Is there a way to open MODs with associated libraries?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

This has bugged me on more than one occasion. A typical situation: I'm editing a pln-file that contains an apartment building where the apartments are hotlinked MOD-files. The modules usually contain objects, such as furniture elements et cetera. Now I need to edit one of the modules.

My workflow is somewhat as follows:

1. Right click the mod in plan.
2. Select "Edit in new ArchiCAD instance" (my translation from FI)
3. ArchiCAD instance no 2 opens. With random/no libraries.
4. Close the mod file in the ArchiCAD instance no 2.
5. Load the main Pln in ArchiCAD instance no 2 as read only.
6. Close the main Pln in Archicad instance no 2. (this way the main pln libraries will be 'stored in memory' of the ArchiCAD instance no 2.
7. Switch to ArchiCAD instance no 1.
8. Redo steps 1 & 2.

Then I'm ready to edit.

So I'd like to know is there a switch or a button hidden somewhere, which would eliminate steps 4-8? Like a button to "open mod with the same libraries as the pln it's linked in AND OPENED FROM".

Further editing of other modules is of course easier, since instance no 2 seems to remember the libraries it was last using. But it's that first time that bugs me. Especially when working on a pln that's huge, and takes ages to load. It just seems so pointless when some option like I described above would fix this altogether.

Or is the solution to just use PLN:s instead of MODs?

[Anonymous]

My practice in these cases has been a bit different. I set up the unit plans in a separate ArchiCAD file and then publish them as modules to be linked into the building(s).

This would allow you to skip all those extra steps by replacing the right click to open the module with directly opening the unit plan file (in a second session of AC typically). The unit plan file of course has the necessary libraries already loaded.

Once the revised modules are published they will need to be updated. The easiest way to do this is to just save the main building PLN and it will ask you if you want to update before saving.

Another trick that helps is to put the unit plans on separate stories so they can each align to the project origin. This also allows quick updates to multiple unit plans as the changes can be copy/pasted by just going up and down the stories.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply, Matthew.

While not exactly what I was looking for, it certainly shed some light to the problem. I seem to forget how Archicad can be used differently from what I'm used to.

In the projects I have been working on the modules are usually created straight from the main pln. Typically select-> copy-> save clipboard as module. This will take place at some point, when the plan has some content, but needs modular planning for efficiency. The saved .MOD is then refined and placed in the main plan to it's appropriate locations. So these .mods don't have a real dedicated 'host project' anymore.

What you suggest is that another pln is set up to 'host' the mods (with correct libraries), and if the method I'm familiar with is applied, then copy the module base from main pln into the new one and continue refining it there. This pln can then be used as a kind of module storage, that has no real connection to the main pln, but is merely used to publish .MODs to link to main pln. Sounds worth investigating, as this would solve the missing libraries problem. It also solves another problem; It seems that one Archicad session cannot open more than one extra Archicad for module editing. This can be quite tedious when editing many .mods in a hurry.

And thank you for showing me another feature I never know existed in AC! Until now, I have completely missed the ability to use publisher for module files...

[Barry Kelly]

Samppa wrote:
3. ArchiCAD instance no 2 opens. With random/no libraries.

After this step you could just open the library manager and load the library and/or objects you need.
If you have a well organised library structure this will be very easy.

If this is 13 and the library objects are embedded in the master PLN then I don't know how this would translate to the MOD file.
I would assume that the objects would be automatically embedded in the MOD file too - but I have not tried it as I don't use embedded objects very often.

Barry.

[Erika Epstein]

I've reported this as a bug several times because this is a common work-flow problem. Many of us around the globe reloading libraries etc. to overcome this problem.

Since 13 with the BIMserver for TW2 needing a single location for all libraries so the path is the same from project file to loaded libraries for all TW2 participants irregardless of their location I really hoped that this would be resolved.

TW2's BIMserver libraries can easily be used for solo pln projects.