"BIMfluencer" Peter Pöppl presents his five favorite functions in the latest version of Allplan.
If there is anyone who knows their way around Allplan, it is Peter Pöppl. With his company SUPPGRADE, the "BIMfluencer" programs, among other things, component and fixture generators for the BIM software. In addition, he helps Allplan users with training courses and instructive YouTube videos. As a proven expert like him is always up to date, Peter Pöppl has – of course – already put Allplan 2023 through its paces. Here are his five favorite features of the latest version of Allplan.
#1 Custom Attribute Set Templates
Without attribution, there is no BIM. However, with a large number of attributes for different objects, it can quickly become confusing. User-defined attribute sets provide a solution here. Although these could already be used in the properties palette in Allplan, they could previously only be created via Bimplus. Allplan 2023 addresses this issue. Attribute set templates can now be generated directly in the program for specific projects, existing property sets for known objects can be copied and modified, and new sets for new IFC object types can be created. Not only does this cover typical elements – such as components, general objects, or macros – but reinforcement can also be included in this workflow now.
#2 Automatic Mesh Reinforcement and Spacers
One tool in Allplan 2023 that can save a lot of time and effort is automatic reinforcement. In the latest Allplan version, not only can multiple individual components be reinforced at once, but also several columns and walls of the same type. The mesh reinforcement (in addition to the bar reinforcement) in the automatic wall reinforcement tool is also extremely practical. With just a few clicks, you can also generate spacers or views and sections for several walls at the same time.
#3 Wireframe Views of Mounting Parts
When dealing with fixtures in planning, it is often necessary to have different representations in the model. Allplan 2023 makes it possible to adjust all views or sections to current requirements. For example, in addition to 2D and 3D views, fixtures have five other view options (front, back, left, right, bottom). For each of these views or sections, the display of fixtures can be set separately as a wireframe calculation. This practical function is (for economic reasons) my top favorite.
#4 Views and Sections
Speaking of views and sections: I am generally impressed by the numerous innovations and optimizations of these functions in Allplan 2023. For example, views and sections can now be created perpendicular to any surfaces or even provided with automatic dimensions. Another way to enormously reduce your workload is the ability to implement multiple changes for views and sections, in order to add or remove elements, edit text labels, or display section guides for several sections or views, among other things. Furthermore, additional text parameters can now be edited via the palette, and the position of the label in relation to the edge can be specified.
#5 Smart Converter
The last function in my top 5 is the Smart Converter. With the help of this intelligent tool, staircase drawings, whether 2D or 3D, can now be interpreted and analyzed. The converter then creates fully parametric stair models from the analyzed drawings – including angle correction if necessary. This is probably the fastest way to plan precast staircases. By the way, fixtures can now also be generated with the help of Python scripts. This opens up completely new possibilities, such as automatic calculations of drilling positions for steel plates based on their dimensions.
