archicad add-on

24 Pages·2015·1.47 MB·English

by  Åsmund Kveim Lie

ARCHICAD ADD-ON
Version 1.8
DOKUMENTDATO: 2015-05-21
dRofus AS
Rådhusgata 17
0158 Oslo
Norway

Email: [email protected]
Web: www.drofus.com

Tel: + 47 22 33 15 70
ARCHICAD ADD-ON
Table of Content

1. Overview .................................................................................................................. 3
2. Installation .............................................................................................................. 4
3. The Add-On palette .............................................................................................. 6
3.1. Viewing dRofus link info .................................................................................................... 6
3.2. Open RDS ............................................................................................................................ 7
3.3. Show room in ArchiCAD .................................................................................................... 7
4. Rooms ...................................................................................................................... 8
4.1. Linking zones ..................................................................................................................... 8
4.2. Placing zones ..................................................................................................................... 9
4.3. Synchronization ............................................................................................................... 10
Filter and Selection .................................................................................................................................. 10
Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
4.4. Linked zones status report ............................................................................................. 12
4.5. Using dRofus room groups as filter .............................................................................. 13
5. items ....................................................................................................................... 14
5.1. Linking ArchiCAD objects to Items in dRofus ............................................................... 14
Link individual objects .............................................................................................................................. 14
Link objects and dRofus Items based on key parameters ....................................................................... 14
5.2. Synchronizing objects with Items ................................................................................. 15
5.3. Synchronizing objects to occurrences.......................................................................... 16
5.4. Linked objects status report .......................................................................................... 18
5.5. List of Items in rooms/level/model ............................................................................... 19
6. Attribute configuration...................................................................................... 21
6.1. Configuration editor ........................................................................................................ 21
Top section (1) ......................................................................................................................................... 21
Attributes not linked (2) ........................................................................................................................... 22
Linked attributes (3) ................................................................................................................................ 22
6.2. Object <-> Item Configuration ....................................................................................... 22

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1.
The ArchiCAD Add-On for dRofus is designed to aid ArchiCAD users in keeping data in
ArchiCAD models up to date with dRofus.
It facilitates including data from models into reports generated by dRofus. It also allows the
tracking of changes made by designers in the model. It does this for both rooms and objects
and compares these changes with the planned data in dRofus.
The Add-On works with ArchiCAD 16, 17 and 18.
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2.
As soon as you install the latest version of dRofus and run it, you will be prompted to install
the ArchiCAD Add-On, if ArchiCAD is installed on the PC. The dialog shown below will pop up.
The same will happen when newer versions of the Add On and dRofus are released in the
future. You will then be prompted to update the Add On.

Figure 1: A prompt dialog that suggests installing the Add-On
You can decline installation of the Add-On if you, for example, would like to keep its older
version. Notice Remember my choice the
never be asked to update the Add-On on this PC. In this case you would have to reinstall the
Add-On manually each time a newer version is released, if you wanted to keep it up to date.
In order to install/update the Add-On manually, you have to open the dRofus client and select
dRofusInstall ArchiCAD Add-On from the top menu. This menu item will be disabled if the
Add-On is already installed and up to date. You can also uninstall the Add-On by pressing
dRofusUninstall ArchiCAD Add-On menu item.
Remember, that all ArchiCAD instances should be closed at the time you install/update or
uninstall the Add-On.

Figure 2: Menu items in dRofus for installing/uninstalling the Add-On manually

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ARCHICAD ADD-ON
The Add-On will be available next time you open ArchiCAD, if installation was completed
successfully. hiCAD (see Figure 3). Another part
of the Add-
Read more about this in Chapter 3.

Figure 3: Installed dRofus Add-On
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3. -
The palette shows a status of elements selected in the model (zones and objects) in terms of
their relation with rooms and items planned in dRofus. It also provides an interface for
changing that status (linking and unlinking zones and objects) and a navigation tool (Open
RDS).
It does not appear automatically when you run ArchiCAD. You should explicitly open it through
the dRofus menu each time you open a model. You will be prompted to login to a project
before you see the palette.
3.1. Viewing dRofus link info
It contains two parts: one showing information for zones and another for objects. These parts
work independent of each other. When objects are selected at the same time as a zone, you
will see link information for both (see Figure 4c).

Figure 4: The Add-On palette in different stages depending on what elements are currently selected: a) a
single zone that is not linked b) single or multiple object(s) that are not linked c) a zone and object that are
both linked d) multiple objects that have different link statuses
It shows a Room Number and a Room Name attributes of the room that the currently
selected zone is linked to. For objects it shows the Item Number and Name attributes of an
article that the objects are linked to. If a
(Figure 4a, 4b) . Read more about linking and
unlinking zones and objects in Section 4.1 and Section 5.1.
If there are none or multiple zones selected at the same time, the top part of the palette
shows nothing (Figure 4a), because only one zone can be linked to a room in dRofus. The
same happens with the items section when the current selection does not contain any
objects (Figure 4b). Unlike zones, multiple objects can be linked to a single item in dRofus. If
selected objects are linked to the same item, their link info will be shown on the palette. But if
they are linked to different items or some of them are not linked, you will see the message
shown in Figure 4d.
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3.2. Open RDS
If a zone is linked to a room in dRofus, you can navigate to its Room Data Sheet (RDS) directly
from the Add On palette.
the zone is selected. This will set the focus to the dRofus client and open the RDS of the room.

Figure 5
This feature works only if the room has RDS. Otherwise you will get a message saying that the
RDS is not created for this room in dRofus.
NOTE: Both dRofus client and the ArchiCAD Add-On should be open and connected to the same project in
order to navigate from one to another (to be able to open RDS in dRofus and select room in ArchiCAD).
3.3. Show room in ArchiCAD
Another way to navigate rooms is to select a zone in ArchiCAD that is linked to a room stored
in the room list in dRofus. This feature is now enabled in the dRofus client. So, while in the
room list, right click on the room that you want to see in ow room in
(see Figure 6). The zone will be selected in the
model and you will be zoomed into it.

Figure 6
NOTE: The Add-On palette should be open in ArchiCAD when you try to select a room there.
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4.
4.1. Linking zones
Each zone modeled in ArchiCAD can be linked to a room planned in dRofus. This is needed to
transfer room data from dRofus to the model and vice versa. Zones should also be linked, if
you want to compare their objects with equipment planned in dRofus.
The link operation can be done from the Add-On palette by doing the following steps:
 Select a single zone that is not linked a
should be enabled, as it is shown on Figure 4a);
 Click on the
 Choose a room that you want to link to from the list of rooms shown in the appeared
dialog (see Figure 7);
 Press the
Once this is done, new link info will appear in the -On palette (Figure
4c) and the selected zone will become linked.
NOTE: Remember to reserve a zone before linking, if you work with a Teamwork project in ArchiCAD. The link
operation will not be available until you do that. Although you can see a link status of zones that are not
reserved.
The fact that a zone is linked means that the same value is stored in a key zone parameter in
ArchiCAD and in a key room attribute in dRofus. The key parameter and the key attribute are
defined in the Zone ↔ Room configuration that is currently used. Read more about using
configurations in Chapter 6.
NOTE: The key value should be unique across the entire project. That is why copying linked zones in the same
model will break the link in most cases.

Figure 7:
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There are several options available in
If you right click in the list and select Add/Remove columns, you can choose which columns to
show in the window. Any room core or RDS attribute can be displayed here.
that is currently selected.
There is no way to create a room in a function that has sub functions
will also be
for creating rooms in dRofus.
It is optional to update a room in dRofus when linking it to a zone in a model. There is a
checkbox in the left bottom corner that defines whether a room in dRofus should be updated
or not. If it is not checked, only the
button.
palette in the
appear button
becomes available. Pressing this button, you will unlink a currently selected zone and clear all
imported from the model will be emptied).
4.2. Placing zones
Another way to keep zones linked to dRofus is to enable a from the
dRofus Add-On menu, as it is shown on Figure 8. When you are in the place mode,
h time you place a new zone in the model. Through
this you will be prompted to link all new zones created in the model.

Figure 8:
placed room from dRofus
when you create a new zone in ArchiCAD. The same steps as described in the previous section
apply

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