On Land

Environment Information
At Rill & Decker Architects we run ArchiCAD on Mac OS X. If you work at Rill & Decker, this is your stuff. If you don't, but you work in ArchiCAD, you may find something interesting. Anybody else, I don't know.
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August 2003 Archive

Update: In AC10, you can place a DWG in the floor plan as a drawing. Place it on the story below, show that story as a ghost, and trace away.

While leaving behind what you don't want. You and your project will be a lot happier if you merge only the elements and attributes that are needed.

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I have instituted 3 new standard layers. All three are used to hide things in the Structure plan that show in the A1 Plans, to help clarify the Structure.

+A Wall Mask: Fills matching the background color of the walls, to give a solid poché (sp?) effect. Formerly these were on an A WALL layer. Hiding these in S1 Structure keeps them from appearing in front of Structure elements.

A Deck Rail: Railings, posts, newels. Formerly these were on A Deck2. You may leave such elements there if they don't interfere with the Structure.

A Stair Rail: Railings, posts, newels. Formerly these were on A Stair2. You must use this layer. Note that the stair lines should display and remain on A Stair2.

The automated window/exterior door schedule.

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LOON ISLAND, ME -- Due to the wet spring and summer, the lake is a good 18-24" higher this year. Remember that the dock is simply resting on the lakebed and is not tied down in any way. If not kept above the water, it can blow away in high wind/waves. The idea is to elevate the whole thing while moving it closer to the shore. Keep in mind:

The dock is heavy. You will need three or four people.

You will get wet.

Wear shoes that can get wet, and that will stay on your feet; there's some mucky spots on the lake bottom.

There are rocks. This is good, because you will need to put them under the feet of the dock to elevate it. It's also bad, because you will have to lift the dock far over some of them.

The dock is built in sections that can be taken apart and moved separately. The only wrench is an adjustable one, there aren't any sockets in the cabin. The nuts are under the dock, which is awkward. Remember 'Righty Loosey Lefty Tighty' because the nuts are upside down. Try not to drop the nuts in the lake.

What? Oh! No, no, no, not that dock. That's in the System Preferences under 'Dock.'

I have updated the version 8 doors and windows with an option to build a masonry jamb.

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I have updated the object Gutter JAM8. Again. There is now a gutterboard option, with thickness, height, and vertical offset.

Once you've saved the project file with the project name, please delete the template PLN. If you saved before saving as, delete the template's BPN. Also, if you're working on a new home, delete the addition template and vice versa. In quantity, these take up a lot of space.

This is a howto for a simple bracket object made from a slab. This technique is sometimes called 'slabify'. Keep in mind that anything you can make in ArchiCAD can be saved as an object.

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