large projects impossible?

BVNSTR

i work at a company which makes special projects. Therefore we have to use BIM for some of our projects, especially for design our flow segments. In large projects it's almost impossible to work with BricsCAD. I can't create sections or details, it takes forever. It uses more then 50GB of RAM-memory.

why is this so slow? When I use Revit it updates directly. I know that BricsCAD isn't Revit but why is the difference so big? We like to use BricsCAD but this way its impossible.

Is BricsCAD just not the right tool for the job? Are there special ways to work with large projects?

Michael Mayer

I think Bricscad is very capable of large geometry,
as long it is proper Solid geometry.
But for me it will slow down if I have also Meshes.
Like Blocks downloaded from Libraries often contain
complex Mesh geometry. (Sanitary, Trees, ....)

Is it possible that you use lots of such Meshes in your project ?

BVNSTR

The building and most of the elements are meshes. Most of the data comes from imported IFC files

Michael Mayer

Most CAD Software doesn't really like Meshes.
Mostly not as sensitive as Bricscad.
I think Revit has an "advantage" here as AFAIK it does not
work with Solids but custom geometry from Faces (?)

Beside that I get large parts of IFC from Vectorworks into
Bricscad as Solids. The rest of Meshes or 3D Faces really do
slow down Bricscad for me too.
Maybe there is something to improve and worth
a Support Request.

BVNSTR

I already made a request. thought it was worth to check the forum.
It looks for me that geometry from IFC-files are part of the BIM-game. A lot of the geometry is converted to ACIS-solids but some parts are meshes.

Michael Mayer

It is always worth to check the forum.
Maybe some of the experts have more tips how to deal with it
or how to avoid or workaround such problems.

Tom Foster

Brics to handle meshes elegantly shd be a big priority. Not sure what a TIN surface is classed as - surface, mesh? - but Brics eats TINs already.

A big call for meshes, is adding Photogrammetry as input to Brics 'reality capture' capabilities, which at present are restricted to laser-scan point clouds only, unlike all the other CAD majors, who recognise that Photogrammetry is as big, and growing, and huge development potential (integration with VR etc), as point clouds, which are really a 'mature' form, not going anywhere new. Wierd that the new BIM Alliance is similarly point-cloud only, presumably because alliance partner, Hexagon's own Leica, has no Photogrammetry interests. Time for all these parties to catch up.

Lukas Fertig

Brics to handle meshes elegantly shd be a big priority.

Definitely! (That should also include mesh display in sections, I already filed a support request a while back..). As Michael mentioned, a lot of the manufacturer data available is mesh data (fittings, furniture, you name it). Unfortunately the sections display every single mesh edge which makes it more or less unusable. The visual styles have the crease-angle option, which works nicely to control mesh display. (see attached image: left is crease-edge mode, right is what the section generates..)

What i do right now to handle this is to create "_2D+"-Layers for furniture objects, to avoid having the sections generate messy drawings. Everything else I try to convert to solids if possible..

BVNSTR

the input of the project is 9 IFC files with the building and installation of a 12-story building. An shaded style should work. we are just an small part of the project.

tslewis71

Have you looked at running an audit on the geometry? Running simplify? Convert mesh to Regions and then stitch the regions together to form a surface/solid? It’s always a good idea to run and audit and simplify very time you work with imported geometry

tslewis71

Also is the mesh composed of individual faces instead of a single mesh ? That will eat up memory.... meshes if done properly should be the lightest geometry there is

BVNSTR

is there an batch program which will do this overnight?

tslewis71

Any response ?

BVNSTR

not yet on the forum,
from Bricsys they asked me for the files I used. They wanted to look at my files.
No news for now, when I got news I'll post it here.

chowluca

Hallo Lukas
I tried to use the option you mentioned in your post: "The visual styles have the crease-angle option, which works nicely to control mesh display."
I am importing large furniture / joinery models from SKetchup (IFC or SKT or DWG) in bricscad for detailing and shop drawings but I cannot seem to be able to control the crease option in Hidden settings: I want to get rid of the facets above a certain angle but no matter what I try they never go away.

Attached file shows the imported file the second image shows the desired visual result I am looking for (for cleaner drawing). I have tried with a low and high crease setting from 1-2 to 179 but no change. I want to achieve something like in the second image (SIMPLIFIED RESULT WITH NO CREASES).
I tried with both meshes and surfaces.

Can you PLS advise what am I doing wrong ?

thanks in advance

Luca

chowluca

Hallo - Any feedback PLS ?

BVNSTR

didn't figure it out myself, sorry