GDL Explorer

GDL Explorer is a utility application for viewing GDL objects without the need to install ArchiCAD, ArchiFM or AutoCAD with the GDL Adapter. With GDL Explorer, objects can be saved in other file formats, such as DXF, DWG, DGN, 3D Studio, Artlantis Render, Lightscape, VRML, SVF and Wavefront.

GDL objects are complex virtual objects that can be defined, positioned and modified by managing an object's parameter set. Such parameters can include, in the case of a bookshelf, its width, length and height, the number of shelves and the material(s) the bookshelf is made of.

Parametrics allow you to save several different instances of the same GDL object for different situations. For example, when using a filing cabinet object, the number of drawers can be a parameter freely set by the user. Different saved instances of the same cabinet could have a different number of drawers.

Features GDL Explorer

• Parameters and Attributes

Parameters give versatility to objects. They ensure that several different items can be derived from one single object. They can define, among other things, the width/height of a door, the material of a bed or the number of bars in a window.





• Previews and View Modes

GDL Explorer offers four different view types: 2D, Side view, Wireframe and Shading.



Clicking the Camera button opens a larger picture of an object in a separate window.





• Internet Connection

Any GDL object can carry a preset link to a web site, which Explorer is able to display by launching the website in a web browser. The web page that appears can provide further details and links related to the product in question.


The library provider can place HTML files next to each object. For example, if there is a "W Arched 65.htm" file next to the "W Arched 65.gsm" object, then the ".htm" file will be loaded. If the corresponding ".htm" file is missing, then the main ".htm" file in your custom library's root folder will be loaded. If there is no such file, no internet connection will be created.



• Saving Object and Image Files

  GDL Explorer allows the saving of objects in a variety of 3D or 2D formats, depending on the chosen view.