Find the next step in your career as a Graphisoft Certified BIM Manager!

Modeling
About Archicad's design tools, element connections, modeling concepts, etc.

Archicad 25. FBX format export

bouhmidage
Advisor

Since Archicad 25 doesn't export fbx directly, here is a solution using linked model into sketchup, 


On the Archicad side :
- Export your project from Archicad using SKP format, (file 1)

Then Go to sketchup :

- Open an empty sketchup model, it will be used as an FBX exporter file. (file 2)

- go for : File, import, and import your .SKP Model exported from Archicad, DON'T EXPLODE IT

- export your the model as .FBX,

 

Now the tricky part, If you did some changes on the Archicad model, Export again and override the old file, (file 1)
inside sketchup, (file 2) Right click on the imported component and click on reload, the model will be updated,

Export as .FBX again.

Hope it help.

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, 32 GB RAM, RTX 3080 10 GB
Archicad 25
Windows 10 professional
https://www.behance.net/Nuance-Architects
10 REPLIES 10

It's really unfortunate that with all of the purported visualization benefits of Archicad, we cannot export to the industry standard FBX, and are still waiting for BIMx to be fixed after it was broken. I've moved on to Twinmotion Cloud Presenter for client presentations, but I would recommend we all have a backup plan for when that blows up.

Man, you all should have been around in the '90s and early-'00s when Graphisoft really cared.

Rex Maximilian, Honolulu, USA - www.rexmaximilian.com
ArchiCAD 27 (user since 3.4, 1991)
16" MacBook Pro; M1 Max (2021), 32GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 32-Core GPU
Apple Vision Pro w/ BIMx
Creator of the Maximilian ArchiCAD Template System
4dProof
Advisor

as a short term "hack", we have just been saving back to AC24 then save as twinmotion/fbx. I only have one client that has a consultant that uses FBX, so it hasn't been a problem. The bigger issue is that updating a twinmotion file started with TM FBX to now use a .datasmith format results in the model(s) in TM rotating 90º around the project origin

BIM solutions and trouble shooting (self proclaimed) expert. Using Archicad 26 5002 US on Mac OS 11.5.2

yeah, AC has one advantage over other software; that it is almost completely open format, to the point that they are importing/exporting other brands proprietary formats ootb now (rfa/rvt)... so to abandon a generic format like fbx is insane to me. I'm sure it makes sense from a development standpoint, but as a BIM authoring tool, loosing a format for import/export is a major hit... while they cling to antiquated features like "trim to roof" (outdated since SEO), they abandon other useful coordination features

BIM solutions and trouble shooting (self proclaimed) expert. Using Archicad 26 5002 US on Mac OS 11.5.2

Hello bouhmidage,

 

Archicad is able to export FBX by a simple twinmotion export.

 

Christophe - FRANCE
Archicad Designer and Teacher
Archicad 15 to 27 FRA FULL

OS 11.6 Big Sur - MacBook Pro 2017 - 16Go RAM
"Quality is never an accident ; it's always the result of an intelligent effort" John Ruskin

Since v25, fbx format is no longer available

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, 32 GB RAM, RTX 3080 10 GB
Archicad 25
Windows 10 professional
https://www.behance.net/Nuance-Architects

You are able to find it here : 

https://www.twinmotion.com/en-US/plugins

Christophe - FRANCE
Archicad Designer and Teacher
Archicad 15 to 27 FRA FULL

OS 11.6 Big Sur - MacBook Pro 2017 - 16Go RAM
"Quality is never an accident ; it's always the result of an intelligent effort" John Ruskin

that is to export a .datasmith format, which is not FBX and can not be formatted to FBX

BIM solutions and trouble shooting (self proclaimed) expert. Using Archicad 26 5002 US on Mac OS 11.5.2

@4dProof wrote:

yeah, AC has one advantage over other software; that it is almost completely open format, to the point that they are importing/exporting other brands proprietary formats ootb now (rfa/rvt)... so to abandon a generic format like fbx is insane to me. I'm sure it makes sense from a development standpoint, but as a BIM authoring tool, loosing a format for import/export is a major hit... while they cling to antiquated features like "trim to roof" (outdated since SEO), they abandon other useful coordination features


It was not Graphisoft who abandoned the FBX format. The Twinmotion Connection was and is being developed by Epic Games. Try to post in this thread on their forum and tell them to bring it back:

https://twinmotionhelp.epicgames.com/s/question/0D54z0000749rsQCAQ/is-a-direct-link-available-from-a...

 

Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac27

I didn't realize the ability to export FBX was a third party development; GS can not develop a save or export function independent of Twinmotion? I have had a couple consultants request FBX for their visualization purposes; 100% unrelated to an Archicad>Twinmotion workflow. I certainly will give this a bump with Epic Games as well; but since the workflow to Twinmotion is a 1 way road, I can't see it gaining any traction with them any more with their "universal" datasmith solution

BIM solutions and trouble shooting (self proclaimed) expert. Using Archicad 26 5002 US on Mac OS 11.5.2