The two most commonly used file formats to import data from MEP applications to ARCHICAD are DWG and IFC.
Importing MEP Data via DWG
MEP data from AutoCAD arrive in DWG format. The best practice is to import only the MEP content, plus the structural grid added for reference.
Import the received MEP content in ARCHICAD either as an XREF or place as a Drawing. ARCHICAD’s Drawing Tool includes an Embedded Layer Visibility Setting, which enables the switching of layers on and off within the drawing content.
For further information, see Show/Hide Layers of Imported DWG/DXF/DWF Files.
ARCHICAD’s IFC import function automatically translates the imported 3D MEP elements into native MEP Modeler objects.
See MEP Modeler.
IFC Model Exchange with ARCHICAD for Revit
This Graphisoft Add-In is developed for MEP engineers using Autodesk Revit.
This add-in optimizes the IFC data import from any IFC data source to Revit used by MEP engineers.
It is available from Graphisoft's website at:
http://www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/downloads/interoperability/.
Collision Detection in ARCHICAD
ARCHICAD’s Collision Detection function can detect collisions between MEP elements and architectural elements.
See also Collision Detection.