Layer / Layer Combination matrix spreadsheet

[Anonymous]

I am trying to update my template to ArchiCAD 19. Over many versions and many years of working on a wide variety of project types and scales my layer set and combinations list has ballooned into a crazy beast. Rather than build from scratch I am hoping to pare down and clean up what I have. I stumbled upon this image of a layer / combo matrix that would be a divine gift in helping me see what I got and help me roadmap my way out of pack-rat hell. Anyone have a clue how this was done? The visual lock and visible eye symbols are so much nicer that the text versions that I have so far spit out. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Link]

I have not seen any way of doing this automatically, but would certainly like to find out how if there's a way. It would need to be some kind of awesome add-on!

I just do it manually which is a painstaking process!

Cheers,
Link.

[Anonymous]

Manually Link, yikes!

Through attribute manager if you select all layer combinations in the Attributes of the current project: side (left panel)
Make sure Include Layers is selected in the middle
Then push them By Index to the Current File: side (right panel).
Then do a save as .xml.
Open Excel and then open that xml file.
You will find rows and rows of layer combination info. They hold all the info you're after.
eg 1-2-22359-16-Layer Combinations-1_1 Site Demolition-1-2-0-629E2753-3AA0-4C05-AE0E-856CD9265B17-1_1 Site Demolition-1-0-1-0-0-1-1-166-1-1
I used '-' to show the column separators.
That 166 is the index code (attribute number) for my concrete dimensions layer (listed in that xml table with the 166)
and from memory the 3 numbers preceding that are the lock, shown, wire frame.
If you're good with excel lookups, you can make that grid, with graphics and all, pretty easily. I'm terrible with excel so I had one of our wiz's make it for me.
Wish I could find it now though!

[Link]

Well by manually I mean after exporting to Excel. I don't know Excel well enough to to take it any further!

Hopefully someone can find the magic bullet! Please!

Cheers,
Link.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply link. Thats exactly what I have in mind. Bummed with the thought of matching your painstaking effort. Cheers

[Anonymous]

Kristian tried your method....boy what a mess. I am a one man office and unfortunately not an excel wiz. Need to go check the ArchiCAD wish section. This is definitely a weak aspect of the program.

[Eli Chiasson]

Link wrote:
I have not seen any way of doing this automatically, but would certainly like to find out how if there's a way. It would need to be some kind of awesome add-on!

I just do it manually which is a painstaking process!

Cheers,
Link.

I agree ArchiCAD would be improved by a graphical matrix view of layers and layer combinations.

I did not find it too bad to use Excel to filter through an XML output of the attributes file:
1. Open the exported attributes in Excel. Rename the worksheet "DATA" (for the sake of this example, but can be anything).
2. Create a second worksheet.
3. In the new worksheet, list the Layer Index numbers in the first column ("A"), Layer names in the second column ("B") and Layer Combinations in the first row ("1").
4. In each cell of the matrix, paste this formula:

=INDEX(DATA!$N:$N,MATCH($A2&C$1,DATA!$M:$M&DATA!$C:$C,0))

Breakdown:

• MATCH(es) the Layer Index value in column A and the Layer Combination name in Row 1 with the values in the DATA worksheet, columns M (layer index) and C (layer combination name), respectively.
• On finding a match for both, reports the value from the DATA worksheet, Column N (has the flags for layer on/off where 0 = on, anything else is off, I believe).
• I used Conditional Formatting for the entire matrix to make a cell with "0" (Layer is on for that Layer Combination) grey fill with matching grey text. All other cells are white with white text.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Eli,
With this Excel solution, is it possible to make changes to this matrix, then save is and an XML file and import it into ARCHICAD, overwriting the current Layer and Layer Combination settings?
That would be a useful workflow.

[Eli Chiasson]

Laszlo,

It may well be, but that's beyond my abilities in Excel.The formula in each cell of my matrix only collects data from the data (XML) worksheet. To push changes back to the data worksheet is a solution that would need programming, which maybe someone could do with VBA.

The fact it seems like a problem that requires a programmed solution is why I suggested this be implemented directly in ArchiCAD.

LaszloNagy wrote:
Eli,
With this Excel solution, is it possible to make changes to this matrix, then save is and an XML file and import it into ARCHICAD, overwriting the current Layer and Layer Combination settings?
That would be a useful workflow.

[Laszlo Nagy]

I see, thanks for the clarification.