AC9 Questions & Answers?

[MSotero]

Many of us have questions about AC9 and some actually know the answers (GS especially).
Why not use this topic to thread your questions about AC9 and hopefully get some answers here too (perhaps from GS directly).

Here are some initial questions I have (probably more to come):
1) Does the new text editor (word processor) handle multi-column text directly or by import from Word? So we might be able to do sheet specs and other extensive documentation?
2) Can the PM grid system be used/adapted to handle flowing text and auto generate the next sheets? If not, it seems the core technology is already in place given that you can import a .pln file and have it generate sheets now.
3) Given the work flow improvements, has there been any attempt at providing a truly integrated working method of handling typical base sheets for mechanical, electrical, structural, etc drawings?

[MSotero]

Thanks for answering questions Laci Neda.

1) Since multi-columns are out, can an entire "multiple page" Word document be pasted into AC and PM?
Currently, I can only paste 1 page at a time from Word (without loss of formatting) which is why I tend to use Excel instead. In Excel I'm able to paste documents of seemingly any size (height and width). For instance with Excel I can paste schedules that fill entire drawing sheets, but with Word I can only paste 1 letter size page of info at a time.

2) Even though you may not be able to answer this question directly.....
What is needed in PM is the ability to easily generate entire sheets of text documentation. Such as for sheet specifications, project information,...
The ability to define a layout with multiple columns (similar to the new grid system) into which text can be imported from Word and snake from one column to the next. Further if all the columns get filled on 1 sheet, then it should automatically generate the next needed sheet until all text is imported. In the past I've done this with Quark and found it very useful.
Having said that, it seems that the core technology to achieve this goal is currently present in PM given that PM can generate the next sheet needed when importing a .pln file and that the grid system has the ability to define areas of the sheet that work together.
So the real question is, can't this technology be further utilized to achieve the need mentioned above?

[Dwight]

RE: Your #1: Multipage WORD Paste

This seems to be an OS X system limitation. I just experimented - the standard cut and paste from Word yields a one page copy.

WARNING: WORKAROUND SPOILER AHEAD:

However, by using the utility ScrapIt Pro and assigning a different format to the cut/paste, multiple pages can be copied at once from Word and pasted into ArchiCAD.
Converting in ScrapIt Pro to the "NeXT Rich Text Format v.1.0 pasteboard type" succeeded.

BTW: Many of us use ScrapIt Pro to great effect as it catalogs text clips and images one might frequently use.

[Anonymous]

scrapit pro doesn't just do text and images. it does well, basically, anything, including gdl objects. which is pretty clever and another good reason to get a mac

bill

[Anonymous]

Hi,
Can we now IMPORT PDF pages into ArchiCad or PM?
Thanks,
Joseph Harouni

[Anonymous]

MSotero wrote:
What is needed in PM is the ability to easily generate entire sheets of text documentation. Such as for sheet specifications, project information,...

AMEN to that! I like InDesign and Quark, but our construction documents would be so much easier to produce if they could be linked into Plotmaker. It doesn't sound like this new text tool will cut it for specs.

It does raise a question though: Does PM now support wrapped autotext from one line to another?

And: Are the AC9.0 and PM file formats exactly the same as 8.1 versions? The upgrade price is fine for 1 machine, but if I have to upgrade 20 licenses because AC9 won't play with AC8.1, I'm not going to be a happy camper.

Thanks
Wes

[Dwight]

I copied and pasted a PDF from Preview as a figure and as drawing elements to the same effect - a reasonably resolved bitmap image.

Pasting from Acrobat yielded text only.

Figure import: only at real size and screen resolution....

Figure import using PNG format exported from Acrobat seems to be highly resolved - a great choice.

So - in a quick PDF check I can't make simple operations create high resolution altho passing PDF through Illustrator can maintain vectors, text and high resolution.

Conclusion: PDF can be deconstructed to maintain most functionality in ArchiCAD.....

[Dwight]

WARNING: BAD NEWS:

You'll have to save backwards from 9.0 to work in your old versions.

That's why they changed the number.

[Anonymous]

Are there any changes made to fills/hatches handling - it's redicilous that you have to create a new hatch pattern just because you need a scaled version of existing one. The visual representation (when you select the fill type) of fills is clumsy too - the icons are too small and they should show vectorial pattern not bitmaped one.

[Karl Ottenstein]

MSotero wrote:
1) Since multi-columns are out, can an entire "multiple page" Word document be pasted into AC and PM?
Currently, I can only paste 1 page at a time from Word (without loss of formatting)

XP experience is different than what Dwight reports on Mac. I just copied a 5 page Word document and it appeared in both AC and PM as a single rich text block, with all formatting, tabs, indents and justification intact. (There's no way to make it snake / flow into more than one column though ...)

Karl

[Laci Neda]

MSotero wrote:
It does raise a question though: Does PM now support wrapped autotext from one line to another?

Yes it does!