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

Visual GDL editor [again]

Anonymous
Not applicable
I’ve just finished manufacturer’s object library for ARCHICAD and Revit. When I was asked to do this job hourly, I had to estimate three times the time for ARCHICAD GDL programming than I had to for the same Revit family. Revit family editor lets me do all the BIM object creation tasks at least three times as fast, hence the difference.

I think the time has come to finally create a visual GDL editor to supplement all the other great features of ARCHICAD.

Today, world’s BIM software acceptance hinges on BIM object availability, and no matter the refined parametric ARCHICAD libraries we have now, they are no match for countless manufacturers’ objects that need to be created daily to represent all the BIM building components. Without proper GDL visual editor ARCHICAD is loosing the battle and people choose BIM applications with better BIM object support.

I can’t think of any feature for AC23 and beyond that may have as high growth impact potential for ARCHICAD franchise than easy to use Visual GDL editor.
88 REPLIES 88
Anonymous
Not applicable
DGSketcher wrote:
I still think a Block / Module solution is needed that would also address many users need to make one off or limited use models.
Do you mean editing a module on the fly?
Regarding LPM: I think that if we could have Complex Profiles with LOD, then LPM would be obsolete. The main "issue" with it, is that you have to model each element 3 times.
I see PARAM-O more like an "Assembling" Tool, where one could get regular AC elements (like Columns, slabs, beams, objects, etc) and assemble them according a particular situation, lets say: a kitchen layout, or Trees/Plants in a field, etc. But the fundamental thing, is that each and every element could be scheduled/quantified.
Then finally we could have a more robust Object UI, with color coding, Stretch Modifiers, Offset Modifiers, Drag and Drop internal UI, that could address designers and manufacturers needs for deploying useful objects that could be used with PARAM-O.
DGSketcher
Legend
Braza wrote:
Do you mean editing a module on the fly?
Yes that's the one, it only been on the Wishlist for 18 years though so it won't be anytime soon.

I don't see CP's replacing LPM as CPs are only 2D whereas LPM can produce 3D objects. Param-O as an assembly tool... hadn't thought about that... better do some homework...
Apple iMac Intel i9 / macOS Sonoma / AC27UKI (most recent builds.. if they work)
Anonymous
Not applicable
DGSketcher wrote:
Yes that's the one, it only been on the Wishlist for 18 years though so it won't be anytime soon.
Agreed... much needed.

DGSketcher wrote:
I don't see CP's replacing LPM as CPs are only 2D whereas LPM can produce 3D objects.
I mean: One could just create a regular custom window (selec > save object > window) using CP Beams and the LOD would be displayed according to the view map. You would just need to create a single 2d/3d model to various LODs. In LPM, you have to create each Model LOD. But yes... LPM is still the only one that can automatically associate 2d and 3d model for custom objects.

Anyway... Lets wait for AC25.
Akos Somorjai
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
David wrote:
27 years ago (!) Visual GDL was definitely a good start, let’s not get too nostalgic. It had its issues:
• Crashes were frequent and final.
• It scripted objects in binary. Parametric variables were not possible.
• The interface was clunky and baffling, as was the documentation.

We have a pretty decent Visual GDL editor already built into ArchiCAD: the object editor combined with drag-and-drop from ArchiCAD proper. Any Archicad element can be dropped into the object editor and it will write out the script for you. You can then tweak that script to accomplish pretty much anything you want.

Okay, maybe it’s not that simple, especially for someone who refuses to learn even the most basic GDL, but I think expanding the drag-and-drop interface would be a more promising approach to Visual GDL than the direction PARAM-O is taking.

What if you could take a simple 2d polygon drawn in ArchiCAD, drop it into the object editor and a menu would walk you through a dialog that converted it to any kind of 3d object you wanted ?
Oh, VisualGDL This brings up fond memories, as I was part of the original development team...
Anonymous
Not applicable
Hi Akos, and thanks for stopping by.

Akos wrote:
Oh, VisualGDL This brings up fond memories, as I was part of the original development team...
Don't know why, but this talk reminds me "Obi-Wan Kenobi".

BTW... What about ZoomGDL? Was it related with VisualGDL development?
Cheers,
David Collins
Advocate
Akos wrote:
Oh, VisualGDL This brings up fond memories, as I was part of the original development team...
Now I feel bad that I had mean things to say about it ! To be fair, it clearly needed a lot more memory than what I had in my computer back then.
The color-coded GDL script it had was brilliant.
On the other hand, I found this cartoon taped to the inside of the manual...
David Collins

Win10 64bit Intel i7 6700 3.40 Ghz, 32 Gb RAM, GeForce RTX 3070
AC 27.0 (4001 INT FULL)
Akos Somorjai
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
Braza wrote:
Hi Akos, and thanks for stopping by.

Akos wrote:
Oh, VisualGDL This brings up fond memories, as I was part of the original development team...
Don't know why, but this talk reminds me "Obi-Wan Kenobi".

BTW... What about ZoomGDL? Was it related with VisualGDL development?
Cheers,
If I remember well that was a third-party product, having a similar, albeit younger age.

Cheers, Akos
Anonymous
Not applicable
Thanks Akos... That was it... It was developed by Abvent... At least someone tried to keep the concept alive.
It is sad that such projects didn't survive, as they were waaay ahead of its time. If GS would give proper support to these tools at the time, today it would already be nº 1 on the market. Or most likely would already be part of Autodesk Empire.

Anyway... I like PARAM-O. But I think GS was aiming one target and accidentally got another. I mean, the original idea was to give us this old wish which is visual GDL modeling tool (And for this: Thank you very much GS!), but by what I have seen from various examples here and on YouTube, it has very limited modeling and scheduling/Quantification capabilities. But in the other hand, it has lots of handy tools to parametrically assemble elements. So. I think we are almost there... Just give a little more gas on the user geometry input inside Object Editor, and reduce modeling expectations on PARAM-O in favor to scheduling/quantifications.
My 2cts.
Podolsky
Ace
Right. Here I can 1000% agree: was absolutely great concepts and software pieces in early time of ArchiCAD, that been discontinued. What the reason of discontinuation - hard to say. But if such a software would continue to be developed since that time - we would have today absolutely great pieces.

Visual GDL / Zoom GDL
ArchiSite (many people might say - ye, but we have ArchiTerra now - sorry, not the same)
Virtual Construction tools introduced in ArchiCAD 7 (that we know today as Goodies)

Of course a lot of things been done to make ArchiCAD better since version 6 or 7, we have absolutely great tools, but sometimes I've got feeling that global concept of software is missing today - apart of making another version that works better then Revit - making good looking facade to look even better, when there are holes in the basement.