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.

Revit Structural as a HLM

lparke
Contributor
Looking for advice when bringing in a structural engineer's revit structural model as an IFC hotlink module. With myself never using Revit and my P/E never using Archicad. how do we go about understanding the translators? Although we got it worked out after a few tries, I'm told in revit there are not stories but rather reference planes. Also revit doesn't use Layers, although I do see some layers come in that I can control but I can't get granular enough to turn on and off layers. As an example, our archicad building envelope is referenced in the structural engineers model on the A-Wall layer. I can easily turn off that layer but when doing so it turns off the foundation wall connecting the slab with the top of the grade beam. I'd rather not model this in archicad since it's a structural element and it doesn't clean up well. I've attached a Revit export panel the P/E sent. Any suggestions on what he should check or do on his side so I can control more elements individually.
ArchiCAD v27 (since v11)
MacBook Pro M1 Max, 64GB
macOS Sonoma
2 REPLIES 2
Anonymous
Not applicable
I never ‘insert’ a consultant’s model to use as part of my model, I model all beams, columns, retaining walls etc I only reference in their model(s) for checking / review so granular control / display is not necessary.

Typically I find consultants models poorly modelled with elements not joined (because that’s the way they have always shown them in 2d), not dimensionally accurate, not coordinated (even between engineering disciplines within the same office) etc.

For export you should make sure that all of your elements in your Archicad model have the correct classification as it is these classifications that Revit will use to organise / filter your model.

Revit I find is particularly poor at cooperating with other software, model I have been working on in Archicad takes about 3min to export to IFC, takes about 3min to open in BIM Viewer, and takes about 5 hours to open in Revit!

Regards
Scott
lparke
Contributor
Thanks. That's what we've done in the past but seems so redundant. As much as AC brags about interoperability seems like it should be easier (by now) and not need a software engineer's degree to figure it out.
ArchiCAD v27 (since v11)
MacBook Pro M1 Max, 64GB
macOS Sonoma