So far I understood Speckle as needing Connectors on each
App side to
transfer the data to Speckle stuff
stream up to the Speckle server
from where you can stream down into your own App
I doubt that my client’s clients (Navisworks, Revit, …)
would ever load a Speckle Connector on their machines to support me …
I just may get a RVT or IFC or NWD to download.
I think they are mostly pretty happy inside their closed Autodesk
BIM world.
So I thought,
if once there are Connectors available for all (or most of) my Apps
(Vectorworks, Bricscad, Cinema4D, Blender, (Modo), Twinmotion)
Speckle would at least help on my own side to make my Apps
collaborate (lossless exchange) on my side - which would be
already great in itself.
But recently, I think I read something on this forum about the
possibility to somehow bringing Files a into Speckle !?
Is this possible ?
The only transformations that Speckle performs itself are, as you say, from application native elements → Speckle and Speckle → native application elements. This transformation happens within the application connector before it is sent to our (or your) Speckle servers. This means it is for the applications we currently support.
There are only a few exceptions to this, and to answer your last question, I think you missed a word. If I take a total shot in the dark and fill in the gap:
IFC, STL, MTL and OBJ - It is possible to upload each of these file types into Speckle directly (max 25MB for now)
Of these, clearly, IFC is the data-rich model type and the geometry of the other focussed.
That is what I wanted to hear.
At least IFC direct uploading isn’t that bad …
As I may get IFCs provided by my clients.
(Of course I could import them directly in Vectorworks, Bricscad or Blender)
So if that is at one point in the future better than Imports from ODA libraries,
that would be a great way to freedom of Software choice. …
OK,
in reality clients IFCs or RVTs are more on the 500 MB+ side each.
(Not because of that much Data but because of bad modeling and file organization standards)
So will not be able to test these for now, but at least
I could do some reasonable file size IFC exports, and finally test Speckle by my (so far) single
only App supported by Speckly Connector, which is Blender.
Revit file direct upload would also be very interesting
(as they may never install a Connector)
Is that something that may also happen at one point (?)
Or are there things, that would prevent that from ever happen ?
(E.g. like 3DSMax, which AFAIK does not save data in their files but
Tool instructions only, which will never be possible to open anywhere
outside of a 3DSMax App)
thats is ok of course. Maybe not even wanted.
But I was more thinking about potential true limitations that
would even prevent this.
No clue about Revit and their file structure, but like 3DSMax,
AFIK Vectorworks at current state, which may change some time,
also does not just include useful data but also a mixture of kind of
tool instructions, like just parameters of their door tool which will
generate the door finally when opening the *.vwx in in an
appropriate Version ov VW.
So I doubt, even if desired, that streaming up a current or older
VW file would be ever possible to upload into Speckle.
(as you also will not find any Importer for Max or VW files anywhere)
I totally agree that the recommended and preferred way to use Speckle
is by using the Connectors from inside Apps.
Just saying that direct upload of the formats you mentioned
(or similar like FBX, USD, …) is not useless and welcome.