Spatial Locations in BricsCAD BIM Explained

Quick answer: Spatial locations specify a building and its stories within a project. A BIM model file can contain one site and multiple buildings, and each building can contain multiple stories. Once entities are classified as building elements, they gain Building and Story properties, every building element resides in a particular story within a particular building.

Assigning a Building and Story to a Building Element

1. Launch BIMSPATIALLOCATIONS.
2. Click the New Building icon to add a new building to the model.
3. Fill out the properties grid to name it or set its values.
4. Click the New Story icon to add a new story within the selected building.
5. Fill out the properties grid the same way.
6. Optionally click the Delete icon to remove a selected building or story.
7. Optionally click Import Spatial Locations to import one from a .txt file.
8. Select the building element(s) in the drawing you want to associate; their properties display in the Properties panel.
9. Assign the building and story: expand the BIM section in the Properties panel, click the Building field and use the arrow to select a building, then click the Story field and use the arrow to select a story.

Viewing Spatial Locations in the Structure Panel

The Structure panel lists every entity in a drawing. By default, building elements group by Building, then Story, then BIM type, then Composition, in that order, though this is fully configurable: right-click in the Structure panel and choose Configure. If no BIM Building or Story appears there, you can add them manually.

About BIMATTACHSPATIALLOCATION

Creating a new Space with BIMSPACE doesn’t always assign it to the corresponding building right away, since it doesn’t yet have a spatial location. BIMATTACHSPATIALLOCATION assigns one.

Worth confirming clearly: assigning a new Space to a building element overrides that element’s Story and Building properties with the space’s own, the exact override behaviour covered on this hub’s creating and editing BIM spaces page.

Attaching Spatial Locations

1. Launch BIMATTACHSPATIALLOCATION. You’re prompted for a location number, or to choose Auto attach locations or Unattach current location.
2. Press A to automatically attach the spaces to their corresponding building and floor level.
3. Select the spaces to update and press Enter.
4. Optionally press U to unattach a spatial location instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a single BIM model file contain more than one building? Yes, a model file can contain one site and multiple buildings, each with multiple stories.

What happens to a building element’s own Building and Story properties when it’s assigned to a Space? They get overridden by the Space’s own Building and Story properties.

How do I quickly attach every space in the drawing to its correct building and floor? Run BIMATTACHSPATIALLOCATION and press A for Auto attach locations.

How are building elements organized by default in the Structure panel? By Building, then Story, then BIM type, then Composition, though this grouping is fully configurable.