How to draw zones for a correct IFC export and usage.

[Gonzo666]

Hello everyone, 

I have a question regarding the height and position of the zones in the model: 

Should zones be drawn from finish floor to finish ceiling or should they be drawn from concrete slab to concrete slab and then subtract the finishes with a formula on the property manager? 
The advantage of drawing from finish floor to finish ceiling is that I get the clear height directly from the room, without the use of formulas. I can also getter wall area from the room and use it for a cost estimation.
I do not know how this affects the whole ifc Modell when it comes to recognizing the MEP elements that don’t touch the ifc zone.

Is there a standard and defined Ifc workflow for drawing and exporting zones?

I hope I explained myself correctly. 

I appreciate your help.

[Gonzo666]

Can anyone please help me out here?

[Laszlo Nagy]

I do not have much experience in real-life circumstance, but here is my two cents:

I would model the Zone from top of floor level to bottom of ceiling level.

For the MEP, you could create separate bodies using Morphs or Zones on their own layer that would indicate the spaces/volumes where MEP element can go. That is a good practice as you can send these geometries to the MEP engineer so they know that all their MEP elements must fit inside those spaces/volumes. Also, you will be able to check their work to see if any of those MEP element are outside the geometries you defined.

[Gonzo666]

Hello Laszlo,

thank you very much fotr your reply.

Yes, it makes sense to do it that way