for all users. The advantage is, that new attribute definitions are available to all users and that there are no conflicts for attribute definitions.

Add record

Alongside free attributes, records can also be added either using the menu or from the context menu in the property manager.

The function adds the corresponding attributes of the record and the predefined values to the object.

Create new record

In order to create a new record, the configuration dialog for records has to be opened using .

Every record has to have a unique name. Then, various attributes can be added and standard values can be set for those attributes. Records can be nested, which means records can be added to other records. When the record is configured, use “save” to save the information in the database. Next time the function “Add record” is used, the list should contain the newly added record.

Edit record

Editing and expanding records works similar to creating a new record. Use the configuration menu of records and first select the desired record in the dropdown list.

The record can be modified, for instance by adding or removing certain attributes using the context menu or by changing standard values. If save is pressed afterwards and the name has not been changed, then the existing record is overwritten. If a new name was entered, then the existing record remains untouched and a copy is created with the new name.

Define free attributes

Using the record configuration, it is also possible to define new free attributes. Depending on the attribute type, different settings appear in the dialogue. Settings include the attribute name, which is the internal name (should be unique and language independent), the attribute description, which is displayed to the user and can be language dependent, as well as the data type (text, number, etc.).

Detailed settings are only displayed if the check box “Extended” is ticked. By closing the dialogue with , the attribute definition will be saved. The attribute is only created if the option “Add to current record” is enabled. If an attribute definition with the same name already exists, the attribute cannot be created.

Accept current properties

Sometimes an object, which has certain attributes, should act as a template for creating a new record. In this case, the function “Accept current properties” can be used. The function copies all attributes and values of the selected object into the currently active record.

Export records

Records are always globally available, so for network installations the definitions are accessible to all users. Sometimes it is required to pass information about records to other project partners. A special export function can be used to export information about attribute definitions and records into an SQL file.

The export function can be opened using the menu of the record dialog. Using multi-selection, multiple records can be selected, then a file name has to be chosen, and the data will be exported.

Import records

As with the export function, records can be imported using SQL files. If records or attributes with the same name already exist in the database, they will not be imported.

Attribute mapping for IFC data exchange

It is important that as much information as possible is transported during IFC data exchange. The standards for data exchange are provided by buildingSMART. During export, parametric and free attributes are automatically mapped to the corresponding standard attributes, so that they can be imported and processed by every openBIM software. If new free attributes are defined by the user, they cannot be automatically assigned to a certain property set in the IFC standard, because the attribute might not even be contained in the standard. User-defined attributes are therefore written into a special ELITECAD property set. ELITECAD also provides the possibility to manually map user-defined attributes to IFC standard attributes.

Manual mapping

The manual attribute mapping is a tool for experts and is not necessary for standard IFC exports. One example, where it is required, is if a company wants to use a special custom attribute, which should be assigned a standard IFC attribute. For that purpose, the attribute mapping table can be used.


For every attribute, multiple mappings can be defined in the table. One entry always consists of an ELITECAD attribute, an IFC property set and an IFC attribute. The association only works for the correct data types, so it is not possible to map a text attribute to a numeric attribute. This is for security reasons and to guarantee the validity of the IFC file. The selection of valid attributes is automatically created by ELITECAD. For instance, the following attribute has been newly defined and should be mapped onto an IFC attribute:


The special attribute can be added to the table as a new entry. Now the user can decide which attribute should be used for which construction part, for instance, in the case of a window (pSet_WindowCommon), it should be exported to IFC as an object type.

Attribute Label

	Toolbar Lay-out > Attribute label
	Menu Lay-out

The attribute label can be used to depict object properties like free attributes and quantity attributes in plans. The attribute label is a parametric object, which is linked to a main object, that provides information that should be displayed in plans.

Property bar

The configuration dialog can be opened using the property bar. Furthermore, the currently active parameter set for the attribute label can be changed. In addition, the selected library part, which acts as a template for the attribute label is displayed as well.

Place Attribute label

When an attribute label is created, first the desired architectural object has to be selected. This could be a wall, window, etc. After selecting the object, the position has to be determined with a second click. When the attribute label is successfully placed on the plan, further objects can be selected, or the function can be terminated using  Esc .

Note

An attribute label can also be placed in section views. A special template is available for rooms.

Configure Attribute label

• Type: Name of the parameter set
• Layer: Layer for the attribute label
• Library part: Template for the attribute label

Format and content of attributes

The number of attributes which can be displayed by an attribute label are determined by the template drawing. Attribute names can be selected using the drop-down menu, or can be entered manually. When the names are entered manually, the unique internal attribute name has to be used, not the display name, e.g. free::Fire resistance class instead of FireRating. In addition, the formatting of the text can be configured to match to the room labels. The attribute values are automatically determined from the main object and cannot be configured.

Management using parameter sets

As is the case with other architectural objects, configurations of attribute labels can be saved as parameter sets so they can be reused.

Automatic changes

Whenever attributes of the main object change, and the main object already has an attribute label, the label is automatically refreshed to display the latest values

If the main object does not have any attribute information, the attribute label will not display any data.