Each month there are one or more coaching calls; this is a recording of the session on August 13, 2014July – December 2014
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – August 13, 2014
| Thank you for visiting the Best Practices Course website. The video lessons are available for members only. If you are an active member and would like to watch the ArchiCAD training video on this page, please login to the website. If you are not currently a member, please visit the following pages for more information and to sign up for the Best Practices Course, the QuickStart Course or for the Best Practices ArchiCAD Coaching Program. Eric Bobrow, Creator of the Best Practices Course |
ArchiCAD Training Session Notes
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – August 13, 2014| QUESTION | ANSWER SUMMARY AND NOTES | START TIME |
| Getting drawings to look a certain way with different pen sets. | First look at the drawing settings and what your pen settings are. The default in Master Template is All Black Plotting. When you place a drawing it will go to the default setting for all drawings. You need to override the pen set in the settings dialogue by view. If you need a drawing to show differently in different drawings create separate views that are defined specifically for your different needs and link them to your drawings on your layouts. | 0:00:24 |
| Show lower openings but not upper ones on the same story. | You need to have a view that you are working on and have the settings set. In order for the walls to show the lower openings and not the upper ones you need to tell it to use projected settings. This looks at the projected settings according to the cut planes. You would then set your cut plane to exclude the upper wall. You can review the general training on split levels in the course under complex projects>18-1 Floor Plan Cut Plane and Clerestory Plans. You can also create a clerestory for your upper windows as a separate story. Symbolic view shows all the windows and doors that are there. | 0:18:20 |
| Recovering files that have been overridden. Disaster avoidance advice. | Look at getting an automatic backup tool like TimeMachine for the Mac. Drop Box is a great tool for security backup. You can also do it manually. If you make a change to your file and then save it and close it. When you reopen it the change will be there. If you don’t want that change you can open the BPN file instead of the PLN file and it will be the previous save. You can also keep a date stamped copy of the file for each day you worked on it as a backup. You can also use Backblaze to backup. | 0:29:40 |
| Repairing a script error. | Object tool general>Detailer Library has many 2D elements. 2D graphics have no 3D view. If you pick an invalid setting it will give you an error. If you want to look at the script for that object go to File>Libraries and Objects>Open Object. If you have one object selected on screen it will open up the script for it as read only. Most likely you’ll just need to go into the parameters and make an adjustment. You can open your object, switch to another one and then switch back and it will reset the default settings. | 0:43:58 |
| Do saves not update the BPN file? | The BPN file is the previous save. If you make multiple saves throughtout your work day it will only be one save back from the current save. | 0:48:00 |
| Screen porch wall, how to make it translucent? | You can see through it in 3D but not in elevation. How to get it see through in elevation? Look at the elevation settings and make sure the box for transparency is checked. Also look at the surface settings for your material and check the transparency settings and do some tests there. You can make your surface more transparent or less. You will not see the line work on the surface behind like siding material. You can also adjust the pen settings for the screen material to be lighter. | 0:52:25 |
| How do you get the template file in order to add more repetative information. | In Best Practices Course Module 3>Week#3-Get More Organized and Week#2- Get Organized. If you have a file that you want to turn into a template, delete the stuff that is the building and save it as a template file, or save it as a pln and then later change the ending to .tpl. When you are creating a new project you can browse for the template you want to use. There are standard AC template files. Or you can create a new file based on a standard one, add your own stuff, then save it as your own template with a new template name. | 1:09:50 |
| Can you get the vectoral hatching to show through the screen wall? | The siding (vectoral hatching) will not show through. The work around would be to manually draw in the siding lines. It is important to know what kind of fill you are wanting, a cut fill vs. a drafting or cover fill. You can then manually draw in your fill in your elevation and make it transparent if you want to see through it. It is tedious, but doable. | 1:15:38 |
| Error messages for Library parts. | When the error message pops up, you can choose to not keep the data and then the error message wont pop up anymore, but those objects will then be missing. You can do a find and select to find the missing parts later and delete them. | 1:25:44 |
| Accessories | Accessories are a useful tool that allow you to put surfaces or 3D features on a wall. To draw a simple thing like a slab, a roof, or a wall and have AC do something in conjunction with it such as put framing in a wall or siding on it, the accessories tool is available if you go to the Help menu>ArchiCAD Downloads it opens up a browser window and go to Add-Ons and click the link to Add-Ons and Goodies. You can download the Goodies for AC and pick your language and then the accessories are in a list there. If you want to learn about any one of them you can click on the Read Me file it will take you to a description of what the accessory is and what it does. They haven’t been updated as much and may not be perfect. The Polygon Counting Tool can be helpful to reduce file size. | 1:31:32 |
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