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]

andyro wrote:
And it is posted where?? 😉

Try My Web Store

[Andy Thomson]

You mean here?

http://caddmagic.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=49&osCsid=0ef298bb4836feb0605891bcc8343c5f

Good deal!

[Anonymous]

Ok, not to sound ungrateful or anything because the firerated object is great. I just have one question. If you use it on a wall that spans multiple stories, the object will show up on the lowest story the wall is visible on. Is there a way to make it show up on All Stories that the wall is visible on. This is in Reference to the NEO_FireWall object. Thanks.

Also, how does everyone feel about existing and demo models for renovation work. What is the best workflow and how do you keep them clean.

And since I am at it. What is the best way to keep the attributes in order. Becuase nothing is more frustrating than having a material or linetype fall in two different spots in two different models.

[Laura Yanoviak]

PivoArch wrote:
What is the best way to keep the attributes in order. Becuase nothing is more frustrating than having a material or linetype fall in two different spots in two different models.

I just issue a proclamation, to the effect "DO NOT ALTER/DELETE ATTRIBUTES. If you do, you die" -- this seems to work in most cases, but there are always exceptions...

[TomWaltz]

Laura wrote:

PivoArch wrote:
What is the best way to keep the attributes in order. Becuase nothing is more frustrating than having a material or linetype fall in two different spots in two different models.

I just issue a proclamation, to the effect "DO NOT ALTER/DELETE ATTRIBUTES. If you do, you die" -- this seems to work in most cases, but there are always exceptions...

I use the same approach... I really want to put buzzers in people's chairs for when they mess with the attributes!

... or is that buzzers in the Graphisoft developers' chairs for not giving us control over them to begin with....

[TomWaltz]

PivoArch wrote:
Ok, not to sound ungrateful or anything because the firerated object is great. I just have one question. If you use it on a wall that spans multiple stories, the object will show up on the lowest story the wall is visible on. Is there a way to make it show up on All Stories that the wall is visible on. This is in Reference to the NEO_FireWall object. Thanks.

Can't you set it to "Show on all stories" in its settings menu?

Also, how does everyone feel about existing and demo models for renovation work. What is the best workflow and how do you keep them clean..

I've had a few ways to do them... none of them are clean!

A couple years ago I tried making a custom add-on that would help with demo doors and windows, but it got really complicated really fast and I abandoned it.

[Anonymous]

PivoArch wrote:
Also, how does everyone feel about existing and demo models for renovation work. What is the best workflow and how do you keep them clean.

The standard approach is using layers. Typically with .D, .E, and .N extensions for easier management. Most firms I know only need one demo layer and a few existing layers. It is usually not necessary to model the existing building in great detail and most demoed items can go on the demo wall layer (A-WALL.D per NCS)

The main difficulty, as Tom alludes to, is with door and window replacement (ie. when the wall they are in is not being removed). There are different ways to deal with this but they are all a little clunky.

And since I am at it. What is the best way to keep the attributes in order. Becuase nothing is more frustrating than having a material or linetype fall in two different spots in two different models.

I train people how to add attributes (and establish naming conventions). I also train them NOT to delete the standard ones (office standards that is, which may or may not include all the GS stuff).

[Anonymous]

TomWaltz wrote:
Can't you set it to "Show on all stories" in its settings menu?

Yes you can, but then is actually shows up on all stories. Even if the wall does not.

[TomWaltz]

PivoArch wrote:

TomWaltz wrote:
Can't you set it to "Show on all stories" in its settings menu?

Yes you can, but then is actually shows up on all stories. Even if the wall does not.

Oh, duh! Sorry, I mis-read the question.

[Laura Yanoviak]

Matthew wrote:
I train people how to add attributes (and establish naming conventions). I also train them NOT to delete the standard ones (office standards that is, which may or may not include all the GS stuff).

...and this I will do, too, once Implementation is "complete" and we have a better idea of what we do and do not need.