Creating links between Schedule activities
BEXEL Manager can create links between the lowest-level activities as well as between individual groups of activities. Before making connections, activating the Logic view is suggested because it is the most transparent. Interconnections can be created in different ways with the four link types:
- Start – Start
- Start – Finish
- Finish – Start
- Finish – Finish
Creating links in Logic display type
Selected activity can be linked to another activity. When a link is highlighted, the link editor is displayed at the bottom of the screen to determine the type and delay of connections in percentages, days, or hours. Multiple connections can be selected to change their parameters simultaneously.
Creating links in Gantt display type
Select the desired activity → New Relation → Click on the Predecessor button and define the previously selected activities → Determine the connection type and eventual delay → Finish the procedure by clicking OK → Similarly, select the activity that follows the previously selected activity by selecting the Successor option.
The advantage of forming a link in the Gantt display type is that you can create links between activities at different levels, while you cannot do that in the Logic display type. You can simultaneously create several links when it comes to the same links or relations between individual activities. The procedure is the same as creating one link.
The figure shows the relations between two selected items. In this example, activated Superstructure was defined by previous activities, such as the Substructure. In the same way, the activity that begins when the Superstructure activity is completed can be set by selecting the Successor item in the New Relation window. Interconnection between different activities also can be set in the Task Editor window on the Relations tab.
Deleting link
Select the desired link → Delete.
Copying link
Activate the Logic display type → Select Relations → Copy → The Paste window will open → Select the item to copy the selected connection.
Manually linking selected elements with tasks
The drop-down menu next to the New Schedule button activates a schedule → Click on the Link Rules command in the upper right corner of the Schedule Editor → A Task Link Rules Editor window is opened→ Click Expand All to see all schedule tasks → Choose in the Type drop-down menu Selection Sets option (you can also choose Buildings, Categories, Families, etc.) → Choose the type of elements (right side of the Task Link Rules Editor window) to link with the task (left side of the Task Link Rules Editor window) →Click Add → In the drop-down menu, choose the Include option → Define the Link Rule for every task of the schedule repeating the same process → Finish the process by clicking OK → The final step is to update the schedule by clicking Update.
Any Task Property, not only [Name], can be used to link tasks with the model elements.
The changes you apply to the schedule will appear only after the schedule update.
Linking model to the schedule has to be executed in a certain order. You must link parent tasks, which are tasks on the higher level, and then move to tasks on the lower level all the way to the leaf tasks, which are tasks on the lowest level. Every task from the schedule must be linked with either a folder or a category, family, selection set, building level, etc., to make an appropriate 4D simulation. All children tasks have to be distributed to the parent task, and for this to execute, you can use the command Distribute to Parent Tasks at the top of the Task Link Rules Editor window.
The Link Reference Object column contains information about which selection set, folder, category, family, etc., is linked to a certain schedule task. Also, in the left lower corner of the Task Link Rules Editor, a note states that all rules will be applied after the schedule update.
While linking numerous leaf tasks with parent tasks, like in the process described above, you should link tasks one by one using the Include option within the Add command. If you select, for example, all three phases Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 selection sets from the list on the right and choose the option Include within the Add command, all three selection sets will be linked to every leaf task. For example, Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 selection sets will be all together linked to the Phase 1 task and also to Phase 2 and 3 tasks, like it is demonstrated in the picture below, which, unfortunately, is not the correct way to link model with the schedule.
Linking multiple elements with multiple tasks
The number of tasks the schedule contains depends on the size of the project. The greater the project is, the more tasks it will obtain. In order to link the schedule quicker and more effectively, a function Map can be used within the Task Link Rules Editor window. That allows linking numerous tasks with multiple elements like categories, families, storey buildings, levels, folders, etc., instantly, with the only condition that the tasks and the selected elements have identical names. All other procedure steps are the same as described in the above section.
The drop-down menu next to the New Schedule button activates a schedule → Click on the Link Rules command in the upper right corner of the Schedule Editor → A Task Link Rules Editor window is opened → click Expand All to see all schedule tasks → Choose the Type drop-down menu Selection Sets option → Choose the type of elements (right side of the Task Link Rules Editor window) to link with the task (left side of the Task Link Rules Editor window) → In the next step, click Map → Finish the process by clicking OK → The final step is to update the schedule by clicking Update.
The names of selection sets have to be identical to the names of schedule tasks to use the Map command. Also, selection sets, for example, within 02 – Floor and 03 – Floor folders, have the same names, Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3, and cannot be linked together in one step.
In case elements were linked only to children tasks by any workflow described in previous chapters and there are no parent tasks in the selection set structure or mapping rule for parent tasks, elements linked to children tasks can be automatically distributed to corresponding parent tasks following these simple steps:
Go to the Task Link Rules Editor window by clicking Link Rules in the Schedule Editor command line → In the Task Link Rules Editor window, select the parent task to apply auto-distribute from children tasks → Select Distribute to Parent Task, and all elements linked to children tasks will be automatically linked to selected parent tasks → Click OK to save changes in Task Link Rules Editor.
