Week #7 – Interactive Legends
7-3. Interactive Legends – Additional Variations

ArchiCAD Training (Best Practices Lesson 7-3)

This 20 minute segment presents variations of Legend placement and usage, including the use of Worksheets for items specific to Elevations, Sections and Detail drawings.

In addition, an alternate method is presented that may be used for placing Interactive Legends on a remote story. This is recommended primarily for use in the Start Edition of ArchiCAD, which is not capable of using Hotlinked Modules.

Please post your comments and questions below.

Eric

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ArchiCAD Training: Interactive Legends – Additional Variations

Let us know how you feel... (4 comments so far)

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  1. MiCHAELCarbone
    12 years ago

    Hi Eric, this lesson contains ideas very similar to how I was using archicad in 2007. I used the concept of an imaginary storey that was way below the model space. I used 128×128 pixel images of each favourite part ,compactly arranged into rectangles of my ENTITY TYPE LAYER NAMES,which importantly correspond to industry Subcontract names.

    When in modelling mode, I would go to the Quick Library Story, select either individual parts or the whole palette, copy/paste to a clean part of the model on the active model story, and proceed to model one subcontract at a time. ( This is a very powerful feature when used carefully for BIM and most other office documentation) Ofcourse, one of the hurdles that presents itself is how to differentiate and how to treat the real model elements from the Quick Library elements. The user then needs to understand and use the Projection Extents features of archicad tools like the section/elevation markers, and others.
    Thank you Eric for demonstrating the different ways to approach this valuable archicad feature.


  2. RJDial
    13 years ago

    Eric,
    I’ve never quite understood what the folder full of Plan views for all the Interactive Legends are for in the View Map (LEGENDS | PLANS). If you are using the legends, it is from the Worksheets, if you are wanting to edit the IL, it is done over in the HLM source file. What is those whole folder and list of Views used for?
    Thx,
    RJ


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      RJ –

      This set of Views is intended for use when you want to copy groups of elements (e.g. a QuickRoom) from the Legend to use in the actual project. You can’t copy from the Worksheet (since the Legends are seen as a Virtual Trace, and can only be eye-dropped, but not selected). You could copy from the original HLM, but this involves opening up a separate file, which is an extra effort and unnecessary since you can access the components from the Plan views. So you basically activate one of these views, navigate to the room or grouping of elements you want, select them (make sure Groups are Suspended to avoid having the entire Legend selected), copy, then return to your working area (activating your preferred layer combination and/or View) and paste.

      This also was (historically) the first way that we set up MasterTemplate – you would switch layer combinations to show the Legends and navigate (with a preset View) to browse the Legends and eye-drop an item. Then you would have to activate your preferred View and navigate back to the working area of the project. It was cumbersome, although workable – the version we introduced in ArchiCAD MasterTemplate 12 that uses the Worksheet method is quite a bit more efficient.

      Eric


      • RJDial
        13 years ago

        Thanks Eric, that makes sense. Over time I have been crawling through each folder of AMT, trying to weed out the stuff we would never use, renaming others to our conventions. I will admit, that the basic AMT is like a huge forest, and when you are just looking for one of the trees, it can get overwhelming. Slowly I have been taming the beast.
        RJ