detail library

[Anonymous]

Hi

I am just setting up archicad in the office. What is the best way to go about setting up a detail library. Just standard eaves etc. I would like to be able to use them as "detail templates" while I rebuild the library, and store them separately to the projects I am working on. I am wondering if anyone has some 'best practice' tips. I sure don't want to draw them all twice.
Cheers Jo

[Anonymous]

Yep Spunds good, but I find listing them under their names is good too. I tend to have a few catagories
1. obects & profiles eq gutters, 2d roof profiles masonry anchors etc local sinks etc. This library is mostly a cad library, but it is good to transfer them into the current software so I don't have to fiddle with the line weights and layers all the time.
2. notes and layout objects including titleblocks
3. details of two varities
- Standard details like eave detail and column base plate details etc
- Details I build from like balcony details.

Is that similar to how you manage your libraies?

[Steve Jepson]

Brett wrote:

Steve wrote:
If you could see a thumbnail of each detail in the folder, and then drag it from there directly into your work space or layout page, would that be how you want to work with details?

Thats exactly how I would like it to work, (what I asked earlier). Please enlighten us to how this works Steve.

It doesn't work.

Thats why we all have our own unique work-arounds.

It's been on the ArchiCAD-Talk wish list since before there was an official wish list.

Perhaps they think that because we have managed to figure out how to get by without it for so long that we wont mind if they keep ignoring it.

There are some new things we can do with ArchiCAD 14 hotlinks, modules, dwf, pmk, etc... that might turn out some new work-arounds for this very simple thing, however, having the details and commonly used parts organized on a sperate sheet that you can copy and paste from or reference may be the simplest alternative.

If you look at some of the Templates available for ArchiCAD from 3rd parties you will see them using this sort of bone pile strategy.
I call it bone pile because I used to talk about doing this in the context of cannibalizing my other plans to get the parts.
I am sure there must be better terminology for talking about this but its the same idea.

[Anonymous]

Steve wrote:
I call it bone pile because I used to talk about doing this in the context of cannibalizing my other plans to get the parts.
I am sure there must be better terminology for talking about this but its the same idea.

I vote for bone pile.
lec

[Brett Brown]

Steve wrote:
There are some new things we can do with ArchiCAD 14 hotlinks, modules, dwf, pmk, etc... that might turn out some new work-arounds for this very simple thing

You had my hopes up that I'd missed something, so 14 just prolongs the agony with different workarounds.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Brett wrote:

Steve wrote:
If you could see a thumbnail of each detail in the folder, and then drag it from there directly into your work space or layout page, would that be how you want to work with details?

Thats exactly how I would like it to work, (what I asked earlier). Please enlighten us to how this works Steve.

Maybe I am misuderstanding something, but this can be done.
On Windows, you can go to any folder and make the icons extra large.
Then it will show you the content of the DWG as it was when it was last saved.
I don't know what is actually needed to see the preview icon of DWG files in Windows, I have DWG TrueView installed, which is free. I also had Autodesk Design review installed, maybe that's what is creating the preview images.

Then you can drag any DWG file into ArchiCAD and it will place it as a Drawing.

[Brett Brown]

laszlonagy wrote:
Maybe I am misuderstanding something

Not really misunderstanding,but missing the point of all the extra process you have to do to get a native Archicad Detail (module) to Layout. Doesn't it seem ironic you can place DWG's all over the place, but the Drawing Tool can't place a Module. If it could, we could place native Archicad files straight into layout from our Detail Module Library.

Of course having Details as DWG's you can use them in your Revit projects as well.

[Laszlo Nagy]

In the Organizer you can open another PLN file and place views from that PLN as Drawings on your Layouts.
So you would have a PLN that has all the Details and you can place them into any File.

[Anonymous]

And that returns me to my original question. Which method is best.
If I saved each detail individually in a .pln file I am worried I will blow out the storage sized but I could seach for it by title,
or
I can store many details on one .pln and reduce the storage size but can no longer seach for them via their title in an organised library system.
so Which IS best? :roll:

[Anonymous]

Jo

We have a detail 'book' here and we have all our company standard details in one .pln.
Each detail has its own section so that the scale can be set independently.
Then each of those sections are setup in the view map, making it easier to index and find the details.
A few tips I will give you though is keep your pen use to a minimum and put all your details on the ArchiCAD Layer. Also avoid using objects in the details.
All the objects we used (standard gutter profiles, timber sections etc) were exploded after they were placed in the detail. Just makes it easier to manage in the long run.

Hope that heps mate

[Anonymous]

Thanks mate - owe you a beer.