Selection sets
The Selection Set palette is located on the left side of the screen. Selection sets are elements grouped according to specific rules or previously selected elements. There are two types of selection sets, smart selection sets and regular selection sets. A smart selection set is a group of elements that contains predefined rules. The advantage of the smart selection set is that it will be automatically updated after updating the 3D BIM model, and all new elements will be automatically sorted in the smart selection sets by predefined rules. With the regular selection sets, the new elements won’t be automatically sorted after an update. In that case, added elements in selection sets should be manually sorted every time the 3D BIM model is updated.
Creating a selection set folder
Folders enable better organization and grouping of created selection sets. To create a folder within the Selection Set palette:
Activate the Selection Sets palette on the left side of the screen → Click Manage Selection Sets → In the Manage Selection Sets window, click New Selection Set Folder → A Create New Selection Set Folder window opens → Define the name of the folder in the Name window → Add a description in the Description window if needed → Finish the process by clicking OK .
The name and description of the folder can be changed at any time by selecting the desired folder in the Manage Selection Sets window and clicking the Edit button.
Creating a regular selection set
Creating a regular selection set is based on selected elements. Element selection is possible by selecting the group from a Custom Breakdown structure, Quantity Takeoff, using the Find Elements command, manual selection of elements in the viewport, etc.
Creating a regular selection set by manual selection of elements from the viewport
Manually select the elements to include in the selection set → Activate the Selection Sets palette on the left side of the screen → Click New Selection Set… → A Create New Selection Set window opens → Define the name of the folder in the Name window → Add a description in the Description window if needed → Finish the process by clicking OK .
If it is necessary to place the newly created selection set in one of the previously created folders, click on the three dots next to the Path window and select the corresponding folder.
Creating a regular selection set by selecting a group of elements from the Custom Breakdown structure
For more about creating a Custom Breakdown structure go to Model data management – Color-coded Custom breakdown structure.
Activate the Custom Breakdowns structure → Click on the desired group from the structure, so the group color turns blue → In the viewport, click with the right-click and choose in the drop-down menu Isolate command and Selected Elements.
→ Activate the Selection Sets palette and click New Selection Set… → A Create New Selection Set window opens → Define the name of the folder in the Name window → Add a description in the Description window if needed → Finish the process by clicking OK .
In the picture below, two framed sections are essential. The first one is mentioned under the Elements, where it is stated that 446 elements are included in this group. That means that 446 elements were selected before creating a selection set. You should be cautious regarding this information while creating a selection set because if you select elements by mistake while creating a selection set, the selected elements will be automatically counted in the group. The following information is the number of Total Elements in the left corner of the window, which defines how many elements are counted in the final selection.
Creating a regular selection set using the find command
Creating a regular selection set using the find command can be used when looking for elements based on a specific criterion.
Activate the Selection tab and click Find Elements → In the Find Elements window, first define New Search → In the Source section, define the specific source or choose the Entire Project option → In the Category section, define the particular category or choose the All Categories option → Click Advanced and choose specific property → Check the Has Property and Value Complies option and under Condition define Equal and enter the value → Click Find → Use CTRL+A to select all found results → Click Create Selection Set → In the Create New Selection Set window define, in the Path section, the folder where the created selection set will be saved → Define the name of the folder in the Name window → Add a description in the Description window if needed → Finish the process by clicking OK .
Manage selection sets
To arrange selection sets by folders, activate Manage Selection Sets… → In the Manage Selection Sets… window click on the specific selection → Check the box in front of the Allow Moving Selection Sets (through drag and drop) option and drag the selected selection set in a desired folder.
Rename selection sets
To rename created selection sets, activate the Manage Selection Sets… command → In the Manage Selection Sets… window, click on the specific selection set → Click Edit to rename → Finish the process by clicking OK.
Copy selection sets
To copy created selection sets, activate the Manage Selection Sets… command → In the Manage Selection Sets… window, click on the specific selection set → Right-click and choose Copy → Right-click on the desired destination to add the copied selection set and choose Paste.
Delete selection sets
To delete created selection sets, activate the Manage Selection Sets… command → In the Manage Selection Sets… window, click on the specific selection set → Click on the Delete button → Finish the process by clicking Close.
Creating smart selection sets
As mentioned, smart selection sets are a group of elements that contains predefined rules. By adding rules to selection sets the system can filter and group model elements by various criteria creating smart selection sets. After updating the 3D BIM model all new elements will be automatically sorted in corresponding smart selection sets as per predefined rules.
Activate the Selection Sets palette and click on the New Selection Set… command → In the Create New Selection Set window define the folder where the selection set will be saved → Specify the name and add a description if needed → Click New Rule to define the rule → Finish the procedure by clicking OK.
Creating a smart selection set (example)
As an example, a selection set of walls with the property Area less than or equal to eight square meters (8 m2) will be created.
Activate the Selection Sets palette and click New Selection Set…→ In the Create New Selection Set window define the folder where the selection set will be saved → Define the name and add a description if needed → Click New Rule and define the condition for including elements within this rule → Inclusive → Select the criteria of Buildings.
→ Click New Rule and define the Intersect state → Select the following criteria, e.g., Category and then Walls.
→ Then, a New Rule and select the Intersect → Select Element Query → Select Insert Query → Property Value → Select the Area parameter on the list → Choose Property Type Numeric → Define the Less Equal condition → In the field below, enter the number 8 → Finish the procedure by clicking OK → Created selection set will appear in the list of Selection Sets palette.
With this procedure, a Smart Selection set is created, which includes elements that will fulfil defined rules even after updating the model.
Before creating a New Smart Selection set with defined rules, there must be no elements in the current selection. Otherwise, selected elements will also be included in the selection set. The software alerts if some elements are selected, in the Create New Selection Set window, Rules section, under Elements → Include.
Creating a selection set with Templates
BEXEL Manager can create a selection set with predefined templates from Knowledge Base or custom templates. Templates are in an Excel file format. This process can be useful while dealing with colossal projects because it enables the fast and efficient organization of all model elements by selection sets.
Import from Knowledge Base
Several predefined selection set templates created for different project needs can be imported from the Knowledge Base folder.
To import a template from Knowledge Base → Activate the Selection Sets tab on the left side of the screen → Click on the arrow next to Templates and choose Import From Knowledge Base → Choose one predefined template → Finish the process by clicking OK .
Import custom template
For specific project needs, a custom template can be created. First, an Excel spreadsheet has to be created. It should have three columns: Folder, Name, and Query. A Folder column should contain the folder name where the selection set will be placed. The Name column should contain the name of the selection set, and the Query column, rules based on which the elements will be placed in the smart selection set.
For an easier understanding of creating a Query, you can open one of the predefined templates from the Knowledge Base and find all the necessary information in the Help sheet.
To import a custom template → Activate the Selection Sets tab on the left side of the screen → Click on the arrow next to Templates and choose Import Custom Template → Choose a previously created custom template → Finish the process by clicking OK .
The selection set created with templates can be easily edited and changed in the BEXEL Manager. Activate the Selection Sets palette, right-click on a desired selection set and then click on the Edit command. In the Edit Selection Set window, you can add new rules or delete existing ones as if the selection set was created directly in the BEXEL Manager environment.
Export to Knowledge Base
All selection sets or the selected ones can be exported to the Knowledge base. It is recommended to use this option if the created selection sets can be used on several different projects.
To export selection sets to Knowledge Base → Activate the Selection Sets tab on the left side of the screen → Click on the arrow next to Templates and choose Export To Knowledge Base → Choose Selected Only or All Selection Sets option → Enter the file name → Finish the process by clicking Save .
Export custom template
All selection sets or the selected ones can be exported as a custom template to the desired location. This option can be used for specific needs and further project work.
To export a custom template → Activate the Selection Sets tab on the left side of the screen → Click on the arrow next to Templates and choose Export Custom Template → Afterwards, choose Selected Only or All Selection Sets option → Enter the file name and choose the desired location → Finish the process by clicking Save .
BCF Manager
In case of internal or external model control, using BCF Manager allows sharing of different issues among participants regardless of the original software, assuming that the original software support BCF Manager and the sharing model is derived from the same IFC file. The BCF Manager is located on the right side of the screen in the BEXEL Manager ribbon. For more information about BCF Manager go to Clash detection. To export a selection set using BCF Manager:
Activate the Manage tab and click on the BCF Manager → Choose a specific selection set in the Selection Set palette → Click on the selection set and drag it into the BCF Manager palette → The file will be displayed in the palette → Click on the Export BCF File command and choose the folder where the file will be saved.
To add additional information about the issues, use the Edit Issue command. A window where you can add comments and descriptions will open. You can also add new issues and delete them if necessary. Some commands within the BCF Manager require conection with the BIM Collab.
