Week #6 – Save Your Favorite Settings
6-1. The Favorites Palette

ArchiCAD Training (Best Practices Lesson 6-1)

This section explores the concept of Favorites. This 11 minute video tutorial that I created last fall is a great introduction to the topic. The use of the Favorites palette is demonstrated, and options such as saving the Favorites for loading into another project or template are also shown.

Please post your comments and questions below.

Eric

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
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ArchiCAD Training: The Favorites Palette

Let us know how you feel... (21 comments so far)

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  1. JohnChittenden
    11 years ago

    Eric
    I can’t seem to download the videos
    I can get a PDF transcript and an audio file only

    Cheers
    John C


    • Eric Bobrow
      11 years ago

      Hi John –

      I checked your account, and can see that you signed up recently for the SiteModel mini-course. That gives you access to the lessons on site design and terrain modeling in Week 12 of the Best Practices Course. In addition, as a special bonus, you may watch the lessons in Weeks 1 through 5.

      In order to watch the lessons in Week 6 onwards, I suggest that you consider signing up for the full Best Practices Course. In addition to dozens of video lessons on a very wide variety of topics, you will also get to participate in the ArchiCAD Coaching Program, in which you can ask questions related to ArchiCAD and get me to answer them live onscreen.

      You will get credit for the amount you paid for SiteModel, so you can consider it as a “down payment” and as a sample of what you will get with the full course. We have payment plans available to try to make this affordable for as many architects and designers as possible.

      I will email you privately to discuss your options with you.

      Best regards,
      Eric


  2. CeciliaKeidar
    12 years ago

    Hi Eric,

    I have the same note like Ian :
    ‘Thank you for visiting the Best Practices Course website. The video lessons and certain other materials are available for members only. If you would like to watch the actual video training lessons, please sign up for this ArchiCAD training course!’

    Cecilia


    • Eric Bobrow
      12 years ago

      Cecilia –
      I checked on your account, and, just like Ian’s, it still was set for just the QuickStart Course. Since you paid to upgrade your membership to the full Best Practices Course, I corrected it and added that to your member privileges.
      You may need to logout and come back in to be able to access these materials.
      I apologize for the mixup and the inconvenience.
      Eric


  3. IanWilson
    12 years ago

    Hi Eric,

    I haven’t looked at much of the course yet – but what I have seen has looked good.

    For some reason I can’t watch or download the video for this session (week #6, part1)

    Only the video script (pdf) and audio versions appear and the following note:

    ‘Thank you for visiting the Best Practices Course website. The video lessons and certain other materials are available for members only. If you would like to watch the actual video training lessons, please sign up for this ArchiCAD training course!’

    Any ideas why it doesn’t appear?

    Regards,

    Ian


    • Eric Bobrow
      12 years ago

      Ian –
      I checked on your account, and for some reason it still was set for just the QuickStart Course. Since you paid to upgrade your membership to the full Best Practices Course, I corrected it and added that to your member privileges.
      You may need to logout and come back in to be able to access these materials.
      I apologize for the mixup and the inconvenience.
      Eric


  4. Diana
    13 years ago

    Thank you Eric for another great video.

    What would be really nice is to maintain a link or connection to favourite, and in case we redefine the favourite, all the linked elements also change… but I suppose this is not possible at this moment.

    Seems favourites are only a point to start, which is of course really good. 🙂

    Best regards,

    Diana.


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Diana –

      Yes, you are correct – Favorites are a starting point, and don’t maintain their link to the elements and will therefore not revise the placed elements if updated.

      However, you can select one or more of these elements on the plan or in 3D, either manually or using Find and Select, and double-click on the Favorite – which will then inject or override the earlier settings on these elements.

      So by careful selection, then double-clicking, the updated Favorite can help you rework the elements in a way similar to what you’re looking for.

      Eric


      • Diana
        13 years ago

        Nice! That’s a great idea!! But, I am not able to figure how to re-define a previously defined favourite. At this moment I only can delete it, modify the element, and then save it again in favourites with the same name.

        Is there any way to replace / re-define the favourite?

        Thank you!

        Diana.


        • Eric
          13 years ago

          Diana –
          I show in the video the following method:
          1) Double-click the Favorite to switch to that tool and pick up the settings.
          2) Place the element based on the current Favorite settings.
          3) Select and modify the element to use the new preferred settings; leave it selected.
          4) Click once on the same Favorite item to make sure it is highlighted, then use the popup menu in the upper-right of the Favorites palette, and select Redefine with Last Selection.

          Your Favorite now has the new settings based on the last selected element – the one you have changed to suit your new preferred options.

          In practice, you can skip steps 1 and 2. Start by selecting an item that embodies your new preferred settings, then do step 4 – click once on the Favorite then select Redefine with Last Selection from the popup menu.

          Eric


        • Diana
          13 years ago

          Sorry for late reply, thank you for suggestion, was exactly what I needed. 🙂


  5. Marshall Rossiter
    13 years ago

    Eric…thanks for you time looking into this…I am reviewing the 6k video two now…for some reason it only works when I lick on you web window in week 6…all of the others except this one worked on my quick time player where I can control the speed…
    The good news is that I’m seeing it now.
    Thanks again
    Marshall


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Marshall –
      All the videos should play fine in QuickTime Player – I use that tool as well.
      I’m glad you can at least watch it in the browser.
      Eric


  6. Eric
    13 years ago

    Hi Everyone –
    One course member has reported a problem with the second video on this page. He said that it gives an error message when he tries to play it in the web browser window or by downloading it. Has anyone else had a problem with playing this video? (I downloaded it and it plays fine on my computer.)
    Eric


  7. John Allan
    13 years ago

    Good to see you again Eric (recorded version) with a good clear tutorial and nice brisk delivery. I look forward to part two.


  8. Albert Aeberhard
    13 years ago

    Hi Eric,
    Can we lock the setting of the favorite? Eg If I have an external wall at 2455 hight I would like those settings to stay at 2455 and call the favorite “External break veneer wall 2455 hight.


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Albert –

      A Favorite is a quick way of modifying the Default Settings for a tool so you can place elements with the desired attributes; also a way of changing an element or more than one that is already drawn (select the element[s] and double-click on the Favorite to overwrite the settings).

      The elements are not locked to that setting, and may be modified manually at any later time, just like any other element. So unfortunately Favorites are not a way to manage the project standards in that manner – they don’t prevent accidental or intentional changes to those elements.

      However, there is one feature that I forgot to mention – there is a Favorites Preferences panel that you can bring up from the popup menu in the upper right of the Favorites palette. In that panel you can choose whether activating a Favorite will overwrite or change certain very specific attributes.

      For example, you can tell ArchiCAD that you don’t want the Wall favorites to change the default or current wall height. This means that you can set up your wall(s) [for example] at 9 feet or 3 meters in height, and double-click to activate a wall favorite that was originally 8 feet or 2.7 meters; even though the other settings for that Favorite will take effect, the height will remain unchanged at 9 feet or 3 meters.

      There are some other options in the Favorites Preferences that are worth exploring too.

      Eric


  9. Marek
    13 years ago

    Eric,
    In my previous comment I had problems with downloading. I have resolved it it works fine, sorry for inconvenience.


  10. Marek
    13 years ago

    Eric,
    I am unable to download the files. Can you let me know how to do it. The other files downloaded nicely so I can view them later. This one I have to log in all the time I want to see the lesson.

    Thanks,

  11. Avatar photo
    Lilian Seow
    13 years ago

    how can i delete the default favorites without going through the one by one process ? the shift-click doesn’t work.


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Lilian –

      You are right – you cannot shift-click to select multiple Favorites in the palette for deletion. You’ll have to do it one at a time.

      One nice shortcut is to create a Favorites PRF file (by using the popup menu in the upper right of the Favorites palette and selecting Save Favorites) that has only one Favorite in it (you can’t create a PRF file with zero favorites). You can then Load Favorites and choose this PRF file, and choose Replace rather than Merge – then you’ll instantly have only one Favorite in the list and can build it back up from there.

      To create that special PRF file with only one favorite, you’ll need to manually delete all favorites but one, then Save Favorites. Do this once, and keep this file around, and it will save you time at any other time you want to clear out the Favorites palette.

      Eric