In this article, we will show you
How to efficiently organize buildings, floors, and components within the object hierarchy.
How the object hierarchy influences the lookahead plan / weekplan.
How to rename and rearrange positions.
Explanatory video
Video (translated with AI)
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
00:09 - Structure of the Object Hierarchy
00:51 - Editing the Object Hierarchy
01:51 - Declaring Buildings and Floors
02:38 - Adjusting Labels
03:07 - Moving Components within the Object Hierarchy
03:59 - Displaying Components in the Tree Structure
04:48 - Moving Components to Another Level
05:01 - Saving Changes
Structure of the Object Hierarchy
You can find the object hierarchy in the top left corner of the BIM viewer. It collects all information from the model and displays your project in a structured tree view:
Project – The entire construction project you are managing.
Construction Sections – Contain various buildings.
Buildings – Consist of multiple floors.
Floors – Contain individual components.
Components – Elements within the floors.
You can expand or collapse the hierarchy to focus on the information that is relevant to you.
Editing the Object Hierarchy
To ensure accurate representation and usability of information, e.g., in the weekplan, some adjustments should be made.
Declaring Buildings and Floors
Click the
pencilicon to edit the object hierarchy.Select a building and declare it as such by clicking the corresponding symbol.
Save the changes.
Repeat the process for floors to assign them correctly.
The updated information will be immediately visible in the weekplan.
Adjusting Labels
If you want to change standard labels:
Double-click the name of an element.
Modify the label (e.g., rename "2nd Floor" to "2F").
Save the changes.
The updated label will automatically be applied in the weekplan and filters.
Moving Components within the Object Hierarchy
Sometimes, components might be incorrectly placed. You can manually adjust their position:
Locate the component in the object hierarchy.
Right-click the component and select
Show in tree.
Click
Editand drag & drop the component into the correct floor.Alternatively, right-click the component and move it directly to another level.
Save the changes to apply them in the project.
Conclusion
With the object hierarchy, you can structure and optimize your project efficiently. This not only simplifies the weekplan but also makes filtering and finding components easier. If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to us or use the chat function in the Help Center.
Pro Tip – Deciding wether to use object tags or editign the object hierarchy to assign/create Zones in specter:
In specter, these are two different and fully valid ways to create custom zones, each with its own strengths and trade-offs. Using Obejct tags or editing the object hierarchy.
1. Creating zones with object tags
Functionality
One or multiple object tags are assigned to model elements based on their GUIDs. You can then structure the Lookahead Plan, charts, filters, reports, and other views by these object tags.
Advantages:
Very quick and easy to use
Low setup effort, especially for site teams
Limitations:
Object tags have only one logical level. If you create something like “Zone A” and “Subzone A.5”, specter treats both simply as tags. In the Lookahead Plan, you can only structure by object tag, not by zone and subzone in separate columns. This means more complex zone hierarchies cannot be represented cleanly
2. Creating zones via the object hierarchy
Functionality
You edit the layers of the object hierarchy in specter to create structured layers such as “Zone”, “Custom Layer”, or “Building”. Individual objects are assigned to these layers based on their GUIDs. Entire layers can also be nested into other layers, for example assigning “Storey 4” including all its objects into “Building 1”.
Advantages
Based on the official IFC zone classification: https://standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/RELEASE/IFC2x3/TC1/HTML/ifcproductextension/lexical/ifczone.htm
Supports multi-level structures, such as zones and subzones in separate columns
New objects added in a model update are automatically assigned if they belong to an existing layer, for example “Building 1”
No manual reassignment needed for new GUIDs if classified correctly in the .ifc
Limitations
Slightly less user-friendly
More effort required to create, classify, and maintain layers in the object hierarchy
Both methods work well and are fully supported in specter. The important point is consistency.
If you decide to use object tags to define zones, then those same object tags should also be used everywhere else in specter, including colorizations, filters, and “structure by” settings in the Lookahead Plan, week plan, task lists, charts, and reports. Mixing object tags and object hierarchy for the same zoning logic usually leads to confusion and extra manual work later on.