BIM model selection mode

On the BIM toolbar, tap to quickly disable or re-enable the selectability of some item types when selecting items from a BIM model in the map.

Tap and then disable item types you do not want to be able to select right now, for example disable line selection when you want to select a vertex rather than the line on which the vertex is located.

BIM model selection mode options are:

  • Point/vertex selection controls whether points or vertices in the model are selectable.

  • Line/edge selection controls whether lines or edges in the model are selectable.

  • Surface selection: controls how much of a surface is selectable. Only one surface selection option can be enabled at a time. Choose from:

    • Whole object to select the whole object as a single surface.

    • Individual faces to select only a single face of the object at a time.

A check mark in the list indicates those item types are selectable. The absence of a check mark means selection of those item types are disabled. The button changes to when selection of any item types is disabled, to indicate that not all item types in the BIM model are selectable.

Selecting surfaces

To select a surface the BIM model must be shown in the map as a solid object, not as a wireframe. To change this setting, tap in the Map toolbar and then select Transparency. In the BIM models group, select Solid or Both from the Display field.

When you enable:

  • Surface selection - whole object, any hidden parts of the object are also selected, such as parts that are used to join the object to another object.

    For example, when performing a surface inspection of a square pillar, select the Whole object option so that when you tap the pillar all 6 faces of the pillar are selected and used in the inspection.

  • Surface selection - individual faces, when you select multiple faces each face is treated as a separate surface.

    For example, when measuring to the top of a concrete slab, select the Individual faces option and then select the top surface of the slab to ensure that when measuring to the surface the software will measure only to the top surface rather than to the closest point of the whole concrete slab.

Software functions that apply to surfaces can be used whether the Surface selection mode is set to Individual faces or Whole object.

Items selected in the map remain selected when you change the Surface selection mode. However, if you set the Surface selection mode to Whole object, then selecting an object first deselects any individual faces of the object that are already selected.

A selected surface is oriented so that it faces outward from the object it is part of. The outside surface is highlighted blue and the inside surface is highlighted red.

Sometimes BIM models are not oriented correctly and the surfaces are back to front. In many instances this does not matter, for example Compute center point, Compute center line and Measure to surface are not sensitive to which surface face is selected. However, Surface inspection and the Point, edge, plane method when performing an object oriented setup are both sensitive to the displayed surface orientation. To select the other face of the selected surface, tap and hold in the map and select Reverse faces.

Selecting large numbers of surfaces

To select all surfaces in the map, tap and hold on the map and choose Select all surfaces. Origin selects every selectable surface in all BIM models that are currently set to selectable in the Layer manager.

  • If the Surface selection mode is set to Whole object, then all surfaces in the map are selected as a whole object surface.

    If an error message warns that Origin is "Unable to select all surfaces because the selectable layers of linked map files contain too many objects", then if any selectable layers are not needed use the Layer manager to make those layers not selectable and then try again.

  • If the Surface selection mode is set to Individual faces, then each face is selected as separate surfaces.

    If an error message warns that Origin is "Unable to select all surfaces because the selectable layers of linked map files contain too many individual faces", then change the Surface selection filter to Whole object selection mode, or if any selectable layers are not needed use the Layer manager to make those layers not selectable and then try again.