ArchiCAD MEP Modeler

[Karl Ottenstein]

Some time during this coming week, we can anticipate an announcement from Graphisoft concerning their new MEP Modeler for ArchiCAD.

Various people that you know from these forums have been beta testing it for some time, but of course have been sworn to secrecy. We've just been released from our non-disclosure.

So, I can start the 'leak' of information here. 😉

Personally, I have no real-world MEP experience, so my opinion doesn't carry a lot of weight compared to other people that you may hear from.

I'm really impressed with the MEP Modeler. It's fun to use and has quite a bit of intelligence. Routing and editing is easily done in 3D as well as 2D, and the various parts snap together intelligently...including smart connection 'ports' on both new MEP objects as well as related objects in the standard library (sinks, WCs, washer/dryer, furnace, etc). Touching elements can be treated as an assembly.

Conflicts with other building elements are easily highlighted with a Collision Detection feature that really works well and is cleverly integrated with the markup features of ArchiCAD. Only collisions between MEP elements and any other element are detected. (It is not a general-purpose collision detection feature: it will not detect a column that penetrates a floor, for example.)

The MEP Preferences let you pre-define the typical sizes and lengths used for ducts, pipes and cable carriers to make it easier to work with components that correspond to actual building elements.

The MEP Systems dialog lets you define the various systems to be used in your building and how elements in each system should appear. For example, ductwork is for air, but you can define systems for Cooling, Exhaust Air, Heating, Return Air, Recovery Air, etc as desired, all of which would use ductwork, but might display themselves with different pens, materials or line styles - and which would be selectable as systems.

There are a couple of unique work methods, but nothing big - just have to learn it. For example, if you select multiple MEP elements and want to modify them together, you cannot use the Object Settings dialog or Edit Selection Set, instead there is an Edit Selected Elements dialog. But, since that dialog is customized for MEP, it is actually cleaner, once you are used to it.

There are new pet palette options for editing, and there is a connection library part that one can assemble along with other AC elements and save a custom MEP part with smart ports without programming in GDL. For example, if you needed a floor grate for a conditioned air system, you could create it with tiny walls or beams (etc), place the connection object as desired under it, and save the bits as a new lib part. When you route ductwork to this floor grate, it will snap to the port.

This is just a way-cool and long-awaited addition to ArchiCAD.

I have no information on pricing, etc.... so am staying tuned for the announcement like everyone else. We're told that a WIBU protection keyplug is required to run the MEP Modeler within ArchiCAD: it can be either the same keyplug that has your ArchiCAD license, or a separate one.

Cheers,
Karl

PS There is also a new plug-in for AutoCAD MEP 2008 and 2009 that allows you to export AutoCAD MEP systems into ArchiCAD via IFC. I did not test this, so can't offer any comments.

PPS I do not receive any compensation from Graphisoft for this post or any of my time/work on these forums or the wiki.

[__archiben]

Dwight wrote:
please confirm that i could make a proper and real handrail.

too easy . . .

[Rob]

it is very good to hear / see this...(thanks Ben)
Now I am regretting that I did not try to fiddle with the beta version I have had.

[Dwight]

Thanks, Ben.

"Ooo. Baby!"

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Handrails?

Who'd a thunk it.

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Dwight, itsa trick

[Eduardo Rolon]

Aaron wrote:
Dwight, itsa trick

actually…

[__archiben]

it can even make handrails for canadian geriatrics...

[Bricklyne Clarence]

~/archiben wrote:

Dwight wrote:
please confirm that i could make a proper and real handrail.

too easy . . .

........soooo, I guess the obvious question begged here would be, is there any reason why this kind of modeling robustness isn't part of, or integrated into an actual new and improved Stair tool, the current version of which as we all know, handles handrails (pun intended) and handrail modeling like gang-busters?

I recall asking this same question back in ArchiCAD 9 when the MEP modeler existed as the DuctWorks add-on, and basically wondering why in the hell Graphisoft didn't just employ the same kind of intelligence in their Stair tool, or certain aspects of the Roof tool (Fascias and such), as opposed to forcing their users to have to resort to ludicrous work-arounds. Of course, back then Ductworks, wasn't owned by GS and was developed by a third-party company, which folded shortly afterward. But GS did buy out the Ductworks technology and even integrated it into Constructor. So the question again remains, if you can have a system that handles modeling a discrete construction element (handrails for a start) with the sort of ease that's sorely lacking in their much-decried Stair Tool, why do we still have a lame Stair Tool in AC12 when they have been sitting on this kind of technology since AC9 ( and not counting the cameo in Graphisoft/VICO Constructor in between).

Oh I forgot, we have to pay for it now. On top of the license fees. And then we can enjoy the privilege of using it as a work-around to the still lacking Stair Tool.

P.S. This MEP modeler sounds pretty impressive, btw, from what we've seen and been told so far; so don't get me wrong. Again, it's just too bad that GS now seem like they will make their customers pay for it after, I recall them promising that it would be a free upgrade for existing customers sometime last year - but I guess since that wasn't an official announcement, it didn't really count.

[Erika Epstein]

Thanks Ben.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info!

Is this MEP thingy just an add-on, or is it a completely separate version of AC?

How do the features compare to, say, Revit MEP? Is there any automation? Can it calculate duct & pipe sizes automatically, depending on loading or length etc? Any sort of duct auto-routing between outlets?

How does the new 'add-on'(?) deal with plumbing and electrical systems? Are the editing tools similar too?

I assume the parts created are fully schedulable per branch/circuit?

I find it slightly amusing most peeps seem to be more excited by the handrail modelling possibilities! It kinda shows how limited the current toolset is for such basic tasks!