2024-02-22 01:15 PM - edited 2024-02-22 01:17 PM
I am looking to take out a lot more information from a model such as wall areas separated by surface materials, linear meter of objects such as balustrades, number of kitchen units, bathroom units etc.
I was hoping to create all of this in a single schedule that would list elements based on a custom expression, instead of having individual schedules for each of these quantity take-offs. Is it possbile to create such an expression? Say if archicad classification = wall, list its net outside surface area, if classification = railing, lits its 3d length, etc.
2024-02-26 08:10 AM
You could possibly create a schedule that includes different elements, walls, railings, cabinets, etc.
But you would need to add fields for all the information you want to collect for all of the elements.
So you will have a column/row for railing length, another for wall area, another to count the number of cabinets.
The length field may only show a figure for the railing and will be blank for all other elements.
The number of cabinets will only show a value for cabinets and be blank for all other elements.
Similar for the wall area - will only apply to walls.
So you will have a schedule with many blank fields and it may become difficult to read.
Better to have separate schedules for specific element types I think.
Barry.
7 hours ago
Late to this thread, but wanted to add a different angle.
The Property Manager approach described above is the right answer when you need custom expressions — derived areas by surface material, conditional counts, project-specific logic. That flexibility requires the setup time, and there's no shortcut around it.
Where I'd draw the distinction: if your IFC export already includes base quantities (IfcQuantityArea, IfcQuantityLength, IfcQuantityCount — standard in most Archicad exports), and your goal is a formatted client deliverable rather than a new schedule, the configuration step is essentially sunk cost you're repeating per project.
I built a tool for exactly that moment: ifcreport.app parses any IFC file in the browser — nothing uploaded to a server — and produces a formatted PDF quantity report in under 60 seconds, no configuration. Free tier covers 3 reports/month; Pro is €19/month and adds your client logo to the title block.
It won't compute custom expressions or quantities not already in the file. Complement to this workflow, not a replacement.
Disclosure: I built this tool.