Introduction:
In construction project management, relations are a central tool for defining and managing relationships between different building components, instances, or attributes. On the big® platform, relations can be used to describe relationships such as between a room and its equipment or a building component and a schedule. These relationships improve the traceability, coordination, and evaluation of projects and enable more precise processing of model information.
1. Function: Relations
Relations define relationships between building components or instances within a project. They are important for establishing connections between different elements, such as between a room and equipment or between a building component and its schedule. These links are often used to automatically assign or analyse data and are therefore an essential part of a structured information model.
The "Relations" menu can be accessed via Administration and allows these connections to be created manually or automatically based on predefined rules.
2. New Relation Definition
Relations can be defined in two ways:
- Manually: Relations can be created individually for each building component, allowing you to specify exactly which elements are connected to one another.
- Automatically: Relations are generally created automatically based on rules. This means that connections between building components or instances are established automatically based on predefined rules and attributes.
The automatic creation of relations saves time and ensures that all relevant relationships are represented correctly and consistently. In many cases, these relations are created automatically based on attributes, such as room and storey or building component and schedule.
3. Export and Import of Relations
Relations created in big® can be both exported and imported to enable interoperability with other systems and databases.
- Exporting relations: An export allows relations to be transferred from big® into an external format, for example to integrate them into Excel or other databases. This allows you to further process data outside the big® platform.
- Importing relations: Existing relations can also be imported into big®. This enables external data or relations to be integrated into the system, ensuring a consistent data structure.
The batch export and import of relations via an Excel list makes it possible to export or import multiple relations at once, which can result in significant time savings for large projects.
4. Types of Relations
With regard to attributes and relation finding, relations can be divided into two main categories:
Based on Attributes:
- Instance - Instance/Instance: These relations connect two instances of a building component. For example, a relation could exist between two lights that belong to the same room or functional group.
- Type - Type: These relations connect building component types that have similar properties or functions. For example, all construction containers of a specific type could be linked to one another.
Based on Relation Finding:
- Geometric - Geometric Intersection: These relations connect elements based on their spatial position in the model. An example would be a relation between walls and windows that intersect spatially.
- Database - A connection based on defined attribute keys: These relations are based on attributes that serve as keys for connecting building components. An example is connecting a room to a schedule based on the room number or storey code.
5. Function: Geometric Relations
Geometric relations play an important role in room and model coordination. They make it possible to connect building components or instances based on their spatial positions. For example, building components can be automatically linked to one another when they are located in the same room or area. This type of relation is often used in clash detection or model linking to ensure that there are no overlaps or conflicts between building components.
6. Frequently Asked Questions
For further information about relations or if you encounter any difficulties, you can contact Support at support@build-big.ch at any time.
Conclusion:
Managing relations on the big® platform is an essential tool for maintaining a precise and well-organised data structure. By creating, editing, and linking relations, you can ensure that your project is optimally coordinated and that relevant building components and instances are efficiently connected to one another. If you need assistance or would like to learn more about relations, please contact our Support team at support@build-big.ch.