RhinocerosGDL

Converter

GRAPHISOFT
VisittheGRAPHISOFTwebsiteatwww.graphisoft.comforlocal
distributorandproductavailabilityinformation.
RhinocerosGDLConverter
Copyright2016byGRAPHISOFT,allrightsreserved.Reproduction,
paraphrasingortranslationwithoutexpresspriorwrittenpermissionis
strictlyprohibited.
Trademarks
ARCHICADisaregisteredtrademarkofGRAPHISOFT.
RhinomodelsforLCFworkflowprovidedbyNikkenSekkeiLtd.

Contents

Contents
IntroductiontoRhinocerosGDLConverter ..................... 5
InstalltheRhinocerosGDLConverterAddOn .................. 6
ImportRhinoModelasGSM................................. 7
ImportRhinoModelasLCF ................................. 12
SaveModelElementsasLCFContainerFileinRhino ......... 13
PlaceLCFModelinARCHICAD 20 ......................... 16
ManageImportedModelwithLCFObserver................ 20
RhinoObjectSettingsinARCHICAD.......................... 24

RhinocerosGDLConverter

Contents

RhinocerosGDLConverter

IntroductiontoRhinocerosGDLConverter

IntroductiontoRhinocerosGDL
Converter
ThispluginforRhino5andaddonforARCHICAD20enablesyou
toexportamodelcreatedinRhino,andthenimportitto
ARCHICAD.
DependingonthesizeoftheRhinomodel,youwillchooseoneof
twoimportmethods:

GSMImport,forsmallsizedsingleobjectsorgroupsof
smallobjects:
1. InRhino,saveamodeloritsselectedpartsasoneormore
GSMformatfiles(objects).
2. InARCHICAD,addtheobjectstotheEmbeddedLibrary,then
placethemintotheARCHICAD20project.

LCFImport,forimportingalargegroupofobjectsasa
referencemodel:
1. InRhino,saveamodeloritsselectedpartsasanLCFformat
file(LibraryContainerFile).AsingleLCFcontainsmanyGSM
objectfiles.
2. InARCHICAD,addtheLCFfileasaLinkedLibrary.
3. UseLCFObservertoplaceallobjectsfromtheLCFfiles,and/
ortoupdateanyplacedinstancesasneeded.

KeyBenefits

Importsgeometricinformationonly
AdjustobjectattributesandedgesmoothinginARCHICAD
WithLCFImport:placeorupdateallobjectsfromtheLCF
containerfileinonestep

RhinocerosGDLConverter

InstalltheRhinocerosGDLConverterAddOn

InstalltheRhinocerosGDL
ConverterAddOn
Launchtheinstalleronyourcomputer.Twoprogramsare
availableforinstallation:
GSMLCFexporterforRhino5.Thisletsyousave/export
Rhinomodelsineither.gsmformator.lcfformat.
InstalltheRhinoLCFObserver20.Thisaddonisrequiredif
youplantoimportRhinomodelssavedasLCFfiles.Itplaces
theobjectsoftheLCFcontainerinARCHICAD,whileretaining
theiroriginalpositioningandIDs.Italsoletsyoutrackand
updateimported/placedinstancesoftheseobjects.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasGSM

ImportRhinoModelasGSM
Usethisworkflowtoimportsmallsizedsingleobjectsorgroups
ofsmallobjectssavedinGSMformattoARCHICAD.
InRhino,saveamodeloritsselectedpartsasoneormore
GSMformatfiles(objects).
InARCHICAD,addtheobjectstotheEmbeddedLibrary,then
placethemintotheARCHICAD20project.
Thesestepsaredescribedinthefollowingsections.

SaveModelElementsasSimpleGSMObjectFileinRhino
1. Selecttheobjectsyouwanttoexport.

Modelprovidedbyflyingarchitecture.com

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasGSM

2. UseFile>SaveorFile>ExportSelected.

Modelprovidedbyflyingarchitecture.com

NoteonModelSelection:Ifyouareexportingacomplex
buildingmodel,itisrecommendedtoselectandexportthe
differentparts/layersofthemodelasseveralobjects,rather
thanexportingtheentiremodelasasingleobject.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasGSM

3. IntheupcomingExportdialogbox:
Browseforandselectatargetfolder
ChoosetheARCHICADGDLObjectfiletype(extension
.gsm)
GiveanametothefileandclickSave

4. ThePolygonMeshOptionsdialogboxappears.Setthe
preferredlevelofpolygondetailforthisobjectfile,andclick
OK.

SeetheRhinoprogramsHelpfileformoredetailsonthese
options.
5. TheRhinomodelselectionissavedasaGSMobjectfiletothe
folderyouspecified.
6. Repeatthisprocesstoselectandsaveasmanyobjectfilesas
neededfromtheRhinomodel.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasGSM

PlaceGSMObjectFileinARCHICAD 20
1. AddthesavedGSMobjectfilestoyourprojectsEmbedded
Library.
Todothis,gotoLibraryManager.UsetheAddcommandto
browseforthefoldercontainingtheGSMs,orelsedragand
droptheGSMfilesintotheEmbeddedLibrary.
Alternatively,simplydraganddroptheGSMfileontothe
floorplan.Itwillbeplacedintheprojectandalsoaddedto
theEmbeddedLibrary.

10

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasGSM

2. UsetheObjectTooltoplacetheobjectsfromtheEmbedded
LibraryintotheARCHICADproject.
IMPORTANT:Toensurecorrectalignmentoftheseparately
savedpartsofalargeRhinomodel,makesureyouplaceeach
objectatthesamepoint.

Modelprovidedbyflyingarchitecture.com

RhinocerosGDLConverter

11

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

ImportRhinoModelasLCF
Usethisworkflowtoimportalargegroupofobjectsasa
referencemodeltoARCHICAD.
1. InRhino,saveamodeloritsselectedpartsasanLCFformat
file(LibraryContainerFile).AsingleLCFcontainsmanyGSM
objectfiles.
2. InARCHICAD,addtheLCFfileasaLinkedLibrary.
3. UseLCFObservertoplaceallobjectsfromtheLCFfiles,and/
ortoupdateanyplacedinstancesasneeded.
Thesestepsaredescribedinthefollowingsections.

12

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

SaveModelElementsasLCFContainerFile
inRhino
1. Selecttheobject(s)youwanttoexportasareferencemodel
toARCHICAD.

ConceptdesignmodelprovidedbyNikkenSekkeiLtd.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

13

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

2. UseFile>SaveorFile>ExportSelected.

ConceptdesignmodelprovidedbyNikkenSekkeiLtd.

14

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

3. IntheupcomingExportdialogbox:
Browseforandselectatargetfolder
ChoosetheARCHICADGDLObjectLibraryfiletype
(extension.lcf)
GiveanametothefileandclickSave

4. ThePolygonMeshOptionsdialogboxappears.Setthe
preferredlevelofpolygondetailforthisobjectfile,andclick
OK.

SeetheRhinoprogramsHelpfileformoredetailsonthese
options.
5. TheRhinomodelselectionissavedasanLCFcontainerfileto
thefolderyouspecified.
SeealsoPlace/UpdateFunctionformoreinformationonthe
structureofthisLCFfile.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

15

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

PlaceLCFModelinARCHICAD 20
1. AddtheLCFfiletoyourprojectsLinkedLibraries.
(Todothis,gotoLibraryManager.UsetheAddcommandto
browseforthefoldercontainingtheLCF,orelsedragand
droptheLCFfiletotheLinkedLibraries.)

2. OpentheLCFObserverfromWindows>Palettes.

16

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

TheContainerssectionliststheRhinobasedLCFfileyouhave
addedtotheproject.Theyellowwarningtrianglemeansthatthe
contentsofthefilehavenotyetbeenplacedinARCHICAD.

Note:IfyoudontseetheLCFfileyouexpect,clickthe
Refreshbuttonatthebottomofthepalette.
3. ClickPlace/UpdateAlltoaddtheobjectsfromtheLCF
containerfile(s)toyourproject.WhenplacedinARCHICAD,
theobjectsrelativepositionswillrecreatetheirpositionsin
theRhinomodel.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

17

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

ConceptdesignmodelprovidedbyNikkenSekkeiLtd.

18

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

SeealsoPlace/UpdateFunction.
Afteryouhaveplacedtheobjects,youcanseeintheObject
SettingsthattheobjectscontainedintheLCFfilecorrespondin
nameandnumbertotheRhinomodelelements.TheLCFfile
arrangestheseobjectsinafolderstructurethatcorrespondsto
Rhinoslayerstructure,andalsorecreatestheelementgroups.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

19

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

ManageImportedModelwithLCFObserver
OpentheLCFObserverfromWindows>Palettes.

Containers
ThissectionliststheLCFfilesthatoriginatefromaRhinomodel
andhavebeenaddedtoyourLibraryManager.

20

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

ForeachsuchLCF,thestatusisindicated:
Greencheckmark:Uptodate(ascomparedwiththeRhino
referencemodel).
Yellowwarningsign:
ThisLCFisoutdatedandrequiresanupdate,becausethe
Rhinomodelhaschanged,or
ThisLCFscontentshavenotyetbeenplacedintheproject
(eitherbecausetheLCFhasjustbeenaddedtothe
project,ortheLCFhasjustbeenresaved/updated).
Atanytime,clickthegreenRefreshbuttontoupdatethestatusof
theContainerssection.

Objects
ThissectionlistsallobjectscontainedinalltheLCFfilesshownin
theContainerssection,bystatus.
Uptodate.
New(availableintheLCF,butnotyetplacedintheproject).
Modified:TheseobjectsarepresentinboththeLCFfolder
andintheproject,buttheirversionsdiffer.
Note:EverytimeyouupdateanLCFfolder,allofitsobjects
willhavethestatusofmodified.
Deleted:ThesearenolongerpresentintheLCFfolder,but
arestillplacedintheARCHICADproject.

Place/UpdateFunction
ClickingPlace/UpdateAllfromtheRhinoLCFObserverPalette
willplaceorupdateallobjectsfromalllistedLCFfiles,depending
ontheirstatus.
Allnewobjectswillbeplacedintotheproject,atthesame
positionrelativetotheoriginasintheRhinomodel.The
RhinocerosGDLConverter

21

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

newlyplacedobjectswillusethesameparametersasthosein
yourprojectsObjectDefaultSettings.
Exception:EachobjectplacedinARCHICADfromaRhino
basedLCFisassignedanIFCPropertyknownasRhinoLayer,
displayingtheobjectslayernameasoriginatingfromRhino.

DeletedobjectswillbedeletedfromtheARCHICADproject.
Modifiedobjectswillbeupdatedbasedontheobjects
currentstatus(position,layer,group)asitexistsintheLCF
file.(OtherparametersthatareeditableinARCHICADwillnot
beupdated.)
Ifanyoftheobjectsisnoteditable(e.g.itislocked,orisnot
reservedinTeamwork),theupdatecannottakeplace.

22

RhinocerosGDLConverter

ImportRhinoModelasLCF

UsingLCFObserverinTeamwork

TolinkanLCFreferencemodeltotheproject,youneedthe
samepermissions/reservationsaswithanyotherlinked
library.
TobeabletousetheRhinoLCFObserverinTeamwork,you
needtheDesignToolElementspermission.
Inupdatethemodel,youneedtoreserveallplacedinstances
oftheaffectedLibraryParts.
Bydefault,allreservationsfortheplacedobjects
automaticallybelongtothepersonwhofirstusedPlace/
UpdateAllintheproject.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

23

RhinoObjectSettingsinARCHICAD

RhinoObjectSettingsin
ARCHICAD
LikeotherARCHICADobjects,anobjectimportedfromaRhino
modelhasadjustableparametersavailablefromitsObject
Settingsdialogbox:

2DRepresentation
Usetheseparameterstosetfillsandpensfortheobjects2D
appearanceinARCHICAD.

24

RhinocerosGDLConverter

RhinoObjectSettingsinARCHICAD

Rhino2DViewOptions

CutType:Theseoptionsdefinewheretheobjectiscutfor
displayin2Dviews:

NoCut:Theobjectisdisplayeduncut(asatopview).
InFloorPlanRange:Theobjectiscutattheleveldefined
intheARCHICADprojectsFloorPlanCutPlanesettings(at
Document>FloorPlanCutPlane).
AbsoluteHeight:Ifyouchoosethisoption,theAbsolute
CutHeightparameterappears.Enteranumbertodefine
theheight(measuredfromtheprojectorigin)atwhich
theobjectiscut.
RelativeHeight:Ifyouchoosethisoption,theRelative
CutHeightparameterappears.Enteranumbertodefine
theheight(measuredfromthebottomofthecurrent
story)atwhichtheobjectiscut.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

25

RhinoObjectSettingsinARCHICAD

Show/Hidefaceedges:Showthemifyouwanttoselectand
editedges.
Hotspotsonboundingbox:Turnthisonifyouwanttosee
additionalhotspotsonRhinoobjectsin2D.Thiscanbeuseful,
forexample,fordimensioninganorthogonalobjectsuchasa
curtainwall.

Rhino3DViewOptions
Usethesecheckboxestofinetunetheobjectappearancein3D:
Show/Hidefaceedges(showthemifyouwanttoselectand
editedges)
Show/HideHotlines(youcansnaptohotlinestofacilitate
selection)
Smoothedges:Usethisoptiontovarytheshadingeffectof
objectsinOpenGLviews.

SmoothEdgesOn(left)andOff(Right)
Modelprovidedbyflyingarchitecture.com

26

RhinocerosGDLConverter

RhinoObjectSettingsinARCHICAD

RhinoAttributes
Bydefault,objectsimportedfromRhinowillusethesame
surfacesandpensasinRhino.
Tooverrideanyofthesesurfacesandpencolorsindividually,use
theRhinoSurfacesparametersasneeded.

RhinocerosGDLConverter

27

RhinoObjectSettingsinARCHICAD

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RhinocerosGDLConverter