Multi-phased projects

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how I can setup a multi-phase project in ArchiCad 17? Some of our projects can have 3 or more design/construction phases within the project. Is there an easy way to use the Renovation Set so we can show Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3.... each with their own demolition and new elements?

[Anonymous]

Am really interested in hearing on this as well. AC, so far that I know, doesn't have a good tool for phases but it would be great to be able to control phases and variations outside of layers.

I've only recently left AC14 for AC16 so my experience with the reno filter is little. However I have ran into this quite often and this is what I do (which happens to use similar logic to the reno filter). One thing about this method is later phases build on earlier phases so you can't jump phases just so you know.



For every layer you would otherwise need to display you need three layers for the first two phases, and two layers for each phase after that.

layer - existing*
layer - existing - remove
layer - phase 1

layer - phase 1 - remove
layer - phase 2

layer - phase 2 - remove
layer - phase 3

and so on (also included a screen grab from a two phase job to illustrate it)

*(or you can start phase 1 here, but I alway have surveyor data and similar I can put in existing so I start my construction phases after.)

Basically all the stuff that goes on all the drawings goes in the "layer - existing" layer and the stuff that is removed between the existing and phase 1 drawing goes on the "layer - existing - remove" layer. So then all the stuff that goes one the phase 1 drawings go on the "layer - phase 1" layer. Then just wash, rinse, repeat by putting the previous layer's removed items in the remove layer and next phase's items in the next phase layer.

If you use standard naming just add, for example, -E, -R, -P1, and so on to the names to get the same affect.

Sorry for the long layer combination and layer list but that's how it works out.

[stefan]

Alas, the Renovation filter, while well implemented, is too limited for phasing. Would be really beneficial for large projects, renovation projects, historical reconstructions.

For now, I suggest using separate layers, as this allows toggling visibility of objects per phase.

I heard that they have an improved approach in the pipeline for one of the next versions.

[NandoMogollon]

Stefan, Huttman,

Can I suggest the use of Hot-Links and different Files?:

• - This is what worked well in my experience:
  
  - Keep a Main file with the existing and demolished conditions,
  
  - Create a New File per Phase and link them in. Note: create a Specific Master Layout for those so that you can control the Phasing with only one Layer.

This worked well for me for a medium size project and it was pretty easy to manage.

On the down side, you will have to keep track and control of the Common Attributes across the files ( via attribute manager)

Cheers

[Barry Kelly]

BHuttman wrote:
Does anyone know how I can setup multi-phase projects in ArchiCad 17? Some of our projects may require 3 or 4 design/construction phases within a single project. Can the Renovation Filters be used in an effective way so that we can display Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3..... each with their own set of demolition and new elements?

If you save each phase as a new model then it can be done.
There is a "Reset Renovation Status" command in 17 that will allow you to easily change the reno status of all elements.

So save "phase 1" model as a new file "phase 2".
Set all 'existing" elements to "remains the same".
Set all "new" elements to become "existing".
And set all "to be demolished" elements to "delete".

Repeat the same process for phases 3 & 4 as they occur.

Barry.

[Barry Kelly]

Please don't post multiple times for the same problem.
See your other post for another answer.

[Duplicate threads merged by moderator]

Barry.

[stefan]

This extremely long layer lists is precisely the reason why I'm waiting for GS to provide an improved object tagging. Renovation filter adds a single TAG (or attribute) to an object, which can then be used for filtering and display.

The Layer is another Tag.

But you see the result if insufficient freedom is provided for tagging.

With 10 layers and 1 tag (with three possible values), you would need 30 layers to cater for all combinations. Add a few phases and this explodes.

Everything is already implemented inside ArchiCAD: custom IFC tags, highlighting, toggling visibilities and overriding displays. But we are not free to combine this.

>> My suggestion: provide custom tags and allow a smart (live) filtering of objects based on tags, to be stored in a view. The view will be updated from the model at any point in time. The user just needs to tag objects with the proper attributes: existing, to demolish, new combined with phasing:

We need flexibility: e.g.
- to be demolished in phase 3
- new in phase 2
- new in phase 1 but to be demolished in phase 5 (bit far-fetched for most projects, probably, but not for historical reconstructions)

Some people might want to use it for 4D (project planning) purposes.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Barry wrote:
Please don't post multiple times for the same problem.

I've merged the two duplicate threads, so the conversation may seem a little disjointed below.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think object tagging (with user-generated tags, the ability to assign unlimited tags per object, and to set the visibility of an object dependent on its tags ("Layer Combinations" for tags)) is a workflow & organisation killer-feature that GS have overlooked for way too long.

It would completely change my frustration level with AC, and would simplify the way I structure a project radically.

As well as phasing, it would allow the easy organisation of multiple design options, all in a single file, with a minimum of "layers". (A layer could just become another tag.)

Combine the facilities of Layers and Renovation Statuses, and combine them all into a powerful Tag system.

If there is only ONE thing that I was allowed to wish for in the next version of AC, it would be this.

[stefan]

@Peter > Exactly!

A layer is a tag. But since we initially had only one tag, we had to abuse that single tag for all kinds of purposes: renovation status, building element function, project phases, design alternatives, annotation scale, ...
In fact, official Layer standards are precisely that: adding several tags into a single layer name. This explodes really quick and probably motivated Bentley to once brag about Microstation being able to support a billion layers.

If you split out a Layer standard into its constituting parts, you get... tags. And each object can have multiple tags assigned to them.

Right now, you often rely on abusing other properties, such as Object ID or layer name.

Beware though that this flexibility comes with complexity and a responsibility of setting up elaborate templates. But once GS merges these features that are already fully supported in ArchiCAD, there is no end to what you can achieve.