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Question about "FM_" parameter ?

Nader Belal
Mentor
Hi there,

This question is for Graphisoft team.

Can you tell me what happened with the GDL parameters with the "FM_" prefix ?? What happened with Archi_FM ?

Cause It happened that I have managed to rescue "Graphisoft GDL Technical Standards - ver 1.0" that was published in 2000, and there are a lot of FM_ parameters that were defined and explained in the old parameter, but in the new manuals there only on line 10 words mentioned and that it.
A good friend of mine have once told me that I´m so brute that I´m capable of creating a GDL script capable of creating GDLs.
3 REPLIES 3
Podolsky
Ace
I remember the time when ArchiFM was product of Graphisoft. It was called Graphisoft ArchiFM. It was the same ArchiCAD 6.5 with Add-Ons. Later this development probably went to the company called VintoCon.
Today VintoCon web-site is not available and it's only possible to open ProFM help-desk web-site.

Very possible that this product has been discontinued.

As I understand - all subtypes are coming from old time - when ArchiFM was real product (that requested libraries too). Since that time we have FM_ variables. Probably nobody did revision of ArchiCAD library to remove FM_ from list of variables or replace it with CoBie. By another hand most of the library elements on NBS web-site do have CoBie parameters (to support UK BIM standard).
Finally it's not so important what prefix got GDL parameters - as soon as this is internal ArchiCAD standard. In any case GDL parameters must be mapped to IFC parameters - as IFC is a file, that must support CoBie standard.

There was a time, when Graphosft tried to push GDL technology as international standard for AEC libraries - was created internet browser plug-in and plug-in for AutoCAD, but looks like Ravit families won this war. I personally would be absolutely happy if GDL would be widely used in AEC programs - like Revit, Sketchup, Vectorworks, Tekla etc. Then the whole structure of variables would be more standardised.
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
Maybe those FM_*** parameters in GDL objects stayed there for compatibility reasons.
Also, ArchiFM is still a product, maybe they are there to support file exchange with ArchiFM.
Of course, these are just guesses on my part.

As far as ArchiFM is concerned, a large Hungarian company called Tungsram acquired ArchiFM in 2019:

https://tungsram.com/en/news/tungsram-acquired-archifm-together-they-are-tungsram-innovative-solutio...

The product now has the following web page:

https://archifm.net/
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Podolsky
Ace
Interesting. ArchiFM is changing owners.
Good to hear that software is still alive. Then definitely FM_ parameters for compatibility. As I know ArchiCAD (and ArchiFM too) is using core of library parts that is written ages ago. Just with new versions there are some modifications added, but original script might have 20 years history of existence and, of course, variables that never changed for 20 years.