Overview
NBS Source is a platform that combines the NBS BIM Library, NBS Plus and RIBA Product Selector, creating a single source for product information that will integrate seamlessly into your project workflow and provide an additional level of enhanced product data in a consistent format.
If you know the manufacturer whose products you wish to specify on your project, you can browse by manufacturer to review, compare, and select the appropriate products. Alternatively, you can use the search and filter tools to find the correct product for your needs.
Once a product has been selected, the manufacturer product data template (manufacturer product details) can be added into Chorus from NBS Source.
For Uniclass, CAWS, SpecPack, SpeedSpec, or SureSpec specifications, it is intended to allow you to directly add manufacturer products to your specification that would otherwise have been added to a clause from the Chorus Products panel.
For CMS specifications it is intended to allow a new section to be added into the specification relating to the manufacturer’s product.
Please refer to the separate Primary & Secondary classifications topic for further information regarding product classifications within NBS Source. For Uniclass, CAWS, SpecPack, SpeedSpec or SureSpec specifications, this information will also identify the clause(s) into which the manufacturer has indicated are suitable to contain their products.
However, for Uniclass, CAWS, SpecPack, SpeedSpec or SureSpec specifications, this same method can also be used, with caution, to add any manufacturer’s product from NBS Source into any clause in NBS Chorus. For example, to specify a product classified in Source as ‘Q26/350 Synthetic grass surfacing’, within the Chorus clause for ‘Q26/210 Filled synthetic sports turf surfacing’. In this example, a product classified as Q26/350 would not appear in the Products panel in Chorus for clause Q26/210. Please refer to the ‘Code check warning’ section below for further important information.
Code check warning- Uniclass, CAWS, SpecPack, SpeedSpec or SureSpec specifications only
A warning message will be displayed if the clause into which the manufacturer’s product is being added is not one the manufacturer has confirmed as suitable. This is displayed in the ‘Add product from NBS Source to this clause?’ dialog when pasting the product permalink.
Important note: Whist it is possible to add any manufacturers product from NBS Source into any clause in NBS Chorus using this method, the manufacturer has only confirmed their product is suitable for use within specific clause(s), as denoted by the primary and secondary classifications identified for the product in Source. If you are adding a product into a clause that the manufacturer has not confirmed the product is suitable for then you will see a warning message. In this cae, you should verify by your own means whether the product is suitable for use within the clause, and in context with all other related clauses. In circumstances where a product is proposed for use outside of the manufactures classification or recommendations, we recommend that you would be in direct consultation with the manufacturer regarding suitability of the product for the proposed use. Factors for your consideration may include location of product use/installation, environment or conditions the product will be exposed to, orientation of the product, adjacent or connected products or materials, fire performance requirements, durability, product guarantees/warranties, product certification and so forth (this is by no means an exhaustive list, and you should fully satisfy yourself of the products suitability for the application and clause you are adding it to).
Please refer to the separate Primary & Secondary classifications topic for further information regarding product classifications within NBS Source.
Copy the manufacturer product from NBS Source
To add a manufacturer product data template (manufacturer product details) into Chorus from NBS Source, first navigate to the product details page for the required product, this will appear like the example shown below.
For products that can be added to the specification, there will be a blue ‘Add to spec’ button located towards the top of the product details, as shown in the image above. Click on this button to copy the Product information to your clipboard.
Important Note: If the blue ‘Add to spec’ button link is not displayed, the product details page does not have any detailed product data. This may be because the product page in Source is present only to facilitate the downloading of digital objects, for example. In these circumstances the product should not be added to the Chorus specification as it does not contain all of the details required to fully specify the product. To specify such a product it would need to be manually added into the specification clause/section in Chorus, with due reference to details on the manufacturer’s website, technical literature and/or in consultation with the manufacturer.
Paste the manufacturer product into NBS Chorus - Uniclass, CAWS, SpecPack, SpeedSpec or SureSpec specifications only
Next, navigate to the specific project, specification, and clause in NBS Chorus into which the manufacturer product data template is to be added, then click into the clause to check it out in the editor.
Click into the Manufacturer, System Manufacturer or Product Reference row within the clause then paste the product data using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (Mac), alternatively, paste the product data from the right-click menu.
A dialog will be displayed showing the product being added, like the example shown below.
If the dialog additionally displays a Code check warning at the bottom of the dialog:
This indicates that the manufacturer has not confirmed that the product is suitable for use with the selected clause. Please refer to the ‘Code check warning’ section above for further important information before proceeding.
Click ‘Add product’ to add the manufacturer product data template to the clause.
To read more about what information will be added into the clause please refer to the separate What information gets added to the specification topic, to read more about rows parked by the process please refer to the separate Parked rows after manufacturer product details are added topic.
Click ‘Add link’ to just add a permalink to the product details page in NBS Source. No other details will be added to the clause. To read more about permalinks, please refer to the separate What are permalinks topic.
Paste the manufacturer product into NBS Chorus - CMS specifications only
Next, click into the specific project and specification to display the contents list of the specification into which the manufacturer product data template is to be added.
Then paste the product data using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (Mac).
Where is the manufacturer product data template added?
Uniclass Content Sets
If the manufacturer product data template is being added into a Uniclass clause, the manufacturer product data template is added into the clause currently checked out (selected) in the editor.
The clause code, prefix, title & suffix will remain unchanged.
CAWS Content Set
If the manufacturer product data template is being added into a CAWS clause, a duplicate of the clause currently checked out (selected) in the editor is created, the manufacturer product data template is added into the duplicate clause.
When the duplicate of the clause is created is has the same code and prefix as the currently checked out clause, however the title of the duplicate clause will be based on the classification data for the product in NBS Source. It is additionally either given a new automatically generated suffix, e.g. Type A, or if a suffix already existed for the checked out clause it is either incremented or appended, e.g. appended with (A). The clause will be placed beneath the currently checked-out clause (and any existing duplicates of it).
SpecPack, SpeedSpec & SureSpec Content Sets
If the manufacturer product data template is being added into a SpecPack, SpeedSpec or SureSpec clause, a duplicate of the clause currently checked out (selected) in the editor is created, the manufacturer product data template is added into the duplicate clause.
When the duplicate of the clause is created it will be placed directly beneath the currently checked out clause and is given the next incremental code (the clauses beneath this are renumbered accordingly). It will have the same prefix and suffix as the currently checked out clause, the title of the duplicate clause will be based on the classification data for the product in NBS Source.
CMS Content Set
If the manufacturer product data template is being added into a CMS specification, a new section will be added into the specification containing the manufacturer data. The section code and title of this new section will be based on the classification data for the product in NBS Source.
Reviewing and completing the added manufacturer product data template - Uniclass, CAWS, SpecPack, SpeedSpec or SureSpec specifications only
Once the template has been added you will notice the Manufacturer row contains the manufacturer name, this is also a permalink to the manufacturers page in NBS Source. Several contact details rows will also have added showing, for example, telephone and email contact details. You will also notice the Product Reference row contains the product reference/ name, this is also a permalink to the product page in NBS Source.
You may additionally notice one or more rows which have also been added as part of the manufacturer product data template. Some may remain empty whilst others are pre-populated with values. The empty rows generally correspond to instances where there are multiple options which can be selected using the drop down control located at the right-hand side of the row entry field. The pre-populated rows generally correspond either to a technical characteristic of the product or where there is only a single option.
To complete the specification for this product please follow the following steps:
- Firstly, check the 'Product reference' row. Check your desire product appears.
- Next you should review each of the additionally added rows in turn, this should be undertaken in conjunction with the product listing in Source or the product details in the Products panel in Chorus. To open the product listing in Source, click on the product reference permalink. The product page will be opened in your default browser.
For rows with pre-populated values, review the text entered in the row, generally this will relate to a technical characteristic of the product or where there is only a single value or option. Occasionally the pre-populated text may indicate a range of values for the row, in which case edit the text to specify the required value in conjunction with the product listing in Source or the product details in the Products panel in Chorus. If in any doubt, please contact the manufacturer for assistance with specifying their product.
For empty rows, select the appropriate option from the drop down list, you should do this in conjunction with the product listing in Source or the product details in the Products panel in Chorus. In particular you should be reviewing whether the listing/details indicate restrictions, e.g., ‘40mm Except Bluestone’, ‘60mm Bluestone only’, or ‘Not all colours are available with all sizes, consult manufacturer for details’. If in any doubt, please contact the manufacturer for assistance with specifying their product.
Reviewing and completing the added manufacturer product data template - CMS specifications only
Once the template has been added the newly added section can be selected from the contents list.
To complete the specification for this product carefully review the section and the articles it contains. Depending on the product being added there may be additional details which require inserting or options to be selected/ deleted. If in any doubt, please contact the manufacturer for assistance with specifying their product.
To read more about permalinks, please refer to the separate What are permalinks topic.
You will also notice one or more parked rows within the clause. Please refer to the separate Parked rows after manufacturer product details are added topic for further information regarding this.