Working back and forth between Floor Plan and 3D window

[Anonymous]

There are times when I am working on a specific floor plan in the floor plan view and then would like to see the results in 3D but if the floor is in the middle of the building the only way to see the results in 3D is to "HIDE" the floors above. It would be nice if when switching from the floor plan view to the 3D view there was an option to hide the floors above the one selected in the floor plan view and maintain that condition until the user either right clicks and selects "Show All" in the 3D view or the user goes back to the floor plan view. There is nothing worse than having to "Hide" or "Show" floors in the 3D view as it can be a big waste of time.

And finally, one thing that I did notice was that if an element was selection in the floor plan view it did not remain selected when switching to the 3D view and vice versa. I find that there are many times when it would be easier to select an element in one view and then switch back to the other view to perform the desired operation or what ever. Maybe Archicad could add this type of feature.

Regards

[Karl Ottenstein]

Is it essential to see the current floor and all floors below?

If you only need to see the current floor, just ctrl-A/cmd-A (select all) and F5 (or whatever your shortcut key is for 'show selected in 3D'). Voila.

If you do want to just omit higher stories, then create a series of views, one for each story, with 3D setting set to not show the stories above. Just double-click the saved 3D view for the story you're editing from then on to see what you want.

[Anonymous]

You could also use the Marquee tool set to 'Single Floor' (thin boundary) to define an area, then press F5 to display only those elements on that storey within in the 3d window.

[Anonymous]

Hello Karl:

When switching to 3D view what I don't want to see are the floors above the one I am working on. All of the lower floors can be visible. My issue is not so much that this can't be done in AC as it can as you have indicated. What I think would be better is not having to always use the keyboard to do things. I prefer to be able to just use my mouse as that allows me to keep my eyes on the monitor. When working on a design my workplace setup does not allow me to keep one hand (left) on the keyboard at all times and thus when I need to use the keyboard (say CTRL key) to perform an instruction it requires that I look down at the keyboard so I know where to place my left hand. I use an MCAD package but instead of the CTRL key it uses the space bar (much bigger and easier to hit) and only as a toggle switch making it easier than using a smaller key. But even that is still slower than just using the mouse. Anyway, just my thoughts on what could make it easier for the user. Again thanks for the help.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Got it. The predefined views that I mention do allow mouse-only use to accomplish what you asked for.

While physical workplace arrangement and even physical disability (including really large fingers that I encountered in one training) and make it difficult for many people to do so, many of us have found that to work quickly in ArchiCAD does indeed require keeping the left hand on the keyboard and the right hand on the mouse at almost all times (short of typing text). Mouse-only usage - requiring use of menus and other clickable elements - can cut productivity dramatically. Some actions are not possible from menus and require the shift, tab and other keys as mouse modifiers.