Wishes
Post your wishes about Graphisoft products: Archicad, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad.

What do we want in Plotmaker 4?

tsturm
Newcomer
1) Active Hot Linking to outside sources----
I want the ability to link details and sections created in other PLN or PLP files to section markers and detail holders in plan or section drawings.

I want linking like that of GO Live or InDesign. You create a series of reference marks in the plan file. Then you can link drawings created elsewhere to that reference, then Plotmaker connects the two and fills in the appropiate informtion.

2) Picture Holders---
The new colored vectoral image is nice. I however liked the bitmapped version from PM2 which allowed for fast panning around of the drawings with no wait for double screen redraws. OK, you can keep the feature around for those who want to see all the color. But for the rest of us not using 6 Ghz machines make the default the bitmapped like that of PM2.

3) Multiline Auto Labels----
I want to have Autotext which can be bound to a text wrap box. I want to be able to enter First Floor Plan and General Notes without having my text run beyond my label box. I want it to read

First Floor
Plan and
General Notes

4) Layout Names----
I want to be able to name my drawing using more than 31 characters. If I am stuck to 31 characters then don't let me enter more than that and drop them off when I close the file.

Everyone else jump in here. I am sure there are more.
Terrence Sturm, Architect
_______________
MBP OSX 10.15.4 Quad Core Intel i7 2.2hz
AC 17 build 5019
AC 22 build 7000
AC 23 build
AC 24 build 5000
28 REPLIES 28
Aussie John
Newcomer
1)revision number option (visible in the navigator along with name and number)
2)publish with options of including drawing number/ revision/subset in file name and in pref defined order.
3)Maybe include other auto text items in publish names but 1& 2 definately
Cheers John
John Hyland : ARINA : www.arina.biz
User ver 4 to 12 - Jumped to v22 - so many options and settings!!!
OSX 10.15.6 [Catalina] : Archicad 22 : 15" MacBook Pro 2019
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tsturm
Newcomer
Weston wrote:

12) A setting underpreferences/drawing attributes that sets the default preview method that PM4 places an imported drawing with.
Speaking of Preference Items

13) Setting to get Title Label to show as Black Lines and Auto update to resized drawing. I get tired of going to the drawing settings for each drawing on my page just to get the Title to snap to the corner versus floating around on the page.

14) A Publish button on the window versus getting it from the Menu Bar.

15) Being able to setup a Publish set for Plotting. There currently seems to be the settings to get it done, but how is it done?

16) Being able to Publish to PDF.

17) Being able to set the display settings of pages separately. Vectoral versus Bitmap. Some of our drawings look there best when printed using Bitmap. They also queue up faster. Then there are some that must be printed using Vector due to the fills of brick or paving. This could also be done on a drawing to drawing basis.
Terrence Sturm, Architect
_______________
MBP OSX 10.15.4 Quad Core Intel i7 2.2hz
AC 17 build 5019
AC 22 build 7000
AC 23 build
AC 24 build 5000
tsturm
Newcomer
I like the idea of place drawing by grid settings.

I must agree that importing 12 drawings is a mess right now. What happened to the method which was used in PM2.1? Where they all come in stuck to the mouse. All you had to do was click to place a drawing and the next drawing would be attached to the mouse and ready for placing.

Why did they take this away? OK. so it was not that efficient to knowing what drawing of the 12 imported were attached at that moment but it was sooo much easier than the mess we get today.

How about an Auto snap feature? Where drawings can snap to the edges of others when they are placed. Like the palettes of Photoshop and the edge of your screen. Would this be like guidelines acting as aligning tools versus just being lines on the sheets?

I think that someone already suggested an Align command.
Terrence Sturm, Architect
_______________
MBP OSX 10.15.4 Quad Core Intel i7 2.2hz
AC 17 build 5019
AC 22 build 7000
AC 23 build
AC 24 build 5000
Ben Odonnell
Contributor
TomWaltz wrote:
7) Teamwork-like sharing
Nice point Tom. If Plotmaker is going to remain an external program, I belive this wish should be made a reality very soon.

Cheers.
Ben
Ben O'Donnell
Architect and CTO at BIMobject®
Get your BIM objects from bimobject.com
Djordje
Ace
tsturm wrote:
Speaking of Preference Items

13) Setting to get Title Label to show as Black Lines and Auto update to resized drawing. I get tired of going to the drawing settings for each drawing on my page just to get the Title to snap to the corner versus floating around on the page.
Goto Drawing usage, select all the relevant placed drawings, open Settings, click on Keep original position in the Title section
tsturm wrote:
14) A Publish button on the window versus getting it from the Menu Bar.
You on Mac? It is there in the Toolbar.
tsturm wrote:
15) Being able to setup a Publish set for Plotting. There currently seems to be the settings to get it done, but how is it done?
Set the Set Publishing properties to Plot, specify Plot settings.
tsturm wrote:
16) Being able to Publish to PDF.
Set the Publishing properties to Print, choose PDF printer. Or just Print to a PDF device, much easier.
tsturm wrote:
17) Being able to set the display settings of pages separately. Vectoral versus Bitmap. Some of our drawings look there best when printed using Bitmap. They also queue up faster. Then there are some that must be printed using Vector due to the fills of brick or paving. This could also be done on a drawing to drawing basis.
Specify the fill display options in ArchiCAD while defining the view, and then in PlotMaker Display options choose Keep original settings.
Djordje



ArchiCAD since 4.55 ... 1995
HP Omen
tsturm
Newcomer
Djordje wrote:
tsturm wrote:
Speaking of Preference Items

13) Setting to get Title Label to show as Black Lines and Auto update to resized drawing. I get tired of going to the drawing settings for each drawing on my page just to get the Title to snap to the corner versus floating around on the page.
Goto Drawing usage, select all the relevant placed drawings, open Settings, click on Keep original position in the Title section


I did not say that it could not be done. It is just annoying to have to open the settings box to make the change. Why couldn't there be a preference for this option was the point I was trying to make.

Djordje wrote:
tsturm wrote:
14) A Publish button on the window versus getting it from the Menu Bar.
You on Mac? It is there in the Toolbar.
Why yes I am. I take it by that response, you being on the PC have this button in your tool bar !!! Not sure why you got it and I didn't. Was there a slip in development of the Mac or the PC version??


thanks for the help on the other items. Makes life a little easier for now.
Terrence Sturm, Architect
_______________
MBP OSX 10.15.4 Quad Core Intel i7 2.2hz
AC 17 build 5019
AC 22 build 7000
AC 23 build
AC 24 build 5000
Djordje
Ace
tsturm wrote:
I did not say that it could not be done. It is just annoying to have to open the settings box to make the change. Why couldn't there be a preference for this option was the point I was trying to make.
Yes, it should be on by default. First thing I do ...
Djordje wrote:
tsturm wrote:
14) A Publish button on the window versus getting it from the Menu Bar.
You on Mac? It is there in the Toolbar.
Why yes I am. I take it by that response, you being on the PC have this button in your tool bar !!! Not sure why you got it and I didn't. Was there a slip in development of the Mac or the PC version??

AFAIK Macs do not have the toolbar by design? See attached.
Djordje



ArchiCAD since 4.55 ... 1995
HP Omen
Anonymous
Not applicable
Key strokes that are the same as Archicad.

The ability to lock a view port(s) (if that is what they are called)so you cannot accidentally move them if you have several on a sheet.

Publisher that enables you to change the settings for multiple printer layouts all at the same time (not one at a time), and no using navigator instead is not an option, I want to be able to 'print' sets using saved settings like you can when setting up 'plots'.

Pretty much every thing else is fine.

Thanks,

Roolio
Anonymous
Not applicable
18) Global "link to" in the drawing usage dialogue box, able to select two or more imported drawings and change then from one view set (sketch drawings) to another view set (working drawings) instead of only being able to change one at time.

Brendon
Anonymous
Not applicable
Essential:
1) There is no need to do all of the above
2) Give the possibility of GDL in PM
3) Give the possibility to write ToolType Addons

if it's not possible in nearest future, give pls the tool to create \
20) table of contents
21) to place one text file in many pages (like in PageMaker) that's because not only graphic is included in project, but many books of text