Using IFC group models to make IFC properties available in Asta Powerproject

You can use IFC properties, taken from 3D models, in a number of ways in Asta Powerproject. For example, you can:

Display IFC properties in the spreadsheet.
Filter bars and tasks according to IFC properties.
Sort/group bars and tasks according to IFC properties.
Display IFC properties in the bar chart.
Use IFC properties to construct formulae.
Export IFC properties as Business Intelligence data - this enables you to access the information in Asta Vision.

You make IFC property information available in Asta Powerproject by mapping user-defined fields to specific IFC properties. In order to make IFC properties from a 3D model available, the 3D model must be part of an IFC group model.

To make IFC properties from a 3D model available in Asta Powerproject:

If the 3D model is not already part of an IFC group model, create an IFC group model and add the 3D model to it.
Display the IFC group model in the IFC Model pane. If the IFC group model is not open, the full list of IFC properties will not be available for mapping.
Identify the IFC properties in the 3D model that you want to make available, and create a user-defined field of the appropriate data type for each IFC property.

You can use the following types of user-defined field to make IFC properties available:
- String - a field for alphanumeric text. You can map string-type fields to any IFC property. This enables you to make date information from a 3D model available in Asta Powerproject - although as the date is converted into an alphanumeric string, if you sort/group bars or tasks according to a user-defined field containing this information, they will be sorted alphanumerically rather than in date order, and you cannot treat the field as a date in formulae.
- Integer - a field for whole numbers, for example 1; 15; 157. You should map integer-type fields to IFC properties that contain integer data.
- Float - a field for decimal numbers, for example 0.5; 3.746; 243.49. You should map float-type fields to IFC properties that contain decimal data.
The user-defined fields you create must have an object type that relates to a type of task, for example 'Task'; 'Expanded Task'; 'Milestone'; etc.

Refer to the Creating user-defined fields for your own use topic in the Asta Powerproject Help for information on creating user-defined fields in local projects; refer to the Working with user-defined fields topic in the Server Admin Help for information on creating user-defined fields in Asta Enterprise projects.
On the 4D tab, in the Model group, click Model Properties. The IFC Group Model Properties dialog appears.
Click the UDF Transfer tab. The grid on this tab displays details of any IFC properties that have already been mapped to user-defined fields.
Click Add. A new row appears in the grid.
Click the new row in the IFC Property column and select the IFC property that you want to map to a user-defined field.
Click the new row in the Task User Field column and select the user-defined field that you want to map to the selected IFC property.
Follow steps 6 to 8 to map more IFC properties to user-defined fields if required.
Click Close when you have mapped all required IFC properties to user-defined fields.

You can now use the user-defined fields to make the mapped IFC properties available in Asta Powerproject. For example, you can display the user-defined fields in the spreadsheet; filter bars and tasks according to the user-defined fields; sort/group bars and tasks according to the user-defined fields; and so on.

Updating user-defined fields when a 3D model is updated

If you update a 3D model, you should update the information in the user-defined fields that are mapped to the model's IFC properties. To do this:

Open the project and display the IFC group model in the IFC Model pane.
On the 4D tab, in the Model group, click Model Properties. The IFC Group Model Properties dialog appears.
Click the UDF Transfer tab.
Click Update All Now. The information in the user-defined fields is updated.
Click Close.

How user-defined fields cope with tasks that are associated with more than one 3D object

If a task is associated with more than one 3D object, the IFC property values are summed for integer and float-type fields for use in Asta Powerproject; for string-type fields, the IFC property values are concatenated together, except where values are identical. For example:

If you map an 'IFC_Length' user-defined field to an IFC property that describes the length of 3D objects and display this field in the spreadsheet, if a task is associated with more than one 3D object, the lengths of all these objects are summed and the total length is displayed in the field.
If you map a 'IFC_Name' user-defined field to an IFC property that describes the name of 3D objects and display this field in the spreadsheet, if a task is associated with more than one 3D object, the names of all these objects are displayed in the field, for example 'Concrete Beam 1, Concrete Beam 2, Concrete Beam 3'; if any of the 3D objects share a name, the name is displayed only once.