Keeping track of drawn details

[Anonymous]

In a separate thread, Dwight Atkinson wrote, "How do forum members keep track of drawn details in projects? What I do keep, I keep as a module or a library part. Just to make it easy to preview.... Are there a million three ring binders out there? what? A catalog system? Paper archiving...????"

Our office has tried a number of things: three ring binders, static detail numbers with multiple stories to hold different versions of the detail, and most lately modules). Along the way, we also created a FileMaker database to help us look up past details. Now that detail are being embedded into the building model, we are rethinking our detail archiving. The two strategies being discussed are publishing all details as PDFs or saving all as library parts. The former could have text search using Acrobat, the latter could use AC9's library search function. Our internal discussions are continuing.

[Richard Morrison]

Not to sidetrack your tangent here, but I'd like to get back to the main question that was posed.

I am having a hard time working effectively with modules. When I publish them automatically, they don't seem to generate a meaningful preview. They can't be imported directly into Plotmaker. Also, they don't seem to have a built-in scale that gets saved. They force you to create an independent detail for each one and save it within the PLN file.

I've been having some success with putting all office standard details in a single file with a view associated for each detail. Putting together the project's standard details involves opening up Publisher with a large Navigator Preview Window. You can scroll down the list of views and when you see something you need, drag it over to be published. Then publish PMKs to the project directory in a separate PMK folder. Dragging and dropping from here into Plotmaker is pretty easy; they all come in nicely numbered and labeled and at the correct scale. What I don't get is the automatically updated plan reference as would be possible from within a separate detail window. However, the updating is far faster with PMKs than with imported views. I feel like I'm missing something; it's so close, but not quite there yet. I would love to hear what GS's intended solution is for detail libraries.

[David Shorter]

Matthew wrote:
and now we can Publish the modules. Much easier than the old process of: open view, copy to clipboard, save as module, repeat, repeat, repeat...

Matthew... don't understand this ref... publish modules?

[Link]

Hi David

He means that it is much easier to use Publisher to create module files now. See the attachment.

Cheers,
Link.

[Anonymous]

Richard-

I've included all of the office standard details in the template file. Modules are each placed into their own detail window, and named accordingly. The detail window is numbered with a letter to denote the type of detail (M=millwork, P=partition, D=door) followed by a number (01, 02, etc), and named with the file name of the module as located on the main server. I spent time to create properly named views for each detail in the View Sets window, but now they won't need to be changed. The autotext reference saved in the detail title works well in this case.

Once a project starts detailing, the links to the modules are broken so they don't change if we update a standard detail. Unused details either get deleted from the project (ideal), or they just get sorted to the bottom of the list as the used details get referenced in the drawings.

wes

[Anonymous]

I've included all of the office standard details in the template file. Modules are each placed into their own detail window, and named accordingly. The detail window is numbered with a letter to denote the type of detail (M=millwork, P=partition, D=door) followed by a number (01, 02, etc), and named with the file name of the module as located on the main server. I spent time to create properly named views for each detail in the View Sets window, but now they won't need to be changed. The autotext reference saved in the detail title works well in this case.

Wes,

Does this mean that your template file has all your typical details in Detail windows, Just sitting on a floor plan, in a random location? Doesn't this make your file large?

Nathan Brauer

[Link]

Does this mean that your template file has all your typical details in Detail windows, Just sitting on a floor plan, in a random location? Doesn't this make your file large?

It seems that Wes places each detail into a(n unlinked) detail window of it's own, as opposed to placing them in a floor plan window. With a subtractive methodology, as Wes is using (deleting an used/unnecessary detail is easier than adding it), this is a method that I agree strongly with. Yes it will add to your initial template file, but IMHO speed should be a higher priority than space, in this day and age. Besides, a detail shouldn't be too big - I'd guess around 50Kb - even 100 of these would only be 5Mb.

What I'd like to know Wes, is if you take this a step further and place views of these details onto sheets in PlotMaker?

Cheers,
Link.

[Anonymous]

Link wrote:
It seems that Wes places each detail into a(n unlinked) detail window of it's own, as opposed to placing them in a floor plan window.

That is correct. The detail markers can be added when there are actual drawing elements to be keyed (just select the option to link the tag to an existing detail window in the cmd-T window) As most of our details are sectional, or standard plan items that don't require a reference to model elements, there is no need for a link to the model, or even updating the detail window - ever.

Link wrote:
What I'd like to know Wes, is if you take this a step further and place views of these details onto sheets in PlotMaker?

Not in the templates. Much of our standardized work and details are interior - like millwork details, and there are probably 6 or 8 options for a base cabinet, only 1 or 2 of which might get used on a particular job. It is far easier for us to simply assemble the sheets in Plotmaker while cartooning the set - using only the details you think you might use.

If I had more than 100 details to keep track of, I might want to come up with a better solution, but this seems to be working for now.

Wes

[Anonymous]

The number one reason for thee module was to have a preview

AC had a utility to preview the Modules - where is it ?

[Rakela Raul]

http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=6656


same here...i wanna know

[Anonymous]

ArchiCAD gurus, please help. My small two-person firm is getting a toe-hold in the arena of larger projects and it is causing us some growing pains.

My current dilemma, as discussed in this thread, is how to manage details. For a job we are currently working on, we created a separate PLN file with all of the details for the job. This was critical because so many of the details use the same parts and pieces, showing unique conditions of steel framing and fireproofing. It was also critical in terms of placing gridlines in the details/seeing how each condition relates to the other. Plus, it will make it much easier to change them all as we will inevitably have to do.

In order for Plot Maker (PM) to coordinate the locations for us, we created detail views in the building PLN, inserted the detail PLN as a hotlink, and zoomed to the detail we needed. Then we saved the view, making a detail that can be automatically numbered in PM. As we discussed as a possible downside before committing to this technique, the size of the files (PM & building PLN) ballooned to almost unmanageable sizes.

There have to be a lot of large firms out there working on large projects that have figured this out.

Do I have to give up on PM coordinating the locations? I think I saw a link explaining how to tell AC the location of the PM view instead of the opposite as the detail tool in AC does. Is this a possibility?

Do I have to break apart my detail PLN into 50 plus drawings pasted into AC detail views? I really don't want to do this for coordination reasons.

Is there a way to clip the detail module views in AC so that each detail view is only looking at one small part of the detail hotlink? In autocad you can clip an xref which is very helpful but I haven't seen a way to do this in AC.

Will saving the detail PLN as a module help? There are only 4 layers in the file and the details are all 2D elements.

I have tried siffting through posts on this topic but have found it very hard to pinpoint info I am looking for. Are there some posts on the forum that might help me?

Any and all help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you!