• Multistory Hotlinked Modules

Multistory Hotlinked Modules in ArchiCAD 11

ArchiCAD 11 allows you to save Multistory modules, and then place these as Hotlinked Modules into an ArchiCAD project in one step.

• For general information, see About Hotlinked Modules in ArchiCAD Help.

Saving a Multistory Module

In ArchiCAD 11, it is done the following way:

1. With any story active, use the File > Save As menu command.

2. Select Module File (*.mod) from the Save as Type drop-down list.

3. Click the Options button.

4. In the appearing dialog box, specify which stories the module file should contain: choose All Stories or Current Story, or specify a Story Range (e.g. from Story 0 to Story 5, if you want the module to contain only above-ground stories). In our example, we used the All Stories option.

5. Specify a name and location for the module file; click Save.

Note: It is also possible to save the content of the Clipboard as a Module. However, the above story selection feature is available only when saving the project file as a module.

Placing a Multistory Hotlinked Module

In ArchiCAD 11, the process is much easier and faster than in earlier versions:

1. Use the File > External Content > Place Hotlinked Module menu command.

2. In the Place Module Dialog, click Choose Hotlink.

3. Click New Hotlink.

4. Select the Module File that contains the stories you wish to place; click Select.

5. Make sure the correct Hotlink is selected in the list, and click OK. The dialog box indicates that the selected Hotlink contains several stories.

6. Make any other needed settings (Layer, Orientation, Elevation); click Place Module.

7. In the Match Stories dialog box, select which story of the merged model will correspond to the current story of your Project and click the OK button.

8. Move the Hotlinked Module to its desired position and place it.

9. Go to the 3D Window to see that all Stories are placed into the Project. If you select the multistory Hotlinked Module in 3D, all Stories will be selected as one group, showing that they belong together.

Notes: Not only Module files can be placed into ArchiCAD Projects as Hotlinked Modules (*.pln, *.plp and *.2dl are also possible choices), but this Multistory Hotlinked Modules feature is available in ArchiCAD 11 only if you save the project as a Module.

Place Only Selected Story of Multistory Module

In previous versions, you saved the whole Project as a Module, and decided at insertion time which stories of the Module you wish to place into another Project.

In ArchiCAD 11, you have additional choices when saving the Module. When placing the multistory Hotlinked Module, you have the option to place only a selected story. For this, check the Open in Single Story mode checkbox when selecting the Hotlink Module file.

Multistory Hotlinked Modules in versions prior to ArchiCAD 11

Save Multistory Hotlinked Module: ArchiCAD 10 and earlier

In ArchiCAD 10 and earlier, follow this procedure to save multiple stories as a module:

1. Go to the project to be saved, and use the File > Save As menu command.

2. Select Module File (*.mod) from the Save as Type drop-down list.

3. Specify a name and location for the module file; click Save.

4. Repeat Steps 1-3 for each stories you want to save.

Place Multistory Hotlinked Module: ArchiCAD 10 and earlier

In ArchiCAD 10, placing a multistory hotlinked module involved the following steps:

1. Use the File > External Content > Place Hotlinked Module menu command

2. In the Place Module Dialog, click Choose Hotlink.

3. Click New Hotlink.

4. Select the Module File that contains the story/stories you wish to place; click Select.

5. In the Choose Story Dialog, select all stories you want to place in the Project; click OK.

6. In the Choose Hotlink Dialog, select the story you wish to place; click OK.

7. Make any other needed settings (Layer, Orientation, Elevation); click Place Module.

8. Move the Hotlinked Module to its desired position and place it.

9. Repeat Steps 1-8 with each story you wish to place. If you place stories from the same building, Steps 3-5 are not necessary again, because you have already selected the Hotlink and the stories you wish to use.

10. In the 3D Window, make sure that the placed stories of the Hotlinked Module are aligned both horizontally and vertically.

How to link multistory (hotlinked) modules in one step to a central file: ArchiCAD 10 and earlier

Creating Hotlinks the 'normal' way requires you to do it Story by story. However there is another working method, which enables you to do it in one step (this is very useful for instance, when working on a skyscraper of say 80 stories). Say you have a mother file and a module that contains your skyscraper. By completing the following steps your module will be placed and linked to the mother file:

1. Save the file that contains the skyscraper as a module file (*.MOD)

2. Merge this module into the mother file
3. Define a selection area around the building with the marquee tool using the 'all floors' construction method (bold marquee)

4. Go to 'File Menu/Hotlinked Modules/Save Selection as Module' command

5. Check in the 'Change the hotlink to the saved file' option
   

6. Overwrite the original module file by saving the selection. (The upcoming dialog warns you that 'the file already exists do you want to overwrite it?' Just click 'yes.')

With these steps your module is hotlinked to the mother file (and you've saved 79 steps for the sample skyscraper).

Category3dModeling