Collaboration with other software
About model and data exchange with 3rd party solutions: Revit, Solibri, dRofus, Bluebeam, structural analysis solutions, and IFC, BCF and DXF/DWG-based exchange, etc.

!Restored: sketchup?

Anonymous
Not applicable
Any body had any luck with sketch up brand cad imports? We have a pool designer that uses that program and the owner wants his pool in our model.
25 REPLIES 25
Dave Jochum
Advocate
I use SketchUp for almost every project--it's a great tool for massing and relationship studies and quick communication of ideas. I recently panned the idea of importing SU models into AC because one of the beauties of SU is that you can work very quickly without being preoccupied with exact measurements. Importing an imprecise model into AC doesn't give one a head start, IMHO--it's faster (for me) to create a building from scratch than fix an import.

I've just found a great new (to me) use for SU, however, that I would love to be able to import into AC in 3D. I've spent hours upon hours laboring through various cabinet-making library parameter windows to get accurate designs--and never quite getting there. I recently designed a cabinet in SU with precise detail and with 1/16" tolerance, merged the 2D and perspective views into an AC plan window, touched up line weights, added dimensions and labels, then imported into PM for finished CDs. The result was a perfectly accurate set of drawings (which I never could have done completely in CabinetMaker or other library part) and was done very quickly--and the perspective views were extremely helpful in conveying the design.

So...this is just a long-winded agreement that a SU 4-to-AC 9 translator would be a terrific tool.
Dave Jochum
J o c h u m A R C H I T E C T S http://www.jochumarchitects.com
MBP 16" (M1 Max) 64 GB•OS 13.5.2•AC 27 Silicon (latest build)
Anonymous
Not applicable
That (2d views) you could do via dwg/dxf export and importing into ArchiCAD.

I think what would be great use is creating 3d components in SketchUp and translating into AC library parts, and do sections, dimensions, placing into rooms in Archicad/PM.

I found that ArchiCAD is very good putting mildly sloppy models into accurate "world", and give them proper attributes.
Dwight
Newcomer
In all the effort to make the BIM accurate and ArchiCAD getting so complicated, it is so ironic that we all love the plasticity of SketchUp.

Leo Kottke was right.
Dwight Atkinson
Thomas Holm
Booster
Leo Kottke was right.
Please excuse an ignorant, what did he say?
AC4.1-AC26SWE; MacOS13.5.1; MP5,1+MBP16,1
Dwight
Newcomer
"I'm going to take this lovely melody and drive it right into the ground."

According to Karl O, who has actually seen him in concert, he can really do it, too.
Dwight Atkinson
Eduardo Rolon
Moderator
I have been using SU for modeling counter and other objects that I have not been able to figure out how to do in AC. I had tried the SU export to AC and its results were less than perfect. Right know what I do is build the object in SU and export the 3D model as a DWG or 3DS this I use to create a library part in AC.
For example in this project I used AC for the basic pier, SketchUp to design the slanted columns (with the client looking over my shoulder) and the roof tool with SEO to create the canopy. Everything was integrated in AC for CD's and C4D for rendering.
Eduardo Rolón AIA NCARB
AC27 US/INT -> AC08

Macbook Pro M1 Max 64GB ram, OS X 10.XX latest
another Moderator

Anonymous
Not applicable
Please add my voice to the choir of AC users wanting more inherently 3D modeling capabilities within AC. I also use SketchUp for most of my design work, even tho I pay a price redrawing in AC. It's very much like my experience in larger architectural offices where some folks design and other folks prepare const docs.

SketchUp is as accurate as I am. 3D by its nature, there's nothing like whipping views around to get at that precise endpoint to do something.

I want to work in one program to avoid all the frustration of I/E btw programs. Given that many AC users want the 3D of other programs to design, it would be much better if Graphisoft could make the imported 3DS or DXF objects editable.

I have been trying get a more 3D interface by buying Zoom GDL very recently and running on another computer with AC 8.1. Zoom is supposed to run within AC 8.1. So far it will not- Abvent is supposed to reply with a fix. Has anyone tried Zoom or ArchiForma within AC?
Dwight
Newcomer
I love SketchUp because it is fun, and a darned quick way to describe an architect's idea, if not a building. Not so much time invested to try out a concept that we all know is going to change.....

There are many simple 3D programs now that work with block primitives and have wonderful rendering - Silo, Amapi and modo being a range of products below $1000. that do free-form modeling and have a fluid interface. These all make the losengeblobs that come into ArchiCAD with surfaces smoothed.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
Herb wrote:
I have been trying get a more 3D interface by buying Zoom GDL very recently and running on another computer with AC 8.1. Zoom is supposed to run within AC 8.1. So far it will not- Abvent is supposed to reply with a fix. Has anyone tried Zoom or ArchiForma within AC?
As I hear GDL Tool Box is a good one, maybe you look at that.
Thanks,
Joseph
Dwight
Newcomer
I have great satisfaction with Archiforma because it economically addresses the three main problems of object making in ArchiCAD:

1: tilting - x and y rotation - constant ArchiCAD TALK whining about this issue.

2: quick editing of element.

3: simple easing of edges - for rendering, everything should have an eased edge

All ArchiCAD modelers should have ArchForma.

Zoom is more powerful in freeform space, but there is also more to learn.
My inclination when faced with a complex modeling challenge is to use a completely separate freeform modeler and bring in the smooth object from 3ds format.
Dwight Atkinson