Modelling

In this example we will draw and model 7 story building using all features of Building Design Suite. Materials to be used are 4000 psi concrete and ASTM A615 Gr60 steel for reinforcement. Floor elevations and other properties such as thickness of slab are given in the drawings.

Or you can create your own material database;

Go to https://openbrim.org/www/brim/
Launch OpenBrIM app

Log in with your Buildin Design Suite account
Click Authors → Select your account name

Create new project → go to ParamML tab

Now we will write parametric definitions of materials and add them to database. There is no need for new release to use new material definitions that we will add.

Overview of Building Design Suite material database. Our new database should be like this;

This is how our empty object looks like;

Add Database=”AEC_Material” to first line as shown in Building Design Sutie material database. This state indicates that our project is a “AEC_Material” type database object.

You can search core objects by typing words after “<“ or you can write objects manually. Objects must start with “<O” and end with “</O>” .

Write unit objects to be assigned as unit category to materials as shown below.

Default core unit object is shown above. You can edit name and other parameters as you need or you can write unit object which have all parameters shown above manually as shown below.

Parameters will be calculated in units of assigned unit category. Unit object example shown above will be assigned to material’s parametic definitions as unit category. You can write more than one unit object and assign each to different parameters.

Write group object by searching from core objects or manually as shown below. Select “CORE OBJ: Group”.

Give name to group object. Since we are going to add more lines inside the group object delete “/>” in the line 4 and type “>” instead. We must type “</O>” at the end of object. We are going to define one steel material object and one concrete material object in NewMaterial group.

Write first material object by searching as shown below and Select “CORE OBJ: Object” or write object manually.

Name the object as” NewSteel” since we will define steel first and change type of object with ‘T=”AEC_Material”’ to be able to see this object in Building Design Suite import list.

We must assign our object as steel by a parameter and add steel properties by writing patameters for each property.

Write parameters by searching as shown above and select “PARAM: Parameter (Numeric)” or write parameters manually.

Steel material object should be as above. First parameters value V=”0” states that this AEC_Material object is steel other parameters state the properties of steel material. “UT” is unit type of parameter and “UC” is unit category of parameter.

Concrete material object will be very similar to steel material object as script.

Concrete material objects should be as above. First parameters value V=”1” states that this AEC_Material object is concrete other parameters state the properties of concrete material.

Overview of our material database is shown below.

You can write more material parametric definitions as explained above.

NewMaterialDBForTraining database will be look as below in Building Design Suite import list.

Rebars

There are rebar definitions in Building Design Suite library. They are also must be imported in order to be used. Process is the same as importing of material definitions.

Go to Rebar section → click “Rebar DB” → select rebars → click “import”

A material must be assigned to rebars to avoid errors during analysis. Assign ASTM A615 Gr60 as shown below.

Load Classes

Load classifications are added from load classes section as shown below. Add 2 load classes.

Go to Load Classes → Add
Choose first load class as SDL and name it
Choose second load class as L and name it

Self Weight class is being created automatically at the start of project.

Loads

Load properties based on loading schedule are added from Loads section as shown below. Add 4 loadings. SDL is 20 psf LL is 40 psf for residential areas, SDL is 35 psf LL is 60 psf for terrace, LL is 100 psf for public escape areas but will be loaded as sum of 40 psf LL + 60 psf LL.

Go to Loads section → Click “add”
Select load class and type
Enter value of load
Name loads

Load Combinations

Design forces are determined by load combinations. We will use 1.4D +1.4 SDL and 1.2D+1.2SDL+1.6LL combinations. Add load combinations as shown below.

Go to Load Combinations → Add
Enter load factors to load classes
Name load combinations

Drawing Files

Upload reference drawings as shown below.

Go to Drawing Files → Upload Drawing
Select reference “.dwg” files and click OK

All necessary datas have been defined to start modelling. We will start drawing.

Stories

Create stories to draw as shown below. We have 7 stories + 1 roof +1 upper roof so we will create 9 stories to be modelled.

Go to Stories → Add
Enter number of Stories

Enter elevation of each story
Assign drawing files to the stories
Select default materials for slab, column and slab rebar

We will start modelling from top to bottom.

Modelling Of Upper Roof

Go to Roof → Overlay
Select Xref drawing as Roof Linked Drawing
Click OK

Reference drawing must be as shown below.

Zoom in and start drawing. Since upper roof drawing is the top floor plan there in no column or shear wall above. We will draw slab and beam objects.

Drawing Slab

Click + next to Roof item on tree view
Go to Slab → Slab Edge Button

Start to draw slab

You can view slab edge drawing by right clicking on spreadsheet and selecting in AutoCAD as shown below.

Enter the properties of slab such as thickness or clear cover.

You can edit material from clicking relevant cell above if you imported more concrete material.

Since there is no association between slabs you should draw them all by using slab edge command. So just hit space to repeat last command which is slab edge and draw. Enter slab edge properties as shown above.

Click update button to update changes on 3D view and cloud

If you do not see thickness of slab on 3D view;

Go to Project Settings
Detailed Render → Select true
Update the project

Beam object causes error so could not be modelled. Shearwall opening is modelled instead.

If reference drawings are floor plans which means it shows columns/shear walls above, you must overlay the drawing of one lower floor to draw columns and shear wall which are carrying the slab.

To draw shearwalls and columns below;

Go to Roof → Overlay
Select Xref drawing of 8th Floor linked drawing
Unselect Roof linked drawing
Click OK

Now you see the shear walls and columns below.

Drawing Shearwalls

Go to Roof → Shear Walls

Click Shear Wall to start drawing

You can select shearwall drawing by right clicking on spreadsheet and selecting in AutoCAD.

You must draw analytical wall to shear wall for finite element analysis calculations and for exporting floor models to SAFE correctly.

Spreadsheet Data → Analytical Walls

Click Analytical wall to draw.

You must draw a straight line from mid point of one edge to mid point of other edge of shear wall. If shearwall is not straight you must draw analytical walls for each directions of shear parts.

Corner intersection of two analytical walls linked to one shear wall must be as shown below.

Edit analytical wall properties such as thickness from spreadsheet as shown below.

If an analytical wall intersects another from middle, create break point on intersection point as shown below.

Go to interrupted analytical wall on spreadsheet
Click No Break Pts

Draw line starting from start point of analytical wall to intersection point

Continue drawing to end point of analytical wall
Hit ESC

You can edit thickness or refline offset of analytical wall parts interrupted by break points with different values by entering “,” between values as shown above.

We will create an opening on shearwall as shown below.