BIM Viewport — BIM Knowledge Graph

Route: /graph
Purpose: Create, browse and analyse building elements in the live BIM graph

7.1 What is the Purple8 Graph?

The Purple8 Graph replaces the Revit file. Every building element (room, wall, column, beam, system) is a node in a property graph. Relationships (adjacency, support, containment) are edges. The graph is:

• Live — updates in real time
• Multi-tenant — each project is isolated
• Queryable — via AI, algorithms, and the analytics API
• Persistent — survives server restarts via the WAL (Write-Ahead Log)

7.2 Element Types

Type	Description	Key Properties
site / building	Top-level project context	location, boundary, climate, elevation
storey / level	Vertical organisation level	elevation, gross_area, height
space / zone	Room or functional zone	name, area_sqft, function, occupancy
wall	Vertical partition	thickness, height, material, load_bearing
slab / roof	Horizontal/sloped enclosure	thickness, span, pitch, u_value
column	Structural column	section, material, height, load
beam	Structural beam	section, span, material, load
foundation	Structural base	type, depth, bearing_capacity
facade	External envelope	U-value, material, glazing_ratio
door / window	Openings and fenestration	width, height, fire_rating, acoustic
stair / ramp	Vertical circulation	risers, treads, slope, width
furniture / fixture	FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment)	manufacturer, model, cost, lifecycle
system / equipment	MEP system & components	type (HVAC/plumbing), capacity, specification
material	Material definition	density, embodied_carbon, thermal_conductivity
document	Linked project document	source, type, status, url
annotation	2D/3D markup, note, or sketch	text, author, timestamp, type

7.3 Creating Elements

1. Click + in the left panel
2. Enter a name (e.g. Living Room 1A)
3. Select element type from the dropdown
4. Add properties as JSON: {"area_sqft": 210, "function": "living"}
5. Click Create

7.4 Viewport

The 2D viewport renders your elements spatially. It auto-arranges elements when coordinates are not specified. Set explicit coordinates via the properties JSON: {"x": 0, "y": 0, "width": 5, "height": 4} (in metres).

7.5 Compliance Tab

Click Compliance in the right panel to run regulatory checks:

• UK Building Regulations Part A, B, E, L, M
• Fire escape route distances
• Accessible design requirements (Part M)
• Energy performance (Part L / SAP/SBEM)

Results show as pass/fail with specific regulation references.

7.6 BOM (Bill of Materials) Tab

Click BOM to generate a Bill of Materials from the current graph:

• Element list with quantities
• Material schedule
• Elemental cost benchmarks (from P8G cost database)
• Export to CSV

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