Using building materials properties in element properties

[Nic Tulban]

In order to create a simple column schedule, I need to access the properties of the building material (eg. density or unit price) to calculate some properties of the column (the weight or the price, respectively). The material properties are not accessible...

[Barry Kelly]

You can access Building Material physical properties if you use a 'Components' schedule.

You can also classify your BM and add other properties for price and weight.

Does that do what you want?

Barry.

[Nic Tulban]

Hello Barry, thank you for the very prompt reply.

The mentioned features are very known - my „wish“ is to go further, to use the properties of the building materials as variables in defining the properties of the building elements. For example, to make a simple multiplication between the unit price stored as a material property and the volume of the column, to  get the real price of the column.

And then, obviously, to write it down in a schedule.

If there exists a way to make this and you can give me some clues to find it, I’ll be grateful.

Thanks.

Nic

[Barry Kelly]

If there exists a way to make this and you can give me some clues to find it, I’ll be grateful.

I can't say if have ever tried this with building material physical properties (like density).

I don't think you can access the building material physical properties in property expressions, which is what I thought you were after.

Schedules can not do any form or calculation other that totalling columns/rows.

So you would need to create a new property that can use the other properties you want in an expression to calculate what you need.

You would then schedule that new calculated property.

You could create a property for 'cost' that you can associate to any element, and give it a value in each element.

The thing is you would need to set the cost for each element, and if ever the cost changes, you need to update each element.

That is why costing is not really a good idea to do directly within Archicad, certainly not any detailed costings.

You can then create another property with an expression based on cost x volume or length of that element.

It is this calculated property that you would schedule.

Barry.

[Nic Tulban]

Thank you,

I did it this way before I have written the wish.

I find this workflow very ineffective and risky.

Data centralisation ist always the professional solution.

Nic