Tracking time in Archicad

[Anonymous]

While I am asking dumb questions. Is there a timer in AC somewhere? I used a package many years ago that recorded how long I had each project open for which was great for recording how long I spent on a project. It even turned the timer off if the program was idle for a certain period of time. It was a very useful tool

[Barry Kelly]

I have split you post from your other as it is a completely different topic and it is best to keep them separate.

There is no timer as such although I remember something from years ago (may still be there somewhere) but it just kept track of how long Archicad was running - not how long you are working on a job.
If I can remember what it was I will let you know.

Maybe someone has created an object or an add-on that can be switched on/off to track the time.
I am not aware of any but I'm sure it would be possible.

Barry.

[Anonymous]

Cheers - Always nice to your assistance.

[Anonymous]

Cigraph do a timer, Architime, I think you have to buy the whole suite though & its quite pricey.

[Bruce]

Although it's not automatic, I use a neat little program called TimeLeft (TimeLeft.info).

I've pared back the size, so it just sits neatly down the bottom right corner of my screen, without blocking anything important.

I use the free version.

[Gerald Hoffman]

For Mac guys I use a little program (Freeware) called Active Timer. You have to remember to start it of course but it keeps track of time you spend in all the programs you have open until you stop it. I then just to a journal entry each day to each job to keep totals.

Cheers,

[Anonymous]

I had a look at the timers suggested. I liked the apple one as it tracked the software. I found a similar app called rescue time which really sounds good for me. I will let you all know how well it works.
The limitations with these apps is it only tracks when I am using graphisoft. The timer I used in an alternative drawing application would track each project including turning the timer off when the project was idle for more than five minutes. That made it very easy to invoice for the drafting time.

[RandyC]

try procrastitracker

http://strlen.com/procrastitracker/

free & tracks everything - windows only

[Laszlo Nagy]

JoWplan wrote:
I had a look at the timers suggested. I liked the apple one as it tracked the software. I found a similar app called rescue time which really sounds good for me. I will let you all know how well it works.
The limitations with these apps is it only tracks when I am using graphisoft. The timer I used in an alternative drawing application would track each project including turning the timer off when the project was idle for more than five minutes. That made it very easy to invoice for the drafting time.

I have purchased and have been using RescueTime for a long time now. I am very satisfied with it.
Although it does not record which project is opened in ARCHICAD, it will report how much time you spent in each application in each hour. It would be great if it tracked project file names as well, but this solution is still very helpful to me.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Rogerdodge wrote:
Cigraph do a timer, Architime, I think you have to buy the whole suite though & its quite pricey.

Yes, AFAIK, this is the only add-on that tracks by project, task, being idle, etc.

http://www.cigraph.it/en/node/307

Years ago, you could purchase only ArchiTime for a low price. Now, you do indeed have to pay for the entire suite which is unreasonable for many users. Also, they have not posted AC 20 versions on their web site (yet).

Besides the other timer solutions listed below, if you use QuickBooks Mac as your accounting/invoicing package (I recommend it - unless you need payroll): QB Mac includes a mini app called "My Time" that lets you track time spent on tasks tracked to Customer:Jobs and activity (item). The time entries are one-click transferred to QuickBooks Mac which can either generate detailed time reports, or transfer the billable time to client invoices.

QuickBooks Windows (recommended, especially if you need payroll) has only a built-in timer. Same idea, but you have to leave QB running. (Years ago they had a separate timer app but got rid of it. 3rd parties have iPhone/Android timer apps that can transfer to QB Windows.)

The tough thing about this and other manual timers is remembering to pause the timer if you step away or switch activities... and to resume the timer when you resume something you want to track. It becomes a habit after you forget and kick yourself a few times. 🙂