AECOsim 590
Please excuse naive Q in this elevated MS Admin forum.
As single user, am still struggling 1yr in to master AECOsim 3D as fluently and simply as i use Acad 2D. Constantly baffled by things that won't work and behaviours that arise from who knows where, and still can't understand most advice, incl on this forum, which assumes I know things already. I need stupidly basic instructions, where to find the button I need to click, and why - what's happening 'under the hood'. If I can just get it to work, then I will learn fast. There is a terrible absence of advice and guidance on the brilliant Keith Little http://adagebooks.com level.
So I want to start with a completely empty Workspace, if such can exist.
Following http://adagebooks.com/eBooks/samples/Complete-UserInterface-Sample.pdf (which covers up to MS J), in File Open (MS Manager in the book) KL says to first create a my own Interface>New>enter 'tom', close MS, in \Workspaces\Interfaces\AECOsim I find \tom\ has appeared along with \default\. KL "highly recommends" to delete file \tom\ustn.r01 (what was it?) because "starting with a clean slate is the way to go". To KL in MS J, that would leave \tom\ empty but in AECOsim there also remains file \tom\tom.dgnlib (why was both \ustn.r01 and \tom.dgnlib there - what do each do? And why is \default\ empty - no r01 and no dgnlib?).
What is this dgnlib for exactly - what "style information for levels, text, dimensions, multi-lines (and much more)" is already infesting my brand new 'tom' Interface? How can I tell what's in this dgnlib? Double clicking it opens it (as a dgn apparently) into AECOsim, but none the wiser. Is it possible to have a new Interface that is completely free of such pre-set "style info ... (and much more)"?
KL moves on to create my own User>New>enter 'tom' and in Components select No Project. I have more Qs about that, but will gratefully await comprehensible answers to my various Qs above, before asking more.
Thanks Marc for brilliant clear answering.
My lovely clean \tom\tom.dgnlib contains 1 level, 1 model, 0 elements. When I Save As'd it as new file \test.dgn it opened with 324 levels, 1 model, 28 elements - so I see
Unknown said:ABD copies levels from the dgnlib files in the active dataset to support the creation of Dynamic Views as dicussed here: http://communities.bentley.com/products/building/building_analysis___design/f/5917/p/14693/28625.aspx
And Dataset US is the default 'active dataset' because most of the provided seed files don't specify a dataset?
When I Save As'd \tom\tom.dgnlib as new file \test.dgn, I wasn't offered choice of seed file - where do I see what seed file this \test.dgn has, and how can I change it?
And/or how do I set a different dataset to be the default dataset?
I thought seed files don't lock anything, just set initial defaults - but can you change the seed file-mandated dataset of a dgn, on the fly?
Unknown said:There will be a dataset discussion in London (sorry other end of the country!) on 14th November
Hi Tom,
Sorry not to see you on Thursday, look forward to next time.
There has always been a dataset, Bentley Architecture had choices between Uniclass and CiSfb for the UK. The Datagroup is the more recent addition but that has also been around for a long time now.
Once you download and install the GB dataset it will appear as a choice in the Project pop-down when you open ABD.
Each dataset contains it's own seedfiles. e.g. C:\ProgramData\Bentley\AECOsimBuildingDesigner V8i Ss4\WorkSpace\BuildingDatasets\Dataset_GB\seed\designseed.dgn.
When you create a new file, click the Browse button at the lower right of the file new dialog to see the available seed files, use the folder history icon at the top right to see the configured location(s) for seed files. designseed.dgn is the one to use. If you need a 2D design model seed create a new file using designseed.dgn, export it to 2D (File menu > Export > 2D) then compress it before closing to remove any unwanted levels etc. (BTW don't use C:\ProgramData\Bentley\AECOsimBuildingDesigner V8i Ss4\WorkSpace\System\seed\seed2d.dgn, it has some slightly different settings and it's good to have consistent settinsg across your seed files).
Once a file is created there is no link back to the seed that I am aware of.
Seed files just provide initial defaults, they do not control the datset in any way. The dataset is controlled by your project selection.
I hope to provide some guides for "Naïve Administrators" soon but can't promise any dates yet....
Marc
Hi Jon,
Unknown said: Please tell us more about that ...
Please tell us more about that ...
Future event dates will be posted on the BCUKI LinkedIn group so keep an eye out there. Invitations are also being mailed out by Bentley.
Still looking to set out with minimum formatting, to start with, add stuff in as and when I understand why. Therefore Project>No Project, along with User>tom and Interface>tom, as below.
I now understand that with No Project, Dataset_US installs by default, because with AECOsim there always has to be a Dataset. I obviously need to at least be metric,
So I could resort to User>Building Designer, Project>BuildingTemplate_GB, NM-F, NM-L or USM,
Or, if still looking for minimum formatting I could stick with User>tom and Project>No Project - if it's possible to set one of the metric Datasets as the default?
Am I doing right, to hold out for this 'minimum formatting' line, for initial education?
Is it possible to switch an extg dgn file to a different Dataset 'on the fly?' Or indeed to a different User and/or Project?
In ConfigExplorer, comparing User>tom Project>No Project with User>tom Project>tom, there seem to be only housekeeping differences, to do with the different Project name - is that correct, or are there more differences, that I'd notice in use?
Looking for a minimum-formatted workspace, but needing a metric dataset rather than default Dataset-US, I better leave installed Project>No Project alone, instead reconfigure Project>New>tom. The above shots suggest that TF_DATASETNAME is where i configure Project>tom to use Dataset_NM instead of default Dataset_US. How do I do that - simply edit Value and Expansion in Line 1132 above?
Trying that - R click on Line 1132>Open in Editor>change TF_DATASETNAME to Dataset_NM>Save - 'Access is denied'. So what to do?