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Libraries & objects
About Archicad and BIMcloud libraries, their management and migration, objects and other library parts, etc.

.lcf files

Anonymous
Not applicable
Is there an advantage to putting all your frequently used library parts into a container as opposed to just in a folder? Does it load parts faster or save disk space or anything like that?

Thanks,
Rick
14 REPLIES 14
Erika Epstein
Booster
Yes, library container files load faster.
Erika
Architect, Consultant
MacBook Pro Retina, 15-inch Yosemite 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Mac OSX 10.11.1
AC5-18
Onuma System

"Implementing Successful Building Information Modeling"
Anonymous
Not applicable
Unless there are a lot of them you probably won't notice the difference though.
rocorona
Booster
And YES, it takes less disk space.
_________________

--Roberto Corona--
www.archiradar.com
AC18 - ITA full on Win10
_________________
_________________
Main difference is that with a container file nobody can modify the file structure of the library, add or remove objects, edit the object scripts, or modify the object parameter default values. So some libraries (ArchiCAD typically, third party, office standards only if you are a huge office perhaps) you may want to keep as lcf and some (project library, office standards perhaps) you may want to keep flexible.
Anonymous
Not applicable
Ignacio wrote:
Main difference is that with a container file nobody can modify the file structure of the library, add or remove objects, edit the object scripts, or modify the object parameter default values. So some libraries (ArchiCAD typically, third party, office standards only if you are a huge office perhaps) you may want to keep as lcf and some (project library, office standards perhaps) you may want to keep flexible.
Not an issue for me as I'm a one man operation but what's to keep someone from opening the container, modifying what they want then making it into a new container?
vistasp
Advisor
Wrathchild wrote:
Not an issue for me as I'm a one man operation but what's to keep someone from opening the container, modifying what they want then making it into a new container?
Nothing!

However, remember that if you modify the default library, your modifications will be overwritten the next time there's an update from GS. If you want to have your own office library as an lcf, you'd be better off keeping it separate.

I'm head-cook-and-bottle-washer too, BTW & I keep the default library intact and have a folder (loaded automatically by library manager) where I keep my personal objects and regularly-used ones that I've downloaded over time. Project specific objects are stored in that project's folder.

Hope this helps.
= v i s t a s p =
bT Square Peg
https://archicadstuff.blogspot.com
https://www.btsquarepeg.com
| AC 9-27 INT | Win11 | Ryzen 5700 | 32 GB | RTX 3050 |
Anonymous
Not applicable
I agree with Ignacio.

We found LCF:s too stiff for working. It is impossible to edit/move/delete the container file during office hours because the file is locked if someone has it loaded.

Not sure about gaining speed advantage either- we measured and the LCF:s did not have any better results at all (AC11 / OSX10.4 / WIN server).

--
Regards, Juha
I can't observe any consistent loading-speed advantage to LCF files as opposed to extracted folders. Testing the AC library, loading times vary by up to 40%, with the extracted folders sometimes beating the containers.

An LCF is good for enforcing standards. As for the person who might modify an LCF against policy, that's a people problem, not a tech issue.

An LCF is also good if you have to copy a library with a lot of parts, e.g. to take it off network. Our office library is only 25MB and a Finder-reported 1300 items, but it can take ten minutes to copy to a USB flash device. The LCF takes a couple seconds.

We use the office library in extracted form (so it can be modified, mostly by me, so it's really for my convenience), and keep a current LCF on hand for outside use, re-saving it as needed.

We never mess with the AC library. We would never containerize a project library.
James Murray

Archicad 27 • Rill Architects • macOS • OnLand.info
cremsberg
Contributor
So how does one open an .lcf container and then make a new .lcf file container?
Claire Remsberg

Remsberg Architecture, P.A.

MacBook Pro, OSX 12.6, ArchiCAD v25 (5010)