Drawing/Model Revision Tracking

Anonymous · ‎2009-04-27

I would like to see the “intelligence” of ArchiCAD continued into the documentation phase of projects.

I see the need for a a revision tracking ability, somewhat like Microsoft Word’s track changes feature but with additional abilities.

I see this as a project feature that can be turned on (or off) when the project has reached an appropriate phase (say issuing drawings for permit). Once it is turned on whenever a change is made to the model a revision cloud is placed in the view with the ability to accept the proposed cloud, modify it, or reject it. Additionally the user could add a note/tag to the cloud of what was changed. (This could be similar to Apple’s iPhoto 09 Face Detection feature where a box is placed where that program thinks a face is located, and the box has a dismiss X in the top left corner or a place to type in a tag.) Now the power of “intelligence” would be for ArchiCAD to recognize where else the changed object appears.

The cloud system would need to be a cross between an object and a tool, much like the label tool, where a default style can be set, line type/color, layer, indicator style, numbering/lettering system, etc.

Let’s say you have changed a window size in the plan view. The program would put up a cloud around the window object, you could enter a quick description of the change in a tag field of the cloud. In addition to the window and associated wall it might modify a dimension string and offer to cloud the changed dimensions. Now you want to find where else that window appears to appropriately cloud other drawings. You would need a new palette say that has a track revisions button, and a list of the drawings where that object appears would be created (ideally you could filter this list to drawings/views that are placed on layouts), you double click on a drawing in the palette list, it opens and shows you a highlighted bubble around the object, say an elevation showing the modified window, the cloud can show the tag when the cursor is hovered over it (allowing the user to know what change is being shown). Now this window may also appear in a section view, but only the width was changed so the cloud could be rejected. It could also show in a detail that was taken from a plan or section or it might need to be highlighted in a schedule, these could also be flagged in the palette list.

This system would also need a tie into publishing so that when you go to publish drawings you would have a check function, much like the current warning if a hotlink is out of date or the drawing manger list that says a drawing is OK, Modified or Needs Checking so that you don’t publish a drawing set without knowing if your revision clouds have been accepted (this should be ignorable too, say to print a preliminary check set). You would also need a way to tell ArchiCAD that you want to issue a revised set where all the clouds are given a revision number, and it would be nice to be able to just print modified layouts (kind of like publish all vs. publish selected).

And an especially useful aspect could be that the revision clouds could be treated as comments in pdf files where the tag/note would be attached to the cloud when viewing the pdf file.

I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on this one, but it seems like this is one area where there is still a lot of manual checking required in the production process.

Rob · ‎2009-04-28

The major problem with revising system as you described it is that is used in Anglo-Saxon countries and Scandinavia only AFAIK. This keeps it a sort of on a back burner at GS as there would not be an obvious benefit across the user's community. Do not get me wrong this is a long standing wish and I would love to have this implemented one day.

BTW there is an add-on solution for this done by Cadimage - Revision Manager http://www.cadimagetools.com/tools.aspx?id=24 However I have not used that so I can't tell how effective it is but it seems to have all tools for clouding, transmittal records, revision and issue tracking.

Obvious problems when implementing it:
1. issuing already archived documents along with new revised documents in one transmittal record.. how and where to keep archived copies (file size etc...)
2. issuing non-AC items (specification, physical model, material samples and whatever) along with AC layouts
3. technology that would allow to see changes on drawings since the last issuing
4. all of this working in Teamwork
5. solving the transmittal record and revision history customisation. I saw probably 1 million different formats in my career.

Some comments:
There is no way I would allow AC itself to cloud changes... it could be very deceptive and dangerous. Clouding and cloud annotation must be kept as a manual process (AC would be helping just to identify changed areas).
Do not get carried away too much with Mac UI

AC has to fit onto both platforms.

::rk

gpowless · ‎2009-04-28

A while back Graphisoft published an add-on called "Option Manager" that allowed model revisions and options to be tracked. While this was limited to exclude teamwork, it would be a great addition to Archicad if they could implement this again with a revision manager as one tool.

If I remember, it all falls along the lines of the construction simulator which can show various stages of construction. Drawing revisions and options are an important stage of construction that have been overlooked.

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Rob · ‎2009-04-29

A while back Graphisoft published an add-on called "Option Manager" that allowed model revisions and options to be tracked. While this was limited to exclude teamwork, it would be a great addition to Archicad if they could implement this again with a revision manager as one tool.

This tool was actually meant to serve for quick interior design presentations at small scale. And it did not have a proper revision tracking (if any to my recollection)

Fully fledged option management is actually very complicated in Teamwork environment. It is a tree like data structure so managing that for each individual Teammate could be a nightmare. However this topic is a different cup of tea.

::rk

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