Changing a layout number with a revision letter.

[Anonymous]

Our office wants to institute a regime whereby the reference number of a drawing is amended each time the drawing is revised.

(I've noticed that some practices use the layout name as the field for the revision letter - but we really want to keep this field for the name)

Our problem is that, after having done this, when publishing the layout, the resulting file sometimes has the original name (the one that it had when first published), rather than the new name, thus over-writing the previous revision of the published layout. This doesn't happen consistently. Today when publishing a set of 20 drawings, only 5 of them had file names reflecting the new name.

Is this a bug in Archicad? How do other practices get round the revision letter problem?

Also, how do most practices manage the outgoing data on their network? Do you have, for example, one folder containing the latest set of GAs which can be emailed on demand to consultants/contractors etc. Or do you keep a unique folder of drawings every time a set is issued, possibly named as per recipient? (the latter method requiring a new publishing path every time drawings are published)

Keith
Archicad Ver 12 on MAC OSX 10.4.8

[vfrontiers]

Yes...

It appeared we were talking about CONSULTANTS, yes? So typically Mech and plumbing get the same file(s). Struct gets another. And civil / landscape yet another. And yes, it's only the items that change; although typically these changes involve all the drawings. A typical package for consultants contains SITE, FLOOR PLANS, CLG PLANS, ROOF PLANS, SECTIONS and ELEVATIONS. Structure will get an ARCHICAD File to check all the "nooks and cranny's".

I make good use of a folder called FLATFILE where all the OLD releases go. I try to keep just the current files in the Consultants folder. Each consultant has a subfolder inside the consultant's folder. Again, you can duplicate the folder structure in publisher so you don't have to have a separate publisher set for each; they are all published into different folders from one PUBLISH command.

Using PUBLISHER obviously helps organize this. And if there are CORRECTIONS to a release, I don't give it a new number, just overwrite that file and re-send. This usually happen right after a release where I notice something was not correct.

Publishing CHECK SETS is different and usually goes out as PDF. Yes, they are all separate file(s) in a SUBMITTAL folder. Yes I have a SUBMITTAL Folder for issuing check sets to Client / Consultant - along with a submittal folder to City and another to HOA.. I tend to produce ONE pdf the entire Architectural Set. I actually find this easier to do with a PRINT to PDF than with publisher, but publisher works just fine as well. Here again, simply changing the name of the folder (which is the resulting name of the pdf file) works well for versioning.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that Duane. I'm not sure if I fully understand - and suspect that our working practices differ, which further confuses the issue.

I guess what I'm trying to resolve is the method by which our practice can best maintain an up-to-date set of PDF files for a job (for argument's sake, let's say at construction stage).

Suppose the project architect is on holiday and the office receives a request from the developer for a copy of the latest set of drawings. In the old days of paper drawings, we would just go to the drawings cabinet, and retrieve the latest set of drawings to send to the reprographics dept. Any superseded drawings would have been clearly marked or removed from the file.

Now, with electronic drawings, the question is, in response to such a request, do you (a) open the Archicad Model and Publish a set of layouts (Dangerous, surely, because some of the layouts could be 'between revisions' - work in progress). Or (b) do you hunt for a folder that represents the last set issued and re-issue that?

And please don't answer 'yes', because I want to know if you do (a) or (b)!

[vfrontiers]

Well this is a question I can understand...

For CURRENT ISSUE sets at construction phase...

1. Start with First Issue set. These were identified by printing on Green paper.

2. For the sheets that change after...
- a. Create a new folder
- b. Copy old PDF over and remove sheets to be replaced
- c. Create new subfolder with instructions to print these on YELLOW paper
- d. When the set changes again, repeat and add subfolder for PINK paper

3. At some point in time, I'll regroup and issue a COMPLETE PINK set that contains all changes up to PINK. Then the cycle can start over by interjecting sheets of different colors again.

I should also explain that 75% of changes are NOT sheet reissue! They are 11x17 Construction Clarifications! Little snippets of the plans just where the change occurred. These are what get APPROVED by the CITY. Contractor needs to keep up to date with these as well. And any subsequent issue of the FULL sheets will contain this information.

ALL MY ISSUED DRAWING live as PDF's in a SUBMITTAL FOLDER!
SubmittalCITY
SubmittalCONTRACTOR
SubmittalHOA
SubmittalCLIENT

I also have a ConstrADMIN folder in which there is a subfolder for EACH CLARIFICATION. Often there are many other files needed in these clarifications, like, CUT SHEETS, or Design Sketches, etc.

NEVER EVER EVER EVER make anyone go back to the model to get current drawings.. ALWAYS make a pdf... (just my opinion, of course)

[Anonymous]

Thanks Duane - that's really interesting, especially your colour coding - though I think we would quickly run out of colours!

I couldn't agree more with your final point.

[Achille Pavlidis]

vfrontiers wrote:
NEVER EVER EVER EVER make anyone go back to the model to get current drawings.. ALWAYS make a pdf... (just my opinion, of course)

Couldn't agree more. What we do is always publish to pdf when a drawing is plotted. That way there is always the latest revision of the drawings in the specific pdf folder.
I find it more handy to have an individual pdf file for each drawing with the number of the drawing (including revision number), as name of the file.
Then for each project there is a drawings database that gets updated everytime a new drawing is released or a new drawing has a new revision.
That way when we need to plot the most recent drawings, we open the db, see which is the latest revision number, and print the pdf.

Still the problem Keith described at the beginning remains...
Have you noticed when the publisher window pops-up if the name of the file is the new one?

[Anonymous]

Achille wrote:
Have you noticed when the publisher window pops-up if the name of the file is the new one?

Yes, if we change the layout name in the layout, the name gets changed in the publisher window. Which looks fine. But the name of the published file may or may not reflect this change. As I said earlier, if you change he name within publisher, this seems to ensure that the published file has the right name - but the disadvantage is that it then ceases to update automatically.

My instinct is to go with the same system is you, Achille - to have a single database of published drawings.

I would have thought this was the intention of 'Publisher' - so that you set up the publishing path for a set of layouts just once, and then always publish to that path. Otherwise it seems cumbersome.

But 'Publisher' seems to be intent on disrupting the process - which is presumably why most people go for the option of making multiple folders for published drawings.

[Achille Pavlidis]

For me, I think its a bug. Because it happens only sometimes and it is not logical.
If i change the number of a drawing for example 300 0200 to revision 4 from revision 3, the number of the drawing gets automatically updated in the publisher window. Then when publishing, the correct name of the file appears, but when i look to the folder the published pdf has a file name which is the number of the previous revision. This way the old revision drawing is replaced with the new one, and i cannot keep an archive.
See attached images.

[Anonymous]

I have seen this problem as well in AC12 on Windows XP & Vista. If I insert a new layout, everything renumbers correctly and looks good in Archicad, but the actual PDF file created is randomly incorrect. Very bizarre!

My workaround is to delete the publisher set entirely, then recreate it from the new layout subset list as a shortcut. This seems to work.

[Anonymous]

Achille wrote:
... the old revision drawing is replaced with the new one, and i cannot keep an archive.

That's it exactly, Achille. It seems odd to me that only you and I suffer from this!

Graeme - thanks for the tip. Will give your method a go.

[Achille Pavlidis]

Seems we are not the only ones, Graeme has also seen it.
I find it extremely annoying to have to delete the publisher set and re-create it. It is certain that it will lead to errors in the process.

I wonder if Graphisoft has anything to say on this bug?