IDEA Architecture is part of the BIM suite of applications developed by the company, 4M, which has been developing software for the AEC industry since 1986 and is now used by over 80,000 customers in more than 65 countries. 4M also develops a CAD application called 4MCAD, which is the platform on which its BIM applications are built. Figure 1 shows some of the projects worldwide on which 4M’s applications have been used.
The key to 4M’s success is that its software is built on the open-source DWG-based ODA (Open Design Alliance) and ITC (IntelliCAD Technology Consortium) platforms, which not only makes it very similar to AutoCAD in interface and functionality — a huge plus for the large majority of AEC users who are very familiar with AutoCAD — but also a lot less expensive. This cost-effectiveness also filters to 4M’s BIM applications like IDEA Architecture, making it a low-cost alternative to applications like Revit and Archicad for architectural design.
An additional plus for Revit users is that IDEA Architecture can now directly read native Revit files, ensuring interconnectivity with Revit users. This is in addition to the 4M suite’s long-standing support for file formats like IFC, DGN, DXF, STL, and others for AEC interoperability.
I last reviewed IDEA Architecture in 2019 (see “IDEA Architecture 19: AECbytes Review”). Let’s revisit it and explore the new features and updates in the latest release.
As mentioned earlier, all 4M applications including IDEA are built on top of its flagship CAD application, 4MCAD, the new version of which has been re-engineered based on the latest ITC & ODA libraries. This makes IDEA24 significantly faster, especially with regards to the display engine (zoom/pan), the read/write and open/save operations, and the management of the BIM model.
The AutoCAD-like interface — which includes the ribbon toolbar as well as the command line — has been expanded with additional tool palettes and options and can be set to three different Experience levels, based on the level of expertise of the user, as shown in Figure 2.
IDEA24 now includes a dedicated tool for creating and editing curtain walls. These can be created as stand-alone elements in place of walls, or they can be inserted into walls as openings. Figure 3 shows an example of a curtain wall being created within an existing wall. Once you specify the start and end points of the curtain wall and the side on which it should open, a new window opens up where you can configure the curtain wall as required, specifying various parameters such as the overall dimensions, number of rows and columns, the sizes of the panels, the width of the mullions, and so on. Panels can be combined or divided to create larger and smaller openings, and each panel can be further configured as a separate door or window from IDEA’s Openings library, as shown in Figure 3.
Other modeling enhancements include the ability to create any type or shape of opening with an Opening Generator with a dialog very similar to the one with the curtain walls; the ability to create multiple openings by specifying the number of horizontal and vertical repetitions of the opening selected from the library; and the ability to add louvers or blinds to openings (Figure 4).
The “What’s New” list for modeling BIM elements in IDEA24 also includes the ability to create a slab by selecting the walls that define it, the ability to create a ramp against a wall and then trim the wall to match the ramp, the ability to place railings on ramps, the ability to define and manage thermal bridges, and the ability to connect/unite columns with a roof. There is also a new “matchproperties” command that can be applied to any building entity in order to transfer properties from one entity to another, individually or massively, for one or more characteristics.
A major new feature in IDEA Architecture is the ability to directly import Revit files. Until now, an RVT file had to be first converted to the IFC file format before it could be read into IDEA. Figure 5 shows a sample RVT file being selected for insertion, and the Pairing dialog that opens up after the file is imported, allowing the different building entities defined in Revit — walls, beams, columns, doors, etc. — to be mapped to the corresponding element definitions in IDEA. The building levels are created automatically based on the levels that were in the original Revit file.
Figure 6 shows a comparison of the imported file in IDEA, shown on the left, with the original file in Revit, shown on the right.
Additional updates in IDEA Architecture 24 included expanded libraries of objects as well as materials and textures that can be applied to building elements to produce photorealistic renderings. The rendering speed has also been improved. The ability to create accurate terrain models has been improved with new dialogs for defining 2D regions and 3D regions for building plots. Points can be inserted from a TXT file and used to define a region as shown in Figure 7. You can select the individual sides of the region, specify their type, and define their color and linetype.
In addition to being much less expensive than BIM applications like Revit and ArchiCAD, having a familiar AutoCAD-like interface, and being built on open-source ODA and ITC libraries, IDEA Architecture also benefits enormously by being part of the extensive 4M multi-disciplinary BIM suite, greatly expanding its capabilities. It integrates with 4M’s FineGREEN application for sustainability and energy analysis, the FineMEP suite of applications for MEP engineering, the 4M-TEAS program for safety during design and construction, and 4M-ADWM application for lean construction. The new ability to directly read Revit files further strengths its case as a serious contender for architectural firms looking to transition to BIM.
Lachmi Khemlani is founder and editor of AECbytes. She has a Ph.D. in Architecture from UC Berkeley, specializing in intelligent building modeling, and consults and writes on AEC technology. She can be reached at lachmi@aecbytes.com.
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