On This Page: 

• Getting Started with Elements
  • A. What Are Element(s) Properties? 
  • B. Create Custom Properties
  • C. Using “Properties” in the Element Tree
• Exercise #1: Creating Project Custom Properties

Getting Started with Elements

A. What Are Element(s) Properties? 

“Properties”or “UDFs (User Defined Fields)”allow the user to capture many types of data to the elements / groups. The standard properties that typically come pre-loaded to 3D modeling software include length, width, volume, etc. The UDFs can also be customized to the specific needs of your project and can encompass a variety of possible values, such as unique text fields, ID numbers, costs, dates, etc.

ALICE allows the user a great deal of flexibility in using properties. Properties can be used to group the elements, develop project-specific WBS, calculate the activity duration, understand material consumption, etc. We have seen many creative ways to set up ALICE by utilizing the flexibility of the custom properties feature.

See Resources Page Section G.2 for more information regarding properties.

• To view the element(s) properties:
• Select one or multiple elements
• Go to the “Properties” tab on the upper right

• By default, ALICE will read the following properties:

1. 1. Name: Comes from BIM model
   2. Coordinates: These are ALICE coordinates
   3. Lateral Surface and Surface Area: calculated by ALICE
   4. Volume: calculated by ALICE
   5. Level: Comes from the BIM model

B. Create Custom Properties

There are two options to create Custom Properties in ALICE:

• Add Custom: creates parameter(s) directly in ALICE
• Import from BIM: Imports parameter(s) directly from the BIM model

B.1 Add Custom

Custom Properties only can be created for the selected element(s) and group(s). 

Example: See the video below.To create a Custom Property: 

• Select the two top floor elements (or any two elements)
• Go to “Properties” on the upper right and click “+ Add Custom” 
• Type the Custom Property name in the first celland the value in the second cell
• Click the checkmark or hit the “Enter”key to create the property 
• The Custom Property will be created only for the selected element(s) or group(s)
• You can see in the video below that only the 2 top floor elements have the custom properties applied

Note: Custom Properties cannot be created without any value. 

To delete the custom properties:

• Select the same element(s) or group(s) and go to the “Properties” tab 
• Click on the property value and then the “Bin” (trash) icon

B.2 Import from BIM

“Import from BIM” uploads properties directly from the BIM model and will be uploaded only for the selected element(s) or group(s). 

To import a BIM property:

• Select one or multiple elements and go to the Properties tab
• Click on “Import from BIM”
• In the opened window, find and select the necessary properties
• Click “Import Properties” to finish the import

To delete the imported BIM properties:

• Select the same element(s) or group(s) and go to the “Properties” tab 
• Click on the property value and then the “Bin” (trash) icon

C. Using “Properties” in the Element Tree

The “Element tree” is a powerful tool not only for element selection but also for filtering. 

The following are tabs in the “Element Tree”:

• Family: to view, select, and filter by groups or elements
• Level: to view, select, and filter the elements by level
• Recipe: to view, select, and filter by recipe assignment
• Properties: to view, select, and filter by properties (custom and those imported from BIM parameters) and / or milestones
  • Custom: These are the Custom or imported BIM parameters 
  • Milestone: These are the milestones assigned to elements or groups
  • Note: The “0” means that the parameter exists for the elements but the value is equal to zero. 
  • Example: These parameters are extremely helpful during selecting / filtering and during the quality checking process. See video below. When “Central” is selected, the elements or groups associated with that parameter are highlighted.

Exercise #1: Creating Project Custom Properties

Several of the ALICE Support Pages detail information on key ALICE topics. This learning can be solidified by completing an exercise on a trial project. To put your learning into practice, follow this link:

Exercise #1 - Creating Project Custom Properties