Object and Surface Internal Collaboration

[kittonian]

I'm not sure if this is possible and after doing quite a bit of research I have not been able to find a way, but I thought I'd ask here.

We have a shared network drive that contains tons of organized GSM object files and we add to it constantly. What I would like to do is somehow enable the ArchiCAD object tool's search functionality to search a specific network path so that if the designer enters "toilet" for example, they would not only see the ArchiCAD library and whatever is on BimComponents.com but also the GSM objects located on our internal network.

I would also like to create a bunch of surfaces with all the various CineRender settings and be able to somehow export them into individual files on our internal shared drive. From there, be able to have the same functionality as described above when searching for surfaces via the "new" surface dialog.

Is this possible? Thanks!

[Erika Epstein]

If everyone loads the office library you mentioned in their projects, then its contents will available. You can also save the folder as an .lcf for speed in loading.
Same for the surfaces, load the folder using the library manager.

Make the loaded libraries part of your template.

If you are adding parts to the office library, the new parts will be seen once the library is reloaded, or the next time the project is reopened.

If you are using teamwork then the library should reside on your BIMserver with your other TW libraries.

[kittonian]

Thank you for the response. It is my understanding that you create a library with various components. If you need to add new components you have to recreate that library, re-link it and re-load it. I am trying to find a solution where everything will dynamically update (i.e. adding the search path of the network share to the search function).

We are not using Teamwork, at least right now, thus do not use a BIM server. Everyone works via solo projects.

Am I thinking about this incorrectly? Perhaps there is a better way?

[Erika Epstein]

Without TW you just need to reload the the libraries from within the Library Manager when the project is in use. Reopening the project as a mentioned will automatically load the revised library. This is neither difficult nor time-consuming and probably doesn't happen that often.

This delay can be a benefit as it can give you a chance to review any new objects that anyone creates for quality control, naming consistency, and the basic evaluation and decision about whether it stays in a project library or should become part of the office library.

[kittonian]

Reloading a library is very easy and certainly not an issue, however, unless I'm mistaken, you have to recreate that LCF file every single time you add a new object. That's the problem.

[Erika Epstein]

kittonian wrote:
you have to recreate that LCF file every single time you add a new object. That's the problem.

Yes, you do have to recreate the .lcf as I'd mentioned, but it is very quick to do.

[kittonian]

It's not "very quick to do" when you have multiple people finding and adding new objects at various points throughout each day. This would mean loading up all those new objects (and identifying which ones are in fact new) multiple times per day and constantly recreating the LCF file.

Sorry but that's not a real solution. It's a tedious and time consuming work around.

[Anonymous]

No need to create lcf just linked to a folder on a shared volume that is loaded in the template used by all users. Used to do this at large company I used to work for, had about 40 users linking to this library with no issues
Scott

[kittonian]

sboydturner wrote:
No need to create lcf just linked to a folder on a shared volume that is loaded in the template used by all users. Used to do this at large company I used to work for, had about 40 users linking to this library with no issues
Scott

Hi Scott,

That's exactly what I want to do. Any chance you can provide a step-by-step to make this happen?

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UPDATE:

Never mind, that's exactly what I was looking for. Got it all figured out and in our template. Huge time saver and super easy to work with. Thank you so much for that suggestion!!!!

[kittonian]

OK. Now that I have the object side of things all figured out, is there a way to export surfaces so that I can do exactly the same thing for all the surfaces we create? I know you can use the "share" button to share with the online world via BIMComponents but what about simply saving and organizing your own internal surfaces?