CU1803

SOFTWAREreview
The same issue in Graphisoft, ready for fixing
layers or by floors. The tools are
available in ARCHICAD in the
SMC/Settings/Launch folder after the
installation path to SMC has been set
up. Users can export all components or
just those in specified visible layers, or
by floor. When SMC has been started,
the current ARCHICAD model is
exported to SMC but, a small caveat, it
must be remembered that the export
model is not in IFC format, and that
there could be some differences in
component properties and colours.
Components checked by the SMC are
gathered together and placed in a
selection basket for transfer to
ARCHICAD for correction. 'Get Selection
Basket from SMC' is another seamless
and simple real-time transfer of
information, and in keeping with the
simplicity of setting the analysis in
motion, the output is presented as
clearly as possible in SMC, with detailed
information on the design issue
presented in plain English, identifying
the component in question and other
features.
The SMC model, the imported
ARCHICAD model showing all of the
components that have raised issues,
will have its file name and location
recorded within the ARCHICAD model,
so that when you want to initiate another
model check it will ask whether you
want to open the saved SMC model, or
to create another one.
The ARCHICAD Solibri Model Checker
add-on is available from the Solibri
Solution Center (SSC) free of charge.
Simply log in to the solution center at
https://solution.solibri.com and select
the appropriate download link - a zip file
that comes with an 'Installation
Guide.pdf' that walks you through the
simple steps to install the add-on over
ARCHICAD for Windows or Mac, and
ARCHICAD versions 16 up to the latest
version, 21. Exporting an ARCHICAD
model automatically starts an SMC
session.
It is not always necessary to run a full
SMC within ARCHICAD. If you come
across an issue in the Results View
during your normal working processes,
then you can check the models in SMC
on the fly in ARCHICAD. If, for instance,
an issue has been found in which a
ceiling is below the top of two windows,
then the window components can be
selected using the 'Set to Selection
Basket' button. Then in ARCHICAD, the
same components are selected by
clicking SMC > Get Selection Basket
from SMC to change the wall height or
to make some other adjustment, and
the model exported back to SMC and
the check rerun, where you will find that
the issue is no longer listed, having
been corrected.
SOLIBRI
Solibri, was a solution waiting for a
problem when it first appeared on the
market - a model checking tool that
promised great things when most
architects were still struggling to adapt
to 3D modelling. The advent of BIM,
however, has changed all of that, and
architects and engineers throughout the
industry count it as one of their foremost
design tools, whatever applications they
are running. ARCHICAD, however, has
had close connections to the company
for a long time, hence the development
of the ARCHICAD - Solibri live link,
which simplifies further the processes
involving in checking building models.
The development is put in perspective
by Heikki Kulusjärvi, Solibri CEO, who
said "Clients are asking for useful and
reliable information to be used for
design coordination, cost estimations,
energy analysis etc. This is what
interoperability with BIM is all about. At
best this is secured by designers
themselves before publishing the
designs. To provide the best Quality
Assurance for ARCHICAD users, we
have ensured that all current versions
(from ARCHICAD V16) are supported."
This is echoed by Péter Temesvári,
director of Product Management at
GRAPHISOFT, who said "With this link,
our joint customers can benefit from the
best-in-class design quality assurance
workflow, which allows them to find
design errors well in advance before
those would generate costly errors on
construction sites."
www.solibri.com
www.graphisoft.com
March/April 2018 31