Syncing Blend File and IFC File
For me it would be important that the Blend (Lighting, Camera, Entourage, Render Settings, ...) and IFC (BIM model) files are kept in sync.
If I look at what Blender can save file-unrelated stuff in a Blend File, like in Startup.blend .... isn't it possible to do that as least partly sync some things ?
- when saving IFC - saving a sibling Blend file with same name, beside the IFC
- when I open such a Blend File - there is some code included that also loads the IFC
- when I save such a Blend File it will also automatically save the IFC and vice versa
- when referencing Blender Materials to IfcSurfaceStyles, IFC will by default point to the current Blend File sibling
- Or better optionally can automatically create referenced Blender Materials for each IFC Style with same name, by translating IFC Style properties to them - for further editing
- Recognize and throw a warning when one or other sibling file is no more in the same folder for any reasons
- Maybe an Option to renounce of such File synch, when opening/creating an IFC File for hardcore IFC-only
- .....
Comments
If you are looking at older posts, there was a discussion about syncing the files...
In general -just my opinion reading your posts- when you are doing OpenBIM/ifc stuff -I would recomand playing around maybe to "filter for spaces", to "select similar types" press "h" to hide, to use the csv-tool to get room/object/... tables with all relevant information (after filling attributes, q- and psets also for materials, apply different styles to objectparts (create a window from scratch) check out the 4D and 5D section /YT sigmadimension, read the posts from steverugi), play around in the spartial composition section "use ALT+Click" to hide and unhide compositions, do the same stuff in the outliner, model objects/entities create own "planview"representations, realtime sectionviews, modeling objects with blender classify it as object/ as Type, same stuff in bonsai (tesselated, as extruded solids)... Take a look at the filestructure (express) play around with SQlite and do one or two queries, than you will understand the ifc-scheme and how the tabs are organized and you will also see, what is real robust in bonsai and whats a little bit tricky.
For sure, sometimes you will freak out a little bit, but its worth, also look at the docs of building smart, test bcf, ids,...
If I doing blender stuff with the ifc models, I just use the "recept" convert to blendfile, switch to the layout "table/template" do the needed work and save the file as .blend. Materials to use as "external link" can be stored in a seperate .blend file (like a library).
Pls keep in mind that blender and bonsai are free / opensource and if you reach out for solutions on youtube, in forums,... and invest time, you get great results, (created also for win/linux/mac) and you will also stay openminded -sometimes mindblowed, sometimes a little bit frustrated- because you have to research and look how to get the things done. "Things, menues, functionality are changing all the time..."
For sure, Iˋm not the bonsai/blender/bim-master the teacher or the "bim-control-police", but IMO all had a hard time at the starts looking for Informations and solutions to get the specific purposes done.
Happy openBIM exploring 😉
YT-channels/Websites: BIM-voice, Ifc Architect, Sigma Dimension, Dion Moult, OS-Arch, BuildingSmart, bonsaibim.org, ifcopenshell.org,... all are a bit outdated, but the best sources for OpenBIM / ifc / bonsai
Thanks. That is all good.
I already did quite some of those things or they are still on the list. Don't forget @theoryshaw 's Bonsai Video Tutorial which is one of the most condensed source to get into Blender+Bonsai and easy to re-search for specific problems/workflows later again.
This is where I think it's a pity.
Ideal is a lossless Exchange/Sync between your Apps - or much better - you can do all in one single App. The Designs progress, the BIM Models progress and also the Visualization stuff adapts and progresses over time.
Saving as .blend means to I cut all connections and sync. This is like BIM modeling in your BIM App, exporting a FBX to your 3D App. Once the design changes you basically have to redo 60-80 % of your work for each iteration.
But with Blender + Bonsai I am already in the same App and everything looks so near but currently is still unreachable .....
References and external links are also harder to access and to keep in synch and make work more error prone than a whole project in a single file. You use these as a workaround to circumference other limitations. A Material Lib File can't contain all Materials for all future projects, you may want to bring them into your file and adapt them, like with IfcTypes, which get saved, unlike all Blender-only stuff.
I will search for it .....
Still searching for the older ".blend + IFC sync impossible" thread ...
Or if you view synchronization from the Blender File's perspective .....
Not ?
Error prone is ....
I think it is 2 or 3 years ago, there was first "only" the option to export to .ifc and import it. (did a short search, but it´s too long ago, maybe you can find it with some searchengine in the deep of the old osarch-posts)
In short, there has been less functionality, eg the materials and style was configurated in blenders materialsTab. I think to do a clean cut between the standards of the .ifc schema (and the possibilities that effects the geometrieengine, the express-format, the add-ons for the bonsaibimaddon,...) and classic .blend. So someone decided its better to make bonsai nearly strickly native ifc. (maybe it´s because some sorts of data needs some extra coding for the .blend files, walltools, snapping, scale, pivotpoints,...)
"Once upon a time there was...."
@Mas
surely not at the same level of the mentioned videos but the basic ones in the link below are fresh from Aug 25 release, just in case ;)
OSArch discussion
😉 👍 thx
I am totally ok with this and really like that Bonsai is so near to IFC and works in an IFC way. Since Bonsai I learned way more about IFC BIM than after lots of years with proprietary BIM.
I also see no problem to keep the Blender stuff from Bonsai IFC separated - inside Blender. I just need to create, edit and save on both end. No problem to have Bonsai IFC stuff in its parent Collection and Blender-only things in an extra Collection. No problem to not try to edit the IFC stuff with Blender Tools.
Bonsai/IFC includes Architectural Geometries which already have Material Assignments that can be overwritten in IfcStyles.
Blender may include additional Entourage Geometries, Light and Camera Setups, Render Settings and advanced Materials.
Found something March 2021 :
https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell/issues/1360#issuecomment-792353349
With nvidias "nim" and rtx gpu above 4000 series, 48gb Ram, it's already possible to AI render scenes in blender. I didn't do it right now (my gpu is not suppurted, also i dont have enough ram). I think this will change workflows
