Archicad C++ API
About Archicad add-on development using the C++ API.

Linking archicad with vb.net

Anonymous
Not applicable
friends,

i am looking for a way to link archicad with vb.net or visual basic.

i searched talk forum but unable to find. pls help me on this matter.

thanks in advance

ars
9 REPLIES 9
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
The fact that your search turned up empty is your answer. 😉

Seriously, what is it that you want to do? The ODBC driver makes quite a bit of the database available (read-only!) to any external program, including VB if that's all you want. If you want to write add-ons, then I don't know of anyone who has pulled that off with VB.

Karl
One of the forum moderators
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Anonymous
Not applicable
Thanks karl,

actually i have created some 3d models in autocad with vb. Since graphic disply in autocad is not looking nice, i want to use archicad.

i hope there is some way to do so.

ars
stefan
Expert
arshakya wrote:
Thanks karl,

actually i have created some 3d models in autocad with vb. Since graphic disply in autocad is not looking nice, i want to use archicad.

i hope there is some way to do so.

ars
You could:
- import your model in ArchiCAD (= static)
- learn GDL and recreate your VBA script with GDL so it becomes a native ArchiCAD object.
- learn C++ and create an add-on in ArchiCAD.

It might be possible to create an ArchiCAD add-on that communicates in some way or another with a VBA macro in AutoCAD, but I doubt that it will be trivial.
--- stefan boeykens --- bim-expert-architect-engineer-musician ---
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Anonymous
Not applicable
thank you very much for your suggestion karl.

i will think on that in near future.

anil
Ralph Wessel
Mentor
arshakya wrote:
actually i have created some 3d models in autocad with vb. Since graphic disply in autocad is not looking nice, i want to use archicad.
I'm guessing you have scripted the 3D models with VB because you require some dynamic or interactive behaviour from them? If so, I echo Stefan's suggestion to rewrite the scripts in GDL.

If the model is static, then just export it from AutoCAD and import into a GDL object.

I have successfully developed a solution for driving ArchiCAD from a VB application, but Stefan is right again - it isn't trivial. There is no "official" way of doing this.
Ralph Wessel BArch
Anonymous
Not applicable
Are you saying that you are writing add-ons using vb.net?
Ralph Wessel
Mentor
Marcus wrote:
Are you saying that you are writing add-ons using vb.net?
No - I've developed an add-on which enables and external VB application (or any other kind for that matter) to control ArchiCAD from the outside, both to read from and write to the project database and to guide the user through various processes. This same principle might also be applicable to the question put by Arshakya.

Writing add-ons with VB might be technically possible, but I think it would be easier to get to know C/C++.
Ralph Wessel BArch
Anonymous
Not applicable
That sounds interesting. I've written a VB.Net app which connects to the drawing using the ODBC driver for scheduling purposes which works quite well.

This web page has always interested me......
http://download.graphisoft.com/ftp/techsupport/documentation/developer_docs/APIDevKit61/APIHTMLLibrary/Level2/Non_Visual_CPP_Development.html

...it seems to suggest VB addons are a possibility??


I am going throught the pain of learning C++ at the moment.
Ralph Wessel
Mentor
Marcus wrote:
That sounds interesting. I've written a VB.Net app which connects to the drawing using the ODBC driver for scheduling purposes which works quite well.
This web page has always interested me......
http://download.graphisoft.com/ftp/techsupport/documentation/developer_docs/APIDevKit61/APIHTMLLibrary/Level2/Non_Visual_CPP_Development.html
...it seems to suggest VB addons are a possibility??
Yes, it does seem as if VB add-ons are technically possible, but I haven't explored the avenue. C++ is my preferred language in any case.

The ODBC isn't useful in many cases because it doesn't provide write operations and it is Windows-only.
Ralph Wessel BArch