Large file sizes

[Marcel Cooper]

We have a site which has 13 different house types, all or which are modelled and presented in identical ways with almost identical components but while 10 of the files are of size 37,000kB to 66,000kB, there are 3 files which are of size 2,576,615 to 2,611,812 - some 50+ times bigger.

There is no reason that I can find for these files to be so bloated and 5o+ times larger is one hell of a lot of extra data so I'm guessing that there is a rogue element knocking around.

Does anybody have any idea how to discover what is causing this?

None of the files have any hotlinks nor are there images nor pdfs attached.  

[Ricardo Lopez]

Hi @Marcel Cooper 

Take a look at the following link, you may find something that will help you:

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Project-data-BIM/Typical-3D-and-2D-Speed-Problems-Troubleshootin...

Best regards.

[Jeff Thompson]

Thanks Ricardo for sharing that link.  It was very informative...

In addition, I would like to add that if you are hotlinking in the 13 different house types, I would look at the method in which you are inserting them.  You have two choices when you are inserting hotlinked files.  You can insert .pln files or you can insert .mod files.  I have found that changing the links from .pln to .mod files makes the file a lot easier to work with.  The file size changes drasticly.  However it depends on the file.  You need to ask yourself some questions to determine what would be best for your project moving forward.

The following is a link to a previous discussion that I think will be informative also:

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Project-data-BIM/Hotlink-manager-pln-or-mod-Is-there-a-differenc...

[Marcel Cooper]

Dear Jeff,

Thanks for your advice with respect to hotlinks and mod files, but as I said in the original post, there are no Hotlinks attached to these bloated files so it can't be a Hotlink issue!

I do appreciate the extra knowledge and will research the mod files - it may well help me elsewhere 🙂

[Marcel Cooper]

Thanks for this Ricardo.

I went though everything and couldn't find anything untoward, not even the Polygon count was high. I also checked for duplicated items and removing those made no substantial difference. I then realised that I had use the same design on another site and checked the pln file there - instead of being 2,576,610kB, it was only  35,431kB - somehow, the latest file has accrued something that makes it 73 times bigger!

[Lingwisyer]

You can also cull a lot of data that may not be needed in your full site model by using MOD hotlinks, like maybe you don't need the loose furniture.

[Marcel Cooper]

Thank you for this advice, but as I said in my original post, there are no Hotlinks attached to these bloated files so it can't be a Hotlink issue!

[Lingwisyer]

I was more thinking of not bloating your site model. On that note though, you could also use the hotlinking of MODs to isolate parts of your file to see where the bloat is. If the cause of the bloat is included in the MOD, the file that you place it into will also become bloated. If you can MOD the entirety of the floor plan and 3D without carrying over the bloat, then it is in a layout, worksheet or schedule, etc.

Ling.

[Xandros]

Hi

I'd suggest you dive into analysis. Create copies of your "corrupted" files as .pln somewhere local - desktop for example.

Start deleting things (e.g. a whole floor, all layouts etc.). Save your file after each step of deleting one block and check your file size. This way you might get a hint for what might be the culprit.

Two other things:

Check your embedded libraries.

And have you tried opening your file with Open & Repair? Check on what happens, if you do just that.

[Marcel Cooper]

I now have a completely blank file, there is nothing in it - nothing! It is bare of any data and has no attached files, no hotlinks, no libraries embedded nor otherwise and still the size id 2,576.610kB - at least 70 times larger than it should be!

I have used the open and repair several times but it made no difference whatsoever - even with a fully emptied file with no attachments whatsoever, the file size was still 2,559,489kB after repair!

[Xandros · Accepted solution]

If these are the steps you took and it made no difference, I'd suggest to involve ArchiCAD Support - let them take a look at your file(s).

And if they prove to be succesful with this, please let us know, what the issue was. That's important knowledge for many users.

Good luck with your efforts!

[Marcel Cooper]

I thought I had cleared all the embedded libraries but with Graphisoft's help discovered that I had not and somehow, a large material library of size 2.4GB had been embedded in the design files as well as a pln files from another project! deleting these and saving the project cured the problem and all is now sorted, just having to go through the site plans that these files were hotlinked to and update them but because of the hotlink sizes, it takes 20 minutes plus to open each! Should be up and running properly in about an hour. Thank you all for your help!

[Marcel Cooper]

This morning, I copied one of the bloated files to a "safe" directory and then deleted it's entire contents.....absolutely everything - not even a section or elevation left, everything gone and the file size reduced from 2,576,697kB to 2,561,607kB - a difference of only 15,090kB. I think this is conclusive of the file itself being corrupt in some way. Do any pf you have a good idea how to resolve this corruption?

[Lingwisyer]

Given the size after the removal of all 3D, floorplan, 2D and schedule elements from the file, have you checked the Embedded Library, as suggested by Xandros?

[Marcel Cooper]

Se my answer to Xandros above but briefly, i Have detached and deleted everything so there are no libraries of any kind and then done yet another open and repair and it might virtually no difference!