Modular Unit setups and sheet layouts (Links to Groups)

 

Executive Summary
Modular Unit setups and sheet layouts (Links to Groups)

Sheet Numbering  - AE101a   and  AE41A1.1

Sample overview of modular sheet ID system based on the NCS which can be applied to projects large or small. This focuses on Revit as a platform but can be extended to CAD and Navigator. The system uses natural sorting within disciplines to maintain sheet order with placeholders for certain key elements not directly addressed by the NCS. This modular system is adaptable to fit both large and small projects. Modules allow for direct cross-pollination and re-use of content with other projects to provide a jump start for Units or other modular components from the library. Each Unit link contains options and variations for that unit which may include FHA, ADA, SoCal, or municipalities; or linked in standardized Kitchens, bathrooms, or other smaller modules for assembly. This content is "ready to go" pre-setup on sheets, ready for printing VIA Linked sheets with a quick title block update. Alternatively Assemblies could be used if there was a way to import or export assemblies into the model.

Unit content (Groups or assemblies with the floor outlines) can be linked and converted to groups, or assemblies (With cut sheet info attached) and placed manually with ‘hinting’ outlines in an in-place wall family where doors, windows, chases, etc. exist in units. Walls can then be placed from the inside face of finish and unit offsets adjusted according to wall thicknesses on each side. This can be further automated and tied into code analysis and placement.

Additional content, modifications or revisions is returned and updated through the library content after content vetting for re-use on future projects

Determining the project size

Project size drives the size and number of sheets.

Sheet prefix

One project may have sheets A1-A9 while more complex projects involving other disciplines and multiple stories may look more like  "AE401.A1.1" to cover different units, sectional building plans, etc. The NCS allows for total flexibility within the same framework to support both, just not all pieces are used.

The sheet prefix determines the discipline managing the content or creating the sheet. Architecture uses "A". The second letter determines the subset of the sheet- for Architecture typically this is "D" for demo, "E" for general, "I" for interiors built in casework, ornamental stairs, etc., or "G" for graphic signage. Typically, most sheets are represented under the "AE" Prefix. 

Number of floors

The last digit(s) generally represent the floor level in horizontal views or a sequence in other series.

AE101   For projects less than 9 total levels typically use 2 letters + three digits

AE1001 For projects more than 9 total levels use 2 Letters + 4 digits

Sheets should coincide from discipline to discipline. Where AE101  is the first-floor plan for architecture ME101 is the same sheet and layout and scale in mechanical for their overall plans so flipping between sheets in the set the plans align for quick visual check in the field.

Basic number prefixes NCS

After the discipline prefixes the sheet numbers follow series numbers:

0 General sheets, symbols

1 Plans (Horizontal views)

2 Elevations (Vertical views)

3 Wall sections

4 Enlarged plans

5 Details

6 door schedules

7 wall partitions

8 User defined

9 3D Representations

 

The next two to three digits are mostly sequence. But there is a more adaptive way to borrow the 2nd digit to set to save some standardized locations for ceiling plans or other elements based on the typical number of sheets in a set.

Extended NCS sheet organization (recommended)

Borrowing from the NCS we can use placeholders to help ID shared series like horizontal views for plans and RCPs.

 

00  General

10  Plans (Horizontal views-last 2 digits=floor)

  15 Reflected ceiling plans

  18 Roof Plans

20  Elevations (Vertical views)

30  Sections (Building Sections)

  31 Wall sections (Partial section)

  32 Wall sections (Partial sections)

40  Enlarged plans

  41 Large-Scale Views (plans, elevations, stair sections, or sections that are not details)

  46 Enlarged interior elevations (Specialized corridors, entry/reception/etc.)

  48 Enlarged interior elevations (Specialized corridors, entry/reception/etc.)

50  Details

60  Schedules and Diagrams

  61 Door schedules

  62 window, door types, storefront, curtain wall, hollow metal details

70  wall partition sheets
Note: GSA:3-D representations to scale such as axonometric drawings

80  User Defined for types that do not fall in other categories
Note: GSA:Other, such as photographs, scanned images, animation stills, multimedia, etc. not generated from the building information model. _

90  3D Representations, isometrics, perspectives, photographs
Note: GSA:3-D representations not to scale.  Also, generated from the building information model. )

 

The extended sheet ID

For wide, spread out buildings, or files with a lot of sub pieces like kitchen plans, units, special rooms, etc. that spread out horizontally rather than vertically - extended sheet IDs can be used.

An extended ID May be AE101a, AE101b, AE101c, AE101d, for large-scale(i.e. 1/8"/ft) but not enlarged plans(1/4"/ft or finer) broken up into four parts to fit on sheets using scopes.

For unit IDs, add the Unit ID to the end of the sheet sequence. AE411-A1.1; AE412-A2; AE413-A3

Numbers can be conserved by dripping the last 1 or 2 digits: AE41-A1.1, AE41-A2

The sort associated with the sheets can drive and help ‘conform’ the sheet order and force sorting if the sets get out of order.

Natural Sort Order

Note: Because Revit sorts sheet numbers as numbers so a dash or a dot helps keep the sheet sequence in order. So, sheet AE1011 you would expect to see behind AE101, but 1011 is a much larger number as 101 so it sorts further down in the sort order.

 REVIT UNIT PLANS FOR LINKING

• In the unit plans- origin set at 0,0,0

• Question - Use shared coordinates (*can only be acquired in BIM 360, not pushed which would be necessary for shared coordinates in multiple locations of a unit across floors in buildings - 

• Need to test Push-Pull with reference floors and levels in non-360

• Question of options

• If a master unit plan is created use API to push out prepared options and nomenclature for options - I.e. a fingerprint of each unit

• Beds-Baths-HalfBaths-Kitchen[mod]-base unit sf - overall Width(Shortest orthogonal) x overall depth(Longest orthogonal)

• 3BR-3BA-1HB-K1X-1300sf-20x65

• 3BR-3BA-0HB-K1A-1300sf-20x65

IN BUILDING MODEL:

• Each unit plan’s phase linked to current building phase Existing (nothing in unit plan ) and New Construction. This Auto-links matching phases by NAME on link/import. Phases must be consistently named and identified to work correctly.

• Templates are used for units that contain necessary data. Assessing room types from “PreConstruction” phase of each type combination written out from the base 

• All Unit data, elevations, etc. ar built into each Unit plan as sheets in the enlarged series AE4xx.UNITID sheets. With options in unit plans broken out in adjacent relative sheets. These sheets fall into sequence of the master sheet list when including sheets from linked files.

• Writing out the variations on the master base

• Api should look at options and ask which combinations to write out.

• API auto-generates based on options and check with characters or IDs in option naming - anything foreign should throw a warning

• API should handle creating and hiding sheets (Or deleting them) in files that are saved-as for the options by checking the options present in the 

• Overwriting base files will delete associated shared coordinates for that base file

• Coordinates are overwritten too (3rdparty list of XML of shared coordinates, X/Y mirrored, rotation - reapply on open of file? Gather on save/exit event in API?

• Base unit carries room IDs, and room tag cannot derive part of its information from the Link Instance ID for room number. So either room numbers have to be accepted as truncated (I.e. without floor# leading) Otherwise tagging level in with room tag name pulls Unit Link Level hosted for room data.

• Can cheat by numbering floors. I.e. 01, 02, etc to include “level” in room name tag to prefix room number for rooms that live in the building file.

Alternative to writing out pre-configured versions of the unit plan

• Instead of writing out options to sub files which makes it easier to handle, the instance of the unit plan can be labeled with the level, and unit identification, and a partial view template for links used to manage how units display.
  

• Options per link instance tied to the partial view template for links:
  

Or as direct override of the linked file’s optionsView linking template: