visicon user guide 120618 · 2019-05-08 · user guide visicon smart bim tools version 1.0.1 06...

User Guide

Visicon Smart BIM Tools Version 1.0.1 ● 06 December 2018

Visicon Inc. – 340 E 77th St., Suite 2A, NY, NY 10075 - +1 (347) 454-6229 [email protected] - visicon.com

© 2018 Visicon Inc. All rights reserved.

Visicon Inc. 340 E 77th St., Suite 2A, NY, NY 10075

+1 (347) 454-6229, [email protected], visicon.com

Trademarks

Visicon and Visicon Smart BIM Tools are trademarks of Visicon. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this document is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Visicon Inc. (Visicon) disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Visicon be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Visicon or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Document Lifetime

Visicon may occasionally update online documentation between releases of the related software. Consequently, if this document was not downloaded recently, it may not contain the most up-to-date information. Please refer to www.visicon.com for the most current information.

Where to get help

Visicon support, product, and licensing information can be obtained as follows.

Product information — Documentation, release notes, software updates, and information about Visicon products, licensing, and service, can be found at:

http://www.visicon.com

Email technical support — To request technical support, send an email to [email protected]. Note that to receive support, you must have a valid Visicon license. Courtesy email support may be provided to users of our free BIM model explorer.

Video tutorials — All users of Visicon are encouraged to go to our YouTube Channel and access the video tutorials we have uploaded (search for VisiconBIM Channel):

Your comments

Your suggestions will help us continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of the user publications and products. Please send your opinion of this document to and Visicon Smart BIM Tool to:

[email protected]

If you have issues, comments, or questions about specific information or procedures, please include the title and, if available, the revision, the page numbers, and any other details that will help us locate the subject that you are addressing.

Sample model shown in figures

Original Revit model provided courtesy of CKC Structural Engineers

Visicon Inc User Guide

Visicon Smart BIM Tools v1.0

© Visicon Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. of 114

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 7

1.1 INSTALLATION AND LICENSING OPTIONS 7

1.2 UPDATES AND UPGRADES 8

1.3 RELEASE NOTES 8

1.4 TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS 9

1.5 WORKFLOWS AND BENEFITS 9

2 Working with BIM files 11

2.1 REVIT MODELS 11

2.2 IFC FILES 13

2.3 ETABS FILES 13

2.4 ADAPT FILES 14

2.5 POINT CLOUD FILES 14

2.6 WAVEFRONT OBJ FILES 14

2.7 VISICON PROJECT FILES 14

2.8 SECURITY 14

2.9 VISICON TEMPLATE FILES 14

2.10 SAVE AS PORTABLE 14

2.11 MERGE INTO MODEL 15

2.12 UPDATE MODEL GEOMETRY 15

2.13 SAMPLES 15

2.14 CAD FILES 16

3 Model Visualization 17

3.1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE 17

3.2 OBJECT PROPERTIES 19

3.3 PROJECT BROWSER 20

3.4 STATUS BAR 23

3.5 RIGHT-CLICK MOUSE OPTIONS 24

3.6 OBJECT COLOR AND TRANSPARENCY 24

Visicon Inc. User Guide



3.7 KEYBOARD NAVIGATION 25

3.8 SUMMARY OF UNIQUE VISUALIZATION FEATURES 25

3.8.1 Hot-Tracking 25

3.8.2 Level Navigation 26

3.8.3 Grids 27

3.8.4 Component Categories 27

3.8.5 Display of Widgets 29

3.8.6 Clip Planes 30

3.8.7 Floor Plan 31

3.8.8 Rectangular Selection 32

4 Model Validation & Smart Visualization 33

4.1 FILTERS 33

4.1.1 New Filter – from Project Browser 34

4.1.2 New Filter – from Template 34

4.1.3 New Filter – from Object Selection 34

4.1.4 Exceptions – from Object Selection 35

4.2 RULES-BASED MODEL VALIDATION 35

4.3 UNIQUENESS CHECK – AUTO-COLORIZE 36

4.4 EXPRESSION-DRIVEN VIEWS 37

4.5 RULE SETS 38

4.6 ASSIGNING RULES TO VIEWS 40

4.7 EXPRESSIONS 40

4.7.1 Syntax 41

4.7.2 Using Units 42

4.7.3 Copy / Paste Variable 42

4.7.4 Expression Editor 43

4.7.5 Insert Variable 44

4.7.6 Special Bounding Box Variables 44

4.7.7 Special Variable Functions 46

4.7.8 Special Inventory Variables 47

4.7.9 Operators 47

4.7.10 Expression Examples 49

5 Data Export / Import & Visualization 50

5.1 DATA EXPORT REPORT 50




5.2 IMPORTING DATA 51

5.3 VISUALIZING EXTERNAL DATA 52

6 Model Alignment 53

7 Views and Markups 54

7.1 DEFINING AND MANAGING VIEWS 54

7.2 DEFAULT VIEW 55

7.3 USER-DEFINED GLOBAL VIEWS 56

7.4 ISSUE VIEWS 56

7.5 2D MARKUPS / OVERLAYS 56

7.6 3D ANNOTATIONS 58

7.7 VIEW AND MARKUP SUMMARY REPORT 59

8 Tendon Modeling & Editing 60

8.1 MONO-STRAND SYSTEM 61

8.2 MULTI-STRAND SYSTEM 62

9 3D Measure 64

9.1 DIMENSIONS 64

10 Operations 68

10.1 USER-DEFINED 70

10.2 FILTER-BASED 71

10.3 CLASH TEST 72

10.4 FIND DUPLICATES 74

10.5 CLEARANCE CHECK 74

10.6 BOOLEAN DIFFERENCE 77

10.7 VARIANCE CHECK 80

11 Issue Management 83

11.1 CREATING ISSUES 85

11.2 ASSIGNING COMPONENTS TO ISSUES 86

11.3 ISSUE VIEWS 86

11.4 ISSUE VISIBILITY AND COLORIZATION 87

11.5 ISSUE TRACKING 88

11.6 ISSUE COORDINATION AND RESOLUTION WORKFLOWS 89




11.7 TRANSFERRING ISSUES BACK TO REVIT 89

11.8 ISSUE SUMMARY REPORT 89

11.9 DASHBOARD 90

12 Analytic: Structural 92

12.1 TRIBUTARY REPORT 98

13 Collaboration 100

13.1 USER MANAGEMENT 100

14 Inventory 102

14.1 COST DRIVERS 102

14.2 DYNAMIC INVENTORY FEATURE 103

14.3 INVENTORY REPORT 104

15 Reports 108

15.1 COVER PAGE 109

15.2 CONCRETE INSTALLATION COORDINATES 110

15.3 QUANTITY VARIANCE 112

15.4 REPORT SETS 112

16 Templates 113

16.1 APPLYING THE DEFAULT TEMPLATE 113

16.2 GENERIC REFERENCE TO LIST ITEMS 113

16.3 CREATING CUSTOM TEMPLATES 114

16.4 INSERTING FROM CUSTOM TEMPLATES 114

16.5 TEMPLATE MANAGEMENT 114




1 Introduction Thank you for choosing Visicon Smart BIM Tools™.

Visicon™ is a collection of practical tools created to enhance your ability to visualize, interact with, extract data, quality control, quantify, analyze, and improve coordination of your BIM files. This document is intended as a general guide to help you get started with Visicon. Refer to other workflow-specific tutorials (download from visicon.com or view on VisiconBIM YouTube Channel) for more detailed instructions.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. A BIM (also referred to in this document as BIM file or BIM model) is a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility formatting a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle.

1.1 Installation and Licensing Options Visicon can be installed on any computer or tablet that runs Windows 8, 7 or 10. Visicon is

available as a free Intro version with limited functionality or as the Professional version. The

Professional version is offered as a perpetual license bound to a computer or end-user provided

USB key. A USB key-bound license can be moved from computer to computer. Contact

[email protected] to inquire about Professional license pricing.

The free Intro version of Visicon can be used for full visualization and exploration of models.

However, the following features are limited in scope or not available:

Custom views limited to 3

Filter creation limited to 1

Dynamic inventory feature limited to selection of 10 components

Reports not available

Rule-based validation not available

Analytic – structural not available

You do not need a licensed version of Visicon to open and view any information others have

created with the Professional version. If using the Intro version, you can explore all Professional

features by opening one of the samples files that installs with your program.




To access your license information, to request a license code, or to activate your license, open

the About Visicon panel by selecting the key icon at the top right corner of the application.

Select the license icon to access licensing features.

1.2 Updates and Upgrades We are continuously improving Visicon and may periodically release update and major release

versions. Please check our website (visicon.com) regularly for new versions of the Visicon

software. If you purchased a Professional license, you are entitled to all updates that are part of

your version. For example, if you purchased v1.0, you are entitled to all updates v1.x. Our target

is to release annual major releases to coincide with the new release of Revit. Contact

[email protected] to inquire about upgrade pricing.

1.3 Release Notes Release 1.0:

Initial Release

Release 1.0.1:

Added auto-switching option for free/orbit camera modes.

Added model comparison export to XLSX option.

Improved model comparison object matching.

Added tendon end color properties, and always ignore tendon live end properties for

mono-strand systems.

Added options to delete parameters.

Fixed incorrect overlay mouse cursor in analytic mode.

Removed portable files from recent list.

Added report and report set cloning.

Fixed incorrect filter selection bug when exceptions are included but components are not

included.

Added the User Guide and Getting Started Guide to the Windows start menu.

Disabled AVX instructions, to support older CPUs.

Added more details to clash and clearance operation issues.




1.4 Troubleshooting Steps If you encounter any issues installing, opening or operating Visicon, please report the problem

to us by sending an email to [email protected]. It is important for you to be as specific as

possible when reporting any bugs or other issues.

When reporting an issue with the installation or launching of Visicon, please provide the

following information:

Verify your system meets the minimum Visicon requirements.

Describe the problem to us.

Send us the VisiconLog.txt file found under the User\My Documents\Visicon\ folder.

Run msinfo32.exe from your Start Menu and click File | Save to save your computer’s

system configuration information as a *.NFO file. Email us this log file. It does not include

any personal information, just system configuration information that lets our development

team try to diagnose the issue you are having on your computer.

Run dxdiag.exe from your Start Menu and click the Save All Information… button at the

bottom of the panel. This will write a report with detailed information about the DirectX

components and drivers installed on your system. Email us that *.TXT log file.

If reporting a bug, please also submit the VXF model you are encountering the bug with. Ideally,

you could also email us the source BIM model.

We thank you in advance for reporting any suspected bugs to us and helping our development

team continuously improve our product.

1.5 Workflows and Benefits Visicon software is a broad collection of tools that help you better interact with BIM models and

more easily unlock the information embedded in them. The table below lists a few of the BIM

workflows Visicon streamlines:

Workflow Benefit

Visualization Fast, easy and feature rich visualization of Revit, IFC, ETABS, ADAPT,

and point cloud files

Quality Control Use Visicon to quickly analyze BIM models for integrity, consistency

and quality.

Model

Coordination

Visicon makes it very simple and fast to open BIM models, mark them

up, document issues, and send them to team members for

collaborative resolution.




Quantity Takeoff Extract quantities from your BIM models and generate customizable

XLS reports.

Change

Management

Get a better handle on your changing BIM models by running Visicon’s

various change management features.

Load Takedown Visualize load paths and calculate general loading of columns and

walls for your building models in minutes.




2 Working with BIM files This section described the different options you have to open BIM files. It covers the processes of how to open individual file types, merge files and update them in an existing Visicon project. When going through the installation wizard, you can set Visicon as your default application for a variety of file types.

2.1 Revit Models Unlike all other file formats Visicon supports, Revit models are opened from within Revit using

the Visicon plugin and not opened directly. When installing Visicon on your computer, the

Visicon Revit plugin is also installed for any version of Revit that is installed on your machine.

Visicon v1 supports Revit 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Once a Revit model has been

converted to VXF file, you work with it in this native Visicon file format. VXF files are highly

efficient and can store almost 100% of a Revit model’s data at a fraction of the original Revit file

size, enabling you to more easily share your BIM. The Visicon one-click export function can be

configured to automatically export all linked CAD files, point clouds, and other Revit models. No

need to have to re-merge them one-by-one.

If Visicon is installed, you will find a Visicon ribbon tab containing several export and import

functions. These are described in the table below.

Visicon tab and functions in Revit

Function Description

About Visicon Opens Visicon website.

Quick Export

One-click option to export Revit model as Visicon VXF file without all

instance and family parameters. This option is faster, produces a

smaller VXF file, and is recommended for cases when you want to

share your Revit model geometry but not all underlying information that

may be proprietary. You can customize your export configuration under




the Settings pull-down option. Its default configuration is also set to

only export partial data of linked point clouds, and no views.

Full Export

One-click option to export all geometry, instance and family

parameters. This option gives your Revit model the greatest data

mining options. Also set to not export views.

Import Issues

This function allows you to import issues from a VXF file. The VXF file

should have been created from the same Revit model. Issues can be

viewed in the Issue Manager and can be linked to Revit components if

they were associated with components in Visicon. The associated

components in Revit can be isolated to help identify them easier. Using

this functionality, a BIM manager can easily bring back any comments

others have made on their Revit model using Visicon.

Clear Issues Use this function to clear any previously imported issues.

Issues Manager

This function opens the Issues Manager user interface that lists all

imported issues. Issues can be sorted by their attributes. If components

are associated with an issue in the list, you can set options for the

component to be isolated or selected in the model.

Unjoin All

Elements This function lists a few model editing utilities.




Sample of full export settings for a model. You can customize general settings

as well as pick which component categories, families or worksets are

exported.

2.2 IFC Files Visicon directly opens IFC files using the File | Open option. Visicon displays any graphics and

associated object properties found in the opened IFC file. Because the quality of IFC files varies

greatly and many of them lack properly defined properties, you may not be able to reason about

IFC files as consistently as you will be able to with Revit, ETABS, ADAPT and other more

structured BIM file types.

2.3 ETABS Files Visicon directly opens ETABS E2K files using the File | Open option. Because we don’t use the

API, you don’t need an active license of ETABS to open and view ETABS models, as long as

you have access to their E2K file. We export all geometry, material properties, applied gravity

loads and load combinations.




2.4 ADAPT Files Visicon directly opens ADAPT INP files using the File | Open option. Visicon displays and shows

properties for all geometry, tendons, rebar, applied gravity loads, material properties, and load

combinations.

2.5 Point Cloud Files Visicon directly opens point cloud data files saved as PTS or PTX format using the File | Open

option.

2.6 Wavefront OBJ Files Visicon directly opens Wavefront OBJ files using the File | Open option.

2.7 Visicon Project Files Once a BIM file is opened in Visicon, you continue to work with it in the native Visicon VXF file

format. You can merge multiple BIM files into one project file for cross-disciplinary coordination

and collaboration. Issues in a VXF project file can be extracted and imported into Revit for

easier resolution of model-related issues within Revit.

2.8 Security If you are concerned about the security of data in your VXF file, you can save it with password

protection. The option to Password Protect your model file is found at the bottom of the Save As

window. The data in the VXF file is fully encrypted and can only be retrieved with the correct

password.

2.9 Visicon Template Files For ease of use, Visicon lets you store and recall all of your custom rules, operations, users,

expressions, and other specifications as templates. Visicon template files are stored as VTF file

type. They can be found under User\My Documents\Visicon\templates\. To disseminate

templates, you have created to others, simply email them the relevant VTF files and have the

other users place them in the User\My Documents\Visicon\Templates\ folder. Whenever Visicon

launches, it checks for the existence of templates in this location.

2.10 Save As Portable To allow you to share your BIM model and markups with anyone, even though they may not

have already downloaded the free version of Visicon, you can send them a Portable Visicon




project file. To create a portable Visicon project file, go to File | Save as Portable. This function

creates a light version of the Visicon software bundled with the project data you are working on.

Any person receiving this self-running EXE file can view your BIM project data without having to

first install Visicon. Administrator access is not required to run portable Visicon files.

2.11 Merge into Model Use the function File | Merge into Model to combine multiple BIM files. This function will list all

already imported files, allowing you to either create a new, independent model within the project

file or to merge the new geometry you are importing with an already existing model. Models can

be reasoned with separately in Visicon.

Merge into Model function showing option to either add new geometry to

existing model in project (CKC_Seattle_Highrise_R19.rvt) or create new

model.

2.12 Update Model Geometry The function under File | Update Model Geometry allows you to update the geometry of an

existing model in your Visicon project file. This may be necessary if you receive an updated BIM

file for a portion of your project and just want to update that portion of your project. When

updating a model, its geometry is replaced with that in the new file you are importing. If a

component is not being deleted, but remains the same or is being replaced, Visicon tries to

maintain all its relationships within Visicon. Such relationships could be association to an Issue,

etc.

2.13 Samples Visicon is configured to allow you to run its unlicensed, free version in perpetuity. As such, we

don’t offer a traditional trial period. Instead, we ship Visicon with a few sample files, that when

opened, turn on all features of the software. We are continuously creating new sample files to

highlight different workflow solutions. These sample files can come pre-configured with filters,

rules, operations, reports, and much more. Please check our website regularly to see if we have

made any new sample files available for download.




2.14 CAD Files The current version of Visicon doesn’t support the direct import of CAD files, however, it is on

our development plan. The workaround to open any CAD file in Visicon is to first import or link it

to a Revit model (the model can be empty, except for the CAD file you are trying to visualize in

Visicon) and then export from Revit. Once the CAD file is in VXF format, you can merge it with

any other BIM model using Visicon’s merge feature.




3 Model Visualization Visicon’s underlying platform is a flexible and easy-to-use Building Information Model (BIM) explorer. Visicon was developed to support fast interaction with a BIM while providing high quality visualization. Recognizing that that value of your BIM is not just the graphics, but all of the underlying data associated with components, Visicon offers many features that expose this data to you for quick assessment of your model. This section reviews the basics of Visicon’s model explorer capabilities.

3.1 Exploring the User Interface The user interface is composed of 6 main functional areas:

Ribbon tabs

Model space

Utilities

Object Properties

Project Browser

Status bar

Typical user interface configuration with Object Properties and Project

Browser panels in expanded positions.

The Object Properties and Project Browser panels can be collapsed and expanded by clicking

on their respective handles. You can also choose to dock them at different locations – e.g., both




at the left, both at the bottom, etc., of the user interface. You can also move them to a 2nd

monitor.

Visicon’s main functions are grouped into different ribbon tabs. The table below lists each tab

and the general set of features you can find in each:

Ribbon Tab Description

File All file management, model merging, template creation, and data

import functionality.

Home This ribbon contains basic model interaction settings, component

selection options, and level mode.

Visibility Most display options, like the ability to turn on component categories or

grid lines, are presented in this tab.

Model Alignment The features in this ribbon are used to align or move components in a

model.

Views and Markup

This ribbon contains all functionality for the creation of new custom

views and the addition of markups to them: 2D markups (overlays), 3D

annotations, and 3D dimensions.

Measure

The options to add 3D annotations, like spot tags and spot coordinates,

plus the ability to carry out 3D measurements of your model are

grouped in this ribbon.

Operations

Model checking operations like clash detection, variance checking, 3D

Boolean difference check, and clearance check are organized under

the Operations tab. Operations that detect potential discrepancies with

a model create Issues for each instance of a discrepancy.

Issues

Functionality to create user-defined issues, assign components to

them, add custom views, and manage display of issue-related data in

your model is grouped in this tab.

Analytic This ribbon contains all features for tributary area generation, load path

calculation and reporting of tributary load takedown results.




Colorize

All of Visicon’s default component colorization modes are presented

this tab. The most commonly used default colorization modes are

replicated at the bottom of the user interface in the Status Bar.

Collaborate

Collaboration features, including the creation of users, a central model,

a client model, and the integration of client models are located in this

ribbon.

Inventory This ribbon dynamically displays inventory data for selected

components. Inventory data is presented in 12 quantity units.

Reports Reports can be generated and run from this tab.

3.2 Object Properties The Object Properties panel is used to display properties of selected components. Properties in

this panel are grouped into 3 categories:

- Properties (general properties available for all components)

- Parameters (instance parameters)

- Family (family parameters – primarily applies to objects imported from Revit)

If creating a Visicon file from Revit, instance and family parameters are only exported and

displayed if using the Full Export option. Visicon extracts instance specific parameters for

components that are imported from other file formats like E2K, IFC, and INP. Some of the

properties in the Properties tab are user-editable. Changing these values will affect their

behavior. Family parameters are also listed for each family in the Project Browser | Family

panel.




Object Properties panel opened for a selected structural floor component. If

exporting from Revit using the Full Export option, all instance and family

parameters are visible in Visicon.

3.3 Project Browser The Project Browser organizes and presents additional project information for easy access and

management. Click on the icons at the top of the browser to open up individual panels. Some

panels simply present information, others provide a listing of key model attributes, while others

are setup for you to configure automated checking algorithms and reports. Visicon project

settings are also accessible through the Settings panel. If the current view has automatic color

mode enabled, opening a panel also automatically changes Visicon’s colorize mode to reflect

the selected panel (see section on Colorize for more detail). For example, opening the Material

panel switches the color of all components to their assigned material color. Use the pre-sorted

data in the panels to quickly and easily investigate the contents of your model.

A description of the information in each panel is provided in the table below.




Project Browser opened to show Material panel. All materials in the project are listed, making it

easy to gain a quick overview of what is in your BIM.

Panel Description

Project Info Provides statistics on open Visicon project.

Components

Lists all component types in project and allows you to define global

visibility parameters like color and opacity. You can also easily select

all components of a type by selecting its row in the panel.

Models Lists all imported models and allows you to set their global visibility

properties.




Levels Lists all levels in project and assigns a unique color to each level.

Material Lists all materials found in the project and displays color assigned to

each. You can change material color, opacity and type.

Discipline The discipline property primarily applies to models imported from Revit.

This panel categorizes components based on their assigned discipline.

Documents

This panel filters all components based on the source document they

were imported from. For example, you may have merged two ETABS

files as one model in Visicon. Opening this panel will allow you to

identify which components came from which original ETABS file.

Worksets The worksets property only applies to models imported from Revit. This

panel lists worksets and their associated components.

Families

This panel filters all components using their family parameter. Revit

and IFC components have explicit family definitions. Visicon generates

families for component types on the fly when importing ETABS and

ADAPT files.

Parameters

This panel lists all parameters found in the project, how often it is used,

and links the parameters to the components they are found in. Use the

information in this panel to get an instant snapshot of the underlying

information you can access and reason about in your model.

Systems

The system parameter is primarily found in Revit models of mechanical

projects. If systems are defined in your BIM, they are listed in this

panel.

Geometry

This panel sorts and colorizes all components by their unique 3D

geometry. The data in this panel is useful for consistency control of

models.

Load Cases

and Combinations

This panel lists all imported load cases and combinations. It can be

used to identify where loads are applied to a model.

Filters This panel is used to create and manage filters. Use the right-click

mouse option to insert a new filter or a saved filter from a template.




Operations

This panel extends the functionality of the Operations ribbon. Already

defined operations are listed and managed here. Use the right-click

option to import operations from templates. Selecting an operation

opens up its configuration settings.

Rules

This panel is used to define and manage rules. Rules are advanced

filters that give you more control over how to display their results. Use

rules and expressions to isolate and visualize any data in your model.

Issues

This panel lists all issues and is where you enter comments and

change an issue’s main properties. Use the functions in the Issues

ribbon to create, filter, and manage views and components associated

with views.

Views All defined views are listed in this panel. The functions to add markups

to views are located on the Views / Markup ribbon.

Users This panel is used create and manage users. Users can be assigned to

Issues and can participate in the collaboration workflow.

Reports This panel lists all created reports and is used to configure custom

report properties.

Warnings This panel lists warnings. You can clear warnings using the right-click

options.

Settings All Visicon settings are exposed in this panel.

3.4 Status Bar Visicon uses context specific colorization as one of the key ways in which model data is

presented to its users. The Status Bar should be used to know which colorization mode your

model is in or to quickly change its mode. The Status Bar also contains 3 useful tools:

- Lock view – locks the camera position for the view you are in

- Reveal all – reveals all hidden components (it is a toggle function)

- Ghost mode – makes all components transparent

Visicon opens your BIM files in the units they were saved in. At any time, you can switch the

units of your model by switching between imperial (ft), metric (m) and custom. Select your

custom units for each type of property in the Project Browser | Settings panel.




The Status Bar also gives you feedback on the program’s background activities: current

background task description and progress.

The Status Bar is used to change colorization mode, access visibility tools,

and set units.

3.5 Right-Click Mouse Options You can access many functions by using the right-click mouse option.

Right-click option shown for a selected Structural Column – the Convert To

function allows you to re-classify the selected object into other sub-categories

3.6 Object Color and Transparency You can assign color and transparency to each component in your model using the Object

Properties panel. Appearance properties are saves on a per-view basis. Any configuration made

on the Default view is visible in all other views, while changes made on any custom view are

only visible when that view is active.




Image showing Color and Opacity (transparency) properties

3.7 Keyboard Navigation Some users may choose to use Visicon’s keyboard navigation options.

Use Shift + one of the other keys for Faster operation and Caps Lock + one of

the other keys for Slower operation

3.8 Summary of Unique Visualization Features Most of Visicon’s model visualization features are standard and should be easy for anyone who

has used graphics programs to follow. This section reviews a few features that are unique to

Visicon.

3.8.1 Hot-Tracking Visicon has a useful Hot-Tracking-with-Overlays feature. When enabled, it highlights the object

your cursor is hovering over in yellow and displays a transparent overlay with object Name,

Family and Material. To enable this feature, select the Hot-Tracking button on the Home ribbon.

You can customize the hot-tracking color in the Project Browser | Settings panel.




Home ribbon with Hot-Tracking feature enabled

Example of roof slab pick up by Hot-Tracking feature

3.8.2 Level Navigation Navigating the individual levels of 3D building structures can sometimes be a challenge.

Visicon’s Level Navigation mode is designed to make it easy to isolate individual levels and

quickly navigate up or down the structure. To activate this mode, select the Enable icon in the

Home | Level Navigation ribbon. Since not all models are created equally and most IFC

models don’t even have the level property assigned to components, we developed 3 modes of

level navigation that will hopefully make it possible for you to easily navigate any model. These

modes are:

- Original – relies on the level assignments made in the original BIM

- Floors – relies on detecting Floor type components in the model to define levels (this is

needed if the original model does not have levels defined and components properly

assigned to them)

- Automatic – uses an algorithm to identify horizontal planes in a model (in some models

this produces better results than only relying on the existence of floor objects at an

elevation)

Level Navigation options in Home ribbon.

In most models, just displaying components that are assigned to a level does not produce a

practical and usable view of a level. To address this situation and clean up your level view,

select the Enable Clip Planes option. This option will dynamically add clip planes to the top and

bottom of your level as you navigate up and down the structure.




The image on the left shows a Revit model with all components turned on for

a given level. The image on the right shows the same set of components with

the Enable Clip Planes mode turned ON.

3.8.3 Grids Visicon can display two types of gridlines: a base grid that is drawn under the extents of the

model and imported grids from the BIM files. You can control the visibility of these grids using

the buttons in the Home | Grids ribbon. In many models, grids are only defined at one level.

When switching to level mode, these grids may be out of view. To display imported grids at

each level when you are in level mode, turn on the option to Snap Grids to Levels.

Grids visibility options found in the Home ribbon.

3.8.4 Component Categories Visicon provides a toggle on / off switch for major component categories. These are found in the

Home | Component Categories Ribbon. Use the Toggle All switch to turn them all on or off. A

complete list of component categories is found in the Project Browser | Components panel.

The button for each component category type is active if at least one type of

that component is in your model.




Component

Category Description

Floors All structural and non-structural floors.

Columns All structural and non-structural columns.

Reinforcement

All reinforcement.

Overlays 2D markups / overlays created in Visicon.

Analytic All analytic components created when in structural analytic mode –

horizontal masses, vertical components and tributary regions.

Topography All components classified as topography.

Spaces Components classified as a space.

Plumbing

Systems All components classified under plumbing systems.

Tendons Tendons imported from ADAPT INP or IfcTendons.

Beams All structural and non-structural beams / general framing components.

Walls All structural and non-structural walls.

Loads All applied loads.

Annotations 3D annotations created in Visicon and imported from Revit.

Doors All door types.




Point Clouds All point cloud data.

Mechanical

Systems All components classified under mechanical systems.

Architecture All components classified as architecture in Revit.

Bridges All components classified as a bridge element.

Roofs All roof components.

Façade and

Windows All façade and windows components.

CAD Files Any CAD object.

Dimensions 3D dimensions created in Visicon.

Furniture All components classified as furniture.

Results Results of Boolean Difference operation run in Visicon – added or

removed regions.

Electrical

Systems All components classified under electrical systems.

Generic All components classified as generic. Many Ifc components fall under

this category.

Other All components that don’t meet any of the other classifications.

3.8.5 Display of Widgets Visicon displays a few widgets in the model window to help navigate and interact with the

model.




- Orbit target – center of orbit rotation

- Selection hit-point – marks the location of last mouse click

- Clip planes – acts as handle of clip plane and is used to move plane along the direction

of arrow

- Insertion points – indicates origin of model

- Viewpoints – represent camera position of custom views and open view if selected

- Heads-up-display – displays name of custom view as overlay at top-left-corner of

window

You can choose to turn on the display of these widgets using the buttons on the Visibility |

Other ribbon.

Graphic representation of widgets used to improve model navigation and

interaction.

3.8.6 Clip Planes Clip planes are an effective tool to help you partition your model and isolate the region you are

interested in. Visicon allows you to define and manage up to 9 clip planes per custom view. The

three figures below describe how to use clip planes.




To add a clip plane, click on a surface that will define the plane you want to

cut. In the image above, the clip plane will be at the front face of the selected

column. If the surface you click is not a plane, the model will be cut at a plane

perpendicular to the normal of where you clicked.

To manipulate the location of the clip plane, drag its widget back and forth.

For each view, you can define and manage up to 9 clip planes. You can turn

them on and off by selecting their buttons in the Visibility | Clip-Planes

ribbon.

3.8.7 Floor Plan The Floor Plan feature is found under Visibility | Floor Plan ribbon and turns on a 2D vertical

projection of the visible 3D objects. To turn off the 3D objects and only see the 2D plan,

unselect the Visibility | 3D button.




3.8.8 Rectangular Selection You can always invoke the rectangular selection mode using your right-mouse click option.

Dragging the selection box to the left of your starting point selects all objects that are touched by

the selection box. Dragging the box to the right only selects objects that are completely

contained in the selection box.




4 Model Validation & Smart Visualization Visicon offers several easy ways for you to unlock the data in your BIM and support your model discovery and validation processes. Filters and Rules allow you to identify and classify the objects in your models using Expressions. Use filters to pre-select groups of objects for other Operations and run Rules to apply smart model visualization to your model. This section covers the use of Filters, Rules and Expressions.

You can access the Filter and Rules features by either selecting their buttons on the Home

ribbon or by going to their panels in the Project Browser.

Filter and Rules buttons on Home ribbon open Project Browser to their

respective panels

4.1 Filters Filters are used to create a dynamic selection set and can be used by themselves to isolate

specific items in your model or as an input to other Operations. Filters are defined and managed

on the Project Browser | Filter panel. A filter can be composed of using 3 main building blocks:

- Expression – Expressions are written as a function of object properties / variables and

can be used to define any condition. Objects that pass the expression’s condition are

added to the filter’s selection set. See the section on Expressions for a more detailed

description of acceptable syntax and sample use cases.

- Object Categories – A filter’s selection set can also be controlled by using the Object

Categories tree. Object categories that are selected are included in the selection set and

those that are unselected are excluded. This is a course way to add / remove objects

from a filter, but very fast and effective.

- Exceptions – The Exceptions feature allows you to add or remove specific objects from

your filter’s selection set, allowing you to easily overcome data inconsistencies in your

model that would throw off an expression.

Expressions, Object Categories and Exceptions are all applied to the complete set of objects in

your project to arrive at the Filter selection set. Their affects are additive, in other words, applied

using the AND logical operator.




Sample Filter showing where to define Expressions, select Object Categories,

and define behavior of objects in Exceptions list

4.1.1 New Filter – from Project Browser The most basic way to create a new filter is to use the right-click mouse option when in the

Project Browser | Filter panel. When creating a new filter using this method, all non-physical 3D

Object Categories (e.g., annotations, CAD files, dimensions, etc.) are automatically selected,

creating a selection set for all 3D objects in your model. From this starting point, you can either

add / remove object categories, add an expression or exceptions.

4.1.2 New Filter – from Template You can also insert pre-defined filters from template files. Visicon ships with a Default template

and you can create your own custom templates. To insert filters from a template, use the right-

click mouse option in the Project Browser | Filter panel and select the Insert from Template

File option.

4.1.3 New Filter – from Object Selection To quickly create a re-usable Filter from any set of objects you have selected, use the right-click

mouse option and click the Create New option. This will create a new filter with no Component

Categories selected, but all of your selected objects “included” in your Exceptions list.

Right-click options available while selecting objects




4.1.4 Exceptions – from Object Selection In addition to creating a new filter on the fly while using the right-click option, you can Include or

Exclude the selected objects from the active filter in your list.

4.2 Rules-based Model Validation Rules build on the principles of Filters by adding visualization options and ability to group Rules

into Rule Sets. Rules are used to isolate and highlight specific characteristics of the objects in

your model and facilitate model investigation, QA and validation.

Rules are defined and managed on the Project Browser | Rules panel. To add a new Rule,

either use the right-click mouse option or insert it from a template. Visicon provides two basic

types of Rules: auto-colorize using a unique property or expression-driven. Think of each Rule

as defining a certain condition, for example, an object has a unique property, Thickness, or the

object’s Thickness is greater than 8 in. The rule goes through all objects in your project and

applies this condition. In some cases, the condition will be met and in others, it will not be met.

We refer to these two states as Pass and Fail. A rule is further defined to apply user-specified

visibility changes to those objects that Pass and those that Fail. This combination of condition

checks and visibility settings gives you a powerful and flexible option to expose the underlying

data embedded in your BIM.

Each Rule defines a specified condition – objects in your model either Pass or

Fail this condition – Rules can be configured to apply visibility changes based

on this test

Visibility settings for Rule outcome states Pass / Fail include:

- Color – (Ignore | Variable | Specific Color) If Rule is of type Uniqueness Check, only

possible value is Variable. For Expression-driven, Visicon can either ignore color

assignment or apply the specified color.

- Opacity – Determines opacity of objects – enter value as whole percentages like (25%)

- Visibility – (Ignore | Show | Hide) Use this parameter to determine if objects should be

visible or hidden.

- Selection – (Ignore | Select | Deselect) This parameter let’s you configure Rules for the

selection of objects in addition to their visibility.




Project Browser showing a few examples of expression-driven and auto-

colorize Rules

4.3 Uniqueness Check – Auto-Colorize The fastest and easiest Rule to define is the Uniqueness Check rule that auto-colorizes objects

in your model based on any variable you choose. A variable can be any component property or

parameter. You can use the rule to quickly identify components that meet specific categories.

To create a Uniqueness Check rule, follow these steps:

1) Create a new Rule – the rule will be blank.

2) Enter any single object variable found in your model.

a. If you know the variable, simply type it into the Uniqueness field (for example,

Thickness, Dimensions.Length, Family.IdentityData.AssemblyCode).

b. If you are uncertain how to define a variable but can locate it in the Object

Properties panel, select the variable there, right-click and select the Copy

Variable option. You can then paste the variable with its correct syntax into the

Uniqueness field.

c. Alternatively, use the Insert Variable option and select your variable from that

list. To open the Insert Variable interface, right click on the rule when it is

highlighted (don’t try to right-click when your mouse has activated the

Uniqueness field).

Access Insert Variable feature by right-clicking on the Rule

3) Once Visicon detects that you have entered a variable in the Uniqueness field, that rule

is classified as a Uniqueness Check rule and sets the Pass > Color Assignment

parameter to Variable.




4) For most use cases, your rule has been configured and you can start using it. To apply

the rule to your model, simply select it in the list.

5) If you want to confiture your rule’s behavior further, modify the visibility parameters that

should apply to each condition: Fail and Pass. Use the pull-down option in the Condition

field to switch between parameter sets.

Use pull-down option in Condition column to switch between Pass and Fail

visibility properties

Two configurations of model uniqueness checked for Thickness: the image on

the left only applies unique color to those objects that have a thickness

property (slabs) and ignores everything else, while the rule on the right Hides

those components that fail (i.e., columns and beams)

4.4 Expression-Driven Views Expression-driven Rules give you the ability to define more specific conditions for checking your

model. Similar to the Uniqueness Check rules, you can specify visibility actions that should be

carried out on objects that either Pass or Fail the expression’s condition. For example, you can

isolate all slabs that have a Thickness = 8” and color them blue. To define a new Expression-

driven rule, follow these steps:

1) Create a new Rule – the rule will be blank.

2) Enter an Expression. See section on Expressions for a detailed description of how to

define them.

3) Note that nothing will happen at this stage because you have only defined a condition

and no visibility action that should be taken for the Pass / Fail conditions.




4) Configure your Pass condition.

5) Confiture your Fail condition.

4.5 Rule Sets Sometimes you want to carry out a more extensive check on your model and one set of

expression results and corresponding visibility actions may not be enough to clearly express

what you are after. This is where Rule Sets come in – Rule Sets allow you to combine any

number of individual Rules into one action.

Rule Sets are defined and managed in the lower half of the Rules panel. Rule sets are

associated with any number of rules in a particular order. If you recall how Rules work, they

check a condition against all objects in your project and then apply actions against the Pass and

Fail states. Rule Sets operate in the same manner with the difference that you can now string

several conditions together and apply new conditions and actions on the resulting set from the

previous Rule. To manage this process, a new Rule parameter, Continue, is used. The

Continue parameter can be set to Yes or No for each of the Pass or Fail outcomes. If Continue

is set to Yes for one of the outcomes, the resulting selection set is available for the next Rule to

check. Furthermore, the starting point of a Rule Set can be configured to set the visibility of your

project using the following parameters:

- Filter – Select a filter to limit the objects the applied Rules will check and act on.

- Color – Sets the color of all objects in your model before any Rule applies. The visibility

actions of applied rules will override this initial color setting. For example, the color of all

components can be set to while before applying other Rule actions.

- Opacity – Sets the opacity of all objects in your model before any Rule applies.

- Visibility – (Ignore | Show | Hide) Determines whether all objects start out visible or

hidden.

- Selection – (Ignore | Select | Deselect) Determines if all objects start out selected or not.

The diagrams below explain the logic of how Rules act together in a Rule Set.

Generic example logic of Rule Set where selection set of Failed condition is

passed on to next Rule – this allows you to set different types of conditions

and actions on the subset of objects that pass each round




Example of Rule Set logic with sample values

Example of Rule Set that colorizes objects in the project based on different

Thickness parameters

To create a Rule Set, follow the following steps:

1) Create a new Rule Set – the entry will be empty.

2) Determine if you need to have a custom configuration of the objects in your project

before applying Rules. If so, configure the Rule Set parameters.

3) Assign Rules to the Rule Set by first selecting the Rule Set and then clicking on the Set

Order field for those Rules you want to include. Select Rules in the order you want them

to be applied in a Rule Set. One a rule has been assigned to a Set, it is assigned an

order number in the form of (#1, #2, etc.). To remove or re-arrange the order, simply

click on the Set Order field. If a value existed, it will be deleted and all other values will

be reset. To re-add the rule, click on the filed again. All newly added rules are placed at

the end of the queue. Alternatively, you can use the right-click Order options.

4) Review the associated Rules and make sure you set the Continue Yes / No parameter

for each Pass / Fail state so that the logic reflects what you are trying to achieve.

To apply a Rule Set, select it. Rule Sets can be saved to templates for easy re-use.




Model after applying Rule Set defined in text above that colorizes slabs of

different thicknesses

4.6 Assigning Rules to Views To allow for a smarter management of your views, you may want to pre-assign certain Rule or

Rule Set visibility actions to a view. To link a Rule or Rule Set to a custom view, use the pull-

down option under the Project Browser | Views | Rule / Rule Set filed. Once linked, the

associated Rule or Rule Set will be run each time you open your custom View. You cannot link

Rules to the Default view.

View panel showing assignment of Rule Set to a Custom View

4.7 Expressions Expressions are at the heart of enabling Visicon’s Rules and Filters to extract the information you need from your BIM. Writing expressions is easy and lets you define almost any search criteria. This section provides detailed instructions on how to write expressions.

Expressions can be used to set selection criteria in Filters and Rules. An Expression can

represent any type of logical check, as long as the result is a valid Boolean result: Pass or Fail.

For example, you can have an expression formulated as Component.Variable > Operator >

Value (Thickness = 8), Component.Name.StartsWith(“C”) or Component.Height >




Component.Length. You can expand each of these examples by using commonly accepted

expression operators and syntax.

Visicon tracks 3 types of variables for the components in your project:

- Properties – These are abstracted properties and specific to how Visicon represents

imported objects. Visicon has about 1,000 standard properties that it can apply to

different imported component types. These properties are constant across all Visicon

projects.

- Parameters – These are properties that are assigned to a specific instance of a

component in the INP, Revit or IFC file. Parameters are specific to the imported data and

can vary for the same component type imported from different BIM file types.

- Family – This is only relevant to objects imported from Revit and represents additional

properties defined at the family level.

In summary, expressions defined with respect to Properties should be applicable across a wide

range of projects while instance and family parameters may be very specific to one model or

BIM file type. You can use all three types of variables in expressions.

4.7.1 Syntax As with all systems that interpret and use expressions, correct syntax is important. The table

below describes basic syntax rules for component variables and values.

Value Type Syntax

Component

Variable

Most properties can be accessed directly by their variable name. For

example, Length, Height and Volume.

All parameters, however, must be accessed by their

Category.PropertyName. For example, to refer to the Phase Created

variable under Phasing in the parameters tab of a component, use

Phasing.PhaseCreated. Note that all spaces are eliminated when

referring to variables in Visicon.

Our recommendation is to always use one of the automated variable

generation methods to ensure you are defining the correct variable with

the right syntax.

Numerical All numerical values can be represented as you would normally refer to

them. For example, 1, 0.03, 45.2.




Numerical with

Units

If a numerical value has units, it is good practice to refer to the units.

This is covered in more detail in the section on Using Units.

Text All text should be enclosed in “ “. For example, “Concrete”, “Piping

System”.

4.7.2 Using Units Visicon distinguishes between component variables values that have units and those that are

unitless. Your project is always configured to be in one state of units: Imperial, SI, or Custom.

You can check the units you are in at the bottom of your Task Bar.

Task Bar showing current Units

When defining values for variables that have units, we recommend that you include the units in

your expression. For example, Thickness = 8in or Length = 6m. You have complete freedom to

define your variable using any compatible unit type that you are familiar with. It can be Imperial

or SI, regardless of the units your model is set to. You may, for example, be more comfortable

specifying something in mm even though your model is in Imperial units. Visicon’s expression

engine will automatically convert any specified units.

If you don’t specify units, Visicon will assume they are system units. System units are specific to

the unit setting of your project:

- SI System Units: meters, newtons, kilograms, Celsius, etc.

- Imperial System Units: feet, kip, pounds, Fahrenheit, etc.

If you choose not to use units in your expression, then you would have to specify the expression

to select 8” slabs as follows: Thickness = 0.667. The 0.667 refers to ft. As you can see, it is

much cleaner to use expressions. The added benefit of using explicit units is that you can then

save your expressions as a template and apply them with confidence to any other future model,

regardless of whether the model will be in SI or Imperial units.

4.7.3 Copy / Paste Variable The fastest and easiest way for you to enter an object variable into an expression is to copy it

from the Object Properties panel. Select the object you want the variable for and start by right-

clicking on the variable in the Object Properties panel. Select the Copy Variable option.

Variables that contain sub-properties may require you to navigate an additional level of

variables. To add the copied variable to your expression, simply move your cursor to the




expression and use the Paste function. You will always have the correct syntax if you follow this

method.

Example of a multi-level variable: Core Material

4.7.4 Expression Editor The Expression Editor is an expanded user interface that give you more area to compose your

expressions. To open the Expression Editor for a Filter or Rule, select the Filter or Rule and use

the right-click option. You cannot access the Editor if you have already activated the Expression

filed with your curser. Functions of the Expression Editor are described in the table below.

Expression Editor configured to select all 8” slabs with a minimum lower

bound of 433ft or all objects with a Mark that contains “10”


Clear Clears any expression written in the editor

Refresh Runs the expression and refreshes the selection in the model space

Insert Opens Insert Variable user interface

Cancel Cancels any edits made to expression in editor and closes it

Accept Saves changes made to expression in editor, runs expression, and

closes editor




4.7.5 Insert Variable The Insert Variable feature is a convenient way for you to explore all available variables

(component properties) in your project and insert them into your expression with the correct

syntax. To insert a variable, select it in the tree and click the (+) button.

Insert Variable user interface with Section.b variable selected

4.7.6 Special Bounding Box Variables In addition to the basic component properties that are exposed in the Object Properties panel,

Visicon supports several special variables that give you more detailed access to a components’

geometric attributes in expressions. Specifically, you have access to more data on a

component’s geometric bounds data. Bounds variables refer to a hypothetical bounding box that

is created around each component in a Visicon project.

Diagram showing axis aligned bounding box of any component

A list of special bounds variables is provided in the table below. Note that bounds variables that

are represented as vectors are accessed by their individual axis coordinates. For example,




Bounds.Min.x refers to the minimum X coordinate of the minimum bounds of a component. If

you don’t specify a specific coordinate for a vector-type variable, it assumes the constant you

are checking against, for example, Bounds.Min > 5, is referring to all 3 axis – X > 5, Y > 5, and

Z > 5. For consistent and predictable results, it is always best to specify which axis you are

referring to when using vector variables in your expressions.

Physical category of a component in Object Properties showing vector Bounds

Minimum, Bounds Maximum, and Bounds Center variables

Special Variable Description and Use Example

Bounds.Center (vector – Bounds.Center.x > 50m) Refers to center of bounding box.

Bounds.Width (Bounds.Width = 12ft) Captures X dimension of bounding box.

Bounds.Depth (Bounds.Depth < 100mm) Captures Y dimension of bounding box.

Bounds.Height (Bounds.Height > 10ft) Refers to Z height of bounding box. Picks all

components greater than 10 ft in overall height.

Bounds.Max (vector – Bounds.Max.z > 20m) Refers to maximum point of bounding

box.

Bounds.Min (vector – Bounds.Min.x > 45ft) Refers to minimum point of bounding

box.

Bounds.Size

(vector – Bounds.Size.y > 1000mm) Refers to one dimension of the

bounding box. Picks all components that have a bounding box size

greater than 1000 mm in the Y axis.

Bounds.Volume (Bounds.Volume <= 22m2) Refers to the volume of the bounding box.




In the Insert Variable list, Bounds variables are found under Component

Properties | Physical

4.7.7 Special Variable Functions Visicon support a few special member functions that make it easier for you to search variables

for specific strings. You can use these functions instead of wildcard operators. These special

functions are found under Member Functions in the Insert Variable list.

Function Description and Use Example

Contains(x) (Name.Contains(“7”)) Use this function to find variables that contain

any string you specify in “ “.

DoesNotContain(x) (Name.DoesNotContain(“C”)) Use this function to find variables that o

not contain a string you specify in “ “.

GetParameterValue

(Group,Name)

(GetParameterValue(“Appearance”, “Transparency”) > 50) Function

that lets you access a parameter’s value.




StartsWith(x) (Name.StartsWith(“2”)) Use this function to find variables that start

with any string you specify in “ “.

EndsWith(x) (Name.EndsWith(“t”)) Use this function to find variables that end with

any string you specify in “ “.

4.7.8 Special Inventory Variables You can access the following Inventory variables using expressions. The values for these

variables are also displayed on the Inventory ribbon when you select a component.

Variable Description and Use Example

HorizontalSectionArea

(HorizontalSectionArea > 1000 ft2) Use this to reason about a

component’s horizontal section. Most used to determine slab

surface area.

VerticalSectionArea (VerticalSectionArea < 10 m2) Vertical section of a component.

VerticalSurfaceArea (VerticalSurfaceArea = 200 ft2) Surface area of vertical faces of a

component.

HorizontalLength (HorizontalLength = 16 in) Applies to some components like walls

and represents horizontal length.

Perimeter (Perimeter = 20 m) Perimeter of a component’s vertical projection,

including openings.

Weight (Weight > 500 lb) Calculated as the volume of a component

multiplied by its material density.

4.7.9 Operators The table below lists allowable Expression Operators. Some common operators can be

expressed in different ways.

Category Name Syntax Example

Arithmetic Addition + a + b




Subtraction - a - b

Multiply * a * b

Divide / a / b

Power ^ a^3

Negate - -a

Logical And and, &, && a and b

Or or, |, || a | b

Not ! !(a = b)

Comparison Equal =, == a = b

Wildcard Equality ~=

Name ~= “*Column?”

Name ~= “Column??”

Name ~= “*Column*”

* Means zero or more of

any character

? Means any single

character

Not Equal !=, <> a != b

Less Than < a < b

Less Than or Equal <= a <= b

Greater Than > a > b




Greater Than or Equal >= a >= b

Member Access . (period), -> IdentityData.Mark

Separators Parenthesis (, ) a * (b + c)

Comma ,

Units SI mm, cm, m, kg, etc. Thickness > 200 mm

Imperial in, ft, lb, etc. Thickness > 8 in

3D Vectors Referring to individual

values .x, .y, .z

MinimumBounds.z >

400 ft

Referring to full vector [x,y,z] Force = [0,0,-1000]

4.7.10 Expression Examples - Find all components whose Name starts with “F”:

o Name.StartsWith(“F”)

- Find all floors with 8” thickness above 433ft:

o (Category = “Floor Systems”) and (Thickness = 8in) and (Bounds.Min.z > 433ft)

- Find all structural beams with a Length / Depth ratio greater than 15:

o (Type = "Structural Beam") and ((Length / Family.Dimensions.Ht) > 15)

- Find all floors that have an offset greater than 0:

o (Category = "Floor Systems") and (Constraints.HeightOffsetFromLevel != 0)

- Find all structural floors above 144 ft:

o (Type = "Structural Floor") and (BottomLevel.Elevation >= 144ft)

- Find all floors with surface area greater than 10,000 ft:

o (Type = "Structural Floor") and (HorizontalSectionArea > 10000ft)

- Find all columns that are modeled between two consecutive levels:

o (Category = "Columns") and (TopLevel.Index - BottomLevel.Index = 1)

- Fina all sloped columns:

o (Category = "Columns") and (Slope != 0)




5 Data Export / Import & Visualization Not only can you use Filters and Rules to explore and validate the data in your BIM, Visicon allows you to export any of the information for post-processing and evaluation outside of your BIM using XLXS. You can also import any external data back into your Visicon project and visualize it on your 3D BIM for a better understanding of data / special relationships. This section describes the workflow for the exporting and importing of data from a Visicon project.

To import data back into your BIM, you must first export component information with its Unique

ID. New data can be associated with this Unique ID and re-imported.

5.1 Data Export Report To export model data from your Visicon project, use the Import Data Template Report. The

report allows you to configure the following properties:

- Source – (Entire Model | Visible Model | Selection | Filter) Select the components that

should be included in your report. The Filter option requires you to pick a filter.

- Variables to Show – Use this property to specify all of the component variables

(Properties and Parameters) you want to export to the XLXS report. The report defaults

to one variable: Name. You can override this variable by typing over it. Enter new

variables in the New Variable field.

Import Data Template Report configured to export Component Name, Level

Name, Level Elevation, Material Name, and Thickness for slabs

The report exports the specified variable values for all source components. In addition to the

variable data you specify, it lists each component’s Unique ID.




Sample Import Data Template Report in XLXS format

5.2 Importing Data You can modify values in the Import Data Template or add new data. To add new data, define

the new component parameter using the following syntax: Category.New_Parameter (units).

The new parameter definition should be in the header and your data in the fields of the column.

Make sure to keep the Unique ID for each component in the XLSX sheet. It is the minimum

additional data you need to complete the import. If you are just importing new data, we

recommend you clean your XLSX sheet to only include your new data and the Unique ID.

To import data, use the function File | Import Data. Any errors you receive while importing will

be displayed as warnings. Imported component data will be found in the Parameters tab of the

Object Properties panel.

To enter string values, it is not necessary to enter them with “ “. To import data with units,

specify the units in the header using the following format: (unit).

Example of XLSX sheets modified to include new component parameters –

upper image shows sheet with all original data and lower image shows sheet

cleaned to only include each component’s Unique ID




Object Properties panel showing imported data: new categories, parameter

name, and values

5.3 Visualizing External Data




6 Model Alignment Merged models may not always align. This section describes the functionality used to align models or individual components.

All model alignment functionality is located on the Models / Alignment Ribbon. Each of the 5

alignment methods is described in the table below.

Models / Alignment ribbon.


Manual

This function allows you to manually move selected

objects. Once activated, use the alignment widget to

move the objects. The coordinates of your translation

are shown in the ribbon. You can manually override

these values, if necessary. To accept the translation,

select the Accept button.

By

Coordinates

Selecting this option allows you to move components by entering a

translation vector.

By Objects

This function determines the translation vector by the center of two

objects you select. First select the objects you want to move, select the

Align by Objects button, and then select two objects. Visicon will

display the translation vector it calculates. You can either Accept or

Cancel the suggestion.

By Points This option works similar to the Align by Objects with the difference that

you select two points.

Center at

Origin

This function centers the entire model at the origin. Use this when

working with models that have very large offsets to the origin. Viewing

quality degrades when components are too far from the origin.




7 Views and Markups Building Information Models can be very complex and include layers of components that are not easy to isolate or visualize. Furthermore, you want a fast and easy way to record and disseminate your comments without having to first take a screen shot and marking up a PDF. Visicon has been designed to provide a convenient platform for the dissection, documentation, and dissemination of BIM information. This section describes the functionality used to manage custom views and annotate your models.

7.1 Defining and Managing Views All functionality needed to create and manage views is located on the Views and Markup

ribbon. A list of user-defined views is available in the Project Browser. Selecting a view in the

Project Browser Views panel switches the model window to the selected view. Visicon retains all

visibility settings for each user-defined view, giving you ultimate flexibility in slicing and dicing

your BIM. The table below describes the functionality used to create and manage views. The

special characteristics of Default views are described in one of the following sections.

Views / Markup ribbon

Project Browser Views panel listing the Default and all user-defined views.


Manage Opens the Views panel of Project Browser where all user-defined views

are listed.




Default Opens Default project view.

New

Creates new user-defined view. If components are selected when

clicking this button, you have to option to either 1) include selected

objects only to be visible in new view, or 2) include all visible objects.

Object 1 allows you to quickly create a new view that only displays the

selected objects.

Save This button is only active if the Auto Save feature is turned off for a

view. If selected, it saves all of a view’s visibility settings.

Delete Use this button to delete the active view.

Auto Save

By default, all views are set to Auto Save ON. When active, Visicon

saves the latest visibility settings for the view you are working in. If

turned OFF, you must manually use the Save button to save the latest

settings.

Lock

The Lock feature fixes the camera view position. Use this

if you don’t want others to change the viewpoint of a view

you have defined. By default, Visicon Locks all views with

2D Markups. The corners of the model window turn red

when a view is locked.

7.2 Default View Each Visicon project is initialized with a Default view. In general, the Default view acts the same

as any other user-defined view: you can change its visibility settings, add 2D markups, add 3D

annotations, and lock the viewpoint. However, the Default view differs from all other views in

that any 2D or 3D annotation created in this view are visible in all other views. To prevent you

from accidentally adding annotations to the Default view that will then be visible throughout the

rest of your project, Visicon prompts you with the message below when adding annotations in

the Default view.




Message displayed when adding annotations to Default view.

7.3 User-Defined Global Views The free version of Visicon lets you create up to 3 custom views. Custom views that are created

from the Views / Markup ribbon or the Views panel are called Global Views and are accessible

from anywhere in the program. Users of the Professional version can create an unlimited

number of custom views. Each custom view can be fully configured to display only those

components you choose, up to 9 custom clip planes, and any visibility setting. Visicon gives you

a visual queue that you are in a custom view and not the Default by placing a narrow blue

border around the model window.

7.4 Issue Views Issues can have their own views. The operation of these views is covered under the section on

Issues.

7.5 2D Markups / Overlays 2D Markups are overlays on top of a model view – either Default or custom. Visicon offers a

variety of shapes and text options. Each annotation’s properties, like color, line thickness, etc.,

are fully editable. To access its properties, select the annotation and open the Object Properties

panel. All editable properties will be listed there. The physical placement and geometry of

annotations can also be changed. To move a markup, select it and then left-mouse click

somewhere on the object’s body. Moving your mouse while the left-mouse button is selected will

move the markup without changing its geometry. Each markup also has control points that can

be used to change its geometry. Overlays are drawn on the screen in the order you create them




with the most recent placed on top. Use the Overlay Ordering tools to change the position of an

overlay you are trying to edit but may not be able to access because another one is on top.

Use the Overlay Ordering buttons to change the layer ordering of your

markups.


Line Creates a line. A line annotation has a control point at each end.

Line Strip Creates a line strip. Line strips have a control point at each end and

joint.

Arrow Creates an arrow. Arrows have a control point at each end.

Circle Creates a circle. The perimeter of the circle is a control point and

allows you to increase or decrease its size.

Rectangle Creates a rectangle. Each side of the rectangle is a control point and

allows you to stretch the rectangle normal to the direction of the side.

Polygon Creates a polygon. Each vertex of the polygon is a control point.

Callout

Creates a text callout. The callout box has the same control points as a

rectangle. The end of the callout’s tail is also a control point. Double

click on the text to enter text editing mode. You can also type the

callout’s text in its property window.

Text Creates a text annotation. The bounding box of the text is editable like

a rectangle. Text is editable like a callout.




Example of editable properties of Callout, as listed in the Object Properties

panel.

7.6 3D Annotations Visicon allows you to add additional 3D annotations to your BIM. These annotations become

part of your model and can be visible from any angle in your model. Similar to other annotation

types, 3D annotations can be modified using their control points. A description of supported 3D

annotations is provided in the table below:


3D Line Creates a 3D line in your model.

Spot Tag

Gives you the ability to add a text tag to any location in the model that

is visible from most views of the model. The text for the tag is added in

the Object Properties’ Comment property.




Spot

Elevation

Places 3D tag on your model with the elevation of the selected position.

You can also display a comment.

Spot

Coordinate

Places 3D tag on your model with XYZ coordinates of selected

position. You can also display a comment.

Spot Slope Places 3D vector on your model with slope at selected location.

Delete All Deletes all 3D annotations.

Example of Spot Tag.

7.7 View and Markup Summary Report To share your custom BIM views and markups with others, you can either email them your

Visicon project (VXF file), portable model file (self-contained EXE), or PDF summary report. You

can create a PDF summary report of your custom views and markups using the Views and

Markup Summary Report. Create a new report from the Reports ribbon or right-click option in

the Report panel of the Project Browser. Select the screen shot dimensions and click Run to

generate your PDF report.

Views and Markup Summary Report in Project Browser with editable screen

shot dimensions.




8 Tendon Modeling & Editing To facilitate BIM coordination of post-tensioned projects, Visicon supports the import and editing of tendons. Tendon data is read from ADAPT INP files, anchor placement can be configured to meet actual site conditions, and tendon components can be merged with any other BIM data. This section describes how to work with post-tensioning tendons.

Modeling of tendons in Visicon requires an ADAPT INP file as input. When importing an INP file

with tendon data, Visicon creates Tendon components and sets the default Post-Tensioning

System to Mono-strand flat bundle with either 0.5” or 0.6” stands, depending on what is

specified in the INP file. Anchors are assumed to be placed horizontally in one layer. From this

starting point, you can fine-tune the placement of your tendons as either a mono-strand or multi-

strand system.

Image showing default tendon placement for tendons imported from ADAPT

INP file

Tendons imported into Visicon have 3 zones: Anchor, transition, and bundled / duct zone – each

can be configured to produce a constructible configuration for the tendons




8.1 Mono-Strand System If your project has a mono-strand post-tensioning system, you can adjust the following

component properties for each tendon:

- Post-Tensioning System – (Mono-strand flat bundle | Mono-strand round bundle |

Rectangular multi-strand | Round multi-strand) For the mono-strand systems, the bundle

type configures how individual tendons are laid out in the bundled zone. Round is often

used for beams.

- Anchor Type – (0.5” and 0.6” standard and encapsulated anchor types) Pick from a list

of mono-strand anchor types.

- Strand Count – This value is imported from the INP file and represents the total number

of tendons in your mono-strand bundle. If required, you can change this value in Visicon.

The max allowable strand (tendon) count is 100.

- Bundle Spacing (Dia) – Specifies the spacing of individual tendons in the bundle zone.

Each end of a tendon (Start Anchor | End Anchor) can be further configured using the following

properties:

- Orientation – (Horizontal | Vertical) This property determines the orientation of an

anchor.

- Offset – (Horizontal, Vertical, Along Tendon units) Use this value to adjust the

placement of the tendon’s anchor block relative to its original CGS. This may be

necessary to move anchors away from construction conflicts. For example, to move the

anchor block back (along tendon) by 4” and to the left by 12” (local axis looking at

tendon end from strand), enter the value (-12, 0, -4 in).

- Layer Count – Determines how many layers to place anchors in.

- Transition Length – The distance between the anchor and bundled zones where

tendons are splayed.

- Spacing – (Horizontal, Vertical units) Sets the spacing of individual anchors in a

tendon’s anchor zone. To specify spacing a horizontal spacing of 7.75 in and vertical

spacing of 3.5 in, enter (7.75, 3.5 in).

- Color – For easier identification, each tendon end is assigned a different color. This

color is displayed in in component colorize mode.

To save time, you can select multiple tendons and edit their values at the same time.




Example of tendons configured as mono-strand system

8.2 Multi-Strand System Visicon supports two types of multi-strand systems: round multi-strand and rectangular multi-

strand. If your project includes a multi-strand system, you can configure it as follows:

- Post-Tensioning System – (Mono-strand flat bundle | Mono-strand round bundle |

Rectangular multi-strand | Round multi-strand) The selection of system determines

which anchor types are available. Unlike the mono-strand systems that can support any

number of tenons / anchors in one ADAPT / Visicon component, the number of strands a

tendon component can have is limited by the capacity of the anchor.

- Anchor Type – (S3, S4 and S5 Rectangular | S3 – S55 Round) Select the applicable

anchor type.

- Strand Count – This value is imported from the INP file and represents the total number

of tendons in the multi-strand tendon. If required, you can change this value in Visicon,

however, for multi-strand systems, this value is limited to the max # of strands the

selected anchor type can support.

Similar to the mono-strand system, each anchor (Start Anchor | End Anchor) of a multi-strand

tendon can be configured using these parameters:

- Offset – (Horizontal, Vertical, Along Tendon units) Use this value to adjust the

placement of the tendon’s anchor block relative to its original CGS. This may be

necessary to move anchors away from construction conflicts. For example, to move the

anchor block back (along tendon) by 4” and to the left by 12” (local axis looking at

tendon end), enter the value (-12, 0, -4 in).

- Transition Length – The distance between the anchor and start of duct where tendons

are splayed.

- Color – For easier identification, each tendon end is assigned a different color. This

color is displayed in in component colorize mode.




Because the layout of strands in multi-strand systems is governed by the anchor type, you have

fewer anchor zone options.

Example of tendons configured as multi-strand system.




9 3D Measure 3D measure features allow you to measure your model and add dimension annotations that become part of the 3D BIM. This section describes their functionality.

3D Dimensioning functions are found on the Measure ribbon. Similar to 2D annotations, 3D

dimensions created on the Default view will be visible in all project views and those created on

custom views will only be visible there.

3D Measure ribbon with all functionality for dimensioning.

9.1 Dimensions Dimensions allow you to extract measurements from your model. By default, all dimension

features operate in full 3D space and rely on the points you snap on that are on actual

components in your model. The dimension functionality will temporarily disable if your mouse is

not hovering over components. If required, you can restrict the movement of a dimension along

the X, Y or Z axis by using the axis constraints. To measure on a clip plane, turn on the Clip-

Planes constraint.

Axis and clip plane constraints that help with the process of extracting

measurements from your model.


Linear This function reports the dimension between two points.

Clearance

The clearance feature is a dynamic dimensioning feature that displays

the clearance between the point your mouse is hovering over and the

clearance between that point and the nearest object in a perpendicular

line from your mouse position. The dynamic dimension will only display




when another object is detected. You can create a permanent

clearance dimension by clicking your left mouse button.

One to Many This tool allows you to quickly measure multiple points from one

location.

Multi

Segment

This measurement tool is used to measure the cumulative length along

a multi-segmented path.

Surface Area The surface area measurement tool gives the area of any polygon you

define in 3D space.

Angular Use the angular measurement to calculate the angle between any 3

points in space.

Single Mode

Invoke this mode if you don’t want your measurements to become

permanent artifacts of your model. When active, it assumes you are

just interested in recording the measurement you are working on and

will automatically delete it when you create the next one.

Cumulative

Measure

When active, this mode displays accumulated dimensions for all

measurements. To reset the counter for new dimensions you are

creating, turn the mode off and on. All dimensions remember if they

were part of a cumulative set and re-display their cumulative value

when the Cumulative Measure is turned on again.

Delete All This function deletes all 3D dimensions in the active view.

You can customize the display of dimensions by opening up their properties in the Object

Properties panel. Besides the ability to adjust color, line thickness, arrow type, and other display

properties, you can add your own comment and force XYZ axis to always show.




Properties of Linear Dimension in Object Properties panel. Add comments in

the Comments property and set the Show Comments to Yes to display them

in your model.

Example of Linear Dimension with comments shown.




Example of Linear Dimension with Show Axis set to Always.




10 Operations Operations are algorithms and automated processes that help you carry out different actions on your models. Some are as simple as identifying duplicates in your model, while others automate clearance checking. Collectively, these tools let you check the integrity of your models more efficiently. This section describes the functionality of operations available in v1. Visicon’s goal is to continually add more advanced, domain-specific operations in new versions. You must have a Professional license to use model checking operations.

Functionality to create and run Operations is found on the Operations ribbon. Operations that

have been created are listed in the Operations panel of the Project Browser. You can also

create new Operations in the Project Browser panel by using the right-click option. The Project

Browser is also used to access and configure the customizable properties of operations. Visicon

has two types of Operations: 1) general operations that automatically modify data in your model

and 2) advanced operations that check your model against a user-specified criterion and create

Issues for each identified condition. Issue management and how to filter them based on their

source Operation is covered under its own section.

Operations ribbon.

The functionality of general operations is described in the table below.


Manage Opens Operations panel in Project Browser, where operations are

listed and configured.

Anonymize

This operation replaces all object properties that could include your

proprietary data with generic data. Use this function to clean your

models before sharing with others if you are concerned about sensitive

data. Running Anonymize does not change the geometry of your BIM.

Compare

Models

This operation takes two model files and runs a detailed property-by-

property comparison. The results are presented in a table. It is useful




when trying to understand subtle changes between two models that are

not obvious.

Split Volumes This operation splits multi-geometry components into separate

volumes.

Convert to

Extrusions

Simplifies and converts complex meshed components into extrusions

with uniform cross-section.

Delete Holes Removes holes from extruded components.

Check / Fix

Unique IDs

Verifies all components have a unique ID and fixes those that don’t.

The collaboration feature requires that all components have a unique

ID.

Compact

Resources

The operation eliminates unused resources in your model and may

reduce file size.

Rename

Column Stacks

Column names are used to organize tributary areas in the tributary

report in vertical columns. In case your model was not configured to

have common column names for a column stack, this operation copies

up column lower column names to those directly on top of them.

Apply

Contrasting

Palette

This operation applies a contrasting color palette to object properties

like material, source document, worksets, families, parameters and

load cases. It is most useful for material colorization where the original

material color assignment is not differentiated enough.

Apply

Consistent Palette

This operation applies a color palette to object properties that is

intended to be consistent across BIM files. To achieve this, Visicon

uses an algorithm to determine a unique color assignment for each

property value. The objective is for you to be able to identify the same

properties across different models using the same color scheme.




Advanced operations are selected through the New pull-down option. You can

execute an operation using the Run button and clear its results, i.e., Issues,

using the Clear Results function.

10.1 User-Defined To facilitate easier classification and management, each Issue in Visicon is linked to its source

Operation. User-defined operations are used to classify issues manually created by a user. You

can either pre-define a user-defined operation before you create an issue or have Visicon create

a new one for you. You cannot re-assign the source Operation of an Issue once it has been

created. The screen shot below shows a list of Operations. The top operation is a Clash Test,

and all others are User-Defined. You can assign a color, name and comments to each operation

type.

List of Operations in Project Browser.

Three conditions can exist when manually creating an issue:

1. A User-Defined operation has been defined and is selected (i.e., active).

2. User-Defined operations have been defined but none of them is selected.




3. No User-Defined operation has been defined.

If in condition 1, the new Issue will be linked to the selected operation and assigned its color and

source operation name. If in conditions 2 and 3, Visicon will create a new User-Defined

operation and assign the new Issue to it. If you are in conditions 2 or 3 and start creating

multiple issues, all of those will be assigned to one new User-Defined operation. This happens

because the newly created operation becomes the active operation, putting you in condition 1.

The screen shot below shows a list of user created operations. The source Operation is listed

under the Operation column.

List of user-defined issues.

10.2 Filter-Based Filter-based operations are a convenient way to create issues using filters. In addition to the

standard customization properties like color, days to resolve, severity, assignee, and reporter,

these operations require you to define the following two properties:

- Filter – Select the filter used to identify the components associated with this issue.

- One Issue Per Component – (Yes / No) – This property determines if one issue is

created for the filter’s selection set or if an issue should be created for each individual

component.




Configuration properties for Filter-Based Operations.

10.3 Clash Test The Clash Test Operation is used to check the constructability of your BIM. In particular, it is

used to check whether two components are touching or overlapping. You can configure the test

to check A against B or items in A against themselves. Running a Clash Test Operation

generates an Issue for each set of clashing components. The clashing components are linked to

the Issue for easy tracking and resolution. In addition to the standard properties, a Clash Test

Operation has the following customization options:

- Touch Distance – This variable allows you to set a distance at which two components

would not be considered touching or clashing. The default is set to 0.

- Filter Source – (Dual Input / Single Input) – Select Dual Input if you are going to check

one set of components against another set. Use the Single Input option if you only have

one set of objects and want to check if they clash with each other.

- Input A: Include – Use this field to select the Filter sets for the Input Set A. You can

select multiple Filters. All filters selected in this field are additive.

- Input A: Exclude – Use this filed to exclude selections from Input A by selecting one or

more filters.

- Input A: Constraints – The filters you assign as Constraints are applied to the resulting

set of objects [(Includes – Excludes) x Constraints]. For example, a constraint filter could

include an Expression for a bounding region (MinimumBounds > [0,0,900]). When

applied, only components with a Minimum Bound greater than Z = 900 will be included in

the Input Set A.

- Input B properties – These are only available if you selected Dual Input.




Configuration properties of Clash Test Operations.

Example of a Duct / Floor clash.




10.4 Find Duplicates The Find Duplicates Operation checks your model for components with duplicate IDs. Items with

duplicate IDs are assigned to an Issue. The Find Duplicates operation only requires one

customized parameter:

- Filter – The operation checks all components in the assigned filter for duplicate IDs.

Example of Find Duplicates Operation.

10.5 Clearance Check The Clearance Check Operation checks your model for minimum clearance requirements. You

can check a set of objects against themselves or check one set of objects against another. All

pairs of objects that fail the clearance check are assigned to an Issue. Customizable properties

of a Clearance Check operation include:

- Clearance Direction – This parameter, specified as a unit vector, determines the

direction in which clearance for an object is checked. To check clearance, Visicon

creates a 3D projection of the object being checked in the direction of the vector. This

3D projected volume is then checked against other objects.

- Clearance Distance – The distance used to check clearance along the clearance

direction. If checking vertical clearance (e.g., 0, 0, -1), the distance is measured from the

bottom of the subject object.




Image showing front view of test object and 4 sample clearance directions. In

each case, the projection of the object is extruded along the clearance

direction.

- Boundary Tolerance – By default, Visicon creates a temporary 3D extrusion of the test

object in the direction of the clearance direction. The outline of the 3D extrusion is a

projection of the test object perpendicular to the direction of the Clearance Direction and

the extrusion length is the Clearance Distance. If the test object is already touching

another object, for example, two adjacent slabs, it is possible for a corner of the

temporary 3D extrusion to touch / intersect the other object and result in a false positive

clearance violation. To avoid such false clearance clashes, use the Boundary Tolerance

to create a slightly smaller outline for the temporary 3D extrusion. The clearance

distance is unaffected by the Boundary Tolerance.

- Previous Issues – You can re-run Operations to check whether an identified issue has

been resolved. This parameter specifies what to do with previously generated Issues.

o Delete- Deletes all previous issues and creates all new ones.

o Update – Only updates issues but does not delete previously creates ones.

o Update (Delete if applicable) – This option updates issues and deletes those that

are not relevant any longer.

o Ignore – Ignores previously created issues and adds a new set that could include

duplicate issues.

- Filter Source – (Dual Input / Single Input) – Select Dual Input if you are going to check

one set of components against another set. Use the Single Input option if you only have

one set of objects and want to check if they clash with each other.

- Input A: Include – Use this field to select the Filter sets for the Input Set A. You can

select multiple Filters. All filters selected in this field are additive.

- Input A: Exclude – Use this filed to exclude selections from Input A by selecting one or

more filters.

- Input A: Constraints – The filters you assign as Constraints are applied to the resulting

set of objects [(Includes – Excludes) x Constraints]. For example, a constraint filter could

include an Expression for a bounding region (MinimumBounds > [0,0,900]). When

applied, only components with a Minimum Bound greater than Z = 900 will be included in

the Input Set A.




- Input B properties – These are only available if you selected Dual Input.

Example of a Clearance Check Operation configured to check the vertical

clearance of all slabs against each other. Note use of Single Input Filter

Source. The clearance distance is set to 8.775t.




List of issues created when running Slab Clearance Check. The two objects

that trigger a clearance clash are automatically assigned to an issue.

3D measurement of objects failing clash test confirms they don’t meet

minimum 8.775ft min clearance requirement.

10.6 Boolean Difference The Boolean Difference Operation is designed to help you identify physical changes between

two versions of the same model. Clash detection is an effective tool for checking interference

between two models that represent different disciplines – for example plumbing against

structural components. Clash detection is not an effective tool for determining how two versions

of the same model may have changed. Running a clash check between two versions of a model

will most likely result in a clash between each set of components, regardless of whether the

components changed or not. Visicon’s Boolean Difference Operation, however, calculates the

true 3D difference between the components in two models and displays the Results (either

additions or deletions) graphically. Each Difference is also assigned to an Issue. Configurable

Boolean Difference parameters include:

- Skip Identical – If this parameter is set to Yes, Visicon skips running a detailed Boolean

Difference calculation for identical components.

- Previous Issues – Refer to detailed description in Clearance Check Operation.

- Input A & B – Unlike other operations, Boolean Difference always requires two sets of

Inputs: both A and B. refer to detailed description in Clearance Check Operation.

Visicon uses multiple colorization modes to help the user isolate and display data in their BIM.

To display the results of an Operation, switch to the Issue colorization model on the Status Bar.

When in Issue colorization mode, components associated with Issues and Boolean Diff results

will be colored, while all other components will be grayed out and transparent. To isolate

components in your model further, use the Show Non-Issues and Results Only buttons on the

Issue ribbon.




Status Bar lists default colorization modes. Turn on the Issue Colorize mode

to isolate and display components in your model that are associated with

Issues.

The left image shows a model in Issue Colorize mode and non-issues turned

on. The image to the right is the same model with Show Non-Issues turned

off. In this case, only Boolean Results and other objects associated with

Issues would be visible. You can isolate the model to only show Boolean

Results by turning on the Results Only mode. These visibility icons are found

on the Issue ribbon.




Example of Boolean Difference Operation configured to check Model A

against Model B. The reinforcement and tendons of Model A are excluded

from the check.




Example of Issues created after running Boolean Difference. The model is

also in Issue colorize mode, showing the Results of the Boolean Difference.

10.7 Variance Check The Variance Check Operation is another effective tool we have developed for you to identify

changes between two models. This operation gives you the option of narrowing your variance

check on a specific geometric variable, for example, volume change, or any non-geometric

property of your model, like material property. Instead of reporting variance results in XLSX

tables like the Quantity Variance Report does, this operation generates an Issue for each

instance of a variance. The benefit of generating a list of issues with associated objects is that

you can easily identify where there changes in your model are located. Customizable properties

of the Variance Check Operation include:

- Variance Type – (Quantity / Variable) – Selecting Quantity allows you to check your

models against a change in a specified cost driver. Select Variable if you want to check

your models against a change in a specified component property. The specified Variable

does not have to be a physical property.

- Show Variance For – (Added / Removed / Changed) – This property determines

whether an issue is created for all changes, only those where an object has been Added,

or removed.

- Cost Driver – This option is available if you selected Variance Type: Quantity. Select

the cost driver you want to quantify changes for. The benefit of being able to narrow your

variance check down to a specific cost driver gives you more targeted results. Note that

not all Cost Drivers apply to all component types. To check whether a cost driver is

calculated for a component type you are interested in, select one in your model and

open the Inventory ribbon. Available cost drivers for the selected component will be

displayed as non-zero values. Available cost drivers are:

o Count

o Surface Area

o Vertical Surface Area

o Horizontal Surface Area

o Vertical Section Area

o Height

o Member Length

o Horizontal Length

o Perimeter

o Thickness

o Volume

o Weight




- Variable – This option is available if you select Variance Type: Variable. Use this

property to specify the object variable (property) to check. For example, type Section.b if

you want the variance operation to check changes in a component’s b Section property.

To specify object variables, either:

o Copy variable – To copy any variable, right-click on an object’s property in the

Project Browser and select the Copy Variable option. Then place your curser in

the Variable edit box and select the right-click option: Paste.

o Insert variable – To access a complete list of available object variables in your

model, right click on the Variable property and select the Insert Variable option.

Browse through the available variables and select the one you want to insert into

the Variable property.

- Input A & B – The Variance Check Operation always requires two sets of Inputs: both A

and B. refer to detailed description in Clearance Check Operation.

Insert Variable UI that lists all available object variables (properties) in a

project. Select the property you want to insert and click the (+) button.




Example of Variance Check Operation configured to check two models

against a Volume change.

List of issues generated by Variance Operation. Note details of volume

variance (addition of 5.253m3) for affected slab.




11 Issue Management Vision offers a flexible Issue Management module to help you identify, track and resolve issues with your BIM. This section describes how to define and manage issues using Visicon.

All functionality related to Issues is located on the Issues ribbon. In this document, the current

Issue refers to the currently selected issue in the Project Browser list. The table below describes

each of the functions in detail.

Issues Ribbon


Manage Opens the Issue panel of the Project Browser, where all issues are

listed.

New

Creates a new User-Defined issue. If a User-Defined Operation is not

selected, Visicon will create a new one and assign it to the newly

created issue.

Delete Deletes selected issue.

Previous Browses previous issue in list.

Next Browses next issue in list.

Add Object Only active if an issue is defined and at least one component is

selected. Assigns selection to current issue.

Remove

Object

Only active if an issue with associated objects is selected. Removes

selected objects from current issue.




Remove All

Objects

Only active if current issue has at least one object associated with it.

Removes all objects associated with current issue.

Show Low Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with Low severity.

Show

Medium Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with Medium severity.

Show High Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with High severity.

Show Critical Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with Critical severity.

Show New Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with New status.

Show

Assigned Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with Assigned status.

Show

Resolved Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with Resolved status.

Show Invalid Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with Invalid status.

Show Verified Filters issues in list: when active, displays issues with Verified status.

Show Non-

Issues

When selected, Visicon displays all objects in your model, even those

that are not associated with an issue. Deselect to isolate objects in your

model that are affected by issues.

Show Results

Only

When selected, Visicon only displays the results (added or removed

regions) calculated by the Boolean Difference operation.

Colorize All Active when in Issue colorize mode. When selected, colorizes all

affected objects with their Issue color.




Colorize

Current

When active, only applies Issue color to objects associated with current

issue.

Colorize

Severity Color codes affected objects based on severity.

Colorize

Status Color codes affected objects based on status.

Colorize

Assignee Color codes affected objects based on assignee’s color.

Colorize

Reporter Color codes affected objects based on reporter’s color.

Colorize

Operation Color codes affected objects based on source operation’s color.

Go to Default

View Activates Default view.

Issue View You can define multiple custom views for each Issue. This icon, plus a

letter designation, can be used to access these issue views.

New Issue

View Creates new view for current issue.

11.1 Creating Issues You can create new issues using several methods:

- Operation – All operations generate issues. Refer to the section on Operations for

detailed instructions on how to use Operations to automatically create issues.

- New Button – Click the New button on the Issues Ribbon to create a User-Defined

issue. Any selected objects while creating a new issue will automatically be associated

with the newly created issue.




- Right-Click Mouse – While in the model window, use the right-click context menu to

create a new Issue by selecting the option Issues | Create new.

Issues are listed in the issue panel of the Project Browser.

11.2 Assigning Components to Issues For improved coordination and communication, you can associate objects in your model to

Issues. Associated objects are colorized when in Issue Colorization mode and make it easier to

identify the areas of your project that are affected by issues. Associated objects are also

selected when selecting an issue. You can assign or remove objects to issues using these

methods:

- Operation – Operations that automatically create Issues will also associate the affected

objects to the issues they create. The associated objects are selected whenever the

issue is selected.

- Add Selected Objects – This button associates the selected objects to the current

Issue.

- Remove Selected Objects – This button removes the selected objects from current

Issue.

- Remove All Objects – This object removes all object associations.

- Right-Click Mouse – You can associate selected components when in the model panel

by using the right-click mouse option and selecting Issues | Add selection to current.

11.3 Issue Views To improve the documentation of issues, Visicon allows you to create multiple custom views per

issue. These views are managed at the issue level and don’t interfere with other global views

defined for your project. To create a custom view for the currently selected issue, click the New

Issue View button on the Views & Annotations panel in the Issues ribbon. Each new Issue View

is assigned a letter of the alphabet and listed in the Issue ribbon. Issue views for the current

issue are also listed in Views panel of the Project Browser. To delete an Issue View, use the

Remove option found on each issue view’s pull-down options. Issue Views support the same

functionality as any other global view: 3D measurements, 2D markups, camera locking, etc. Use

these views the same as any other view.




Current Issue with 2 views: A and B.

Any views defined for the currently selected issue are listed in the Views

panel.

11.4 Issue Visibility and Colorization Visicon offers several visibility and colorization options to help you more easily identify objects in

your model that are affected by issues. By default, your model switches to the Issue Colorize

mode when you activate the Issue panel in the Project Browser. This mode colorizes all affected

objects in your model by their issue color and grays out all other parts of your model. You can

fine tune the display of issue-related objects in your model by applying filters, visibility options,

and colorize modes to them. These options are found on the Issue ribbon and described in

more detail in the section above on basic functionality.




Customize the display of issue-related information in your model by using

filters, visibility rules, colorize settings and issue views.

Example of default Issue Colorize mode.

Track which colorize mode you are in – image above shows model in Issue

Colorize mode – and switch between modes using the icons on the Status

Bar.

11.5 Issue Tracking To facilitate issue tracking, you can assign the following properties to an issue:

- Summary – Text field used to describe issue.

- # - Visicon assigned unique issue # for the project. Not editable.

- Severity – (Low, Medium, High, Critical)

- Assignee – Set to the User or User Group the issue is assigned to.




- Status – (New, Assigned, Invalid, Resolved, Verified)

- Reporter – Set to the User or User Group that reported the issue.

- Created – Date issue was created on. Not editable.

- Due – Date issue should be resolved by.

- Operation – Operation type used to identify issue.

- Color – Color used for affected objects when in Issue Colorize mode.

- Opacity – Opacity of affected objects when in Issue Colorize mode.

Each issue also has a comments and history section that records actions taken by the current

user.

Issue list showing comments and history section.

11.6 Issue Coordination and Resolution Workflows Vision v2 is scheduled to support centralized as well as off-line collaboration workflows.

11.7 Transferring Issues Back to Revit

11.8 Issue Summary Report Use the Issue Summary report to document your issues. To create a new Issue Summary

report, either use the New | Issue Summary function in the Reports ribbon or open the report

panel of the Project Browser and use the right-click mouse option. Reports are listed in the

Project Browser. To produce a report, select it in the list and either choose the Run option in the

Reports ribbon or use the right-click mouse option. Each Issue Summary Report can be

configured using the following parameters:

- Report Name – Name to help you organize your reports.

- Set Order – Reports can be organized in report sets. If at least one report set is defined,

this field becomes active. To link an individual report to a report set, select both of them




and click in the Set Order field. Visicon will automatically assign the report to the set.

The order of reports is in a set shown with #s.

- Format – (Default, XLXS, DOCX, HTML, PDF and TXT) Use this field to select the

preferred format for your report. The default for the Issues Report is set to PDF.

- Include Screenshots – (Yes / No) Determines if screen shots of views associated with

Issues are included in your report.

- Screenshot Width – Width of included screen shots in pixels.

- Screenshot Height – Height of included screen shots in pixels.

- Issue Severity Filter – (None | Low | Medium | High | Critical) Lists all severity levels

that will be listed in the report. To edit these values, simply edit the list to include those

severities you want to include. Separate severities you enter with either a “,” or “;”. To

reset the field, clear it, and the default values will re-appear.

- Issue Status Filter – (New | Assigned | Invalid | Resolved | Verified) Lists all status

levels that will be listed in the report. Modify the options as described for the Severity

Filters above.

- Issue Assignee Filter – (Everybody and a list of all users defined in project) Select a

specific user to only see issues assigned to them.

- Issue Reporter Filter – (Everybody and a list of all users defined in project) Select a

specific user to only see issues reported by them.

- Operations – (List of Operations) Use this list to filter only issues related to a selected

Operation.

Sample Issue Summary Report

11.9 Dashboard The Dashboard lists all views and issues in your project in a summary, tabular format. You can

filter issues by those that are assigned to you. Open a view or issue by clicking on its thumbnail.

The Dashboard icon is located on the Home ribbon.




Home ribbon with Dashboard button

Sample Dashboard listing Issues




12 Analytic: Structural One of Visicon’s goals is to provide BIM users with the ability to quickly run analytics on their models to make faster, more informed decisions. Our Structural Analytics module for automated load takedown calculation is our first Analytic module. In its first generation, this feature is designed to give structural engineers, architects and contractors an easy and quick method of estimating loads in a building model’s columns and walls. Our structural analytic tool is not intended to replace rigorous analysis, but instead offer a quick alternative to estimating loads and visualizing load paths. Visualizing load paths helps identify complexities in the structure and identifying areas that require more detailed engineering focus. This section describes the functionality of this module.

Visicon’s Structural Analytic feature is based on our patented discretization and load takedown

algorithm. Access to this feature requires a Professional license or higher. The analytic workflow

starts by re-organizing a structural BIM model into discrete horizontal and vertical load

transferring components. If necessary, walls and columns are split to provide a more granular

representation of the structure. Horizontal and vertical components are then grouped into

separate Horizontal Analytic Masses, representing “structural” levels of the BIM. Only

components with the property Analytic.Enable set to “Yes” are considered by the algorithm. All

other objects are removed from the Analytic view of the BIM.




Object Properties panel showing Analytic.Enable property set to “Yes”

To discretize your BIM and create the analytic model, select the Show Analytic Model button on

the Analytic ribbon. To display the analytic representation of your model, make sure you are in

the Analytic Color Mode and the Show Analytic Model button are active. Select any object on

your model to display its associated horizontal analytic mass.

Analytic ribbon




Status Bar with Analytic Color Mode turned on

Image showing horizontal analytic mass – upper vertical supports are colored

blue and lower vertical supports are colored brown

The next step of the structural analysis workflow is the creation of tributary regions for each

vertical support – columns and walls. To create and display tributaries, select the Create

Tributary Areas button.

Image of slab discretized into tributary areas for columns and walls

Selecting the Generate Load Paths button calculates a load path for all elements from the roof

to the foundation of your structural model. You can visualize the load path of any component by

selecting it.




Load path displayed for one of the column lines

To display the intensity of estimated loads in columns and walls, select the Load Takedown

button. In v1, this triggers a load takedown calculation using the tributary areas only. Each

member is colored based on the intensity of its Load or Stress. Load is represented as the

cumulative tributary area each component is estimated to carry. A representative stress value is

calculated by taking to cumulative tributary area of a member and dividing it by its horizontal

cross section. Each member’s individual and cumulative tributary area is displayed in the Object

Properties panel. In future version of Visicon, we will carry our more structural checks of

members and also complete the load takedown using actual applied loads. To revert back to the

normal representation of your BIM, select the Restore button. The table below describes each

of the functions on the ribbon tab in more detail.

Vertical members are colorized to show intensity of cumulative tributary area

they carry

Individual and Cumulative Tributary Areas are displayed in Object Properties

panel.


Default

Selection Normal selection mode.




Inverse

Transparent In this mode, all non-selected objects are grayed out and transparent.

Isolate When active, selected objects are isolated.

Show

Analytic Model

Runs algorithm to convert original BIM model into analytic model for

calculation of tributaries and load takedown. When active, displays

horizontal analytic masses.

Upper

Supports

Controls display of upper columns and walls when visualizing

horizontal analytic masses.

Horizontal

Mass Controls display of horizontal analytic mass.

Lower

Supports

Controls display of lower columns and walls when visualizing horizontal

analytic masses.

Hanging

Supports

When active, colorizes hanging supports that don’t contribute to the

vertical load transfer.

Contained

Components

Identifies objects fully contained within a horizontal mass that don’t

contribute to any load path.

Create

Tributary Areas

This function runs the algorithm to create tributary regions for columns

and walls. When active, displays tributary regions on model.

Isolated

When selected, colorizes isolated tributary regions. Isolated tributary

regions are horizontal regions that could not be assigned to a vertical

support.

Resolved When selected, colorizes resolved tributary regions. Resolved tributary

regions are




Generate

Load Paths

Calculates load paths by tracing tributaries and their supporting

columns and walls down the structure to the foundation. When active,

displays load paths in analytic BIM.

Loops Colorizes vertical components that have a circular support loop.

Ends

Colorizes horizontal load transfers in the form of planted columns,

planted walls and tributary regions receiving transfer loads. Helps

identify irregularities in your structural BIM.

Outline Shows tributary regions as outline only.

Consider

Object

(Future feature) The next few buttons will be part of the load path

management workflow. Clicking this button will switch the selected

object’s Analytic.Enable property to “Yes”.

Ignore Object (Future feature) Clicking this button will switch the selected object’s

Analytic.Enable property to “No”.

Display Path (Future feature) Displays horizontal load transfers. These load path

vectors will be editable by the user.

Add Path (Future feature) Lets user add a new load transfer path between two

objects.

Remove Path (Future feature) Removes selected load transfer path from model.

Load

Takedown

Calculates load takedown using tributary areas and colorizes columns

and walls to show intensity of load (cumulative tributary area). Use this

option to identify most loaded members.

Load Case (Future feature) Load takedown colorization based on selected load

case.

Load

Combination

(Future feature) Load takedown colorization based on selected load

combination.

Load When selected, colorizes columns and walls based on intensity of

cumulative tributary area each one carries.




Stress Colorizes columns and walls based on simplified stress calculation

(cumulative load / horizontal cross section of member).

Column

Check (Future feature) Carries out more detailed column check.

Wall Check (Future feature) Carries out more detailed wall check.

Punching

Shear Check

(Future feature) Identifies columns with highest likelihood of punching

shear issues.

Span Check (Future feature) Identifies longest span and cantilevers in project.

Beam Check (Future feature) Determines beam load and identifies beams with

potential overstress issues.

Use this function to restore your BIM to its original configuration.

Example of Load Path display mode with Ends color mode turned on –

terminated columns, walls, and tributaries with transfers are assigned special

colors for easy identification

12.1 Tributary Report The Tributary Report exports column tributary areas in a structured XLSX format. The data is

organized in vertical columns by column name. If your structural BIM model is not configured to

have consistent column names for each vertical stack, use the Operations | Rename Column

Stacks function to automatically rename all of your columns. Customizable report properties

include:




Property Description

Variable

This object variable (property) is used to identify columns in the

tributary report. It is defaulted to “Name”, but you can pick any other

property you use to uniquely identify columns in your project.

Source (Entire Model | Visible Model | Selection | Filter) Use this property to

select the which components you want to report data for in your report.

Example of Tributary Report showing Cumulative Tributary Areas organized in

vertical columns




13 Collaboration V2 of Visicon will include collaboration capabilities that will support centralized as well as offline modes. V1 is limited to the definition and management of users.

The collaboration functions, except for the Add User and Edit Users buttons have been

disabled in v1.

Collaboration ribbon with limited functionality in v1

13.1 User Management You can define and manage users in Visicon. In v1, users are primarily used to help the issue

resolution process. Each issue can be tagged with a Reporter and Assignee. Users can also be

grouped into User Groups.


Add User This button adds a new user and opens the User panel in the Project

Browser.

Edit Users This function opens the User panel in the Project Browser.

To add a new user, either use the Add User button on the Collaboration ribbon, or open the

User panel of the Project Browser and use the right-click mouse option. Users have the

following properties:

- Current – (future feature) When collaboration is invoked, the current user active in a

project.

- User Name – The name with which the user appears in the application.

- Group – Check this field if you want the user to be associated with the selected User

Group. If a user group is selected, this field is checked for all associated users.

- Password – (future feature) Password needed to access collaboration models.

- Color – Color assigned to user when colorizing objects in Issue mode by Reporter or

Assignee.




- Opacity – Opacity assigned to user when colorizing objects.

- License – (future feature) Once collaboration is turned on, you will have the choice of

providing a collaboration license for those you collaborate with or require them to acquire

their own.

- Email – (future feature) Email used to send collaboration notices to users.

- Notes – Notes for your personal use.

- Type – Type of user.

- Reporter – Lists how many issues the user has reported.

- Assignee – Lists how many issues have been assigned to the user.

Sample of users and user groups




14 Inventory Visicon’s Inventory module is designed to provide users with detailed insight into the quantitative contents of their BIMs. Our goal is to provide raw quantity data in a fast and flexible format. Visicon does not attempt to calculate costs. This section covers our Dynamic Inventory and Reports features.

14.1 Cost Drivers All inventory reporting is based on 12 cost drivers – quantity measurements that can be used to

calculate cost. Not all cost drivers, for example, length, apply to all component types. Visicon

attempts to report as many relevant cost drivers for the selected objects in your BIM as

possible. Some component types may not display all cost drivers. Some of the objects you

import may also not be proper 3D objects with closed geometries – these are called non-

manifold meshes. Visicon cannot calculate the volume or other cost parameters for objects that

don’t have a conforming geometry. The 12 cost drivers Visicon calculates are:

- Count – Simple count of number of objects selected.

- Surface Area (Total) – This value displays the total 3D surface area.

- Surface Area (Vertical) – This value measures the vertical surfaces only and ignores

the top and bottom.

- Section Area (Horizontal) – Area representing horizontal cross-section of object. Use

for slab area calculations.

- Section Area (Vertical) – Area representing vertical cross-section of object. Only

applies to component types that have vertical and horizontal aspect ratios, for example,

walls.

- Height – Total vertical distance between lower and top bounding points.




- Member Length – Distance between end points of components that are linear in nature

and are typically defined by one insertion point, for example, columns and beams. Will

report member length of linear elements regardless of orientation.

- Horizontal Length – Horizontal length of selected object. For example, use to measure

horizontal length of walls.

- Perimeter – Measures outer perimeter of projected object on Z axis (bottom plane).

- Thickness – Reports thickness of component types that have a thickness property.

- Volume – Measures 3D volume of selected objects.

- Weight – Displays weight of selected object. Requires that object has Core Material

Defined with a non-zero Density value.

14.2 Dynamic Inventory Feature You can extract real-time quantity data from your model using the Dynamic Inventory feature.

To use this feature, open the Inventory ribbon and select any number of objects in your model.

The 12 cost drivers, where applicable, are filled out as you make your selection of objects. The

free version of Visicon shows quantity data for up to 10 objects selected at one time, while the

Professional version has no limit.

The number of objects you have selected that are not extrusions are listed under the Non-

Extrusions panel. In most cases, Visicon can still extract relevant quantity data from non-




extrusions. To improve performance, however, you can use the Convert to Extrusions

Operation. Some objects in your model may be too geometrically complex to convert to an

extrusion. Even if they remain as non-extrusions and their 3D geometry is conforming, Visicon

can display their volume, surface area and height in the Inventory ribbon.

Inventory ribbon showing selection of a non-extrusion object where most of

the cost drivers can still be calculated and displayed

Example of slab selected in Inventory ribbon – relevant inventory cost drivers

are displayed

14.3 Inventory Report To generate more detailed quantity data, run Inventory Reports. Inventory reports require a

Professional or higher license to use. Customize your reports by group your quantity data using

any project properties. In addition to cost data, configure your report to include any other

relevant object properties. To create a new report, use the New | Inventory option under the

Reports ribbon. Alternatively, open the Project Browser to the Reports panel and use the right-

click mouse option.




Reports ribbon showing New Inventory Report option

Inventory reports have the following configurable properties:

- Source – (Entire Model | Visible Model | Selection | Filter) Use this property to select the

which components you want to include in your report.

- Group By – Determines how you want to group / organize the entries in your inventory

report. The quantities for each group are summarized in the group’s header. To add a

new category, simply type in or paste the object property’s variable name in the last row.

You can override any previously defined parameter by typing over it. You can delete any

category by simply deleting the parameter in the field. To access a list of available

project parameters, right-click in the row you want to edit and select the Insert Variable

option. This will open a list of all possible project variables. Select the variable you want

to insert and select the (+) button.

- Variables to Show – Use this section of the report properties to list the additional data

you want to display for each entry in the report. The object properties / variables listed

here will not affect the grouping of the report.




Sample Inventory Report where all objects in the model are being reported on

and first grouped by Level, then Category, and finally, Family.Name

Sample XLSX Inventory Report grouped by level




Sample Inventory Report where all objects in the model are being reported on

and first grouped by Material and then Type

Sample XLSX Inventory Report grouped by material




15 Reports Visicon offers a wide range of reports that help you extract critical information, validate your BIM, communicate coordination issues, and much more. Many of the reports have been covered in detail in other sections of this document. This section reviews the remaining report types: cover page, concrete installation coordinates, and quantity variance.

Functions to create, manage and run reports are found on the Reports ribbon. A Professional or

higher license is needed to run reports. The main features of the Reports ribbon and report

types are described in the following tables.

Report ribbon showing available report types


Manage Opens Reports panel in Project Browser. Report details and

configuration parameters are managed in the Project Browser.

New Creates new report.

Run Runs currently selected report.

Report Type Description




Cover Page Provides project name and date on a report sheet to be included in

Report Sets. Default format: XLXS.

Concrete

Installation

Coordinates

Reports column, wall and slab coordinates in a format that can be used

for further processing. Default format: XLXS.

Inventory Quantity report. Default format: XLXS.

Import Data

Template

Exports model data to XLSX with unique IDs. Model data in this format

can be modified and re-imported into Visicon.

Quantity

Variance

Report that compares two models and reports on quantity or specified

variable changes. Default format XLXS.

Views and

Markup Summary PDF report showing all user-defined views and markups.

Issues

Summary Summary PDF report for Issues.

Tributaries XLSX report listing tributary area load takedown results.

All report types have the following configurable properties:

- Report Name – Name used to identify report.

- Set Order – If part of a Report Set, used to determine order.

- Format – (Default, XLXS, DOCX, HTML, PDF and TXT) Use this field to select the

preferred format for your report.

15.1 Cover Page This is a simple one-page report that is intended as a cover page for Report Sets. It lists project

title, creation date, created by and units. It does not have any customization parameters.




15.2 Concrete Installation Coordinates This report is primarily intended for Revit model users that find it difficult to extract detailed

coordinate information from their models. In particular, it provides the corner coordinates of

columns that is used to mark the location of formwork.

Note that this report only works for objects with conforming 3D geometry that is extruded. For

best results, run the Convert to Extrusions Operation on your model before running the

report. Customizable properties for this report include:

- Source – (Entire Model | Visible Model | Selection | Filter) Use this property to select the

which components you want to include in your report.

- Column Insertion Point – (Center | Top-Left | Top-Right | Bottom-Left | Bottom-Right)

Selects the insertion point reported on in the report.

- Column Id Variable – (Default: Name) The column parameter used to identify columns

in the report.

- Wall Id Variable – (Default: Name) The wall parameter used to identify columns in the

report.

- Floor Id Variable – (Default: Name) The slab parameter used to identify columns in the

report.

- Level Intersection Tolerance – The tolerance used to check whether a column or wall

intersect a slab.

Sample data for column coordinates (inserted Bottom-Left)




Sample data for wall coordinates

Sample data for slab coordinates

Sample data for openings




15.3 Quantity Variance This report compares two models against a specified quantity variance or object property

change. The variance results are tabulated in an XLSX table. Refer to the section on Variance

Check Operation for how to configure the report settings.

In addition to the General, Input A and Input B properties that are found in the Variance Check

Operation, the Quantity Variance Report can be configured with the following properties:

- Group By – Determines how you want to group / organize the entries in your variance

report. The variances for each group are summarized in the group’s header. Refer to the

section on Inventory Report for a detailed description of how to add or remove groups.

- Variables to Show – Use this section of the report properties to list the additional data

you want to display for each entry in the report. The object properties / variables listed

here will not affect the grouping of the report.

Sample Quantity Variance report (configured for volume change) for two

versions of the same model: versions A and B

15.4 Report Sets Individual reports can be grouped into Report Sets for faster processing. You can continue to

run the individual reports by themselves, or as part of a set. To add a report to a set, first select

the set so that it is active. With the set highlighted, click on the Set Order field for those

individual reports you want to add to the set. Once associated with a set, the reports are

identified each time you select a set in the reports list.




16 Templates Templates allow you to easily save and recall customized items you have created for your project. Templates are not only an easy way for you to re-apply your own work across new models, but also an effective way to share your custom filters, rules, operations and report settings with others. This section describes how to use templates.

Templates are Visicon .VTF files that do not contain any geometric objects and only store

information on filters, rules, user, reports, materials, and load cases.

16.1 Applying the Default Template Your Visicon installation comes with a Default Template that includes commonly used filters,

rules, operations, and reports. To apply the Default Template, use the File | Apply Complete

Template File feature. This will add all items defined in the Default Template to your current

project. Imported expressions from the Default Template will be defined with respect to

properties and should apply to imported components of the same type.

16.2 Generic Reference to List Items For many of your BIM coordination activities, you will be required to act on multiple models

within Vision. To achieve this, you will merge two or more models into the same project. Next,

you will want to write expressions that access data in specific models. You can reference

models using two primary variables: Model.Name or Model.Index. Referencing a model by its

name requires you to know the exact spelling of the model’s name. If you reference its index,

however, this is a generic designation that is only a function of the order in which it was

imported into Visicon. Expressions you import from the Default Template that reference models

will use the Model.Index reference. Alternatively, you can develop a standard naming

convention where all models of the same type you may merge in the future have a consistent

name. For example, all plumging model could be called “Plumbing”. In this case, the

expressions you save in templates could refer to Model.Name = “Plumbing”.




Model property with its expanded list of sub-variables – Model.Name and

Model.Index

List of merged models in Project Browser Model Panel and assigned Index

16.3 Creating Custom Templates You can create and distribute your own custom templates. Visicon let’s you save a whole

project setup as a template or individual items one-by-one. To save a whole project setup that

has been configured to meet specific workflow requirements, use the File | Save As | Template

function. This special save function takes all Filters, Rules, Operations, and other custom setup

information you have and saves it to a VTF template file. A VTF template file does not have any

components with 3D geometry. This file can be opened in the future and modified. You can

share this template file with others in your office or project team. To make the template

accessible to future Vision projects, save it into the User\My Documents\Visicon\Templates\

folder. Data saved into the template file can be applied in its entirety to a new project or item-by-

item.

Often, you will not want to save an entire project’s configuration as a template file. Instead, you

just completed writing a very useful rule or filter and would like to save it for future use. In this

case, select the item you want to save to a template and use the right-click option Save to

Template File | New or Existing Template. This action will add the selected item to a template

file that can be retrieved in the future.

16.4 Inserting from Custom Templates To insert items from a custom template, either apply the full template using the File | Apply

Complete Template File option or insert specific items using the right-click option Insert from

Template File | Custom Template. If you use the right-click option, you will be able to insert

individual items or all items of the same type in the template file you have selected.

16.5 Template Management To manage your custom templates, either use the right-click Insert option to add new items or

open up the VTF to edit them manually.