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Question about exporting solid to Inventor/Civil


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Hi guys, I might be getting a project, drawing a skatepark. I could not found any other BIM program as easy as this one to draw organic shapes like bowls etc.

The only problem is that the contractor sent me this email and I am not sure if Vectorworks is capable of exporting SOLID, that will stay solid in Invenotr or Civil as it is wanted by contractor. Please check the email text and tell me if I can do that with Vectorworks.

email from contractor

5. Are we allowed to draw a 3D model of the skate park in Rhino? Are the engineers capable of reading Rhino files?

We demand the use of BIM. We foresee problems when we use Rhino, that is exchanged as an .sat file. This will meet our demands for a concept design. However, information will get lost (the Solids volumes) when it is worked out in Civil and Inventor ( the programs used by the city of Amsterdam and on the Dutch market). The final design must be carried out in BIM, Civil or Inventor or a comparable program that can be read into Civil/Inventor without loss of data.

6. Are we allowed to draw plans and sections in classic flat 2D Auto CAD and communicate with the engineers in that way?

Communication with the city of Amsterdam should take place in PDF. You may use a drawing program of your choice but the final design must be in BIM.

I hope someone can help me with this!

Thank you!

Edited by Dstrazar
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Hi,

take a look at this thread:

https://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=226291#Post226291

its about modeling a skate bowl.

import/export:

It should be possible to export solids, but it also depends on what the other software can import.

I have had very good results with step-files.

Other question is: what is bim in this case?

Does it have to be Ifc or is just geometry enough?

have a look at this thread and the youtube video:

https://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=226291#Post226291

Mike is doing amazing stuff with VW, but as far as I know not with Ifc.

Hope this helps a bit

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Thanks for quick reply. Yeah I already saw this thread, thats also why I am interested in this program also for the future.

About export, it just has to be solid geometry (not a mesh), with right thickness of concrete or other materials set to the objects.

After they will import it to Inventor or Civil they wont be changing my skatepark but will need it for other purposes unknown to me, but I guess like adding new layers, groundwork etc.

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http://kbase.vectorworks.net/questions/568/Exporting+Files

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/inventor-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2017/ENU/Inventor-Help/files/GUID-7FACB50F-ED00-419D-8C23-F98283CCD8F8-htm.html

I thinks iges, step, parasolid, rhino are good options.

Only question is which type of export supports layers or classes so you can define materials.

Export in these types and see what works best for the contractor.

If you cant define in this file types by class or layer it can be an option to exports classes/layers one-by-one, but this can become complicated, and time consuming.

but maybe just ifc is the way to go.

Maybe others here have experience with this?

Edited by Bas Vellekoop
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There is confusion between software use and reading here because the contractor wants the use of BIM

VW has been BIM forever this is what IFC is for (the little text at the bottom right corner of the OIP).

It's a bit long to explain in this post how to correctly export in IFC but if your objects on the plan have their IFC correlation, (this is done automatically with walls) then any BIM reader can use the file.

I was confused the first time I encountered this case but now it ok. With the BIM but you never work on a BIM file, you just read the other persons work and you are not allowed to touch any of the other members work. If something doesn’t work (like a pipe crossing a structural beam) the pipe builder has to meet with the structure builder who will take the responsibility to make the hole in the structure or ask the pipe guy to change the way.

What is good with BIM is that in return no one can change your work but only send you some messages saying there is a conflict.

When you receive a IFC file open it on a separate document and bring it as an external ref via a viewport .

Of course it would be great to be able to import revit files but again if so you’ll have to consider them as dwg files and not BIM.

Try to find out if the contractor can read the IFC export this is the best. On my side I am checking the quality of my exports with SOLIBRI viewer before sending the files.

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a terrain model from vectorworks is a free form solid, and it exports well to the ifc. don't you guys test before you ask?

as for the software itself: vectorworks (but equally any bim authoring software, including autodesk and bentley products) is not a model-to-fabrication software, and it requires a conversion or import into a specialized software for the final production. let's see things in a proper light.

rob

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Hi guys, I might be getting a project, drawing a skatepark. I could not found any other BIM program as easy as this one to draw organic shapes like bowls etc.

The only problem is that the contractor sent me this email and I am not sure if Vectorworks is capable of exporting SOLID, that will stay solid in Invenotr or Civil as it is wanted by contractor.

This should be possible if you export to dwg. In the export dialog there is an option to export Vectorworks solids as ACIS solids (ACIS is used for 3D in AutoCAD). That way solids should remain solids and not be converted to surfaces. They may initially display as mesh objects though in AutoCAD, but they are solids which you will see when you start editing the objects.

Given their mention that solids volumes need to be maintained in AutoCAD Civil or Inventor I doubt that alone would qualify as BIM . :)

They say that the final design must be carried out in BIM, Civil or Inventor. Civil is basically dwg format so you should be ok with using Vectorworks and export as DWG.

If they want BIM, i.e. all the required data attached to the objects, then exchange through IFC is probably your best bet as others have already mentioned.

That being said, Vectorworks is certified for Architectural BIM if I am correct, so you may want to check about their BIM structure. (I'm not sure if the person who responded to you really understands the meaning of BIM given their last sentence under point 5 ("The final design must be...") so you may want to contact the technical person responsible to make sure what it is exactly that they want).

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Thanks for such a response guys! I was busy so I couldnt check before, sorry for that.

Answer on a last question.

Contractor is ok with not-editable file, as long as it stays solid and can be used in Invenotr/Civil for adding new elements,layers.

Thanks again for help!

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