WHY Archicad does not smooth curves

[Unabend]

Hello guys!
It is my first post in this precious forum. I am starting to use Archicad after many years of Revit. And I'm a bit panicked 🙂 For example, using the Morph tool, I found that the program, drawing a cylinder, creates a surface divided 36 times, therefore polygonal! I saw that if I have to fillet a corner of a solid, you can choose the number of segmentations, that's a good thing, but the cylinder remains segmented ...
Tell me it's not true, tell me it's just my mistake, it's not possible that in 2021 such expensive software still has this problem.
Thanks!

[SenecaDesignLLC]

ah i did not realize those were elevations. 

maybe this is an issue with ac 25 and the image texture in elevation.

ac 24 does not have this option.  

[Unabend]

😨😨😨

Ok... Please can you share an Elevation of one column or circular Wall? Thanks

[SenecaDesignLLC]

it is just 2d lines and fills.  Not sure it can help rectify the issue you are having with elevations in v 25

[SenecaDesignLLC]

also if i select the column in elevation or section i do see the segmentation.  which is why it likely shows in ac 25, seems like something then need to iron out for sure.  ha glad i didnt for over the dough for upgrading this year lol.

[Barry Kelly]

They are not elevations.

They look like 3D views from the side.

You won't see the facets in an elevation.

Barry.

[Barry Kelly]

Sorry, they are elevations (I enlarged the images).

You have the colours on which is what threw me.

I am used to no colours so you don't see the surfaces.

Barry.

[Steve Jepson]

If you open one of the Basic Shapes like Cylinder 25 or something you can look at the GDL scripting for those objects and they can be used as examples of how to make your own objects.  Or you can edit the script, save it with a different name, copy and paste form them...  I don't know what you need to model but it is also important to understand that the limitation for smoothness is in the Archicad program, but that does not mean you can not import something into the program that is very, very smooth and it will display as good as the video card you are using can handle.  Also useful to know is that if you give something like one of the Basic Shapes, Curved Base.... a very high number for resolution, if you convert that to a morph, it can be smoother than any morph you can create by editing magic wand settings or increasing that morph segmentation.   There is always a way to get what you need out of Archicad in terms of generating the necessary Working Drawings/Construction Documents - in spite of the programs limitations.  If you really need something to be as smooth as babies behind, it is not really very often and it can be done in ways that do not include creating it with Archicad.   Archicad is primaily for the sake of generating Plans - Working Drawings for Buildings.  Not so much for modeling perfume bottles.  Also, there is a point of diminishing returns on making things perfectly smooth in a CAD model.  Objects quite often serve only as a convenient place holder that is being referenced - it does not very often need to me hyper-detailed and 100% anatomically correct to do the job.  Archicad is not manufacturing CAD software - its for buildings.  But I have been complaining for decades about the smoothness I want to have in Details, which ( if you ask me) is not always what I would like in Archicad.  I find it rather embracing when the details I would like to make with Archicad are just adequate.   

[Unabend]

Ok, then I'll try to install Archicad 24 ...
How sad, I'll ask the dealer for a discount 👹

[Barry Kelly]

I just checked it out.

It looks like you have your elevation set to show 'Surface Colour - Shaded' - which means it is applying shadow to the surfaces - exaggerating the facets.

Try setting it for 'Surface Colour - Non-Shaded'.

You will have the same problem in 24 and before.

25 also has a new 'Surface Texture' option, but you probably won't want that.

It will show the actual texture image, but it doesn't wrap it around the curve.

Barry.

[Unabend · Accepted solution]

Problem solved!

The cylinder always remains polygonal, apparently it is a choice of Graphisoft to have a faster and more responsive program ... and this is a good choice. The second problem was my problem! When I opened the Elevations settings, I didn't select any Elevations, and so the program set ... the next few elevations, not the ones I already had! Which in fact never changed!

Basic rookie error...

Thanks all for the support.