topic Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination in Collaboration with other software

Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 18:24:40 GMT

Good Afternoon,

My firm is currently using Revit Structure and we are getting ready to do a project with a local architect who uses ArchiCAD. Has anyone here had any experience with trying to coordinate the 2 formats of models?

I'm wondering if we'll need to utilize some 3rd party software like NavisWorks?

Any insights would be great,

Rick McElvain

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Aaron Bourgoin — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 19:07:59 GMT

Since Revit appears to have only one-directional IFC capability, the ArchiCAD model will house the building data you model.

I would not wait to start on the project, but rather build a doghouse with the ArchiCAD team and have a look at the issues that arise. Take a bit of time of front, meet at least once in the same room and make some decisions about protocols. Do that for modeling as well as output and base information exchnage and you'll all draw/construct less and be happier at the end of the day.

The bottom line is that you have to achieve a buy-in from all concerned.

Build a doghouse. First.

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Aaron Bourgoin — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 19:09:03 GMT

A multi-story doghouse.

With a back porch.

And a walk-out basement.

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 19:16:26 GMT

Aaron wrote:
A multi-story doghouse.

With a back porch.

And a walk-out basement.

Good info and great ideas Aaron, that doghouse bit made me laugh! My first project was a humane society building

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Scott Davis — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 04:58:57 GMT

Well, the architectural model will be in ArchiCAD. Then there will be an export process to 3D DWG, and that model will be imported into Revit Structures. The 3D DWG will have no intelligence of the AC model, so Revit will treat it as a series of 'solids' in simple terms. You will end up rebuilding in Revit Structures, all of the 'structural' parts of the building. (which could be a substantial model, depneding on the building)

You may be better off to have the AC model exported as 2D dwg, and then rebuild it in Structures using the 2D as backgrounds. You could then export out a 3D DWG model from RS that the AC guys could re-import for interference checking. Or the RS model could be exported in an IFC format for importing back to AC...but since I haven't done this yet, I'm not sure how it works.

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Aaron Bourgoin — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 15:23:47 GMT

Stick to your guns and use the IFC export tools. You're paying Autodesk good money for support, Revit Structure is new and so your dealer will want to make sure that you succeed. Figure out how to do it yourself if you have to so you can show them. They'll be amazed, I'm sure.

Don't use DWG export. Its a dawg whose days are numbered.

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

TomWaltz — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 15:53:27 GMT

Scott wrote:
Well, the architectural model will be in ArchiCAD. Then there will be an export process to 3D DWG, and that model will be imported into Revit Structures. The 3D DWG will have no intelligence of the AC model, so Revit will treat it as a series of 'solids' in simple terms. You will end up rebuilding in Revit Structures, all of the 'structural' parts of the building. (which could be a substantial model, depneding on the building)

You may be better off to have the AC model exported as 2D dwg, and then rebuild it in Structures using the 2D as backgrounds. You could then export out a 3D DWG model from RS that the AC guys could re-import for interference checking. Or the RS model could be exported in an IFC format for importing back to AC...but since I haven't done this yet, I'm not sure how it works.

Scott

is there no way for Revit to import an intelligent model, like IFC?

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Scott Davis — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 17:39:45 GMT

currently, Revit has an IFC export, but not import. I expect the import is around the corner. Revit will import intelligent data from ADT....but who wants to work in ADT??

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Aaron Bourgoin — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 20:12:21 GMT

take care to look at the version or flavour of IFC export out of Revit as I think its currently at a pretty low level. If its 1.0 or thereabouts there may be multi-story compatibility problems and you may have to do the exporting floor-by-floor.

ADT's IFC implementation is probably more robust but is handled by a third party.

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 21:58:59 GMT

To my understanding Risa and Ram import/export the model from Revit without IFC - see my earlier post this is what the vendors told me.

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:06:35 GMT

I had no idea the thread got moved ! I did export the doghouse to IFC and am waiting to hear from our architectural client. He sent me a 3D dwg export and it's just as Scott said, uncategorized solid (no clash detection capabilities). I'll update the post once I hear back from our client.

Rick

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 13:38:31 GMT

I'm the Architect working with Rick M.

ArchiCAD needs to be upgraded to IFC ver 2.2 and then the import of Revit Structural works fine . The upgrade can found at http://www.graphisoft.com/support/ifc/downloads/public/.

The Revit objects come in as walls (with composites), slabs, library objects, etc. Many of the objects are not as "editable" as I would like to see, but it is a start.

It should be interesting & exciting to see how well this collaboration works out!

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Djordje — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 08:32:53 GMT

Rick wrote:
I had no idea the thread got moved !

Sorry, I should have notified you!

Rick wrote:
I did export the doghouse to IFC and am waiting to hear from our architectural client. He sent me a 3D dwg export and it's just as Scott said, uncategorized solid (no clash detection capabilities). I'll update the post once I hear back from our client.

Please do!

We are all hopeful that IFC will finally break down the file exchange barriers.

The horrible thing is - most of the industry, suspiciously not so computer literate, does NOT realize that there is a problem! I encounter that frequently - they call and say "send me the CD" OK, what file format? Blank.

Good luck!

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:39:35 GMT

Well, we're really getting the project underway now. The initial IFC file that worked well can no longer be replicated. I have available to email anyone who's interested some sample IFC files in the hopes that someone will be able to have the steel ones work for them. It seems that the WF Column and WF Beam families are not coming across very well (okay, that's an understatement .... really badly would be closer to the mark).

This is a LINK to a free IFC Viewer so you can see what the files are supposed to look like (they all work fine with this Viewer).

I can't attach the files due to the size restraints, so if you are interested please let me know and I'll forward the files to you directly.

I would appreciate any feedback given in the hopes that I can narrow down what I need to change in my Revit Families to get this translation to work.

Thanks in advance,

Rick

Re: Revit Structure and ArchiCAD coordination

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 23:24:18 GMT

For anyone interested, we are able to import the Revit Structural model via IFC. There are a few things the Structural Engineer (Rick)needed to do in Revit so steel shapes would come through properly. There are also a few things we do with the IFC file so ArchiCAD can utilize the Structural model.
On our end (Architects'), we open the structural IFC file and save it to a PLN and a PLA.
In our architectural model, we attach the stories of the PLN as modules and load the PLA as a library. As we get updated structural information via IFC, we simply open the IFC file and save over the PLN & PLA files.
All the steel automatically updated in our architectural model.
We are still having difficulties with the concrete (footings and foundations), but I'm sure we will resolve that shortly.

Later,
Brett Luecke, AIA
Connolly Architects, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI