Import Sketchup Object To Archicad

[Riitta Palazzo]

Sameproblem Here... Still looking for a solution. I could just import sketchup models into Archicad and keep as they where imported, but every time I export to Lumion the textures are renamed and they lose ther settings.

@zoomer Funny story... I joined a design build firm as their director of landscape architecture back in August. My role was to lead a team and modernize the company's processes from concept to construction. Shortly after receiving the furniture and computer I ordered, I realized that the company would not be a good fit, so I resigned. Shortest gig in my life... the ink on my business cards hadn't even dried ?

This is a timely topic for me. We started working remotely with another architect in California a few months ago. He uses VW that is why we got the work. All is good when his work is all in house. But now we are working on a pretty big project where the client is in a business that is involved in the construction industry. So I am asked to send him Revit and IFC files. It takes a really long time to make the Revit file and when done some walls are missing. I filed a bug on this. For the IFC we don't use stories and I don't really know much about the format, so any input form others is welcome - like step by step how to setup my VW file for a good IFC export. Actually I am not sure the final client would even know what to do with it. We are in the process of asking.

I never have such drama when importing Revit or Sketchup from my architectural clients. I just create a new document to quarantine the architect's work, import the architect's work, and reference this quarantine file into my work. This keeps things pretty orderly and protects my work from any kind of corruption. At worst, I end up having to do a little housekeeping and delete objects I don't need. It usually take longer for VWX to import the Revit file than it does for me to put it to use.

On the topic of Ifc-Export, my experience was that we have a decent export. There is just to much expectation linked to it. People always expect it to turn automatically into a native format, no matter if they use Archicad; Allplan, Revit, etc. That was never the intention so far with either IFC2x3 or IFC4. They are mostly for referencing, hence "Reference View". If your software kind of manages to transform it into some native objects, good, but it's not a given.

Every use case has different demands for the ifc model. The structual engineer needs only the load-bearing walls as IfcWalls, the hvac engineers need mostly IfcSpace and for energy analysis you need to have one IfcWall with the different components as IfcMaterials and IfcSpaces (Eventhough here most BIM-Software is lacking in so far as you need, I think, at least 3rd level space boundaries for proper energy analysis)

Any chance to add this option to both the FBX, collada DEA and SketchUp importers??

Eventually it would be nice to have a update model option like Lumion/Twinmotion/Keyshot/3Ds max. being able to keep materials,modifiers and animations would be totally awesome!!

I had some results using the glTF format as @Graham_Wheaton suggested. But not with the newer Blender versions though.

I asked @Pablo_Vazquez once during a live YouTube stream if they would implement this update Imported object feature, he said yes. But unfortunately no update on this since.

Hi all. I have made a small modification to the FBX import scripts of Blender. It makes it possible to reuse existing materials already defined in the file when importing an FBX file. I work with architectural visualisation often. I get models...

4., We will draw the symbol ourselves, even better: copy the actual floor plan view since it is almost good, it is just too detailed. Switch back to the floor plan on the Tab Bar and right-click, then Copy on the selected element.

6., Clean up the 2D by selecting and deleting the unnecessary lines. This might take some time depending on the quality of the model. You can also define new anchor points of the object by using the Hotspot tool or even add new drafting elements to be part of the symbol.

8., When done, right-click and Copy the rendered image and switch back to the tab of the Preview Picture. Use Edit/Paste from the menu to insert the rendered image which will also appear in the main Editor dialog.

In importing 3DS format and merge SKP format into ArchiCAD, it is better not to change it in the form of Morph. There is a problem if we turn the object into Morph. If the surface of the object is not flat it will damage the texture pattern. This will be obvious if we use a line texture pattern. The texture pattern of the line becomes messy.

By importing IFC also experience similar things if the surface of the field is not flat.

Unfortunately if direct merge SKP format into GDL we can not change the texture material, & the edges can not be smooth. This is different from the 3DS format.

Maybe there is a solution to change the GDL script from import this SKP format?

What about without damaging components like IFC? But unfortunately IFC does not include the original texture & the texture is messy if the surface of the field is not flat.

This give us the most flexibility within 3d max and allows for quick changes from the Archicad model to be easily imported into 3D max model. (why import the whole model again and retexturing if your just changed a partition wall). Also we take it a bit further and split the above parts into stories, ground floor, 1st floor, 2nd floor etc....

No we apply new vray materials. 3dmax / Vray materials are far better than archicad textures.. It is a little time consuming but once you have done a few jobs you can create a library of ur common materials and thus applying materials to the 3ds models becomes a lot quicker...

This basically groups all objects which has the same archicad materials as one element, therefore say in your partitions 3ds file, you can apply a painted finish across all partitions rather than selecting them individually and applying a material.

I do exactly as Pixelman does, except it's no longer necessary to download a plugin to export to sketchup. You just go into the 3d view, and click FILE, SAVE AS and select .skp from the file extension.

These are usually floor/slabs, exterior walls and openings (no means of separating these in AC that I know of, do it in sketchup via "select by material"), wall claddings, interior walls and openings, structural columns, structural beams, roof structure, roof coverings, exterior hard landscaping etc etc

I'm surprised that many don't use the din3d plugin. It works great with Archicad - Max because it gives great optimization options, and also allows you to update your Max model easily while keeping material changes etc.

Din3D was by far the best solution we'd found as it allowed you to update the model easily with no issues, including on very large and complex models. It also optimised things along the way and kept it all neat. Unfortunately he's now taken down the website and it would appear that its no longer available...

I am pretty new to D5 render and I would like to create different variants (slightly different models exported from Archicad), but all with the same environment and materials).

Does anyone have an idea how to do it?

If I understand here correctly only models I can only update models that are connected with Archicad directly (with synch).

Do you have any suggestion on how to create different variants in D5 render?

I can imagine if could update all models exported from D5 render, I could create different variants in Archicad in different Archicad files and then just export different variants and somehow switch between variants in D5 render. - I used Lumion before and I am a bit biased.

Hi, great, thank you this is actually a great advice!

I will keep that in mind, but I am also trying to find a way how to implement D5 render in our current workflow.

In our team we sometimes create different archicad variants, developed from different people.

In Lumion I would simply join all the work and import each archicad model in one Lumion file and just switch variants with the layer combination.

In D5 render, if I understand it correctly, I would need a seperate D5 file for each Archicad file with a new variant?

There is no way, I would import a new object exported from Archicad into D5 as a variant, so it would simply take all same materials from the main variant and I would just switch between them? Or put each variant on different layer and export all of them from one D5 render file?

If you have been using Lumion before, would you say it is worthed switching to D5 render? Lumion 2023 is also pretty good already, better then old variants. D5 render seems to be developing much faster and is more realistic (if renderings from D5 render gallery are all pure D5 render work and not photoshoped also).

Currently D5 does not support importing Archicad files with layers. You can import different Archicad files individually and create multiple scenes and control them with layers and object list in D5. D5 currently does not support making different options with a single model, e.g. assigning different materials to the same model and controlling them with layer switches.

But you can save and reuse environment and effect presets, brush and fill tool presets in Studio for the purpose of using the same scene parameters in other files.

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I'm having a problem importing a model (Collada file) from Archicad to Blender (3.5). In the Object Mode the model looks fine but then when I switch to Edit Mode the geometry of the model gets fragmented into triangles... meaning that every plain object as wall is now fragmented. That makes adding textures to the model a nightmare. Is there any solution to fix it or is it easier just to create a new model in Blender?

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