There are two custom relations that are automatically calculated by Solibri: Nearest Spaces and Federated Floors. These can be managed and visualized in the Custom Relations view.
Custom relations in Solibri provide a powerful mechanism for users to define and manage relationships between different components within a model. These relations allow users to express and analyze connections beyond the default relationships provided by the standard IFC or other model formats. By creating custom relations, users can enhance their analysis capabilities and gain deeper insights into the relationships that matter most to their specific use cases.
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In Solibri, custom relations refer to user-defined relationships between different components or elements in a model. These relationships allow users to establish connections beyond the default relationships provided by the software. Custom relations are a powerful feature that enhances the flexibility and adaptability of Solibri, enabling users to tailor the analysis and collaboration capabilities to their specific needs.
In a BIM environment, where complex models often contain a multitude of interconnected elements, custom relations play a crucial role in ensuring that users can capture and analyze the relationships that are most relevant to their project requirements.
By utilizing custom relations in Solibri, users can adapt the software to their specific project requirements, enabling more tailored and insightful analysis of the model data. The flexibility of custom relations empowers users to go beyond predefined relationships, making Solibri a versatile tool for diverse BIM workflows.
Solibri provides a dedicated Custom Relations view that allows you to manage and visualize the custom relations in your models effectively. In this view, you can see a list of all custom relations defined in the model. Each custom relation is displayed with its associated elements and parameters:
The Nearest Spaces relation in Solibri refers to a type of custom relation that allows users to identify and analyze the spatial proximity between different spaces within a building model. This relation is particularly useful for evaluating how spaces interact with each other in terms of physical distance. By defining a Nearest Spaces relation, users can gain insights into the spatial relationships and adjacency between various areas in the building. The space closest to a component calculated based on its XYZ proximity.
It's possible to modify the Nearest Space relation manually in the Custom Relations view. For Nearest Space relations, you must select the component in the list within the Custom Relations view, and set the space(s) to the selection basket to enable the Relate To button.
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Open the Custom Relations view from the Views menu.
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Select Nearest Spaces from the drop-down menu on the right.
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Navigate to the component(s) in the Custom Relations view.
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Select the correct space in the Model Tree view and click
to set the component(s) to the Selection Basket.
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Click Relate To.
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The component is ‘unrelated’ from the original space, as indicated by a line through that listing, and is now related to the new, correct space, which is now its nearest space.
Federated Floors in Solibri are a powerful feature designed to enhance the coordination and collaboration of BIM projects. The term "federated" refers to the process of combining multiple models or disciplines into a single, cohesive view. By utilizing federated floors, users can gain a holistic understanding of how various building components interact with each other on a specific floor, helping to identify clashes, coordination issues, and potential conflicts more efficiently.
A federated model usually consists of multiple files from various disciplines, such as architectural, structural, plumbing, or HVAC. These individual files contain floors which may not always have the same name. Models from some disciplines may also include additional floors. For example, the mechanical model may include additional floors for interstitial space to allow for mechanical systems.
In Solibri, a federated floor is a composite view that allows users to analyze and coordinate different discipline models on a specific floor level. This is based on floors located and defined in the architectural model. Components in models of other disciplines are mapped to these Federated Floors based on their elevation.
To isolate all components on a specific floor, click the Switch to Federated Floors icon () in the Model Tree view toolbar, and simply select that specific floor before clicking the Set to Selection Basket button (
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The Federated Floor relation is a property found under the Location property group. When creating your own rulesets, this makes it simple to filter components by their federated floor without the need to filter each floor from multiple models when their names don’t match or there is defined interstitial space.
You can also see the Federated Floor relation on the Relations tab in the Info view:
The Federated Floor feature will relate every component to a Floor from the architectural model. However, you also have the ability to override the value of the Federated Floor. For Federated Floor relations, you must select the Federated Floor in the Custom Relations view and set the component or space to the selection basket to enable the Relate To button.
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Open the Custom Relations view from the Views menu.
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Select Federated Floors from the drop-down menu on the right.
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Click
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Select the correct floor in the Custom Relations view.
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Click Relate To.
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The component is ‘unrelated’ from the original floor, as indicated by a line through that listing, and is now related to the new, correct floor, which is now its federated floor.