topic Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD 17 in Modeling

Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD 17

JaredBanks — Wed, 24 May 2023 07:12:00 GMT

I'm continuing a tradition that Link started back in 2011. Maybe someone did this for earlier versions, and I apologize if someone already started this for 17…

2011: Link started a thread highlighting all the undocumented (or under-documented) changes to the then latest version of ArchiCAD (which was 15). Here's that thread:
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=36880

2012: I wrote a blog post about the undocumented changes to ArchiCAD 16 over on my blog. Here's that post:
http://www.shoegnome.com/2012/07/30/all-the-changes-in-archicad-16-that-we-love-but-wont-be-advertised/

2013: We now have ArchiCAD 17. I've written a post for GSNA's blog about the unadvertised changes and wanted to link it to the forum. Here's that post (with two other under-advertised changes):
http://blog.graphisoftus.com/archicad-education/tips-and-tricks/all-the-changes-in-archicad-17-that-we-love-but-wont-be-advertised

And here are some of the little changes that one of the developers sent me… enjoy!

* Log Wall now has a checkbox to turn on/off
* Profiles, now need to name Profile when creating
* New Project Picture UI
* Project Info, clicking on headings will cycle through 3 sorting methods of group – also the comma has been removed when using complete address auto text
* Zone name no longer limited to 31 characters
* Section cuts now have the same options as 3DD
* Replace Attribute command (hidden from interface) - for advanced users
* Energy Evaluation, will now indicate the Profile Name but still requires overriding (new dialogue to choose Bmat or Composite)
* Project Location, now has a popup to choose Time Zone (no longer a text field)
* IFC Import Conversion Table – updated UI, edit in the list now (no longer separate Edit dialogue) and correct column sorting
* Energy Evaluation Report, can now customise appearance like colours, font etc. also can add an image as a header
* Composites support all line types – even Symbol Line Type
* Layer popup in Infobox now uses a smaller font to fit more characters in
* UI update to Layer Settings in GDL 2D Symbol

Now what else? What other little tweaks are flying under the radar? Or what big changes are you very excited to have. Reading through this list I think Symbol Line Types is going to be amazing. I'll do some thinking and record some videos. Get ready for some awesomeness.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Eduardo Rolon — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 20:54:10 GMT

Symbolic Line Types?

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 20:57:04 GMT

You can adjust the mesh height while in 3D by typing in a "Z" coordinate. Just click on a node and you can adjust the height. You could do it before (visually) but you could not type in an exact height.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

JaredBanks — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 21:09:00 GMT

Eduardo, like this. Notice that the gravel line type goes below the extents of the 3D. Pretty cool.

I'll be writing more about it later this week or early next week.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Eduardo Rolon — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 21:16:35 GMT

Ok, been using that in AC16. The steel deck is a symbolic line.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Eduardo Rolon — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 21:17:12 GMT

Composite Settings.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

JaredBanks — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 00:22:16 GMT

Eduardo,

So there are 3 line types: solid, dashed/dotted, and symbol.

http://www.archicadwiki.com/LineTypes

We could always use solid and dashed/dotted in composites, but not symbol. Try it out.

What you're showing in your 16 file is a symbol fill and a dashed line. In 17 you can do a symbol line type. (sorry I was calling it Symbolic earlier, that's not technically the right term).

Does that make sense?

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Eduardo Rolon — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 02:02:56 GMT

Makes sense.
Got it, one less work around.

Instead of this case having a Fill and a Dashed Line now I can create a "Symbol" Line that would consolidate both items.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

JaredBanks — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 02:32:44 GMT

yup! that's the theory at least.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 00:21:04 GMT

When inserting a new story in Story Setting, the story height of the newly created story follows the story height of the last selected story.

(In older versions, it used to follow the total of "wall height" and "slab thickness" of the default setting of the mentioned tools).

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

JaredBanks — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 00:55:36 GMT

kazuohamaji wrote:
When inserting a new story in Story Setting, the story height of the newly created story follows the story height of the last selected story.

(In older versions, it used to follow the total of "wall height" and "slab thickness" of the default setting of the mentioned tools).

wow. You're totally right. Never knew that's how story heights used to be created. Thank you so much for sharing.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

David Collins — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 05:05:30 GMT

In Ac 16, the keyboard shortcut "f" to cycle through pet palette options did not work for morphs, so they'd go into all kinds of contortions trying to follow the mouse into the pet palette. Fixed in 17!

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

JaredBanks — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 15:03:33 GMT

Awesome. Good fix! 'F' now also works in the pet palettes for multi-plane roofs and shells as well (didn't work in 16).

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Rick Thompson — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 15:32:58 GMT

You can now round up a rafter length in listing to an actual real world quantity rather than list the cut lengths. (ie… 2x6x16.. rather than 2x6x15'-3 1/4"). That made it really messy trying to create a order list in real word terms, especially when a valley/hip roof was involved. That has been a long standing wish/request of mine for years Before I and to insert a script to do that, which made it necessary to rework the library very release.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Stress Co_ — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 00:00:05 GMT

Some "Project Info" shows up when using "Get Info" in Mac OS 10.8

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

David Maudlin — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 12:46:12 GMT

Stress wrote:
Some "Project Info" shows up when using "Get Info" in Mac OS 10.8

Similar for OSX10.6.8. Looks like the information comes from Project Info.

David

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Jere — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 14:22:34 GMT

I love the general improvements in visual feedback: placing openings and the little snap to a storey in section/elevation views. Let's you know that you're accurately placing something on elevation '0' of a storey.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Eduardo Rolon — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 01:41:15 GMT

Don't know if it was there before but just found out that you can copy/paste "Locked" objects between views (for example to Detail Views) and they arrive locked in the new view.

This without showing the "Locked Layer Items what do you want to do?" pop-up.

Bug or Feature? for me feature.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 14:56:05 GMT

JaredBanks wrote:
Eduardo, like this. Notice that the gravel line type goes below the extents of the 3D. Pretty cool.

I'll be writing more about it later this week or early next week.

There is one problem with using the symbol line type and that is when it has specific direction. I tried to make the composite that you made with the gravel below the slab, and it came in upside down, arg... of well, just go back to using the gravel fill I guess.

Re: Undocumented (under-advertised) Improvements in ArchiCAD

JaredBanks — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:13:57 GMT

Yeah directionality of lines is a problem. I recorded a video and wrote a blog post for Graphisoft North America's blog that covers it. Just waiting for it to be published. I assume early next week.