sync lights in Archicad

Workflow Archicad
1

Hello!
I use archicad for all 2D documentation coming from the BIM model. So I model lights in the archicad model.
Recently I moved the visualization workflow to D5 and it is super!
I have only one concern regarding the lights.
Syncing the light seems to be a little bit annonying.
I mean everytime I sync the lights (after a design change) I have to start over again with the settings in D5 … D5 doesn’t act like with materials where it “remembers” the change, associating the material in archicad with the material in D5. I would have expected a similar behaviour; i was expecting that D5 remembers the settings of each light according to GUID.
Does it exist a smarter method? Does it exist a method which preserve the settings for each light?

2

I’m having the same issue here. I’ve been using D5 with SketchUp without any trouble at all. However, now that I’m migrating to Archicad, I’m facing this lighting problem

3

Hi @fabio.teixas @alessandromandala

Apologies for the delayed response and for the inconvenience caused. Thank you as well for sharing your workflow and the detailed explanation of your experience.

To help us give you the best guidance, could you clarify a few points:

  1. Are you using LiveSync to sync Archicad with D5, or are you exporting/importing manually?
  2. Which version of D5 Render and Archicad are you currently using?
  3. Are you experiencing this issue with all types of lights (point, spot, directional), or only certain ones?
  4. Do you want the lights in D5 to update automatically with Archicad changes while keeping the previous D5 settings, or are you looking for a manual mapping workflow that preserves settings per light?
  5. Could you provide a screenshot or short video recording showing the workflow when you sync lights? This helps us see exactly where settings are reset.

Thank you in advance and I look forward to your response.

4
  1. Livesync
    2 last D5 render version, archicad 27
  2. yes, all types.
  3. I think the plugin should read the geometrical data of the lamp (dimensions, position and orientation) and the type of lamp (point, spot, area, etc) and metadata (name, or element ID) and create a light in D5, associating the GUID of the lamp, storing it in the D5 model. The user should be able to change only few parameters of these imported lights (cone, temperature, intensity) because the main parameters (location, orientation, type of light) must be controlled only in archicad (for documentation purpose and model integrity); therefore the plugin should record the association betwen the GUID and the changed parameters inside D5, if any. So if you move and rotate the light in Archicad (GUID remains), you will se the light moved and rotate in D5; if you cancel the light ad replace with another type (new GUID), you will lose that light in D5 and get the new one.