Assemblies: Remove

A typical task in data processing is managing hierarchical data structures. One of the tasks is to reduce or remove hierarchy in the data. In BIM models, one of the hierarchical structures is the so-called assemblies. These are building element objects, which contain other building element objects.

Sometimes models make excessive use of assemblies (building elements that contain other building elements), for example, when assemblies contain only one object. Or sometimes your downstream application does not understand assemblies and cannot, for example, calculate the quantities of beams and columns from inside a roof assembly. You can solve this issue using the “Assembly: Remove” tool.

The tool does the following two things:

1. Moves all parts contained by the assembly to be contained by the container of the assembly, for example, moves columns and beams from a roof assembly to the building storey containing the roof.
2. Deletes the assembly object, for example, the roof.

The ‘Assemblies: Remove-tool can be used in all cases where a building element contains other building elements, not just with element assemblies. Other typical cases include:

• Walls that consist of building element parts
• Stairs that consist of stair flights, landings, railings, etc.
• Roofs that consist of slabs, columns, beams, etc.

If you need to keep the assemblies but remove their parts, use the Assemblies: Simplify -tool instead

Settings

Assemblies to Remove

Defines the objects that are processed. These must be assemblies; otherwise, the tool cannot do anything.

Note that the assemblies can be deep. In other words, an assembly can contain other assemblies. The tool removes only the assemblies assigned to it. If you want to remove the assemblies within the removed assemblies, you need to assign those assembly objects to the tool also.