Installing ArchiCAD with Company standard default settings

written by Gergely Kmethy
September 27, 2004

With the new ArchiCAD 9 installer CAD Managers can create a custom installation package that contains all the company standard environment settings, such as:

• Work environment settings
• Libraries loaded by default
• DXF / DWG Translators used by default

Distributing this installation package in the office makes it possible for all the associates to have a copy of ArchiCAD customized according to the company standards determined by the CAD manager. To create a custom installation package, you have to follow these steps:

1. Install AC9 on your own machine using the Typical install option.
2. Use the Work Environment dialog box to set up the work environment profiles that you want to install on the office computers. In the User Preference Scheme - that is part of the Work Environment, - you can even define server locations for the AutoSave, Temporary, Cache, Template folders. If you create more than one Profile, you can define which will be the default.
3. Use the Library Manager dialog box to load the libraries that will be used in the office (i.e. office standard library) The libraries can either be on a server accessible to all users, or they can even be local, if the local path of the library is the same on every machine in the office..
4. Use the Translator Setup dialog box to set up Translators and save them to a shared folder on a server that is accessible to all users. You can also create local translators that you want to install on the hard disk of each user.
5. Quit ArchiCAD
6. From the ArchiCAD CD, copy the ArchiCAD Installer folder to a shared network folder. (On MAC: copy the whole content of the CD to a shared network folder. On PC, copy the 'ArchiCAD 9' folder only)
   Note: The path of the network install folder should not contain an "!" character
7. In the ArchiCAD install folder, there is a sub-folder titled CompanyDefaults. Following the hierarchy illustrated in the table below, copy the following files/folders into the CompanyDefaults folder:
   
   

   File	From (PC / MAC)	To
   Default Libraries.xml	Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD 9.0.0 INT R1	CompanyDefaults/Defaults/ArchiCAD
   	Home/Library/Preferences/Graphisoft/AC 9.0.0 INT V1
   WorkEnvironment folder	Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD 9.0.0 INT	CompanyDefaults/Defaults/ArchiCAD
   	Home/Library/Preferences/Graphisoft/AC 9.0.0 INT R1
   WorkEnvironment folder	Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Graphisoft\PlotMaker 9.0.0 INT	CompanyDefaults/Defaults/PlotMaker
   	Home/Library/Preferences/Graphisoft/AC 9.0.0 INT R1
   Translator List.Xml	Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Graphisoft\Dxf-Dwg Preferences AC 9.0 INT	CompanyDefaults/Defaults
   	Home/Library/Preferences/Graphisoft/Dxf-Dwg Preferences AC 9.0 INT
   DXF-DWG Translators you want to install on each machine locally	from the folder where you have created them	CompanyDefaults/Defaults/DXF-DWG Translators

   
   

   

8. Uninstall ArchiCAD from your machine, then run ArchiCAD installer on the server with special parameters:
9. On PC, open the "Run" window from the Start menu. In Windows Explorer navigate to the ArchiCAD install folder on the server, and drag the setup.exe icon into the Run window. The path will be copied to the command line. Add the extension: -W log.record=yes to the path. E.g.: "\\My server\My folder\My subfolder\ArchiCAD 9\Setup.exe" -W log.record=yes On MAC, open Terminal window, navigate to the ArchiCAD install folder (or drag the install folder into the terminal window) and type:
   ArchiCAD\ Installer.app/Contents/MacOS/ArchiCAD\ Installer -W log.record=yes
   E.g.: /Volumes/My\ Folder/My\ Subfolder/ArchiCAD\ 9/ArchiCAD\ Installer.app/Contents/MacOS/ArchiCAD\ Installer -W log.record=yes
10. The installer wizard will start. Choose Advanced from the installer's Setup Type panel. Use the panels of the install wizard to ensure that the desired components are included in the install package.
    Note: The advanced button will appear only if there is at least one xml file in the CompanyDefaults folder and its subfolders.

    

11. On the last wizard panel, save the generated log file into the same folder that contains the setup.exe (PC) or ArchiCAD Installer (MAC).
12. You have now created an installation package. When users launch setup.exe or ArchiCAD Installer on the server, the usual queries posed by the install wizard are skipped; the installation begins immediately. The installed copy of ArchiCAD will have the previously defined default settings.

Managing Work Environments

The Work Environment folder

The default work environment settings (that the CAD manager created) are stored in the Defaults folder in the ArchiCAD main directory. The content of this folder will never be modified by ArchiCAD; it will always contain the Work Environment settings that were created by the installer package. When first using ArchiCAD, all the defined work environments will be copied into the Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD 9.0.0 INT R1\WorkEnvironment folder (PC) Userhome/Library/Preferences/Graphisoft/AC 9.0.0 INT V1/ WorkEnvironment folder (on MAC). If the user creates a new Work Environment, or redefines an existing Work Environment, the changes will be saved to this location. This also means that if the user applies the schemes of a Work Environment, ArchiCAD will read the settings from this folder.

The Latest Work Environment folder

It is possible that the user makes changes in the Preferences and Work Environment dialogs and does not save the changes as a new scheme or a new Work Environment. (In this case the scheme will be called 'Custom') It is still required that the user's settings are preserved when next starting ArchiCAD. Therefore the latest settings are stored in the 'Latest Work Environment' folder. (Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD 9.0.0 INT R1\Latest Work Environment on PC; Userhome/Library/Preferences/Graphisoft/AC 9.0.0 INT R1/ Latest Work Environment on MAC). When the user starts ArchiCAD with 'use latest settings' option, the settings will be read from this location.

Restricting users to use the Company-standard Work Environment

The CAD manager can force the users to use a company-standard Work Environment. In this case, the Work Environment settings will load from a central server, and the users will not be able to modify the settings in the Work Environment dialog. To do this, the CAD manager has to create the Work Environment folder on a server accessible for all users. The CAD manager should first set up the work environments on his/her own machine, then copy the Work Environment folder (see above) to the server. Alternatively, he/she can export a work environment to the server.

On the user's machine the Registry (PC) or the equivalent .plist file (MAC) also has to be edited:

On PC:

1. Open Registry by using the 'Run' program and typing 'regedit'
2. locate the Registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Graphisoft/ArchiCAD/ArchiCAD 9.0.0 INT R1/Work Environment/RemoteProfileSetURL
3. Open this key and in the 'Value data' filed type the full path of the WorkEnvironment folder on the server after the prefix: 'LAN://' e.g.: LAN://CompanyServer/MyFolder/MySubfolder/WorkEnvironment

On MAC:

1. Locate the /Library/Pretefernces/com.graphisoft.AC 9.0.0 INT v1.plist file. It is an .xml file.
2. Open the .plist file in a text editor and change:
   
   <key>RemoteProfileSetURL</key>
   <string></string>
   To:
   <key>RemoteProfileSetURL</key>
   <string> lan://CompanyServer/MyFolder/MySubFolder/MyWorkEnvironment </string>
   
   Alternatively, you can use the defaults command in Terminal. Type:
   defaults write "com.graphisoft.AC 9.0.0 INT v1 " RemoteProfileSetURL "<string>
   lan://CompanyServer/MyFolder/MySubFolder/MyWorkEnvironment </string>"

Partial Work Environment restrictions

CAD managers may want to restrict to use only certain Work Environment schemes, and want to allow free customization for others. E.g. the office wants to use a standard menus and keyboard shortcut schemes on every machine, but does not want to restrict the other WorkEnvironment settings. In this case, the CAD manager should only define the Shortcut Schemes and the Command Layout Schemes, and should leave the rest undefined. If such a partial Work Environment is copied to the server, then the users will not be able to customize shortcuts and command layouts, but will be able to customize the rest of the settings.

Page last updated: Monday, September 27, 2004