Schedule Square Footages

[jameshart]

On a multifamily project I am trying to setup an automatic schedule to count the residential units which will replace the unit count schedules that we currently make in Excel.

I have modeled a zone in each residential unit hotlink module, and then created a schedule that is set to merge uniform items. This works well for all columns until we get to the square footage columns. We need one column that shows the square footage for that unit type, but ArchiCAD adds them all together. Is it possible to tell the schedule to show the area in that column PER UNIT instead of COMBINED? Or can anyone suggest another approach?

Thanks!

[jameshart]

Anton wrote:
5. Select object you need (one of the default Zone Stamps, usually the first one, as shown in my image, but can be any other Zone Stamp Object you use).
6. Find the parameter you need (in our case, called "ROOM_AREA", shown as unselectable grey entry, as it is already added to the area "7" by the time this screenshot was taken).
7. Add "ROOM_AREA" parameter to the schedule and click "OK"

Done. Make sure the column displaying "ROOM_AREA" parameter is in the right place by moving it up or down the schedule list.

If you have any more questions — let me know and I will take the time to answer them.

(Sorry for the delayed response, I thought I replied before vacation.)

Thanks Anton! We've used Object Parameters and IFC Properties in our Door and Window schedules, but I never thought to look there for this particular piece of information! Unfortunately it comes in square meters instead of square feet. I checked each of the 5 zone objects I found by searching for objects that start with "zone" while looking for a property that gives the value in square feet, but I didn't find any. Are you aware of any other property that I missed? (Hopefully some day the U.S. will adopt the Metric System!)

Thanks again Anton!

[Anonymous]

jameshart wrote:
I checked each of the 5 zone objects I found by searching for objects that start with "zone" while looking for a property that gives the value in square feet, but I didn't find any. Are you aware of any other property that I missed?

You are correct. No related zone_stamp object has a variable in sq.ft. and ArchiCAD does not apply proper formatting to variables pulled form objects to account for different calculation systems (it should, but it doesn't).
The easiest option I can see here, since ArchiCAD is not very cooperative, is to add additional variables in sq.ft. to zone_stamp object in question. Need help there?

[jameshart]

Anton wrote:

jameshart wrote:
I checked each of the 5 zone objects I found by searching for objects that start with "zone" while looking for a property that gives the value in square feet, but I didn't find any. Are you aware of any other property that I missed?

You are correct. No related zone_stamp object has a variable in sq.ft. and ArchiCAD does not apply proper formatting to variables pulled form objects to account for different calculation systems (it should, but it doesn't).
The easiest option I can see here, since ArchiCAD is not very cooperative, is to add additional variables in sq.ft. to zone_stamp object in question. Need help there?

That was the only other thing I could think of, but I had been avoiding that workflow because it's easy for someone to forget to update the variable if the unit is changed. Oh well, maybe for ArchiCAD 21?

Thanks for all your help Anton! You rock!

[Anonymous]

jameshart wrote:
I had been avoiding that workflow because it's easy for someone to forget to update the variable if the unit is changed.

Are you sure? I don't see any need for manual entry here.
Create a variable linked to already existing one and multiply it by 10.763910417 (m2 to sf.ft. coefficient), then just add that new variable to a schedule.

Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Can you provide the steps to, "Create a variable linked to already existing one and multiply it by 10.763910417 (m2 to sf.ft. coefficient), then just add that new variable to a schedule."

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

jfa_ra wrote:
Can you provide the steps to, "Create a variable linked to already existing one and multiply it by 10.763910417 (m2 to sf.ft. coefficient), then just add that new variable to a schedule."

Sure.

1. Locate GDL object that you use as your Zone Stamp.

2. Open that Zone Stamp GDL object for editing.

3. Find a GDL variable you are using in your schedule (the variable that only gives out meters instead of square feet).

4. Make a new GDL variable with similar name and data type appending something like "_SQFT" for readability.

5. Assign a value to the "_SQFT" variable equal to a value of the variable from step 3 multiplied by 10.763910417.

6. Add that new "_SQFT" variable to your schedule.

Side note: Joe, if the steps above do not seem intuitive enough, please PM me with your e-mail address and I will help you modify a Zone Object to your liking.

Best,

[Anonymous]

Anton,

Thank you for your assistance. While I was able to create the variable and conversion calculation, there seems to be a unresolvable issue within ArchiCAD. It seems that once the value exceeds 1,000 SF, it simply displays the value as 1.00. Upon further testing to confirm the theory; area greater than 2,000 SF becomes 2.00, etc. (Not very useful!) So regrettably, the data is not reliable. I am attaching a few screen shots for reference. Thank you again!

(It would be so beneficial if ArchiCAD enhanced the functionality and usability of both the Scheduling Feature and Zone Tool. There is an inherent efficiency to have a schedule that can do basic math functions inside of ArchiCAD too. Simple things like addition, multiplication, suffixes, etc.) I know ArchiCAD 20 now has a Property Manager tool, but that still involves an external source to manipulate the data. Once a third party application needs to be introduced, such as Excel, the immediate, accurate flow of data to inform the design process is squelched.)

[Anonymous]

jfa_ra wrote:
... there seems to be a unresolvable issue within ArchiCAD. It seems that once the value exceeds 1,000 SF, it simply displays the value as 1.00.

Joe,

I like finding ArchiCAD bugs as much as the next guy, but lets not pin this tail somewhere it does not belong.

The variable in question is just a number — it should work. Attached is a screenshot of a simple schedule I put together with both columns for each unit — m2 and sq.ft. Representing an existing variable ROOM_AREA, as well as, new one called ROOM_AREA_SQFT equal to ROOM_AREA * 10.76391

[Anonymous]

I really do not like finding bugs in ArchiCAD and would prefer that not to be the case. Maybe I missed something in the variable definition.

Did you have a chance to look at the three screenshots in the previous pdf file?

Here is a snap shot of just the IFC settings.

[Anonymous]

jfa_ra wrote:
Did you have a chance to look at the three screenshots in the previous pdf file?

Actually, no.
Sorry, I missed it.
I do see it now, though.

I am lost.

The Original Poster of this thread asked about Interactive Schedules, not about IFC scheme or object property setup, but your screenshot is of IFC Scheme Setup dialog window... I, currently, fail to see any correlation with this thread's topic.

You must be talking about something else entirely.