Details

[Tom Krowka]

As a new user,I have some questions about details. We have plenty of standard details we generated AutoCad. What is the best way to place them into an ArchiCad drawing. Should they go on a separate story, on a detail sheet that is the same scale that they will be plotted on? Text is coming out all kinds of screwy sizes.

Also, when I create a detail in Archicad, what is the best way to manage them to put in a library for future use. Should I save them out from the floor plan window as a .pln, .dwg or from detail window as a .mod or what. What is the best way to bring them back into the drawing. Most likely I'll want to change something on the drawing, so I don't want to Xref.

Should I put all details on a "detail story" that is set up at minus 10 feet, for example; then bring them into plotmaker? Again, I get messed up with text size unless I have a different scale detail story for each scale of detail?

I think I'm missing something here.

Thanks
Tom
version 8.1, windows xp

[Rick Thompson]

I too have gone to the effort to redraw all my typical details on one pln. With appropriate layering and navigator set up creating new details is very quick and easy. I organize common types to stories and use layers to make different variations. After doing this I am very satisfied with spending the time to do this. If I need a variation on a detail it is very easy to copy/paste, turn on and off layers, etc. I will attach a pdf screen shot for what it is worth.

[Tom Krowka]

Is the pdf for a paper reference to determine what the last valid copy was? Or is it saved from the .lbk as a .pdf that you can then print at 24 x36 size at any time without having the .pln and .lbk to open?
That sounds like a great idea, if it's done that way.

[Richard Morrison]

Tom:

Quick answers to your questions:

1) I have spent time with MSA detailer changing the library parts so they open with the correct line width (i.e. pen number). So when I select a 2x4, the colors are all correct, but I may need to change the layer. (Layers and colors are not tied together the way they are in AutoCAD.) You can use the "Active Layer" function to keep everything you draw on layer 49, say, or use the Edit Selection Set to change every selected element's layer at once. Doesn't take much time at all.

2) That's a single PLN for ALL standard details, but each detail has it's own VIEW. Then just import this detail plan in Plotmaker and select the desired detail view to import. If you've been careful with naming views, you can get the detail to self-title and number correctly and add the scale, all in Plotmaker.

[Tom Krowka]

Richard:

One last question, I promise. When you create your standard detail sheet, is each detail with notes drawn in the scale that it will be plotted.
That must mean you have a bunch of views already set up; one for each typical detail scale, right?

Trying to get this right.

Tom

[Richard Morrison]

Tom:

There is a view (which includes the scale) for EACH detail, not each scale. In AC, double click on the view, and that one detail pops up by itself at the proper scale.

Import that view (i.e. detail) into PM, and it arrives at the correct scale, too. Hope that's clear.

[Tom Krowka]

I think I finally got it.

Thanks to all

[Tom Krowka]

OK, I lied. I do have one more question. Let me know if I'm setting this up right. Navigator has several stories that have been renamed for typical detail types like wall section, trim, footings, etc. When I draw a detail of that type, I draw it on that story (detail type). Then I create a view of that detail by saving it in the view set folder.
Is the navigator stories(detail type) used just to draw the detail type on? There doesn't seem to be any way to establish the detail type heirarchy then individual details within the larger heirarchy in the view sets.
Likewise, there doesn't seem to be any way to establish a directory heirarchy from the navigator.
I'm trying to set up a Windows type directory tree. Can I do such a thing with Archicad?

Thanks again,
Tom

[Richard Morrison]

Tom:

You can do all of this, but you'll need to get comfortable with Project Navigator, which is far from intuitive.

Have the Navigator set up so you can see both the Project Map and the View Sets windows. Get the layers and view correct in AC, then drag the Story icon over to the View Set window. Once there, you can rename with the correct name of the detail, and create hierarchies and folders to your heart's content.

[Tom Krowka]

Thanks for the info. I will try it again. Hopefully, this time I'll get it.