slowing down the file performance is probably a good point.. ill see if i notice any differance with my next job on zero.

as for 5 hours vs 5 mins.. i cant se how that works.. if i need to move the modle up or down it only takes a few seconds.

eg, if i need to move my job up 1000 and my bottom story is on 12500. all i do is change 12500 to 13500, everythgin above it re adjusts and all my anotation adjusts automaticly...

Charlee wrote:
I don't know how GS intended ArchiCAD to be used but at the end of the day we must have proper documentation. I mention this because in a section/elevation window floor level can be relative to real world RL's simply by using the dimension tool without having to enter custom dimensions (which are open to error).
Also it enables you to generate accurate sun shadow diagrams and how your project interacts with existing neighbouring structures.
I shouldnt be one to criticise any method of project set up as i have not experienced the benifits of starting a project on datum zero, conversions, importing/exporting etc... But so far, from forst hand experience documenting a building at real world RL's has not had a negative affect on our output.
I guess thats whats great about ArchiCAD, there are so many ways to do something.

-Cheers

from what the guys are saying, you will still get accurate annotations and sun etc.. the negative you give the project height just tricks AC to think its up at the real level

I wouldn't know why you would drop a story by such a dramatic height but if such a situation arose, adjusting text and annotation would be simple using a marquee and dragging all misaligned items by the perscribed distance at once. Dimensions will automatically follow
Our "Real RL" project would be fine after minor adjustment.

If a project were drawn at RL0.00 onwards would that render "Storey Levels" feature within the Section Settings redundant? That tool automatically displays the values in the setup Storey Settings, so if a building were documented at RL0.000 but was infact surveyed at RL30.500 the "Storey Levels" display in all your sections/elevations would read RL0.000 onwards, not the surveyed value.

Also take into account master planning. If you were commissioned to oversee construction of a town centre and had to co-ordinate 10 buildings by 10 different firms and 100 sub consultants would you prefer to use a building module that was documented in real space (ie using surveyed x,y,z co-ordinates) rather than at project origin 0,0? It is indeed possible to do but would you want to?
You'd have to alter the storey settings anyway, so why would you not set up a project at the correct RL in the first place? It would be ideal if everyone used the same Origin

ArchiCAD is a 3D tool and it would be illogical to utilise it otherwise. You might as well be using Vectorworks (No offence Nemetschek)

Like I mentioned earlier, there are many ways to do the same thing and I'm not necessarilly saying that my way is better than yours (or vice versa) I'm just addressing the opening query as best as I can with my knowledge and experience. Who's to say what is "best". What may be "best" for you may not be sufficient for my application.

-Good day

Charlee wrote:
I wouldn't know why you would drop a story by such a dramatic height but if such a situation arose, adjusting text and annotation would be simple using a marquee and dragging all misaligned items by the perscribed distance at once. Dimensions will automatically follow
Our "Real RL" project would be fine after minor adjustment.

If a project were drawn at RL0.00 onwards would that render "Storey Levels" feature within the Section Settings redundant? That tool automatically displays the values in the setup Storey Settings, so if a building were documented at RL0.000 but was infact surveyed at RL30.500 the "Storey Levels" display in all your sections/elevations would read RL0.000 onwards, not the surveyed value.

Also take into account master planning. If you were commissioned to oversee construction of a town centre and had to co-ordinate 10 buildings by 10 different firms and 100 sub consultants would you prefer to use a building module that was documented in real space (ie using surveyed x,y,z co-ordinates) rather than at project origin 0,0? It is indeed possible to do but would you want to?
You'd have to alter the storey settings anyway, so why would you not set up a project at the correct RL in the first place? It would be ideal if everyone used the same Origin

ArchiCAD is a 3D tool and it would be illogical to utilise it otherwise. You might as well be using Vectorworks (No offence Nemetschek)

Like I mentioned earlier, there are many ways to do the same thing and I'm not necessarilly saying that my way is better than yours (or vice versa) I'm just addressing the opening query as best as I can with my knowledge and experience. Who's to say what is "best". What may be "best" for you may not be sufficient for my application.

-Good day

from what the guys are saying, you will still get accurate annotations and sun etc.. the negative you give the project height just tricks AC to think its up at the real level

it will work exactly the same....
i hear what yoursayign tho.. i prefer to work in real levels.. but what they are sying is everythign will function exactly the same being on zero or up in the air.. only differance is when on zero u set you RL as a negative to "trick" AC.. everythgin will still be the same.. from what i gather.. the automated elevation and section stuff will still be right.. reading a real "rl" as u have fooled AC with your negative.

sorry, i haven't read all the posts so someone may have already suggested this...
quite simply, project zero is ground floor ffl - ALWAYS.

when I have the survey and I know what real world level (Above Ordinance Datum) my ground floor ffl will be, I set a reference level (Archicad->preferences) of minus <whatever dimension> AOD

so if my gnd ffl is +3.650m AOD my reference level will be -3.650
then all level dims that are placed on the plans or the sections/elevations, I choose them to display the AOD value as opposed to project zero.

it works, it's simple and there is very little room for error.
HTH

TomWaltz wrote:

GeNOS wrote:
as for 5 hours vs 5 mins.. i cant se how that works.. if i need to move the modle up or down it only takes a few seconds.

How many elevations and sections have you created and how much annotation (text, dimensions, linework, hatch, etc) have you added to them? If none, then it's quick. It you have a lot, it takes a really long time.

It's those late-in-the-project edits when you have a lot of 2D on top of your model drawings that take a long time.
.

also a good point.. but still doesnt take that long.. (select all move once the set dimention in each view) but anywho, im not gonna argue the point.. im gonna try out working on zero for my next project.

its funny cos teh australian grafisoft traning classes told us to set the project to the real level height