Copy one object to several layers

[Anonymous]

Is there any option that I could copy one objet to several layers at a time, without copy opening the layer, paste, opening a new layer an so on...

[Karl Ottenstein]

No. Copy/paste makes a copy in the same layer. I'm not sure what you mean by 'opening the layer'.

A relatively easy method uses keyboard shortcuts and requires that your Info Box shows at least the layer name:

0. Copy, then:

Repeat 1-4 as often as needed...
1. Paste.
2. Drag if desired then click outside the paste marquee to complete the paste. 3. Undo/Redo (shortcut keys) - this sequence selects the pasted object.
4. Change the layer in the Info box.

[Anonymous]

I think Darwinland is talking about being able to copy a single item from one story to many different stories. If that is the case then I am with him. Nothing worse than designing a 20 story building and discover that you want to make a design change that affects all the stories (say to add a wall and door). The current method would be to create the new items on one floor, highlight and copy the objects and then open each floor, one by one, and paste the objects to each floor. I find it very tedious and the more floors you have the greater the odds are that you will miss pasting the objects to a floor (done that many times when being interrupted). It would be much better if there was a "Special" paste command that would open up a box that would allow the user to "check off" all of the floors that the user wants to paste the items to and locate them in the same place as where they were copied from. Once the stories are checked off the user would click the "OK" button and viola those items are place on the desired stories. The user could then move the objects if necessary.

It would probably be a good idea for a "Special" copy command. I did a design inwhich it had 5 identical towers but Archicad in 2D does not allow the user to highlight every item on each story so it requires going to the 3D window to select the items. Unfortunately if the objects (tower in my case) is attached to other structures it is difficult to select the objects of the tower only and if you do manage to select the required parts it is extremely difficult to select the appropriate point in 3D when all items are highlighted. The end result is that pasting the copies must be done in 2D. To make it easier, it would be nice to have a special copy command while in 2D that would allow the user to set a bounding/marquee area on the lowest floor and then allow the user to select all of the floors that will have all of their content within the area created copied. Once the stories are selected the user would click on the "OK" button and all of the objects indicated will be copied and ready to be pasted. An alternative to that would be adding a "Special" drag/rotate/mirror command when in 2D view. In this case when nothing is selected the user clicks "Move>Special drag/rotate/mirror" which tells the user to create a marquee that encloses all of the items of interest. Then window opens which allows the user to select all of the stories to be affected. The user would then click "OK" and the cursor would take the appropriate form for the action to be taken and the user can then continue just like the "normal" version of the commands.

[Karl Ottenstein]

DrWho wrote:
I think Darwinland is talking about being able to copy a single item from one story to many different stories. If that is the case then I am with him. Nothing worse than designing a 20 story building and discover that you want to make a design change that affects all the stories (say to add a wall and door). The current method would be to create the new items on one floor, highlight and copy the objects and then open each floor, one by one, and paste the objects to each floor. I find it very tedious ....

We won't know what Darwinland wanted unless he/she posts back...

But, DrWho ... hotlinked modules are the only sensible way to model mid/high-rise buildings. It is shear madness to copy/paste elements floor to floor. A PLN can relink to itself, repeating a floor, or elements of it, to subsequent floors.

I don't believe anyone would call copy/pasting a valid approach to high-rise modeling, much less call it the 'current method'.

[Anonymous]

Hello Karl:
I just went through all the video on Hotlinks. After you create your hotlink module you still must paste the module to each and every floor one by one initially just like the copy/paste method I mentioned. The advantage of the hotlink modules is when modifications must be made. Change the module and all instances change at the same time and is an obvious time saver. The drawback to hotlink modules is when you want to change several but not all instances on each floor. You could create a new hotlink module with the changes required but to implement the changes will require the user to delete all of the unwanted original modules on the required floors and then paste the new module to the associated floor/story by pasting one floor at a time. I also find that sometimes I need to add an object to several floors but not all inwhich it is simpler to copy/paste and that's why I think a special paste command that allows the user to select the floors to paste to. Hell the same could be done when first pasting the hotlink module to each floor. Instead of one floor at a time initially, open a window to allow the user to select the floors to paste the module to. It would be much faster.

[Bruce]

I agree that this would be a handy feature (Revit can do this)

You original post seemed to indicate that you traverse through the floors using either the project map or navigator map. Something that can help in this process is to use the shortcut keys instead (Revit can’t do this). I have CTRL+ UP and DOWN arrow for this.

[Lingwisyer]

The drawback to hotlink modules is when you want to change several but not all instances on each floor. You could create a new hotlink module with the changes required but to implement the changes will require the user to delete all of the unwanted original modules on the required floors and then paste the new module to the associated floor/story by pasting one floor at a time.

There's no need to delete and individually replace the required modules. You should be able to select the instances that need to change, and replace the referenced module under the module settings. As long as the origin of the replacement module is the same, it should come in at the same locations.



Regards,

Ling