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

Windows and Door "Types"

Anonymous
Not applicable
I would be great if you could place a "Type" of Window or door, during early design stages, and then update this later on, as with AutoCAD blocks
15 REPLIES 15
Djordje
Ace
Andydob wrote:
I would be great if you could place a "Type" of Window or door, during early design stages, and then update this later on, as with AutoCAD blocks
You can ...

Place any, change the parameters or the object itself as needed later.

Or did I misunderstand?
Djordje



ArchiCAD since 4.55 ... 1995
HP Omen
Anonymous
Not applicable
Djordje wrote:
Or did I misunderstand?


I think there should be a new function for all the objects : parametric is great but there should be a way to link a parametric object to a master one : you often have objects / windows / doors / lamps that have to be placed several times in a project and that must always be the same.

A great new tool would be "link this object to a master one" - If you change the master, all the instances placed are updated automatically.

I know you can :
1. use a module and change it to reflect your needs, but this won't work for windows and doors
2. use the transfer properties tool from the master to the instance, but you have to do it manually, on every storey
3. save the object as a new GDL object and change manually the value in the CALL function
4. make a find and select in the 3D Window and change all items globally, but you have to define your criterion carefully, and it's not automatic.
5. use the favorite tool to save a combination of parameter, then inject these properties in the instances...
6. ...
7. ...

but I really think this linkage should exist and a list of master object available should be shown to quickly find them....
aahatimo
Newcomer
Geoffroy wrote:
I think there should be a new function for all the objects : parametric is great but there should be a way to link a parametric object to a master one : you often have objects / windows / doors / lamps that have to be placed several times in a project and that must always be the same.
A great new tool would be "link this object to a master one" - If you change the master, all the instances placed are updated automatically. ....
but I really think this linkage should exist and a list of master object available should be shown to quickly find them....
great suggestion geoffroy! a big 5
tim hanagan
aaha! design studio durango, co
27" retina 5k iMac 4ghz i7 os 10.13.6 m395x 4 mb, 32gb ram, 512 gb ssd ac 22 current
15" retina mbp 2.6ghz 1mb 16gb ac 22 current[/size]
Anonymous
Not applicable
aahatimo wrote:
great suggestion geoffroy! a big 5
Let's hope some other will also vote this way, as this would be one of the biggest time saver in day to day work in AC !
Anonymous
Not applicable
What is needed is a function that allows the creation of an reference to a library part that can be saved under it's own name.

This would not be an independent object but simply a reference within a project to an existing library part with parameter settings. (Favorites (AFAIK) do not provide the same function.) What I propose would allow the parameters to be changed and thereby adjust all instances of the reference.

Taken one step further, it could also allow switching the referenced library part.

A form of this, called classcodes, was available in speedikon (a German BIM program) years ago and it made the object libraries far more useful, powerful and adaptable.
Anonymous
Not applicable
Matthew wrote:
This would not be an independent object but simply a reference within a project to an existing library part with parameter settings. (Favorites (AFAIK) do not provide the same function.) What I propose would allow the parameters to be changed and thereby adjust all instances of the reference.
This is exactly what I meant : first create the master that is itself just a ref to an existing object, then place the instance based on this master... New objects should be created... our libraries contains already too many duplicated objects !
stefan
Expert
It is called "instancing" in other software.

An object that is instanced defines two identical objects: change one and the other updates.

This could be interesting for all ArchiCAD elements: insert a default window, instance it 10 times in a facade and update all of them at the same time.

I agree. Good wish.
--- stefan boeykens --- bim-expert-architect-engineer-musician ---
Archicad27/Revit2023/Rhino8/Unity/Solibri/Zoom
MBP2023:14"M2MAX/Sonoma+Win11
Archicad-user since 1998
my Archicad Book
Geoff Briggs
Mentor
VectorWorks Symbols are a good example of this kind of functionality. They do all the things mentioned here and more:

If created from a single parametric object they do just as described–edit the Symbol Definition and all the placed instances reflect the change.

But their real power and flexibility come from the fact that they are not limited to single objects or parametric objects. Just about any set of things you can create in VectorWorks can be made into a Symbol, sort of a super group.

So instead of just a window, you can compose a ganged set of windows with custom trims and insert the whole works as a single object, multiple places, globally editable. When editing (or exploding) the Symbol, each object retains its original nature, so a window remains parametric, a wall is still a wall, etc.

Just as easily you can create Symbols using only 2D parts for placement in section or detail views.

These Symbols can be imported into other projects but reside in the file so modifications are limited to a current project. Thus they serve a different purpose than Modules.

ArchiCAD is a more complex application than VectorWorks so the addition of what amounts to a new object type will require some careful design. But it would be a powerful and popular feature.
Regards,
Geoff Briggs
I & I Design, Seattle, USA
AC7-27, M1 Mac, OS 14.x
stefan
Expert
Geoff wrote:
VectorWorks Symbols are a good example of this kind of functionality.
I agree. They work fast and can be edited very easily. It's only when AutoCAD introduced "in-place refedit" that it did about the same thing. I still find the SketchUp solution more graphically pleasing, but it might not translate too well into ArchiCAD.
Geoff wrote:
ArchiCAD is a more complex application than VectorWorks so the addition of what amounts to a new object type will require some careful design. But it would be a powerful and popular feature.
An instance should not be a new object type. Merely a way of inserting an existing object, group, module etc... into the scene. Every object should be an instance. It's only when you "clone" an element instead of copying that the effect of instancing will become clear.
--- stefan boeykens --- bim-expert-architect-engineer-musician ---
Archicad27/Revit2023/Rhino8/Unity/Solibri/Zoom
MBP2023:14"M2MAX/Sonoma+Win11
Archicad-user since 1998
my Archicad Book