Issue Description
In large, multidisciplinary projects, such as a subdivision with 10 distinct housing styles, teams often work with a federated model where disciplines like architecture, landscape, MEP, and HVAC maintain their own files. To streamline workflow and ensure documentation remains manageable. It's common practice to create a separate file dedicated solely to documentation. This approach keeps the model files lighter and allows for smoother transitions between sheets and views, making it easier to maintain both the quality and accuracy of the project’s documentation.
Solution
A highly effective way to improve performance and streamline the workflow in Archicad, especially in large projects, is by adopting the Plotmaker or PMK method. This approach involves separating the model and Layout Book into two distinct project files. While not always necessary, this method can significantly enhance efficiency, particularly in complex, multidisciplinary projects, as it keeps both model and documentation files more manageable.
In this workflow, the model is maintained in one Archicad file (AC_01 - Model File), while the Layout Book resides in a separate project file (DOC_01 - Layout File). The key difference is that instead of linking drawings directly from the project views, the Layouts will reference drawings sourced from external files in the PMK format.
The PMK format is Archicad’s native drawing format, known for its compact size, which reduces the burden on the hard drive and speeds up workflows.
Here’s how to implement this method:
In the Model File (AC 1):
- Create a new Publisher Set for the PMK: Navigate to the Publisher Set in the Organizer.
- Drag all Views from the View Map to the PMK Publisher Set: This action moves your required views into the set that will be published as PMK files.
- Change the format to PMK: In the Publisher settings, choose the PMK format to ensure you’re saving your views in the optimized format.
Note: 3D Views that are generated in the PhotoRendering Window cannot be published as PMK.
- Select Publish: This will generate PMK files of your selected views, reducing file size and improving performance when placing these drawings on your Layouts.
In the Documentation File (Doc_01):
- Open the Layout Sheet: Once at the Layout, proceed with placing your external drawings.
-
Place External Drawings: Go to File > External Content > Place External Drawing…
Select the PMK files from the location you previously saved from AC_01 and click Open
- Publish the Layout Sheets: Once the PMK files are placed on the Layout sheets, proceed to publish the Layout Book using the Publisher Set as normal.
Advantages of the PMK Workflow:
- Faster Documentation Updates: Since this method involves updating a single, smaller drawing file at a time, the process of updating documentation can be significantly quicker.
- Improved Performance in Layout Book: Opening the Layout Book takes less time because the drawings are linked to external PMK files, which are smaller and stored outside the main project file.
- Updating the Drawings: If there is a change on the Model file(s), you need to publish again on the PMK publisher set which will override the previously published PMKs (so in case you need back up from previously published sets, it is advised to copy the files to another location first before overwriting it).
- In the Layout File (Doc_01), if PMK-based drawings are set to auto-update, they will update automatically when opening the Layout (or by using its drawing manager) ensuring that your layouts always display the latest information.
Additionally, if needed, you can re-link a PMK file to its original model view. This flexibility allows for greater control over the source of your drawings. To do this:
- In the Drawing Manager, select the PMK files you want to re-link.
- Choose “Link to Original Model View”.
By using the PMK workflow, you can enhance both the speed and efficiency of your large projects, while maintaining accurate and up-to-date documentation without sacrificing performance.