Smart housekeeping solutions in ArchiCAD 23
Design changes are inevitable, so whether they come as client’s instructions or are part of the design development, one thing is certain – a design would require multiple iterations before being shaped into its final format. This would ultimately be reflected in the number of drawings required to build it, therefore, the amended drawings should be named, revised and recorded in a clear and legible way to ensure a smooth-running job, on one hand, and to address risk and compliance, on the other hand.
As design control and review procedures are pivotal to a sound project and practice management, an architect should follow a series of processes and procedures when dealing with changes or moving the design to the next stage. A software like ArchiCAD has the power to assist in the process, through a series of built-in tools that allows drawings and design information to be stored, reviewed and issued according to a set of rules, supporting the user in following the formal procedures. This is such a powerful feature, overcoming the drafting and modelling function of a computer-aided design software.
In this blog post, I will touch up on the #Revision tool (#RevisionHistorySimple23), which encompasses a great deal of information related to the amended items in a drawing. The ease of keeping track of changes in a project is, however, reliant on following a set of rules and procedures to make the best of the automatization of the revised information.
“The ease of keeping track of changes in a project is reliant on following a set of rules and procedures.”
The Revision Block
Each architectural practice would have its own template for revision blocks, but nevertheless, it would contain, more or less, the same information, as follows:
The person who amended the drawing
The person who reviewed the change as part of the checking process
The specific changes made compared to the previous drawings
The date that the revisions were made
The number of the revision
All the above information can be automatically added to the layout, using the #Revision tool. This built-in object enables the user to list out all the information contained on a layout or in the views placed on the layout, hence minimising human error by waiving the need to manually insert and keep track of the number of revisions added to a drawing.
A step-by-step guide to Archicad revisions
In simple terms, one would have to:
1. Place the revision tool on the Master Layout - this would initially appear empty, as the table would only be populated on the drawing Layout once the information has been added to the drawing and the Layout added to the Current Issue (acting in a very similar way to the #Autotext).
2. List the #ChangeName in the content table of the Revision tool, together with the information required to set out the change:
The person who amended the drawing >>> Layout Modified By
The person who reviewed the change >>> Layout Checked By
The specific changes made compared to the previous drawings >>> Change Name
The date that the revisions were made >>> Issue Date
The number of the revision >>> Revision Id
3. Create the change through the Change Manager.
4. Highlight the change through the Change Tool *, **and update the drawing.
*the change can be added directly to the layout; however, a good practice is to add the change to the actual drawing (plan/section/elevation etc) and update the view on the layout. The change would be registered on the Layout’s Revision Block and the layout would become highlighted in blue, flagging the change.
**When Changes are highlighted inside a project and the view is placed on a different project’s layout, the Change ID naming protocol becomes important, as a completely different change carrying the same Change ID can create #conflicts, by #superseding and #overwriting an existing change name on the Layout. #Naming protocol in this case must be thoroughly considered and implemented, as this conflict can be easily overseen by an un-experienced ArchiCAD user.
5. Once the changes have been updated on the layouts, the later can then be added to the Current Issue (Book Settings > New Issue). All the revised Layouts are automatically added in the Current Issue by default, when a New Issue is created.
6. To control the Revision number appearing in the #RevisionId box, the Number by Revision under Book Settings > Change Numbering In Revisions should be selected, together with the ID Prefix and the ID Style ie C1 = Construction Revision No. 1).
If all the above have been set up properly, then you are good to go – Closing the Issue is the final step in this process – once an issue is closed, the Issue Date in the Revision Block would change to the current date, replacing the WIP – Work in progress tag. All the Layouts in the Publisher would be highlighted in green, to easily identify and publish the updated drawings in one go.
From that point onwards, both the #Change, the #RevisionId & #IssueDate will remain embedded in the layout, so once a new change is added to the drawings and issued again, a further revision number would be stacked up in the Revision Block, providing both consistency and continuity.
To sum up, ArchiCAD has a robust change control system, which doesn’t allow the user to modify a revision, once issued. This locks on a solid way to track design changes in drawings, in real time, and above all, record each amendment in a properly manner.
The #LastIssue can be re-opened, however, that’ll be on the expense of modifying the issue date on all the affected layouts. Even this can be overcome in various ways, I will save that for another blog post.
So, how many of you have used ArchiCAD’s documentation and issuing functions? If you haven't by now, would you give it a go, now that you know the bits and bobs of it?
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