Mass Floors scheduling - parameters

[wojciech.r]

Hello,

In our office we often work on volume studies. We mostly use Mass models for that. We go pretty in-depth with our analysis and often our models need to have multiple parameters added to Mass Floors for scheduling (for example - a building number, function, area of plot the building is on etc.).

There is one issue we often face with these Schedules - each Mass Floor needs to have multiple parameters filled and others left blank (For example we calculate number of parking places for undeground garage Mass Floors but we do not for Residential Mass Floors) - which is often problematic when you modify your mass, add floors, remove them etc.

The ideal way would be to assign these parameters to Masses instead of Mass Floors. So for example - I would assign a 'building_number' parameter that would then be read from all Mass Floors generated from that mass.

I know some parameters like these may actually be scheduled for mass floors (read only) - namely 'Mass: Type', 'Mass: Family', 'Mass: Family and Type', 'Mass: Type Comments', 'Mass: Comments', 'Mass: Description'.

So if I input a parameter value into Comments of a Mass, I could read it when doing Mass Floors schedule.

The problem is - we often have tens of parameters for volume studies, and these are not always text parameters.

My question is - is there ANY WAY to create a custom parameter for a mass that could be scheduled for mass floors like that. It would be very helpful not to have to keep track of all the Mass Floors in the model (often hundreds) and their parameter values and just review a couple of Masses instead.

Have a good day,

Wojciech

[barthbradley]

What about Project Parameters assigned to Mass: Floor Category?  

[wojciech.r]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply. This is what I am using and what I am trying to avoid :).

Here is an example explaining why:

1. I create 2 Masses

2. In "Comments" Parameter I give them names "Building A" and "Building B" and create Mass Floors for each Mass.

3. If i create a Mass Floor Schedule now i can schedule a parameter named "Mass: Comments" (see picture in original post)

4. Basing on that I can sort/group Mass Floors with all their parameters and, for example, group a schedule by "Mass: Comments" (so by building).

5. Now i add a custom project parameter named "Function" to Mass (not Mass Floors)

6. Lets say one building has Office function and the other one has Residential function. I assign these parameter values to "Function" parameter of corresponding Masses.

7. I go back to my schedule looking for that parameter, but "Function" (or rather "Mass: Function") is not there.

So what i have to do is create a project parameter "Function" assigned to Mass Floors. This means that i have to input value "Residential" and "Office" to ALL corresponding Mass Floors. If I added another floor to a Mass i would have to assign it again etc.

So that is the difference between built-in "Mass: Comments" that can be scheduled reading values from parent Mass and project parameter (in this case "Function") that needs a value assigned Mass Floor by Mass Floor.

That is quite painful to keep track of in large designs with multiple parameters. It would be much easier to read these values from parent Mass.

My original question was - is there a way to do that?

I have an idea of re-writing the parameters from Mass to Mass Floors via Dynamo (but still I would have to run script each time something changes in model) and I am looking for other solutions to that problem.

[ToanDN]

Use one of the built-in parameter.  For example, create different Mass Types for different functions.

[wojciech.r]

Thank you for your reply,

Yes, we usually do that. There is a problem when you need 10 or more parameters assigned to each mass floor. There are not enough built-in ones to handle that.

[hmunsell]

You should be able to make a Project Parameter for the needed fields and assign it to the appropriate Mass Category. 

  

[wojciech.r]

Please read posts above.

[hmunsell]

so something like this?  Each floor can have its value set differently.

• 12 mass floors across 3 sperate masses. 
• A Function and Function-Alt project parameter assigned to Mass Floor category
  • and included in a Mass Floor schedule
• Each mass floor can have each parameter separately and uniquely assigned 

[wojciech.r]

Still no. Please see picture in original post.

When you add a value to "Comment" parameter of a Mass (NOT Mass Floor) and make a MASS FLOOR schedule you can get this parameter value from Parent Mass.

So if I have 2 Masses and one has comment "Building A" and second one "Building B" you can sort/group schedule by parameter "Mass: Comments" in Mass Floor schedule.

Custom project parameters do not work like that. I want to avoid having to set up parameter values for each Mass Floor but read them from parent/host Mass.