Collaboration with other software
About model and data exchange with 3rd party solutions: Revit, Solibri, dRofus, Bluebeam, structural analysis solutions, and IFC, BCF and DXF/DWG-based exchange, etc.

ArchiCad export to Catia?

Anonymous
Not applicable
I love ArchiCad but I need Catia's flexibility... is there a way to export my initial model from Archicad, .stp, .igs, .sat, into Catia?
4 REPLIES 4
Erika Epstein
Booster
IFC?
Erika
Architect, Consultant
MacBook Pro Retina, 15-inch Yosemite 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Mac OSX 10.11.1
AC5-18
Onuma System

"Implementing Successful Building Information Modeling"
Srinivas
Booster
Erika wrote:
IFC?
or *.3ds ??
ArchiCAD Services
ArchiCAD since v9 to latest
iMac, Windows 10
desatyn wrote:
I love ArchiCad but I need Catia's flexibility... is there a way to export my initial model from Archicad, .stp, .igs, .sat, into Catia?
Srinivas wrote:
Erika wrote:
IFC?
or *.3ds ??
Unfortunately ArchiCAD does not play well with a high-end app like CATIA. By that I mean ArchiCAD does not export into any of the formats that CATIA imports (.stp, .igs,.sat, or even IFC) despite the fact that in many respects CATIA is, kind of, the progenitor of the whole BIM concept of design-information-modelling. It had something to do with the fact that CATIA is technically an engineering program, and not an architecture program and is parametric in ways that ArchiCAD could only dream of.

Your best bet would have to involve an intermediary program that accepts ArchiCAD export formats (.3ds, .obj, .dwg) and one which can export or spit out CATIA compatible formats (.stp, .igs,.sat, et al). The obvious architecture-related candidates are Rhinoceros3D, Maya, and 3DS Max. It might also be possible through Cinema4D, although I'm not entirely certain of the export options of C4D.

Whatever you choose be apprised of the fact that you will lose any object intelligence and properties (ala IFC) and everything will become 'dead' or 'flat' geometry - and as such you will not be able to re-import the model into ArchiCAD, as a BIM model.
Erika Epstein
Booster
Bricklyne wrote:
Unfortunately ArchiCAD does not play well with a high-end app like CATIA. .
If Catia does not accept IFC, that is their problem not Archicad's deficiency.
Erika
Architect, Consultant
MacBook Pro Retina, 15-inch Yosemite 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Mac OSX 10.11.1
AC5-18
Onuma System

"Implementing Successful Building Information Modeling"