Mac Hardware for BIM

[Jack2022]

Hi All,

 

we have been enjoying Vectorworks now and receiving lots of help on the forum. Getting us up to speed (albeit shambling speed). 
 

We have M1 Macs (16gb) and for modelling our medium scale urban landscape projects this is fine - up to the point where the architect sends you their revit model for a massive building/ resi development, sinks, taps and all. At this point things grind to a halt. Usually impossible to import. 
 

Any architects on here use M series Macs to power large building models? 100 resi units upward. 
 

What specs work for you?
 

Jack

[shorter]

As much RAM as you can afford, and the most powerful M1 mac or ask for LOD-respectful IFCs, not full-phat Revit files, as per my previous response to your original post.  Really.  The BEP should be telling them what LOD to be exporting their models at and how big they should be, and they should be capable of delivering what you need.  This is what BIM is about.

 

We received a RVT file this week.  Stage 2, so should be a basic LOD2 model...

 

The Revit 'architect' has modelled 1:1 hair dryers.

 

If you need a BIM Coordinator to help with negotiations with the Architect, let me know!

[zoomer]

27 minutes ago, shorter said:

or ask for LOD-respectful IFCs,

 

LOL

 

 

BTW

Is it even possible in any CAD Software to define LODs for IFC so that you

could export a desired LOD only ?

(Similar to VW LOD definitions in Symbols ?9

 

I would love to add reasonable LOD Lamps from the electro or Pipes from

the HVAC planners for visualization purposes.

But each IFC model of a single protectant is more than even my PC can bare.

 

And according to your "Renaming" thread,

e.g. the Lambs are divided into several Families/Symbols for all different

wattage. Although they contain exactly the same crappy mesh geometry.

Including one ore more IES distribution "Mesh/es" and although the

geometry looks pretty basic, are still an unnecessary LOD in nanometer levels.

 

I'ld love to have a way to purge all Symbols of same geometry, ignoring any

other attributes, into a single Symbol at a time - by respecting the Symbols

insertion point, scale and orientation.

 

 

Some consultants aren't even able (or willing) to provide an IFC.

I can happy if they offer a RVT.

 

 

And why do all HVACs work with full LOD hollow pipes and detailed stuff even in

pre-design phases, in some software that can export Mesh geometry only.

[Jack2022]

Yeah this is the second project we've been refused anything other than a Revit file. And the architects don't want to turn off or exclude from their export layers of furniture as it is apparently too onerous. It's easy for me to not export certain layers using IFC export so seems pretty unhelpful of them.

 

The BEP says IFC and Revit for sharing and the coordinator is insisting on 1:1 modelling. 

 

Seems fishy.

 

Anyway we've invested in 64gb M1 Max systems. fingers crossed that'll suffice.

[Jeff Prince]

17 minutes ago, Jack2022 said:

Anyway we've invested in 64gb M1 Max systems. fingers crossed that'll suffice.

 

Hardware is not the most efficient solution to a BIM management problem.

I think Revit import in Vectorworks can only run on one processor because it takes forever, yet hardly taxes the computer.  I could wrong on that.

 

Reading the contract and adjusting the proposal fee to compensate for these problems is one way to motivate cooperation.  When a client sees you are charging double for coordination of Revit files or an hourly fee for each import compared to properly delivered IFC, you might get better cooperation 😉

[Jack2022]

I like your thinking

[Jack2022]

I've found the standard M1 suffers when in 3D view. It's fine for our model. Just the architect's buildings. And while running a file with references the ram usage frequently runs to 10gb and creeps up over time. 
 

Im not an expert but hoping we've solved those issues for the foreseeable. 

[Jack2022]

Ok I can confirm importing Revit files is still hit and miss with the improved hardware set-up. 

 

Importing one Architect's building seems to have been improved time wise (medium size apartment block - 270mb) but the building on another project which is 3 times the size (but less file size at the moment (150mb)) doesn't import.

 

I gave up after 2 hours. 

 

Considering sharing Revit files is the norm in UK BIM projects this is a concern. Doubly so as the hardware we are using is pretty much maxed out unless we start using M1 Ultra processors which is out of reach for most. 

 

Obviously once imported the improved hardware comes into effect and manipulating the buildings is smooth. 

 

Is Vectorworks not exploiting the hardware properly? 

[Jack2022]

Just realised this has been covered in painstaking detail elsewhere. 

 

If you're on Mac you just have to suck it up or change everything and go Threadripper.

[shorter]

On 8/21/2022 at 9:18 PM, Jack2022 said:

Yeah this is the second project we've been refused anything other than a Revit file. And the architects don't want to turn off or exclude from their export layers of furniture as it is apparently too onerous. It's easy for me to not export certain layers using IFC export so seems pretty unhelpful of them.

 

The BEP says IFC and Revit for sharing and the coordinator is insisting on 1:1 modelling. 

 

Seems fishy.

 

Anyway we've invested in 64gb M1 Max systems. fingers crossed that'll suffice.

 

This isn't a BIM project.  There is a word for what it is, but I must refrain...

[shorter]

On 9/1/2022 at 10:32 AM, Jack2022 said:

Ok I can confirm importing Revit files is still hit and miss with the improved hardware set-up. 

 

Importing one Architect's building seems to have been improved time wise (medium size apartment block - 270mb) but the building on another project which is 3 times the size (but less file size at the moment (150mb)) doesn't import.

 

I gave up after 2 hours. 

 

Considering sharing Revit files is the norm in UK BIM projects this is a concern. Doubly so as the hardware we are using is pretty much maxed out unless we start using M1 Ultra processors which is out of reach for most. 

 

Obviously once imported the improved hardware comes into effect and manipulating the buildings is smooth. 

 

Is Vectorworks not exploiting the hardware properly? 

 

Can I suggest you refer the architect and the client to the UK BIM Framework documentation and in particular ISO19650 Guidance document B.

 

https://ukbimframeworkguidance.notion.site/ukbimframeworkguidance/UK-BIM-Framework-Guidance-20a045d01cfb42fea2fef35a7b988dbc

 

https://ukbimframeworkguidance.notion.site/ISO-19650-Guidance-Part-B-Open-data-buildingSMART-and-COBie-206eab1488664a5dbb2f35d2214efccf

 

and ask them to come back when they have figured out what BIM is?

[shorter]

IFC = BIM.

 

Revit does not = IFC

 

ergo

 

Revit does not = BIM

[shorter]

It's not ideal but we would suggest exporting the IFC from the Revit file you have received, rather than struggling with data from consultants who unwilling to engage in the BIM process.

 

Happy to do this for you, if it would help, although we cannot offer anything by way of guarantee that it will be complete.  The IFC should be issued by the author and most importantly validated by the author prior to issue.  It is then your responsibility to validate it on receipt to see that it does indeed meet the requirements of the BEP, otherwise has been issued according to the author's own validation processes.

 

Might be interesting to run our Revit Model Validation test on the model and give it a mark out of 100.

[Jeff Prince]

I would hate to be in Jack's shoes right now 😞

 

[line-weight]

I'm reading this with interest, from my currently fortunate position of mainly doing small projects where I don't really need to co-ordinate big models with other consultants or conform to any formal BIM requirements.

 

Does properly and efficiently co-ordinated BIM actually exist anywhere in the world of architecture yet?

 

I know what drawing co-ordination between consultants looked like a few years back, on relatively large projects, and still in the pre-BIM 2D era, and it was universally a big old mess, in my observation.

[Jack2022]

The project team agree IFCs for clash detection and issuing to the client for COBIE stuff but for internal team coordination its 2D DWGs and 3D Revits. I'm yet to see a project where IFCs are the main sharing format for detail coordination.

 

I'm just sticking to DWGs. Revits don't import with 2D graphics anyway so useless in 2D views. They just look like a meshy mess.