Archicad Electrical Plan
Shameka Roessler
Hi! How do you import Archicad dwg files to a referenced VW site model. My site model is in correct place in a world map but all Archicad files are bound to an internal origin so that the 0,0 point is given separate coordinates (by architect - it is in dwg file) Same with IFC files.
Its really difficult to try to get them to the right place by dragging and it is impossible to use them as reference pictures. Some how i have this problem is specific to ArchiCad files. Is it just a drawing style, i.e. can I instruct the architect to create a different file that would go to the right place on the map? Has anyone else had a similar problem and how have you gotten such files to work as reference files? I'm a fairly new user so I don't know how to solve this problem and I couldn't find a similar article anywhere.
You need to have a coordinated origin point for the project (e.g. where does the architects 0,0 correspond to in real world coordinates?) You would use this origin point to create your user origin in VW. Then, when you import a file using NOT in world coordinates(aka architects drawings) you can set it to use the origin when importing rather then the internal origin.
If you don't have one set up for the project, you have to sort that out, agree on a reference point in a survey or cadastral, etc. This is best practice for every project, right from the beginning, and makes coordination with DWG or IFC easy regardless of what programs are being used. You should never move things manually, as it's making you liable for errors.
As a side note, you should always try to have a user origin for your projects that is within 5km to avoid issues with 3D rendering. The closer it is to your site, the better, for these reasons. It can be something like the corner of a nearby building, or a coordinate number that is simple (e.g. Without many trailing decimal points that come with random locations)
I actually have the coordinate point. The architect has defined the x,y,z coordinate point. I'm trying to figure out if I can somehow import it into the georeferenced VW plan base. Poot: did I understand correctly that in your instructions the VW base is not georeferenced at all? I didn't quite understand how to do that...I wonder if there is a tutorial video for this?
The problem seems to be only in these ArchiCAD files. The other designers files are geographically correct so I would then have to manually transfer the other designers plans (electrical, transport etc) And indeed importing ArchiCAD files as reference files is impossible
Hi,
i'm not sure how you did set up your file Georeferencing. But here are few tips.
If you get the project coordinate point from the architects, you set them in the Georeferencing tab in the Northing / Easting points. You have to also set up the EPSG correctly, in Finland i'm mostly using GK25FIN (EPSG 3879) or GK24FIN (EPSG 3878), but that is what you have to ask from the architects. Then you add the possible rotation there also, but that you will also get from the architects if they have used some rotation.
After this your Georeferencing is set to the same point as Architects. If you double click the left upper corner from the rulers (picture below), you get the origin preferences.
If you add some references from the city, you use the "Georeferenced option" and the rulers will show your coordinates in "world".
If you add some references from the architects, you use the "Set user origin to internal origin" then your rulers show your coordinates located in 0,0 -point the same way as the architects project coordinate.
Hopefully this helps!
If you haven't set your user origin to match the architects, you should probably do so. *unless there is another "project origin" agreed with other disciplines. then the architect needs to use that too.
So, yes, you can ask the architects how they have produced the DWG - which of this settings did they use and what are the coordinates on the chosen point?
That will help you set up the Vectorworks file with the appropriate coordinates and import the DWG in the correct place.
Hi, Not sure if this has been mentioned earlier in this case. ALWAYS open dwg from ArchiCAD in Civil3D/AutoCAD before importing in other programs. In the Nordic countries we use metric units. Architects in millimeters and Landscape architects in metres. Check the unit of the drawing on known dimensions. Most often you see by measuring that the file from Architects delivered from ArchiCAD is then in millimeters. Then comes the fun part. Check "Units", even if the file is drawn in millimeters, the dwg from ArchiCAD ALWAYS comes with "Units=feet". You must change this to millimeters without changing the geometry. Save the file and import this file into Vectorworks.
Problem solved! Thanks to everyone who helped and special thanks to Tamsini for the video - it was a very clarifying package! The big issue with this was that the architect had sent me material made in the correct coordinate system and material where the coordinate system was wrong. So I didn't believe in my own knowledge and wasted my time before I realised what the problem was. Maybe this is a relatively new user problem... ?
An interesting detail in the material I received was that the base material sent by the city also worked strangely when imported into Vectorworks. When it was brought to a base where there was no architect specified rotation angle everything went fine on top of each other. But, when you used the rotation angle then one of the files moved maybe about 3 meters to a different spot. Can you tell me what could be the cause of this?
The point of a reflected ceiling plan, at least in my office, is to indicate where lighting and electrical get located. Trying to put this information on the floor plan would make that drawing overly congested and difficult to read so we separate this information out into its own drawing
The focus of this initial Architectural Graphics 101 post will be the doors shown in this reflected ceiling plan. When I graduated from college, back when we still used vellum and pencils to draw, the vast majority of my time was spent working on commercial projects.
Parametric Object Library includes 4 properties: Power Sockets and Switches, Output wire, Heating Floor, Electrical Panel. The main purpose of the library is to simplify the process of drawing up the task to design partitions and electrical power networks, and simultaneously obtaining high-quality three-dimensional model. The objects are built-customizable 2D symbols and familiar interface.
Electric symbol (on / off) on the plan shows an electrical device symbol; symbol block with a plurality of units is automatically generated depending on the types of its component mechanisms; symbol has its own settings sizes and colors; placing on the plan is edited hotspots, but the basic point of placing electrical installation shows the actual location of the device; the reference point is the center of the first post and indicates the drilling point niches for terminal boxes.
Perhaps @medeek might give an insight about how the diagrams ought to be generated. Some of the appliances have a component that has a 2D symbol at the floor level and a 3D model above it (at the intended installation height?) while others (the can lights, for instance) are only 3D models. The wiring lines have been drawn at the ceiling level.
A standard way to produce a plan view from a 3D building model is to place a horizontal section at a level that goes through all or most wall openings. When I do that with this model, many of the electrical symbols and appliances are cut away and become invisible. The same if I create a reflected ceiling plan by reversing the cut and taking a bottom view.
The generation of these tags can be toggled on and off in the global settings. And you can also set the plugin to only generate the 2D symbols.The height of the symbols can also be controlled in the global settings.
I may need to further refine the system better for multi-story implementations (perhaps make it a bit more granular), I will give this some further thought, there is always room for improvement but the key is to not make things too complicated in the process of making things more flexible and user definable.
In LayOut: Document Setup>Paper. I set Display Resolution to Low to gain some speed, and then Output Resolution to High. When Exporting to PDF I always uncheck JPG Compression. It creates ugly pixel artifacts with the kind of lines and flat colours output generated by Sketchup - it really is meant for photographs.
A key principle is that you need to have enough layers to be able to show and hide related groups of elements properly for all construction documents as well as all design phases. If two elements need to be shown at different times, such as furniture (which will not be seen on a floor plan for construction documents, but will be seen on a presentation plan) and fixtures or cabinets (which will be seen on both of these plans), then you need them on different layers. On the other hand, if certain elements are always turned on or off together (e.g. lower cabinets and railings), even though they are different types of elements they may be combined onto a single layer.
Similarly, one needs a layer combination for each drawing (e.g. floor plan, reflected ceiling plan, site plan, plus ones for other drawing types such as elevations, sections, etc.) and also for each typical phase of work (design, presentation, and possibly other special ones for creating objects, working on building structure, etc.).
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