How do you do your schedules..?

[fhedberg]

Hi all,

I’ve been working with ArchiCad since v6.5 and have not yet got my head around how to make a proper door and window schedule using the inbuilt schedule in ArchiCAD. Since AC17 is now out and emphasising the Live BIM modelling / interactive model etc, which it really should be, I thought I might finally try and get it right (or close anyway). I don’t have a problem listing items or working in the schedule, more so the actual work flow and set up of the schedule to maximise efficiency and accuracy.

At every company I’ve been working for they have had different ways of doing schedules, so far all of the have been using workarounds (ie. 2d editing) in conjunction with the AC schedule to create the schedule they need.

What I would like to know is, how do you do your schedule….?

Traditionally from what I have been working with, the doors / windows have been listed based on their ID Number however I have seen several posts about listing doors / windows in accordance with zones. Listing doors and windows according to their ID Number isn’t too bad as long as you work on smaller projects but as I’m currently faced with a larger projects with 100’s of doors that are identical but yet needs to have their own ID. Organising doors in the schedule based on their ID number is no longer an option as it would end up being a full page with identical doors. Sure I can group all identical doors but as soon as I add the ID number they are yet again listed as individual doors. Back to square one…

Sure, I can spend a bit more money and use Cadimage Door and Window schedule tool but that’s not the point, there should be a simple solution built into the program itself. Especially since its now heavily marketed with BIM and interoperability. Extracting information in a readable and practical format should be of priority for Graphisoft, perhaps even before thinking about adding EcoDesigner and intelligent building materials (not saying it’s a bad thing but they should get their priorities right).

[fhedberg]

bump?

[Karl Ottenstein]

Sorry that none of us responded sooner. Schedules are pretty flexible, but do have their limitations.

Your question is so broad as to solicit an essay from each of us on what we do, etc. Few of us have time for that in our free time...

If you can show what you want, very specifically (PDF of schedule you want to see), I think you'll get more responses. 😉 For example, do you need to give every a unique ID ... or do you ID's have to follow a particular pattern (such that identical doors cannot have the same ID)?

A key point on schedules is that ALL fields must be identical for identical items to be collapsed into one line with a quantity field. Eliminating a field with different values will allow the collapse - so if you eliminate the ID field from the schedule you mention, then identical items will share one row.

Cheers,
Karl

[fhedberg]

Thanks for your reply Karl....almost forgot that I had posted the question and found it while browsing.

The problem I have at the moment is that scheduling items certainly seems to take on a greater importance as we move toward a completely integrated BIM. Wouldn't you think that being able to create / generate a door schedule would be pretty much a built in standard by now (I wont even bring up stairs / rails etc for quantities)...?

In saying that I am fairly competent when it comes to creating schedules after about 12-13 years of Archicad behind me. The problem is that the simplest of schedules are no longer good enough and greater details are now required, schedules now may need to list not just the dimensions and id but also signage requirements, fire ratings, hardware etc.

I have no experience when it comes to Revit doing this sort of thing, would you...?

Our current project is a fairly complex production facility with well over 150 doors all at ground level, comprising of everything from rapid roller doors to sliding cool room doors and standard solid core office doors. Would you have any recommendations in regards to how to organise the doors for you scheduling..?

My option as I see it....

1. I can group / organise each door with independent ID number but listing them would create a item for each and every door. Creating multiple pages and possibly confusing for the builder on site with loads of drawing showing what may look like numerous of identical doors.

2. Grouping doors by their zone number / name. A complete mess when you have multiple zones occupying the same space but could potentially have good referencing capabilities in terms of its location on plan.

3. Grouping the doors by a certain type sounds promising but where would you draw the line of being the same door type (signage, colour...etc)..? Before you know it you are back again at point 1.

I've been struggling with this for a while and every time it seem like a different approach pending on the complexity of the project. A single residential development would not really require to much though as you could quite easily list all the doors on a single page. What I really need to be able to do is to group doors with different ID number under the same door type (12 doors become 1).

The problem really is to try and keep it as simple for the builder on site and at the same time as automated / fool proof as possible here in front of the computer.

[fhedberg]

Just a bit over to constantly having to compromise or do work arounds of something that you think would work straight out of the box by version 17.

It should be simple to do.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Your expanded question seems to be more of one of architectural practice. There is no such thing as a standard schedule.

ArchiCAD doesn't schedule out of the box any more than it produces buildings out of the box. I've seen dozens of radically different practice/office-defined schedules discussed here over the years... and, generally, there is a way of generating them.

If you state how your firm WANTS to see the schedule, then it would be easier for one of us to show you how, or tell you where it runs into difficulties. Once your schedule scheme is defined... it is defined forever. 🙂 This is not something you typically repeat on every job, unless you are freelancing and your clients are various architectural firms each with different requirements for appearance.

[rob2218]

I'll be following this thread as well.
Seems there is NO standard indeed for schedules.
though.........you'd think that there should be some "basic-universal" information that MUST be on them right....

office I consulted for indicated their windows as "circles" their doors as "hexagons"......go figure. totally opposite of what I had been used to for 25 years.

Wish it was easier to extract/compile the information for these schedules as well. Each objects needs an additional button that could say "show on schedule" for the different parameters......or something to that effect.

[Eduardo Rolon]

FWIW circles for doors, hex's for windows down here.

[rob2218]

exactly...but the dude who was paying me insisted that's how he had done it for his whole life.
I told him.........take a look at the Graphic Standards......there's your starting point of reference.

ejrolon wrote:
FWIW circles for doors, hex's for windows down here.

[Steve Jepson]

I like to use Labels and Markers for my doors and windows.
The Label is the ID and the Marker I use for the size and operating type. 3050 CSTM, 3060 SL, 2650 SH...This way I can arrange and rearrange the IDs using the Element ID Manager so there is some rhyme and reason to the way the IDs are located on the plans. I use circles for door labels and diamonds for windows labels.