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

Renovation and Phases

Anonymous
Not applicable
My entire career involves renovation. So I am very pleased with this new tool in A15. Two comments:

1. I wish it went one step farther and dealt with Phases. Very often several construction phases are required. Previous New construction them becomes existing, etc. There would need to be a Existing, Demo & New & Planned Status for each phase. To handle this requires a huge increase in layers, layer combinations etc.

1.1 On a related note, I wish there were more ways to organized the Layer System. When selecting a layer for an item, there is no choice but to view all the layers, instead of the layers appropriate for the item or current view. And they can only be viewed in alphabetical order.

2. I wish the default status was "new", note "existing". It is hard enough to have to select the default for every single item you draw. I am sure most items we all draw are new. Am I missing something?
19 REPLIES 19
Hobbesnb
Booster
Good points. I'd be wary of adding too much complication to the statuses, but perhaps this just requires the discretion of the operator rather than of GS.

An additional point I'd add would be the ability to assign statuses to parts of composites and complex profiles. In a recent renovation project, we added several layers of insulation/cladding over an existing exterior wall construction. Being able to have one composite wall construction show up as different composites depending on the renovation status would be immensely helpful in keeping things simple. I think a feature of this requires a limited palette of statuses to work with.
Scott Graham, AIA LEED BD+C

Principal | BIM Manager

Muhlenberg Greene Architects, Ltd.

Wyomissing, PA 19610



V6.5-26.0
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
Or maybe the Renovation Status should be incorporated into the Composites and Complex Profile Dialogs so one can select any skin of a Composite or Complex Profile and assign Existing/Demo/New status to it.
Similarly to the way the Component Type parameter used for Partial Structure Display is implemented.
Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
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Hobbesnb
Booster
Exactly what I was thinking. It seems like a no-brainer, and I wonder why GS wouldn't have already included that functionality considering they can already differentiate between core, finish and other in a composite. Maybe we'll see it in V16?
Scott Graham, AIA LEED BD+C

Principal | BIM Manager

Muhlenberg Greene Architects, Ltd.

Wyomissing, PA 19610



V6.5-26.0
Chazz
Enthusiast
I've been away from AC for a while (new role at last job, now new job, etc) and I just used the Renovation feature for the first time on a project last week. I'm sympathetic to the cries for more capability (phases, etc) and, as has been noted elsewhere, the palette structure is the predictable GS hash of incomprehensibility.

However, I must say that the underlying idea: Existing, TBR and New made the renovation concept and tool relatively easy to understand and deploy --and I appreciated that. The same cannot really be said for things like the Curtain Wall tool (which is why I continue to use alternatives like the excellent Door&WindowBuilder).

It is always easy to ask for more features but making things USABLE is harder and in this case at least, I think GS added a feature that provided real power in a way that did not muck up the program too much. I'm pleased with it.
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gpowless
Advocate
I too have been excited about using the renovation tool. I haven modeled a number of large house renovations so far and can say that the renovation tools simplified things.

However, I sympathize with the need for more phases (need separate demolished / new construction combinations. We are now in to the 12th week on one large renovation and finding it difficult to manage the change orders and revisions that typically occur without resorting back to the layer combination thing.

As well I am using the tool as an "option manager" for new homes. The additional phase let's me change an existing plan as requested by purchasers. If we had the renovation tool as an option manager, it would make it a lot easier. We wouldn't have to keep opening up different iterations of the same plan. All the changes could occur in the same plan / package.

I vote these changes are "ESSENTIAL". Get with it Graphisoft and make the changes in the next release...even if it means delaying it a bit....
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vfrontiers
Enthusiast
While we're at it... might be nice to allow renovation control over materials!... instead of adding an entirely new wall to change the paint color, there must be some way to show OLD vs NEW color schemes...
Duane

Visual Frontiers

AC25 :|: AC26 :|: AC27
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Erika Epstein
Booster
vfrontiers wrote:
instead of adding an entirely new wall to change the paint color, there must be some way to show OLD vs NEW color schemes...
Great idea, being able to assign renovation status to wall layers like finish skins...
Erika
Architect, Consultant
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AC5-18
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Anonymous
Not applicable
There is a way to use the renovation filters for phases and/or different design options.

Set up your filter options. Demo, After Demo, Planned, etc... Then add Planned options #1, #2, or Phases; however many that you need.

As your designing and creating options/phases, in everything that goes with that option gets pinned or assigned only to show on that option. All other walls, doors, etc that's not pinned will show up in all options.
daviddelven
Advocate
laszlonagy wrote:
Or maybe the Renovation Status should be incorporated into the Composites and Complex Profile Dialogs so one can select any skin of a Composite or Complex Profile and assign Existing/Demo/New status to it.
Similarly to the way the Component Type parameter used for Partial Structure Display is implemented.
Hi Laszlo.
Since 2012, what about this long awaited feature ?
Any update on that issue in upcoming new versions ?
David Delgado Vendrell

http://www.daviddelgado.cat
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AC18-AC26 INT/SPA (64-bit, latest build)
Surfing with Archicad since 2013
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
I don't really know what will be included (or even planned) in future versions. Only developers know.
At the moment all I know that there was no such development in AC21.
Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac27