Advice on whether/how to use Hotlink

[proto]

(I have not used Hotlinks before. I have read the published Archicad Workflow Guide for Hotlinks but still am confused on whether/how to proceed since my project type is not a hotel/apartment/hospital with repetitive modules. We are a tiny office w/ no BIM mgr/expert.)

Background: We have a house we designed years ago in 2D CAD. We recently modeled it in Archicad to create two new additions, separately phased for construction. The house is three stories plus foundation & roof. These additions are both in a single Teamwork file & separated by unique views and design options isolating the two phases of construction. I should add we aren't happy that we structured it that way (load times, filtering elements, etc), but we didn't know any better for two concurrent design efforts that would be built onto the same structure in sequence. But that's where we are currently. Construction has barely started so I don't want to archive the file yet, but I'm also hesitant to add a yet more design options/modeling/layouts to it.

Challenge: The owner has asked to create a very, very small new third addition. It's basically a pergola tacked on to the house exterior at first floor level. It would almost be easier to model in Rhino. But the reference house Archicad model exists. Because the Teamwork file has become ponderous, I'm considering creating a new and very simple .pln file & hotlink in the existing house Teamwork file for reference (including the two additions). The drawings produced will ultimately be just a site plan, floor plan, two elevations, two sections and a few details. I'm hopeful this will make it easier to open/save/work in the file without the waiting involved with reserving all the various things.

Questions:

Would I be creating more work for myself by trying to Hotlink the whole house? [publish modules of floor views? create single hotlink model?]

Or, would I be better off just adding to the existing Teamwork file with another design option and more layouts?

Or, just copy the reference wall of the house and create a new and very spartan model?

What would you do?

Thanks for any advice

[Claudiu Serban]

It really depends on what you are trying to achieve.

If you want speed, i'd just model it in another file and:

- copy the slab and wall you are going to place it on (so you have the same x, y, z position as in the OG file)

- after making sure it aligns, delete the copied elements. never duplicate elements, it defeats the BIM purpose

- further work on the model to bring it to the LOD level desired

- when it comes to layouting, layer the new drawings on top of views brought/linked from/to the original file placed in the layouts. So old siteplan with the new pergolla layered on top, elevations with the new pergola placed over the original elevations, etc.

The workflow you chose with design options for additions is wrong (imho) and while it works, the performance of DO at the moment makes this workflow avoidable. I would have done the following with the other 2 additions as well (but always try different things if you dont like this workflow, what works for me might now work for you).

- if you started correctly (copying slab and wall) you should just hotlink this file in the OG file and it will snap in place like magic

- when you have multiple additions like this, set each hotlink to it's own layer, so you can turn each hotlink on and off as you please with that layer.

- this way you have a speedboat of a file with just a few elements and a couple new layouts, and also a full bim/3d model ready for presenting to your client.

Remember, never duplicate elements. Always think which is the  best/right file to place it in. This way you will always have up to date drawings/model.

[proto]

Claudiu, thanks for your reply!

The tip for co-location between files is great -- makes perfect sense!

And I get how the additions individually would be fast to work on without the bulk of the original house or the other addition weighing on them...but, how do you manage the interaction of new and old? And then sequentially as one addition turns into an existing condition for the next addition?

Demo drawings of the existing: I don't follow how renovation status would work. I can change the linework of a referenced drawing as a whole, but not selectively at the point of new work interface. Would you use multiple drawings scribed to each other, each with different settings (like puzzle pieces meeting)?

New work at the interface of new/old: Use fills, lines in the "new" side to manage the interface?

Thanks again!

[Lingwisyer]

I would avoid using Hotlinks for a renovation / extension as the extra management required is not worth it... and having to jump between multiple files to resolve the interactions is a pain... I guess you could Iceberg to reduce the management required, and have the existing interfacing features be part of your modules, but now you have lost Claudiu's "speedboat".

Regarding changing linework, you can filter your Graphic Override by Design Option and/or Hotlink Source.

Ling.

[Claudiu Serban]

Interaction old and new: as Ling said, GO. You have each addition on a master layer. Let's say you have 3 additions, you have 3 layers - Modules.Ext1, Modules.Ext2 and Modules.Ext3. When hotlinking them, in the Master layer select the correct Layer and add a master ID so you can easily filter in GO.

Now all elements, besides their own layer, are on this master layer and have this unique property of Master ID.

If you want to do something special with them (make them all red, or change line type or pen), do a GO and filter by these IDs.

Also, if you want to show/hide that entire addition, all you need to do is turn it's hotlink layer on/off.

If you need special modifications in the OG file (some stuff that dissapears when the new extension comes in - some landscaping or pathways or whatever), then you can assign those elements to DO, and turn them on/off in the required views (on in the before, off in the after). This requires more work, but if you want to work non destructively and have all the phases modeled and documented, i don't see a better route (except maybe the old doubling of layers, but thats even more work).

[proto]

Claudiu, this confirms my suspicions of the integration management provoked, thank you

[proto]

Ling

Thank you for your reply. Your comment confirms for me the complexities.

Claudiu & Ling

While I don't have an easy solution to move forward, I do understand the issue better. Thank you both for providing your experience/opinions!

[Patrick M]

in the particular scenario you are describing, I would not be using hotlinks. I would explore design options, renvoation filter combinations, and layer management to get your phased output sorted.
...
hotlinks are useful. and for a wide range of purposes.
-whole building iterations (where design options may be tedious to manage)
-multiple buildings on a single site and different rotations (campus plan style projects)

-projects with repeating units (hotels, apartments, etc.)

-detail management among multiple projects

...

but for phased design, I think you'll find its little more useful than basic layer management when applied to .mod files.

...

I think design options are going to be your best foot forward.

[Lingwisyer]

We just need some of the Design Option features to come to the Renovation Filter, and for the ability to add more construction stages. DOs provided some welcomed workarounds for the RF, but they really should not be required for those situations...

Ling.