In this article, we will guide you through working with Smart Views, conflict Detection, and Lists in BIMcollab Zoom when dealing with composed IFC elements. 

What are Sub-Components?

Sub-components are individual parts of a larger composition. These relationships are common in assemblies like curtain walls, which consist of multiple parts, and in spaces or building stories, where elements such as furniture or structural components exist as sub-parts. These sub-components may have different property values from their parent element, making it essential to distinguish which properties belong to each element for accurate model checking. 

• Single Click: Clicking on a sub-component selects the entire assembly.
• Shift + Click: This allows you to select a specific sub-component within the assembly, without selecting the entire group.

Whether the assembly or a sub-component is selected, the associated properties will appear in the property panel. In the panel, the 'PartOf' section indicates if the selected element belongs to an assembly or has any IFC relation.

Selecting the assembly (Single Click)
Has parts: True
IfcRelContainedInSpatialStructure: IfcBuildingStorey

Has parts: False
IfcRelAggregates: IfcCurtainWall

Technical Background: Different types of IFC Relations

BIMcollab Zoom works with the IFC schema, where relationships between components are defined through specific entities. Understanding these relationships is critical for managing sub-components.

This relationship is used to assign elements, to specific levels from your project's structure (such as a site, building, storey, or space). In most cases, a regular IFC project's structure would look similar as the example below: 

• IfcProject

  • IfcSite

    • IfcBuilding

      • IfcBuildingStorey

        • IfcElement (e.g. IfcWall)

        • IfcElement (e.g. IfcSlab)

        • IfcSpace

          • IfcFurnishingElement

This relationship is used to group elements into logical categories, such as systems (IfcSystem, for MEP components), zones (IfcZone, for collections of spaces), or arbitrary sets of components (IfcGroup), making it easier to manage and organize different aspects of a building.

Checking rules: Include parts

In BIMcollab Zoom you can create Smart Views, Conflict rules, and Lists to check models, structure, or visualize data within your project. For detailed guidance on how to create each of these, refer to articles Basics of making Smart Views, Manage conflicts in BIMcollab Zoom, and Setup Lists in BIMcollab Zoom.

One key aspect to consider while creating your checking rules is the 'Include parts' check mark, introduced in BIMcollab Zoom 9.0. This setting gives you the option to include or exclude sub-components from your model checking process. Prior to this, all sub-components were by default included in the rule application.

For instance, when working with spaces, leaving the 'Include parts' box unchecked means that furniture elements linked to the space won’t be included. Similarly, adding a building story will only include the story itself, excluding all its sub-components (children). In the following sections, we elaborate on more examples that this check mark can be beneficial. 

Note that the 'Include parts' option will only affect rules when a specific 'Element Type' is selected. If any of the rules states 'Any element,' the check mark won't have any impact on that rule.

Using Smart Views with Sub-Components

Smart Views in BIMcollab Zoom allow you to automatically color or filter components based on specific conditions, making it easier to manage complex models with sub-components.

For example, spaces may contain sub-components like furniture, depending on your IFC export settings. If your IFC model links elements such as furniture to a space, Smart Views, conflicts and Lists in BIMcollab Zoom will display both the space and its contained elements when the 'Include parts' option is enabled. To focus solely on the space and exclude the sub-components, simply uncheck this option, ensuring only the space itself is shown in your view. In the Smart View example below, the Auto color feature is applied only to the spaces themselves.

Include parts checked vs include parts unchecked: 
   

Conflicts Detection and Sub-Components

For conflict detection, BIMcollab Zoom will consider sub-components when looking for conflicts between your source or target sets, as long as the 'Include parts' option is activated. 

If you need to detect conflicts within the sub-components from the same assembly or system, you can enable the 'Include results from a single component/system' option in the conflict rule settings.

Lists and Sub-Components