'This is a part of an unloaded element and cannot be edited'

[Wokka]

A friends son is doing his university assigment on R14 EDU version. He sent me a file where several objects have a grey hotspot and are not editiable. All the obvious stuff like layers, groups, hotlinks etc have been checked but I can't edit the objects. I can place the same object and edit them, but these ones are 'stuck'! If I alt click on a hotspot then ctrl/alt click I get the message:
'This is a part of an unloaded element and cannot be edited'
If it's unloaded, how can I see it and place other versions of it?
It seems to apply only to some objects not all.

Any ideas??? Is it a EDU issue?

Cheers

[NCornia]

According to the error message this does not seem to apply, but from your description of the objects and their behavior maybe this has something to do with it?

Found this in the AC 14 Reference Guide (page 349 US version):

Locked elements’ selection dots appear in faded form.
Elements are locked (and display “locked” selection dots) in four cases:
• The element is placed on a locked Layer.
• The element has been explicitly locked with the Edit > Locking > Lock command.
• The elements belong to a Hotlinked Module or an XREF.
In all cases, locked elements can be selected, but they cannot be edited. (You will be informed of
this if you try to edit a locked element.) You can open the settings dialog boxes of these elements,
but you cannot edit their parameters.

[Wokka]

Nic,
Thanks for your reply. We've tried all that stuff. I've been using ArchiCad full version for close to 15 years but never used the EDU version, so I was wondering if it's a bug or just typical of EDU. He did load the file and libraries at the university and may have used a full version (he doesn't remember) there. Would this cause the 'locked' issue?
Cheers

[NCornia]

I know for a fact that Graphisoft does restrict the file formats in educational versions so they cannot be used commercially. Same with trials. I think there is an article in the Wiki that explains it all. So if this file has travelled from an edu version to a commercial copy it makes sense that it would not transfer properly.

EDIT: Here's the truth of the matter from Graphisoft:

An ArchiCAD file created in the Educational license can be
opened by a full (commercial) license of ArchiCAD, which will
then switch to Educational mode as long as the Education-license
file is in use. The same applies to Education-version projects
shared in Teamwork: if you join such a project using a commercial
version of ArchiCAD, that version will switch to Educational
mode.

So with that being said, I do not think the issue you are seeing has anything to do with the EDU version's intended use.

[Wokka]

Thanks again Nic! He's going to try the university server/computers again. I think we're dealing with a file that may have been worked on in a commercial version, then back to EDU version, and thats the problem. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again!

Cheers

[Gops]

Hi,

I remember having locked sanitary appliance due to the MEP add-ons not being installed on my computer, whereas the file that I received was saved with the MEP add-ons installed.

Could this be your case?

Gops