GRAPHISOFT Announces Rhinoceros – ArchiCAD Connection
BUDAPEST, April 30, 2015 — GRAPHISOFT®, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) architectural software developer, has announced a Rhino® connection for ArchiCAD. The connection enables ArchiCAD users on both the Mac and Windows platforms to import Rhino models into ArchiCAD as GDL objects.
Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition Entry by Nikken Sekkei
The Rhino-ArchiCAD link converts a Rhino model into ArchiCAD geometry. The container of the Rhino-based model is GDL, which is ArchiCAD’s generic object format. For larger and complex models, GRAPHISOFT has introduced the option to convert a Rhino model into a set of (smaller) GDL objects. This process enables the user to retain separate logical parts within the same model while providing a functionality to monitor and easily update the imported Rhino models in ArchiCAD. The LCF option is also advised to enable ArchiCAD’s performance optimization algorithm to work seamlessly on an imported large Rhino model.
“We welcome Rhinoceros into the ArchiCAD community,” said László Vértesi, GRAPHISOFT Vice President of Product Development. “Rhino provides a robust modeling capability that nicely compliments the ArchiCAD BIM solution.”
“Our users always want better integration with the other tools that they use,” said Robert McNeel, CEO, Robert McNeel & Associates. “We are delighted to be working with GRAPHISOFT to meet our users’ demands,” he added.
This technology has been developed as part of an ongoing collaboration between GRAPHISOFT and Nikken Sekkei that aims to develop future technologies for architectural design.
For more information and to download the Rhino add-on for ArchiCAD, please visit http://www.graphisoft.com/downloads/addons/interoperability/rhino.html.
About Rhino
Rhinoceros® 5.0, developed by Robert McNeel & Associates, is the market leader in industrial design modeling software. Highly complicated shapes can be directly modeled or acquired through 3D digitizers. With its powerful NURBS based engine Rhinoceros® 5.0 can create, edit, analyze, and translate curves, surfaces, and solids. There are no limits on complexity, degree, or size.
About Nikken Sekkei
One of the world’s largest architectural design firms with over 2,400 professional staff, Nikken Sekkei and its eight Group companies offer comprehensive design, engineering, management, consulting and R&D services. Established in 1900, the company’s portfolio consists of over 20,000 projects in 40 countries. Its activities cover a wide spectrum of sustainable public and private endeavors including: new city design, high-density/mixed-use transit-oriented developments, super high-rise buildings, business parks, offices and facilities for commercial, cultural, educational and healthcare use. Nikken Sekkei is headquartered in Tokyo and maintains branch offices in Singapore, China, Korea, Vietnam and the UAE. In growing to its present position, the company has constantly focused on development of new methods and technologies that redefine design for current needs and priorities.
About GRAPHISOFT
GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution in 1984 with ArchiCAD®, the industry-first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as its revolutionary BIMcloud®, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, EcoDesigner™, the world’s first fully BIM-integrated “GREEN” design solution and BIMx®, the world’s leading mobile app for BIM visualization. GRAPHISOFT has been a part of the Nemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2007. Visit archicad.com to see the most important milestones in ArchiCAD’s 30-year history.
Stefan Boeykens
Nice move from Graphisoft and McNeel. And while I welcome the link with Rhino, it is only available for the Windows version of Rhino. Understandable, as the OSX version is still in beta, but a little bit impractical.
brian
I do not think GRAPHISOFT can underestimate the importance of this. Next step is to document a Grasshopper to Rhino to ArchiCAD workflow.
Jared Banks
agreed!
Claudia
This is great. What about making it possible to import *.obj + *.mtl files (site and high res image which then are aligned)…. or *.las files…which we get from land surveyors ?
Jared Banks
If you need to import *.OBJ files, check out the Modelport add-on.
Stefan Boeykens
I’ve tested it in Windows. The import object becomes embedded inside the ArchiCAD project. However, for a workflow where you can easily incorporate Rhino updates in ArchiCAD, this is not ideal. You cannot easily replace an embedded object with a new version from a file. If you extract the embedded object in a library folder, you can more easily overwrite the GSM file from Rhino and have ArchiCAD refresh the library (which will retain all placed objects with their parameters, e.g. for display, pen).
Jared Banks
If you reimport the Object and give it the same name, doesn’t ARCHICAD give you the option to replace the existing Object? I believe that works when you’re making new Objects within ARCHICAD.