project libraries

[Anonymous]

Talkers,

In reading about libraries in version 10, the help file suggests combining the AC 10 library with whatever library you want to use for a project, and making a container file of the combination to use as the project library. Should one extract the AC10 library first, then combine and create the container file? Should that file be 'compressed'? I tried making a container file of my custom library (and compressed it). When I loaded it, none of the items from it that had been used in the project I was working with showed up.

TIA

[TomWaltz]

You read the help?

Wow, I always heard someone did, but I never thought I would actually meet one...

I doubt it makes a difference or is worth the hassle, to be honest.

[James Murray]

brian wrote:
In reading about libraries in version 10, the help file suggests combining the AC 10 library with whatever library you want to use for a project, and making a container file of the combination to use as the project library.

That sounds silly bordering on crazy. The best it could do would be 'no harm' (as long as you ignore the time wasted to maintain it).

Keep the AC library as is, don't mix in your office or project stuff. Your office library (if you have one of any size) can be contained if it's relatively stable, or not. In common usage, 'project library' refers to the objects that are truly custom to a particular project; no other project uses them. The project library should not be contained, because you will be adding things to it continually as you work. (It's a shame they didn't provide the ability to save objects into containers.)

I didn't have any trouble creating or loading an LCF, compressed or not. I didn't try creating an LCF with an LCF in it.

[Anonymous]

I respectfully disagree, but that's just me. We have always culled the AC library and combined it with our own. The reason for this is that we like to control the way our drawings look and that can only be done through diligent library management.

If we only want our people to use 2 specific toilets in our drawings, but we give them the option to use 15 different ones in the library then we have failed them - and they WILL fail us by using the "wrong" parts.

Library parts are too important to leave to the masses to make their own decisions. If we did that then time is wasted, productivity drops, drawing quality is not insured, money is lost, errors occur, etc., etc.

To answer your specific question, I expand the default AC library, cull it and merge our parts into it and then create a container file.

[James Murray]

Eric, if you're doing it, I better stop saying it's silly.

We control (well, encourage) proper usage with modules and favorites. I just can't imagine taking responsibility for the AC library as well as my own. If I had a larger number of users failing to take 'encouragement' I might feel differently though.

[Anonymous]

Better whatch 'em closely. 😉 I bet they're cheating more than you know.

[Anonymous]

Eric-

How do you avoid the problem of duplicate names in the library loading report? Do you change the name of every AC part that you revise into your Office Library?

Or, do you simply never load the standard AC library "out-of-the-box"?

I culled a few important parts out for our library, but I can't imagine doing it for every part we use often from the standard AC library. We use a system more in line with what James describes.

Of course, I'm working in 9 still, and things may have changed...

Thanks
Wes

[Anonymous]

I keep the standard AC library as-is and modify parameters through favorites mostly. I don't edit the code of the GS parts.

Is that what you were asking?

[TomWaltz]

I must confess, I've done the "strip out the useless objects" approach of the Archicad library, but I still keep all the custom object I've done in a separate folder (not PLA or container).

[Anonymous]

Eric wrote:
I keep the standard AC library as-is and modify parameters through favorites mostly. I don't edit the code of the GS parts.

Is that what you were asking?

Well, sort of. I'm not clear on whether you even load the AC library in your typical job...

So do you load the "culled" AC parts as a part of your office library, and then load the full AC library for those times when you need the grand piano part that you never bothered to cull?

I had experimented with that a couple of years ago, and always found that the duplicate library parts/duplicate names would cause confusion.

Wes