Importing solid geometry (BREPs)

[Anonymous]

hello,
is there a way to import solid geometry (BREP) into Archicad? Something saved as *.SAT or similar.
IFC2x3 - although handling BREPs internally - comes into Archicad as tesselated mesh. Anyway to import it as solid (maybe as Morph object, which btw is based on solids or meshes?)

thanks for input!

[Piotr Dobrowolski]

You need someone to write a "big" plugin that would translate one scripting language (GH or so) to another (GDL) - it is not impossible, but it is a big task. I do not think the complete translation will be possible anyway. It might be a kind of GH script interpreter (addon) working inside AC that would create a GH script object on demand - but in the end creating a GDL object binded to this addon (low level GDL or binary) - so the modification would be possible via GH script.

For most users the import of dummy objects is good enough so I do not think such a "translator" would appear in the near future.

Best Regards,
Piotr

[Anonymous]

Its not about grasshopper or rhino. Its about archicad not interpreting solid geometry.

[Anonymous]

I can't really advise on importing SAT or geometry (I don't know enough about archicad).

If possible, you can define the IFC file using constructive solid geometry. Graphisoft have implemented many of these. So if you can define your base shape as an extrusion and then cut voids/openings out of it, you might be able to achieve something as you desire. Note my gh plugin converts the nurbs to a polycurve of arcs (to rhino document tolerance).




GH Definition http://geometrygym.wikidot.com/local--files/ifc/130825%20extruded%20wall%20with%20opening.gh

Sample http://geometrygym.wikidot.com/local--files/ifc/130825%20extruded%20wall%20with%20opening.ifc

Rhino itself doesn't store the explicit history on a brep (polysurface) with the sequence of modelling steps to create it. It only stores the resulting nurbs faces and trims. IFC4 has advanced breps (similar to SAT or DWG) with nurbs faces, but I don't know if Graphisoft intend to implement this when they release their IFC4 importer.

I hope it helps a little,

Jon