Suggestions on using Hotlinks

[Achille Pavlidis]

Hi, i would like to hear how to use hotlinks in terms of quantity takeoffs.
If you have a repetitive design like say a Hotel Room, that is placed in multiples on a floor plan, how do you design the Hotlinked File?
Do you design the perimeter walls? And if so don't you get overlaping walls, when the rooms are placed in rows? And doesn't this produce missleading calculations in terms of wall surfaces?

Any help appreciated.

[Karl Frost]

We use hotlinked modules most of the time when doing such projects. In NZ the perimeter walls between hotels rooms/apartments need to be double stud, so we usually model an appropriate single stud wall to each side of the room so that when the modules are placed next to each other they show as a double stud wall.
I'm not sure about how to relate this to Quantity schedules as we have not done that, but at a guess you can apply a material (or similar attribute) to the side of the wall that is not to be finished so that it can be ignored or removed from the schedules.

[Anonymous]

Overlapping elements are a problem to more than quantities and should be avoided in all cases.

Whether to include exterior walls in the modules depends on the design. Typically it is best NOT to include the exteriors but if the design is such that the typical units have modular, identical exterior conditions then it can be done. This building is essentially a stack of blocks. Otherwise the trick is to publish the unit plans as modules without the exterior walls.

[Achille Pavlidis]

Thanks for the replies!

To model a double wall is not my case.

I don't model the exterior walls nor the slabs in the hotlinked file. But when you stack them in the main file, then inevitably you have a first and last room, which are surrounded by external walls. So then you have again two walls overlapping.

So, i was thinking maybe it is better to model only the internal partitions, furniture and zone in the hotlink file, and then add the walls in the main file.
Or is it too much work for nothing?

[Erika Epstein]

I do separate modules for the end units. Another hotlink, but you are making it from the original [room] elements so it is quick to do.

[Anonymous]

Another trick is to make the common internal layout for the unit plans and then link that into modules for the various exterior conditions. This can work as long as the variations are not too many.