Accessing Groups in Main View

Users with the appropriate RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) permissions will see the Groups Widget in the Main View Front Stage of the iModel Viewer. This widget enables users to visualize and interact with Groups using predefined colors and intuitive controls.

Groups Management Front Stage

The Groups Widget is fully dockable, allowing users to position it anywhere within the viewer layout to suit their workflow. Once visible, users can select one or more Groups to highlight corresponding elements in the iModel viewport.

 

(The above images show the default layout of the Groups widget in the iModel Viewer)

Key Capabilities of the Groups Widget:

1. Dockable - Freely move and position the widget within the viewer layout.
2. New – This is only available to users who have the View/Configure RBAC permission. The button will jump the user to the Groups Front Stage for Creating, Editing and deleting Groups.
3. Search Functionality - Search Groups by title using the built-in search bar.
4. Isolate – Isolate elements belonging to selected Groups for focused analysis.
5. Selection – Select all or individual groups. Once Selected the iModel elements will be rendered in the Group’s color that has been selected.
6. Warning “No elements found” – A warning triangle appears when a Group has no matching elements in the current iModel that match the group’s query criteria.
7. Red Overlap bar – This red bar under a group name indicates that one or more elements within the groups also appear in another group that has been selected. The red bar size or from left to right will differ depending on the percentage of elements within the group that also appear in another group or groups.
8. Kebab Menu (3 vertical dots) - This is only available to users who have the View/Configure RBAC permission. This menu allows the user to edit, rename and delete the selected group.
9. Info icon for Overlapping elements - Where elements overlap an “i” or Info icon will appear which is selectable and will display which other groups have the overlapping elements contain within them and the number of elements.
10. iModel Viewport – Once Groups are selected the iModel will be re-colored to display the group’s element in the color set in by the group or in red to indicate and overlap where the element exists in 2 or more of the selected groups.

Understanding the layout of the Groups Front Stage

Below is a screenshot with the label functionals and controls within the Manage Groups FrontStage:

 

1. Groups Widget - List, edit, rename, duplicate, or delete groups.
2. Query Builder Widget - Add, modify, or delete query sections to find elements within the iModel.  This also allows for visualization, selection of elements in the iModel viewport and view/copy the raw ECSQL string.
3. Properties Panel - Display properties of selected elements, which can be added to the query builder.
4. iModel viewport - View and interact with the active iModel.
5. Select Tools -

1. 1. • Select Element - Choose an element in the Model Viewport.
      • Section Tools - Modify the displayed iModel through slicing/sectioning.
      • Context Menu - Displays selected element’s class to be added to the query builder.
      • Clear Selection - Unselect all elements.
      • Focus on Element - Zoom in on selected elements.
      • Change Visibility - Adjust iModel visibility settings.
      • Hide/Isolate/Emphasize - Control visibility and highlight elements.

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   6. Navigation controls - Move around the iModel
   7. Tree View - displays the models, classes and elements that make up the iModel allowing the user to search and control visibility through the Tree Nodes
   8. Search - Allows the user to search for labels or code values within the iModel.
   9. Saved Views – Allows user to apply or created a saved view within the Groups Front Stage in the iModel Viewer.

Building a new Group

This sub-section covers the building of the Groups from a Blank state.

• Click the +New button in the Groups widget to create a blank query.

• Populate the query using the Properties Panel, context menu, or directly in the Query Builder. These 3 methods are highlighted in the below screenshot.

Construction of a ECSQL query with the Query builder.

• The query builder allows the user to construct the ECSQL query using constructs from the data structure within the iModel. Below is a breakdown of the parts of the Query Builder

1. Primary Selector - Supports Class, Model and Categories
2. Class Operator - Currently only supports Equal to, but additional operators maybe added in future.
3. Property selector - Allows the user to change or select which property of the class to use in the property statement
4. Element Found in iModel – this displays the number of elements that have been found in the current query once the “Visualise results” toggled on.
5. And/Or Clauses - By default “And” is used to link query criteria lines when there are 2 or more properties statements, but the user can toggle between the two clauses AND/OR as required.
6. Property selector - Allows the user to change or select which property of the class to use in the property statement
7. Property Operator - Dropdown menu for the user to select which operator to use to the Property statement.
8. Property Values - The multi-select allows the user to select one or more values by which the elements can be found when the query is run.
9. Add Additional Class Query - Users can add multiple class queries which can be linked together within a single group. (Example shown in the screenshot)
10. Visualise Results – This function displays the elements that match the query’s criteria in green in the iModel Viewport.
11. Display ECSQL – display the raw ECSQL string generated by the query builder that can be copied into the computer clipboard.

• Once you have created a query you will need to save the Query. Use the Save or Save As functions to save the query for use in the Clash Detection workflow
• Now the Group has been created and saved, users can change the randomly generated color as required, by clicking on the color swatch and using the color pallet panel to change and save the color for that group. Example shown below:

FAQ

 

1. What are Groups in the iModel Viewer?

Groups are thematic collections of elements within an iModel that help users organize, visualize, and manage data. They are used in workflows like Clash Detection and Civil and now support broader use cases including Saved Views.

2. Where can I access Groups in the iModel Viewer?

Groups can be accessed via the Groups Widget in the Main View Front Stage or Clash Detection Job Creation Menu. Users with appropriate RBAC permissions will see this widget and can interact with it directly.

3. What permissions are required to use Groups?

Users need specific RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) permissions:

• • iModelHub: View, View/Read, View/Read/Write, View/Read/Write/Manage
  • Insights and Reporting: View, View/Configure

4. What can I do with the Groups Widget?

Key features include:

• • Docking the widget anywhere in the layout
  • Creating, editing, and deleting groups (with View/Configure permission)
  • Searching groups by title
  • Isolating and selecting elements
  • Viewing overlap indicators and info icons
  • Accessing the kebab menu for group management

5. What does the red overlap bar mean?

The red bar under a group name indicates that some elements in the group also exist in other selected groups. The length of the bar reflects the percentage of overlapping elements.

6. How do I create a new Group?

• • Click +New in the Groups Widget.
  • Use the Query Builder, Properties Panel, or Context Menu to define your query.
  • Visualize results and save the query.
  • Customize the group color using the color swatch.

7. What is the Query Builder and how does it work?

The Query Builder helps construct ECSQL queries using:

• • Class, Model, and Category selectors
  • Property selectors and operators
  • Logical clauses (AND/OR)
  • Visualization of matching elements
  • Display and copy of raw ECSQL strings

8. What does the warning “No elements found” mean?

This warning appears when a selected group has no matching elements in the current iModel based on its query criteria.

9. Can I view overlapping elements between groups?

Yes. An info icon (“i”) appears when elements overlap. Clicking it shows which other groups contain the overlapping elements and how many.

10. How do I change the color of a group?

After saving a group, click the color swatch next to the group name and use the color palette to select and save a new color.

11. What is the Groups Management Front Stage?

It’s a dedicated interface for advanced group management, including:

• • Editing and organizing groups
  • Building complex queries
  • Viewing and interacting with the iModel
  • Using tools like selection, visibility control, and saved views

Feedback and Support

We value your input and encourage you to report any issues or suggestions to our support team. Your input is crucial in helping us improve the software for the final release. Please contact us through our support portal or email us at noel.gonzalez-jones@bentley.com or sandra.sodergard@bentley.com.

Glossary of Terms

 

iModel

A digital representation of infrastructure assets, used for visualization, analysis, and collaboration.

Groups

Collections of elements within an iModel organized by thematic or functional criteria. Used for visualization, clash detection, and saved views.

Groups Widget

A dockable interface in the iModel Viewer that allows users to view, manage, and interact with Groups.

Main View Front Stage

The primary interface of the iModel Viewer where users can access the Groups Widget and other tools.

Groups Management Front Stage

A dedicated interface for advanced group creation and editing, including query building and element visualization.

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)

A permission system that controls user access to features based on their assigned roles.

Query Builder

A tool for constructing ECSQL queries to define which elements belong to a Group.

ECSQL (Engineering Content SQL)

A query language used to retrieve data from iModels, similar to SQL but tailored for engineering data.

Properties Panel

Displays properties of selected elements and allows users to add them to queries.

iModel Viewport

The visual area where the iModel is displayed and interacted with.

Selection Tools

Tools that allow users to select, isolate, emphasize, or hide elements within the iModel.

Saved Views

Predefined visual configurations of the iModel that can be saved and reused.

Overlap Indicator (Red Bar)

A visual cue showing that elements in a group also exist in other selected groups.

Info Icon (“i”)

An icon that appears when elements overlap between groups; clicking it reveals overlap details.

Kebab Menu

A menu (three vertical dots) offering options to edit, rename, or delete a group.

Visualize Results

A toggle that highlights elements matching the query criteria in the iModel Viewport.

Tree View

Displays the hierarchical structure of models, classes, and elements in the iModel.