!Restored: CALCULATION: What do you want to do, what info you need???

[Laszlo Nagy]

Hi Everyone,

I am currently looking into ways to make some modifications to the Calculation-related portions of the ArchiCAD Documentation so as to improve it. I would like to ask for your help. I'd like to get a firm reality on how ArchiCAD Users relate to this part of the program.
My question to you all is:
- Tell me things you want to do with the Calculate menu
- Tell me what kind of quantity take-offs, schedules, Bills of materials etc. you want to create and what pieces of information you want to appear on these.
- Tell me what kind of Zone Lists do you usually produce. How do you do them currently and what would be needed for you in order to be able to do them automatically using the Calculate menu's features?
- Tell me what difficulties you encountered in trying to accomplish these tasks
- Tell me what parts of the Calculation portion of ArchiCAD seems most mystical and hard-to-understand to you.
- Tell me how much do use utilize AC's built-in graphic templates, do you find them useful or would you need different ones. Can you create your own using data provided in AC Help?

Thanks in advance

[Rick Thompson]

Adjustable pallet sizes. These little 1" long boxes to display all the layers (as an example) is very tiring.

Allow printing to file for the "link to properties" function. Often I need to reference how I set something up, and having to open and close the "link to properties" pallet each time is a pain. If it could stay open while working in the AC plan window, that could be helpful. But some way to record it (rather than 10 screen shots). Once I managed to corrupt the whole file and had to start over (very bad day... thought about finding another CAD that whole week). Now I keep several back ups. The "guidance" from GS is terrible here. Many of us are not computer brainy and don't automatically know where the info is kept, nor now to carry it along into a new version. Despite my lack of a brain, I stumbled through the darkness, asked questions (thanks to ACtalk) I now sorta have a handle on it. But, a new-be would be wasting a lot of time to figure this out, rather than making a living.

thanks for looking into this:)

[Link]

Live Update would be my number one wish right now (number one of many!! ). We need to have it placed as it's own 'view' in PlotMaker and be auto updateable, as with any view.

Thanks for asking Laszlo!

Cheers,
Link.

[Karl Ottenstein]

I wish I wasn't so swamped with work, or I could add quite a long list here ...

A quickie in addition to Geoff's comments on I.S. is the ability from I.S. to place a schedule in section or detail windows, not just in plan. Creating a special 'story' for schedules, or placing them off to the side of a floor plan isn't the way I want to work.

If I understand Geoff and Link's take on Live Update, then I agree... if that means updating from PM when drawings are updated. If it means keeping placed schedules up to date at all times, then I'd give a cautious 'yes' if that was a user preference setting to avoid bogging the system down until we dual processor/etc support. Minimally, I'd like the wish that someone put on the wishlist that you be able to just right-mouse a placed schedule (object) and choose 'update now' ... or perhaps have a menu item 'update all placed schedules'.

A major I.S. issue relates to editing the settings of a placed schedule. When a user places a schedule of type "Myfirm Door Schedule" and then needs to edit that placed schedule's content or format ... those edits only affect the placed schedule, not the master definition ... so placing another "Myfirm Door Schedule" will not reflect those changes. This has its own powerful uses (and there is a way to recover those changes into a new *.iss file) ... but the user SHOULD have an option when editing those settings of choosing to edit either (a) the placed object's internal settings or (b) the master schedule definition's settings (as well as the placed object). Otherwise, there's a mess of *.iss file management, or deleting and re-placing, re-positioning schedules...

Other wishlist items address the limited formatting capabilities of the I.S.

Gotta go...

Karl

[vfrontiers]

Once again... I have been trying to explain my proposal since 1997... First to Ferenc, then to Gyuri and Viktor... Please indulge me one more time...

The idea of DESCRIPTORS and COMPONENTS must be moved to a TEMPLATE systems instead of prescribed packages... Here's what I mean...

Property OBJECTS are now FILL-IN THE BLANK palettes instead of predetermined lumps of data. The blanks can be DERIVED from parameters that exist in the HOST object (door, window, FLOOR, SLAB, etc) So Width in the P.O.(property object) can equal A or A*1.15% or anything for that matter. Now, when schedules are required, they are calc'd from the property object.

You will be able to APPLY a P.O. via criterial such as you now can with current PO's. In a way, it is like a LABEL with fill ins. BUT PLEASE ALLOW MORE THAN ONE "APPLY" per object in the plan.

Anyway, this floating P.O. palette is available much like the INFO palatte, and will change as you select new native objects in plan (or 3d window). It is BIDIRECTIONAL... so if Width = A and you change Width, A will update.

Brain is withering.... more later.

[Rob]

I have found "simple" 42!!!! steps how to create a Graphic Template in Archicad help in:
User Guide/Chapter 10-Project Data Calculation/More Information/Archicad Calculation Guide/Appendix/B: Graphic Template Setup Example

Now this is really scary... you have to go through 20!!! windows with zillions of parameters in 42!!!! steps to get a list of library elements. Honestly guys after that, one has to call for paramedics... I just can not imagine anybody sane doing that. Even though I understand relational databases and the logic of descriptors, components and properties I still think that the calculation menu is in very "raw" form to understand for a "common" user of Archicad.

[Ben Cohen]

I am with you rob, the whole thing is too complex for its own good, IS is a step in the right direction but still lacks a GUI. Even Quickbooks custom reports are easier to customize and it only cost me $150, yes I know the information is a lot more complex in Archicad but it would be a step in the right direction..... just make it easy!

[Anonymous]

I agree, the calculate menu is way to complicated. The tutorial doesn't discuss anything about how to use it. I need something basic, simple that I can jump right into and use right away. I don't have time to sit down and try to figure out this complicated menu. The firm I work for would love to know how to use this, but its just to complicated.

[Anonymous]

If you try and play with it a couple of hours.. you will get used of it.

Is not that complicated
and i in the online help of AC8.1 it gives a pretty good introduction.
But just play and learn..

Is not that hard ( i am a newbie too)

[Rob]

Exactly Mike, the company I am working for would be interested as well, but it seems to me like almost learning a new software and simply I DO NOT have enough time to fiddle around with the project for a couple of millions $. Secondly, 90% of my demands would be getting a SIMPLE spreadsheet without a PAIN in your bottom end and QUICKLY!!!

[Anonymous]

laszlonagy wrote:
My question to you all is:
- Tell me things you want to do with the Calculate menu

We should be able to easily create inventory of objects, with its scaled/or thumbnail drawings.
Those drawings should not necessary be 2D symbol or 3D of actual GSM object as most of product drawings we get for free directly from manufacturer in form of catalogue (in PDF, DWG, JPG).

laszlonagy wrote:
- Tell me what kind of quantity take-offs, schedules, Bills of materials etc. you want to create and what pieces of information you want to appear on these.

As all of ArchiCAD standard library parts has almost all useful parameters (particularly in ArchiFM part) it is very important that we can list those parameters and ArchiCAD be able to group them and calculate sums.

I'm not saying it is not possible even now but it is very cumbersome.

We would like to list duct parameters that are created by Ductwork. We need lengths, prices and parts of objects to be grouped and summed.

laszlonagy wrote:
- Tell me what kind of Zone Lists do you usually produce. How do you do them currently and what would be needed for you in order to be able to do them automatically using the Calculate menu's features?

Zone Lists are quite powerful feature as it is, and if you incorporate listing of object inventory in a way I mentioned it would be highly useful for exporting to other HVAC specialized software.

Even though it is possible to list zone volumes, it is not easy through Graphic templates, and it would be great for presentational purposes that we can put 3D and 2D drawings of zones in list too.

laszlonagy wrote:
- Tell me what difficulties you encountered in trying to accomplish these tasks
- Tell me what parts of the Calculation portion of ArchiCAD seems most mystical and hard-to-understand to you.
- Tell me how much do use utilize AC's built-in graphic templates, do you find them useful or would you need different ones. Can you create your own using data provided in AC Help?

Thanks in advance

Graphic templates never worked for me, even when I was following the instructions from help. I was just trying to insert one column (e.g. for zone volume) and to have a sum, but it never worked. Even if I was wrong it mens that help is not clear, and for sure it is not simple.

SetUp list Schemes should be organized like Interactive schedules, with page parameters for exporting added. Easier sum creation.