Autodesk Forma Search Sets: A Smarter Way to Manage Model Coordination
When working with large, federated models, finding the information you need can sometimes take almost as much time as the coordination work itself.
Whether you're reviewing MEP systems, checking structural elements or focusing on a particular level or project zone, teams can find themselves repeatedly applying the same filters and rebuilding the same selections.
Search Sets in Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration provide a smarter way to manage this.
Search Sets allow you to define groups of model elements using their properties and metadata, save those criteria and reuse them whenever they're needed. Instead of starting from scratch for every review, teams can create consistent, repeatable ways of accessing the right information within a model.
What Are Search Sets in Autodesk Forma?
Search Sets are reusable queries that identify model objects based on their properties and metadata.
Rather than saving a static selection of individual objects, a Search Set stores the criteria used to find them. This means the search can continue to identify matching elements as the model develops.
For example, you could create Search Sets for:
- MEP ductwork
- Structural framing
- Elements on a particular level
- Specific project zones
- Objects with defined assembly codes
- Systems following particular naming conventions
When creating or selecting a Search Set, matching objects are highlighted within the model viewer, making it easy to check that the search is returning the information you expect.
How Can Search Sets Improve Model Coordination?
The main advantage of Search Sets is simple: teams don't have to repeatedly find the same model information.
A commonly used search can be created once and returned to whenever it is needed. This can be particularly useful for recurring coordination meetings, discipline reviews and checks focused on floors, zones or systems.
Focus Your Model Reviews
Search Sets allow coordinators to quickly narrow a large model down to the elements relevant to a particular review.
Multiple Search Sets can also be used together to investigate relationships between different areas or systems, such as:
- Supply air ductwork and fire protection
- Structural steel and architectural ceiling systems
- A particular level and its mechanical room
This gives teams a clearer view of the areas they need to coordinate without unnecessary model information getting in the way.
Explore the Data Behind Your Model
Search Sets can also be used alongside the Object Table to explore the information associated with model objects. This can help teams review:
- Object counts
- Parameter information
- Missing or incomplete data
- Classification information
- Naming conventions
For complex federated models, starting with a clearly defined Search Set can make large amounts of model data much easier to review.
Build More Consistent BIM Workflows
Search Sets can become more than a convenient way to filter a model. They can also help organisations standardise how recurring coordination tasks are carried out.
Instead of individual coordinators creating their own filters each time, teams can develop agreed Search Sets for common requirements such as MEP coordination, structural reviews, project zones or classification checks.
Search Sets can also be imported between projects, allowing useful searches to be reused rather than recreated.
For organisations managing multiple BIM projects, this can help:
- Reduce repetitive setup
- Improve consistency between coordinators
- Standardise common model checks
- Support new team members
- Reuse established workflows across projects
Over time, a well-managed Search Set library can become a useful part of an organisation's wider BIM coordination standards.
Use Search Sets Across Autodesk Forma
The value of Search Sets isn't limited to Model Coordination.
Search Sets are also available within Forma Data Management, extending property-based searches into wider project data workflows.
Search Sets created in either experience can be used across the project, helping teams work with model objects without having to recreate the same queries for different tasks.
This makes Search Sets particularly useful for organisations looking to create more connected and consistent ways of working with project information across Autodesk Forma.
Best Practices for Creating Search Sets
A useful Search Set library doesn't need to contain hundreds of searches. A smaller collection built around genuine, repeatable project requirements will usually be easier for teams to manage and reuse.
Build Searches Around Reliable Properties
Use model information that is consistently populated and maintained. Depending on your workflow, this could include:
- System
- Category
- Level
- Discipline
- Assembly code
Search Sets depend on the quality of the underlying model data, so consistent information will produce more reliable results.
Keep Naming Simple and Consistent
Use names that immediately explain what a Search Set contains. A consistent naming structure becomes increasingly important as Search Sets are shared between users and projects.
For example: MEP | Ductwork | Levels 2–4 is much clearer than: Duct Query v3
Check Your Results
Before saving a Search Set for wider use, review the highlighted objects in the model viewer. This provides a quick way to confirm that your criteria are returning the intended elements before the search becomes part of a regular workflow.
Prioritise Useful Searches
Focus on searches your team will genuinely use. A concise library covering common coordination requirements will be easier to understand, maintain and reuse than a large collection of highly specific or duplicated searches.
Spend Less Time Searching and More Time Coordinating
Search Sets provide a straightforward way to make complex model information easier to access.
By creating reusable searches around the properties and criteria that matter to your projects, teams can reduce repetitive model navigation, improve consistency and create more structured coordination workflows.
For organisations working across multiple projects, Search Sets can also provide a foundation for standardising common model reviews and data checks across teams. The result is less time spent preparing models for review and more time focused on coordination, identifying issues and making informed project decisions
Improve Your Autodesk Forma Workflows with TMS CADCentre
Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration provides cloud-based tools to help AEC teams collaborate on designs, coordinate models and work with connected project information.
At TMS CADCentre, we help businesses find the right Autodesk solutions for their requirements and get more from their existing software and workflows.
Whether you're exploring Autodesk Forma, looking to improve your BIM coordination processes or need advice on the right Autodesk solution for your business, contact our team to discuss your requirements.
