Linking related 3D models using IFC group models

If you have a group of 3D models that are associated with each other, you can link them together using IFC group models. This may be useful if you have a separate 3D model for each discipline in a project and you want to be able to work with all of the related 3D models together at the same time. If you link a number of related 3D models together, you can open them all at the same time by opening the IFC group model and they appear at the same time, overlaid, in the IFC Model and IFC Comparison Model panes. You can also use IFC group models to add site objects, such as cranes, portacabins, security fences, scaffolding, parked cars, etc, to 3D models to give a better visual representation of how a site will appear at various stages of a project. Site objects exist as individual 3D models; you add them to a 3D model by creating an IFC group model and adding the site object to the IFC group model. After you have linked a number of related IFC models together, you can also open the individual IFC models separately if you wish.

Before linking together 3D models, you must have first associated each model with a project in Asta Powerproject 4D in order to create an IFC model object for each 3D model in Library Explorer.

Once you have linked a number of 3D models together using an IFC group model, you can open the IFC group model in Asta Powerproject 4D and work with it in much the same way as you would work with a single 3D model.

To link together a number of 3D models using an IFC group model:

If you have not already done so, create or open a project file in Asta Powerproject 4D.
Click the File tab, then click 4D. A list of any 3D models and IFC group models that already exist within the project appears.
Click New... in the IFC column, then select Create Group from the menu that appears. The Group Model Details tab of the IFC Group Model Properties dialog appears.
Enter a brief name and an additional description in the Name and Description fields.
Click Add. The Select IFC Model dialog appears, listing the 3D models that exist within the project. Note that the Add button is unavailable if you have not yet associated any 3D models with the project.
Select the 3D model that you want to add to the IFC group model then click OK.
You are asked whether you want to copy the colour override and timeline behaviour settings from the selected 3D model to the IFC group model. If you have already configured these settings for the selected 3D model, click Yes; otherwise click No. The 3D model is added to the IFC group model and appears in the list of 3D models on the Group Model Details tab of the IFC Group Model Properties dialog.
In the Discipline column, select the discipline that applies to the 3D model, for example Architecture, Plumbing or Structural.
Repeat steps 5 to 8 to add further 3D models to the IFC group model. Each time you add a 3D model, if its colour override settings differ from those of the IFC group model you are asked whether you want to merge the 3D model's settings with the IFC group model's settings.
When you have added all of the 3D models to the IFC group model, configure its colour override and timeline behaviour settings then click OK to close the IFC Group Model Properties dialog.