topic Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file in Modeling

HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 18:42:00 GMT

I tried to open a file today but it gave me a "Warning (Skylight Tool) Sorry - an invalid rectangle has been found" and then the file opens to a black screen. The navigator shows my saved views but when I click on them nothing ever shows up.

I was hoping I could open the file and delete the skylight and reinsert them but the whole model has disappeared.

The bpn file has the same problem.

How can I recover my file?

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 19:44:42 GMT

Well, I ws able to do a "New and Reset" and then merge the corrupted file into it. I also used the attribute manager to overwrite the particulars into the merged file.

However, I can't figure out how to get my saved views and stories merged from the old file.

Once again I do not want spend the time to clean up this file. If anyone knows of a way to open the old file without the offending skylights then I should be able to just re-insert new skylights once the original file opens correctly. For example, opening a file without the archicad library loading.....??

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 16:13:52 GMT

If anyone knows of a way to open the old file without the offending skylights then I should be able to just re-insert new skylights once the original file opens correctly. For example, opening a file without the archicad library loading.....??

You could try temporarily moving the library to a a different location on your hard drive and then open the file and see if the file will open. The unloaded library objects will just show up as a dot so you might have to search a bit to find the skylight and delete it.

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 18:32:06 GMT

I tried moving my libraries and when loading AC asks to locate them and I clicked "done" but it still didn't load the file correctly. I even removed the "Skylight" add-on from the Add'Ons folder in AC, but that didn't work either.

No matter what I do the file loads but its just a black screen with no lines. The navigator shows the view sets but clicking on them brings nothing on the screen.

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 01:04:36 GMT

Is there a way to import "View Sets" from another pln?

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 17:34:36 GMT

Jeff wrote:
Is there a way to import "View Sets" from another pln?

No. Someone (Link?) may know of a trick...?

Karl

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 22:30:59 GMT

"Is there a way to import "View Sets" from another pln?"

couldn't you make a duplicate of the file with the view sets, delete everything and then merge your .pln

?

bill

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 23:25:10 GMT

I duplicated the file, but there is nothing to select to delete. I then tried to merge a clean version of the file that I had previously merged into a blank new file but when merging the original file with the view sets, I get the same Skylight error.

I have upploaded the file that has the skylight error onto my ftp site. Please, please someone download it and try and open the file without the skylight error. I was able to merge it into a new file but I lose all the view sets that way.

You can download the file, "Hildner" (1.3mb) from the folder titled "Skylight Error" at:
http://www.modernmagic.com/files

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Erika Epstein — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 07:50:50 GMT

Jeff,
I got the same error, but continued on.
I can't yet get a 3D, but it looks like you have a 'garage object' and that is what is messing you up.

Is your model and/or module way way way far away in another galaxy to the left of the global origin? There has been documented problems with building/objects being placed far from the global origin. It used to be you didn't even place a building in anything but the positive X,Y quadrant.

That is where something keeps showing up but I can't zoom in on it.
If it is a skylight problem, it looks like well documented one with the way skylights cut holes in roofs; the upper-mostside is horizontal not vertical or perpendicular causing an inverted wedge of roof way way...galaxy.

When I selected the hotspot for a missing library part I tried 3 things.
1. put your settings on full error report and got an error of 0 seconds and no information
2. using the edit selection set button saw that there are over 150 items selected (see screen shot) so something is selected
3. Under windows, elements basic got a" wrong wall hole definition R01" error message. kept pressing continue and eventually got a short list of wall hole (only had the wall layer showing) and then a longer list (more layers showing) both started with 'GARAGE OBJECT'
If you want those reports email me privately.
I would check out the object and resave it and then retry it.
If there is a skylight in the object, try saving a version without it and see if it helps.

Hope this helps,
Perhaps someone else can take it further.

If you want the text of the

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Erika Epstein — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 07:59:43 GMT

p.s.
I notice as I continue looking (no 3D yet) that you have a "hildner skylight"

see if this opens ok in a new file like testing the garage object.

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Djordje — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 18:12:55 GMT

bill wrote:
"Is there a way to import "View Sets" from another pln?"

couldn't you make a duplicate of the file with the view sets, delete everything and then merge your .pln

Don't delete the sections and elevations, as well as the detail markers. You can always move them around to the proper place.

Merge the good file to the bad one; if that does not work, merge the bad one into the good one, preferably a template. That should work.

Seems tome that you have a skylight object that is in some way corrupt. Did you speak to your reseller/sent the file to Graphisoft?

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

TomWaltz — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 21:01:07 GMT

Dumb question.... did you try just deleting the skylight and see if the problem goes away?

Worst case, you Boolean out a hole in your roof, change the GDL subtype on the skylight, and place it as a simple object.

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Dec 2004 19:07:03 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion Tom, but when the file opens up there isn't anything to select and delete.

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 00:55:27 GMT

I think I have the trick that you need, Jeff...as long as you don't care if all skylights get trashed, but the rest of your file is OK.

First, with AC closed, go into your Add-Ons | Standard folder, and move the Skylight add-on to your desktop (temporarily)... don't copy it, make sure it is out of there. [You can mess with add-on manager as an alternative.]

Now, open your project. You'll get a message saying that the project contains data for an add-on that doesn't exist, and asking if you want to keep the data or get rid of it. Clear the check box and agree to delete the data. Save your file and exit ArchiCAD.

Now, move the Skylight add-on back to where it came from (above).

Start AC again, open your project, and you'll get a message about some content being deleted. OK. Save your file and close it. (Stay in AC if you want.) Open your file again ... no error messages.

Note to all: this works will all add-ons that store data in your file. If you have some kind of corruption, this trick will let you get rid of the add-on's data, leaving the rest of your file alone. As always, make a backup first, just in case. 😉

Cheers,
Karl

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 05:56:48 GMT

I appreciate the try Karl, but it had the same effect. After the skylight add-on was removed, the file opened up as usual but with out a skylight error, obviously. However, none of the objects are visible in either 2d or 3d, just like before. I "select all" and it says that there are 14 roofs, for example, but there are no hot spots or selection dots on the 2d screen.

I put the report on full and read which objects were still given the file problems. I did a "find & select" with there ID number and deleted them, but this still didn't allow the program to show any objects on the screen.

I am at my wits end.

I still have the file available for download, if someone would like the challenge of trying to open and delete whatever objects you see fit just to make the file open so I can actually see the plans. I can then redraw the offending/deleted object, no problem. You could save the fixed file and upload it back to me. PLEASE HELP!

You can download the file, "Hildner" (1.3mb) from the folder titled "Skylight Error" at: http://www.modernmagic.com/files
Don't worry I use a Mac and the files are on an Apple FTP site, so there is almost no chance of getting any virus, in case your worried.

Like I said I have been struggling with this for days and can't figure it out. I have only been using the program for a year so maybe I just am missing something simple.

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 07:30:52 GMT

Jeff wrote:
I appreciate the try Karl, but it had the same effect. After the skylight add-on was removed, the file opened up as usual but with out a skylight error, obviously. However, none of the objects are visible in either 2d or 3d, just like before. I "select all" and it says that there are 14 roofs, for example, but there are no hot spots or selection dots on the 2d screen.

Sorry. So, I've tried a few more things on my Mac, and what I see is quite weird. Someone from GS should download your file and check it for what seems to be an unusual corruption.

I get the same kind of behavior you're seeing ... select all gives me a count of selected elements, but no dots, nothing visible, can't zoom in on anything. Copy/paste gives something, but not the right thing. I show 15 columns on the roof story after a select-all, not 15 roofs. Every view shows "inf %" as the zoom factor. I cannot draw in any view with any tool. I even get the 'cloud' icon when trying to create a slab/etc ... and I've only seen the 'cloud' when working in 3D perspective in the past...never in 2D plan (??).

If I start a new file and merge your Hildner file into it, then I get stuff on each of 3 stories, but the only 3D elements are a bunch of columns (in several layers). A bunch of the 2D stuff is survey-related, but is laid out in a corrupt-looking way.

I am at my wits end.

Now I see why. Definitely call GS tech support and have them download the file if someone from GS hasn't yet read this thread and grabbed it.

You can download the file, "Hildner" (1.3mb) from the folder titled "Skylight Error" at: http://www.modernmagic.com/files

or in OS X Finder, Go | iDisk | Other User's Public Folder and enter 'modernmagic'

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, Jeff.

Karl

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 21:15:06 GMT

An update. After I posted last night, I got to thinking that the fact that I see "*****" in the x coordinate box (and elsewhere), can't draw, etc. that something in the file got corrupted in a way that one or more of its x, y or z coordinates is farther away from the origin than ArchiCAD can handle.

I suppose it's possible that this happened on importing a dwg, but I doubt it ... I'm sure it is something completely out of your control to cause and to fix. (GS will have to tell us.)

With the developer kit, there is a sample add-on called 'plan dump'. I compiled this and dumped the contents of your file, and, sure enough, there are bad coordinates for objects in the file. Most of the dump is attributes (pens, fills, materials), so I deleted that and have attached just the geometric part of the dump here. For example, here is part of one column:

COLUMN 6806 {
",[Ôw" 13 18 "Electrical" 1 "Roof" 0 
***** 3'-9 1/2" 0.000° 
0" 0" 0" 
***** ***** 
"???" 
13 "Brick Common " 
1 "Brick Common " 
0 
0.000000 0.000000 
0.000000 0.000000

as opposed to this column placed (at a random spot) in a 'good' file:

COLUMN 37948 {
"Ftg Isol-001" 1 23 "Columns" 0 "Main Level" 0 
66'-8 5/8" 34'-2 17/32" 0.00° 
6" 6" 0" 
9' 0" 
" Walls Interior" 
2 "Empty Fill" 
2 "Patio Stone" 
0 
1.672255 0.000000 
1.672255 0.063713

You'll notice that for the column in your file, the ID field is corrupt, the x coordinate is too big for AC (*****), the base height relative to the story and height of the column are both too big (*****), and a material is missing ('???'). So, AC cannot cope. Not your fault of course!

So... only Graphisoft can help you AFAIK. But, I do believe your problem file will in turn help them, since this kind of thing shouldn't happen.

Sorry.

Karl

Re: HELP! Skylight tool corrupts my file

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 22:07:54 GMT

Thanks for all your efforts Karl. I submitted the file via: http://tr.graphisoftus.com/ask_us.asp

I hope this was how I was supposed to do it.

FYI: I was able to merge the file into a "new & reset" new file and the objects imported fine. I just would have to recreate all the view sets and import the layers and layer combos in. So the error objects, ie the columns and skylights etc., merge in correctly. Can you explain that one? Weird?

I guess I can always redo all the view sets but I'll just wait till the last minute, procrastination is healthy, right?

Thanks again all,
Jeff