COMSOL Livelink for Archicad?

[furtonb]

Hi,

I came across the COMSOL Livelink for Revit. It seems pretty powerful at first glance:

https://www.comsol.com/video/setting-up-a-simulation-using-livelink-for-revit

This one shows an acoustic simulation, but it's also possible to do HAM (heat and moisture) simulations with it - which might be much closer to an architect's daily workflow (detail assessment). I am personally interested in the building physics and BEM aspects of it, but structural, acoustics, etc. simulations are also possible with it. 

As Archicad opened more towards external solutions with connection plugins (GH-AC connection, Twinmotion, etc.), it would be awesome to have a connection towards COMSOL. Previously, I had to model some complicated 3D details in Rhino, and set the materials, boundary conditions, etc. in COMSOL - I would like to do this from Archicad.

Right now I'm playing with the Revit Livelink, but I realised for the 100th time, that I don't really like working there - saving a model from AC25 to Revit then to export towards COMSOL again are just unnecessary steps at the moment, which I would prefer to skip.

I know that the audience for detailed FEA might be pretty niche on this forum, but AC right now seriously lacks comforting solutions for energy performance assessment.

Current workflows are just way too complicated, and make the reuse of already entered material properties, geometry hard.

I'm curious what others think about this! Do you do any simulations, or do you just outsource for consultants and never worry about such things?

[Nader Belal]

Hi,

Take what I'm going to say with a pinch of salt, but I believe there are similar solutions that were already made available in Rhino + GH, some are free, others are paid.

So theoretically you can do the same using Archicad <--> Grasshopper connection, and the plugin for doing that type of calculations of your choice.

If you are going to there are some known plugins that you should see for grasshopper:

1. LadyBug Tools
2. Diva (not sure, but worth asking)
3. Soap (the one that make wind calculations)

[furtonb]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm familiar with the plugins that you mention, none of them fall into the category as COMSOL does. LBT is an interface for EnergyPlus and Radiance, which are really good at what they do (I'm a frequent user of them, you can find me on that forum as well), they are not a multiphysics engine. 

Right now a possible workflow from AC to COMSOL is through Rhino, as there are no good IO options: https://www.comsol.com/cad-import-module

Although I'm able to save a .dwg or .dxf from the Archicad model space, I get an error when trying to import it directly to COMSOL.

Setting up the model again and again is definitely possible, and sometimes necessary when dealing with extremely complex (in terms of a usual architect-model) assemblies, it shouldn't be the majority case. If I set up a building material in Archicad, I model a building, or part of it in Archicad, I expect not to do the same again and again and again down the line. Whenever I need to include Rhino as a middleman, there are information that I'm losing. BTW: Rhino is really a swiss army knife for 3D these days - is there a wish to convert AC properties to Rhino keys/values and back?

It would be really cool to actually have things developed for IFC, not in their own bubble, but until that "IFC Livelink to COMSOL" happens, I would love to have the same functionality as the folks on the dark side have.:)

In the meantime:

[Nader Belal]

Give 1-2 hours, and I may propose a workaround.

[Nader Belal]

@furtonb 

There is a program called CAD Exchange , basically it function is it's name.

So either you export your model from Archicad as IFC or DWG, and save it in another format compatible with Comsol accepted import format

[furtonb]

That's what I'm using Rhino for...