Use this categoary for announcements about events, webinars, new features, industry relevant news, etc.
DESIGN TECHNOLOGY QUARTERLY UPDATE by Russ Sanders
Integrated structural design in ArchiCAD on Blessed Sacrament Renovations & Additions Project. PKA has had a team member working here in our office directly on the bimserver to create the structural model for this project.
ISSUES & RESOLUTION
The Design Technology Committee has been looking into the concerns that were raised during the retreat regarding hardware and software. We offer the following responses:
Introducing “NO PLOT” Master Sheets
Don’t you hate it when you need to plot out a set of drawings or save a PDF but your Sheet Index has a bunch of drawings in it that you aren’t using… yet? Well, next time you find yourself in that situation you can try this little trick. Just go to the Navigator and set all the sheets that aren’t ready to the “NO PLOT” master sheet that corresponds to the sheet size currently used for the project. You could call these “No Sheet Index” pages but “No Plot” had a nice simple ring to it.
What if you don’t have the latest 16 Template?
No problem. You can Import these updated Sheet Index XML files from the CADD Standards folder and you will be able to filter out sheets that aren’t yet squared away. You will also need some “NO PLOT” master sheets in your file and to do that you can either make your own or you can also import them from the The 16 Template using the Organizer.
WHAT ARE THE ‘OW LEGACY OBJECTS’ LIBRARIES?
That is a great question, thank you for asking. These new libraries are similar to the “Migration Libraries” you see in the Archicad Object library. They are partial libraries that contain only obsolete objects. The new legacy libraries are going to help us manage outdated OW objects that may be used on older projects, but are not part of the more recent 15 & 16 templates (and definitely not part of future templates). Dealing with Archicad libraries is always a frustration but this is a necessary step to get rid of old obsolete objects that we no longer actively use or that have new & improved versions.
Most of you will probably not notice anything different (i.e., missing objects) but some of you will, especially if you are working on projects that started before the Archicad 15 Template was created. Those of you who attended the 16 Template Training were informed of this plan to create new “OW Legacy” libraries. There will be one for projects that were created using the OW Archicad 12 template (also used for v13 & v14) and another one for projects created using the OW Archicad 15 template.
The easiest way to make sure you don’t have a bunch of missing objects is to Add the “OW Legacy Objects 15” and/or “OW Legacy Objects 12” library via the Library Manager, anyone on the Design Tech Committee should be able to help you do this.
BUG FIXES
Too Many!!! Search & Destroy Sans Extended, Countless View Settings issues and Layer combo inconsistencies resolved, wall priorities, etc.
WORKFLOW
Navigator “HOME” shortcuts for 2D & 3D (teach ‘option-click’ collapse technique (navigator/link to/etc.)
STANDARDS
Naming Convention Rationalization. View Settings – RFO/MVO etc… Attributes – Materials/Fills/etc.
Some folks are only just now beginning to use the new OW Template 16 for Archicad 16 so here is a post with some of the training points that were covered as a reminder. This particular list is specifically about new Archicad 16 features.
1. Morph Tool!!!
All new modeling tool that can literally make almost anything you can dream of. You can convert other elements or objects to morphs and then rotate, extrude, dream big!!!
http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/design.html
2. Curtain Wall Tool
This tool was introduced in version 12 but we have been slow to adopt it. It has been improved in version 16 with increased speed and stability, give it a shot on your next project.
3. EcoDesigner Built-in
We’ve implemented a basic level of integration of R-values into our standard wall, roof and slab favorites.
http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/green.html
Welcome to The Blog Thing, our office knowledge sharing blog! With this site we hope to provide the office with a quick way to find information regarding how to get stuff done here at o|w. The folks on the design technology committee will regularly add posts about how to take advantage of the latest tools and how to get the most out of Archicad. We will also be building a searchable archive of important information like office standards and frequently asked questions.
the blog thing 