Problems with zones in modules

[Anonymous]

I have a drawing containing a number of modules, each of which contain a number of zones.

All of the zone stamps in the modules are set to 'Arial' font, but when the module is read into the main drawing, some (but not all) of the zone stamps show as 'American Typewriter' - not a font I ever use.

Suddenly - and for no apparent reason - all of the zone stamps have started to display with a ceramic tile fill - which makes them look as though they have been crossed out.

I've checked the modules again - and there appears to be no problem.

But there is no way of changing the way the zone stamps appear in the main drawing.

This must be a bug. Has anyone got any suggestions how to fix it, or a workaround, please?

[TomWaltz]

Have you checked your Display Options? They control how the fills are shown inside the Zones.

[Anonymous]

The zones in the modules will display according to their settings of the model in which they are placed, not those in the originating file.

Check in the menu Options > [Attribute Settings] > Zone Categories. The zone type included in the module is probably set to the typewriter font. I could guess at a couple of ways this might have happened, but I haven't time to test them. There may be some funny quirks in the way zone attributes are conveyed between files.

You can also use Attribute Manager to copy the zone attributes from the originating file. If you have many of them, this will be easier than editing them to match.

[Anonymous]

Guys - thanks for your advice, but the plot is thickening.

This morning when I opened the drawing - the zone stamps are still variously Arial & American Typewriter, but the cramic tile fill has gone. Tom - the fill only affects the stamp text - so the zone fill display option (which I have set to 'off') doesn't help.

However, I needed to make some adjustments to 2 of the modules (and whilst in these checked out the zone category settings). Although not displaying with the ceramic tile fill over the text, I found this was the current setting under '2D representation' - so I switched it off, and made sure all the text was set to 'Arial'.

Now after I reopened the main plan and updated the modules, these 2 modules are now showing some but not all of their zone stamps in 'American Typewriter', and have all their zone stamps displayed with the ceramic tile fill.

I think I'm going to have to switch the zones off altogether and replicate all the text in normal text.

[Anonymous]

I now think this problem may be related to libraries. The drawing has evolved throughout the period when we were using release 7 and release 8, and uses library objects from these as well as release 9. Sometimes when I load the drawing - some of the release 9 objects come up as blobs. I've tried to rationalise the libraries by saving as an archive, but have limited success. When I try reloading Archicad library 9, I get the ceramic fill problem back on the zone stamps.

I find I can get rid of most of these fills by reloading the modules - but this doesn't work every time.

The blobs instead of the library objects are extremely frustrating - can Graphisoft advise how best to maintain libraries from drawings which date back to release 8 or 7?

[Djordje]

Keith wrote:
I now think this problem may be related to libraries.

It is.

Make sure to unload all the libraries except the 9, and then reload the lib parts with the matching ones from 9; the parameters should be OK.

Also, get rid of the fill set you have and import a default 9 one. The indexing is definitely mixed up.

[Anonymous]

Djorde -

Is there a quick way to do this?

I find that if I try to select library parts globally, and then change them, I lose the parameters. Insertion points, fills etc. all different.

Is there a 'convert library parts' routine somewhere?

[Djordje]

Keith wrote:
Is there a 'convert library parts' routine somewhere?

There is one, in the Special menu.

Or: Open the PLA containing the 6.x library parts in 9, save as PLA again, use it as the source of your library parts. Watch out - some parameters have changed significantly. Remember the lamps I posted? They were mostly scripted in 6.o/6.5 times, and most of them have to be reworked for 9 ...

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Djorde, but where is the 'Special' menu?

[Anonymous]

Keith wrote:
Thanks, Djorde, but where is the 'Special' menu?

Hello Keith

If you use the "search" fonction of this forum you will find a lot of thread speaking about this "special menu". It exist different way to find it, if you use differents versions of ArchiCAD and/or computer systems.
Use with precaution.

There see in particular this one http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=21508&highlight=special+menu#21508

Hope this helps