PLA file, PLN file or Teamwork TravelPack or ???

[rob2218]

Well, we have a teamwork file.
we are on Archicad 14 with the BIM server.
we are presenting on Monday (yes, this monday coming up) to the local Board of approvals.

What would be the best way to "copy" the teamwork model (it contains various other TW hotlinked modules, views etc... linked into it in our office) so that one of our users can take the copy and use it on a laptop and present?


We are in the process of setting up a BIM server remote connection (I need major help with that) so if anyone here locally in DC is able to assist I'd greatly appreciate it.
Please send me a private message with regards to your assistance in this matter.

[rob2218]

Let me clarify with more details what we have:
1. 1 local (in the office) TW file called "NEW BLDG".
2. 1 local (in the office) TW file called "EXST BLDG".
3. 1 local (in the office) TW file called "EXST SITE".

The "NEW BLDG" TW file has both the "EXST BLDG" and the "EXST SITE" TW files hotlinked into it. Into the NEW TW file that is as hotlinkes.

We are setting a presentation on a laptop (i7 MACBOOK PRO) with all the bells and whistles.

Now, here's my question(s):
1. How do I get ALL the parts and pieces (NEW BLDG, EXST BLDG, and EXST SITE) in the same file so I can take them with me?
2. I dont need to be connected to any remote BIM server (at least not yet due to time constraints) so if the "COPY" file with all 3 parts gets manipulated and changed, so be it.
3. Keep in mind that all 3 files are TW files not PLN's. How do I save the NEW BLDG database TW file to contain both the EXST SITE as a file as well as the EXST BLDG as a file?
4. will I have to save also the existing site file AND existing bldg file as separate PLN's and relink them to the the COPY file on the laptop?
5. Will the PLN be intelligent enough to saveout the EXST BLDG and the EXST SITE as a part of the NEW or not?

Help.

[Link]

Have you tried just saving a PLA of the master (new bldg)? As long as you don't need to update the hotlinks it should all appear normally.

I haven't tested it though, so let us know how it works out.

Cheers,
Link.

[rob2218]

I certainly will try this today.
I'm hoping a PLA will grab all of the hotlinks and embed them into the NEW BLDG file which it creates.

If it doesn't I don't know what else to try.

I did save a PLN last night and it still is saying that the EXST SITE and EXST BLDG are still linked hotlinks......though i did see a button on the HotLInk Manager that said "relocate" which I'm wondering what that button does?

Perhaps if I save out separately the EXST BLDG as another PLN and the EXST SITE as another PLN, place them in the laptop's hard drive and then 'relocate' thru hotlink manager in the NEW BLDG file those two hotlinks so that I can redirect them to the files in the laptops hard drive instead of the server??? I don't know.

[Link]

It won't embed the hotlinks, it will just leave them linked to the original source. But it doesn't matter, they will still appear as normal in the model, you just won't be able to update them because the hotlinks will be listed as missing. You could break the links from their sources (effectively embedding them), but it won't make any difference.

If it's just a temporary file for presentation, you're overthinking it!

Cheers,
Link.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Remember to Send and Receive all changes before saving as PLA.

[rob2218]

OK..just so's I get straight then.
save the TW database as a PLA.
this will bring with it all the hotlinks...they'll be there...they just wont be obviously linked to the server.
The hotlinks will be....ummm??? what, simply embedded into the PLA?
But they will be there, right?

So, if that's the case, that's simple, just do a saveas PLA and hotlinks come with the file???? wow...that was painless.

[Laszlo Nagy]

The content of hotlinked modules is always part of the Project File. Only if the source of the hotlinked module is not available you cannot update it in the host file. But the data is there nevertheless.

[rob2218]

GREAT!
then all's I have to is a "SAVEAS" PLA file and that's it.
We can take the TW database as a file onto the laptop along with all the other hotlinked TW databases knowing that it wont be connected to any server.

Eventually, soon actually, next week, we hope to have the BIM Server remote connections setup.

At that point then, if all the stars are aligned right.....we can theoretically connect to the BIM Server, log in, sign into a project from anywhere in the world......that is what that webinar a few ago said.....RIGHT?

At least that's what I saw happening during that demonstration.

[Laszlo Nagy]

When you create a PLA file, that file is not a TW database anymore. The PLN/PLA files and the TW database have totally different formats.
But if you save it as PLA, all your data will be there.

The remote connection should also work from anywhere in the world, just as the webinar showed.
The ArchiCADWiki contains a lot of info about TW2, including remote connections.

http://www.archicadwiki.com/Teamwork