topic Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates in Project data & BIM

Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

Anonymous — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:34:20 GMT

With a colleague I am (again) working on making a good (AC13) template for the office.
We have discussed the different attributes and decided to take them one by one and make a template for our needs that we will maintain and migrate to 14 and on.
Are anybody willing to share experiences and attribute files or is there a site for exchange of attribute-files?
Today we are looking at the pen sets / pens & colors. Being architects we want something that looks good on the screen and in print. Now we have a base color defined for each tool, graded from light to dark following pen weight. It works great. But the colors are not pretty.
Is there a way to easily apply color scales/ grades in the pen sets and make them pleasing to the eye? Now we do the pens one by one and that is a bore!

Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

Erika Epstein — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:02:23 GMT

Try a search as there have been some useful discussions on this subject. Keep in mind that most drawings use 3-5 pen weights.
You might also want a few pens reserved for extra height pen weights that come in handy as base lines for elevation graphics etc.

For a start think through and list the types of drawings you typically have.
-penset for each typ. scale with color version for archicad and a grayscale version of each for applying to the drawing in the layoutbook. This latter gives you a preview of how it will print.

-it's useful to keep walls using the same pens for all pen sets. This allows you to easily adjust their thickness. For example on RCPs you can make the wall pens thinner than usual so the lighting and other ceiling fixtures as well as annotations pop out.

Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

Anonymous — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:16:22 GMT

Thank you Erika,
I have pen sets that work very well for different scales and types of presentations in black and white print.
To be more precise the question was if someone would exchange pen sets that not only work well, but also has nice colors that look graphical and presentable on the screen. I can make that, but only know how to do it pen by pen. Is there a way to import color scales (maybe CMYK or RGB) into pen sets?
The other question was more general. Is there a site where users exchange attribute files or maybe templates, so that I can sample from that to develop a template file with extensive attributes?
I guess the fact that archicad handles attributes by the index number system and not by name could be a problem and cause a mess.

Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

Erika Epstein — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:00:07 GMT

Hi Stefan,
I must be having the proverbial bad hair day, I am botching every post today.
There isn't a website for exchanging att files but you could post yours on the GDLrepository under templates and start a new trend.

I wish there were a way to more easily do a ramp of color when creating pens. I do it long hand now. Once it is done though, you don't have to do it again; not much consolation.

Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

Anonymous — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:34:21 GMT

Good idea. I should do that when I have good attributes I have tested though and through.

Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

davide — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:21:25 GMT

I agree. it's a good idea

Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

vistasp — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 04:47:57 GMT

I'd requested an attribute section in the depository late last year but it's apparently not going to happen.
I suppose the template section suggested Erika is the only fall-back option.

Re: Attributes - exchange of .att files for templates

davide — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:09:50 GMT

nobody is made ahead!!!