AFFINITY 5.5 – 5.6 DELTA TRAINING TUTORIAL
Setup
This Affinity delta training is intended to provide existing users with an overview of the enhancementssince Affinity release 5.5, and is not intended as a complete training course on how to use Affinity software. We begin this training assuming that you have experience creating a new Affinity project, setting up the project program and requirements, using the schematic design layout, and integrating with Revit® Architecture or ArchiCAD® (if applicable).
If you do not have the project file and template, download them from the Customer Portal:
- The username is your serial number, the password is Affinity
- Navigate to the section titled Affinity 5.6 Delta Training and download the zip file by clicking on the link, “Click here to download the Affinity 5.6 Delta Training Materials”
Import the template:
- Open Affinity
- Click File => Templates => Import => select the file => click Open
Open the Affinity project file
Space Program Views
In the Affinity 5.6 Space Program, you can add new views, customize column headings to include any space properties, dynamically model relationships between spaces and groups, set the layout of any space, and export all tabular views to CSV file.
Create a New View
Click the arrow next to the View selection box and select editat the bottom of the drop-down.
Add a new view called ‘Technology’ and click OK
Select the arrow again to view the drop-down list and notice the new view. Select ‘Technology’ from the list to begin editing the columns and cell content.
Select and Arrange columns for the new view
Right-click on any column heading to open the column selection box
Ensure the checkboxes are selected next to Comments, Phase One, Video Conference, and Internet Access. Deselect all other boxes.
Click anywhere outside of the column selection box to view changes
Select the ‘Comments’ column heading, and drag and drop it to the far right so it is the last column.
Edit the Column Values
For the CIO and Receptionist spaces, deselect the checkboxes under Video Conference.
For the CFO space, change the internet access value from ‘Wi-Fi’ to Secured Connection (notice the pull-down menu appears just as it does in the properties tab and details pane).
Edit the View Settings
Click on the View Settings icon to the left of the Red Alert icon. Ensure that ‘Fit Columns’ is selected, and turn on the Item Colors.
Click Close when you are finished.
Export to CSV File
Once the space program is configured to your specifications, you can export it to a CSV file as a quick and easy form of reporting, and sharing data with clients and project team members.
Ensure that the program view you want to export is open.
Click File => Export
Name the file and select ‘CSV Files’ from the File Type pull-down list
Click Export
Layout Tab
The Layout tab is brand new in Affinity 5.6. This tab enables you to setup the layout of a room before you enter the Schematic Design section, so each space will already contain the appropriate objects (and accurate placement) when you drag and drop it onto the schematic design view.
Add Objects Directly in the Layout tab
Select the space called ‘CEO’ under ‘Executive Suite.CEO Suite’ in the navigation pane (recall that Affinity identifies groups and subgroups by using the ‘.’ symbol).
Select the Layout tab
Right-click anywhere in the layout view => select Add => Object
Click the ellipses next to Generic Object to open the Item Type Choice dialog.
Click the [+] sign next to Furnishings to expand the folder => select the Club Chair => click OK
The Add Object dialog shows the Club Chair and its area and dimensions as are defined in the template. Click OK to add the Club Chair to the CEO office.
Simply drag the Club Chair to the desired location. You can also rotate it by clicking on the leaf-like image and dragging left or right to rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise, respectively.
Add Objects in the Components Tab
You may also add objects to the components tab and drag them into the Layout tab from the ‘Unassigned’ area at the bottom of the screen.
Click on the Components tab
Right-click anywhere in the view => select Add => Object
Select an appropriate object
Notice that the objects added to the Components tab and to the Layout tab are all listed in the Components view.
Click on the Layout tab and scroll over the bottom of the view, where it says ‘Unassigned’. The Unassigned area will expand, showing the items you added in the Components tab.
Drag and drop the object onto the Layout view
Relationships Tab
The Relationships tab is available at the sub-group, group, and space program levels. The tab enables you to visualize the adjacency requirements (relationship requirements) between spaces and departments in the form of red or blue arrows. Red arrows depict a relationship that is violated, and blue arrows depict a relationship that is being met. Arrange the spaces or departments to ensure that all relationships are met. When you have an arrangement that satisfies the requirements, you can begin with that layout in Schematic Design (see the Schematic Design section for further details).
Begin by adding an Adjacency Requirement
Select the CEO office from the navigation pane and click on the Requirements tab
Click the Add Requirement button and select the sentence, ‘(item) must be next to (item)’
Select ‘Private Restroom – CEO’ from the pull-down list, as shown below, and click OK:
Select the sub-group ‘CEO Suite’ from the navigation pane => click on the Relationships tab to view the new requirement:
Add a Relationship Requirement in the Relationships Tab
Select the Marketing Department from the navigation pane
Select the Waiting Area and Receptionist spaces by holding SHIFT down as you click on them.
Right-click in one of the spaces and select Relationships => Add Relationship
Do the same for the spaces, ‘VP Marketing’ and ‘Marketing Director’
Move the spaces around to create both red and blue arrows. Then delete the relationship between ‘VP Marketing’ and ‘Marketing Director’ by selecting both spaces => right-clickon a space => Relationships => Delete Relationship.
View Other Relationships Tabs
Click on ‘Space’ in the Navigation Pane and select the Relationships tab.
There are several levels available to view. At the highest level, you will see groups (departments), and any relationships between them:
Click the right focus control (in the toolbar) several times to view different levels of detail, one level down represents the spaces and sub-groups within each group, two levels down shows all spaces without any groups or sub-groups. Use the left focus control to return to higher levels:
Begin the Schematic Design with the relationships Tab Layout
Select the Schematic Design section
Add a new story to place the Marketing Department
Select the new story => hold ‘Alt’ down on your keyboard => drag and drop the Marketing Department onto the new story.
Assign Schematic Design Spaces to Program Groups
Affinity 5.6 provides a new tool for those users who need to add existing spaces to the project program (and the calculated total actual area). The most common scenario is one where a project is in progress or already finalized in the CAD/BIM tool like Revit and the user wants to build the program post- or mid-design. Now, spaces can be assigned to specific program groups from within the schematic design view. In the space program, the item is visible as a component of the group, and the area is included in the actual column and added to the group’s total actual area.
Assigning a schematic space to a program group
In the office example, the hallway on Story 1 is not assigned to a program group. It originated from the spaces library and was used to supplement the design. Now, we want to add it to the project program:
- Click on Story 1 and select the Hallway.
- Open the Details Pane => click on the Properties tab
- Next to the property called Program Group, click on the ellipses
- In the Select Group dialog, choose the Lobby group => Click OK
- Click on the Project Program section and open the Space Program view to see that the Hallway is now part of the Lobby group. If you cannot see it, click the View Settings icon and ensure that Show Component Items is selected, then click Close
CSS Label Customization
Affinity 5.6 enhances the ability to customize the appearance of the schematic design view, relationships tab, and reports using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Fonts and styles for room labels and reportscan be selected and edited via the new ‘Style’ property(also called ‘Label Style’ in Schematic Design and ‘Default Style’ in the Report Properties within the Template Editor).
Create a New Label Style
Select the VP Marketing space
Open the Details Pane => selectthe properties tab => click the ellipses next to ‘Label Style’ (under Display Properties)
In the Select Style dialog, click the Editbutton
In the Edit Styles dialog, click the Add Style icon to create a new style
Name the new style ‘Executive Offices’ because this is the style we will apply to all executive office spaces in Schematic Design => click OK => select it from the Style drop-down menu
Under the section labeled ‘Item-Specific’ you will notice it is organized into sections: Text, Reports, List, Headings, etc. Scroll down until you see ‘Label’ and select the header. This will open the ‘Label Header Attributes’ to the right.
There are many label attributes that you can edit. For this example, change the following:
Background Color = White
Font Family = Verdana
Font Size = Large
Text Color = any color you want
Click OK twice to close both dialogs and view changes. You may need to hit the refresh icon.
Color Legend
The color legend enables users to visualize space groupings based on various filters represented by a color-coded legend. The color key is editable and may be based on any space properties.
Select Property Filter
Select the View Settings icon and click on the ellipses next to the Color Key property.
Choose Internet Access from the ‘Select Property’ dialog => click OK
Select the checkbox next to ‘Show Legend’ in the Space Plan Diagram Settings dialog =>
click Close
The new legend has two colors that represent the two internet options, ‘Wi-Fi’ and ‘Secured Connection’. The VP Marketing space has a secured connection and the Intern and Receptionist spaces have Wi-Fi :
Mass Property Changes
Mass property changes can now be made in the Schematic Design view by selecting multiple spaces and using the details pane to change the values of any number of properties. This is a great way of assigning spaces to different scenarios and changing the color or styles of spaces.
Assign Spaces to Scenarios
Ensure you are on Story 2 => hold down the Shift key while you select the following spaces: VPMarketing, Restroom, Waiting Area, and Marketing Director
Click on the ellipses next to the Scenario property => select Scenario A => click OK
Use the mouse to scroll over and select the Intern and Receptionist spaces and assign them to Scenario B
In the Current Scenario drop-down at the top of the screen, select Scenario A and then Scenario B to ensure the spaces have been properly assigned.
Conclusion of Delta Training Tutorial
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Affinity 5.6 Delta Training Tutorial. For more information on the new Report Editor and details about search functions, calculated properties, and equations, please refer to Chapter 9: Advanced Features in the Affinity User Guide.