PMK When is it relevant?

[Thomas Nymann]

Hi guys.

I´m wondering whether using pmk files is still relevant. ( I´ve found most of the post in here are way old)

Let´s say your project has grown big, and "slow" - updating layouts takes time...

Would it then make sence to switch to the pmk methodology, and what if you have 100+ layouts and 150+ active views.

If yes, then;

If one hasn´t prepared the project for this, then you would have to create a new project and setup all Layouts (again) and then link/load and arrange all pmk´s on new the new Layouts from scratch...

Or simply create a copy of the original project, and the delete the model, and the views, leaving only the layouts, and then link/load all the pmk´s into the new Layout-project

If the Project wasn´t prepared to facilitate the pmk method, would it then even make sence to start this process/workflow when you already did layout some 100+ Layouts in the original .pln?

Any tricks to automate the pmk linking process? - In an "empty" project you could browse for views in another project, then drag those onto the layout book of your current project, and have AC create Layouts and place external linked views on them, however they need to be properly arranged - Then one would have to relink the external views to external pmk files....

...Or is there any nice tricks to automate the process, if you want to go with pmk´s after the entire project has been set-up in a main .pln with both model, views and all the layouts?

Hope my question makes sence, at least the final one 😉

By the way, upon a small "Publish pmk test" where views was published as pdf´s, vs. views published as pmk´s The pmk files is 10,5mb whereas the pdf files are only 5,0 MB!?

Any input an comments will be appreciated

Thomas

[DGSketcher]

Makes sense, but short sighted. Where would we be if Adobe had restricted PDF's in the same way. In my view they should be at least readable in all current supported versions of AC and definitely the previous version. As I said, it's just another barrier to collaboration. If GS want to promote AC they could even stick PMK in the public domain as an alternative to DWG/DWF.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Archicad used to be delivered with a PDF manual called the "Collaboration Guide" in the Archicad xx > Documentation folder.  As far as I can tell, the last time this guide was published and delivered was with Archicad 21.  The Archicad 20 version (2016) is the only one I found via Google:

http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Collaboration-Guide-for-ARCHICAD-20.pdf

There was also a more recent document on either the Graphisoft Learn portal or the SSA subscriber content portal that described this same process in detail.  I can't find either of those at the moment.

A couple of screenshots of the first 2 pages of the PMK part of the Collaboration Guide:

 

 

[Erwin Edel]

One problem we found with PMK files is it breaks autotext placed in the view that pulls information directly from that view (like the name or ID). This may be fixed by now, since we haven't used the PMK method for a number of years now.

Having a publisher set setup for the PMK files was super fast though, but I think Archicad has improved in terms of updating views with all the background processing, since we haven't found the need to use the PMK method for quite a few years now.

[Thomas Nymann]

Hi Everyone. Thank you very much for your contributions. I have been provided with a lot of usefull insight. Always nice to see the community in action 😉

Cheers

[kb72]

I wonder if anybody have experiences with revisions, using the workflow described in the help-doc, Multiple Project Files, Separate Layout Book, Separate Drawings (PMK Files)

So according to the workflow described I am evaluating generating PMK files from multiple files and putting them on layouts in a separate file. There are two purposes for this for me. One is to have less bloathed setup of the layouts, and the other is to have one drawing list generated with the publisher with an automated process with revisions.

I have made a small experiment where I have created a transmittal issue in the layout file a few times and each time added a layout with an updated PMK file with new revision clouds. The transmittal fills out the layout with the correct revision like a dream. So, this seems fantastic.

I assume that I just need to make sure to manually delete the old revision clouds in the source file between each revision.

Any thoughts?

[Nathan Hildebrandt]

I have always used a workflow where I apply the Revision Clouds to the actual layout sheet, not within the views. This means that you are covering all the details relevant to the revision in a single place, not in 100's of views. If you place Revision Clouds directly on the layout sheets, once part of a transmittal / revision and you apply new revision clouds / revision then there is the option to automatically hide the old revision clouds. 

I have my revision workflows documented in this video. https://www.skewed.com.au/media/webinars/archintensive-2020-art-revision-management

[kb72]

Yes, that is a possibility I guess, with advantages. As you describe it.

However I have found that I prefer do it in model views still, cause then I can do it easily when doing the drawing without switcing to the layour. Particulary when the file is bloathed and the switch to layouts take time. And when you have to switch to the layout which is in another file and the pmk is still not updated, just thinking it might be even more cumbersone.

But will consider, thank you, and see your docs.

[Rex Maximilian]

EDIT: Oh, I see I replied to this already. I'll leave this comment anyway.

I have found that laying up a drawing from a view in an external teamworked file fails most of the time when updating due to various reasons. I simply have a small publisher set for publishing PMKs when these views need to be on layouts in an outside file. It is still very useful.

[kb72]

This is interesting, but don't quite follow you.. 🙂

We have 4 teamwork files, and thinking of exporting to pmks with the publisher, then put on layouts in one file. Is this what you say are failing? Is it the revisions which fails or the view not updating og...?

Or do you mean that to take the views directly from the teamwork files to one external file tend to fail.. ?

Thank you

[Rex Maximilian]

That's what I'm doing that is working. Exporting PMKs from "other" TW files to lay up in a master layout set file. Using the external view placement seems to fail most of the time. Only placing a PMK seems to be the solution.