topic Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them in Libraries & objects

Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

R Muller — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 21:08:43 GMT

I went to the Archicad tree object to choose a custom tree image. I am asked to choose a custom image from a list of literally more than 500 image names, in alphabetical order, with no preview images and no subfolders. See enclosed screen shot of a small portion of the list. Argh!!

This seems to be an unorganized list of all loaded material textures, images for picture files, and yes, maybe tree images as well. File names only, with no reference to enclosing folders.

Where are these images? How can I browse through them (the actual images, not the file names of the images) to see what I might want to use? Is there a way to organize them into folders? It seems like the only way to use this custom image feature of the ArchiCad library is to find the image I want to use and write down its exact file name before I to to the library part than can use it.

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

Jochen Suehlo — Sat, 19 Aug 2017 11:54:55 GMT

This feature of ArchiCAD since AC 20 (I think) is not very comfortable.
And II think, you cannot order all the image file in folders.
The only nice feature is, if yo type in the first character, only those are highlighted, that beginn with that character.

If you want to choose images from a special folder, you should try the filemanager Addon for GDL. Example script:

!MASTER-SCRIPT

DIM bitmap[]

Ordner= OPEN ("FileMan", verz, "FILES, DIALOG")
linecont=1
n = INPUT (Ordner, 0, 0, datName)
WHILE n=1 DO
bitmap[linecont]=datName
linecont=linecont+1
n = INPUT (Ordner, 0, 0, datName)
ENDWHILE
CLOSE Ordner

!PARAMETER-SCRIPT
VALUES "dateiname" bitmap

verz and dateiname shall be string parameters.
verz must be choosen from a file search dialog window, that popups.
In the User interface you then can show the chosen file of "dateiname" as UI_PICT previw image.

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

Karl Ottenstein — Sat, 19 Aug 2017 17:37:32 GMT

also...

R wrote:
Where are these images?

They are in the loaded libraries (see your own screenshot - clip attached), which of course includes the embedded library. So, if you want one of your images included, you have to load it with Library Manager.

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

Laszlo Nagy — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 22:44:12 GMT

I looked to this issue and what is interesting is that on Windows I do not get that little right-pointing arrow button to the right of the field.
So I think the way it is supposed to work normally is that you just type the name of the image you want to use in the field (without extension, I believe). But on Mac you get that arrow button.
I will forward this to GRAPHISOFT for investigation.

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

vfrontiers — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 23:35:26 GMT

So the crux of the issue is that you CANNOT limit the choices to ONLY TREES or ONLY ARTWORK (for the PICTURE object)...

I, too, wish this were possible.

If that script here was intended to provide a way to limit the choices to a single folder, I'd like to try it...

Any advice is welcome...

To be clear, my loaded libraries have many different types of BITMAP images... including:

a. Materials
b. Trees
c. Shrubs
d. Artwork
e. TV Screens

I have been trying to save my stuff with organized naming scheme...
VF_Tree-Olive
VF_Tree-Mesquite

VF_TV-StarTrek

You get the idea...

But it is clearly a mishmash of all sorts of namings...

Also, it's a bummer that the "Built in" tree / shrub images are not available via this menu (they are injected into the scripts)...

I still claim that GS has missed the mark with the ROTATE to CAMERA issue so I've had to create my own part and cannot use those..

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:29:27 GMT

The only possible way is a file manager. See the example of Joachim Suelo.
You can only view one folder, you can not sort to view only the trees or only the bushes located in this folder. However, you can restrict the selection by extension to -tiff or only .png. Or both.

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

Daniel Kovacs — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:07:53 GMT

Hi All,

I am Daniel Kovacs from GRAPHISOFT HQ Technical Support. Let me shed some light on what is happening here exactly!

First, in reply to Laszlo's question: The little arrow next to the Custom Picture field works on both Platforms, but it only appears if there's a picture in the loaded libraries to use. If the list would be empty anyways, the arrow won't even bother to appear.

Regarding the lists being full of unnecessary picture files, it is a matter of Library Management. If you only have the Default Libraries loaded you will see, that even though the Main ARCHICAD Library is full of textures and other picture files, there's nothing in the list, unless you load a picture into the Embedded Library yourself. That's because we use an Application query to get the names of the loaded pictures, and this query is designed in a way that it will only load pictures that are not in folders starting with the following tags: [TImg]*, [BImg]*, [UImg]*, or [HImg]*. ARCHICAD considers these folders to contain Texture images, Background images, UI images and HDR images (respectively), and leaves them out when browsing for "user loaded images".
If you are a GDL enthusiast, you can find this kind of query at the bottom of this page:

http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=57314

So, in R Muller's case, he probably has a lot of pictures/textures in his Loaded or Embedded Library, and these all show up in the list. If you put the pictures in folders named like defined above, they should not appear. Also, as Joachim Suehlo mentioned before me, if you start typing a texture's name, it will highlight in the list.

Have a good day,

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

vfrontiers — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:34:36 GMT

Thanks Daniel...

Having read your post, leads me to believe the OPPOSITE is also then possible... I could script a QUERY that looks specifically into folders that start with ###...

So If my folder starts with TREE (or whatever) I could create a variable that lets me type in a few letters and uses those to narrow the folders for the query...

Also... does this filter require that a folder START WITH or just CONTAIN they filter word?

Re: Location of Custom Pictures, and how to browse them

vfrontiers — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:39:36 GMT

I guess I should read ALL the posts below...

Kind of already answered my question here...