Best practice -libraries

[Anonymous]

We are looking for a suggestion to a best practice of library handling.
The situation:
During the progress of the work library parts from different places are placed in the project. Library parts origin from AC, local libraries(lcf) and a number of loose parts found on different places on the Web, on employees cds in the bottom of drawers and so on.
Some of the parts have to be imported and loaded in AC since they either come from lcfs or have to be loaded to be evaluated .
The problem.
After some weeks a huge number of dublicates are loaded since a number of the parts have same GUIDs ore use the same textures.
In addition the above mentioned cd is on vacation causing missing library parts.
The solution?
It is possible to save as archive and then extract the library into the project library. The solution requires huge resources and some amount of manual file handling.
Any suggestions?

[Rob]

hvid,

I am afraid that you will have to go through the manual process. Another bad news is when you saved/extracted an archive file some macros or attached (referred in the script) images won't be picked up... and that's a pain. So make yourself a big mug of coffee, breath in deeply and get it nailed....

organisation of libs.
what we do here is:
1. we keep all default (*.lcf, GS Traffic etc) on the server and everyone uses those (maintenance is the obvious advantage)
2. Any custom or downloaded lib parts go to the specific job folder so this way you have all bits and pieces nicely together.
3. in general adding downloaded lib parts is strictly limited to a project architect or cad manager approval.

[Anonymous]

Hi rob

Thanks for the reply.
1.Sure its a good practice to keep lcfs and GS libs on the server

2.Great practice as well. The problem is as you mention yourself the risc of loosing macros and connected textures and probs.
Also there is a great risc of boosting your number of materials sice the only way of picking a single element out of a factory lib is to download, extract and load the entire library. The problem is -of course- most significant in the early stages of the project hunting down different lib parts used for visualizing.
In some cases we invent a specific "download, extract and pick- model" only to make sure not to drown the project in properties.

3. Wouldn´t it be nice!

hvid

[Rob]

AFAIK GS is working on some kind of lib part and libraries consolidation in regards to migrating. They are fully aware of GDL-linked macro/images etc shortcomings.

[Djordje]

4. The office library - the parts that are used in all the projects but not found in the standard library - that is also ideally handled by the BIM manager only