Archicad + Rendering
After using Revit for the first 7 years of my professional career, I made the switch to Archicad in 2020. Though the two programs share many similarities, they are also quite different. I’ll save the post comparing the two for another day; but for now, I want to document a process that I found complicated and not incredibly well documented: rendering via third-party plugin while retaining flexibility to re-link the model as necessary. Hopefully this guide will help others. Feel free to ask questions if I don’t cover something within your needs.
First things first, there are many plugins and applications that support rendering in Archicad that are very straight-forward and easy to use: Artlantis, Twinmotion, Enscape, and Lumion are amongst the leaders. I’ve used all of these and find the implementation with Archicad to be top-notch. Given the quality of documentation for these, there’s not much to say except that these programs are very capable and always improving, but still don’t quite compare with the potential results of the plugins I really want to talk about: Corona & Vray by way of 3ds Max or Cinema 4D.
My Archicad -> Vray/Corona Workflow
Preparations In Archicad.
Step 1 is to get your Archicad model ready to render. Typical to most workflows, you’ll want to make sure to model the appropriate amount of detail, assign unique material names as necessary, and get a good start on your site for filling in vegetation via a plugin such as Forestpack (Max) or Forester (C4D)
Export & Import with Din3D.
Step 2 is to export your almost correct Archicad model into 3ds Max or Cinema 4D. I say “almost correct” because it’s incredibly rare that the model is exactly right on the first go. Sometimes it’s because a material assignment was missed; other times it’s because the design changes when seeing it through a more realistic window. Having the ability to re-link or update your scene in Max or C4D without losing all of your work is crucial to a realistic workflow in most offices. Out of the box, Archicad doesn’t really do this. Some of the other rendering plugins mentioned at the top have their own Archicad Plugins to achieve this, but Max and C4D* do not.
*disclaimer: C4D sort of has this functionality, but I found it unreliable.
Not having this functionality would honestly be a deal breaker for me and enough for me to just stay in Lumion. I’ve worked in an office long enough to know that the first pass at any visualization is far from the last. The good news, however, is that this functionality does exist thanks to an indie developer: Din3D.
Din3D file format (the successor of AC4D+) is such that provides a lot of opportunities for exporting 3D models from ArchiCAD. The objective of the development of this file format was that it could, as much as possible, provide the visualization programs with the information of the structure and hierarchy of ArchiCAD beside the 3D model.
The process for Importing and Exporting from Din3D is pretty self-explanatory and covered better than I ever could do it on the Din3D website itself. See the screenshots above for some of the options the plugin provides.
Render with Vray or Corona.
Step 3 is to complete your scene, render, critique, and iterate. After setting up cameras, landscape, realistic materials, lights, and additional assets, you’re ready to render, critique, and iterate as necessary. With Din3D, you’ll be able to make all Archicad changes and update the Import Hierarchy within Max or C4D without losing any work to materials or other assets. That’s pretty much it!
A few of tips to share.
Establish a naming system for your material assignments in Archicad that makes sense in 3ds Max or C4D. I try to be specific without being over the top. For example, if you have matte and glossy materials, you’ll want to name them as such in Archicad. In 3ds Max, consider keeping the naming conventions the same. Consistency really helps with maintaining an efficient workflow from project to project.
Explore whether it makes since to organize your Imported model by material name only or if it should be broken down further by object type. This can be pretty nifty when trying to add subtle variations to similar material types. For example, in the real world, stainless steel doesn’t look exactly the same on a door as it does on a kitchen appliance. Organizing by type gives flexibility to assign unique materials without having to change every material name in Archicad.
When relinking your Din3D file, make sure your active layer in 3ds Max is the one that contains all the Archicad geometry to avoid duplication. I like to create a layer specifically for this to keep it all together. In general, especially in Max, keep your layers very organized. My personal template for a new project can be downloaded here.
Take advantage of Din3D presets and custom saved settings. Once you’ve figured out the ideal settings (I use mostly default, myself), go ahead and save them so you don’t have to think about them too much later on. They can be overwhelming when you haven’t rendered in a while.
Final Thoughts
It’s viable to use Archicad as both a modeling tool and to render in just about any preferred plugin or application out there. For now, I am really relying on the indie developer Din3D to bridge multiple softwares for the ability to maintain design flexibility with re-linking and updating hierarchies. From what I’ve gathered, Din3D broke onto the scene many years ago before going on a hiatus for several years, leaving users without the capabilities I’m now relying on. While I’m very glad he is back and maintaining the plugin, it is still somewhat of an uncertainty of how long this workflow will be effective.
While I love supporting Din3D and helping to put food on his table, I do hope Graphisoft is aware of this hole in their integration. This isn’t the final workflow for rendering with Archicad (heck, Archicad isn’t the final workflow for designing buildings). Eventually, I anticipate some of the plugins mentioned in the first paragraph to become good enough for even the most photorealistic results. For now, this is the way. It’s important to remain vigilant and keep an eye on the news as updates and progress continues to roll out. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as my workflow evolves; it never ends.