MEP Scheduling length

[Finlay_Moran]

Hello everyone!

At the moment I do design of living space and I made basic MEP with respected tool set in Archicad.

Despite the looks that are I find good enough for relatively detailed layout however I have problem with calculating the length of the objects.

I already know that standard variables like 3d length and so on doesn't work with MEP but if you add variable MEP_StraightLength from Additional Parameters of Interactive Schedules you will get the needed length.

However my issue is i can't use as sum of all section by duct type.

E.g. I have heating line which from the plan view has several turns around the corner. From the AC point of view each of the turns is a different section with different length. But from my point of view whole line must be counted as one.

Before MEP tools I achieved needed result with beams and columns. Unfortunately it's time consuming and this method doesn't have the flexibility of MEP tool connections.

Is there a way to calculate summed up length of duct line with one unique ID? Like we have e.g. line with 3 segments of 0.8, 1.0, 0.2 meters with same ID. And the schedule shows total of 2 meters rather than some of that numbers.

I hope it explained well.

Thank you.

[Denis Petrov]

Hello,

have you solved the problem? 

I'm trying to do the same and all that i've achieved is a list of segments with sum length of all of them despite title

[Finlay_Moran]

Kind of solved it but it's still not as good as I wished it to be.

I took library element "flexible pipe" and added some additional code to calculate the length and just added properties (classification) of the pipe and wiring. However it performs badly when you try to let's say extended it to the wall at the right angle.

I have poor skills in GDL but I try to come up with my own fully functional solution.

By your name I assume you are Russian so in localized version this tool called "гибкая труба".

If you want I cant attach my frankestein solution but as I said it's not great

[Magellan]

Hi there,

I've spent roughly a day struggling with Graphisoft approach of handling items naturally should be equipped with appropriate length calculation. After all found a gdl library modification at Russian forum, which adopted for 27th version. Works more or less according to expectations. The follwing code is to added at the bottom of the "Parameter" section:

-----------------

MEP_StraightLength = 0

start_x = MEP_FlexibleDuctPoints[1][1]
start_y = MEP_FlexibleDuctPoints[1][2]
start_z = MEP_FlexibleDuctPoints[1][3]

for i = 2 to NumFlexibleDuctPoints
   end_x = MEP_FlexibleDuctPoints [i][1]
   end_y = MEP_FlexibleDuctPoints [i][2]
   end_z = MEP_FlexibleDuctPoints [i][3]

   lngt_x = end_x - start_x
   lngt_y = end_y - start_y
   lngt_z = end_z - start_z

   lngt = sqr(lngt_x*lngt_x + lngt_y*lngt_y + lngt_z*lngt_z)

   MEP_StraightLength = MEP_StraightLength + lngt
   start_x = end_x
   start_y = end_y
   start_z = end_z
next i
PARAMETERS MEP_StraightLength = MEP_StraightLength

----------------------------

So the steps for interested ones:

1) Open File -> Libraries and Objects -> Open Object -> MEP Library 27 -> MEP Library 27.lcf -> 1. Ductwork 27 -> Segment 27 -> Flexible Duct 27.gsm

2) Under "Parameter" section paste the code above

3) Save the modified file e.g. as "Cable_from_duct_27.gsm"

4) When at your drawing, select Design -> MEP Engineering Tools -> Ductwork -> Duct Flexible Segment and in Settings Dialog select your modified object "Cable_from_duct_27.gsm" as the one instead of standard ArchiCAD's object

5) Draw your duct in a desired way

6) At Schedule -> Scheme Settings select (instead of standard "Length (A)") a "Length" field under "Library Part Parameters..."

The result is visualized at the attached pics, though it's not the perfect one.

Maybe I missed a much proper and easier approch of handling lingths of cables/ducts/etc, but I've really endeavoured. If this is really the only solution, then a big shame on Graphisoft for missing such evident and easy-to-make feature.