Libraries & objects
About Archicad and BIMcloud libraries, their management and migration, objects and other library parts, etc.
SOLVED!

migrating sairmaker files to post Archicad 20

Quirk
Contributor

How does one upgrade or migrate a stairway developed using stairmaker, Archicad 8.1, to a more current AchiCad version?  Currently using Archicad 23 MacOS 11.6.1

The Help Center states:

Migrate from Archicad 20 and earlier

The StairMaker Add-on is no longer supported.

StairMaker Stairs from older-version projects are converted into GDL Stair-type objects, with limited GDL parameters available from Object Settings.

This I don't find helpful I need more of a step-by-step type of instruction.

Thanks

AC 23 USA
macOS 11.6.1
2.6GHz
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
Solution

You can load Migration Libraries just like you load any other Library - in the Library Manager. There you can simply add them to the Project File as Linked Libraries. With the Library Manager Dialog open, you can even drag-and-drop the Library folder from Windows Explorer or the Finder on Mac (I guess, I do not have Mac so I tried it only on Windows).

Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac27

View solution in original post

7 REPLIES 7
Barry Kelly
Moderator

The old stairmaker add-on will not work with new Archicad versions.

Old stairmaker stairs will simply become objects that you access with the object tool (not the stair tool).

There is nothing you can do about this.

The old stairs should still be exactly as they were, but you may no longer have the same controls to modify them.

 

Barry.

One of the forum moderators.
Versions 6.5 to 27
Dell XPS- i7-6700 @ 3.4Ghz, 16GB ram, GeForce GTX 960 (2GB), Windows 10
Lenovo Thinkpad - i7-1270P 2.20 GHz, 32GB RAM, Nvidia T550, Windows 11

Thanks Barry,

It is OK that I won't be able to modify them. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can access them with the object tool, to at least see them? Each stairway is depicted by a dot. When the cursor hovers over the dot a box appears which says: Object (selected) name: layer: and renovation status. When I open the Object Selection Settings dialog box, the stairways are listed as missing objects. In the library manager they are listed under Missing Library Parts>from Unknown Library. As far as I know, I've been able to migrate all of the libraries—the stairs are the only listed missing parts. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can locate these stairways (objects)?

Secondly I used the label for the library (GDL) part but am unsure as to whether this was the correct label to use. How does one determine which label is the best one for the post?

Thanks

AC 23 USA
macOS 11.6.1
2.6GHz

If the objects are showing as missing, then there must have been a library that was loaded before that isn't loaded now.

If you can find that library and load it again now, you should see the stairs as objects.

I never really used the stairmaker tool, so I am not sure if it is just a case of loading the migration libraries in the Library Manager to get them back.

But I think that might be it.

 

As for the labels, who knows.

People are just making their own at the moment - this will be changing soon.

It is not an C++ add-on problem so I deleted that label.

I also moved the message from the developers forum as it is nothing to do with them.

 

Barry.

 

One of the forum moderators.
Versions 6.5 to 27
Dell XPS- i7-6700 @ 3.4Ghz, 16GB ram, GeForce GTX 960 (2GB), Windows 10
Lenovo Thinkpad - i7-1270P 2.20 GHz, 32GB RAM, Nvidia T550, Windows 11

With how easy the stairs are to use now I would say it's probably faster to just redraw them unless there's more than 10 sets that are different then maybe it wouldn't be easier but I don't even bother trying to keep old pieces from older files like that when it's easy to update the file to be currently with minimal effort. Might be worth a try.

You will have to find the library parts generated by stairmaker. Were they embedded in the plan file, or to an external folder?

After you have those, probably you will have to load migration libraries (Archicad 20 Migration Library and Archicad 21 Migration Library Built-ins), there are the macros and subtypes used by the generated objects.

Péter Baksa
Software Engineer, Library as a Platform
Graphisoft SE, Budapest

Peter,

I have located the library parts in an external folder. Currently I'm working in Archicad 23 but plan to upgrade to 25 soon. How do I load the migration libraries (Archicad 20 Migration Library and Archicad 21 Migration Library Built-ins)? and am I going to have to migrate to both A20, and then A21? and then to A23?

Thanks

AC 23 USA
macOS 11.6.1
2.6GHz
Solution

You can load Migration Libraries just like you load any other Library - in the Library Manager. There you can simply add them to the Project File as Linked Libraries. With the Library Manager Dialog open, you can even drag-and-drop the Library folder from Windows Explorer or the Finder on Mac (I guess, I do not have Mac so I tried it only on Windows).

Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac27