Archicad 18 Training Series Vol.5

ArchiCAD Training Series
Vol. 5
Using Teamwork
Credits
Visit the GRAPHISOFT website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and

product availability information.
ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Using Teamwork
(International Metric Version)
Copyright 2014 by GRAPHISOFT, all rights reserved. Reproduction, paraphrasing or
translation without express prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Trademarks
ArchiCAD is a registered trademark of GRAPHISOFT. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective holders.
Credits
We used the following ArchiCAD projects in most of the training exercises:
Microsoft Office Complex in GRAPHISOFT Park, Budapest
Architect: Lukacs and Vikar Architects, Hungary
Contents
CONTENTS
Introduction ___________________________________________ 6
The Teamwork Concept______________________________________ 8
Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork ___________________________12

Chapter 1 Installing the BIM Server _________________________ 12
Chapter 2 Managing the BIM Server ________________________ 31
Managing the BIM Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Managing the BIM Server Remotely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 3 Defining Roles __________________________________ 43
Chapter 4 Managing Users ________________________________ 52
Chapter 5 Sharing the Project ______________________________ 63
Sharing the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Managing the Shared Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Part 2 Working in Teamwork ___________________________80

Chapter 1 Joining the Teamwork Project_____________________ 80
Architect 1 Joining the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Architect 2 Joining the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Chapter 2 Reserving Workspaces ___________________________ 92
Reserving Elements by Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Reserving Elements by Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating New Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Contents
Chapter 3 Sending and Receiving Changes _________________ 107

Sending the Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Sending and Receiving the Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Receiving the Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Offline Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Working Offline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Releasing Selected Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Releasing All Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Chapter 4 Instant Team Communication ____________________ 123
Simple Text Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Element Based Messages Ask for Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Element Based Messages Requesting Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Element Based Messages Assigning Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Task Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Chapter 5 Reserving Other Project Data ____________________ 159
Reserving Element Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Working with Views and Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Chapter 6 Adding a BIMcloud/BIM Server Library ____________ 186
Uploading the Library to the BIM Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Adding a BIM Server Library to the project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Chapter 7 Editing and creating Library Parts ________________ 198
Editing an Existing Library Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Creating a New Library Part and Adding it to a BIMcloud/BIM Server
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Contents
Chapter 8 Using the Backup Function ______________________ 221

Manually Backing up the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Rolling Back the Project to a Backup Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome to the ArchiCAD Training Series!
This Guide is part of the ArchiCAD Training Series, which currently includes the following
materials:
Vol. 1, The ArchiCAD BIM Concept
Vol. 2, Basic ArchiCAD
Vol. 3, Intermediate ArchiCAD
Vol. 4, Advanced ArchiCAD
Vol. 5, Using Teamwork
You are now reading Vol. 5, Using Teamwork a comprehensive hands-on training to familiarize
you with the TeamWork and BIM Server functions of ArchiCAD. This guide is meant for advanced
ArchiCAD users and students. We strongly recommend that you complete Training Series Vol. 1-4
before starting with this one.
This training guide consists of two main parts:
Part 1: Setting up Teamwork explains how to install and set up the BIM server and how to
share an ArchiCAD project for Teamwork.
Part 2: Working in Teamwork describes how to use Teamwork to work on the shared project
within a small architectural team.
Part 1 is intended for users who will actually work on the BIM Server and be responsible for
maintaining a smooth workflow within the Teamwork environment, or who will be responsible
for Teamwork training, e.g.:
BIM Managers
GRAPHISOFT Partners
Trainers
Part 2 is intended for all ArchiCAD users having at least a basic ArchiCAD knowledge. (We
suggest that they complete, at minimum, the ArchiCAD Basic Training Guide). Part 2 can also be
completed without Part 1, if the BIM Server Manager installation and Teamwork project setup are
already complete.
Introduction
Contents of this guide
Training guide e-book: The PDF guide includes detailed explanation of every step, with several
screenshots.
ArchiCAD project file: The pre-set training file will help your learning process. Pre-set project
views help you to navigate between different steps thus you can focus on the core knowledge.
Movie clips: Narrated movie clips are available on the YouTube channel for GRAPHISOFT
ArchiCAD (www.youtube.com/user/Archicad) providing step-by-step instructions for each step
of the training guide. The ArchiCAD YouTube Channel can also be accessed from the Help menu
of ArchiCAD. Enter the name of this Training Guide in the search field to locate the related videos.
You must have ArchiCAD 18 or later version installed on your computer to use this guide. This ebook and the movie clips were made with the English language version of ArchiCAD. For your
conveniance we recommend you to download and use the same version for practicing.
If you do not have ArchiCAD yet, please visit myarchicad.com to obtain a free ArchiCAD installer:
If you are a student, a teacher or a representative of a school, register and download a fully
functional Education Version of ArchiCAD for Students and Teachers.
If you are a professional architect, register and download a fully functional 30-day trial version
of ArchiCAD. Projects saved with this TRIAL version can be automatically upgraded to FULL
versions upon purchase of a commercial license.
Please contact your local distributor for purchasing commercial ArchiCAD licenses:
www.graphisoft.com/info/where_to_buy
How to use this training material?
Install the required ArchiCAD version
Open the PDF Guide
Open the related movie clips from the GRAPHISOFT ArchiCAD Youtube Channel
Follow the instructions given in the PDF guide and the videos
We hope you will find this training useful and wish you success with your future ArchiCAD
projects!
Good Luck!
The GRAPHISOFT Team
Introduction
The Teamwork Concept

The Teamwork concept introduced in ArchiCAD 13 is a revolutionary concept, enabling
collaboration among members of an architectural team and their consultants/clients.
It is a radically different approach from the Teamwork concept implemented in previous versions
of ArchiCAD (up to version 12), and also from collaboration solutions available in other BIM
applications.
In this section, we give you a brief overview of the concept. In the chapters which follow, we will
work with the various features of the latest version of Teamwork.
In Teamwork, several people can work on the same project simultaneously. The Teamwork
solution handles all aspects of this collaborative work. For example, Teamwork can be configured
to allow only a particular user to modify a given element; enable users to update their versions of
the project file with modifications made by others; and allow them to easily communicate with
each other in the context of the project.
A Teamwork project is created by sharing a Solo ArchiCAD project as a Teamwork project. When
such a project is shared, users must be defined. It is also possible to create a new project as a
Teamwork project from the start.
Users are those people who can access and work on the shared Teamwork project. The list of
users is maintained in a database. These users then log into the shared Teamwork project using
their own User name and Password. This functions much like a web-based e-mail application.
Each user is assigned a role. Roles are access rights that specify what a user is allowed to do in the
project file: e.g. which kinds of elements the user can create, and which kinds of modifications he/
she can carry out.
Thus, for each Teamwork project, you have to first share a project, then define Users and Roles.
In this new Teamwork solution, both users and roles are defined globally. This means that users
and roles do not have to be defined and set for each project separately. Instead, they are defined
once and can be used in any project thereafter. For example, if you have a Project Architect who is
entitled to work on and modify any detail of any project in the architectural office, then you
would create a User name for this person, and assign them the role of Lead Architect. The Lead
Architect role, by default, provides access rights to change anything in a project.
Introduction
This Teamwork solution is a client-server solution. For a computer to be able to function as a BIM
Server, the BIM Server application must be started.
Any computer can be a BIM Server. You can start the BIM Server on the local machine on which
you are running ArchiCAD. Any machine you run ArchiCAD on is a client machine, since ArchiCAD
is the client application. If you start the BIM Server on the local machine on which ArchiCAD is
also running, then that computer is the server and the client at the same time.
It is also possible to start the BIM Server on a dedicated server machine in your office. Many
architectural offices have a file server. The BIM Server can be started on this machine and
ArchiCAD copies running on other machines in the office can connect to this machine through
the Local Area Network (LAN). In a large architectural office, it is advisable to separate the BIM
Server and the file server machines.
A third option is to connect to the BIM Server through the Internet. This way, an architectural firm
with offices in different locations, cities, or even continents can have people from around the
world connect through the Internet to a shared Teamwork project. This enables true global
collaboration. If one job is in its final phase and there are not enough employees in the local
office, other employees from other offices can also work on the project. Or, if offices are in
different time zones, arrangements can be made allowing the project to be worked on around
the clock so it can be delivered by deadline. The Internet solution makes all these things feasible.
Roles are flexible in that they can be changed or overridden on the project level. Thus the Lead
Architect Role may mean full access as default, but with slightly more restricted access on a
specific project.
Since all these things are defined and maintained globally for the whole architectural office, it
provides flexible and central management of all Teamwork projects.
A database server application is started on any machine that we designate as the BIM Server. This
will store the shared Teamwork project file. Running copies of ArchiCAD will communicate with
this database server application as clients, much like a web server scenario. The BIM Server can be
accessed through the Internet, thus enabling true global architectural collaboration.
Due to its design, Teamwork offers much better performance than other solutions. A so-called
Difference Tracker Engine runs on both the server and the client side. Its purpose is to track the
changes to the project File. When a user sends the changes from his/her computer back to the
database file, only the difference between the two versions of the project file will be sent over the
network (whether a Local Area Network or the Internet).
Introduction
This dramatically reduces the size of data packages that travel across the network. In all other
current solutions, the entire shared project File has to be sent through the network. With larger
files, this can slow down the network and can also result in one member waiting for another (to
finish sending changes to and receiving from the shared project File) for as much as several
minutes. In contrast, Teamwork sends only the changes, making such performance bottlenecks a
thing of the past. The only time the whole project needs to travel over the network is when it is
initially shared and when users download their initial local copies of the project to their local
machines.
Data safety is also greatly enhanced in this version of Teamwork. Its database server technology,
in use for many years, represents a very mature and safe solution. All project data are stored in the
database. The full project data are also available to any client computer immediately after
Sending & Receiving changes. Additionally, backup copies are created either automatically, at
regular, pre-set intervals, or manually, at the Project Administrators discretion.
The Teamwork workflow has also been rethought and enhanced with the idea that any global
architectural office should be able to use the Teamwork solution, no matter where their offices
and most qualified employees are located. Any person defined as a user can join the shared
Teamwork project file from any location in the world through the Internet.
Reservation happens on the element level on an as-needed basis. You can reserve elements
individually. Furthermore, when you are finished making modifications to reserved elements, you
can release their reservations individually, or for all of them at once.
Graphical feedback helps to easily identify which elements are reserved by which user. This is
done by color coding: for example, all elements reserved by one user are shown in red, while all
unreserved elements are shown in blue.
Non-element data can also be reserved on demand. For example, if you want to modify Project
Preferences, you can simply reserve its dialog box, make the modifications, then release the
reservation.
Instant Messaging is also built into Teamwork. This enables users to communicate with each
other within ArchiCAD, even if they are not physically located near each other. When users work
on the same project area, they can request elements from each other using the Instant
Messaging system, or they can grant elements using the same.
10
Introduction
Any user can work on the project in either Online Mode (meaning a live connection between
their computer and the server) or in Offline Mode (meaning no such live connection exists). The
state of the project is stored on the users computer in a Local Cache Folder. When he/she is
Offline, he/she cannot reserve/release elements or send/receive changes. However, as soon as
the live link to the server is reestablished, the user can do these things again. Otherwise, there is
no difference in the user experience, whether Online or Offline.
The BIM Server offers various useful administrative tools. The BIM Server Managers Server
Activities page enables the Server Administrator to monitor CPU and memory load, which
indicate whether the current BIM Server computer is becoming overloaded. In such a case, the
Administrator can set up additional BIM Server machines as needed.
The BIM Server is a modular application, meaning that a single server program can include v13,
v14, v15, v16, v17 and v18 modules, each of which handles projects that were shared with the
corresponding ArchiCAD version. All ArchiCAD 13-18 Teamwork projects can be shared at the
same time. Teamwork projects started in an earlier version do not need to be migrated to v18 to
be able to use the BIM Server. However, it is advisable to limit the number of Teamwork modules
to 2.
If a firm is running several BIM Servers, in one or more offices, all data located on these BIM
Servers can be kept in synch, since it is possible to export and import all Project/User/Role/
Library-related data to and from any of the BIM Servers.
Now that youve read this short overview, lets start using the new ArchiCAD Teamwork solution
to see its capabilities demonstrated in real-life situations.
11
Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

Chapter 1 Installing the BIM Server
In this chapter, you will learn how to install and configure the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server on your
computer, to provide a safe and solid Teamwork environment for all members of the extended
design team. Please note that you need to set up and configure the BIM Server only once; then
you will be ready to share as many projects as you wish!
Now lets start installing the BIM Server:
1 Download the BIM Server 18 installer from myarchicad.com or launch it from the installation
DVD.
2 Run the BIM Server Installer application by clicking the BIM Server Installer icon.
The installation application starts.
12

3 Click the Next button in the installer.
4 Select the I accept radio button to accept the license agreement and click Next to continue.
13

5 After setting the desired folders, click Next to continue.
6 Click the Install button on the summary page to start the actual installation.
14

The installation is completed and the following dialog appears. Click Finish and configure the
BIM Server Manager and BIM Server Module settings.
You will be asked to specify several necessary settings in the upcoming dialog boxes. Firstly you
need to give the BIM Server a name by which you will be able to identify it (this becomes
important when there are several BIM Servers running in one office). You also have to configure a
password for the Master Administrator, port numbers and data folders for the Server Manager
and the Server Module.
15

7 The Configure BIM Server Manager dialog displays your local computers name by default as
the name of the newly configured server. Leave it like this then type twice the selected
masteradmin password (for instance 12345 to remember it easily). Define the folder for BIM
Server Manager Data and click Next.
The Configure BIM Server Module dialog allows you to select the folders where all the shared
Teamwork projects and BIM Server libraries will be stored.
The Project Data Folder should not be used for other externally linked non-teamwork files, such
as drawings from non-teamworked plns, dwgs, jpgs and so on - only for Teamwork projects that
will be handled by the BIM Server itself. By default the location for the Projects folder is a
subfolder of the BIM Server software folder. For the sake of this Training Guide we will use this
one. It is advisable though to use a dedicated placement for your Teamwork files outside the
Applications folder.
We will also use now the default place for Library Data, which is the Attachments subfolder of
BIM Server software folder. You will be able to modify these settings later if you want by opening
the Reconfigure v18 Module application from the default application folder.
16

8 Click Start now to start BIM Server with the configured parameters.
17

9 BIM Server will start in a new browser window providing the remained three steps to finalize
configuration. Press Start to do so.
18

10 First log in as a Master Administrator with the password you created before (12345) then
press Continue.
On the next page you need to create the first user. This user will be the Server Administrator. The
Server Administrator manages the BIM Server: he/she has the right to create new projects on the
server and create new users or roles, or modify/delete existing ones.
In this case, we will have a person who is the Lead Architect in our architectural team and will also
be the Server Administrator. Lets create this Administrator Account.
19

11 Fill out the fields in the dialog box as detailed below. For the password write 12345 in order to
easily remember it. The e-mail address you specify here will be used by ArchiCAD to send your
password to in case you forget it. However, as long as you have access to the computer that
hosts the BIM Server, you can change the password or create a new administrative account
within the BIM Server Manager.
Hint: Make sure to correctly type uppercase and lowercase characters since the
Username and Password are case-sensitive.
20

12 As a third and final step you need to fill out the SMTP parameters of the mail server. Please
check the instructions of the mail service provider on how to set up the mail server, otherwise
skip this step for this training. When ready press Continue.
21

13 The BIM Server is now configured and the system needs to be restarted. Log out and do so.
14 After restarting launch the BIM Server again by clicking on its shortcut icon on the
Desktop or started from the Application folder.
22

Then in the browser window log in as a user with full access, in our example as LeadArchitect.
As logged in as LeadArchitect you have the ability to set different things: you can share projects,
manage user accesses and roles, set server libraries and modules.
23

15 As a next step you are asked to activate your BIM Server with your GRAPHISOFT ID. Press
Activate button to start the process. If you happen not to have an ID, a link will be provided
on the next page where you can get one.
24

16 Press Continue to start the activation process. If you have not passed ID registration yet, you
can follow the link What is GRAPHISOFT ID? to complete it now.
Return to this window when finished.
25

17 Provide the e-mail address you registered your ID with before. Type your password as well and
click Sign in.
26

18 Press Activate to complete the activation.
27

19 As the activation is finished you can start your BIM Server.
28

20 BIM Server is running and ready for use.
29

In this Chapter you have seen
How simple it is to install the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server.
The GRAPHISOFT BIM Server configured in just a few steps during the installation process.
The GRAPHISOFT BIM Server set to automatically start up after system restart, with no need
for any manual input from the Administrator.
30
Chapter 2 Managing the BIM Server

In this chapter you will discover how the BIM Server can be managed either locally from the
server machine or remotely from a different machine within the office via the LAN, or even via the
Internet. Being able to access and manage the BIM Server remotely provides great flexibility for
BIM managers to set up Teamwork projects and to manage users and access rights from
anywhere around the world.
You can control the BIM Server from any computer or devices like tablets or mobile phones
through your web browser with the required rights to the server. On the web interface of the BIM
Server Manager you have full control over how the BIM Server Module is configured, as well as
the Server Manager functionalities, with which you can configure the shared projects, users, roles,
libraries and even monitor server activity.
Managing the BIM Server

On the server machine where the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server has been installed, open the
application to manage BIM Server. Lets see how it works:
Open BIM Server Manager by clicking on the shortcut on your desktop or selected from the
Application folder (Program Files in Windows systems). The panel allows you to share projects,
create users, set roles for them, control the server libraries and monitor the server operation.
31

1 Click Modules first to explore its content.
32

The starting panel of Modules by default shows the general activity of the server. It is quite empty
now but later it will be full of very important entries showing all actions done by users: joining,
leaving, sending changes, etc. Besides these this is the place where you will be able to handle the
manual and automatic backup files later when you will already have one or more project shared
on your BIM Server. We will learn more about these options in Part 2, Chapter 8 of this tutorial.
33

2 Select BIM Server Manager module now from the menu on the left. Firstly you will see two
kinds of basic information under the title: the version number and the status if the server is
currently running or stopped. Besides these the main panel shows configured but editable
parameters. You can modify the name of the BIM Server. If you later do so users will need to
leave the already shared project and rejoin to be able to work on the Teamwork Project again.
Changing the e-mail preferences you will be able to configure the SMTP settings through
which users will be able to modify their passwords. While in the Custom user fields section
you can set extra categories like telephone or Skype contacts, location etc. that you or the
users themselves can fill later as additional information.
34

3 Click now V18 Module on the left side panel. This will provide you more detailed
information about the state of the server like number of projects and users, available project
and library space etc. You can stop or restart the server here from the left-side menu or from
the main panel.
35

Hint: The Settings opened from the Serverss name in the header will also bring you
to the BIM Server Manager setting panel (Step 2 in this Chapter).
Hint: It is paramount that the BIM Server and the client ArchiCAD versions are of the
same Build Number so that they can communicate with each other. You can always
check the Build Number of the BIM Server via the above described way and the
Build Number of ArchiCAD client version via Help menu/About ArchiCAD...
command.
36

The Build Number is highlighted with a red rectangle in the image below.
Lets have a look at the other functions of the manager like Projects, Users, Roles and Libraries.
37

4 Click Home on breadcrumbs to go back to the main screen.
5 For now close the browser window of the BIM Server Manager and go to Applications/
GRAPHISOFT/BIM Server folder (in Windows operational system Program Files/
GRAAPHISOFT/BIM Server). Among the icon of BIM Server Manager you can find here the
thumbnails of two applications which you can use to reconfigure the previous settings:
Reconfigure v18 Module and Reconfigure v18 Manager.
38

Lets have a look at the Module configuration first. Project Data Folder and Library Data Folder
can be changed or other port can be set with the help of the Find available port command
available from the roll-down list besides the port number.
39

Lets have a look at the BIM Server Manager configurations now. You can change the
masteradmin password, set other port or you can change the place of BIM Server Manager Data
Folder here.
Up to now you have seen, in brief, the main functions of the BIM Server Manager on the local
machine. Now lets see how to access the BIM Server remotely, from a different machine.
40
Managing the BIM Server Remotely

BIM Server Manager is a zero deployment tool: you can start the web browser with the Server
Manager on any computer, enter the address of the BIMcloud/BIM Server that contains the port
number and log in with your credentials. This solution does not even require a desktop computer
or a laptop: any tablets or mobile phones with the Internet access can utilize this interface, on a
screen display adjusted to the devices parameters. The only requirement is the network
connection between the client and the server machine. This can be either LAN (Local Area
Network), a public licence server or VPN (Virtual Private Network). As address the default access is
127.0.01, but you also have to define the port. In our case the complete address looks like this:
127.0.0.1:1228.
41

How simply and easily the BIM Server can be managed on the server machine.
The BIM Server can be controlled remotely from anywhere around the world via the Internet,
providing BIM Managers great flexibility to access the servers and manage the shared
projects, user accounts and access rights.
42
Chapter 3 Defining Roles

In this Chapter, you will learn how Teamwork roles can be defined in the BIM Server Manager.
Roles define what users are allowed to do in a Teamwork project. A role is a set of access rights
which enable a user to create, delete or modify and manage particular element types or data
types.
Only Server Administrators are allowed to create or modify roles in the BIM Server Manager. Once
a role has been defined, users can be assigned a particular role with which they will be able to
join a shared Teamwork project.
Lets see how roles can be defined in the BIM Server Manager:
1 Start BIM Server and click Roles in the top menu.
When the BIM Server was installed, a number of default roles were automatically created which
are visible in the Roles panel. By default, the Lead Architect role has access to and the right to
modify any parts of the project file. The Architect role has many access rights, but does not have
43

project management-related ones, such as deleting/modifying attributes, setting libraries, etc.
The Draftsman has even fewer rights to make modifications in the project, while the Viewer has
no rights to do anything in the Project except to view it.
2 Use Create role and Import options from Roles menu to create a new role or to import an
existing one from another BIM Server through the BIMRoles file format.
These commands can also be accessed by pressing the + button in the row of Roles.
44

3 If an existing role is selected you can duplicate it to create a modification of it or to export it in
BIMroles file format so that it can be used with another BIM Server. Naturally you can also
delete it. With the help of the tick tag you can select multiple roles for deletion or export.
You will not need to create a new role this time. However, the Architect role needs some finetuning, so lets open the Role Settings dialog box and see how to edit existing roles. For the
purpose of this training, lets change some of the access rights of the Architect role.
45

4 Lets hide the left side menu and collapse all Permission categories first to be able to focus
more on this special role and to get a better overview.
46

5 The gray tick sings mean that the role Architect has partial rights within that category while
the black ones mean that within that category this role has full access. An empty space
without any tick in that row means that the role does not have any rights as part of that
special category.
47

6 Lets take back all Attribute Access Rights from users with an Architect role. For this purpose
click Edit for Permissions and uncheck the whole category.
48

7 Now expand ArchiCAD - External Content parent category and uncheck the Library part
Delete/modify access right row of it.
49

8 Also expand ArchiCAD - Navigator parent category and uncheck the Views and folders
Delete/modify access right. These access rights should only be available for the Lead
Architect role. To make the modifications active press Save.
Now that you have made the necessary changes to the roles, we can continue with setting up the
user accounts for the users who will play a part during this training session.
50

BIM Server Manager provides pre-defined roles out-of-the-box that can be used straightaway
in a Teamwork environment.
BIM Managers have the option of moving role settings between different BIM Servers easily,
using the export and import roles functionality.
51
Chapter 4 Managing Users

In this Chapter, you will discover how the user accounts can be added and managed for the
architectural team that will work on the Teamwork project.
Server Administrators can set up user accounts in the Users panel of the BIM Server Manager. For
each User account, a role must be selected that will determine his/her access rights within a
shared Teamwork project. It is also possible to assign a different role to a user for a specific
project, should the architectural workflow within the office require this.
This training guide involves three different users who will work together on a shared Teamwork
project: the lead architect (Lead Architect) and two architects (Architect 1 and Architect 2). Lets
set up user accounts for them:
1 Press Home on breadcrumbs, then select Users from the top menu.
52

2 As you can see, the Lead Architect user account has already been added during the
installation process of the BIM Server. Lets check its user settings by clicking on the Lead
Architects row on the left side menu.
The Lead Architect is by default a Server Administrator but no roles have been assigned to him
yet. All the other values are filled out as you entered them during the installation process.
Hint: The Color tag shows the users default color within the teamwork project.
When reserved elements are displayed by color-coding in ArchiCAD, this color will
be used to display elements belonging to this users workspace, as you will see in
Part 2 of this training guide. These default colors may be customized in each
ArchiCAD instance.
53

3 Press Edit for Personal settings, then click on the little blue square in the Color row and select
a green color for the Lead Architects user color. Press anywhere outside the color picker to
close it.
54

4 As a result of the previous action the color has been changed. Lets set now the Default role
of the user to Lead Architect to finalize the settings. When finished press Save.
55

Now lets set up the two other accounts for Architect 1 and Architect 2:
5 Click on + in the Users main menu and select Create user command from the small pop-up
list.
56

6 In the appearing lightbox pop up window provide the following information: the full name of
the new user and a password twice. The first new user will be Architect 1, while the password
should be one that can be easily remembered, like 12345.
57

7 Back on the main panel you still need to provide compulsorily a Login name (Architect1) and
an e-mail address, which does not have to be a live one, however it must meet the required
characteristics in its syntax. (Certainly in a real life situation one would enter a working email
address here.) Besides this lets set a yellow color for Architect 1 and Architect role as default
one. Management role has to be left as Not set as we do not want to give any project or server
administrator rights to him/her.
58

Hint: As a default, each new user which is created is Enabled e.g.: can join any
shared Teamwork project on the server. In case a user is not meant to work on
Teamwork projects for a while (e.g.: the design has reached a stage where interns
are not allowed to work on it anymore), he/she can be made Disabled on the users
page. Then the disabled user will not have access to any shared projects on the
server. Once the workflow has progressed to a state where the user is allowed again
to work on Teamwork projects, he can be Enabled again by the Server
Administrator.
59

8 Create another user for Architect 2 and fill out the details as shown below, with red as user
color:
Server Administrators have the following rights in all of the projects on the server:
Share projects from a client ArchiCAD.
Access and modify all Teamwork Project Settings from a client ArchiCAD.
Manage the libraries (e.g. upload, delete, update) on the BIM Server.
Force a user to leave the project. In addition to all of the Project Administrator rights listed
above, Server Administrators have full access to the BIM Server Manager and all of its control
e.g.:
-
Add Users to the server
Create Roles and define Access Rights
Manage Projects on this server (e.g. export, create, delete)
60

9 Now you have created the three users who will be part of the teamwork you can continue
now to share the project you will be working on in the following chapters.
61

How the Server Administrator can easily set up Users accounts for all users.
Each user is assigned an editable user color that will help show what elements are reserved by
him/her while working on a shared Teamwork project.
The ability to assign Project Administrator and Server Administrator rights separately to any
users provides great flexibility for BIM managers.
62
Chapter 5 Sharing the Project

In this Chapter you will share the project in other words, you will configure the project for
simultaneous work in the ArchiCAD Teamwork environment. This way, multiple users can work on
the same project simultaneously in complete harmony.
In the second part of this Chapter, you will also discover how a shared project can be further
managed via the BIM Server Manager. Users and roles can be fine-tuned on a project level,
allowing BIM managers great flexibility in dividing up work and responsibilities within the design
team.
Sharing the Project

Before we start sharing the project, lets have an overview of the building you will be working on
throughout this training guide: the Microsoft Headquarters building, built in GRAPHISOFT Park in
Budapest, Hungary in 2007, designed by Lukacs and Vikar Architects
(http://www.lukacsesvikar.hu). The office complex is divided into two buildings connected by
bridges, with a gross floor area of around 11 500 sqm. The design won the well-respected
Hungarian ProArchitectura Award in 2009.
Lets open the solo ArchiCAD project and share it for the ArchiCAD Teamwork environment.
63

1 Open the Teamwork Training.pla file in ArchiCAD. Choose Read elements directly from
archive when prompted.
64

2 Select the Share menu item from the Teamwork menu.
3 For the first time Teamwork is being used on your ArchiCAD client, a login dialog will pop up
where you have to type in the address of that particular BIM Server on which you want to
share your project. You will need to have and provide an administrator user name and
password combination as well. Copy the url address of the of the newly-created BIM Server
Homes browser window and paste it into the Address field. This URL contains the Manager
applications port number besides the default 127.0.0.1 address. The complete address look
like 127.0.0.1:1228 in our case. For identification use the Lead Architects access:
LeadArchitect as username and 12345 as password.
65

A new dialog window appears after pressing Log in. This one already contains LeadArchitect as
user and the name of our server. Later on when you want to share a new project in the same
ArchiCAD client the login dialog will not appear anymore, just the Share Teamwork Project one
with the list of all previously used server and user names as options for sharing.
By pressing the Create Folder / Manage Folders button we could create a project folder for our
to-be-shared Teamwork project. The folder system helps to keep the list of teamwork files clear
and easily searchable. Offices can decide what kind of order they prefer, if they want to organize
their files by date, building projects or categories when sorting different teamwork files into their
folder structure. We will not create however any folder for this project as part of this training.
Lets check however the Libraries option. Linked Libraries are uploaded to the BIM Server as part
of project sharing. You can modify this setting if you want by choosing Dont Use option instead.
66

Later at a new sharing process when the same linked library is already uploaded, the default
option will be Link to this previously uploaded BIM Server library.
67

If the Open Project Settings after Share checkbox was marked you could be immediately
redirected to BIM Server Managers Project Setting page. For now lets not use this option and
also try to avoid to automatically join the teamwork project by pressing Share without Join
reached from the roll-down menu of the main Share button.
Now the project is being shared and uploaded to the BIM Server.
68
Managing the Shared Project

Lets find out how the shared project can be further managed via the BIM Server Manager.
1 Open the BIM Server Manager and choose Projects from the upper menu.
69

On the main Project Settings page Server Administrators can import existing Teamwork projects
from a file or another BIM Server. The other important command is Create Folder which helps
administrators in organizing the list of teamwork files shared on the server.
70

2 Click on the newly-added Teamwork Training menu item now. The main Settings page of the
project gives you the ability to rename it and as part of all further pages of the Settings menu
additional managing operations can be carried out. Delete, Move, Export and Duplicate
commands helps the administrator to assemble and keep the required set of teamwork files
organized.
71

Besides these commands Accessibility is a special option that allows the administrator to
temporarily lock all users out from accessing particular Teamwork projects. If the project is locked,
it means that users can keep working on the project, but will not be able to send or receive
project data to or from the BIM Server.
72

3 Click on the next menu item called Backups on the upper menu. This page allows you to
display and manage project backups: both automatically scheduled and manual ones. You
can configure how often ArchiCAD will create backups of the Teamwork project here.
BIMproject and PLN backup possibilities will be able to be set separately as it will be shown
later in Part 2, Chapter 8 of this training manual.
73

4 Lets switch now to the next menu item. Activities page lets you view, filter and even export
(in a text file) all project activities (Join/Leave, Share, Load, Comments, Send and Receive,
Release of Project Data and Backups) of the shared Teamwork project. You can monitor the
latest actions that were made in connection with the Teamwork Project showing the exact
activities with required file size, the user and the time of action.This project log is useful for
providing a snapshot of project progress within a given time frame: for example, to check
whether all users really did send in their changes.
74

The last upper menu item of Projects is Access. It lets you control the users who have access to
this project. In addition, you can use this panel to edit the project-specific role of a selected user
or to create a customized role for this project only. By default, Everyone can access the project:
Everyone is a special Group user, which includes every user defined on the BIM Server. Members
of Everyone have access granted with their default roles.
75

5 You can add individual users to this project from the BIM Servers user list. To select a user you
have to start typing their names in the top text area of the Access page. It is suggested to
switch to Summarize by users view instead of Compact view so that the list of available
users is provided. It is enough to just start typing the name, the automatic filtering option will
make the selection process very easy.
Note: If users access is granted when they are part of a group, they can only be
forced to leave projects, and can re-join later. In this case the access rights of the
group members are handled together. To be able to revoke individual users from
projects, you have to add them manually in the first place.
76

6 Even if you keep Everyone as user, you can add some of the user names individually to assign
them a project specific role that is not their default role. It can be useful if a users role is
different for a specific project than his/her usual role. For example, here Architect 2 could be
added and a different role (e.g.: Draftsman) selected for him, so that Architect 2 could work on
this project as a Draftsman only. However, lets not change the users and their roles for this
project; let Everyone join with their default roles. Do not finalize the assignation process,
instead of pressing Save click on x to step back from the granting procedure and cancel
selection at the same time.
77

7 Using breadcrumbs go to Libraries page to see which menu items have been uploaded to the
BIM Server.
8 This Teamwork Training project used the Teamwork Training.pla archive library, which has
been uploaded to the BIM Server. You will discover later how to manage BIM Server Libraries,
in Part 2, Chapter 6 of this training manual.
9 Close the BIM Server Manager and also close the Teamwork Training.pla ArchiCAD project.
You have now shared the project and seen how the BIM Server Manager can help in monitoring
and managing the Teamwork environment. You are now ready to discover in detail how users can
work simultaneously and seamlessly on the shared project.
78

How Project Administrators can easily share an ArchiCAD solo project via any client ArchiCAD
version.
How shared Teamwork projects can be further managed by Server Administrators using the
BIM Server Manager.
The sophisticated tools provided for Server Administrators in the BIM Server Manager to
monitor BIM Server performance.
79
Part 2 Working in Teamwork

Chapter 1 Joining the Teamwork Project
In this chapter you will discover how to join a shared Teamwork project and start to work.
After having joined the project, users will typically remain joined in for the full period of time they
are working on the project. When they finish their work for the day, they can send the changes
they have made to the BIM Server and also receive the changes contributed by the other users
and close ArchiCAD. The next day, when they would like to continue working, they can simply
open the project. The BIM Server will ensure that each user will work on an up-to-date version of
the Teamwork project. The coordination is done automatically: the users need only send and
receive the changes from time to time.
Typically, users will leave a Teamwork project when they no longer wish to work on it. Once they
have left the project, their reservations are abandoned and their local copies on their remote
machines are deleted. The only time a user must leave a project despite the fact that he/she
intends to continue working in it is if his/her role and related access rights have changed:
changes will take effect only after users leave and then re-join the project.
80
Architect 1 Joining the Project

Lets see how Architect 1 can join the project:
1 Launch ArchiCAD. Choose the Open a Project and the Browse for a Teamwork Project
options in the Start dialog box and click Browse...
81

2 The Open/Join Teamwork Project dialog appears, where the BIM server is already selected
and you are logged in as Lead Architect. Select the Log in as a different User... menu item in
order to join the project as Architect 1 instead.
3 The Login dialog box opens. In this window you can select the BIM Server you would like to
connect to; you must also identify yourself. All the BIM Servers which are currently on-line and
accessible will be listed in this dialog box. You can select the BIM Server name you set up in
Chapter 1 of Part 1 of this manual. Write Architect1 in the User name field, then type the
password (12345) into the Password field. Finally, click Log in.
82

4 The Open/Join Teamwork Project dialog box appears: here you can select from the shared
Teamwork projects you are authorized to join. Select the Teamwork Training project, then
click Join.
5 The following window appears explaining that you have just joined a Teamwork project. Click
OK to join the project.
83

6 The project opens.
Architect 2 Joining the Project

Lets see another way to join the project for Architect 2. Ideally you would like to join the project
for Architect 2 from a different computer so that you could have the best feedback on how users
experience each others contribution in a Teamwork environment. If you cannot utilize another
machine for this purpose, you can launch a new instance of ArchiCAD from the same machine
and have two open ArchiCADs running at the same time: one for Architect 1 and the other for
Architect 2. To more easily differentiate which ArchiCAD instance you are currently working in, we
suggest you change the background color of the ArchiCAD project to match the user color.
Therefore, before joining Architect 2 to the Teamwork project, lets change the background color
of the floor plans to yellow, the user color of Architect 1.
84

1 Open the Teamwork Palette from the Teamwork menu. This will show
Architect 1 as a joined user in the Users panel. The user color is also
visible beside the photo placeholder.
2 Choose the Grids & Background menu item from View/Grid & Editing Plane Options
menu.
85

3 Choose a light yellow color for the Background.
4 Save the project locally by clicking on the File/Save menu item.

Now lets have Architect 2 join the Teamwork project via the Teamwork menu:
86

5 From the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 1, click the Project/Join Teamwork Project
command from the Teamwork menu.
6 In the upcoming dialog box, check the Launch new instance of ArchiCAD option. (This step
is only needed if you join with Architect 2 from the same computer.) To select another user to
join the project, choose the Log in as a different User... option from the pop-up menu by
clicking on current users name to the right of the BIM Server name.
87

7 Fill in the details for Architect 2, then press Log in.
8 Select the Teamwork Training project for Architect 2, then click Join.
9 As with Architect 1, the Teamwork project will be opened for Architect 2, but now in a new
instance of ArchiCAD.
88

10 Select a light red background color for the project of Architect 2.
11 Click Save for the project of Architect 2.
89

Hint: To specify the folder in which to save your local copy of the Teamwork project,
select the Local Data folder in the Local Data Options dialog opened from the path
Teamwork/Project/Local Data Manager/Options. In the same dialog, you can set
ArchiCAD to issue data cleanup reminders for local data of a certain age, by checking the Run
Local Data cleanup option and specifying the number of days. Please note that ArchiCAD
will run faster if virus checking and indexing are disabled for the Local Data folder and its
subfolders.
90

How simple and straightforward it is for users to join a shared Teamwork project.
All the currently running BIM Servers are always visible in the Open/join Teamwork project
dialog.
To streamline the joining process, only those shared Teamwork projects are shown which the
current user is authorized to join.
To help the identification of currently open projects in ArchiCAD, the server name and the
name of the currently joined user are always shown in the title bar of the floor plan windows.
91
Chapter 2 Reserving Workspaces

In this chapter you will see how easy it is to reserve the elements you would like to work on and
how other users currently working on the same Teamwork project receive instant feedback about
your reservation.
To avoid more than one user reserving the same element at the same time, GRAPHISOFT BIM
Server tracks element reservation instantly and notifies other users about reservation changes
right away. Therefore everyone in the project team is always informed about who is working on
what part of the project, thus avoiding design mistakes based on miscommunication about who
is doing what.
You will also experience how ArchiCAD helps the communication of workspaces within the
project team by providing easy to apply color schemes for workspace representation.
Finally you will learn about the different ways of how you can reserve elements for editing. These
methods support several workflow patterns, which can be applicable for architectural offices and
projects different in sizes and complexities.
92
Reserving Elements by Selection

To be able to edit any part of a shared project, you must first select the parts you would like to
work on and make them part of your workspace. To do this, simply select the required elements
and reserve them with a single click. You and the other users will receive instant feedback about
the changes in element ownership.
Lets suppose the task of Architect 1 is to finalize the restroom layout. Lets select a wall of the
central restroom, reserve it and see what options are available to help visualize whose workspace
the selected item is in:
1 In the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 1, open the Chapter 2.01 view in the Teamwork
Training folder in the Navigator View Map.
2 Select a wall segment and wait for the Info Tag to appear. You can see the first line of the Info
Tag is Free for Reservation, indicating that the element is free to be reserved.
93

3 Click the Reserve command from the Teamwork palette to reserve the wall
segment.
4 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2 and activate the same view in
the Navigator.
5 Select the Show Reservation by Users from Colored workspaces field of Teamworks palette
Workspace panel.
94

6 Notice how the wall segment that has just been reserved by Architect 1 is changed to the user
color of Architect 1, while the rest of the elements on the floor plan are colored in blue
showing that they are free to be reserved.
7 Activate the Chapter 2.02 perspective view in the Teamwork Training folder in Navigator View Map to see the reservation in the 3D window.
95

8 Switch back to the ground floor plan and select the wall segment. In the first line of the
appearing Info Tag, you can see which user has reserved the element.
Hint: The Colored Workspaces field on the Workspace panel of the Teamwork
Palette provides different options for displaying the reservations, so that it is easy to
identify them:
-
All with Original Color: All elements are displayed with the colors that were set in their
respective Settings Dialogs.
Gray out unowned Workspace: Elements you have reserved are displayed with their
original colors; all other elements with a light gray color.
Highlight my reservation: This option displays all elements not reserved by you with a
light gray color, but will display your reserved elements in red.
Show Reservation by Users: non-reserved elements are in blue (this as well as other
workspace colors - see picture below - can be modified in the Work Environment Dialog).
All elements reserved by a user are displayed with that users color (assigned in the
Teamwork Palette).
Own Elements / free elements / Others workspace.
96

-
Requested by me / from me / other elements.
As you can see, any selected element can be reserved with just a single click. The reservation
command can also be executed from the context menu:
97

As well as from the Teamwork menu:
Reserving Elements by Criteria

To select multiple elements for reservation which are in several different project views, you can
set up selection criteria based on any element parameters and even specify the views of the
project from which you would like to reserve them. (This can be easier than selecting each
element separately in the various views.)
Lets select the internal partitions from all the stories in one step:
1 Switch back to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 1.
2 Open the Reserve Elements dialog box from the Teamwork menu, or from the Teamwork
palette from the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 1.
98

3 In the Project Region part of the dialog box add the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors so that the
reservation of elements is extended to these floors of the project as well.
4 In the Criteria part of the dialog box, add the following two criteria to select all the walls from
the layer called Interior Partition:
Element type is to be Wall;
Layer is to be Interior Partition.

Note: The Criteria part of the Reserve Elements dialog box works similarly to the
Find and Select dialog box. The criteria sets you create in either of these dialogs
automatically appear in the other dialog box as well.
99

5 Click Reserve Elements to carry out the reservation. Set Colored workspaces to Show
Reservation by Users the same way as we did with Architect 2 previously. See how the
reserved walls change color on the floor plan.
100

6 Activate Chapter 2.03 perspective view from the Teamwork Training folder in Navigator View Map to see the extent of the reservation in the 3D window. The reserved elements are
shown with the color of Architect 1, while the unreserved elements are shown in blue.
7 Click the My Workspace to show an overview of your reserved elements.
101
Creating New Elements

To create new elements, you do not need to reserve a workspace in advance. Every new element
you create will automatically become part of your workspace. However, these new elements will
only be available for the other users if you send your changes to the server and they also receive
them.
Lets finalize the internal layout of the toilet block and see how the newly created elements will
become part of your workspace.
1 Go back to the Chapter 2.01 view.
2 Activate the Pick Up Parameters button in the standard toolbar.
3 Click on an internal partition of the toilet block with the pipette cursor to transfer its
parameters into the Wall Default Settings dialog, thus ensuring that you will create the same
type of wall next time you start drawing a wall.
102

4 Draw a vertical wall segment as shown in the picture.
Hint: You can use the Special Snap Points feature from
the toolbar to help place the wall segment. Select the
Half and the Between Intersection Points options
from the pop-up menu. Now place the wall segment in the exact
midpoint of the horizontal wall segment with the help of the
snap point.
103

5 To place doors for the toilet cubicles, lets pick up the parameter of another door by Altclicking on a corner point of an existing cubicle door.
Make sure the center geometry method is selected for the door.
Now you can place it at the exact midpoint of the wall segments with the help of
the snap point.
104

6 In the same way, you can place the toilet objects into the cubicles, just make sure
you Alt-click the toilet object in the hotspot in the middle of its back (to pick up its
parameters and place it with the same hotspot by which you Alt-clicked the
object).
7 Save the project with the File/Save command.

You can see that the wall segment, the doors and the toilets have been created with the user
color of Architect 1. They have automatically become part of the workspace of Architect 1.
105

How fast and easily users can access Teamwork projects simultaneously.
How flexible it is to reserve elements for editing.
For creating new elements there is no need to make reservations.
There is no need to set up static reservations in advance.
You can simply reserve elements on the fly as you work on the project.
How the colored workspace schemes help communication within the project team.
106
Chapter 3 Sending and Receiving Changes

In this Chapter, you will learn the difference between saving your project and sending and
receiving.
To save the work that you have done so far, you can simply use the File/Save command. However,
this Save command will not automatically upload the changes you have made to the centrally
shared Teamwork project on the BIM Server. It will merely save your local copy of the file to your
computer in a Teamwork database format (see Part 1, Chapter 1 for hints for Local Data Options to
learn where the local Teamwork copies are kept on your hard drive).
When your work has progressed to a point at which you wish to share it with other users, apply
the Send Changes command. Doing so will upload the changes you made to the BIM Server. To
update your project with the contributions of the other users, apply the Receive Changes
command. You can do both in one step, with the Send & Receive command.
The difference between saving and sending and receiving means that users can decide which
part of their work they would like to share with others (sending and receiving), while also
ensuring that the project on their computer is securely saved (saving).
At the end of the chapter, you will also find out what it means to be off-line, when you are part of
the Teamwork project but not working on it, or to work offline when there is no live network
connection to the BIM Server.
Finally, you will see how simple it is to release the elements you no longer wish to work on.
107
Sending the Changes

Lets share with the other users the design work Architect 1 made to the washroom in the
previous Chapter. To do this, we must send the changes to the BIM Server.
1 Open the view called Chapter 3.01 from Navigator View Map in the project of Architect 1.
2 Click the arrow button to the right of the Send & Receive command on the Teamwork
palette.
108

3 Click Send Changes. (You can reach the same commands from the Teamwork menu.)
4 The following warning message may appear, informing you that after the Send Changes
command, ArchiCAD will also create a backup copy in a PLN version. To read more about the
backup option, please refer to Chapter 8 of Part 2 of this manual.
Click Continue.
As you can see, it took less than a second to send the changes to the BIM Server, due to the low
network traffic generated by ArchiCAD Teamworks DELTA-Server technology. This technology
ensures that only the changes are sent through the network and processed by the BIM Server,
facilitating the sharing of large projects by architectural teams of any size.
109
Sending and Receiving the Changes

Lets switch to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2. The task of Architect 2 is to create the
furniture layout of the building, so lets place some dining tables and chairs into the central
kitchen area.
1 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2. Activate the Chapter 3.01 view in Navigator
View Map.
2 Bring up the Favorites palette from the Window/Palettes menu and double click the Dining
Table favorite. Place two dining tables with chairs into the kitchen area.
3 Notice that the tables are in red, the user color of Architect 2.
110

4 To see the changes that were carried out by other users, as well as to share your design input
with them, lets carry out the Send & Receive command.
5 The changes done by Architect 1 were received instantly and are now visible in yellow on the
screen.
111
Receiving the Changes

Certainly it is also possible in ArchiCAD Teamwork to only receive the changes without sending
yours. Lets see an example for this as well by switching to the workspace of Architect 1 and
receiving the changes that have just been carried out by Architect 2.
1 Switch back to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 1 and apply the Receive Changes
command.
2 Notice that the two dining tables with chairs have appeared on the floor plan instantly and
are displayed in red, showing that they are reserved by Architect 2.
112
Offline Status
When you are part of a Teamwork project but currently not connected to the BIM Server, the
other users will see you as being offline. In this case your preview picture in the Users panel of the
Teamwork palette will be grayed out and the offline text will appear under the user's name.
To see an example, lets close the project of Architect 1 and see how Architect 2 will experience
the other user being offline.
1 Save the project of Architect 1 and then close it using the File/Close Project command.
2 Switch back to Architect 2 and see how the preview picture of Architect 1 changes in the
Users panel of the Teamwork palette.
Working Offline
While you are working on a Teamwork project but your connection to the BIM Server is lost for
any reason (e.g. network problems, or the server machine breaks down) you will still be able to
continue work with some restrictions. You will not be able to change your workspace, send and
receive changes or communicate with other users via the messaging functions (see functions
explained in detail later in Chapter 5) but you will be able to work within your workspace, create
new elements or save your project. Once the communication with the BIM Server is reestablished,
you will be able to send and receive changes again.
Lets see an example of working offline.
113

1 Check the Work Offline pop-up menu in the Teamwork palette and see how the menus in the
Workspace panel have been grayed out.
2 Check out the menu to be online again.
3 Save the project.
114
Releasing Selected Elements

Use the Release command on any currently reserved element and the element will be released
instantly. It is recommended to regularly release those elements that you no longer wish to work
on. This way you can maintain a flexible workflow in the architectural office.
Lets see an example of how to release selected elements.
1 In the ArchiCAD project of Architect 2, select one of the Dining Table objects.
2 Click the Release button of the Workspace panel of the Teamwork palette to release the
selected element.
115

3 You can see how the floor plan representation of the object changes from red to blue,
showing the element is no longer reserved by any users.
4 Select the other Dining Table object, then click with the right
mouse button beside it on the floor plan to bring up the
context menu. Select the Release Selected Elements
command from the context menu.
5 You can see the other Dining Table object has also been released.
Naturally you can select more than one element and apply the Release Selected Elements
command to them. The command can also be reached under the Teamwork menu.
116
Releasing All Elements

With single click of the Release All command, all your previously released elements will be
released in seconds, allowing the other users to work on them straightaway, without having to
receive the changes.
1 In the other ArchiCAD instance, open the Teamwork project of Architect 1. In the Open popup menu, you will have the recently opened projects listed. The Teamwork projects have a
special icon and the server name and user name is also listed in brackets.
2 Before letting you work, the server may ask you to receive the recent modifications of the
teamwork project.
117

3 The floor plan window opens with the reservations shown by user color.
4 Click the My Workspace button on the Teamwork palette for an overview of the reserved
elements.
118

5 Click the Release All button of the Teamwork palette or alternatively the Release All button
on the My Workspace panel.
6 The following warning message appears informing you that before releasing the reserved
elements you have to send the changes you have previously made. Click the Send & Release
All button to continue.
119

7 Click the My Workspace button on the Teamwork palette to check that you have no elements
within your workspace.
120

Hint: You can set a preference that your reservation be released automatically each
time you close the Teamwork project. This option can be very useful to avoid
accidentally holding on to model elements while you are joined in but not working
on the project. The following picture shows you the relevant setting in ArchiCADs Work
Environment dialog box.
121

In what flexible ways ArchiCAD Teamwork supports the architectural workflow by the finetuned sending and receiving methods.
There is virtually no waiting time at synchronization due to the low network traffic generated
by ArchiCAD Teamworks DELTA-Server technology: only the changes are sent through the
network and processed by the server or clients.
Teams of any size can collaborate due to fast Send & Receive operations.
Project information and user statuses are always kept up-to-date between all the users.
How ArchiCAD Teamwork supports offline work methods: in case of network failure, users can
continue their work and save the project locally. Once the network connection is
reestablished, they can again send and receive changes to and from the BIM Server.
How easy it is to release the elements that you do not wish to edit any longer.
122
Chapter 4 Instant Team Communication

In this chapter you will be introduced to ArchiCAD Teamworks built-in messaging function,
which can increase productivity and helps reduce the risk of design problems.
Teamwork Messaging allows users to instantly communicate, manage workspaces and tasks in
the context of the ArchiCAD model. The messaging functions are integrated with the ArchiCAD
project: they are tied to elements and actions within the project, so that many messaging
functions are automated, reducing the amount of user-initiated communications needed.
Moreover, the possible actions are available right from the message itself, making the
communication smooth and easy.
Furthermore, you can communicate with users who are not on-line at the moment: they will
receive their messages the next time they are on-line.
Simple Text Messages

Standard text messages can be sent to individual users or to the entire team. The messages will
automatically pop up on the recipients screen.
Lets see an example:
The Lead Architect would like to see how the project is developing, therefore he joins the project.
In a text message he will request Architect 2 to start furnishing the offices.
1 Close the project of Architect 1.
123

2 Join the project in the name of the Lead Architect.
124

3 Select a light green background for the plan view for easier identification.
4 Select Architect 2 from the Users list of the Teamwork palette.

Then click the Send Message icon . Alternatively you can select the New Message
command from the Teamwork menu.
125

5 Write a message in the upcoming New Message dialog, then click Send.
126

6 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2 and see how the message appeared instantly
on the screen and then in the Messages panel of the Teamwork palette. Double click on the
message in the Messages panel to open its own window.
127

7 Click on the Reply icon to bring up the answer message window, in which you can compose
your message.
8 Write the answer and send the message.
128

9 Switch back to the Lead Architects ArchiCAD to see the answer.
10 Click on the message with the right mouse button to bring up the context menu with the
following options:
11 Click the Move to Completed option to move the message into the Completed folder.
129

12 The content of the Completed folder can be viewed by clicking on the
following icon:
13 In this folder you have the option of deleting outdated messages by
selecting them and clicking on the icon.
Element Based Messages Ask for Review

In Teamwork, messages can be attached to model elements, allowing the recipient to easily find
the corresponding model elements just by clicking on the Show Element button inside the
message. This can be extremely useful if you are working on a project view where the transferred
or requested elements are not visible. To give this function a try, lets see Architect 2 furnish an
office and ask the Lead Architect for review.
1 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2 and activate the Chapter 4.01 view in
Navigator - View Map.
130

2 Select all elements on the ground floor by activating the arrow tool in the Tool Box, then apply
the Select All command from the Edit menu.
3 Click on the Reserve button on the Teamwork palette to reserve the selected elements. The
following message will come up; click Receive & Reserve to continue.
All the elements will be colored to red indicating that they belong to the workspace of
Architect 2.
131

4 Double click the Office Layout Wave object favorite.
5 Place two office desk layout objects as shown in the picture below.
132

6 Select both Office Layout objects then click the Review Selected Elements command from
the context menu.
7 The following dialog appears. Click Send & Review Selected Elements to send the changes
to the server.
133

8 After sending the changes, a New Element Review palette will come up with an attached view
of the to-be-reviewed office at the bottom. Select Lead Architect in the To field, compose
the message, then click Send.
134

9 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of the Lead Architect. Double-click on the freshly arrived
message in the Messages panel of the Teamwork palette to open the message in its own
window.
135

10 Click Show Elements to continue.
11 The following window will come up, prompting you to receive the changes before you can
look at the to be reviewed elements.
Click Receive & Show.
136

12 ArchiCAD will receive the changes, then zoom to and select the two Office Layout objects in
question.
137
Element Based Messages Requesting Elements

To work on elements currently reserved by others, ArchiCAD Teamwork lets you request the
elements from other users. Lets see an example:
Architect 1 would like to continue working on the internal partitions, but finds out that the
ground floor partitions are reserved by Architect 2. Therefore Architect 1 will request the
elements from Architect 2, using the internal messaging function.
1 Send and receive the changes in the ArchiCAD instance of the Lead Architect, then save the
project and close it.
2 Open Architect 1s Teamwork project. The software will prompt you to receive changes,
because the project has been updated since Architect 1 last worked on it.
3 Click Receive now to receive the changes.
138
139

4 Select the Reserve Elements pop-up menu item to bring up the Reserve Elements dialog.
5 Architect 1 would like to select all the walls from the Interior-Partition layer on the ground
floor. Therefore, in the Reserve Elements dialog, set the parameters as shown below and then
continue with element reservation.
140

6 The following dialog comes up informing you that the reservation resulted in conflicting
elements, which are currently in some other users workspace. Select the 0. Ground Floor to
highlight it and then click on Show Conflict.
ArchiCAD will select the elements in question on the floor plan and zoom to them.
141

7 Next, click Request on the Workspace panel of the Teamwork palette to request these
elements from others.
8 The New Ownership Request palette will come up, automatically addressed to Architect 2,
with an automated message requesting the elements. Select the High Priority option to the
message, then click Request.
142

9 Until the request is granted, the message will be filed in the My Pending Requests folder on
the Teamwork palette.
10 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2 and open the incoming element request
message by double-clicking it.
143

11 In the Received Ownership Request message, click Show Elements to select and show the
elements in question.
12 ArchiCAD will zoom in and select the partition walls.
144

13 Finally, click Grant to allow Architect 1 to reserve the elements.
145

14 Switch back to Architect 1. The granting message from Architect 2 has already arrived and the
elements have been automatically transferred to the workspace of Architect 1.
15 Send and receive the changes and save the project from both Architect 1 and Architect 2
ArchiCAD instances.
146
Element Based Messages Assigning Elements

If you wish to ask another user to work on specific elements, you can simply assign the elements
in question to the colleague, using a Teamwork message.
Lets assume the Lead Architect accepts the office layout proposal by Architect 2. Next, he would
like Architect 2 to make some modifications to the zones stamps in order to have a clear plan
view, where the zone stamps do not cover the furniture.
1 Close the project of Architect 1 and open the project of the Lead Architect.
2 The following message comes up during the opening process. Click Receive now to continue.
147

The project will open for the Lead Architect.
148

3 Activate the Chapter 4.02 view in Navigator-View Map.
149

4 To assign an item to someone else, you must first reserve it for yourself. Select the zone stamp
of Office 007 and reserve it.
150

5 Assign the selected Zone to Architect 2 by clicking Assign Selected Elements to Architect 2
from the Teamwork menu. (You can also apply the same command from the context menu.)
6 The New Assignment message appears already addressed to Architect 2. Compose the
message, then click Assign.
151

7 Switch over to Architect 2 and see how a new message arrives with the assignment. Open the
message by double-clicking on it.
152

8 Click Show Elements to zoom the window to the location of the assigned zone stamp.
ArchiCAD will select the zone and zoom to it. Please note, the Zone has automatically become
part of the workspace of Architect 2 as a result of the assignment.
153

9 Modify the position of the zone stamp as shown below.
10 Send and receive the changes, then save the project.
Task Messages
The organized workflow of large offices requires a solution for assigning tasks to users. Teamwork
messages can integrate the following tasks:
Send Changes
Receive Changes
Send And Receive
Release All
Leave Project
154

Besides these five message-connected assignment operation you have already seen the 'Review
Selected Elements' function, which also integrates messaging possibility with task assignments
of Ask for review.
Now lets see an example of the task message for Receiving Changes. Architect 2 has made major
changes on the model, which may have also affect the work of other users. He would like the
others to see his design input, so he will send his changes to the server, and then create a
message requesting them to Receive Changes.
1 Select Architect 1 and Lead Architect in the list of the
Users panel on the Teamwork palette. (For multiple
selection, use the CMD+SHIFT on MacOS or
CTRL+SHIFT on Windows operating systems.) Then
click the Send Message
icon.
2 The New Message dialog appears addressed to Architect 1 and the Lead Architect. Compose
your message, then select Receive Changes from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the
dialog box. Finally, click Send.
155

3 Switch to the Lead Architects ArchiCAD instance.
4 The message has arrived. Open it by double-clicking on it or by clicking on the small triangle
icon on the right of the message to bring up the pop-up menu, then click Open Message.
156

5 The Received Message dialog appears, in which the Receive Changes command is
embedded. By simply clicking on it from the message dialog, you can receive the changes.
6 After receiving the changes, the message is automatically moved to the Completed folder.
You may notice that Architect 1 was not online when sending him the message. The next time he
goes online, the message will be delivered to him. You can try this by opening the project in the
name of Architect 1 and receiving the changes from the message dialog.
157

How ArchiCAD fosters effective communication within the project team by providing superb
messaging functionality in the model context.
How the reviewing and assigning functions contribute to effective project management by
providing the principal/lead architect with an easy-to us- tool.
The messages can be linked to ArchiCAD elements, which greatly helps in understanding the
relevant communication issues.
How special task messages can help in project coordination and management, by allowing
the sending of messages to multiple addressees, with special Teamwork functions (Send
Changes, Receive Changes, Send And Receive, Release All, Leave Project and Review Selected
Elements).
158
Chapter 5 Reserving Other Project Data

In this chapter, you will learn how non-model data, such as attributes, views or layouts, can be
flexibly reserved and modified in the ArchiCAD Teamwork environment.
There is no need for exclusive sign-in processes or other extra efforts to modify such data: users
can easily reserve and release them on the fly. The only condition is that their Teamwork roles
allow them to do so. To keep an organized workflow, it is necessary to be able to distinguish
between users who are permitted to modify such project data, and those who are not. Please
refer to Chapter 3 of Part 1 of this Training Manual to see in detail how to set up user roles in
Teamwork.
Reserving Element Attributes

In the following example you will be shown how element attributes, like zone categories, can be
reserved and modified.
Lets suppose that Lead Architect has accepted the furniture layout proposal of Architect 2 and
now would like to instruct him to finalize the layouts. Before doing so, he decides that the zone
category color for the offices must be changed. Only the Lead Architect has the right to modify
element attributes, so he will carry out the modification himself.
159

1 In the instance of Lead Architect activate Chapter 5.01 view from the Teamwork Training
folder in Navigator View Map.
2 Open the Zone Categories dialog from the Options/Element Attributes menu.
160

3 Notice the Teamwork Status field at the bottom left of the dialog. The blue control light
means that the dialog is ready for reservation.
161

4 Lets see what the dialog looks like from Architect 2s point of view: change to the ArchiCAD
instance of Architect 2 and activate the Chapter 5.01 view from the Teamwork Training folder
in Navigator View Map.
162

5 Open the Zone Categories dialog from the Options/Element Attributes menu.
6 As you can see, the status says No Access Right and so the buttons for creating, renaming
and deleting the zone categories are grayed out.
163

7 Lets switch back to the Lead Architects instance of ArchiCAD.
164

8 Click Reserve to reserve the entire dialog.
165

9 The Teamwork Status changes to green.
166

10 Select the Office space category, then double-click on the Color field to bring up the color
settings dialog. Change the color for the zone category as you like.
167

11 Click Release, then click OK to close the dialog and apply the changes.
168

12 The floor plan representation of the zones has changed accordingly.
13 Send and receive the changes.
169
Working with Views and Layouts

Now lets see how to create the final furniture layout in Teamwork. Lead Architect will first create
the floor plan view with the appropriate view settings, then instruct Architect 2 to place it onto a
layout.
1 In the Lead Architect project create a new folder in the Navigator
View Map. Select the top item called Microsoft Hungary Office
Building in order to create the folder in the root, and then click on
the New Folder icon at the bottom.
2 Name it Furniture Layout.
3 As you can see, the folder is green and the Teamwork Status says Editable. This means the
newly created folder in the Navigator is automatically reserved by you (Lead Architect), since
you created it.
170

4 The next step in view creation is to set the view specific settings, like Layer Combination,
Scale, Model View Options, to have the plan view look the way you would like. Select the
Furniture Layout layer combination from the Document/Layers menu.
5 And select the Furniture Layout Model View Option from the Document/Set Model View
menu.
171

6 Have a closer look on the plan to see how the representation is changed: the walls are now
shown with solid fills.
172

7 Choose the Fit in Window command to see the entire floor plan.
8 You can now save the floor plan as a view into the Furniture Layout folder. To do so, open the
Organizer palette by selecting Show Organizer from the Navigator palette.
173

9 Select the Project Map to be shown on the left and the View Map on the right. Select the
0. Ground Floor in the Project Map and the Furniture Layout folder in the View Map. Notice
that the Layer Combination and the Model View Option are set to Furniture Layout in the View
Settings & Storing Options, as set previously. The other settings are fine the way they are. Drag
and drop the 0. Ground Floor from the Project Map into the Furniture Layout folder in the
View Map to create the view. Alternatively you can click the Save view >>> button.
174

10 The 0. Ground Floor view has been created in the Furniture Layout folder. It is green, showing
it is editable as being reserved by the Lead Architect.
Hint: If users would like to create their own views which are not publicly available
for other users, they can do so in the My Views panel of the Navigator.
175

12 Switch to the other instance of ArchiCAD in the name of Architect 2 and receive changes.
176

13 Select the 0. Ground Floor from the Furniture Layout folder of the Navigator View Map.
Notice that the control light under Teamwork Status is gray and says No Access Right. Even
though Architect 2 does not have the right to modify the view, he will be able to place it on a
layout.
177

14 To place the view onto a layout, lets open the Organizer palette and first create a new layout.
Select the View Map to be shown on the left and the Layout Book on the right. Select the
Design Development folder in the Layout Book so that the new layout will be placed into
this folder. Click the New Layout icon to create it.
178

15 Write Ground Floor Furniture Layout into the Name field and select the
2000mm x A1 Landscape Master Layout, then click Create.
179

16 The Layout has been created in the Design Development folder and numbered automatically.
The Teamwork Status is Editable, meaning that was instantly reserved by Architect 2.
180

17 All there is left to do is to place the view onto the layout. Either drag-and-drop it from the View
Map onto the Layout, or use the Place Drawing >>> command from the palette.
181

18 The drawing has been created on the layout and is reserved by Architect 2 automatically.
Double-click on the layout to open it.
182

19 Select the Drawing on the layout, then open the Drawing Settings dialog to change its frame
to fit the drawing size and switch off the title. Then adjust the position of the drawing on the
layout by dragging it manually.
183

20 You can also select the All with original Color option in the Colored workspaces pop-up
menu to show the furniture layout in its real colored representation.
184

How simple it is to reserve, modify and release project attributes in a Teamwork environment.
The Teamwork Status control light provides you instant feedback on whether you have the
access right to modify a specific attribute. Reserving and releasing the attribute could not be
easier.
How ArchiCAD Teamwork supports a controlled workflow for view and layout creation.
Assigning different access rights to user roles enables the manager to differentiate among
those allowed to create or modify the content and the representation of the final views, and
those allowed only to create the final layouts.
How thoroughly ArchiCAD Teamwork logic is implemented throughout the software, from
the making of the BIM model until final drawing creation. To create new layouts or views,
reserving workspaces is not necessary. Every new element, whether a piece of wall, a view or a
layout, will automatically be reserved by the user who created it.
185
Chapter 6 Adding a BIMcloud/BIM Server Library

In this chapter you will see how libraries can be added to a Teamwork project.
Company-specific custom library parts are best stored in a separate library folder on the BIM
Server, where they can be accessible to all users. This way they can be easily updated and the
custom objects can be easily reused in all the ongoing and future projects.
Uploading the Library to the BIM Server

Lets upload the Teamwork Training Library folder to the BIM Server and use it with the project.
Part 1 of this Training Manual discussed the Server and Project Administrator roles in detail; as
you recall, only users with Project Administrator rights are allowed to manage BIMcloud/BIM
Server libraries. In our case, this means that out of three users only the Lead Architect is allowed
to upload a library to the BIM Server.
1 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of the Lead Architect.
186

2 Open the Manage BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries dialog from the File/Libraries and
Objects menu. Make sure the Lead Architect user is selected beside the server name. Click on
the Upload button to search for the library folder to be uploaded to the BIM Server.
187

Hint: You can access the Manage BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries dialog from any
users ArchiCAD instance. When the dialog is open, identify yourself in the users
pop-up menu to the right of the server name.
3 Select the Teamwork Training Library folder and click Choose.
188

4 The Teamwork Training Library has appeared in the list of the available server libraries. Click
Close.
189

5 Now the Teamwork Training Library has been uploaded to the BIM Server. You can also check
this on the Libraries page of the BIM Server Manager.
Adding a BIM Server Library to the project

Although the library is now uploaded to the server, it is not yet linked to our Teamwork project.
So the next step is to add this library to the project. To be able do so, you must have the relevant
access rights. In our case the Lead Architect has the right to add/remove Libraries. You can
double-check the role settings for the Lead Architect role in the Roles page of the BIM Server
Manager:
190

Lets add the Teamwork Training Library to the project:
1 As Lead Architect, open the Library Manager window from the File/Libraries and Objects
menu. First you must reserve the BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries. Select the entry and click
Reserve.
191

2 Click on the arrow button to the right of the Add... button and select the Use BIMcloud/BIM
Server Library option.
3 In the upcoming Choose BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries dialog, select the Teamwork
Training Library, then click Add.
192

4 Before closing the Library Manager dialog, release the BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries by
clicking Release. Then click OK to close the dialog.
193

5 Send and receive the changes. This is a good opportunity to send a task message notifying
other users that they should receive changes. Therefore, select Architect 1 and 2 in the Users
panel of the Teamwork palette and then compose a Receive Changes task message to both
of them.
194

6 Switch to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2 and receive the changes by using the task
message sent by the Lead Architect.
195

7 Open the Library Manager dialog. Notice how the Teamwork Training Library is loaded under
the BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries and Architect 2 has no access right to alter the BIM
Libraries.
196

How Project Administrators can efficiently manage BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries remotely
from any users ArchiCAD instance.
In order to support an organized workflow in the office, the user managing Server Libraries
must have Project Administrator rights. This ensures that office libraries are handled only by
authorized personnel.
How the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server adds the necessary libraries to every users project
automatically, requiring no input from the remote machines and avoiding superfluous
coordination work within the office.
197
Chapter 7 Editing and creating Library Parts

In this chapter you will discover how library parts can be reserved, edited and created in the
Teamwork environment.
Project-specific library parts best saved into the embedded library of the project, because they
should not be reused in other projects. (However, the size of an embedded library should be kept
to a minimum; in case of many custom objects, it is advisable to store them in a BIMcloud/BIM
Server Library.) Any user with the right to create a library part may create a new object and save it
to the embedded library. The rest of the project team need only receive the changes to be able to
start using the new object.
In case of company-specific custom objects, which should be reused in any ongoing and new
projects, the best place to store them is within a BIMcloud/BIM Server Library.
In the following chapter, you will see how library parts within an embedded library can be
modified, as well as how new library parts can be created and uploaded to a BIMcloud/BIM Server
Library.
Editing an Existing Library Part

Project-specific library parts like custom stair object are best saved in the embedded library of the
project itself. This way, they will always be available in the project; all users regardless of location
can see and access these library parts without running into difficulties, regardless of which
libraries are loaded to the project. Since they are custom-made to fit specific project parameters,
they will generally not be needed for other projects.
In the following example, Architect 2 would like to apply a different handrail style to the
staircases. Lets find out how it can be done in Teamwork.
198

1 In the instance of Architect 2 activate Chapter 7.01 section view in the Teamwork Training
folder.
The staircase is made of four identical stair objects, each placed on the relevant story. Select one
of the stair objects on the section and reserve it, then open its settings dialog.
199

2 As you can see, this stair object is part of the Embedded Library of the project and called
2Flight Stair. To edit it in its entirety, you can open StairMaker (the library part editor for stair
objects) by clicking on the Edit Stair button.
3 The following warning message comes up asking you whether you would like to edit all the
placed stair objects in the project or only the selected one. We would like to carry out the
changes in all of the stair objects of our project, so click All.
200

4 Before you can edit the stair, you must reserve the stair library part, so click Reserve in the
dialog.
201

5 After reserving the object, you can see how its Teamwork Status has changed to Editable.
202

6 Before continuing with the stair modification, lets switch to the ArchiCAD instance of the
Lead Architect and see how the reservation of the stair library part is visible to another user.
Open the same view, the Chapter 7.01 section view in the Teamwork Training folder in
Navigator View Map.
203

7 Open the Library Manager window from the File/Libraries and Objects menu. Click on the
2Flight Stair.gsm to select it in the Embedded Library.
204

8 Notice that the Teamwork Status control light is red and says Reserved by Architect 2.
Alternatively you can select the same stair object on the section view and open to further edit
it with StairMaker from its settings dialog. At the bottom of this dialog, too, the Teamwork
Status control light is red; it says Reserved by Architect 2 and the OK button is grayed out.
205

9 Switch back to the ArchiCAD instance of Architect 2.
206

10 Select the Railing Settings tab page and select all three handrails one after the other in the
stair plan preview window, and set them to the Wired option.
207

11 Click OK for both of the dialogs and see how all the handrails of all stair objects have changed
in the section instantly.
208
Creating a New Library Part and Adding it to a BIMcloud/BIM

Server Library
Company-specific library parts are best stored in a separate office library folder on the BIM
Server so that they can be easily updated and shared among all users within the office.
Lets investigate how a new library part can be created and added to a BIMcloud/BIM Server
Library: in our case, to the Teamwork Training Library added to our project in the previous
chapter.
In the following example, Architect 2 will create a human figure object out of a Morph element,
which can be then used on 3D visualizations.
1 Open the Chapter 7.02 view from the Teamwork Training folder in Navigator View Map.
209

You can see the famous La Linea figure made out of polylines standing on the landing. Lets
create a 3D planar figure out of these lines by using the Morph tool.
2 Apply the La Linea favorite from the Favorite palette to set the default values for the Morph
tool.
3 Select the Straight Rectangular geometry method from the info box.
4 Hold down the space bar to activate the magic wand and click with the magic wand on the
contour of the polyline of the Linea figure.
210

5 Now a planar Morph element has been created on the section plane tracing the contour of
the figure. Lets see it in the 3D window: activate the Chapter 7.3 view.
211

6 Select the Morph element in the 3D window. Save the Morph element as a parametric Library
Part using the Save Selection as /Object command from the File/Libraries and Objects
menu.
7 The following message comes up: click OK to continue.
212

8 In the Save Object dialog, name the library part, then select the File in a selected folder
radio button to save the object to the Teamwork Training Library folder. Click Browse... to
locate the Teamwork Training Library folder and open it.
9 Save the object within the Teamwork Training Library folder.
213

10 The following settings dialog comes up, in which you can name the used materials and pens
of the objects. These parameters will be editable in the Object Settings dialog later when
using the object in the project file. Click OK to continue.
Now the Linea object has been created and saved into the desired library folder. The next step is
to upload it to the BIM Server. Only the Lead Architect as Project Administrator has access right to
manage BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries. You do not need to change the ArchiCAD instance to the
Lead Architect, you can also access the Manage BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries function from any
remote ArchiCAD. However you need to identify yourself with user name and password as Lead
Architect on the remote machine.
214

11 Open the Manage BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries dialog from the File/Libraries and
Objects menu. Select Lead Architect from the user list. You have already identified yourself
as Lead Architect on this machine, so you need not provide your credentials again.
215

12 Select the Teamwork Training Library, then click Refresh.
216

13 ArchiCAD informs you about the changes made during the refresh process. Click OK to close
the dialog.
14 Close the Manage BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries dialog as well. The following window
comes up informing you that the content of BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries has changed, so
they need to be reloaded. Click Reload.
217

15 Now you can place the freshly created Linea figure anywhere in the project. Lets place it in the
same 3D view, but at another level:
Open the Object Default Settings
Find the Linea object within the Teamwork Training Library
Enter 1 mm as the B dimension (it can not be left 0 otherwise there will be problems in the
script of the object)
Click OK.
218

16 Place it on top of the landing of the first floor. Just click on the landing: ArchiCAD will
automatically sense the top surface of the landing and place the object on it.
219

There is no need to go through a complicated reservation process (like exclusive signing in) to
reserve library parts. Users can just as easily reserve custom-made objects as any other model
elements.
Users get instant feedback on the reservation status of library parts, so they can always see
who is currently editing a specific library part.
Project-specific library parts can be easily saved into the embedded library of the project itself
avoiding uploading library parts to the shared libraries.
Only Project or Server Administrators have access to refresh the content of a BIMcloud/BIM
Server Libraries. Therefore unauthorized access and update of the BIM Libraries are avoided,
and all users access the libraries with the right content.
How company-specific library parts can be best saved into BIMcloud/BIM Server Libraries,
providing access to them for all employees, not just members of the project team.
220
Chapter 8 Using the Backup Function

In this chapter, you will discover ArchiCAD Teamworks tools for backing up the centrally shared
Teamwork project and how they can be used in case of an emergency.
You must be a Project Administrator to set backup schedules for a Teamwork project. By default,
the BIM Server creates a backup copy of the entire Teamwork project (including user data and
roles) every hour in a Teamwork database format, and also saves a copy of it in PLN format once a
day. You can also create manual backups in both formats, or roll back to a previously saved
backup copy at any time; the only conditions are that the BIM Server must be online, and you
must have Project Administrator privileges.
In case of BIM Server failure, there is a possibility to retrieve the PLN- format backup copies
manually from the folder where they are saved on the Server machine. You can also retrieve your
local copy of the Teamwork project, stored on your local computer, and easily re-share it.
Manually Backing up the Project

Lets have a closer look at Teamworks manual backup process. In our case, only the Lead Architect
has Project Administrator privileges, so lets open up his version of the project if it is not open.
1 During the open process, the following dialog box comes up informing you that changes have
been made to the Teamwork project and you can receive these changes now or later. Click
Receive now.
221

If you have not sent the changes from the other users (Architect 1 and 2), this is the time to do so.
(If you followed the steps of this training manual, this will not be necessary.)
2 Activate Chapter 8.01 view from the Teamwork Training folder in Navigator View Map.
3 Send & Receive changes.
222

4 Open the Teamwork Project Settings dialog box from the Teamwork/Project menu.
5 The command will open the browser window of the BIM Server Manager. It may occur that
you need to authenticate yourself as a project administrator, so type the username and
password combination of the Lead Architect (LeadArchitect, 12345).
223

6 In the Backups page, you can view all the backups of the Teamwork project. Now lets create a
manual backup of the project. Press Create from the upper right menu.
224

7 In the following dialog box select the radio button of BIMproject Backup instead of PLN
Backup and give a name to the backup and click Create.
225

8 The manual safety copy has been created successfully.
226

Hint: In the Backup Schedule row press Edit to be able to specify how often the backup
copies of the Teamwork project should be saved in both available formats (.BIMProject
and .PLN formats), as well as control the number of backup copies to be kept on the
server. The settings can be opened from each projects Backups menu in the Backup schedule
row. The backup copies are saved in the same folder as the main Teamwork project.
227
Rolling Back the Project to a Backup Version

Now lets see an example of a situation where you need to roll back your main Teamwork project
to a previously saved backup copy, due to an accidental user action. For the sake of this example,
lets suppose Architect 1 deletes some doors accidentally and sends the changes to the main
Teamwork file. Your options are either to manually re-create the deleted doors, or to roll back the
project to a previously saved backup copy. In this case, you decide that the latter choice will be
easier and quicker.
1 Open Architect 1s version of the project in a new instance of ArchiCAD.
2 The following message comes up, informing you that you should receive the changes that
have been made to the central project on the server. Click Receive now to continue.
228

3 The project opens for Architect 1. Open 8.01 view from the Teamwork Training folder in
Navigator View Map.
229

4 Select all the doors on the ground floor. To do this, activate the Door tool in the toolbox, then
use the Select All Doors command from the Edit menu (CMD+A shortcut on MacOS or
CTRL+A shortcut on Windows). Since Architect 1 previously reserved all the walls on the
Interior Partition layer on the ground floor, the doors in these walls automatically become
part of his workspace, without having to reserve them separately. Now use the Backspace key
to delete these doors.
5 Send and receive the changes, save the project and quit ArchiCAD.
230

6 Change to the Lead Architects version of the Project and receive the changes. As you can see,
all the doors from the internal partitions have been deleted.
231

7 Open the Teamwork Project Settings dialog box from the Teamwork/Project menu or open
the BIM Server Manager directly. Select the previously created manual backup in the list of
backups (Safety Copy.BIMProject), then click Rollback.
232

8 In the following dialog box, you can either overwrite the current project or create a new
project from the backup file. Select Overwrite this Project, then click Rollback to overwrite
the current project with the backup version.
9 The following warning message comes up, informing you that you have been forced to leave
the Teamwork project. This was a result of the rollback process. In fact, all users have been
forced to leave the project after the rollback process. You could now continue in a detached
mode, if you wanted to save any unsent changes you had made since the last send and
receive process. But in our case, choose Discard & re-join to rejoin the Teamwork project.
233

10 Once you have re-joined the project, open the Chapter 8.01 view in the Teamwork Training
folder in Navigator View Map. As you can see, all the internal doors are visible: the backup
rollback process has been carried out successfully.
234

The BIM Servers robust backup functions that enable Project Administrators to restore the
Teamwork project in case of an emergency.
To provide for an additional safety net in the workflow, even manual backups can be created
at any time, both in Teamwork project format or PLN project format.
Should a user cause irreversible damage to the main Teamwork project, the Rollback
functionality may be useful, to revert to a previous state of the Teamwork project.
235

Congratulations!
You have completed the Teamwork Training Guide! Please read the other books in this training
series to learn more about ArchiCAD.
If you are a BIM Manager, a Teacher or just interested in more in-depth information about the BIM
Server and the ArchiCAD Teamwork environment, we suggest that you continue with the BIM
Server Implementation Guide.
Should you have any questions regarding ArchiCAD or other GRAPHISOFT products, please visit
Graphisoft Help Center, our online knowledge base: helpcenter.graphisoft.com.
Please feel free to contact GRAPHISOFT and its worldwide partners with further questions at
www.graphisoft.com.
The GRAPHISOFT Team
236

Archicad 18 Training Series Vol.5

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Archicad 18 Training Series Vol.5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ArchiCAD Training Series

Visit the GRAPHISOFT website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork ___________________________12

Part 2 Working in Teamwork ___________________________80

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Chapter 3 Sending and Receiving Changes _________________ 107

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Chapter 8 Using the Backup Function ______________________ 221

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Vol. 1, The ArchiCAD BIM Concept

Vol. 2, Basic ArchiCAD

Vol. 3, Intermediate ArchiCAD

Vol. 4, Advanced ArchiCAD

Vol. 5, Using Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Install the required ArchiCAD version

Open the PDF Guide

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

The Teamwork Concept

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

The installation application starts.

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 5

Part 1 Setting Up Teamwork