Week #6 – Save Your Favorite Settings
6-2. Managing and Migrating Favorites

ArchiCAD Training (Best Practices Lesson 6-2)

In this second video (17 minutes long) I explore Favorites further, and cover some of the more tricky and confusing aspects of managing the Favorites palette, including the migration of Favorites from one version of ArchiCAD to another.

I wrote an article for ArchiMAG on this same topic that will be published in an upcoming issue. You may download it here:

Please post your comments and questions below.

Eric

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ArchiCAD Training: Managing and Migrating Favorites

Let us know how you feel... (3 comments so far)

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  1. Avatar photo
    JohnDunham
    12 years ago

    Thank you! Very clear and helpful directions. Loved the tip regarding composites.I would never have figured that one out.


  2. Thomas Downer
    13 years ago

    Eric,
    Good video – it finally explains why some composite walls I used in an earlier version were poche’d when I used them in a new version. I kept thinking it was due to model view settings. If you want to leave an object from an earlier version that is a little different than the current (14) version, and not update it, then save the favorites as a new .prf, if you load that favorites file into a new 14 drawing, will the old object still be useable or will you have to reload the old library again in order to use it?
    Tom


    • Eric
      13 years ago

      Tom –

      You mentioned two different things – composite walls, and objects from old libraries. They function in different ways.

      Composites are defined and stored as Attributes, and refer to other attributes such as Fills and Pens. The favorite will not function at all if the composite is not defined in the PLN. It will function differently than before if the attribute definition is different – either the composite itself (based on the index number) or any fills or pens that are referred to by the composite.

      To look the same as the original favorite, the definition of the composite as well as the fills and pens referred to by the composite (or the element itself – since you can have an element placed with the composite settings overridden for pens and fills) must be identical.

      Objects are referred to by name and also record an internal ID. If the name is available in the currently loaded libraries, the Favorite will function based on the named part (most likely identical to the original favorite).

      If the name is not available, ArchiCAD will look for a named part that has the same ID – for example, Plant 02 12 will become Plant 02 14 since Graphisoft keeps the ID the same because the object definition is unchanged.

      If neither the name nor the ID are available in the current libraries, the Favorite will be grey, and not active for use.

      Eric