Stories for Spotlight users

[spettitt]

Hello,

 

We work on both event projects and also the installation of the same systems in venues, which means we are increasingly looking at being able to communicate in IFC. We don't need to draw architectural elements - our stuff will be truss objects, structural members, hoists, racks etc. But we do need to make sure these objects appear in an IFC on the right Story.

 

Right now, I can't see Stories in my Organisation dialog. In Export IFC Project / Layer Mapping, I can only see Vectorworks 'Story 1'. Is there another way I can define Stories?

 

Thanks

 

Simon

[markdd]

Do you have a Designer licence? Stories aren’t included with the Spotlight package.

[spettitt]

We don't have any Design Suite no, just a batch of Spotlight. It's strange that all of the other IFC stuff is there in Spotlight though - just not that one bit?

[markdd]

Unless I am very much mistaken, then that is the case. I know that when I transferred to a full licence a few years ago, then the Stories Tab appeared in the Organisation dialog. 

[Pat Stanford]

Sorry for the strange screen shot, but it was the easiest way to copy the PDF.  No, Spotlight does not include the ability to Set Story Level Elevations.

 

This is from the 2023 Feature Matrix.  https://app-help.vectorworks.net/2023/eng/assets/docs/Commands_Tools2023.pdf

 

[spettitt]

Thanks both. I wonder if its possible to collaborate on a project with IFC without the ability to set Stories.

[spettitt]

For anyone searching this query in the future, it appears there is enough in the IFC Export layer mapping tab to make this work.

 

I can change Number of Stories to, say, 5, which creates 'Story 1' thru 'Story 5'. I can then override the exported IFC Story Name to something Project-specific, and assign the relevant Design Layers to each Story.

 

The Elevation of each IFC Story is then determined by the Elevation of the lowest Design Layer.

 

I don't have the benefits of modelling with Stories in Spotlight, but we don't need them, we just need to produce a logical IFC.

Edited January 6, 2023 by spettitt

[aheininen]

One workaround is if you have access to venue IFC file to import venue IFC to Vectorworks. If my memory works correctly (it does, I had to make test) Vectorworks Spotlight can read Stories when you import IFC in to the file. Import also creates layers at the same time.

 

You need to do:

1. Import venue IFC to new file

2. Delete all objects from the new file (This is optional, depends how you want to reference venue IFC)

3. You have "Spotlight" file with correct layers and stories to add AV equipment

4. On IFC export you map correct layers to stories

 

This is most helpful if you can do this when you are starting your project. When starting like this you can also get venue IFC to set your coordinates and be sure that you are using same origin.

 

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by aheininen