How to Use the Project Browser in BricsCAD BIM

Quick answer: The BIM Project Browser panel sits on the left-hand side of the screen (right-click a panel and choose Panels > BIM Project Browser if it’s not showing), resolving the brief description of this panel on this hub’s BIM workspace page.

Creating a BIM Project

Save the model drawing first, then:

Click Create Project in the BIM Project Browser; every Xref file of the master drawing is included automatically. Add other drawings later by saving them into the project folder and clicking Add to Project.
The Info tab of the panel opens automatically.
A Project Database is created; click Browse beside the Project Database field to open the Project Database dialog. Make sure every drawing connects to the same project database, so all models share a single definition of materials, compositions, profiles, story, and building, the same database covered in more depth via BIMPROJECTINFO on this hub’s BIM project info page.
The Project Sheetset field shows the sheetset in use; open its dropdown to select a different one located in the project folder.
Sheet Template Layout shows the current template’s path; click Browse to change it.
Optionally set Project Control info: click the picture fields to choose a Company Logo or Project Logo file, type a Project Name (defaulting to the parent folder’s name), and note that Sheetset Custom Properties and Default Sheet Custom Properties appear directly in the sheets’ title blocks.

Refreshing the Project

Click Refresh; the BIM Project Browser updates to match whatever’s changed in the model.

Creating Sheets

Go to the Sections and views tab, right-click a section, and choose Create Sheets; the Create Sheets dialog opens.
The Viewports tab lists every sheet to be created, with its sheet name, layout, view name, view scale, typed plan, section name and type, and model file name.
The Settings tab lists the settings for the sheets being created; change sheet naming in the Categories tab section, adjust margins in the Margins tab section, and toggle One section per sheet on or off to control whether multiple sections can share a sheet.
A preview displays on the right (click Hide preview to toggle it off); if a viewport is larger than the layout, the preview displays in red.
Click Create; the sheets generate and appear in the Sheets tab of the panel.

Editing Sheets

Go to the Sheets tab, right-click a sheet or sheet view, and choose Edit Sheet; the Edit Sheets dialog opens.
The Viewports tab lists every sheet view on the selected sheet, letting you edit its scale and choose a typed plan (a sheet view’s position on the layout can’t be changed here, double-click the sheet’s name in the Sheets tab to open its drawing directly for that).
A preview displays on the right (click Hide preview to toggle it off); if a sheet view is larger than its layout, the preview displays in red, adjust the view scale to fit (the layout size itself can’t be changed here either, create a new sheet with the size you need instead).
Click Done to save your changes.

Auto Background Updating

At the bottom of the Sheets tab, toggle Auto background updating on or off; enabled, section results calculate automatically without interrupting your workflow.

An orange fill circle icon marks a drawing that’s out of date or not yet generated, right-click it and choose Update Now or Update in Background to match the latest model changes. A red fill circle icon marks an error, usually because the section was deleted or isn’t stored at the correct location. Hovering over an out-of-date sheet shows a tooltip with its last update time and the model’s last save time.

Creating a BOM (Bill of Materials)

Go to the Files tab, click Add, and choose New BOM to create one from scratch, or Import BOM to add an existing one; BOM files list in the Schedules folder.

The panel still supports the older schedules workflow too, DXD files can be added manually to the Schedules folder, and once present, they get the same context menu options as a BOM file.

To place a BOM on an open sheet, find it in the Files tab’s Schedules folder and drag it onto the sheet’s Paperspace; this generates a table with a datalink to the BOM file. Edit a BOM file with BMBOMTEMPLATEEDIT, and update any placed schedules afterward with DATALINKUPDATE.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a red fill circle icon mean in the Sheets tab? An error, typically because the section was deleted or isn’t stored at the correct location.

Can I change a sheet view’s position on the layout from the Edit Sheets dialog? No, double-click the sheet’s name in the Sheets tab to open its drawing directly and reposition it there.

How do I make sure every drawing in my project shares the same materials and compositions? Connect every drawing to the same project database, set via the Project Database field’s Browse button in the Info tab.

What happens when a viewport preview shows up in red while creating sheets? It means that viewport is larger than the layout it’s being placed on.