Classification of composite walls

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Why is it impossible to classificate composite walls by layers? Is it any used method for this? Do ARCHICAD developers think about to make an option to explode composite walls in order to make it possible to classificate it by layers? Thank you for your response in advance!

[Laszlo Nagy]

Good question. It would seem useful and natural to be able to do that. I guess this is just something that has not been implemented yet in ARCHICAD.
I wonder how difficult it can be since each skin of a Composite or Complex element needs to be considered separately. There are cases where this is already done, for example, in Component Schedules, in Partial Structure Display modes, when saving Component separately during IFC Export.
(There are many other things that would be great to have on a component-basis, like Renovation Statuses, or ability to edit each skin geometry separately, etc.)

I think you should make a wish about this, then post its link here.

[Anonymous]

Dear Laszlo,

Thank you for your response. I've made this wish and the link is here:

https://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=59733

[stefan]

FWIW, this is not possible for now. A "workaround" of sorts is to ensure that the building materials as referenced in each skin in the composite has an ID that you may use to filter and classify.

[Anonymous]

Interesting point. I replayed under wish with kind of existing solution. I hope I will help.

[agroni]

Based on the IFC 2x3 and IFC 4 Scheme a wall is an IfcWall of IfcWallStandardCase.
You cannot do a separate classification for each layer of the composition since we are defining geometries here.
But the IfcWallStandardCase has a relation for embedded materials. Here is a quote from the Schema Text:

As an additional use agreement for standard walls, the IfcWallType should have a unique IfcMaterialLayerSet, that is referenced by the IfcMaterialLayerSetUsage assigned to all occurrences of this IfcWallType

But where is this in Archicad and how can it be embedded, I have so far no idea. I never came accross this subject so I would need to do more research.

[stefan]

This is done in the backend of ARCHICAD. Every wall with "normal" geometry and no funny connections will become an IfcWallStandardCase, which requires an extruded profile and than a MaterialLayerSet (list of layers having material and thickness).

This is not supported with complex geometry walls (complex profiles, Solid Element Operations, Priority Based Connections) and than an IfcWall is used, which does not support MaterialLayerSet.

Materials are really underused with current IFC implementations IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Little update. It is possible in AC22 to export Wall breaked in Building Materials. The composite layer is classified as IfcBuildingElementPart class.

[PeterPetersen]

4.5 years forward -> am I right that in AC26 we cannot assign any custom parameters to the individual skins of composites  ( IfcBuildingElementParts )? 

[Jaime-airc_digital]

That is what properties in building materials are meant for. You can even define expressions and mappings like with the rest of the properties.