#### 5.4.3.4 IfcDistributionElement

| Elément de distribution
| haustechnische Komponente (allgemein)

This entity is a generalization of all elements that participate in a distribution system. Typical examples of IfcDistributionElement are (among others):

- building service elements within a heating systems
- building service elements within a cooling system
- building service elements within a ventilation system
- building service elements within a plumbing system
- electrical elements
- elements within a communication network

The IfcDistributionElement is further specialized in the IFC model. Direct instantiation of IfcDistributionElement without an assigned subtype of IfcDistributionElementType provides the meaning of an distribution element proxy.

> HISTORY New entity in IFC1.5.

> IFC4 CHANGE The entity is marked as deprecated for instantiation - will be made ABSTRACT in future releases.

## Electrical System Design

Instance diagram

Object Typing

The Object Typing concept applies to this entity as shown in Table 20.

Type
IfcDistributionElementType
Table 20 — IfcDistributionElement Object Typing

The IfcDistributionElement defines the occurrence of any HVAC, electrical, sanitary or other element within a distribution system. Common information about distribution element types (or styles) is handled by subtypes of IfcDistributionElementType. The IfcDistributionElementType (if present) may establish the common type name, usage (or predefined) type, common material, common set of properties and common shape representations (using IfcRepresentationMap). The IfcDistributionElementType is attached using the IfcRelDefinedByType.RelatingType objectified relationship and is accessible by the inverse IsDefinedBy attribute.

The assignment of types to distribution element occurrences is vital for providing the additional meaning, or ontology, of the distribution element. Many specialized type are defined in other schemas of this specification.

Exchange |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Import |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Export |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Properties for Occurrences

The Properties for Occurrences concept applies to this entity as shown in Table 21.

PredefinedType | Name
--- | ---
| Pset_ElectricalDeviceCommon
Table 21 — IfcDistributionElement Properties for Occurrences

Exchange |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Import |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Export |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Footprint Geometry

The Footprint Geometry concept applies to this entity as shown in Table 22.

RepresentationType | Geometry
--- | ---
GeometricCurveSet | IfcGeometricCurveSet
Table 22 — IfcDistributionElement Footprint Geometry

An additional representation type for all "simple" distribution flow elements (general ducts and pipes) is the ability to have a simple line based representation. The IfcShapeRepresentation has:

- RepresentationIdentifier : 'FootPrint'
- RepresentationType : 'GeometricCurveSet'

Exchange |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Import |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Export |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Body Geometry

The Body Geometry concept applies to this entity as shown in Table 23.

RepresentationType | Geometry | Description
--- | --- | ---
Brep | IfcFacetedBrep | All fixtures (all non distribution flow elements, i.e. everything which is not a duct, a pipe, a cable, or a cable carrier) should be defined by an b-rep geometry. This includes also the complex flow fitting elements (e.g. Y branch or T branch) or distribution flow elements with size changes (e.g. reducer).
SurfaceModel | IfcFaceBasedSurfaceModel | If the geometric model consistency of a b-rep shape representation can not be guaranteed (arcwise connected volume bounded by faces, each being connected, oriented, finite, closed 2-manifold), a surface representation based on open shells should be used.
SweptSolid | IfcExtrudedAreaSolid | All "simple" distribution flow elements (general ducts and pipes) are defined by sweep geometry.
SectionedSpine | IfcSectionedSpine | If only the analytical shape is required for which the exact interpolation between the cross sections is not required, a sectioned spine can be used.
CSG | IfcCsgSolid |
Tessellation | IfcTriangulatedFaceSet |
MappedRepresentation | IfcMappedItem | All occurrences of IfcDistributionElement (and its subtypes) should (whenever possible) share a representation map established by the assigned type. The geometric representation of the occurrence is then an IfcMappedItem.
Table 23 — IfcDistributionElement Body Geometry

The geometric representation of IfcDistributionElement is defined using different geometric representation types for the various subtypes. Only general recommendations are given at the level of the supertype, further constraints are defined at the level of its subtypes.

Exchange |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Import |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Export |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

XSD Specification:

<xs:element name="IfcDistributionElement" type="ifc:IfcDistributionElement" substitutionGroup="ifc:IfcElement" nillable="true"/>
<xs:complexType name="IfcDistributionElement">
<xs:complexContent>
<xs:extension base="ifc:IfcElement"/>
</xs:complexContent>
</xs:complexType>

EXPRESS Specification:

ENTITY IfcDistributionElement

| SUPERTYPE OF(IfcDistributionFlowElement)

| SUBTYPE OF (IfcElement);

| INVERSE

END_ENTITY;

Attribute Definitions:

Inheritance Graph:

ENTITY IfcDistributionElement

| ENTITY IfcRoot

GlobalId | : | IfcGloballyUniqueId;
OwnerHistory | : | OPTIONAL IfcOwnerHistory;
Name | : | OPTIONAL IfcLabel;
Description | : | OPTIONAL IfcText;

| ENTITY IfcObjectDefinition

| INVERSE

HasAssignments | : | SET OF IfcRelAssigns FOR RelatedObjects;
Nests | : | SET [0:1] OF IfcRelNests FOR RelatedObjects;
IsNestedBy | : | SET OF IfcRelNests FOR RelatingObject;
HasContext | : | SET [0:1] OF IfcRelDeclares FOR RelatedDefinitions;
IsDecomposedBy | : | SET OF IfcRelAggregates FOR RelatingObject;
Decomposes | : | SET [0:1] OF IfcRelAggregates FOR RelatedObjects;
HasAssociations | : | SET OF IfcRelAssociates FOR RelatedObjects;

| ENTITY IfcObject

ObjectType | : | OPTIONAL IfcStrippedOptional;

| INVERSE

IsDeclaredBy | : | SET [0:1] OF IfcRelDefinesByObject FOR RelatedObjects;
Declares | : | SET OF IfcRelDefinesByObject FOR RelatingObject;
IsTypedBy | : | SET [0:1] OF IfcRelDefinesByType FOR RelatedObjects;
IsDefinedBy | : | SET OF IfcRelDefinesByProperties FOR RelatedObjects;

| ENTITY IfcProduct

ObjectPlacement | : | OPTIONAL IfcObjectPlacement;
Representation | : | OPTIONAL IfcProductRepresentation;

| INVERSE

ReferencedBy | : | SET OF IfcRelAssignsToProduct FOR RelatingProduct;

| ENTITY IfcElement

Tag | : | OPTIONAL IfcStrippedOptional;

| INVERSE

IsInterferedByElements | : | SET OF IfcRelInterferesElements FOR RelatedElement;
InterferesElements | : | SET OF IfcRelInterferesElements FOR RelatingElement;
ContainedInStructure | : | SET [0:1] OF IfcRelContainedInSpatialStructure FOR RelatedElements;

| ENTITY IfcDistributionElement

| INVERSE

END_ENTITY;

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