ifcopenshell.api.unit.add_context_dependent_unit

Module Contents

ifcopenshell.api.unit.add_context_dependent_unit.add_context_dependent_unit(file, unit_type='USERDEFINED', name='THINGAMAJIG', dimensions=None) → None

Add a new arbitrary unit that can only be interpreted in a project specific context

Occasionally the construction industry uses arbitrary units to quantify objects, like “pairs” of door hardware, “palettes” or “boxes” of fixings or equipment.

Parameters:

  • unit_type (str) – Typically should be left as USERDEFINED, unless for some bizarre reason you are redefining something you could use a sensible normal unit for. In that case, firstly stop whatever you’re doing and have a hard think about your life, and then if life really is going that badly for you, check out the IFC docs for IfcUnitEnum.

  • name (str) – Give your unit a name. X what? X bananas?

  • dimensions (list[int]) – Units typically measure one of 7 fundamental physical dimensions: length, mass, time, electric current, temperature, substance amount, or luminous intensity. These are represented as a list of 7 integers, representing the exponents of each one of these dimensions. For example, a length unit is (1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0), where as an area unit is (2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0). A unit of meters per second is (1, 0, -1, 0, 0, 0, 0). For context dependent units, it is recommended to leave this as the default of (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0).

Returns:

The new IfcContextDependentUnit

Return type:

ifcopenshell.entity_instance

Example:

# Boxes of things
ifcopenshell.api.run("unit.add_context_dependent_unit", model, name="BOXES")