Parameter Transfer in ArchiCAD
I just recorded a nearly ten minute video talking about Parameter Transfer in ArchiCAD. You probably know Parameter Transfer by its colloquial name “eyedropper and syringe”. Usually I record ArchiCAD tutorial videos in the hope of teaching people something new and different. With this video, I really hope you don’t learn anything. Parameter Transfer between elements, between placed Objects, and between Objects in the Selection Settings is so basic that it needs to be taught on day one to all new users.
Sadly, that’s not always the case. Or even when it is, users forget or don’t understand the importance of it. For power users (or even just regular users) this function is so ingrained that it becomes invisible. Case in point: I didn’t mention the critical importance of OPT for eyedropper (ALT on PC), OPT+CMD for syringe (ALT+CTRL on PC), or OPT+CMD within the Selection Settings on my list of Top 20 Keyboard Shortcuts. None of the commenters mentioned it either. WHAT!? OPT+CMD is so freaking important.
Parameter Transfer and Templates
If a user doesn’t understand Parameter Transfer, the best of templates becomes useless. My whole Template is based on the knowledge and use of OPT+CMD. That’s why I have all those brown pens. If I see brown anywhere, I know a few things:
- Someone didn’t use a Favorite to create an element.
- Someone didn’t use OPT+CMD when changing between Objects in the Selections Settings.
Both of those things tell me that there are probably deeper issues (for me the wrong color is a proxy for wrong dimensions, data, graphics, etc; in other words, incorrect and unthinking actions). That all means if you are going to use my template, you need to watch this video and make sure you get what I’m doing and why.
Enough jabbering! Watch my latest video and make sure you know everything I talk about. If you have questions, please ask in the comments. And if I forgot something, share that too.
The help center has similar advice:
Subscribe to my blog to read more about the tricky world of being an Architect in the 21st century: Shoegnome on Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feed. What’s another super basic feature that you think other users are neglecting? Tell me in the comments and I’ll try to record a video or write a post about it.
Oh…I trail off a few times in this video and you can’t really hear what I’m saying at the end of a few tangents. Don’t worry. I wasn’t saying anything important at those moments. My mumbles and the length of this video are just a consequence of me being really hyper and passionate about such a simple tool within ArchiCAD.
Eric Bobrow
Hey Jared –
Nice video on an important topic.
Check out my 2010 ArchiCAD video tip on the same topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0umdMOoUFKs
“The Magic of Parameter Transfer – Tips for the Eyedropper and Syringe”
Eric
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Jason Smith
I didn’t learn a thing. Thanks a lot Jared 🙂
Archicad is a huge tool and little things like this can change the way you use it. Having a new user in the office will raise questions about this sort of thing. I had one of those questions a week ago, a user had been using a command I didn’t even know existed – Edit/reshape/fill consolidation. Take to overlaying fills and makes them into one. I had always selected one of the fills and hold down the spacebar and click the other fill then delete the fill I do need. It was great to learn this from a novice user, usually its me telling them how to do it.
There a so many ways to do the same thing.
Jared Banks
Linework and Fill Consolidation are great. It’s funny, I just came from a LinkedIn discussion about Polylines and someone had just learned about that there too. I think I have a half-written post about that somewhere, but it looks like I only mention it here: https://shoegnome.com/2011/11/14/stained-glass-tutorial/
Awesome little feature!
And so glad you didn’t learn anything.
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Brian Spears (@arktek)
Jared, Parameter Transfer still has me confused. Sure it injects parameters, but often it injects more parameters than I want. I have a chair in the model, say Armchair 01 18, and I’ve got the Layer, the Pens, the Surfaces, even the Struct / Position / ElemClass settings…all that set up. Maybe I want to put something stupid next to it like Designer Chair 04 18. So I pick up the parameters from my Armchair 01, open the Object Default Settings and inject into Designer Chair 04 and click OK. Next I place Designer Chair 04 in my model, but its dimensions and Surfaces are screwed up – it is short and squatty and it is made out of the upholstery fabric also used on Armchair 01.
The above scenario happens with cabinetry too – I have a base cab with the proper doors / handles / pens / layer / etc and then I want a similarly set up wall cabinet, so I inject, and then I’ve got a 2′ deep wall cabinet sitting on the floor.
How do you handle excluding parameters you don’t want to inject? Or do you just inject and then fix the ones that get screwed up?
Thanks,
Jared Banks
As far as I know you can’t exclude parameters during the transfer. So things get tricky when you are going from Object A to Object B. When I’m working, it’s usually a judgement call: what’s easier Parameter Transfer and fixing a few goofed changes or updating the new Object to match the parameters that I want. Part of my answer is a liberal use of Undo/Redo. Use Parameter Transfer, see what happens, undo/redo to check what it should be.
If you place the object first and then do the syringe you get better visual feedback and it can be a little quicker to find the things you need to fix via undo/redo. In general for something like going from Chair A to Chair B, I change the parameters manually. But usually it’s just pens and fills for me. Usually.
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Duncan
Hi Jared,
Nice vid, I’m a newbie to Archicad coming from Revit.
I downloaded your template and found I’m missing w1 Casement 18, w Awning 1 18 and w1 Fixed 18. So I was going to change them all to the new Archicad Windows and do a parameter transfer , but it doesn’t work, since I guess, the windows are missing and cannot see the parameters to transfer.
Jared Banks
Duncan, welcome to ArchiCAD!
My template requires the USA Library. I’m guessing you loaded my template with a different library. Here’s a link that will take you to my Template FAQ where you can download the correct USA library (and INT Library if you want that too). Once you load my template with the proper Library everything will show up. Then you can decide to try to use it with the USA library, convert it to your own localized library or just take what you want of my template into of file of your own devising.
Be warned, if you load multiple ArchiCAD libraries (say AC 18 USA and AC 18 AUS) you’ll get a bunch of Macro errors. It should be okay to load both, do the parameter transfer and then remove the Library you don’t want. I think. I haven’t tried something like that in a long, long time.
Duncan
Thanks Jared,
I will give that a go.
thanks
waad saeed
Hi masters… For anlysis programs like SAP the object parameter that must save with as an IFC data are differents.?? any trick that enable us to convert morph object as IFC !
Jared Banks
I’m not 100% sure I understand your question, but you should be able to just change the IFC type of the Morph to what you need it to be.
Richard Doughty
Hi Jared,
I am a contractor in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. I use Revit LT for the renovation work I do. Additions, basements, kitchen… Revit is pretty easy to pickup I think but I will never own my own copy of the software my only option is to rent through a subscription. I downloaded the Archicad 20 Trial version and I really like this program.
There is a lot get my mind around but I have watched some of your video tutorials and they have been extremely helpful. I think I want to switch from Revit to Archicad.
Thanks for all of the resources you create and share!
Jared Banks
Richard, that’s fantastic! I think you’ll find ARCHICAD fits really well with your needs. A few things:
1) Download my template. That’ll help you get up to speed even quicker. It has a sample building and some basic schedules that I think you’ll find very useful.
2) There’s a strong ARCHICAD community in the DC area. Keep an eye out here for user group meetings and training.
3) If you do decide to jump into ARCHICAD, look at ARCHICAD Solo. It’s about half the cost of ARCHICAD. It’s missing a few features, but nothing that you’ll miss as a new user. And over time if you decide you want rendering and some of the other missing features you can upgrade from Solo to full for the cost difference. So it’s a very economical solution. What’s also great is that templates like mine and others that are designed for the full version of ARCHICAD will also work with ARCHICAD Solo. Here’s more of my thoughts on ARCHICAD Solo from when it was announced in the USA market.
Jessica Ibarguen
What about the whole right click on the element transfer setting menu that drops down – where it looks like I should be able to select different settings to transfer in the Element Transfer Settings dialog box that opens up? Anyone have success with this?? — I would especially find it useful for changing cabinetry surfaces but not style, doors, size, etc.
Jared Banks
Jessica, writing a blog post or recording a video on the improvements to element transfer is on my to do list. To be honest, I haven’t taken as much advantage of it as I should. I’m so used to the old method that it’s quick enough to assume everything has transferred and change what needs to be changed. That’s lazy old thinking though! When I finally do an update to this post, I’ll be sure to link from here to there and the reverse.
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