Week #4 – Library Management & Migrating Projects
4-3. ArchiCAD 14 and Later Versions – Library Management & Complex Project Migration

ArchiCAD Training (Best Practices Lesson 4-3)

This 16 minute segment on Library Management is the third part of week #4.

The Library Manager in ArchiCAD 14 and later versions looks similar to ArchiCAD 13, but it has a number of very useful enhancements. This segment demonstrates these new features of the Library Manager, which are especially useful when migrating a project with complex library usage.

As before, when the project is migrated, one can simply open it in the new version of ArchiCAD and continue to use the previous libraries. However, this gets a bit more complicated when moving more than one version (for example, from ArchiCAD 12 to 14). The new tools in the Library Manager will do automatic substitution of Migration and Subset Libraries when one requests the use of the new version 14 library.

In addition, there are some excellent options for inspecting which parts of an older library are actually in use, and a simple button for embedding only those parts which are used from a particular linked library into the Embedded library for the project.

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ArchiCAD Training: ArchiCAD 14 and 15 – Library Management & Complex Project Migration

 

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  1. dmsaa
    11 years ago

    Michael –

    That is an interesting approach that I would consider doing perhaps as part of a final cleanup of the project.

    You can pretty easily see which library parts are unconverted by hovering over each one with the Arrow tool. You’ll see the name shown in the preselection popup, and can see which number is part of the name – i.e. if it says W1 Casement 12, it’s from the ArchiCAD 12 Library, whereas if it says W1 Casement 14, it’s from the ArchiCAD 14 Library.

    I suggest using Find and Select to grab a bunch of windows or doors or other elements that have multiple identical instances (e.g. chairs), then swap them as a batch to the new library version. Then go one by one hovering over elements and select and change those that are still using the old library.

    Finally, to make sure that one has completely cleaned up the project library usage, you can unload the old library and swap the missing parts (shown with round dots) as you suggested.


  2. Pedro Gonga
    12 years ago

    My best greetings for Sir ERIC BOBROW

    I,m A beginer of archicad soft, have many difficult, in passed times I use autocad,
    I have problems to draw the internal walls, because I dont see the offset comand in archicad, Please teach me how I enter the coordinates for distantes between new wall?
    I was see more your videos for youtube thank you for all.
    I end
    Faithful
    Pedro Gonga
    Architect/Urban/city planner /engineer
    Luanda- Republic of Angola


  3. Paul Demars
    12 years ago

    Eric
    what issues are involved in migrating from an older version ie 8.1?

  4. Avatar photo
    Lilian Seow
    13 years ago

    Eric,
    I have resolved the issue with Cadimage. Thanks for your reply.

  5. Avatar photo
    Lilian Seow
    13 years ago

    I’ve just opened a previous AC13 project with the current AC14. I assumed it is now a copy in AC 14. The Library is showing a Library Loading Report and shows a folder ‘Libraries with Duplicate Objects’ with a file Cadimage Global.apx – Archicad Library 13 (13). How do I get rid of this?


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Lilian –
      Can you send me a screenshot so I can see what libraries are actually being loaded? That will help me figure it out. The Cadimage file relates to components and add-ons supplied by Cadimage – have you purchased and installed some Cadimage tools?
      Eric


  6. Michael Grant
    13 years ago

    Good to know there’s no faster way to migrate a project to a recent AC version than the methods you show. Ie. it’s not a snap, but with a little patience it works fine.

    Here’s another tip I discovered when following your suggestions for migrating a project:

    To find, select and update those final pesky Library Parts from a previous version, it quickly becomes tedious to try and determine which objects are already updated to the current Library, and which objects still rely on the Migration Library.

    By simply unloading the migration library from the Library Manager, those outdated objects appear as a round dot to represent they are “missing”, allowing you to locate them more easily. They can then be individually selected and updated to the current, loaded Library following the parameter transfer steps you describe, without ever reloading the old Libraries. Just did it; works great.


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Michael –

      That is an interesting approach that I would consider doing perhaps as part of a final cleanup of the project.

      You can pretty easily see which library parts are unconverted by hovering over each one with the Arrow tool. You’ll see the name shown in the preselection popup, and can see which number is part of the name – i.e. if it says W1 Casement 12, it’s from the ArchiCAD 12 Library, whereas if it says W1 Casement 14, it’s from the ArchiCAD 14 Library.

      I suggest using Find and Select to grab a bunch of windows or doors or other elements that have multiple identical instances (e.g. chairs), then swap them as a batch to the new library version. Then go one by one hovering over elements and select and change those that are still using the old library.

      Finally, to make sure that one has completely cleaned up the project library usage, you can unload the old library and swap the missing parts (shown with round dots) as you suggested.

      Two other tips:
      1) If you use Find and Select, and choose “Name” as a criteria, the popup menu will only show the names of objects that are currently visible in the frontmost window (plan or 3D or whatever). You can quickly scan that list to see which elements are still lurking from the old library (you’ll see the old library number, as above, as a clue).

      2) Sometimes when switching from an old version to the new one there will be a significant visual change, even when using the syringe method I suggest, because of the new programming that Graphisoft has done. I like being able to see the old part switch to the new part on plan, and sometimes even Undo and Redo to make sure it looks the same. To do this, you need to keep the old Migration Library loaded – you can’t tell much if the old part is a round dot.

      Eric

  7. Avatar photo
    David R Olufs
    13 years ago

    Has Graphisoft noted the changes from each version in their digital manuals?

    What you noted about the embed libraries was interesting, logical and efficient. I would not have known to do that had I not seen your Best Practice Course on migrating to AC 14. I suspect, though, there is some small line or two noting the changes in the thousands of pages of the digital manual…

    Thanks,
    Dave Olufs


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Dave –

      There is always a section in each of the ArchiCAD reference manuals that outlines the new features of that version. For example, if you go to the Help menu > AC 14 Reference Guide, you’ll see the new features outlined in pages 39 to 70, and a Migration Guide on pages 71 to 116.

      FYI – the reference guide is well over 2300 pages! There is a lot there, but part of the challenge is knowing what’s important to pay attention to. That’s where this course will help you.

      Eric