Link or Not?

[Les Therrien]

I'm doing a preliminary design for a shopping centre and was wondering if you think I should link the building individually to the site or create them all in one file.
There will be 5 building on the site, each ranging from 5000 sq.ft. to 31000 sq.ft.
The purpose of this project currently is to create a sort of streetscape for doing renderings so that the client can get municipal approval.
I will not be doing the working drawings for this project as it would be too much for a one man show! I'm strictly providing him with the concept.
So what do you think?

[gbrowne]

Sounds like a processor power/ram question?

I would link.

[sbrown]

Depends if you plan to be moving the buildings around alot and mirroring/copying etc. I might approach it as a mass study first all in one file, then develope the buildings as individual files so it is easier to move, rotate etc.

[SkiSouth]

Les, I think I'd keep it one project. Sounds like very little interior information will be required (for the rendering).If simple enough you actually knock out a quick study in a couple of hours for the client to approve the camera views with just simple massing and a few trees. If you are depending on Accurender for the presentation, then no glitches (if there were any) from linking (materials with the same name but different bitmaps, etc.) with the rendering would be avoided.

I'm also assuming a fairly simple site with this statement however. You could always build the five buildings as individual projects, then copy into one project. (Advantage here would be a focused effort on one building at a time and use the transfer materials/walls to go to the next building (again assuming a consistent material /construction choice).

As a sole worker, I have had little experience with worksets, so can't comment there, but I would assume worksets for Bldg 1, 2, etc, could also be an option.

Keep us posted. Would like to know what you decide.

[Les Therrien]

Thanks for the replies guys!
I think I will be doing it as one file.
The site for the most part will be flat.
The building locations will be pretty much fixed at this point.
There won't be any interior work as far as I know at this point.

The planning department basically wants to see the overall concept. They have something specific in mind in order to get the concept approved.

Thanks for the help. I will keep you posted!