Archicad 25

[Narska]

Where can I find a list of what new goodies we can expect in the next version of archicad?

[Podolsky]

So. I installed Revit. Wanted to see - what's new in AC about Revit files.
1. I cannot open RVT file directly. What web-site is saying 'Re-use previous project files while migrating from Revit to ArchiCAD'. Logically thinking - I'm Revit user. Made a project in Revit. I want to re-use my model and continue working in ArchiCAD. What I expect? That I can just open my Revit file in ArchiCAD and continue working. No, I cannot. I can only attach as hotlink. But I cannot do that, because project was made in Revit 2022 and ArchiCAD reads up to version 2021. Revit does not have file version downgrade - that means I cannot re-use my Revit project, as stated in AC 25 introduction.
2. Interesting what will happen if I managed to get version 2021 RVT, attach as hotlink and after would like to break hotlink. Anyone tried? Unfortunately I don't have power to search and install for version 2021, I already waited 30 minutes installing Revit. Absolutely logically that if I'm getting latest version of ArchiCAD, it must work with the latest version of Revit. Especially when latest version of Revit introduced 3 months before.
3. No improvement to RFA - still ArchiCAD is not reading RFA parameters - means converted RFA objects are static and not parametric. That means not always you will get from that what you wanted. RFA are not so much parametric as GDL, but still they do have some parametrisation feature. By the way what Revit is using for surface representation? Mesh? NURBS? I noticed that converted RFA can be really heavy in surfaces and because of that almost useless, because they will kill your interior elevations (for example sanitary), when original file in Revit does not look to heavily 'overmeshed'.

Seriously, always knew that BIM6x development is crappy. As temporary solution is okey - at least some connection with Revit. But to be part of software core it must work seriously, not pretend that it's working, when actually not really. It just upsetting - I feel like I was fooled.
Now Graphisoft must put all power on developing this tool (re-developing) - to keep promise they gave. Otherwise it will be as 3DS import - having this silly problem with soft / sharp angles for years without changes, that makes an Add-on useless.

[jl_lt]

well, i for one fell for it. thought they had finally solved that revit archicad bridge.

[DGSketcher]

Stack them high and sell them cheap, nobody will bother copying / hacking (Sketchup). Make it expensive, some will pay, others will find a cheaper solution. GS should know their market, and they're probably not looking for a race to the bottom with a price war. It could be a fine line between income, development costs and profit? There's also a benefit in sucking users in by letting them in cheap until they have to go legit. Autode$k are good at this with their in built audit software. A friend of mine got stung because unknown to him one of his ex-employees had run a less than legit version of one of their programs on his network.

[Podolsky]

And is the problem. If I'm let say young bringing promises architect, who learned ArchiCAD on pirate version, appearing in big architectural company and say: guys, I know excellent software. I consider the company to purchase 200 copies of ArchiCAD - what happens next? Troubles. Crashes, lack of support of national standards - some sort of mixture of good, excellent features of ArchiCAD and areas that are completely uncovered. GDL is excellent technology, but why so little done by local distributors to provide good reliable tools for local markets? I'm talking now about UK, Israel, USA. Possibly Germany - all places I've been working I've seen the same. If in Israel they have typical equipment and companies, that manufacturing unique solutions for safety rooms (bomb shelters) that they have in any building - if someone is buying ArchiCAD - they are not getting library of all these items that just works good.
If in UK exists specific CAD standard, that clearly shows how to make demolition drawings - I open UKI template and see there completely different settings. I'm contacting Graphisoft UK about it and getting answer - yes you are right, it's BS bla-bla-bla but in UK nobody using it - and they trying to sell to user renovation styles of Germany.
If user from USA is saying - guys c'mmon, layers names are changed, it suppose to be like that. He is getting answer - it's because in USA there is no CAD standards. But does exist NCS, that absolutely clearly states how layers in USA must be named.

I personally look at this and trying to solve it on my own, often free of charge, but then question - why I'm trying to be helpful for everybody? What I'm getting from it personally? I can get several warnings on this forum, for example. If I continue, maybe I can solve just a little bit - it's good already. But few people like me cannot save everybody from this Franz Kafka moment.

Or, if big company is spending big sums for licencing, training, salaries, servers and workstations - shall they also spent additional money for tailoring the software for their needs? Search for GDL programmers and Add-ons developers? Check the quality of these third part development - maybe these guys are just expensive charlatans - that happens today very often. Or just wait for new version, that still not bringing basics of their workflow, that been developed for years (some companies exist maybe 50 years on the market). But they are getting from GS instead Easter eggs - some amazing features, that they most likely don't need.

This is very confusing.

[Podolsky]

To finalise this my long monologue about development, standards and piracy. Currently I see almost no difference between if people are using legal or pirate software. This is important topic for me, because I did work as ArchiCAD distributor in Moscow in 2000. Since there nothing in Russia really changed. We had ArchiCAD lessons in our studio, coming architects, paying money for lessons, but after wanted to buy a disc with a program for 5 dollars.

It was very big problem to convince people to get legal version for 5000 dollars (instead of 5). The main point was to explain to architects - if you are using pirate software, it can corrupt your file and you cannot continue working. But that wasn't true - people using pirate software for years and don't see any troubles with performance or quality of projects. Or if pirate software wasn't stable, then legal also crashing often - then it's hard to say...

Another point we were making - if you are getting legal software, you are receiving absolutely different level of service. That could be true, local distributors could work on developing local libraries and tools and solve important technical issues. Also they could protect content of the local GDL libraries by connecting them to key serial number - then pirate just cannot get these libraries, that could be totally game changing. But nobody bothers do that.

Even opposite - there are pirate communities online, that shares in between much more useful tools and getting support much better then it happens legally. When all legal stuff working as supermarket-following logic - that if you are paying that means it's going to be good. But let say if I'll buy all possible Add-ons and libraries, that exist on the market - I'm not sure all together will increase productivity, that there is not going to be clashes between tools or any sort of incompatibilities or maybe even third party tools can increase amount of crashes. Most likely if I'm getting all Epitar, ArchiRadar, CI and more of them into one package - it will work nicely.

I'm sure that can be changed. Just it's needed to get clear strategy how to solve this problem, get better coordination etc.

I would like to hear opinion from GS headquarter about it.

[Bricklyne Clarence]

Shouldn't this be something better discussed on a thread of its own, rather than polluting or derailing this one?

[Laszlo Nagy]

Podolsky wrote:
I cannot open an RVT file directly. What website is saying 'Re-use previous project files while migrating from Revit to ArchiCAD'. Logically thinking - I'm a Revit user. Made a project in Revit. I want to re-use my model and continue working in ArchiCAD. What do I expect? That I can just open my Revit file in ArchiCAD and continue working. No, I cannot. I can only attach it as a hotlink. But I cannot do that, because the project was made in Revit 2022 and ArchiCAD reads up to version 2021. Revit does not have file version downgrade - that means I cannot re-use my Revit project, as stated in AC 25 introduction.

The Archicad's RVT/RFA Connection and similar connections of other applications are based on the BimRv SDK developed by the Open Design Alliance.

https://www.opendesign.com/products/bimrv

Archicad can have RVT 2022 compatibility only after the BimRv SDK offers it. As far as I know (this is my personal opinion), at the moment, the BimRv SDK does not have RVT 2022 compatibility so no application (including Archicad) can have it either. If you go to the official blog of the ODA, you will see that since the release of Revit 2022 there were no updates to the BimRv SDK, which is the reason I believe they have not implemented Revit 2022 support yet. If anyone knows better, please correct me if I am wrong:

https://www.opendesign.com/blog

[Podolsky]

Bricklyne wrote:
Shouldn't this be something better discussed on a thread of its own, rather than polluting or derailing this one?

Polluting? This is what you can say about ArchiCAD 25?

[Karl Ottenstein]

Podolsky wrote:

Bricklyne wrote:
Shouldn't this be something better discussed on a thread of its own, rather than polluting or derailing this one?

Polluting? This is what you can say about ArchiCAD 25?

Hi guys. Poor choice of words by Bricklyne Clarence... perhaps not "polluting" but going off the specific topic of this thread - namely what is in AC 25 and what do people think of those new features, etc.

Podolsky, your posts have been very interesting here... but even you say that they are about "development, standards and piracy" ... which is a broad topic and not specificallly related to AC 25. I would encourage you to start a new topic within this Archicad+ forum to continue these ideas.

Cheers,
Karl / wearing moderator hat

[Podolsky]

Sorry, guys. My thoughts about piracy came by commenting new type of licence in ArchiCAD 25. I guess it's been done to improve the software protection, not by any another (technical) reasons. Glad to hear that it is interesting at least for someone.
I also would like to see more active forum users. So if here would be 20 people who is flooding the forum with their thoughts - it would work only for good for everyone. Just be more active, don't be shy - it will help developing better software.

As about Revit issue with the latest version. We had unpleasant experience working with architectural company, who modelled everything in latest version of Revit. I said to them - or, great, ArchiCAD 24 now can open Revit files, give me the file and I'll take a look. But it been done in Revit 2021. AC 24 was not able to open it. Now similar problem with 25 and 2022. If AutoDesk is delaying issuing their SDK for year (that can be done on purpose - as they like to do), then maybe it is possible to include some sort of experimental unofficial support for latest file versions (until new SDK is published)? I'm pretty sure that there is not such a big difference in file structure of Revit 2021 and 2022. In many cases it can be just different version number in the file, when rest (apart of some new features) is identical as in previous version.

And by the way - anybody knows what's new in Python commands in ArchiCAD 25? Where is possible to get that information?