AECOsim Mechanical Building Designer

Component Catalog Creation

There are two main steps to creating custom catalogs for use in Mechancial Building Designer

Create the catalog data file (.mdb)

Create the catalog mapping file (.xml)

1. Create the catalog database file:

 Create a blank MDB file.
 Create a new table.
 Define columns according to parameters required in Mechanical Building Designer. You must
define one unique column to identify that record.
 Enter the data for those columns.
2. Create a mapping file:
 Create a blank xml file.
 Enter the main <HVAC_CATALOG> tag:

<HVAC_CATALOG>
<Version major="1" minor="0"/>

 Enter the material groups:

Note: Similar category material can be added into one group. So that if Mechanical Building
Designer cannot find the component of one type of material we can a select similar
category material for routing.

<MaterialMix NumOfMaterials="2" Material1="CU" Material2="BC"/>

<MaterialMix NumOfMaterials="2" Material1="CS" Material2="SWS"/>
 AECOsim Mechanical Building Designer Component Catalog Creation

 Next define the fitting specific mapping, first add name of the fitting, which is the name defined in
the library database file, these files reside in the workspace folder here:

…\WorkSpace\BuildingDatasets\Dataset_US\datagroupcatalogs\plumbing_lib\

Note: The Dataset folder is pertinent to the regional dataset you are using: Dataset_ANZ,
Dataset_CN, Dataset_DK, Dataset_GB, Dataset_SE, Dataset_US, Dataset_USM.

Note: The various mechanical component libraries reside in folders below the
datagroupcatalogs folder: architectural_lib, diffusers_lib, Equipment_lib, fittings_lib,
grilles_lib, inlinedevices_lib, plumbing_lib.

<Catalog name="BMP_Elbow">

 Define property mappings. This process is defining the link to the database.
 We need to define these mapping properties using the <CodeSubstitutes> tag:

<CodeSubstitutes>
<Property definition="Properties" name="Properties/@ProductCode" value="CODE"
dbname="CODE"/>
<Property definition="EndSpec2_22" name="EndSpec2_22/End1/@diameter" value="D1"
dbname="MAIN_SIZE" />
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/RADIUS"
value="R" dbname="RADIUS"/>
</CodeSubstitutes>

 In the Property tag shown above, we are defining the following:

Property definition Schema name in which that property resides
name Name of the property (xpath of the property)
value Displays the name for that property, it can be the same as property name
dbname Column name from database to which you want to link this Property

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Copyright © October-2014 Bentley Systems Incorporated
 AECOsim Mechanical Building Designer Component Catalog Creation

 Then you need to define the database linkage:

<Database Filename="$(HVAC_CATALOGPATH)\plumbing_lib\Bentley.mdb"
TableName="BMP_ELBOW" Unit="IM"/>
 In the Database tag shown above, we are defining the following:
Filename Name of the mdb file in which your data resides including the path
TableName Table name in which the actual data related to that fitting resides
Unit Unit of the data: IM for imperial (feet and inches) or ME for SI (metric)

 Define the parameters for the manufacturer catalog

Note: The Manufaturer Catalog is accessed in Mechanical Building Designer via a right click on
the Parameters Property in the DataGroup Instance Data dialog box or the AccuDraw
keyboard shortcut HC option.

<SearchCriteria NumOfnames="4" name1="CODE" name2="D1" name3="BEND_ANGLE"

name4="MATERIAL"/>

NumOfnames Count how many parameters you want to include in the manufacturer catalog
namecount in the line shown NumOfnames= “4” will include four parameters.
For the first parameter, “name1”, that you want to see in the manufacturer
dialog box define it simuilar to name1=“CODE” in the line shown above, you can
add others like name2=“SIZE”, name3=“TYPE”, etc. This would show the columns
CODE, SIZE and TYPE in that order in the Manufacturer Catalog dialog box.

 Define the filter or query parameters for the catalog when you are not choosing the record from
the manufacturer catalog dialog box. How you want to query the database for t he parameter you
want to give first priority, s econd priority, etc.
<QueryCriteria NumOfParams="3" Param1="MATERIAL" Param2="D1" Param3="BEND_ANGLE"/>

NumOfParams Count of filter parameters

Paramcount Name of the parameter Param1, Param2….

 As defined above, the query criteria’s first priority is to material. So when the query is made we
will check what the current value of material in the DataGroup Instance dialog box is. For example,
with CU we will first query all CU elbow from the database. After that the parameter is D1 so we
will check CU elbow with current value of d1 in DG window. If the query can not find that exact
match it will take the closer value record, and so on. We will make one common query using the
defined query criteria.

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Copyright © October-2014 Bentley Systems Incorporated
 AECOsim Mechanical Building Designer Component Catalog Creation

3. Putting it all together

 The .mdb database file and the .xml mapping file should be placed in the appropriate library folder
(as mentioned in the note above). The above example lines are for a plumbing elbow
(BMP_ELBOW) and the database file would be named Bentley.mdb, the .xml file named
Bentley.xml
 Once placed in the appropriate library folder the catalog will be available for use in Mechanical
Building Designer for the type sof components defined in the .mdb file and mapped in the .xml file.
 The .xml mapping file example in this document, with more properties added would look like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF‐8"?>
<HVAC_CATALOG>
<Version major="1" minor="0"/>
<MaterialMix NumOfMaterials="2" Material1="CU" Material2="BC"/>

<Catalog name="BMP_Elbow">
<CodeSubstitutes>
<Property definition="Properties" name="Properties/@ProductCode" value="CODE" dbname="PIECE_MARK"/>
<Property definition="Properties" name="Properties/@Manufacturer" value="MANUFACTURER"
dbname="MANU_FACT"/>
<Property definition="Properties" name="Properties/@Material" value="MATERIAL" dbname="MATERIAL"/>
<Property definition="Properties" name="Properties/@Type" value="TYPE" dbname="SHORT_DESC"/>
<Property definition="EndSpec2_22" name="EndSpec2_22/End1/@diameter" value="D1" dbname="BBMS_D1"/>
<Property definition="EndSpec2_22" name="EndSpec2_22/End2/@diameter" value="D2" dbname="BBMS_D2"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/EndType" value="CONNECTOR"
dbname="BBMS_ENDTYPE"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/PIPE_OD_M" value="PIPE_OD_M"
dbname="PIPE_OD_M"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/PIPE_OD_R" value="PIPE_OD_R"
dbname="PIPE_OD_R"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/standardAngle" value="BEND_ANGLE"
dbname="BBMS_ANGLE"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/StraightLen1" value="L1"
dbname="BBMS_L1"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/StraightLen2" value="L2"
dbname="BBMS_L2"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/RADIUS" value="R"
dbname="BBMS_RADIUS"/>
<Property definition="CustomParamBMPElbow" name="CustomParamBMPElbow/GTYPE" value="GTYPE"
dbname="GTYPE"/>
</CodeSubstitutes>
<Database Filename="$(HVAC_CATALOGPATH)\plumbing_lib\Bentley.mdb" TableName="BMP_ELBOW" Unit="IM"/>
<SearchCriteria NumOfnames="4" name1="CODE" name2="D1" name3="BEND_ANGLE" name4="MATERIAL"/>
<QueryCriteria NumOfParams="3" Param1="MATERIAL" Param2="D1" Param3="BEND_ANGLE"/>
</Catalog>

</HVAC_CATALOG>

4 AECOsim Mechanical Building Designer Component Catalog Creation

Copyright © October-2014 Bentley Systems Incorporated