AC7 objects in AC17

[KeesW]

I've had to access an AC7 project and installed the AC10 INT file to open it in AC10. Then, I opened this AC10 version in AC17. Unfortunately, the imported objects have problematic fills; I get lots of materials with 'empty fill' many, many duplicate names, all of them ending with distinctive 9 digit numbers.

Using Attributes, I purged all of the unused fills, materials and composites to give me a shorter list. I then appended the AC17 properties from my AC17 template file. I proposed to select the AC7/10 objects and change them to the new AC17 ones. It hasn't worked. My options for materials and composites do not include any of the AC17 items that were appended. The purged list is as long as it was and all options still end with a 9 digit number.

Do I have to fiddle with missing GUID numbers?

What I want is to select each wall, floor, roof, and other AC7/10 object and change its properties to AC17 ones. Does that sound difficult? Or should I just redraw the whole project and forget about trying to reuse what I did 12 years ago?

[Barry Kelly]

What I would try is to open the 7.0 file as you have done in 17.
This will create new Building Materials as well as new lines and composites as necessary (all with a 9 digit number at the end).

Now if you have a 17 template you could APPEND all attributes from the template into this file.
You could try to OVERWRITE if the 7 file and the 17 template are similar (i.e the both stemmed from the same original template).

Don't use the Attribute Manager to purge elements.
Instead use the new 'Delete and Replace' feature in the element settings dialogues.

Start with the layers, lines fills, surfaces (old materials), composites, etc and do building materials last (because they contain fills and surfaces).
Select an attribut with a 9 digit number and then press DELETE button.
A dialogue will appear with an option to 'Delete' or 'Delete & Replace'.
Choose D & R and then you can select your template attribute (without the 9 digit number) and all instances will be replaced with it - eleiminating the annoying "missing" attribute.

It might take a while but it is worth it.

TIP if you are in the settings dialogue and you make a mistake you will lose all that you have done so far if you choose to CANCEL.
So I try to D & R a few attributes and then close the dialogue. Re-open the dialogue and continue - then you know what you have done is safe if you make a mistake and you don't have to start again.

Barry.

[Piotr Dobrowolski]

In AC 7 GDL objects there were no GUIDs, but the objects should be recognized by name.
You could try open>save the objects if they are custom...
and try replacing manually the old objects with the new ones (using a syringe in the object browser)

Best Regards,
Piotr

[KeesW]

Thank you all, especially Barry. I've tried your suggestions but it is just too time-consuming and I am redrawing the job.

Layers can be managed and changed. However, I think that the introduction of materials and surfaces and more complex composites to enable AC17's energy calculations, together with new and existing elements are so major and introduce so many variables, that it is too tedious to bring an AC7 model into the 21st century. I don't think Graphisoft thought this through.

[Barry Kelly]

KeesW wrote:
... that it is too tedious to bring an AC7 model into the 21st century. I don't think Graphisoft thought this through.

Well that is a bit like building a new autobahn with an unlimited speed limit and still expecting the old Model T Ford to keep up.
Barry.

[KeesW]

Yes, I'm sure you are right. I've spent literally weeks trying to drive my Model T on the new autobahn!

[Erwin Edel]

I would do the purge in ArchiCAD 10 and save it. Then I would open this project in ArchiCAD 15 or 16. Take the old library and embed it in embedded library, you should now be left with only the library parts that are actually used in the project.

I would then start a new ArchiCAD 17 project using the new template and merge the ArchiCAD 15/16 file into that one. This way you start with all your attributes the way you want them to be.

After that it is the delete and replace process Barry described.

I would say this is about half a day of work, so it would depend on the scale of the work if it is worth it.