Hello
I just installed Blender Bim and tried to follow some videos i found, but i dont have all the elements available.
I did created a project and assigned a the mesh as a IFC wall, created a view but cannot do more than that.
Is there a simple tutorial ? Do i need an IFC template and if so, where can i get it?
Thanks !
I`v seen in the wiki docs that the 2D drawing styles are set on the separate IFC file but where exactly i can find them?
"As mentioned earlier, the resulting SVG file gets its final appearance from the style sheet, defined in the Project data directory. The CSS conrols the appearance using classes, which means that by assigning an arbitrary class, any group of objects can be assigned a specific appearance. Some of the classes are defined as an example in the PROJECT_DATA_DIRECTORY⁄styles⁄default.CSS, defining the appearance of the annotation elements added through UI (see below) and some basic material hatches. The symbols and hatches referenced by the CSS file are standard SVG files stored in PROJECT_DATA_DIRECTORY⁄templates⁄"
I couldnt find these styles. Where iss the Project Data Directory?
Can i edit and add new entries into the CSS file?
If i want to create a custom door i can assign an existing type and then it will get that floorplan symbol but if i want a custom dimension or symbol how can i create it?
https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=Category:BlenderBIM_Add-on
@bitacovir said:
https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=Category:BlenderBIM_Add-on
Thanks for replying! I managed to understand some of the basic concepts and created a few wall segments from the template.
However i would like to understand how can i transform any custom geometry into BIM elements something like in this short tutorial
Is this still possible?
If i apply an existing wall style to a custom geometry with modifiers (like in the video) will it react with the window, doors openings interact with other BlenderBim functions and tools?
I understand that i need to assign a custom 2d symbol for any custom doors and windows. Where can i find more information about this?
Thanks again !
Hardest part for me was trying to learn Blender, it's also really helpful to familiarize yourself with the IFC schema.
If i apply an existing wall style to a custom geometry with modifiers (like in the video) will it react with the window, doors openings interact with other BlenderBim functions and tools?
Short answer: No. But I think @theoryshaw does a lot experiments with roundtripping. He experiments how we can store certain functionality within an IFC schema.
Yes Indeed, it's not easy to find the information you want or how to do it. What @Coen said about getting familiar with the IFC Schema is i.m.h.o the most important thing. Because everyone learns different and would like things ordered and sorted in a different way is difficult to find the information, but it's there. A long but very useful video Series on IFC is this one: Open BIM and IFC , thank you @Moult.
@camontellano said:
Yes Indeed, it's not easy to find the information you want or how to do it. What @Coen said about getting familiar with the IFC Schema is i.m.h.o the most important thing.
I`v been using Archicad and Revit before but in BlenderBim is less automated so there are things that i was not aware of probably
The Ifc Class is the top hierarchical category and followed by Type?
Lets say I have a dumb mesh in Blender. Do i need to assign it to a Class and the class needs to be of a Type?
@Coen said:
Short answer: No. But I think @theoryshaw does a lot experiments with roundtripping. He experiments how we can store certain functionality within an IFC schema.
Why is this not possible anymore?I thought that was really a great workflow! I know that working with walls by extending and intersecting segments is handy but I also want to be able to design my floorplan using Blender tools , including Geometry Nodes and modifiers and then somehow assign them to BIM elements
In fact i really think and hope Blender BIM will be compatible and included in Geometry Nodes. Parametric modelling is really the key!
Why is this not possible anymore?I
Was it ever possible? I'm not aware
I thought that was really a great workflow! I know that working with walls by extending and intersecting segments is handy but I also want to be able to design my floorplan using Blender tools , including Geometry Nodes and modifiers and then somehow assign them to BIM elements
Yes, that would be great. But I think BlenderBIM is for now an IFC authoring tool, not (yet) an IFC creation tool. Maybe these threads will shine some light on the expectations of BlenderBIM:
https://community.osarch.org/discussion/800/
https://community.osarch.org/discussion/793/
Parametric modelling is really the key!
I wholeheartedly agree with you, I think it's slowly getting there? Technically if you know the python API, Blender is already one big parametrics mesh modelling software. :-P
@Coen said:
Yes, that would be great. But I think BlenderBIM is for now an IFC authoring tool, not (yet) an IFC creation tool.
I'm not a lingust, but as far as I can tell the term "authoring tool" refers to a tool designed to produce content. So that means that "IFC authoring tool" and "IFC creation tool" are synonyms.
Check this out: https://blenderbim.org/blenderbim-vs-revit.html
Is revit IFC authoring tool? Most people would probably say so. You can see from the chart that BlenderBIM add-on is actually rather capable. The main problem of BlenderBIM add-on is, that it is currently under heavy development, which somewhat automatically means it's not so extremely user friendly as Archicad or Revit.
@Constantinesis said:
If i apply an existing wall style to a custom geometry with modifiers (like in the video) will it react with the window, doors openings interact with other BlenderBim functions and tools?
I don't exactly agree with @Coen here. BlenderBIM add-on aims to take advantage of all the capabilities of Blender. You can take any finished model and turn it into a BIM model. You just need to know how and that's the hard part.
@JanF
I don't exactly agree with @Coen here. BlenderBIM add-on aims to take advantage of all the capabilities of Blender. You can take any finished model and turn it into a BIM model. You just need to know how and that's the hard part.
This is true, but as I understand the OP wants to know how to store parametric capability with an IFC file? Like you made a gif once showing how to use the walltype functionality of BlenderBIM.
I thought OP means specific these kind of things? I don't want to post things here which are simply not true.... But expectation management can't also be underestimated in my opinion to prevent user dissapointment.
@Coen said:
Was it ever possible? I'm not aware
I think so. Please take a look at the video i first mentioned in the initial post. An older tutorial by Dion Moult
The first part where he is modelling a floorplan layout, using just Blender tools including modifiers, and then adding doors, creating drawings, etc.
@Coen said:
This is true, but as I understand the OP wants to know how to store parametric capability with an IFC file?
And I thought he was just basically generally asking how to work with BlenderBIM add-on, coming from Revit or Archicad.
@Constantinesis could you please be more specific about what you are trying to do?
@Constantinesis said:
Lets say I have a dumb mesh in Blender. Do i need to assign it to a Class and the class needs to be of a Type?
You can take any object and assign it any class, like this:
@Constantinesis
That's already quite an old video like you say, I think the latest Blender version doesn't have dumb wall option anymore.
I think you can now use a demo libray, this way after you export the IFC, it can be imported and adjusted/edited again in Blender. You're still able to edite the wall thickness of a wall type just like in Revit.
If you use modifiers like array/boolean you can model really fast. However when you export it to IFC and import it Blender again, you lose all your Blender modifier functionality. I thought you meant that....?
For exampe in this thread a complex geometry stair can be modeled very fast using different modifiers. However when exporting to IFC you can't edit the stair anymore like you would with type parameters as in Revit.
If you use modifiers like array/boolean you can model really fast. However when you export it to IFC and import it Blender again, you lose all your Blender modifier functionality. I thought you meant that....?
I could live with that for now, If it keeps the class association even after modelling it is great.
For exampe in this thread a complex geometry stair can be modeled very fast using different modifiers. However when exporting to IFC you can't edit the stair anymore like you would with type parameters as in Revit.
Thats what i love in Blender is the speed and flexibility which you can model things like that. Actually spiral stairs are very fast and easy to model using combination of Array, Screw, Solidfy, Boolean tools if you need so.
The most common modifier i use is the Solidify. This gives parametric thickness and you only need to model 2D meshes and lines.
I am not even mentioning the Geometry Nodes which you can also use. But will it be represented in section cuts?
Actually i am confused because i saw there is a real time section cut shader and viewer but in the same time you also have the SVG export. I prefer the real-time section view of the model. Can that be used for horizontal sections (floorplans)?
I have also just discovered Measure It Arch, another free plugin, really amazing for associative dimensioning, annotations but also line style representations. I saw there is an interest for Blender Bim and Measure IT arch to work together
My most important question is, if i assign a class to a custom mesh, will it be correctly represented in floorplan and section drawings? WIll i be able to add windows and doors or do i need to change their voids as to cut through all the thicknes? What does Type mean in this context? Is it a higher category than of the Class?
I mean do i need to also assign a Type to the custom mesh, together with a class?
@Constantinesis
My most important question is, if i assign a class to a custom mesh, will it be correctly represented in floorplan and section drawings?
WIll i be able to add windows and doors or do i need to change their voids as to cut through all the thicknes?
Those are all good questions. I never tried to make a drawing with Blender, so unfortunely I can't help you too much.
What does Type mean in this context?
Is it a higher category than of the Class?
I mean do i need to also assign a Type to the custom mesh, together with a class?
EDIT: it seems the images are being compressed and blurry by this forum, someone (sorry forgot your name) on this forum explained this to me. But I coud not find any non-forum documentation about this very useful feature.
@Coen said:
- You now only have to edit one mesh, the other instances will be edited as well.
What about the Layer thicknes associated with the type? WIl it the instances change if i update its layer thickness ?
I also saw in a video that you need to assign a material to the type and thats where you set the thickness.
But i think that the thickness can only refer to a bounding box of the object. Will not apply correctly if you have a polygonal prism as a wall for example
What about the Layer thicknes associated with the type? WIl it the instances change if i update its layer thickness ?
I thought we were talking about type parameters :-)
I don't know about layer thickness parametrics capability/functionality within BlenderBIM . But I linked the documentation to Building Smart. Maybe it's useful.
@Coen said:
For exampe in this thread a complex geometry stair can be modeled very fast using different modifiers. However when exporting to IFC you can't edit the stair anymore like you would with type parameters as in Revit.
Is the dimensioning done with BlenderBim? How do i use the dimension tools? I wasnt able to make them work.
Did you go through the wiki?
https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=BlenderBIM_Add-on_exporting_2D_documentation
@JanF said:
Did you go through the wiki?
https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=BlenderBIM_Add-on_exporting_2D_documentation
Thanks, just tested and its indeed sectioning through any mesh which is assigned to a IFC class!
Is there a way i can have a 2d camera view interactively showing the section cuts? It would also be nice to see the generated drawing inside Blender
I can see the Temporary section cutaways but its without any CAD symbol styles.
https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=BlenderBIM_Add-on_Setting_up_a_BIM_Project
The path in the link is no longer correct though, it seems to be under blenderbim\bim\data\styles now. Yes, you can edit the css and svg files and change the appearance in any way you like, that's the idea.
Why the directories are no longer exposed in the UI I don't know. @Moult ?
If you understand svg you can just add the code for your symbol into the right svg file. I don't think there is a way to draw it graphically and save as svg in inkscape or illustrator, so that blenderbim will understand it.
Wondering, what is the way to add doors and windows? And can they remain associative such that if a wall is moved the doors and windows follow? I've looked through most of the info in the wiki and elsewhere, but still find lack of info about doors and windows.
Another question - how does one define spaces? Are they manual at the moment?
I too am having a hard time getting started - I'm both new to BIM and especially new to Blender, and it's a lot to learn. I'm working my way through some of the Blender tutorials and hopefully I'll get there.
One thing that I think would really help me and I'd bet a lot of others was if there was a demo video that went very slow and deliberate, like the Blender donut tutorial, that created a basic model - maybe something with a slab, some exterior walls and a roof, a door and a window, two stories, and maybe a stairway and an interior wall. Just seeing someone create this would be helpful but especially if they were going slow and narrated which tool they were using or what hot-keys they were pressing as they were adding elements, along with whatever modifiers and snaps they had turned on, and if the selection is to the face or vertex, etc. Moult's demos are awesome but he can move so fast I just can't keep up! It'd also be great to see how things lined up - are the walls and roof aligned to the centerline of those meshes or the exterior?
The Demo library included in the current BlenderBIM releases is very helpful in that it's got some basic IFC classes defined, though I don't think it has roof or stairs, but I think I could figure that out if I had to (at least roof, I don't know what to do about stairs, because there must be a void attached to them/the ceiling somehow and I don't know how to make a mesh that looks like stairs)
How about we host a unilateral screenshare May 5th, at 20:00 utc.
We can all ask questions, i can show peeps what i know, and I can hand off the screen for others to show what they know. Keep it conversational.
@theoryshaw any chance the meeting can work if it's a little earlier in the day?
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