detail library

[Anonymous]

Hi

I am just setting up archicad in the office. What is the best way to go about setting up a detail library. Just standard eaves etc. I would like to be able to use them as "detail templates" while I rebuild the library, and store them separately to the projects I am working on. I am wondering if anyone has some 'best practice' tips. I sure don't want to draw them all twice.
Cheers Jo

[Steve Jepson]

I used to keep standard details in a sperate plan organized on stories.
It was a plan I would have open at the same time as the plan I am working on. I could copy from the details plan and paste into other plan. The stories were named Cover Sheet, General Notes, Foundation, Floor Plans, Sections, Elevations, Framing, Roof, Miscellaneous, etc...
It works as well as anything else I have tried, however, I really don't use it much. I open a similar project and take what I need out of it and paste it into the new plan. I don’t start the project with an empty Template. I start it with a similar project.

[Anonymous]

In my little world.
I've known my structural engineer for a long time and he just gave me a very lg dwg of details that are relevant to what I do which is just SFD remodels.
I've imported them into AC and organized them in general categories that you might expect in their individual; 1,2,3; A,BC sorta grid pattern all on one story.
I had them in relevant kinda stories like Steve,but found that harder to find them, and many cross story lines anyway.
I made the headings to each group with a HUGH font so that I can zoom out and still identify the group I'm after, then swoop in and copy, go to target pln and past.
Some have 3or 4 variations for slightly different situations, that I keep next to each other.
But then again, that's just my little world.
lec

[Anonymous]

Excellent -- gives me somewhere to start. Someone suggest I store them as modules but from the feedback I am getting it is just as easy to store them in one drawing.
I am disappointed that you can't store them as 2d library items. Then i could search the libray for them.

[Brett Brown]

joPlan wrote:
I am disappointed that you can't store them as 2d library items. Then i could search the libray for them.

Depends how much you want to edit them afterwards. You could place your detail on your floor plan view at the scale you need, select all, save as an object, into your Library, then you can place them as objects. (into a detail view so it works in Layout)

If you need to edit them, "explode into current view", but easier to edit if it were a module.

Would be even quicker if you could place the object into Layout, you can but it seems to do strange things to it. Perhaps someone can tell us the correct way to place an object into a Layout?

[Laszlo Nagy]

joPlan wrote:
Excellent -- gives me somewhere to start. Someone suggest I store them as modules but from the feedback I am getting it is just as easy to store them in one drawing.
I am disappointed that you can't store them as 2d library items. Then i could search the libray for them.

You can use the File\Libraries and Objects\Open Object command to open a DWG file as GDL and save it as a Library Part.

[Steve Jepson]

joPlan,
Are you wanting to set up a details system like AutoCAD where your xref the details or Drag-n-drop?

As for browsing the library for the details you want. Wouldn't it be easier to have them all on one sheet, organized by category?

[Anonymous]

It almost depends on the detail. Most details require some fiddling to get them to fit the scenario they are being placed into, but say just eave details. At the moment I have a list of Eave details organised by tile / metal roof at various pitches which then affects the brick drop off to the eaves, 3 course or 4 course etc. I tend to use those repetitively and tie down details which are standard and insulation details.
I was real just wondering what common practice was and what is best practice.
I dislike having them on sheets I would prefer to be able to organise them in folders like I am used to but I am worried if I store drawings it will blow out the storage size and become problematic. Also I haven't made any GDL objects yet and it looks a little scary

[Steve Jepson]

If you could see a thumbnail of each detail in the folder, and then drag it from there directly into your work space or layout page, would that be how you want to work with details?

[Brett Brown]

Steve wrote:
If you could see a thumbnail of each detail in the folder, and then drag it from there directly into your work space or layout page, would that be how you want to work with details?

Thats exactly how I would like it to work, (what I asked earlier). Please enlighten us to how this works Steve.