Well, as I said you can do what you want in the 3D view with a little bit of work. You can place cut planes however you like, and then view the remaining shebang from top, bottom or anyway with all perspective options available in the 3D window. However, if you want to add lines, text and other symbolic or 2D items, you have to save the 3D view and import it into something else.
A more efficient way to get your message through is probably to work with layer combinations and display options in the plan window, to get representations of cut lines and reflected ceilings etc, and then save the views accordingly. It's less work to have them updated this way.
I agree that Microstation's view flexibility is a wish - long standing one as I see it. In MS, (and Triforma) you can define any view as you like, and have several (up to 8, is it still?) open, real-time updated and active simultaneously.
In Archicad you have three kinds:
1. The symbolic working plan window. This is unique to Archicad, very efficient when working, always real-time updated but you can only have one open at a time, showing one floor with optionally one other "ghosted" (like tracing paper). I don't want them to take this window away. But it could of course improve.
2. The 3D window. Very flexible, but shows only "real" items, no 2D, lines, text or symbols, and only one open at a time. Has to be generated, which takes processor time.
I would like to have a foreground and a background 2D layer added, where you could place symbolic items.
3. The section window. Has to be generated/updated, but you can have as many different open as you want. A mix of "real" items and 2D symbols, it can show what you want, and you can draw freely in it. But as a reflection of the model, it can just have vertical cut planes, and a projection perpendicular to the cut plane.
(Edited: I forgot the detail window - well i don't think it matters much here)
OK, my wishes:
You should be able to open (and save) a number of different views of any kind simultaneously. All open and visible views should update in real time.
When you open a new one, you should be able to define its kind, as any of the above, or even a rendered image.
You should be able to rotate views freely, sections also in 3D, and also their cut planes, both top and bottom.
You should be able to add graphic and symbolic items to any view, and decide whether they should show in renderings or not.
Since all OSs are multithreaded these days, every view (set to auto-update) in a project should have its own background update thread, that triggers at once when you change something in the model, and works in the background. This way you would almost always find the views completely updated already when you open them.
You sure triggered me!
Now back to work!
AC4.1-AC26SWE; MacOS13.5.1; MP5,1+MBP16,1
