Hi there,
I am currently exploring how we can configure our project so that Archicad data is always published to Speckle in a consistent and reliable way.
At the moment, I can choose between three filtering options:
- Selection
- Type
- Layer
Selection
We have created views in Archicad that already display the correct elements for export. We then select all visible elements using Ctrl+A.
Risks:
- Someone may forget to update or save the new selection in the Speckle Publisher.
- The selection does not include elements that are not editable, for example because of Teamwork permissions, locked layers, or similar restrictions.
Type
The type filter largely ignores the Archicad view settings and only considers which element types exist in the project.
Issue:
Our project is very large, so we have created separate views for each storey. Even then, the model is still too large to publish directly to Speckle.
The Archicad 3D filter correctly limits the model to the selected storey, but the type filter ignores most of the other visibility settings defined in the view.
Risk:
We first configure all filters in the Archicad view and then have to configure almost the same filters again in the Speckle Publisher. The storey filter from the Archicad view is respected, but most other view settings are not.
Layer
The layer filter has essentially the same issues and risks as the type filter.
Feature Requests
Publish Visible Elements
It would be very helpful to have an option to publish only the elements that are visible in the active Archicad view.
This would allow us to use Archicad’s existing view and filter settings. The workflow would then be simple and predictable:
Visible in Archicad = published to Speckle
This would be similar to how we use Archicad Publisher Sets for IFC exports.
Save Publishing Settings
I often create very similar publishing configurations for different models and storeys. In most cases, the settings are almost identical.
It would be useful to save a publishing configuration as a preset and reuse it for another model or publisher item.
Multi-Publish
Performance limitations require us to split our project into multiple models. As a result, we currently have to publish around 30 models manually.
It would be helpful to publish multiple configured models or publisher items in a single operation.
Publishing Permissions
I would like to prepare the publishing configuration and provide it to my colleagues as a predefined setup.
Other users should be able to publish new versions, but they should not be able to change the publisher settings. This would ensure that the same data and filtering rules are used for every publication.
Performance
It appears that Archicad sends all elements to Speckle whenever a new version is published, even if most elements have not changed.
Would it be possible to detect changes locally and upload only the modified elements, similar to how version control systems such as Git handle code changes?
This may already be happening internally, but it was something I considered while waiting for a publishing process to finish.
Property Selection
I would like to choose which properties are relevant for publishing instead of having an all-or-nothing option.
Archicad schedules or IFC Translator settings could potentially be used as presets for selecting the properties that should be included.
If there are already any solutions for this questions, I’m happy to check them out.