ARCHICAD 23 - LAYER NAMING CONVENTIONS? (USA Template)

[rob2218]

Just downloaded my copy of AC23.
First thing I went to check was....the layer naming convention.

Why does Graphisoft continually keep changing the layer naming conventions on their template files from "Walls Exterior" to "A-Wall-Exterior"????

Please guys, can you stick to ONE freakin' layer naming convention?
I believe the AIA layer naming convention of "Dicipline-plane of 3d space-sub descriptor-subdescriptor" works best.......A-WALL-EXTR..............A-WALL-INTR.....any try to stick to a 1-4444-4444-**** type format....it puts everything in place when organization it KEY.

[Nader Belal]

rob2218 wrote:
yeah...dunno. Not too keen with layers being "numbers" vs something simple and straight-forward like:
A-WALL-EXTR-XXXX

or

A-FLOR-SLAB-XXXX

seems very easy to just read the dicipline, then the layer descriptors and make out pretty much to 99% just by looking at these 4-letter columns what that layer is.

@Rob

Just a question, if you already have a working template, why don't just simply migrate it to the new version ??

[rob2218]

Great idea....it's just that i don't know how to migrate "layers" I already have setup INTO a new version of Archicad24 that brings its own set of layers.
What would be the step-by-step in doing such wizardry?

[Karl Ottenstein]

rob2218 wrote:
Great idea....it's just that i don't know how to migrate "layers" I already have setup INTO a new version of Archicad24 that brings its own set of layers.
What would be the step-by-step in doing such wizardry?

One doesn't typically migrate just an attribute, such as layers (you can - but the impact on everything else int he file your merging it into is huge/complicated)... you migrate your entire old template. If you don't have a template, then you take your "best" most recent project and migrate it, then delete all model elements and any project specific Worksheet content, etc.

Migration is often as simple as opening an old project, but that will result in migration libraries being loaded... and you'll want to see what references are left after the model purge and replace them with native AC 24 library objects in order to not have to load the migration libraries. Other steps are here for migrating to AC 24:

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/user-guide-chapter/85786/

This use of your own file as a template is what Moonlight is asking...and is what I asked way in the beginning of the converstaion 🙂

See also these articles specifically on creating templates, after you read the above:

2008 Eric Bobrow article - still the same broad strokes:
https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/knowledgebase/25682/

2012 Graphisoft article - also still mostly correct:
https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/knowledgebase/25926/

The template folder is now user-defined in the Work Environment's Special Folders panel:
https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/user-guide/135610/

[Podolsky]

Ok guys,

I just recently created NCS layers set, that covers most of building part based on my experience in construction. All codes been taken from the latest version of USA NCS - so everything is absolutely kosher. I used two parts - code and full name for better experience. In case of export to DWG can be created layers mapping template, where full names are removed.
Currently no layer combinations. That can come later, after I work with this layers a some time (as beta testing).

File is XML for attribute manager. Works in ArchiCAD 17 and above.