Libraries and remote login

[Anonymous]

Without sifting through hours of video - could someone in the know please advise:


ISSUE 1
For a TW2 file, must the libraries be server based libraries? Is it possible to have a mixture of local libraries and a job specific server based one?

Scenario#1: loading across the internet - if I must load AC13 default library + office standard library + our add-on libraries (Cadimage) across the internet - that is a huge load that could be avoided as it is already on (my) laptop. It would be great if I only need to load the project specific library across the "net".


ISSUE 2
For a TW2 file, can I login in the office, save out my workspace, take it home and then only have to sync the changes over the net?

If so this is great as I can significantly reduce internet traffic, as I do not have to download the whole project over the net!


The combination of the above two would be fantastic - question is - is it possible?

[Erika Epstein]

gkovacsp wrote:

I think (:)) this will improve in the future.

Gabor

Thank you Gabor. This is great news. I look forward to the improvements.

[Anonymous]

I am upgrading he office and have a question. Once BIM Server is up and running, with team members identified, but no projects created, do I use the BIM Library manager and upload a copy of the AC13 Library so there is a library to start with in the Server? WOuld I also want to load any other "office" libraries, texture libraries, etc.?

After uploading a library to the server, how is the updating of an office library managed? Do you need to re-upload the office library anytime a new part is created or modified?

Can you upload an alias to an office library so that it will be manageable in one location and pulled by the BIM server when necessary so that it is current for any project?

What about textures? We have some pretty large folders of textures that we pull from when needed. Would this be best left out of the BIM server and just loaded as embedded objects?

Thanks in advance.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Daniel wrote:
I am upgrading he office and have a question. Once BIM Server is up and running, with team members identified, but no projects created, do I use the BIM Library manager and upload a copy of the AC13 Library so there is a library to start with in the Server? WOuld I also want to load any other "office" libraries, texture libraries, etc.?

There is the File\Libraries & Objects\Manager BIM Server Libraries Dialog where you can upload and otherwise manage Libraries on BIM Servers.
There were some posts earlier in this thread I think about office libraries. Probably office libraries should also be uploaded to the BIM Server since everyone uses them.
Texture libraries may be similarly uploaded but it is at your discretion - might not be the best solution if the Texture libraries are hundreds of megabytes or even more. It can work in a LAN environment but the main consideration is whether there will be people working over the internet who will have to download those huge libraries at least once.

After uploading a library to the server, how is the updating of an office library managed? Do you need to re-upload the office library anytime a new part is created or modified?

Karl answered a similar question in another thread:

http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=154623&highlight=#154623

Can you upload an alias to an office library so that it will be manageable in one location and pulled by the BIM server when necessary so that it is current for any project?

I am not familiar with the Mac this much but I can imagine this is possible. Hopefully someone with a Mac and AC13 can answer this.

What about textures? We have some pretty large folders of textures that we pull from when needed. Would this be best left out of the BIM server and just loaded as embedded objects?

Thanks in advance.

Karl's above post may be applied to this situation as well.
The embedded objects option can work too. I think it would also depend on how much of those textures are actually used in the Project, so you will have to work this out in real practice.

[Steve Jepson]

Why load any libraries/ .lcf's in to the server project at all ?

Embed the parts as you go along.
What kind of problems would there be doing it this way ?
Do the embedded objects slow you down more than using BIM Libraries?

Using Favorites is a big reason why you need to load the libraries.

If you could apply the Favorites to the corresponding new parts you would not need to load the parts, just the Favorites.

The number of custom parts that need to be available for each project is probably so small that it would not bog down the server to load them.

It is the thousands of useless objects that will never be used that are slowing it down.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Probably nobody at this point has much experience in whether this is a possible way of doing it or not.
I wonder how many people would be fine with having not even the ArchiCAD library loaded when a project is started.

See, with a Teamwork Project, there are no linked libraries (local libraries). You use either a BIM Server Library or the Embedded Library. You cannot load a library to a Teamwork Project from your local machine. That is a limitation to be able to guarantee that everyone is using the same libraries.

[alemanda]

Wokka wrote:
I don't like the way this is heading.....
I do a lot of remote work for my Architectural clients, usually just taking the whole file home, working on it and sending it back with Skype or FTP. I thought TW2 was going to be a great addon for me. I haven't done a lot of research on it yet so please forgive my ignorance..
Does this mean every time I want to log on to a particular file, I have to download the Archicad library (R12 with Cadimage 200MB), plus the actual file (up to 150 MB)? Is it a 'once off' download, and even after logging off, closing down, opening up again, do I need to download it all (the libraries) again?
I understand send/recieve is much much better and that's great.
Once again, excuse my ignorance, I'm trying to wrap my head around this stuff again with big deadlines looming......

edit, bugger After all that typing, rwalllis just beat me too these questions..........

I've read all the posts and reading also http://www.archicadwiki.com/Teamwork/WorkFromHome
I perfeclty understand the philosophy behind the new TW2.
Maybe can be useful.
Anyway I suppose it can be not so difficult to extend the concept of offline way of working and create a pack to work "far" from the server ... the program should make a sort of photograph of all the TW data concerning the work of that particular user who wants to work off line at home ... but I think it is needed a separate application or a special command to do the synchronization before starting working again on line ...

[Chazz]

Our issue here is that when one of my users joins a shared TW2 project for the first time, and endures the long load time, the library loading report still shows that many objects are missing -- even though I know they are in the server libraries that show as loaded.

We have yet to successfully use TW2 to share a project. So to those who say this is "easy" my experience has been decidedly otherwise. Quite frankly, I find the whole approach to be Byzantine, inflexible and cumbersome. Imagine if Apple had designed this thing. Would we all be having these painful, frustration-ridden conversations?

[Rob]

Why load any libraries/ .lcf's in to the server project at all ?
Embed the parts as you go along.

the problem here is how to manage externally linked files to lib part itself such as macros and images. E.g. if you have shared macro by several lib parts how would you edit and synchronise it? Anyway the problem is really complex and I can assure you we went through this with GS several times.

Our issue here is that when one of my users joins a shared TW2 project for the first time, and endures the long load time, the library loading report still shows that many objects are missing -- even though I know they are in the server libraries that show as loaded.

report it as a bug

Imagine if Apple had designed this thing.

I quite admire your bold statement comparing GS to Apple but you need to be reasonable here.... BTW Apple is about to release second hotfix for SL and all of it within 2 months time after initial release so...

Would we all be having these painful, frustration-ridden conversations?

you should read one of the Apple's forums about e.g. Mail4...

We have yet to successfully use TW2 to share a project. So to those who say this is "easy" my experience has been decidedly otherwise.

ok, I give you this one. yes TW2 installation/maintenance has a pretty steep learning curve but considering the magnitude of this technology I do not think it is completely out of touch with a common user. Once you've set it up it is not so hard. And benefits are really tremendous.
Anyway this is a very first release of TW2 and I do believe that GS will be refining UI and user's experience in coming versions. It will be an ongoing process that's for sure.

[Dennis Lee]

My employee was able to start using TW2.0 for work after 5 minutes of quick introduction. Besides the technical part of setting up the BIM server, the actual user's learning curve couldn't be any easier in my opinion.

Hats off to GS, great job and great release.

[Chazz]

In GS' defense, I will say that our network system --which has vexed me so-- is about as paranoid and lock-down as they come and I have been loathe to involve our IT lads ("What? You're running your own server up there on the second floor? We're going to have to have a look at what you Mac-using freaks are up to!"). But so far, I still have not managed to get the library stuff to cooperate.

As time allows I will continue to test.


As to comparisons to Apple, I maintain my stance that good design and user experience is not necessarily more expensive. Thus it should not be viewed as solely the purview of billion dollar companies. GS could do much better. If I'm the minority view on this point, well, I'm glad the rest you all are so happy. But for me, so far, AC13 is pretty much an expensive dud. I thought 12 was a thin upgrade but this is positively malnourished.