Problem with MAC objects on PC

[Kristen]

We have a project where we have received a PLA file from another office and are to do design development and contract documentation. They have a number of objects that they have created that are embedded in the PLA file and we need to alter these. We have opened the PLA file and extracted the library but these particular library parts do not appear in the extracted library, they are only visible if we read the PLA as a library and then we cannot edit the parts. It turns out that the other office work on MAC and we work on PC. Does anyone know if this is problem that objects (the are just 2D symbols) are created in MAC and cannot then be altered PC? Or how do we get around this without exploding every object?

[Karl Ottenstein]

GDL objects do not differ from Mac to PC.

If the objects are visible in the PLA but not if extracted, then I suspect that the problem is that the Mac person gave the objects names which are not compatible with the Windows file system - including characters other than letters, numbers, dash, underscore, etc. in either the object name, or the name of the folder containing the objects. Just a hunch.

Cheers,
Karl

[Stig Bengtsson]

Hej Kristen

We had a similar problem yesterday sending files between two offices . I will check on Monday if it is the same issue and get back to you.

Stig

[Kristen]

Thanks guys!
I'll check out the names of the objects on monday to see if that is the problem.
Cheers!

[Kristen]

OK, our problem still exists.
We have now received the objects from the other architect in a separate zip-file but it is not even possible to extract the objects as it asks for a password and there is no password.
I checked the object names. When I look at them via the pla-file, they contain the letters å, ä and ö which we use (even when we create objects) but no other strange symbols.
If however, I look at the name of the objects in the zip file, å, ä and ö have been replaced by a number of different characters but this could just be a result of the zip program and that if they were extracted, they would retain their correct name.
The other architect has mentioned something about them being the only ones with rights to the objects and that they must remove this. I am not familiar with this, that you can give rights to objects that you create. Is this possible and how? And how do you remove them?

[rocorona]

If you can see the objects in Plan, but do not find then in the Library, another chance is that they are defined as "not placeable" (may be placed by an add-on, or as macro from other objects).
In this case, if you are able to select them on the plan, just use the command "Open library part" from the File menu. If the object is selected, it will be open without asking you to find it in your system.

You can also do this with the unextracted library, but then you are forced to create a new object (I think you can save it with the same name, but it will get a different GUID).

[Laszlo Nagy]

Kristen, could you provide your AC version in your signature or a new post as this may be a version-specific issue.

[Kristen]

I think Karl might actually have been on the right track with the file names. I did not find it but one of our supports at Graphisoft here in Sweden found one object with a dot in the middle of the name and when he renamed this he was able to extract the library on Mac and zip the extracted library on PC. The library objects retained their original names when I extracted the zip file here.
Thanks for all your help!

[Anonymous]

Recently I discovered a similar problem.
I have a multi-story residential project created on Mac, completed on Windows using the localized GS Dutch library 12 - no custom library parts included.
Saving the file to .pla, transfer to Mac, everything opens fine > directly from the archive <!.

However, in the open dialogs both on Mac and Windows, exporting the objects into a separate library folder, none of the objects get mounted. I checked this library folder and it's empty! I only have textures available !?!

Back to Mac, open the file with the original library, saving to .pla and everything is loading fine
The one thing strange, If I try the extracted file on Mac with the original library loaded, none of the objects are altered and I have various error messages about wrong parameters...

[Kristen]

Although it seemed to have to do with incompatible names, and our problem is solved for the moment, I still do not really understand how to solve it if it arises again and why it could come about in the first place. It appears as though I am not the only one to face a problem of this nature. Reading directly from the archive is fine but if I want to extract the library then there are problems. Is there a general "incompatibility" between archicad files on mac & pc? Why is it possible to save objects with names on the mac that are not accepted on the pc? Receiving a separate zipped library from mac does not work on pc either because the pc wants to change the name. If the library is zipped on pc though, then it all works. I am very confused.