Copy Property Values

The Copy Property Values tool copies property values from one property to another. The basic usage is to copy values from one property to another within one object. 

The more advanced possibility is to copy data from a connected object.

A basic data processing operation is to normalize the data structure. This means that you make sure that the relevant data is always in the same place in the model. No matter where it comes from. For all models, in every project and from all design disciplines. Copy Property Values is the key tool for doing data structure normalization.

You might also need property value copying as an intermediate step when enriching data. You can copy data to another property and manipulate it freely, while the original data stays intact.

The possibility to copy data from other connected objects allows you to manage and flatten the data hierarchies, also a typical data processing task before using the data.

You can easily ‘Merge Copy‘ values from several properties with the same name into a new property. When you specify a name (not a key) as the ‘From Property’, the system scans all properties with that name and tries to copy values from all of them. When using Merge Copy, you need to set ‘Overwrite Non Empty Values’ to ‘No’, otherwise the actual values may be overwritten with an empty value.

If the ‘From Property’ and ‘To Property’ have the same name, for example, you are copying values from one property set to another and both property sets have the same property names, you must use a Key as the ‘To Property’ to specify the target explicitly. In this scenario, the ‘From Property’ can be either a Name or a Key. The system will automatically filter out the ‘To Property’ from the list of possible ‘From Properties’, which means that the ‘To Property’ and ‘From Property’ will never be the same.

Settings

Target

Defines the objects to which the property values will be copied.

Copy from Property

Defines the name or identity key of the property from which you want to copy the values. This can be a property of the same object or a connected object.

Source

Specifies whether the values will be copied from the same object or from a connected object. If the values are copied from connected objects, you need to define the type of the connected object.

Same Object

Copy within the same object.

Container

Copy from any container of the object. This can be an assembly parent or spatial container.

Spatial Container

Copy from a spatial container, for example site, building, building storey, or space.

Group

Copy from the group the object is assigned to in a specified Group Category.

Child Group

Same as copying from group but with the possibility to define a Parent Group in addition to the Group Category

Classification System

Copy from a classification system, the object is assigned.

Model Object

Copy from the model the object is part of. There can be multiple models imported to Simplebim if you have merged models.

Connected Object

Copy from any connected object using a connection between the objects. The connections can be created, for example, with the Find Proximity Objects tool.

Type of Container

This option is available when you have chosen Container as the Source.

Any Container

The container of the object, regardless of object class.

Element Assembly

The element assembly containing the object.

Main Element Assembly

The main / top-most element assembly containing the object. This notation is useful if your model contains nested element assemblies, i.e., assemblies that contain other assemblies.

Type of Spatial Container

This option is available when you have chosen Spatial Container as Source.

There are many kind of spatial container in IFC. You need to decide which one you want to use: Project, Site, Bridge, Building, Marine Facility, Railway, Road, Bridge Part, Building Storey, Facility Part, Marine Part, Railway Part, Road Part, Space

Group Category Name

This option is available when you have chosen Group as Source.

The group from a custom group category that the object belongs to. For example, IFC Group copies from a group from the IFC Group category. 

Note that if the object is assigned to many groups within the Group Category, then only name of one group is copied.

Classification System Name

This option is available when you have chosen Classification System as Source.

The classification notation from the specified classification system. For example, 'Uniformat' copies from the classification notation assigned to the object from the Uniformat classification system.

Connection Name

The object can be connected to other objects via many different connection properties. You need to define, which connection property you want to use. For example My Proximity Connection copies property values from the object connected to the Target via My Proximity Connection connection.

Required Object Class

This option is available when you have chosen Connection as Source.

The object can be connected to many other objects. If this is the case, then you need to chose which of those objects you want to use for copying. If Required Object Class is defined, then the tool follows the connection until an object from the specified object class is found. For example, 'Space' copies from the space containing the object.

Copy to Property

Defines the name or identity key of the property into which you want to copy the values.

Create if Missing

Should the 'Copy to Property' be created to the model if it is missing? Creating the property while copying, will save you the trouble of creating it separately with the Add Property tool. Then again sometimes you will have the property already in the model, so you don't have to create it.

Property Type

This option is available when you have turned Create if Missing ON.

Defines which kind of property you want to create. By default you want to keep the from and to property types the same. However it is possible to copy to a different type of property. This requires that the conversion can be done. For example, all the property types can be converted and copied to a text property.

Different available property types are the following: Date, Date Time, Number, Text, Time of Day, Whole Number, Yes/No, Angle Measure, Area Measure, Count Measure, Electric Current Measure, Force Measure, Length Measure, Linear Velocity Measure, Mass Measure, Monetary Measure, Other Measure, Power Measure, Pressure Measure, Sound Pressure Measure, Temperature Measure, Thermal Transmittance Measure, Time Measure, Volume Measure, Volumetric Flowrate Measure.

PropertySet Name

This option is available when you have turned Create if Missing ON.

The name of the property set where you want to create the missing property. If the property set already exists in the model, then the property is created to the existing one. If the property set is not yet in the model, it is created.

Copy Empty Values

Should empty values be copied? Use No if you want to merge the values of the two properties.

Overwrite Non-Empty Values

If the ‘To Property’ already has a value, should that value be overwritten by the value of the ‘From Property’? Use No if you merge the values of the two properties and want to give priority to the values in the To Property.

Regular Expression

You can optionally use regular expressions for modifying the property value that is being copied. Only the part of the original value that is selected by the specified regular expression will be copied.