topic Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings in Documentation

Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

kevin b — Tue, 30 May 2023 08:08:51 GMT

Am I missing something or is this not possible? We have several ArchiCAD files which have our office standard details in them. I can import them fine into layouts in AC10, titles are all good, etc. But where we have detail markers placed in drawings in the file that are supposed to refer to these externally linked details, there is no way to link them to where the drawings are in the layout book, although it seems like you should be able to. We are using Standard detail marker 10, in the dialog box if you click refer to drawing and browse there is nothing there because it only shows where internal details are placed on layouts and since the markers are lknked to an "empty detail" which isn't placed we seem to be out of luck. It just doesn't make sense that you have this refer to drawing section and import external details but not be able to refer to them.

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

TomWaltz — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 16:50:01 GMT

No, detail markers can only point to details in the same file as the marker referring to it.

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

Scott Bulmer — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:11:09 GMT

See workaround:
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=9097

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

kevin b — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:29:50 GMT

Yes, we have been using a simialr work around in AC9, it just seems to me that with all of the updating to the way the layout book works and the fact that you can not only link the marker to a detail in the file but also, separately tell it to get the info to fill the marker from drawing xyz, that you should be able to tell it to get that info from any drawing in the layout book, regardless of whether it is internally or externally linked. In fact it seems kind of redundant to tell the marker that it is linked to detail 123 and have to tell it to read the info from placed drawing 123 as well. It seems like the only time you would really need to specifiy the drawing is when it is NOT linked to an internal detail.

Thanks for the replies though.

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

Scott Bulmer — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 21:22:51 GMT

Hey Kevin,
You're preachin' to the choir! Maybe in release 10.1

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 21:11:54 GMT

I'm thinking that one could create a detail marker with a gdl script that refers to the autotext generated by the "Set As Autotext Reference" ID...

Anyone have any suggestions?

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

TomWaltz — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 22:46:54 GMT

siteline wrote:
I'm thinking that one could create a detail marker with a gdl script that refers to the autotext generated by the "Set As Autotext Reference" ID...

Anyone have any suggestions?

It would be a good idea if you had a way of retrieving the ID number of the view after it was placed on the sheet.

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

SeaGeoff — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 07:13:14 GMT

Indeed a major disappointment to those of us (hi Tom) seeking a truly universal referencing system. For the time being I think a better workaround than the Phantom Detail is a semi-smart (or semi-stupid) marker made by manually placing autotext (referencing your detail) onto a marker that matches your typical detail marker. I've been meaning to make a GDL object that matches my preferred markers (detail, wall section, etc.) to take advantage of scale sensitivity, stretchability, etc. but so far have just scaled ones I drafted.

Detail Part Marker NCS 10 Functions...NOT!

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 16:38:34 GMT

Just another gripe to add to the list:

This marker can face only one direction with its head up. I don't get what the point of the "mirror marker" button is for, since it inverts the text (its upside down and the dwg and sht #s reverse positions) as well as the direction.

Oh, and on the subject of badly programmed markers that we (or somebody) paid lots of money for, how about the Detail Indicator NCS 10 that when you tell it you want a circle, you get an oval until you get the marker size and marker head width the same.

But really, why can't the detail marker link( or refer) to any drawing that you have placed on a layout?

I will admit though, I like when the marker tell me on the plan what layout it refers to. Begrudging praise...

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

vfrontiers — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:00:45 GMT

I agree completely with the notion that we should be able to reference any placed item in the set....

In addition, I have one GDL request that I can't figure out...

In my DETAIL system, I have 300-400 standard details all with a unique number. This number becomes the Detail Number in the PROJECT MAP (eg. FMG234) but when placed into the set, it gets a SHEET genereted number (eg. 32)...

Is there a way to have the GDL display the DETAIL Number (FMG234) as well as the Sheet Generated Number? Must be just another autotext thingie, eh? Can't seem to find it.

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

SeaGeoff — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:22:19 GMT

Duane, in AC 10 you can have the project map/ID number drill through as the drawing number by setting the View ID to By Project Map then setting the Drawing ID to By View ID.

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

vfrontiers — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:33:09 GMT

Geoff...

Right, but I'd like ONE title type to display BOTH numbers....

12 Detail 3"=1'-0" /FMG002

I can ASSIGN either the LAYOUT CELL # (12) or the VIEW MAP number (FMG002) but I cannot get them BOTH in the same title...

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:43:55 GMT

Has anyone made this a wish? - i.e. Making Markers able to link to Placed external Drawings.

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 10:19:17 GMT

Geoff wrote:
Indeed a major disappointment to those of us (hi Tom) seeking a truly universal referencing system. For the time being I think a better workaround than the Phantom Detail is a semi-smart (or semi-stupid) marker made by manually placing autotext (referencing your detail) onto a marker that matches your typical detail marker. I've been meaning to make a GDL object that matches my preferred markers (detail, wall section, etc.) to take advantage of scale sensitivity, stretchability, etc. but so far have just scaled ones I drafted.

It is a major drawback!!!

I just tried the following, maybe worth trying for others:

Place another instance of an existing marker that graphically looks the way you want the marker for the external drawing to look. Explode it. Set the drawing you want to reference to as the Autotext Reference. Insert the detail No. and Layout No. into the exploded text, maybe first resetting the texts anchor points and voila.

Very quick and simple. Not as simple as the functionality that we're asking for i.e. that available details in the "link to" list include placed external drawings, but it works.

You can group this and copy and paste it and then use it for other external details. I know it's not neat and no longer parametric, but how many times after setting up a basic detail marker do you actually need to adjust it's graphics, except of course across different scale sheets

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

vfrontiers — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 15:39:13 GMT

Ummmm... why not just use the CUSTOM No. and Sheet Number with a real detail marker.. Do NOT reference any drawing...

Re: Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

SeaGeoff — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:45:26 GMT

vfrontiers wrote:
Ummmm... why not just use the CUSTOM No. and Sheet Number with a real detail marker.. Do NOT reference any drawing...

Because that will not update if the drawing or layout is moved/renumbered while the Set as Autotext Reference will. I've been using a system like Ray describes with good success. I have made parametric markers (as objects) that mimic my detail markers (to provide scale sensitivity, etc.) onto which I paste the autotext. You can do this quite easily without ever leaving the view you're in by using the context menu in the navigator to set the reference, then both the sheet and drawing numbers can be inserted into a single text block via the autotext pull-down. I posted my set of markers here if anyone wants to give them a try, modify or improve them. They are all based on the NCS style and have any other head shape options (as well as all macro calls) stripped out.

BTW Duane, any luck with the dual numbering? That's one of the ways I thought to solve this dilemma.