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Hello,
You do need to create a new construct and assign it to a level. On the Constructs tab of the project navigator, right-pick to create a new construct, you are then prompted to enter a name (name.dwg), a description if wanted, and you pick the level(s) (and division if applicable) that the construct represents. You'll want to read up on how to go further with the PN.
Here are some links to resources to get you started.
http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-architecture/getting-started#?rows=10&sort=score
http://exchange.autodesk.com/autocadarchitecture/enu
http://autocad-architecture-blog.com/how-to/
I would also recommend looking for an ACA book with built in tutorials.
Good luck with learning the program, search and read through this forum to get a lot of great advice as well.
Check out ACA >System Requirements<
To see your structure as a whole you have a few options:
- Reference one floor into the other (using XREF or PN)
- Create a new view drawing with the PN referencing both levels
Your lag could be any number of things. These programs are beasts and need lots of memory and a fast processor (extra cores don't add much) and workstation grade graphics card for a good result. Everyone has a budget of course, so some times it can never get better. Using PN in a server environment can be troublesome if things aren't setup right...see a post that just popped to the top in this forum for an example.
I always advise to double the recommended memory values. It is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to boost your system. Graphics card drivers can play a big part. Look at the >Certified Hardware< list. Autodesk tests the major players and certify drivers that work with the various flavors of AutoCAD. You can check out my specs below, I only get lags when switching to 3D views on really large complex projects. For normal sized TIs and simplistic large buildings it works pretty smooth.
Building Design Suite and Civil 3D 2012 - Windows 7 Professional 64 SP1
Dell T3600 - Intel Xeon 3.6 GHz - 16GB RAM - NVidia Quadro 2000
1. Assuming you have saved the Construct file and then reloaded the external reference in the View file (if it had already been open), the Doors and Windows "should" appear. Some reasons why they might not: the Display Configuration/View Direction in the View file is different from that in the Construct file, and the cut plane location and/or display settings are such that the Doors and Windows are not displayed; the View file is showing a horizonal Section/Elevation, and not a live view of the Construct external reference (if the horizontal Section/Elevation was generated from the Construct file, you would have to add the new items to the selection set before regenerating the horizontal Section/Elevation; if the horizontal Section/Elevation was generated from a View file where the Construct was externally referenced, then the external reference is already in the selection set and a regeneration should be enough to make new items show up.
2. I am assuming that when you say "metric library", you are refering to a metric tool catalog in the Content Browser. You should be able to i-Drop the tools into your workspace. I vaguely recall an issue with directly doing so into the drawing, but if you set up an editable tool palette, you should be able to i-Drop the tools onto that and then use them. Doing so will bring the associated Style/Definition into your current drawing (assuming that the source files were properly installed and remain in that location) and would, at that point, be available in the Style Manager. You could also open the source file in the Style Manager and copy one or more Styles or Definitions into your current drawing file.
3. Assuming that you have an existing Wall Style to which you want to add insulation, you could make a copy of the Wall Style in the Style Manager, giving the copy an appropriate name, and then, still in Style Manager, select the new Style in the left pane and edit it in the right pane. If the insulation is going to be placed in parallel within the space already taken by an existing component (in between studs, for example), you would not have to do anything else to the Wall Style, and let your details show that this Style has insulation. You could rename the Stud component to indicate that it also has insulation, if you wanted to distinguish it from the Stud component in other Wall Styles that do not have insulation. If you are looking for a graphic representation of the insulation, then you would want to change the Material Definition assigned to the Stud component to one that has the desired component hatch graphics. That may require creating a new Material Defintion if you cannot find an out-of-the-box one with the graphics you seek.
If the insulation is going to be an added component to the Wall, then you would need to edit the Wall Style, and, on the Components tab, add a new component for the insulation, specifying the desired width and edge offset to place it correctly in the Wall. If the addition of the insulation displaces components that were in the Wall Style, then you would need to adjust the edge offset of each displaced component to accommodate the added insulation. You will want to assign an appropriate Material Definition to your new insulation component.
If you have another Wall Style that already has a component that you want to add to the Wall Style you are editing, you can streamline the process by "stealing" the component by using the Wall Style Browser. You may still need to adjust the edge offset, but doing so helps to assure consistency across all of your Wall Styles, as the copied component will come in with the Material Definition used for the component in the source file already assigned. If you are interested, you can read more about the Wall Style Browser in this blog article:
http://architects-desktop.blogspot.com/2007/01/hidden-feature-revealed-wall-style.html
2. I am assuming that when you say "metric library", you are refering to a metric tool catalog in the Content Browser. You should be able to i-Drop the tools into your workspace. I vaguely recall an issue with directly doing so into the drawing, but if you set up an editable tool palette, you should be able to i-Drop the tools onto that and then use them. Doing so will bring the associated Style/Definition into your current drawing (assuming that the source files were properly installed and remain in that location) and would, at that point, be available in the Style Manager. You could also open the source file in the Style Manager and copy one or more Styles or Definitions into your current drawing file.
3. Assuming that you have an existing Wall Style to which you want to add insulation, you could make a copy of the Wall Style in the Style Manager, giving the copy an appropriate name, and then, still in Style Manager, select the new Style in the left pane and edit it in the right pane. If the insulation is going to be placed in parallel within the space already taken by an existing component (in between studs, for example), you would not have to do anything else to the Wall Style, and let your details show that this Style has insulation. You could rename the Stud component to indicate that it also has insulation, if you wanted to distinguish it from the Stud component in other Wall Styles that do not have insulation. If you are looking for a graphic representation of the insulation, then you would want to change the Material Definition assigned to the Stud component to one that has the desired component hatch graphics. That may require creating a new Material Defintion if you cannot find an out-of-the-box one with the graphics you seek.
If the insulation is going to be an added component to the Wall, then you would need to edit the Wall Style, and, on the Components tab, add a new component for the insulation, specifying the desired width and edge offset to place it correctly in the Wall. If the addition of the insulation displaces components that were in the Wall Style, then you would need to adjust the edge offset of each displaced component to accommodate the added insulation. You will want to assign an appropriate Material Definition to your new insulation component.
If you have another Wall Style that already has a component that you want to add to the Wall Style you are editing, you can streamline the process by "stealing" the component by using the Wall Style Browser. You may still need to adjust the edge offset, but doing so helps to assure consistency across all of your Wall Styles, as the copied component will come in with the Material Definition used for the component in the source file already assigned. If you are interested, you can read more about the Wall Style Browser in this blog article:
http://architects-desktop.blogspot.com/2007/01/hidden-feature-revealed-wall-style.html
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