Overview
In this lesson, students learn how to set up the elements of a project that enable teams to effectively share a building model. They:
- Create a dimensional framework for the model via levels, grids, and reference planes and use these elements to precisely place building elements.
- Create views that expose and highlight the elements used by different members and disciplines on the design team.
Creating the Architectural Building Model
To prepare a model for sharing with a multidisciplinary team, it is essential to create a dimensional framework of levels, grids, and reference planes that all members of the team can use to place elements and keep their work coordinated.
Designers typically place elements in their models to act as placeholders for items that will be designed and specified by other members of the team. This approach enables them to consider the locations in their design decisions and indicate their design intent to other members of the team.
The design team must work out the overall strategy for how the model will be sharedﾑas a single project file (which can be shared on a local network) or as a series of linked models (which can be remotely edited by different team members, then reviewed and checked for changes and conflicts).
In order to avoid duplication of effort and conflicts, each team member must have a clear understanding of what types of elements are to be placed in each linked model and who will control the changes to that model.
Figure 4.1.1 - Adding placeholder columns to the architectural model at grid intersections