Everyday Problems and Struggles

[Anonymous]

Hey Guys,
I was wondering what types of problems everyone encounters with their users everyday? Or at least most days? What kinds of things do you find difficult to do in Archicad if you don't know it well? How do you help your users overcome these struggles.? Like Stairs and Curtainwall. Now I am not looking for solutions I was just thinking we could all start making a list and perhaps it would make it easier on all of use if we new what the common problems were. Then we can start talking about users. I'll Start with my list:

1. Stairs
2. Curtainwall
3. Creating Sections and Elevations
4. Detailing
5. Sloped Roofs
6. Dimensioning
7. Mesh Tool and Sitework
8. Elevators
9. Curving a Wall that Would be a Custom Profile
10. Columns, Beams, and Cross-Bracing
11. Cutting a Hole in a Slab
12. Linking one Detail to Multiple Tags
13. Custom Object Creationa nd Modification
14. Sun Screens
15. Curved Roofs
16. Flat Roofs with Tapered Insulation
17. Modifing Doors
18. Retaining Walls
19. Multiple Floor Heights on One floor Level (Multiple Stories or Single Story)
20. Coil Doors
21. Creating a Wall with Multiple Wall Segmetns and Removing the Extra Linework
22. Creating a Stair from Slabs witha Custom Railing
23. Stair Sections
24. Railings on a Balcony or Loft
25. Column Enclosures
26. Bemolition and Existing Building Work (Grayscale and Dashed)
27. Fire Rated Partitions (Priorites through Layer Control)
28. Screenwalls

That is my list so far. Anyone else have anything that they get asked about frequently be new or exisitng users that we think it might be good to document a best practice? Hopefully we can gather alot of information on this post then start answering.

[TomWaltz]

LiHigh wrote:
Wall accessories would be a good solution but NO curve wall.

I've an object(Wall accessories) which allow user to assign any line type drawn along the core axis and it's associated to wall. I don't have the object with me now; But if anyone is interested, I'll post it here later.

Wow, finally a good use for Accessories!! I played with making a couple of my own once, but this is a good use!

Does it break at doors?

[TomWaltz]

PivoArch wrote:
I wouldn't say we are having problems as much as I am looking for a best practice. What would be the best way to should users how to create and manipulate a custom object. What level of GDl should we get into if any and and what point should you use an object versus a module.

My approach is that most people do not use GDL at all, but do know how to make objects with walls, slabs, etc. I've written a few basic GDL methods for people, but nothing beyond adding or deleting 3 to 5 lines of code.

An object, to me, is anything that can be represented on a single layer. A module is anything that requires a layer structure with elements turned on and off.

[Link]

andyro wrote:
Link, fair enough (use colour, simple, easy), but that document set I referred to just cost the builder $14k (USD) to print - every set included the fire plans (I am always shocked and amazed at these printing costs). Colour was not an option. We have 4 linetypes for different ratings, and they print black - aka. inexpensively!). I would love to find a way to do this while preserving auto-updating.

But for the cost of printing..

(That does sound very high!)

Anyway, a different technique you may find appealing is using color and/or composite fills to show firecode walls. Attached is a pretty rough mock-up but you get the idea of how fills can be used in composite to show a dashed line.

You gotta admit - there's no missing them!

Cheers,
Link.

[LiHigh]

Here come the object!

Just improved it so that it works on curve wall too. Unfortunately I couldn't make the lines joint automatically when use in wall with different thickness.

Hope u guys will like it.

[Andy Thomson]

LiHigh - That is a thing of pure beauty - because it can use ANY linetype, AND can be placed anywhere in the wall - AND it can be turned off by LAYER! Awesome! Great idea - Thanks!!! This will save me a TON of work!

Too bad GS still hasn't implemented square line ends

[Anonymous]

PivoArch wrote:
Hey Guys,
I was wondering what types of problems everyone encounters with their users everyday? Or at least most days? What kinds of things do you find difficult to do in Archicad if you don't know it well?

Lord, I wouldn't know where to start listing things.

One thing it took me the longest to pick up, though, was that you get different pet palettes and options depending on where on an object you try to select it, or where you hover the mouse. Just trying to *see* the different cursors makes that all the harder with eyes that are no longer 20 years old.

I'm still struggling with basic things like fills, and trying to get them to actually show up in all the views I want them in, and to resize them, especially in elevations. The list goes on and on.

Wendy

[Anonymous]

We have been using links method for creating the dashed lines. Rex was nice enough to show me how to do that when I met with him in Yosemite.

[Anonymous]

TomWaltz wrote:
My approach is that most people do not use GDL at all, but do know how to make objects with walls, slabs, etc. I've written a few basic GDL methods for people, but nothing beyond adding or deleting 3 to 5 lines of code.

I agree most people shouldn't use GDl, and we have been teaching users to save slabs and what not as and object and then delete the 2D script and use the 2D symbol to create their plan view. This works for most object but not for all. A curtainwall for instance which spans multiple floors would require the use of the layers in the 2D symbol. Which needs a litle GDl to manipulate. Although Maxonform throws some pretty useful GDl into objects just for this occasion. Curtainwall and custom objects go hand in hand at CUH2A since we have not as 1 curtainwall that we could build with the curtainwall tools yet. Also, do you think some elementary "loops" and "calls" would be worth teaching?

[TomWaltz]

PivoArch wrote:

TomWaltz wrote:
My approach is that most people do not use GDL at all, but do know how to make objects with walls, slabs, etc. I've written a few basic GDL methods for people, but nothing beyond adding or deleting 3 to 5 lines of code.

I agree most people shouldn't use GDl, and we have been teaching users to save slabs and what not as and object and then delete the 2D script and use the 2D symbol to create their plan view. This works for most object but not for all. A curtainwall for instance which spans multiple floors would require the use of the layers in the 2D symbol. Which needs a litle GDl to manipulate. Although Maxonform throws some pretty useful GDl into objects just for this occasion. Curtainwall and custom objects go hand in hand at CUH2A since we have not as 1 curtainwall that we could build with the curtainwall tools yet. Also, do you think some elementary "loops" and "calls" would be worth teaching?

I've avoided it so far. Most architects have so little programming and debugging background that it just seemed like an invitation for problems. The furthest I ever went was teaching a few people how to add ROTX and ROTY to make objects that could rotate and remove the MUL statements if they are recreating an object so its size is not locked in.

I had a debate with management about GDL once. They decided they would rather see one person excel with GDL who can cover really complex problems instead of teaching everyone just a little to limp around. On the plus side, I learned a LOT of GDL!

[Anonymous]

Yea, we are looking at getting probably 2 or 3 GDL experts on staff, but alot of our interens are pretty apt at programing and would like to explore. So we are stuck with either we teach them or they figure it out on their own.