Why Classify Objects in IFC in SketchUp Pro? How to Add Non-Geometric Attributes to Objects in SketchUp Pro? How to Use That Data in a LayOut Document?

Classifying SketchUp Pro objects in IFC is essential so that other programs can correctly understand which categories those objects belong to. This means that, for a model-checking software (BIM Collab Zoom, Solibri, or US.bim Viewer +, for example), a door made in SketchUp Pro, classified as ifcDoor, is just as much a door as one created in Revit, ARCHICAD, Vectorworks, and so on.

An object classified in IFC comes with properties that can hold information (name, description, object type, tag, and others), which should be used by other project and construction partners if your model is part of a BIM-based workflow.

Besides the standard properties that appear when you classify an object as an IFC door (IfcDoor), it's also possible to create other attributes, such as the door model, the manufacturer, the cost, etc. This data stays “attached” to the object (like a tag attached to a t-shirt), so that if you export the object in IFC and open it in another software, this data will be exported along with the object.

These properties (from the IFC classification) and the attributes you created can be used in SketchUp LayOut as object identifiers, making project documentation easier.

There are several advantages to documenting a SketchUp Pro model in SketchUp LayOut instead of using AutoCAD, for example. If you'd like to know more, check out our post explaining why SketchUp LayOut is SketchUp Pro's best friend!

How to assign an IFC classification to an object and how to record information on that element

First, you need to load the IFC classification system into your project. SketchUp already has a file with this information. Go to the Window/Model Info (Window/Model Info) menu and click the Classifications (Classifications) tab. In the window that opens, click Import... (Import...), choose the IFC 2x3.skc file, and click Open (Open) (figs. 01 and 02).

Fig. 01 - In the Model Info window, go to the Classifications tab.

Fig. 02 - Import the IFC 2x3.skc file into your file.

Go to the Entity Info (Entity Info) window and, in the Type (Type) field, choose which IFC class will be assigned to your object. In this case, since the chair is a furnishing element, it will be classified as IfcFurnishingElement, as seen in fig. 03.

Fig. 03 - Choose IfcFurnishingElement to classify the chair.

To add information to the object's "tag," right-click the chair, and then choose Dynamic Components/Component Options (Dynamic Components/Component Options) as shown in fig. 04.

Fig. 04 - Open the Component Options window to fill in the parameters.

Fill in the available parameters (Description, Name, ObjectType, and Tag) with whatever data you like (fig. 05). Click the + sign next to the desired parameter, and then enter your note. When you're done, click Apply (Apply).

Fig. 05 - Fill in the parameters in the available fields.

If you want to add more information to the object, but there are no IFC properties available (or the ones that exist aren't related to the type of information you want to store), you'll need to create new fields. Notice, in fig. 06, that the chair used as an example contains several fields besides those related to the IFC classification.

Fig. 06 - You can also create new fields and fill them in however you like.

To create these fields, right-click your component and choose Dynamic Components/Component Attributes (Dynamic Components/Component Attributes) (fig. 07).

Fig. 07 - Go into the Component Attributes window to create the list of options.

Click the + Add attribute (+ Add attribute) sign and type the name of the attribute to be created (fig. 08).

Fig. 08 - Add the desired attributes in the available fields.

To create a list of options for the attribute, under Display rule (Display rule), choose the Users can select from a list (Users can select from a list) option. Under List Option (List Option), click the + Add option (+ Add option) sign to create your list options (fig. 09). When you're done, click Apply (Apply).

Fig. 09 - Create the options for the custom list.

The non-geometric data linked to your object in SketchUp Pro can be displayed as an annotation (tag) attached to that same object, when it appears in a project's documentation in SketchUp LayOut. Here's how to make that happen:

• Create views of your project in SketchUp Pro using the Scenes (Scenes) feature. To learn more about this, see Chapter 2 - Creating viewports and presenting with SketchUp LayOut from the book SketchUp LayOut passo a passo. Make sure to create at least one scene where your object appears.
  
• Save your SketchUp file via File/Save (File/Save), and then import it into the SketchUp LayOut document.
• In the toolbar, choose the Label (Label) option and create an annotation callout for the object classified earlier, as shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 10 - Create an annotation callout and notice that you can access the component's attributes.

Click the arrow next to it to choose, among the information you recorded on the object, which ones you want to appear on the documentation sheet, as shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 11 - Choose, in LayOut, which attributes will be displayed as annotations.

Done! This way, all the non-geometric information registered on your component in SketchUp automatically appears in the corresponding documentation in SketchUp LayOut. This lowers the probability of errors and reduces manual work during documentation. If the information is changed in the project model in SketchUp Pro, the data on the SketchUp LayOut sheets can be updated automatically.

In upcoming posts, you'll discover how IFC models exported from other programs, such as Revit, ArchiCAD or Vectorworks, among others, behave when opened in SketchUp.

Estimates with SketchUp

Did you know it's possible to create cost estimates straight from your SketchUp model? No?! Then come check out our post explaining how that's possible. But if you'd rather watch the talk that explains the topic in more detail, just go straight to this link.