Wishes
Post your wishes about Graphisoft products: Archicad, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad.

Project File as Virtual Building "Black Box"

Anonymous
Not applicable
(Inspired by Ben Frost's comments elsewhere.)

I would like the ArchiCAD project file to function as an independent "black box" data structure that can be accessed and modified from a variety of programs. In other words, the Virtual Building has clearly defined components and assemblies that can be read and altered in a variety of ways. Some examples:

ArchiCAD: The graphically oriented tool for modeling and designing the space, form and appearance of the building.

PlotMaker: The design and construction document layout and publishing tool.

SpecWriter: (imaginary) Database manager correlating building elements with their associated specifications.

Estimator: (imaginary) Another database accessing the core model for construction cost analysis.

InDesign: Alternative design presentation and publishing tool. Extract views as PDFs.

These programs are more like add-outs than add-ons. They have the advantage of being purpose built to their function. Like having a machete to hack through the brush rather than a Swiss army knife.

Anybody have some other suggestions?

BTW: This would eliminate the need for BGArchiCAD to update the layout books. PM could read the file directly.
6 REPLIES 6
__archiben
Booster
essential for the virtual building/BIM ideal to survive through large projects and increase in information required to be held in this type of file.

(do you have any more ideas you want to dust out of the grey matter matthew? )

~/archiben
b e n f r o s t
b f [a t ] p l a n b a r c h i t e c t u r e [d o t] n z
archicad | sketchup! | coffeecup
Anonymous
Not applicable
I'd like that most definitely but is it possible at all?

...or it doesn't have to be feasible as it's a wish list
__archiben
Booster
ivan

i would say that it certainly is feasible. an archiCAD file currently consists of various modules of data that are loaded for use. this is an extension of that principle.

but you are also right: this is the wish list. anything goes!!!

~/archiben
b e n f r o s t
b f [a t ] p l a n b a r c h i t e c t u r e [d o t] n z
archicad | sketchup! | coffeecup
Geoff Briggs
Mentor
Yes! Publishing, which presupposes the information that another party needs, is obsolete in the ideal virtual model world. Querying or interrogating the database based on need is the future.

This ties in well with my current rant about the need for a lightweight (and freely distributable) viewer to allow "others" access to the model. After doing all this precise and detailed modeling in AC it's a shame not to be able to share the model in all it's glory, with all it's imbedded intelligence intact.

Mr. Lohden is on to something as usual. This should definitely be considered in the context of some of his other visionary ideas. Combining the .pln with the .pla is an important move since it guarantees portability and avoids the pesky issue of loading libraries in the background before a query. And of course Teamwork is central to the discussion since this is really an expansion of the concept.
Regards,
Geoff Briggs
I & I Design, Seattle, USA
AC7-27, M1 Mac, OS 14.x
Djordje
Ace
Matthew wrote:
(Inspired by Ben Frost's comments elsewhere.)
Anybody have some other suggestions?
... and inspired by Geoff's wishes:

- a VB Viewer, that could view and explore the VB without editing capabilities - on the line of existing EON or Flash viewers graphically, BUT accesing the real database (so that the database data are also accessible).

One of the main problems now is that you mostly have to dumb the data now, or go through the time consuming process of re-publishing or updating to reorganize the output. Not to mention printing ... duh!

Of course, all of this assumes handheld wireless Internet accessible non stop anywhere. And, taht device has to be so simple so that anybody, most of all the (still mostly) ITphobic GMs can use it.

Now this is becoming SF ... 😉
Djordje



ArchiCAD since 4.55 ... 1995
HP Omen
Geoff Briggs
Mentor
I'm hoping to continue this thread in a broader context at Looking beyond printed plans. See you there.
Regards,
Geoff Briggs
I & I Design, Seattle, USA
AC7-27, M1 Mac, OS 14.x