PM 3.0 Reall Good, but REALLY SLOW!

[rm]

We have just started our first set of CDs in PlotMaker 3.1. We really like how much more efficient the PM is vs PM 2 that came with AC 6.5. I think GS did a great job integrating view sets. I'm looking forward to learn how much more efficiently we will be able to produce Construction Documents.

That said, I am disappointed about the slow speed of moving drawings around in a layout. First, each time we move any drawing once it is placed in the layout, the drawing refreshes ( 3 ) times, and it takes over 10 seconds each time. This occurs if we move a drawing, resize it, or cut and paste one. I hope someone could point me some setting that we may have set up wrong. If there is nothing to set in preferences, then GS REALLY needs to fix this problem. This never happened in PM2.0.

Next Problem: We draw exterior and interior elevations in AC such that all elevations are on one sheet whether it is an interior elevation sheet or exterior elevation sheet. This allows us to align horizontal elements.

In a PM layout we import the one PM file that has all the interior elevations, place it in a PM layout, than drag a copy for each of the
elevations. Then we would drag the right elevation into the view window which we USED to see ghosted in in PM2.0. But now in PM3.1, there is no "ghost" image of drawings outside of the view window. Is there a setting I have missed, or has GS permanently removed this feature? Again, this slows composing of PM layouts. Not a productive feature at all.

PM 3.0 seems to have memory management problems. It seems to be freezing a lot. Copy and Pasting between layouts seems to frustrate and freeze the program. Anyone else seeing this?

Last, still lacking too many of the AC commands for drafting in PM.....Seems PM development really lags behind the improvements in AC.

Anyway, I think GS has made some key improvements. But I also think they have taken a couple of steps backward in speed and efficency....buying new computers with each upgrade is not a viable option for my office, and I suspect it is not an option for most.

We use G4s with OSX 10.3.2.

TIA for any insight into this.
Architects Design Forum, Ltd.


Robert Mariani

[Djordje]

rm wrote:
That said, I am disappointed about the slow speed of moving drawings around in a layout. First, each time we move any drawing once it is placed in the layout, the drawing refreshes ( 3 ) times, and it takes over 10 seconds each time.

IMHE this happens only with PMKs. Did you try direct linking of the views from ArchiCAD?

rm wrote:
Next Problem: We draw exterior and interior elevations in AC such that all elevations are on one sheet whether it is an interior elevation sheet or exterior elevation sheet. This allows us to align horizontal elements.

Placing hotspots in S/E in ArchiCAD, AND hotspots in the Master sheet where your drawings usually are laced (mid of the sheet, halfway to borders, etc) helps a lot in this matter.

rm wrote:
In a PM layout we import the one PM file that has all the interior elevations, place it in a PM layout, than drag a copy for each of the elevations.

A method I personally would revise, as it requires a lot of manual work AND a lot of memory strain.

rm wrote:
PM 3.0 seems to have memory management problems. It seems to be freezing a lot. Copy and Pasting between layouts seems to frustrate and freeze the program. Anyone else seeing this?

Don't copy and paste. Drag the view or PMK to different layout in Navigator. If you right click, you have the option to copy or drag. It will reduce memory load.

rm wrote:
Last, still lacking too many of the AC commands for drafting in PM.....Seems PM development really lags behind the improvements in AC.

Oh, this stays on for years ... The gap is smaller, but still a gap.

rm wrote:
Anyway, I think GS has made some key improvements. But I also think they have taken a couple of steps backward in speed and efficency....buying new computers with each upgrade is not a viable option for my office, and I suspect it is not an option for most.

Might be. but then again - this is a fact of computer based business. Using the newest version of anything on older hardware has never been and will never be snappy.

HTH,