Introduction

Room description is the process that typically results in room data sheets detailing the materials and finishes used in a room. This guide serves as a good starting point for using Interaxo BIM Data to efficiently describe and detail rooms in your construction projects.

 

Configuration

Adding room parameters, you have the option to either add the parameter to the room instance or one of the system parameter groups: function, sub-function, room type, materials, or objects.

In the following table you can read about the typical use of each and some examples of room parameter configuration

 

Parameter subtype	Typical use	Examples
Room instance	Any room parameter that is connected to the room itself. Useful for things that can vary between different rooms	Area, Room Name & Number
Function	High level information related to a primary function of a space/room	Building owner’s department
Sub-function	More specific type of functional information	Sub-department, usage requirements
Room type	Information that will always be common for a particular group/type of room	Standardized capacity for people like meeting rooms or classrooms
Material	Information about materials and surface finishes to be used in a room	Material details, paint, or color
Object	Information about equipment, installations or furniture that should be in the room	Quantity, size, or product details

 

To add parameters to any of these parameter types go to Parameters in the Configuration part of the Actions menu.

 

 If you need more information about how to configurate parameters in Interaxo BIM Data, please go to the following user guide: Parameters, Create

NB! Make sure that you have the correct Parameter Subtype selected when creating the parameter and if you make parameters to any of the room parameters sub types mentioned here be sure to also add them to the system parameter group of that type.

 

Workflow

The recommended workflow when working with room descriptions is divided into two parts.

 

Preparation

First, we have the preparation where we set up the project. This involves using a template project for room descriptions, using a previous project as a starting point, or making your very own configuration. After this there might be some or many adjustments needed to get started so check out the Configuration part of the guide to get more details about how to configurate a room description project.

After configuration is complete the next step of the preparation is to add functions, sub-functions, room types, materials, and objects to be used in the project. In the Actions menu go to Room & REQ and choose between Function, Sub-function, Room type, Materials, or Object. Then go to the Items tab to add information about the chosen Room system parameter group.

 

Tip: use material codes and object codes that include some indication to what type of material or object it is. I.e., F-1 as a material code for a floor surface material.

Tip: If you have a list of room functions, room types, materials, or objects you want to use outside of Interaxo BIM Data you can import this using Microsoft Excel, just make sure to have matching column names in the importing Excel Sheet to the parameters on web and have no Sub-groups parameters in the importing sheet like Color or Paint.

 

Last part of the preparation is to set up Bookmarks. We recommend at least three such bookmarks. One Room list, one to list Materials in allrooms, and one to list Objects in allrooms. For the two last ones remember to use the special system Category Collections for Material and Object.

 

Description

The second part of the workflow will be what we think is the best way to approach describing rooms in Interaxo BIM Data.

After preparation you should have the different room Functions, Sub-function, and Type to describe the rooms and group them in a manner that makes sense in your project. This can always be expanded or added to during the project, so keep it simple and easy for the project members to understand.

You should also have the Materials and Objects that you want to use to describe your rooms. For Materials this will typically be flooring, wall or ceiling finishes. Objects on the other hand typically will be furnishing or installations. Both Materials and Objects will be expanded and evolve during the project but having a basis is important for efficient work with room descriptions in Interaxo BIM Data.

 

We recommend that you start detailing rooms by types or groups in the early design phase, utilizing groups, filters and multi-edit or copy + paste and then move on to detail each room with the individual nuances and traits needed for a good design.

 

 

Tip: Can’t find any fitting materials in the list? Don’t worry, you can either create a new material or use the Start from this item function which will copy the values of the parameter group so you can make minor adjustments and make a new unique Material Code.

 

 

In the Materials bookmark set up you can see the full list of materials and rooms. You can either search and filter for what rooms a particular material are in or look at all the materials in a particular room by filtering for Room Number. The same is true for the Object bookmark as well.

To do quality assurance of the materials used you can select and edit multiple rooms and look at the list of materials. Every material used in any room are listed and all the way to the right the Selected rooms column will state how many rooms have the particular material and if you open it, you can see the list of rooms by room number and name.

 

 

Tip: You can synchronize the material codes used in a room to the model – either in Revit or in Archicad. With this you can export elaborate floor plans that detail the different materials used in each room.

 

Using the described rooms

In Interaxo BIM Data there are several ways to use the room description in your project. Architects and Consultants can use the parameter panel available in their design tool, you can export the data from the grid to Excel or you can create reports or room data sheets.

Interaxo BIM Data parameter panel

To look at the data in your design tool you will need the rooms present in the model you are viewing. If you then select a room and open the Interaxo BIM Data parameter panel you will be able to see something like this.

 

 

 

Reports

In Interaxo BIM Data we support flexible reports so you can design your own report template according to your needs.

In order to be able to upload a report with materials or objects presented, there must be at least one Item of each Material Type/Object Type created in project.

Full guide: Detailed Room Descriptions