How to organise a multiple buildings project

[Anonymous]

Hello all,

I have been playing around with various different ways of organising Archicad around a 5 building project. All solutions are so messy and complex that I am convinced I am missing something.

All buildings have different floor levels. So I have created 5 PLN's and hoped that I could just hotlink them all into 1 file... and use that file exclusively in PlotMaker.

But this is a nightmare in maintenance. If I want to bring in the ground floor of building 2 into the PLN of building 1... I have to create a new storey with all the right level settings and import the hotlink into there (so that my 3D model stays correct). If I want to tweak the storey levels of building 2 then I also have to go back into PLN 1 and re-jig the story into which I hotlinked that PLN 2 ground floor.

This is duplication of information... and hence is an open invitation for error.

Is there not a way to hotlink a storey using its "absolute" level? So that I can import it and just drop it in. Then, if I decide to tweak its level, any references to it in other PLN's should get updated as well. This seems logical, but not possible.

What is the recommended practise for organising a project which contains several buildings with different levels?

[Anonymous]

This has been discussed extensively so I suggest you try exploring the archives.

There is not yet a single, ideal approach to this. It is on the wish list (somewhere, I hope it is not forgotten) but perhaps you should renew the subject with your absolute elevation reference idea. I don't recall if that has already been suggested or not.

The two common approaches are:

1. Hotlink the various buildings into the master file bringing all stories into common ground, 1st, 2nd, etc. stories. Then adjust the module elevations in 3D.

2. Save each building shell as an object and place on the site plan.

Each has pros & cons but they both work pretty well. The choice depends on how you work, what your hardware can handle and what you want to do with the master file; whether it is mainly for renderings and animations or will be used to produce detailed site plans and sections.