list of AC sugestions

[hampden]

Sorry these suggestions span a couple of categories but just wanted to get them all out i'm currently using AC 9.0 on a mac:

Archicad suggestions:

1. wait for tab or return for all user input from text edit boxes! I can’t tell you how many times I pause halfway through a dimension and archicad enters the input incorrectly, if this is a feature for some folks maybe there could be a toggle in the preferences.

2. allow tab to maneuver to different edit fields in the parameters and custom settings fields of the settings dialogue boxes (especially necessary as gdl objects gain more and more parameters.

3. implement the windows method of pallet docking for the mac, having multiple floating windows wastes space and takes to much time to organize, one almost always wants to form a row or a column with them, so they should be a part of the same row or column not each indecently resizable. If floating windows is really important see how sketchup dealt with the organization dilemma, tough I would think making the interface closer between the two platforms would be a good direction for AC in general.

4. items selected in the 3d window don’t affect the content of a calculate window (eg you select specific windows for a schedule in 3d but all are calculated.

5. allow for different layer settings in different windows. It seems rather inefficient at times, when traversing between a plan and a section/elevation, to have to switch layers each time the focus changes from window to window . I understand that sometimes one wants the layers to be consistent between all windows, however for most work it seems there should be some mechanism to override this on a window by window basis (maybe a toggle at the bottom left with the other window centric controls?).

6. BIG REQUEST: non exclusive / free-range teamwork access. We have found it extremely difficult to use teamwork on smaller projects where there are just two or three people working on a project. By forcing exclusive access both areas of drawings, as well as layers, it makes it difficult to have multiple people work on a project of limited size. We find ourselves avoiding using teamwork because it becomes to difficult to share the project due to sign in restrictions. In the best scenario there would be no distinction between a teamwork project and a regular project, and one could have the ability to allow sharing, and have multiple people working on the same file, without exclusive access to areas, drawings, or layers. As one person edits the the results would live update to the others accessing the file. I understand on larger projects the need to administer rights and privileges, however it is really a hindrance at the single family residential scale that we are working at. Database applications allow for multiple users without exclusive access, and a cad file is just a big database right?...either having a dedicated server application which would coordinate between the sharing parties, or allowing a client to to serve the file once open could be potential methods of implementing something like this. To put this in context, I am writing this request right now because I can’t access the file which I should be working on since someone else is working on it, and we are to close to finishing to start messing with setting it up for teamwork.

7. little request: the the protection key not found dialogue when launching archicad should give you the option of putting a key in rather than only quit or demo mode.

8. would like to see the navigator pallet gain a be able to display just the publisher column and not the project navigator I don’t think I’ve ever used the project map area of the publisher but often have to access the publisher which would then not have to take up additional screen real-estate (the full publisher window could still be available for those who need it).

9. toolbars and pallets are confusing, not sure I understand what the difference is, and would like the pallets to be able to behave/dock like the toolbar elements quick layers for example would fit perfectly along the bottom of the screen next to the horizontal control box, or at the bottom of a vertical toolbox layout. but will not interact with this type of element.


--
Stefan Hampden

[Aussie John]

hampden wrote:

7. little request: the the protection key not found dialogue when launching archicad should give you the option of putting a key in rather than only quit or demo mode.

Stefan Hampden

You will be pleased to know if do put the key with this dialogue open, the display goes away.

[Rob]

Stefan,

1.You can adjust the auto-update delay in Work Environment-->Dialog Boxes & Palettes Tab -->auto-update delay (in seconds) - that could solve you problem.

6. mate, how would you solve sharing violation problems? like if you clicked on the same wall as your team mate and tried to modified that at the same time.
your suggested approach would require being on-line (team mate-server-team mate) all the time which would require extreme networking data-flow bandwidth, so basically you would be waiting for updates 90% of your time there (assuming that you're using standard networking, unless you live in the comp lab somewhere in Silicon Valley)

9.

toolbars and pallets are confusing, not sure I understand what the difference is

could you be more specific?

Sorry these suggestions span a couple of categories but just wanted to get them all out I'm currently using AC 9.0 on a mac:

it's fine that you apologised but how are we supposed to vote now? Some of your wishes are already implemented, I do not agree with some of them.... next time hold your horses, slow down and post it one by one.
Don't get me wrong some of your ideas are worth of voting but how???

[David Maudlin]

hampden wrote:
2. allow tab to maneuver to different edit fields in the parameters and custom settings fields of the settings dialogue boxes (especially necessary as gdl objects gain more and more parameters.

Stefan:

In the parameters section of the dialog box, the up and down arrow keys will highlight the previous and next parameter edit fields. The tab key works in the custom settings section of the dialog box.

HTH.

David

[Bruce]

hampden wrote:
5. allow for different layer settings in different windows. It seems rather inefficient at times, when traversing between a plan and a section/elevation, to have to switch layers each time the focus changes from window to window . I understand that sometimes one wants the layers to be consistent between all windows, however for most work it seems there should be some mechanism to override this on a window by window basis (maybe a toggle at the bottom left with the other window centric controls?).

This is what you use your Views for - they have four settings, the first one of which is Layer Combination.

[Anonymous]

Bruce wrote:
This is what you use your Views for - they have four settings, the first one of which is Layer Combination.

Yes, but if you are in a Section window, then go to your Floor Plan view (likely with different layer combination), when you go back to Section it has to rebuild, even if you haven't changed anything. Slightly annoying.

[Bruce]

If you change your section/elevation to Manual rebuild you can postpone this and choose to rebuild when you want. Does this help?

[hampden]

All,

thanks so much for everyone's replies i really did not expect feedback from users, and am very appreciative of folks responses and some answers! i was thinking of this more as direct feedback to graphisoft but i certainly see the value in posting individually so everyone can vote and make it easier to see what popular, and in the future will break out comments to individual postings.

-Stefan

[hampden]

Bruce wrote:
If you change your section/elevation to Manual rebuild you can postpone this and choose to rebuild when you want. Does this help?

Bruce,

it does help, at some times (especially once in cd's since i tend to turn the final drawings into 2d to better control line-work) however as you mentioned elsewhere said it's the redraws that kill ones productivity when switching between drawings. if i were to expand this request to the next level, the real desire is to have switching between drawings to be as fluid as possible -getting rid of the regeneration is the most immediate part of that, but often i'll find myself wanting to have the structural plan and an elevation (for example) to switch between, and every time i do that i have to make sure i use the views pallet, and wait for the redraw, or suffer the consequences of having another drawings layers applied to the elevation.

-Stefan

-Stefan

[hampden]

s2art wrote:

Bruce wrote:
This is what you use your Views for - they have four settings, the first one of which is Layer Combination.

Yes, but if you are in a Section window, then go to your Floor Plan view (likely with different layer combination), when you go back to Section it has to rebuild, even if you haven't changed anything. Slightly annoying.

Exactly! and it's not such a big deal if you just switch between views and work only in that view, when coordinating a set I often end up switching between views frequently, and there is a real lack of fluidity when you have to wait for things to regenerate or have the wrong layers applied to the drawing you are moving to.

-Stefan

[Bruce]

Unfortunately that's the reality with ArchiCAD.

Revit keeps live updates between windows - but not AC.

Of course, if you use your layer combinations correctly you can quickly switch to the right layer combination using this drop down (also found on the bottom of the project navigator).

[hampden]

Rob wrote:

1.You can adjust the auto-update delay in Work Environment-->Dialog Boxes & Palettes Tab -->auto-update delay (in seconds) - that could solve you problem.

THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU !
can't believe i never found that, it was driving everyone in our office bonkers!

Rob wrote:

6. mate, how would you solve sharing violation problems? like if you clicked on the same wall as your team mate and tried to modified that at the same time.
your suggested approach would require being on-line (team mate-server-team mate) all the time which would require extreme networking data-flow bandwidth, so basically you would be waiting for updates 90% of your time there (assuming that you're using standard networking, unless you live in the comp lab somewhere in Silicon Valley)

i would prefer that one had the option to risk having an edit or item disappear if two people were working on the same element, than have the rigidity of the current system. as for the technical / bandwidth issue, the program could just check every x number of mouse clicks for changes, or x number of seconds / minutes. i'm not looking to see someone else stretch a wall in real time on my machine, i would be tickled if the teamwork functionality was just less of an impediment to getting multiple people to work on the project

we are a small group working in a studio space and can talk to one another. as often as not we find ourselves saying, "you know i could use the help, but it's just going to be to much of a pain since i need access to a little of everything." like i said in my original post, i can see the value of the current system in big offices, however since archicad puts all the drawings into one file by its nature (mostly a very good thing) anything which keeps multiple folks for accessing the information fluidly becomes a big impediment to productivity.

it is just very cumbersome (IMHO) to constantly be dealing with workspace issues when i can lean over my desk and tell my partner not to mess with the east bedroom. instead i have to do a sign in process which involves multiple dialogs and predetermining which layers, plans, elevations, etc i will need for the next day.

even just having full access to the drawing without having to go through the layers issues would make a big difference, signing into layers and stories seems to undermine the ability to organize by stories, since you end up needing to dump things into different layers since someone working on the other plan has the exterior wall layer (for example) signed out.

even when we get over the hurdle of deciding to share a project, i can't count the number of times, one of us needs a layer or drawing that the other has and that caucuses the both to have to go through the process again.

in any regard i don't profess to know the best way to solve this issue, i just know when drawings were on separate sheets of paper, it was easier (at this scale) to work on a set with more than one person.

Rob wrote:
sure: something like the quick layers pallet (little floating palets), will not dock with something like the coordinates toolbar (also little floating pallet like thing which can lock together and make manipulation a little easier) , even though they are a similar geometry and would make allot of sense together pallets and toolbars do not interact...i was just wondering why have two differnt classes of these objects?

over the last couple of versions archicad has had a proliferation of pallets and toolbars, and i find myself spending way to much time fidgeting with the interface (especially on the mac, i just started using the windows version and sadly i like it better). all the big graphics programs have had to grapple with interface overflow, and anything to keep all the little critters corralled, and minimize how much time i spend doing it the better. i really like the way the windows toolbars, info box, navigator, etc can be docked into the perimeter and thus the window and pallets can all be manipulated with one movement.

Won't happen again, thanks for the feedback.

[hampden]

David wrote:

hampden wrote:
2. allow tab to maneuver to different edit fields in the parameters and custom settings fields of the settings dialogue boxes (especially necessary as gdl objects gain more and more parameters.

Stefan:

In the parameters section of the dialog box, the up and down arrow keys will highlight the previous and next parameter edit fields. The tab key works in the custom settings section of the dialog box.

HTH.

David

-David,

the tab key does work to navigate in the custom settings dialogue, until you change a value - then it highlights the next item for a second, loses focus - as the object applies the change - and then loses track of where you were, so you have to resort to mousing back to each item you want to change.

-Stefan

[Geoff Briggs]

Stefan, I think you'll find that all of your topics have received considerable attention over the years and that you have many allies as well as many who disagree. If you peform targeted searches for you'll find existing topics (often with polls) you can contribute to as well as get a good idea of what others are thinking.

[David Maudlin]

hampden wrote:
the tab key does work to navigate in the custom settings dialogue, until you change a value - then it highlights the next item for a second, loses focus - as the object applies the change - and then loses track of where you were, so you have to resort to mousing back to each item you want to change.

Stefan:

I am not experiencing this problem on version 10. There does seems to be a longer delay in version 9 (which is what I was using when posting my original reply), but for me it works as I described, so I don't know what the issue is on your setup. Sorry I can't be of more help.

David

[hampden]

David wrote:

hampden wrote:
the tab key does work to navigate in the custom settings dialogue, until you change a value - then it highlights the next item for a second, loses focus - as the object applies the change - and then loses track of where you were, so you have to resort to mousing back to each item you want to change.

Stefan:

I am not experiencing this problem on version 10. There does seems to be a longer delay in version 9 (which is what I was using when posting my original reply), but for me it works as I described, so I don't know what the issue is on your setup. Sorry I can't be of more help.

David

David,

i'm still using AC9 (AC10 is in the mail, so sounds like another one ticked off the list) sorry but the original post was pre AC10)

Thanks
Stefan