Hi Everyone, I've been following these forums since last year after seeing blender bim for the first time and just have a simple question, so i registered to ask it,
Where can one go to start using blenderbim?
I thought I was on top of it but since the rebuild to use native IFC authoring I no longer understand the process since it has changed,
following the wiki I run into innumerable errors(from my lack of understanding not bugs I believe), and reading the forums with others using blenderbim it seems like I just cant see the whole picture even though others have used the platform for certain things. https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=BlenderBIM_Add-on_exporting_2D_documentation
Is there somewhere written down or recorded like the old example below that gives the latest workflow for:
importing/exporting IFC, building geometry in blender(for IFC not generally), exporting 2d sheets, using the new worksheets & tasks & QTE systems, etc
I know the program is changing fast and really appreciate it, I just wanted to try get to know it/ experiment with it and it seems to be getting more complicated to use
Hi, @Ace ,
Thanks for the post. As you hinted, BlenderBIM is in heavy flux at the moment. @Moult has indicated that it's really not in a place yet for authoring or creating sheets.
I'm relatively in the same boat you are. I provide bug reports, here, when I can.
G'day @Ace - everything is changing quite rapidly, and unfortunately authoring from scratch and drawing generation are currently really immature. If you are a poweruser and want to play with it nonetheless, we can definitely help and can organise perhaps a screenshare (I'm hesitant to do tutorials, as I suspect it will change quite rapidly once I implement the necessary new authoring features). If you are a developer, please join in! We can guide you on the best place to start - and that might even be working on other aspects so that I am free to work on more tricky architectural issues.
There are three main features which impact the workflow you're looking for:
Drawing generation. This is a mammoth task, which early prototypes have been quite promising. Soon, @aothms and I will embark on some sponsored work to make this more of a reality. Soon will probably mean that work will start in perhaps a month.
Parametric engine support (I used to call this the "Object Generator" concept). Creating box-like walls isn't enough. Support for a parametric engine layer that can interpret changes of any arbitrary parameter and allow the cascading of other related parameters is vital so that you don't need to do 10 steps to perform basic functions like drawing a wall. This has to be carefully designed to allow for user extensions, so you can have your own wall generator, parametric building generator, etc. No work has started on this yet, but has been mulling around in my head for a while now. I'm currently distracted on other features, but I won't ignore it for long. Likely I will tackle this in the next couple of weeks.
Improved library support. BIM becomes much more practical when you can insert things from a library. Work has already started on this, so we can quite quickly reuse objects and wall types, etc. This needs more UX polish and integration with the parametric engine, so that we can start shipping the BlenderBIM Add-on with some wall types, doors, windows, slab types, and so on.
The good news is that we are doing the best we can with the resources available, and the pace of development is accelerating. New developers are joining and spreading the load. We're slowly tackling and solving the long-term big issues (e.g. 100% round-trip, code modularity for scaling features and developer onboarding, and more recently the Blender-IFC syncing issue), and moving methodically onto the next big issue (the three I have mentioned above, but there are always more ... multi-user editing, the "Undo" problem, federated IFCs...).
The reason why all this is taking so long is because we are in uncharted territory. Nobody has attempted to do an OpenBIM-based native workflow before to this degree, integrated across all disciplines, and at the same time ensuring that it can scale from domestic scale projects to large commercial developments where BIM files regularly exceed gigabytes. We're doing the best we can, and no single developer has all the answers, but we're gonna keep on trucking.
If you're after a solution that works today, look at FreeCAD with @yorik - where the Techdraw workbench for drawing generation is much, much more mature, or Archipack Blender Add-on with @stephen_l - which has vector drawing generation as well, and has been battle-tested a lot more as a parametric architectural modeler.
I know the program is changing fast and really appreciate it, I just wanted to try get to know it/ experiment with it and it seems to be getting more complicated to use
It is how must be. Before the world it was the chaos... ;)
Howzit @Moult , thanks for the indepth response, I have been reading the forums and the addon updates so I figured as much, thanks for starting it and thanks to everyone contributing, I've got no issue with the pace of change it's excellent, keep it up!
Understood on the tutorials getting out of date situation. Unfortunately I'm not a dev, just an architect in process, so I thought I could contribute by testing it like @theoryshaw, I don't think I'm e̶n̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶o̶f̶ a poweruser, I wont understand things once off at the moment, so no stress on screenshare, I'll wait it out, and keep trying it out as I have been. Could I recommend something else as opposed to a tut? A little 1min video demo or gif of new features when you do the monthly release?
Freecad and Archipack were part of the plan so I'll pursue those aswell, thanks for the suggestion.
Hey @theoryshaw, I've been reading your posts more than most, essentially all the questions I have had and more, thanks for your contributions man.
Comments
Hi Everyone, I've been following these forums since last year after seeing blender bim for the first time and just have a simple question, so i registered to ask it,
Where can one go to start using blenderbim?
I thought I was on top of it but since the rebuild to use native IFC authoring I no longer understand the process since it has changed,
following the wiki I run into innumerable errors(from my lack of understanding not bugs I believe), and reading the forums with others using blenderbim it seems like I just cant see the whole picture even though others have used the platform for certain things.
https://wiki.osarch.org/index.php?title=BlenderBIM_Add-on_exporting_2D_documentation
Is there somewhere written down or recorded like the old example below that gives the latest workflow for:
importing/exporting IFC, building geometry in blender(for IFC not generally), exporting 2d sheets, using the new worksheets & tasks & QTE systems, etc
I know the program is changing fast and really appreciate it, I just wanted to try get to know it/ experiment with it and it seems to be getting more complicated to use
Hi, @Ace ,
Thanks for the post. As you hinted, BlenderBIM is in heavy flux at the moment.
@Moult has indicated that it's really not in a place yet for authoring or creating sheets.
I'm relatively in the same boat you are. I provide bug reports, here, when I can.
G'day @Ace - everything is changing quite rapidly, and unfortunately authoring from scratch and drawing generation are currently really immature. If you are a poweruser and want to play with it nonetheless, we can definitely help and can organise perhaps a screenshare (I'm hesitant to do tutorials, as I suspect it will change quite rapidly once I implement the necessary new authoring features). If you are a developer, please join in! We can guide you on the best place to start - and that might even be working on other aspects so that I am free to work on more tricky architectural issues.
There are three main features which impact the workflow you're looking for:
The good news is that we are doing the best we can with the resources available, and the pace of development is accelerating. New developers are joining and spreading the load. We're slowly tackling and solving the long-term big issues (e.g. 100% round-trip, code modularity for scaling features and developer onboarding, and more recently the Blender-IFC syncing issue), and moving methodically onto the next big issue (the three I have mentioned above, but there are always more ... multi-user editing, the "Undo" problem, federated IFCs...).
The reason why all this is taking so long is because we are in uncharted territory. Nobody has attempted to do an OpenBIM-based native workflow before to this degree, integrated across all disciplines, and at the same time ensuring that it can scale from domestic scale projects to large commercial developments where BIM files regularly exceed gigabytes. We're doing the best we can, and no single developer has all the answers, but we're gonna keep on trucking.
If you're after a solution that works today, look at FreeCAD with @yorik - where the Techdraw workbench for drawing generation is much, much more mature, or Archipack Blender Add-on with @stephen_l - which has vector drawing generation as well, and has been battle-tested a lot more as a parametric architectural modeler.
It is how must be. Before the world it was the chaos... ;)
Howzit @Moult , thanks for the indepth response, I have been reading the forums and the addon updates so I figured as much, thanks for starting it and thanks to everyone contributing, I've got no issue with the pace of change it's excellent, keep it up!
Understood on the tutorials getting out of date situation. Unfortunately I'm not a dev, just an architect in process, so I thought I could contribute by testing it like @theoryshaw, I don't think I'm e̶n̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶o̶f̶ a poweruser, I wont understand things once off at the moment, so no stress on screenshare, I'll wait it out, and keep trying it out as I have been. Could I recommend something else as opposed to a tut? A little 1min video demo or gif of new features when you do the monthly release?
Freecad and Archipack were part of the plan so I'll pursue those aswell, thanks for the suggestion.
Hey @theoryshaw, I've been reading your posts more than most, essentially all the questions I have had and more, thanks for your contributions man.