BIM project browser panel

The BIM Project Browser panel offers a central location to manage all files and views in your BIM project. You can find the panel on the left-hand side of the screen.

Note: If the Project Browser doesn't display in the panel, right-click in the panel and select Panels > BIM Project Browser

Once a drawing is saved, you can press Create Project.

During the project creation, some files are automatically generated in the project folder, such as a sheetset file (.dst), a database file (.bsyslib), a new subfolder for the sheet templates and a default sheet template (.dwt).

Note: The folder in which the active drawing is stored, becomes the project folder. All other files and subfolders of this folder will be considered as a part of this project.

Other files can be added manually to the project folder or can be generated later on.

  1. Menu
  2. Info Tab
  3. Sheets Tab
  4. Sections and Views Tab
  5. Files Tab
  6. Custom properties

Menu

Click on the Menu button (). A context menu displays:

Refresh
Refreshes the BIM Project Browser panel to match changes in all BIM project (e.g. Xref in the master drawings, sheets, manually added files).
Project Database
Opens the Project Database dialog box that gives a complete overview of the project's drawings and their stored and found database paths. The dialog box enables you to select another project database or to rename the current one. It also supports connecting the listed drawings to the project database.
Sheetset Setup
Opens the Sheetset Setup dialog box that allows to set up the complete set of sheets required to fit all bimsections in the project.
Note: Bim project data is now initialized with an .xml file that can be edited by users.
Auto Background Updating
Updates the section results automatically, without interrupting the user's workflow. It toggles the ENABLEBIMBKUPDATE system variable.

Info tab

Offers a complete overview about the current project.

Project Admin
Shows and sets the:
  • Company logo (click the thumbnail to select a PNG file. A copy will be made in the project folder and will be renamed 'project.png'. This can for example be used in a title block.)
  • Project logo (click the thumbnail to select a PNG file. A copy will be made in the project folder and will be renamed 'project.png'. This can e.g. be used in a title block.)
  • Project Database.
  • Project Sheetset.
  • Sheet Template Layout.
Project Control
Sets and shows the Sheetset Properties:
  • Project Name
  • Project Number
  • Project Phase
  • Project Milestone
Sheetset Custom Properties
Sets and shows the sheetset properties defined by the user (e.g. Client City, Client Name, Client State, Client Street, Project City, Project State, Project Street).
Sheet Custom Properties
Sets and shows the sheet properties defined by the user ( e.g. Checked By, Drawn By).

Custom properties

Opens the Custom Properties dialog box where Sheet Set and Sheets custom properties can be added, edited or deleted.

Sheets Tab

Displays the contents of the project's sheetset. You can expand a sheet name to see its sheet views.

Status of the sheet views are:

  • - the sheet view is updated

  • - the sheet view is background updated

    Note: Hovering over the sheet view a tooltip explaining the status appear:

    • when a 3D model is active:

      Note: (n) shows the order in which background update will operate (is the index of the view in the queue).

    • when a sheet is active:

  • - the sheet view is out of date

    Note: Hovering over the sheet view a tooltip explaining the status appear:
    when background update is on:

    • when a 3D model is active:

    • when a sheet is active:

  • - the sheet view has an error

    Note: Hovering over the sheet view a tooltip explaining the status appear:

A context menu displays when you right-click on a sheet:

  • Sheet Properties…: opens the Sheet Properties dialog box that allows you to show and modify the properties of a sheet.
  • Open sheet: opens the sheet. This can also be triggered by double clicking the sheet are the view.
  • Copy sheet: makes a copy of the sheet dwg and the sheet entry in the sheetset (under the same subset). All blocks, viewports, named views and sheet views will be copied as well. The naming and numbering of the copied sheet will be handled automatically.
  • Remove sheet: removes the sheet.
  • Update now: updates the sheet views.
  • Update in Background: updates the sheets view in background.

A context menu displays when you right-click on a sheet view:

  • View Properties…: opens the Sheet View Properties dialog box that allows you to modify the properties of a sheet view.
  • Display View: displays the corresponding result and zooms in on its viewport.
  • Remove View/Result: removes the sheet view and corresponding result (viewport, viewlabel, sheetview, and result block, but only when no other vport views it)
  • Update Now: updates the sheet view.
  • Update in Background: updates the sheet view in background.
  • Place view label: insert a view label in the current sheet and establish the link between view label and viewport. The new view label replaces the old one if the view label already exists.
    Note: The button is available only when the current document is a sheet document (e.g. not a model document).

Add Sheet and Subset menu, showing by pressing the add button at the bottom of the tab.

  • Add Sheet: adds a sheet to the Sheets tab or to the currently selected subset, if any.
  • Add Subset: adds a subset to the Sheets tab or to the currently selected subset, if any.

A context menu displays when you right-click on a subset:

  • Subset Properties…: opens the Subset Properties dialog box that allows you to modify the properties of a subset.
  • Rename: renames the subset.
  • Remove Subset: removes the subset (only possible when it doesn't contain any sheets/subsets).

Sections and views Tab

Displays a list of project sections organized by type. You can expand a section type to see its sections.

A context menu displays when you right-click on a section:

  • Select Section Entity: selects the section entity in the project model drawing.
  • Rename: renames the section entity.
  • Display Section Result: displays the section result in the corresponding sheet and zooms in on its viewport. If not already open, the drawing is opened.
  • Update Now: regenerates the section result.
  • Update in Background: updates the section in background.
  • Generate on current sheet: generates the section result on the currently active sheet.

A context menu displays when you right-click on a view:

  • Place view: places the selected 3D view in a section drawing.
Note: Double click a section or a 3D view will select the section or view entity.
Note: Double click a sheet will open it.

Files

Shows the contents of the project folder:

  • drawings (models, sheets, ...)
  • schedules, scripts, ...
  • Images
    • company logos, googlemap images, site photos, etc.
    • PNG created by script based on named views;
    • renders created in Bricscad or Enscape, Twinmotion.

A context menu displays when you right-click on a drawing:

  • Mark as master model: makes the drawing a master drawing. This mean any sections or 3D views defined in the drawing or any of its Xrefs will be listed in the Sections and view tab.
    Note: It is allowed to have multiple master drawings.
  • Delete: removes the drawing from the files explorer.

By pressing the add button the below options are available:

New Schedule
Opens the Wizard Page dialog box that allows you to create a schedule based on a new or an existing data extraction definition.
Import Schedules
Opens the Select Schedules to import dialog box that allows you to quickly add a BIM schedule, without the creation of a new .dxd file.
New Typed plan
Opens the BIM Typed Plan Editor dialog box that allows you to create a drawing customization.
Import Typed plan
Opens the Select a Typed Plan to import dialog box to import an already defined drawing customization.
Import script
Opens the Select script to import dialog box from which can import a python or lisp script.
Import Templates
Opens the Select templates to import dialog box from which can choose to import a template.

A context menu displays when you right-click on a Schedule:

  • Generate on current sheet: generates a schedule on current sheet. This is a table with a datalink to the dxd file. You can update the schedule later on with the DATALINKUPDATE command.
  • Edit: opens the Wizard Page dialog box that allows you to edit the schedule.
  • Rename: renames the schedule. This will rename the dxd file and the name of the datalink in the drawing that is open at that moment.
    Note: You can scan the whole project when renaming schedule, this takes more time because BricsCAD® will scan all sheet files:
  • Duplicate: creates a duplicate of the schedule.
  • Delete: removes the schedule.
A context menu displays when you right-click on a script file:

  • for python script files:

    • Run script: executes the python script.
    • Open with default program: opens the python file with default program.
    • Delete: removes the python file.

  • for LISP files:

    • Load script: loads and executes the lisp script.
    • Delete: removes the lisp file.

  • for .csv or .xls files:

    • Create table: inserts the table in the current sheet using a Datalink.
    • Delete: removes the .csv or .xls file.

  • for any other file type: double click opens the file with an application set by the system.