editing default graphic appearance of objects?

[Anonymous]

where can i edit the base 2d prefs of items of objects so that every time i place a door, window, or whatever, it does not need to be tweaked.

I just want to place and go.

thanks.


AC15

[Anonymous]

There are three ways to approach this depending on your needs/preferences.

1. You can open the library part in the editor (File > Libraries & Objects > Open Object), change the defaults for the parameters and either save as is or save a copy. If the part is from the standard library saving a copy is the recommended option (to alter the original requires unpacking the library and leads to other issues). In any case the revised part should be saved into the office standards library or the project library (which may be embedded if the the project is in a single file) as appropriate.

2. Use Favorites to save the preferred settings for standard parts. These can be exported and loaded as needed and also included in template files to standardize the office practice.

3. Set up templates/legends with instances of the parts set as you want them and use alt/option+click (eye dropper cursor) to pick up the settings.

Typically it is best to use the first option only for parts that you want to customize and save as office standards since any changes to GS or 3rd party parts will be lost in the next update.

Both of the other methods work fine for GS and 3rd party as well as custom office standard and project parts. The disadvantage is that they are less automatic and require a bit more maintenance. Naturally there is no problem including parts that have been adjusted per method 1 in favorites and legends per methods 2 & 3.

A good example of method 2 is for project door settings. Once you have set up a door the way you want it, save it as a favorite and continue until you have all the doors set up for the project. This can be done ad hoc, all at once or some combination. In any case it's best to come up with some naming standards so there is consistency to the favorites and people will recognize them later.

Method 3 works well for things like electrical symbol legends. This way you are creating the graphic output for your layout sheets at the same time as setting up the standards that can be easily reused throughout the project. The legend can also be copy/pasted or linked into other projects and templates to set up office standards. A handy way to use this is to put the legend on a worksheet which can then be referenced into the drawing for quick eye dropper access.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for such a great response! I gather you lean towards the first.


-I got as far as open object. in the open library part window i have two choices. -embedded library, which is default. this has no options to move forward. nothing to select, the open button is grayed out. -the second, browse for a folder, allows me to browse into the ArchiCAD library 15 , but after browsing a while, i have no idea where to find the actual object files.

thanks again.

[Anonymous]

The first method is best but only for parts that you want to permanently customize for your office standards. If you do this with the parts from GS or 3rd parties it will create problems with future upgrades. You either have to forgo using the upgraded parts, give up on your own modifications, redo the modifications to the new parts or have near duplicates in your office standard and commercial libraries. None of these are good practice for maintaining office standards.

To use method 1 effectively you need to set up an office standard library and she the customized parts there. This should be on a server or shared volume unless you are in sole practice, and should be loaded in all projects. Click the "Add..." button in the library manager and browse to the correct folder. This library is nothing more than a folder with the parts as .gsm files organized in subfolders. Here in the US we generally use the CSI divisions for organizing the parts. You can choose whatever method serves your practice.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Matthew, I like the sound of method 3!