Managing Assumptions with Usages


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48QmvN76mb0

The data panel (including Urban Calculations and Analytics) shows the numbers your design produces. Those numbers are dictated by size of the buildings you've drawn, and the assumptions on how those buildings work (dwelling sizes, efficiencies etc.)

Usages drive those calculations.

<aside> 💡 Learn more about Giraffe Data Model in detail.

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Usages Guide


Usages enable you to compile a database of standards and assumptions, composed of Properties. This allows your team to apply the same data to multiple geometries within a project - from giving all the residential buildings the same hard cost to making all arrows red.

Giraffe comes with some default usages such as Residential , Road, Carpark and Annotation , and you can create your own and copy them between projects.

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Usages, simply, are a collection of Properties

<aside> 🎓 What is a property? From dictionary.com: an essential or distinctive attribute or quality of a thing From Wikipedia: a property is a characteristic of an object; a red object is said to have the property of redness.

Other words for Property:

Properties in Giraffe allow you to tell your project story. Use properties to control everything from giving all the residential buildings the same buildCost to making all annotations blue. Giraffe comes pre-loading with many properties (see the full List of Included Feature Properties) or you can create your own.

Properties can apply at both the Usages and Features level.

The Usage properties, in The Usages Editor

usage properties ui.png

The Feature properties, in Properties Palette

property palette ui.png

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Apply a Usage to Geometry


There are two ways to apply a Usage to Geometry.

After geometry exists on the map:

Select existing geometry on the map. (Shift + click to select multiple features at the same time)

Open the Properties Palette

Select a Usage from the list in the properties palette.

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Before Drawing Geometry:

Select the Usage from the drawing tool within Drawing Toolbar when you select the tool.

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<aside> 💡 If you copy geometry from one project to another, the Usages will be copied too. Learn more in Import Data from Existing Giraffe Projects

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Usage Types