Documentation

Cost Impact — Element types & mapping

How markups map to CSI cost codes: IFC type mapping for 3D, mapping your own Revit categories, and setting element type on generic PDFs.

Cost Impact — Element types & mapping

IFC Type Mapping

When a markup or issue is linked to a 3D element, the IFC class drives cost code selection. Examples:

Key / Control	Action
IfcWall / IfcWallStandardCase	WALL-INT-001 — Interior metal stud wall framing
IfcSlab	CONC-SLAB-001 — Concrete slab on grade
IfcBeam / IfcMember	STRUCT-BEAM-001 — Structural steel W-section beam
IfcColumn	STRUCT-COL-001 — Structural steel HSS column
IfcDoor	DOOR-INT-001 — Interior hollow metal door + frame
IfcWindow	WINDOW-001 — Standard aluminum window
IfcRoof	ROOF-MEMBRANE-001 — EPDM flat roof membrane
IfcCurtainWall	CURTAIN-WALL-001 — Aluminum curtain wall system
IfcStair	STAIR-001 — Steel pan stair assembly
IfcFlowSegment (duct)	HVAC-DUCT-001 — Ductwork supply per lm
IfcSanitaryTerminal	PLUMB-SINK-001 — Lavatory sink complete

Revit categories (Walls, Structural Framing, Roofs, Doors, Windows, Ducts, etc.) are used as a fallback when no IFC sidecar is linked. Markup tool type is the final fallback.

Mapping Your Own Categories

When a Revit model uses a custom category — or any category whose name LocusBIM doesn't recognise out of the box — those elements fall through to the generic MISC-001 fallback at "very-low" confidence. You can teach the engine to recognise them once and have every future markup priced correctly.

Open Cost Impact → ⋯ (overflow menu) → Category Mappings.
The dialog shows two lists: Unmapped categories the engine has seen across your active project (clickable chips that pre-fill the form) and Existing mappings you've already created.
Pick a CSI code from the library (the picker validates against the library so typos can't slip through), an optional demo code for the "remove" half of replace-scopes, and an optional unit override (for example, force lf instead of the library default sqm).
Save — every future markup with that category re-prices to the new code.

Tip: User mappings beat IFC, Revit, and tool-type fallback. They are scoped per-machine, not per-project, so a mapping you set once applies everywhere. Edit or delete from the same dialog — deletion reverts affected rows back to MISC-001 at "very-low" confidence so the change is visible in the cost log.

Setting Element Type on Generic PDFs

When working with generic (non-BIM) PDFs — architectural drawings, site plans, or any PDF not generated from a linked 3D model — markups have no element context for the cost engine. You can manually assign one via right-click.

Right-click any markup on the canvas
Click Set Element Type
Search or browse the grouped picker (Structural / Architectural / MEP / Site & Civil / General)
Select the element type that best matches what the markup covers, then click Apply

The selected type is stored on the markup and used as a tier-1 cost code lookup — the same priority as a linked 3D BIM element, and promoted to High confidence. Use Clear Override to remove it and let the engine fall back to keyword or tool-type matching.

Key / Control	Action
Structural group	Wall, Slab/Floor, Column, Beam/Framing, Foundation, Roof, Railing, Stair, Exterior Deck
Architectural group	Interior Wall, Partition, Door, Window, Curtain Wall, Ceiling, Floor Covering, Casework
MEP group	Duct/Pipe, VAV, Mechanical Unit, Plumbing Fixture, Electrical Panel, Light Fixture, Outlet, Conduit
Site & Civil group	Exterior Paving, Parking Structure, Retaining Wall, Landscaping/Site Work
General group	Furniture/Equipment, Specialty/Misc, General Construction

Tip: For decks, gazebos, and other exterior structures not in a BIM file: right-click the markup, set element type to Exterior Deck / Patio or the closest match, then add a scope keyword like "replace deck" to the markup subject. The engine will generate a demolition + install composite at high confidence.