Detail Markers and Externally Linked Drawings

[kevin b]

Am I missing something or is this not possible? We have several ArchiCAD files which have our office standard details in them. I can import them fine into layouts in AC10, titles are all good, etc. But where we have detail markers placed in drawings in the file that are supposed to refer to these externally linked details, there is no way to link them to where the drawings are in the layout book, although it seems like you should be able to. We are using Standard detail marker 10, in the dialog box if you click refer to drawing and browse there is nothing there because it only shows where internal details are placed on layouts and since the markers are lknked to an "empty detail" which isn't placed we seem to be out of luck. It just doesn't make sense that you have this refer to drawing section and import external details but not be able to refer to them.

[SeaGeoff]

Duane, in AC 10 you can have the project map/ID number drill through as the drawing number by setting the View ID to By Project Map then setting the Drawing ID to By View ID.

[vfrontiers]

Geoff...

Right, but I'd like ONE title type to display BOTH numbers....


12 Detail 3"=1'-0" /FMG002

I can ASSIGN either the LAYOUT CELL # (12) or the VIEW MAP number (FMG002) but I cannot get them BOTH in the same title...

[Anonymous]

Has anyone made this a wish? - i.e. Making Markers able to link to Placed external Drawings.

[Anonymous]

Geoff wrote:
Indeed a major disappointment to those of us (hi Tom) seeking a truly universal referencing system. For the time being I think a better workaround than the Phantom Detail is a semi-smart (or semi-stupid) marker made by manually placing autotext (referencing your detail) onto a marker that matches your typical detail marker. I've been meaning to make a GDL object that matches my preferred markers (detail, wall section, etc.) to take advantage of scale sensitivity, stretchability, etc. but so far have just scaled ones I drafted.

It is a major drawback!!!

I just tried the following, maybe worth trying for others:

Place another instance of an existing marker that graphically looks the way you want the marker for the external drawing to look. Explode it. Set the drawing you want to reference to as the Autotext Reference. Insert the detail No. and Layout No. into the exploded text, maybe first resetting the texts anchor points and voila.

Very quick and simple. Not as simple as the functionality that we're asking for i.e. that available details in the "link to" list include placed external drawings, but it works.

You can group this and copy and paste it and then use it for other external details. I know it's not neat and no longer parametric, but how many times after setting up a basic detail marker do you actually need to adjust it's graphics, except of course across different scale sheets

[vfrontiers]

Ummmm... why not just use the CUSTOM No. and Sheet Number with a real detail marker.. Do NOT reference any drawing...

[SeaGeoff]

vfrontiers wrote:
Ummmm... why not just use the CUSTOM No. and Sheet Number with a real detail marker.. Do NOT reference any drawing...

Because that will not update if the drawing or layout is moved/renumbered while the Set as Autotext Reference will. I've been using a system like Ray describes with good success. I have made parametric markers (as objects) that mimic my detail markers (to provide scale sensitivity, etc.) onto which I paste the autotext. You can do this quite easily without ever leaving the view you're in by using the context menu in the navigator to set the reference, then both the sheet and drawing numbers can be inserted into a single text block via the autotext pull-down. I posted my set of markers here if anyone wants to give them a try, modify or improve them. They are all based on the NCS style and have any other head shape options (as well as all macro calls) stripped out.

BTW Duane, any luck with the dual numbering? That's one of the ways I thought to solve this dilemma.