Migration of 3D models

The use of 3D models for building management offers many benefits for facility management. However, it also comes with some challenges.

One of these is the migration of models and elements to the latest versions of the CAD software.

New versions of the various programmes come onto the market every year and the manufacturers have different approaches to ensure compatibility with elements from older versions.

Today we would like to report on a migration of an ArchiCAD model that still contained elements from version 11 (released in 2007). The model was migrated to ArchiCAD 27.

As there are 16 years between the versions, it is not surprising that the whole thing was rather "interesting".

ArchiCAD offers the option of saving elements with the model as an archive file in order to display them in newer versions. There are also migration libraries. The libraries of the older versions are loaded here. However, these do not go back to version 11.

At first glance, you might think that you don't need to worry about migration, as all elements are retained, but if you want to maintain the models in operation and also include all construction measures in the model, there are a few limitations. One of these is the speed of loading the plans. The more "old" elements there are in a model, the more libraries have to be loaded and the longer the whole process takes.

There are also differences in the properties of the elements between the versions. In order to use the new features and the elements effectively, it is important to migrate the elements to the latest versions.

You might actually think that it's quite simple. You select the old elements, go to the library, select the new, suitable element there and explain to ArchiCAD that this element should now be used instead of the old one and all settings such as size, materials etc. are adopted. Yes, that's what you would want. But unfortunately this is not the case.

There are many points to consider in order to transfer the properties correctly. In some cases, you have to note down the information from the old element and then transfer it manually to the new element.

Ideally, when creating and placing the elements, you should pay attention to a few points that will make migration much easier later on.

The good news is that it is possible to migrate from version 11 to version 27.

However, we advise you not to wait so long and when switching from one version to another, take the time to migrate your models, including the elements, so that the current objects are always used.

If you do this regularly, the effort is manageable. However, if you skip several versions, the whole thing can become "exciting", as in our example.

After the successful migration, the model can be synchronised between ArchiCAD 27 and the latest version BuildingOne 16.

If you have any questions in this regard or would like our support, we will of course be happy to help you with advice and assistance.