Strategy Question: Site Hotlink Visible in Building Files

[jameshart]

Hi!

Our typical setup: Most of our projects are large, multi-building projects, so we typically put each building in it's own teamwork file, and we hotlink each building file into a "master site Teamwork file" to create the site plan.

Our goal: We would like the site adjacent to the building to be visible in the building file (so we can see the topography in the sections, see where the where the sidewalk connects to the patio, etc.)

The problem: (Please see the attached diagram.)

We have tried accomplishing this by hotlinking the site file into the building files, but since the building files are hotlinked into the site file, there is kind of a circular reference there. While ArchiCAD does this without complaining, and it initially works, this file is experiencing all kinds of random weird glitches. We suspect the circular reference is the problem?

The question: How do you all accomplish this? Do you have any better ideas?

Thanks!

[Erwin Edel]

You can publish modules, using publisher.

Set up a layer combination that shows the relevant site information, but excludes your hotlinked modules in your 'site file'. Save a view of one of the stories (probably with the site itself on it for clarity). Link this view to your publisher folder for the site module. Publish the module as .MOD file. Hotlink that to your projects.

You may want to set up something similar for your buildings, where you publish only the relevant information from your models to be added to the site file.

Hotlinking PLN directly works, but you have zero control over what is hotlinked over.

When you want your changes to show up, you just have to remember to publish the module.

You can also save .MOD files by selecting elements, drawing a Marquee, saving what is on your clipboard etc etc, but I find the publishing method quite elegant solution for these situations. Especially since using a layer combination makes it easy to add or remove layers later on and change what is in the module file.

[Anonymous]

There is a simple fix to this, when inserting the hotlinked file there is an option to skip linked files, then you avoid the circular links.

Regards
Scott

[jameshart]

sboydturner wrote:
There is a simple fix to this, when inserting the hotlinked file there is an option to skip linked files, then you avoid the circular links.

Yes, we have checked that option since the beginning, the file is still incredibly buggy.

[jameshart]

Erwin wrote:
You can publish modules, using publisher.

Set up a layer combination that shows the relevant site information, but excludes your hotlinked modules in your 'site file'. Save a view of one of the stories (probably with the site itself on it for clarity). Link this view to your publisher folder for the site module. Publish the module as .MOD file. Hotlink that to your projects.

You may want to set up something similar for your buildings, where you publish only the relevant information from your models to be added to the site file.

Hotlinking PLN directly works, but you have zero control over what is hotlinked over.

This is a very interesting solution that I have not thought of! This method gives us an easy way to eliminate the nested site by simply turning off it's Hotlink Master Layer before publishing. Thanks Erwin, we will give this a try!

[Anonymous]

That's true this solution works. The described issue was actually the reason why we skipped using hotlinks for a while.

In most of our projects, we are trying to avoid .mod publish. We usually do it when we have big models ( .mod have smaller file size). In smaller projects where performance is not such an issue, you could stick to hotlinking .pln ( you don't have to keep in mind publishing). What you need to have in mind, however, is one-directional liking. We always link smaller parts to bigger parts.
for example:
Part of the building -> bigger part -> whole building -> site -> masterplan.

With such order, you can have models going backwards as Erwin explained.

To be honest this is my favourite strategy since in our case most of the information going forward needs to be quickly updated. Those going backwards are usually less urgent and they don't have to be constantly updated. So, in this case, you can benefit from the advantages of both linking techniques. Also when the model gets too big to be handled on .pln you can always change to .mod/publisher.