Interactive Schedules & CadImage Door and Window Builder

[Chazz]

Trying to build an interactive schedule with B&W Builder 3.5 (R15 MacTel). Obviously I need more than just the height and width. I'd like to tap into the rich set of parameters that can be assigned in the DWB interface.

However, when I try to include additional parameters there are a million different GSM files all with scads of individual parameters. Even just trying to get something as simple as the Leaf thickness seems impossible. In the D&WB Macros folder there are:
DWB_Leaf.GSM
DWB_Leaf_Rect.GSM
DWB_Leaf_Retangular.GSM
DWB_Leaf_Special.GSM

All of them have a parameter for "Leaf Thickness" but when scheduled they just show the default value, not the actual user inputted thickness (say 1 -3/4").

Has anyone been able to figure this out? Any info -perhaps even from CadImage- greatly appreciated. --Chazz

[Chazz]

Now you might wonder why I don't just use the Cadimage built in schedule.

Two reasons:

1) It's not interactive and therefore must be rebuilt every time a door is changed. Absurd.

2) Um... Because it doesn't work anyway. I have never been able to get it to work under AC 10. Cadimage, what in blazes is going on?

[henrypootel]

Hi Chazz.
I have attached the section from the help file which deals with the Door and Window Scheduling. It is a straight walkthrough of the process, so you shouldn't have nay trouble with it. I have also forwarded your other questions to our development team, and i will let you know when they have replied.

[Anonymous]

henrypootel wrote:
Hi Chazz.
I have attached the section from the help file which deals with the Door and Window Scheduling...

What if you want to use Graphisoft's Interactive schedules as Chazz is trying to do???

I've always been curious about Door & Window Builder and have recently considered purchasing it....but not if you can't easily use Graphisoft's IS.

Dan K

[TomWaltz]

The CADImage Door schedule is pretty nice, but it's not compatible with the Archicad Interactive Scheduler in any way/

[Chazz]

henrypootel wrote:
I have attached the section from the help file which deals with the Door and Window Scheduling. It is a straight walkthrough of the process, so you shouldn't have nay trouble with it.

Thanks Henry.

However, I've referred to the PDF several times in the past but as stated above:

1) It doesn't work reliably for me on my setup (for a commercial building with 60 doors in it, the DWB schedule object, after import shows exactly 1 door, etc.).

2) I need the power, flexibility and automation of AC's Interactive Schedule (IS).


When I first started using DWB a million years ago (at that time by Theometric) and there was no such thing as IS, the DWB schedule object approach was a step up. However, the times have changed and IS --for all it's limitations-- is clearly the only way to go and DWB must address this reality.

It seems a little absurd to go to such heroic lengths to give users such fine-grained control of an object (as DWB does) and then not let them schedule all that hard-erned data input. There must be a way to do it.

I would love to hear what your development team has to say and I await their response with optimistic anticipation. --Chazz

[Chazz]

Dan wrote:
I've always been curious about Door & Window Builder and have recently considered purchasing it....but not if you can't easily use Graphisoft's IS.

Dan, I'm a big fan of the Theometric/Cadimage stuff. I currently make heavy use of D&WB, StairBuilder, Cabinetbuilder and 3D Profiler (better in many ways then the current AC Profiler). They are sophisticated tools and while there is an associated learning curve, there is real power behind their approach. While there are occasional gotchas as evidenced here, I still recommend them overall. Their support reputation seems to take a beating on this forum but I have not made enough use of it over the years to comment one way or the other.

[Chazz]

The silence is deafening........

CADImage, any news on a method to employ interactive schedules with D&W Builder? I remain pretty confident that it CAN be done if I can just find the right parameters in the right GSM file.

Please please please speak up. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is interested in this.

[TomWaltz]

Sorry, but the CADImage schedule relies on their own custom programming that creates a text file of information that then generates their own schedule.

No matter how many styrofoam wings you glue on, that pig ain't gonna fly.

[Chazz]

Tom, say it ain't so.....

Granted, they have a different suggested methodology for getting a schedule (vastly inferior for my needs as it turns out) but they have still created a bunch of GDL parts and those parts have parameters and those parameters should be accessible via Interactive Schedule --no? My knowledge of GDL is rudimentary but in creating IS' in the past it was always just a question of finding the parameters for the individual parts (frequently kludgy ones I cobbled together myself) and adding them to the schedule. My assumption was that the same would hold for D&WB if you could just figure out where the parameters where hidden.

I'm feeling more and pessimistic about this and if my pessimism is warranted, I'm sort of depressed. How could GS set up the whole GDL workflow and have the result be unschedulable? Worse, how could CADimage sell an expensive tool like D&WB and have it be largely incompatible with IS?

An earthbound pig? Gosh, all I want is to schedule a dozen little factoids I've taken the time to input....

I hoping for something more like shrub-hopping rodent.