Interoperability

The purpose of IFC exchange is not to create native content in other applications. Users may want editing capabilities with the exported elements (transferring the ownership) or want perfect geometry (the other party will only use the model as reference) depending on the purpose of the model exchange.

GRAPHISOFT recommends the latter ‘Reference Model Concept’ in order to retain the ownership, however for example in case of the initial structural model the user may want to transfer so-called extruded/revolved geometry model elements that allow some editing. This also means that for example Solid Element Operations and/or Priority-Based Junctions will not be exported – the geometry is not perfect.
For coordination or inserting a structural/MEP model into Archicad or Quality Assurance with Solibri Model Checker or Navisworks the geometry is of great importance, this way it should be exported with the BREP (boundary representation) method to generate the exact same representation as in the authoring tool.

The IFC exchange setup needs upfront testing between the different parties and the translators need to be set up according to the actual purpose of use.

Translators are the IFC import/export settings stored in an XML file (they can be shared among computers by simple copy-pasting of the files). Check the Help Center for more details on actual import and export settings.

When starting an exchange process try using the General Translator or one of the default dedicated translators. If it doesn’t work or there are no dedicated translators for the actual application, then try tweaking the translators. Duplicate an existing translator and change it, start with its Geometry Conversion and Data Settings options.

Always test the output by opening it in a free IFC viewer – such as Solibri Model Viewer or Tekla BIMsight -, before sending it to a collaborator. Solibri Model Viewer and Tekla BIMsight will show the issues precisely which have to be fixed before sharing.

The IFC Translator settings require some compromises from the user regarding geometry representation for example while one setting may work with certain types of elements, another setting may work with different types of elements only. In order to apply both options, the model has to be separated into parts and exported in portions with the settings respectively. Visual filtering by layers, selections, views is usually good enough for this purpose.

IFC also works as selective model exchange, meaning only specific relevant elements will be exported to the different parties (along with different element information and data sets) and not the whole model. Fittings have no relevancy to structural engineers, nor furniture to M&E engineers, nor purchase price during collision detection and model coordination, etc., therefore this information does not have to be included in each model we share, only when it is relevant.

Likely, but it depends on the receiving software as well. The most widely used BIM tools are all certified for IFC2x3 Coordination View 2.0, which means that they are all capable of reading and writing (authoring tools only) IFC files. See the list of certification participants here.

In case of Revit, the import capabilities highly depend on the version. There are significant improvements implemented every year, furthermore both Autodesk and GRAPHISOFT develops Revit add-ins for better import and export. To import IFC files into Revit, Graphisoft recommends using the GRAPHISOFT Archicad Connection Add-In for Autodesk Revit. For exporting IFC from Revit the same add-in might be used or in case of Revit models with links Autodesk own solution is recommended (IFC 2017, IFC 2016).

Archicad is definitely suitable to be the backbone of the BIM process due to the wide range of interoperability formats. Find a comprehensive AEC Workflow Guide based on Archicad here, which introduces all design phases starting from mass modeling to the structural modeling, quality assurance and cost estimation based on an architectural model created in Archicad.

Use the General Translator or the BIM4You translator as a base and check IFC Base Quantities under Export Options/Data Settings. Change the Geometry Conversion settings accordingly (Extruded/revolved or BREP).

A calculation sheet for Buildability Score is part of the latest Archicad template (Native BIM Submission template). Find the most updated, BCA-approved version and the user guide at the CORENET website.

As an alternative you may export to SIACAD eBDAS via IFC by following the steps of this article.

The File/Interoperability/DXF-DWG/DXF-DWG Translation Setup… menu command leads to the DWG output setup. The translator settings stored in an XML file (they can be shared among computers by simple copy-pasting of the files). The user can create conversion tables under Attributes for Pens, Layers, Fills and Lines, etc.

Archicad can natively open SKP files downloaded from Google Warehouse. To insert them into an ongoing project save them as objects first then load it to the project via the Library Manager.

Depending on the detail level of the object it might contain additional 2D lines which can spoil the 2D and 3D representation. In these cases the object can also be converted to Morph as an interim or final step. The whole workflow can be read here.

You need to convert the Revit files to BIMx. Export them as IFC (3D) and DWG (2D), import them to Archicad and overlay them. Finally publish the BIMx files from Archicad. The whole process has been published and available in our From Revit to BIMx Workflow Guide for free after registration.

Even better, there are multiple options, depending on the Archicad version you want to use Rhino along with.

From Archicad 20 onwards, 3DM files can be opened natively, this will result in a static object in Archicad without any parametric capabilities.

A better solution is to create a live link in between Rhinoceros (and Grasshopper) and Archicad using the Grasshopper – Archicad Live Connection that allows inserting the parametric design into Archicad. Change the parameters in Rhino and Grasshopper and see the changes in Archicad instantly.

Yes, simply drag-and-drop the PDF files into your Archicad workspace, select it, right-click and choose Explode into Current View. You can define the explosion settings after and get the PDF converted into native Archicad 2D elements, such as lines, arcs, fills or texts. There is no need to redraw the details manually by tracing over, furthermore the same process is applicable for DWG files as well.

There are many ways of converting external data into a real, modeled Archicad terrain element:

• If the data is provided in DWG, the terrain can be easily remodeled based on the visible information using the basic modeling tools.
• If the data is provided in a TXT file (coordinates), then the terrain can be automatically generated using the File/Interoperability/Place Mesh from Surveyors Data… menu command.
• If the data is provided in a point cloud file, then the terrain can converted in a few steps explained in this article.

Contractors shall also use Archicad throughout the Tendering, Pre-Construction, Construction stages all the way to as-built models of the Handing over procedure. Find our Contractors’ Essential Guide for more information.