Info on added AC 8.1 layers not appearing in Plotmaker 3.1

[Anonymous]

I've recently upgraded from AC 7.0 and have started using AC 8.1.0 v2 on my dual 800MHz Mac G4 running OS 10.3.5 w/768 MB RAM.

Over the past several weeks I've been using AC and Plotmaker with no trouble. But, I just added several new layers to the AC file and now when I update the view in the PM layout book, the new layers appear in the layer list but the information (objects, lines, and text included) is not there. I've tried deleting the view from the layout and re-importing it but nothing seems to work. If I move the information to a previously existing layer, it appears. I've also tried both update settings for the layers in the drawing attributes.

I believe this is a glitch but has anyone else experienced it?

[Anonymous]

Did you update the layer combo to include the new layers? Simple question but easy to forget.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I have updated the layer combo and the layer appears as showing in the layer listing.

[Anonymous]

It does sound like you have a strange glitch going on there.

Have you tried:
Renaming the troublesome layers?
Adding more layers to see if they have the same problem?
Deleting and re-adding the layers?

You are sure, I assume, that the layers are turned on in the PlotMaker drawing. It is possible to override the AC layer settings in the PM drawing settings. In this case the new layers would not show up. Since you re-imported the view I assume that this could not be the problem.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Another thought for tracking down the problem or bug: have you tried opening a new LBK (new and reset) and importing the updated views?

Also: look at the View Editor or View tab of Nav and at the bottom in grey where it lists the settings saved with the view, so you see "Custom" for the layer combination? If so, set the layer combo to a named combo (define one if needed) and redefine the view (right moust the view and click Redefine from the popup). See if that helps.

Karl

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your input.

I think I have found a solution to the problem. First, I had I tried bringing the same AC view into a brand new layout book with no success. What did work was to delete the view from AC Navigator and re-create it (I should also see if re-defining the view would work). Then, when I updated the view in my layout book all was well.

The glitch appears to be that even though the original view had the layer combination assigned to it, when the layer combination was updated, the view did not pick up the information on the additional layers added to the layer combination.

This is probably for another forum but let me ask here for some feedback:

I'm the CAD manager for an office with 17 ArchiCAD seats and we're currently running AC 7.0 and looking to upgrade to AC 8.1. I've been working with AC 8.1 off and on over the last few months and have re-written many of our office standards for AC 8.1. I've come to have some of the following concerns about what I consider key problems with things not working the way they should in AC 8.1:

1) The first problem I have is that when views are defined in a solo project file and then the project is shared, the views are not accessible to the team members. This is a problem because many of our files begin as a solo file and aren't shared until well into the project.
2) The problem described above. When changes are made to layer combinations, the information does not seem to seamlessly update in Plotmaker.
3) This is not an AC problem but I could use some feedback: Several of the computers in our office are Mac G4 400MHz w/768 MB RAM. Are these computers enough to efficiently run AC 8.1 (not including high-resolution 3D work)?

As far as problem number 1 & 2 above, I know there are work arounds to solve these but in our office getting everyone to understand these work arounds is not a realistic solution and I don't have the time to do it for them. My primary concern is that AC 8.1 has been around for a while now and things still do not seem to be working as they should with the program.

I think there are some great features in AC 8.1 which could improve our efficiency, but some of what I consider to be key problems are cancelling out the perceived improvements. Should we bother to upgrade or wait for AC 9 to see if these glitches are solved and the program works the way it is intended too?

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

[Anonymous]

I assume you are talking about AC8.1.

Michael wrote:
1) The first problem I have is that when views are defined in a solo project file and then the project is shared, the views are not accessible to the team members. This is a problem because many of our files begin as a solo file and aren't shared until well into the project.

I have not seen this problem myself so I don't know what could be causing it. Views in the solo project should automatically be shared when creating the teamwork files.

You should be able to fix this: sign in as Team Leader (exclusive access may be necessary) select the views and share them (use the round pop-up with the triangle in the upper right corner of the navigator - a right click might do it too).

2) The problem described above. When changes are made to layer combinations, the information does not seem to seamlessly update in Plotmaker.

Make sure the layer combination is properly specified in the view and the layer settings are not being overridden in PM. If these are set correctly and you still have problems we are back to your glitch.

3) This is not an AC problem but I could use some feedback: Several of the computers in our office are Mac G4 400MHz w/768 MB RAM. Are these computers enough to efficiently run AC 8.1 (not including high-resolution 3D work)?

We have a couple of G4 Cubes at 400 MHz which we have used to run ArchiCAD 8.1 acceptably. They were truly painful to use for 8.0 but the performance is much better under 8.1. You are right not to expect great 3D perfomance, but it might not be too bad if you have good video cards and can use OpenGL.

As far as problem number 1 & 2 above, I know there are work arounds to solve these but in our office getting everyone to understand these work arounds is not a realistic solution and I don't have the time to do it for them. My primary concern is that AC 8.1 has been around for a while now and things still do not seem to be working as they should with the program.

These are not normal problems in my experience. Perhaps your dealer or Graphisoft can help you with some troubleshooting.

I think there are some great features in AC 8.1 which could improve our efficiency, but some of what I consider to be key problems are cancelling out the perceived improvements. Should we bother to upgrade or wait for AC 9 to see if these glitches are solved and the program works the way it is intended too?

A year ago I would definitely have recommended the upgrade to 8.1. With version 9 on the way it probably makes more sense to wait. You may want to revise some of your standards once you see the new features and it makes more sense to just go through the process once rather than twice in close succession.

[Aussie John]

Based on the previous archicadv x.0 upgrades, you might find the bugs unacceptable. Since version 6 the first releases has been less than satisfactory. That said from what i have read an announcement for v9 will be soon so there is a lot to be said for waiting.