3ds to Archicad

[Drunkenbear]

Is it possible and if so what format to take a model from 3ds Max 7.0 to Archicad 8.1

 

The problem is that we only have 1 copy of 3ds Max and are team working in Archicad

 

cheers for any help

[bricklyne]

It all depends on whether you want the model to be editable (parametric) or not once in ArchiCAD. If the former, then you have to save it as a 3D DWG and open the .DWG file as a 3d gdl script editable model ( in the open dwg dialog options when starting a new model). But you have to be familiar or well versed in GDL scripting to work with it in this format. On the other hand, you can save or export your model from MAX as a 3ds format file to import it into ArchiCAD. This is the most commonly used format, I believe. But like I mentioned it has limited editability in this format( i.e just resizing, and material assignment), although it maintains the various material/texture allocation from MAX for the original model elements. Still, your model will probably have to be mostly complete ( as in no more tweaking or poly-editing to be done carried over from MAX) for this option to be of use.

In ArchiCAD v9 this function is integrated into the program, however for ArchiCAD v8.1 you have to do this through a 3ds import plugin for v8.1 that is only available at the Graphisoft German website at:

 

http://www.gshelp.de/CDownloads/Downloads81import.html

 

......the second plugin from the top.

 

As you might guess, the plugin itself is in German, but if you do a search through the talk forum at the English Graphisoft Forum, there was someone who did a basic/rough translation of all the functions and the gist of it was:

 

Freestyle translation:

 

3ds zum gsm konvertieren = to convert a 3ds file into a GSM-library part

 

Koordinatentransformation = coordinate transformation

 

Massstab = unit size (that is, how is one unit in the 3ds-file interpreted)

 

Dezimalstellen = the number of decimals after the "," or "."

 

Untere Teil aud z=0 setzen = put lower part (of the whole file?) on z=0

 

Object-Schwerkraftpunkt auf ... setzen = put objects gravity center on ...

 

Falls erforderlich, SchwerkraftPunkt auf 0 setzen = when needed, put the gravity center on 0 (Don't know what the difference is with the previous option).

 

Fixpunkt erzeugen = create anchor point (hotspot)

 

Begrenzungsrahmen = bounding box

Nullpunkt = the origing

Schwerpunkt = the gravity center

Äussere punkte = the outer bounds

 

Grundeeinstellung = reset

Abbrechen = cancel

 

I hope this helps. Like I said before, all this is already included ( and in English) in the latest version of ArchiCAD (v9).