Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Level 2
by Thomas M. Simmons
International version
Graphisoft
Visit the Graphisoft website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and product availability information.
ArchiCAD 9 Training Guide - Level 2
Copyright © 2004 by Graphisoft, all rights reserved. Reproduction, paraphrasing or translation without express prior written permission is
strictly prohibited.
Drucker-Brownstein Residence courtesy of House+House Architects, San Francisco
Commercial Building Annex Courtesy of STUDIOS Architecture
Trademarks
ArchiCAD and ArchiFM are registered trademarks and PlotMaker, Virtual Building, StairMaker and GDL are trademarks of Graphisoft.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
About the Author ARCHVISTA is a member of the Virtual Building Group
representing the largest base of ArchiCAD users in the United
The ArchiCAD Training Guide - Levels 1 and 2 was developed by States and has been in business since 1996.
Thomas M. Simmons of the ARCHVISTA Consulting Group
and used in conjunction with the ArchiCAD training course at
the San Francisco Institute of Architecture. This is the first Acknowledgments
edition of both levels of the ArchiCAD Training Guide produced We would like to thank the staff of Graphisoft for their support
for ArchiCAD 9. and help in developing this project. A special note of thanks
The author, Thomas M. Simmons, spent seven years as an goes to Jeff Olken of ARCHVISTA, Anett Csáki at
architect and served as the Director of Design Technology for Graphisoft; Steven House, Cathi House and Kelly Condon at
Esherick, Homsey, Dodge and Davis Architects, an House + House Architects; and Jeffrey Benningfield at
award-winning and internationally acclaimed architecture firm, STUDIOS Architecture.
before starting his company, ARCHVISTA. While at EHDD
Architects, he was instrumental in integrating and managing
ArchiCAD on a variety of projects including single-family
houses, commercial buildings, libraries and aquariums.
Simmons received a Master of Architecture degree from the
University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of
Environmental Design degree from Texas A & M University.
He has been a speaker on a variety of subjects including
Beginning to Advanced ArchiCAD, Multimedia in
Architecture, Building Information Modeling and Architectural
Visualization.
ARCHVISTA has produced several notable projects for the
architectural and ArchiCAD markets including the acclaimed
Inside NASA - NASA Virtual Tours, 2004; the Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory Building Technology Facility,
2002; the award-winning Architectural Record, Record Houses
CD-ROM, 1997 and 1998; and the award-winning visualization
of the American Hebrew Academy with Aaron Green
Architects, 1998.
ARCHVISTA is a leading consultant and reseller of
ArchiCAD for the Northern California, Nevada and Oregon
regions and can be reached at the following web address:
http://www.archvista.com
Level 1 - Introductory: Residential Project • Introduction helps you locate the information you need.
• Section 1 - Organizing the Building Information Model discusses
how to use ArchiCAD to manage and produce construction
documents. It describes how to tailor the program to your
specific needs, define standard options for all projects in
your office, or use special settings for different projects.
• Section 2 - Creating the Production Drawings discusses
PlotMaker, a standalone layouting application that is part of
• Introduction helps you locate the information you need. the ArchiCAD package. PlotMaker is optimized for
preparing an architectural documentation set based on the
• Section 1 - Concepts and Tools introduces the visible elements of views, drawings and images created with ArchiCAD, as well
the ArchiCAD working environment. It helps you find your as added data from other external sources, such as other
way around the ArchiCAD workplace and understand the CAD and image files, word-processing documents and
role of each component in ArchiCAD. spreadsheets.
• Section 2 - Creating the Building Information Model concentrates • Section 3 - Project Management includes the data exchange tools
on the creation of the ArchiCAD model using building that you need in your architectural practice to collaborate
elements such as walls, beams, columns, slabs, roofs, doors, with colleagues and other professionals as well as how to
windows, skylights, stairs, objects and lights. It also covers properly archive a project in both ArchiCAD and PlotMaker
the tools and settings available for each element and how to
customize the element to the needs of a particular design.
• Section 3 - Presenting the Design discusses and reviews various
methods of presentation including renderings, animations,
virtual reality and sun studies as well as the process for
creating a presentation layout.
STEP 1:
MANAGING ARCHICAD’S ENVIRONMENT
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Project versus Work Settings At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Preferences 1 Understand the difference between the settings for a project
• Part 3: Favorites versus the settings for an individual work environment.
• Part 4: Attribute Manager 2 Understand how to set Preferences and Favorites for the
• Part 5: Work Environment Schemes specific requirements of a project.
• Part 6: Work Environment Profiles 3 Understand how to manage a project’s information using the
Attribute Manager.
Exercises 4 Understand the difference between a Profile and a Option
and how to set up each option.
• Setting Preferences 5 Understand the differences between the five Scheme
• Saving and Using Favorites Options: User Preference Scheme, Shortcut Scheme, Tool
• Using the Attribute Manager Scheme, Palette Scheme and the Command Layout Scheme.
• Creating a User Preference Scheme
• Shortcut, Tool and Palette Schemes
• Command Layout Schemes
• Creating Profiles
• Set the Length Unit to millimeter and Angle Unit to decimal • Click each dimension type button and set the default.
degrees.
• Set the default units as shown below. 5 Construction Elements: On the next screen, you can
define options for the behavior of different types of
construction elements.
The upper part of the dialog box allows you to define the Line
Type used for displaying construction elements on stories
other than the one they were created on. These settings will be
applied to those element types that can be displayed on other
stories than their home story (Slabs, Roofs, Meshes, Objects).
At the bottom of the screen, you can set the general
preferences for 3D Intersection Priorities for intersections of
beams and columns.
• Set the default units as shown below.
2 On the left, the attributes of the currently opened 7 The buttons between the two parts of the dialog box allow
ArchiCAD file are shown. Click the Layers tab at the far left you to copy attributes in either direction, delete, append or
to display the project layers. overwrite them.
• Appending an attribute will add it to the list of the other file
under a new index.
• Overwriting an attribute will replace it with another
attribute from the other file that has the same index number.
3 To purge layers that are not being used, click the Purge Select the Append button.
Unused layers command at the bottom left.
8 Scroll to the bottom of the left column and you will see the
addition of the layers to the project layer list. When you click
the OK button, the Confirm Changes dialog will appear.
4 On the right, another file's attributes are shown. Here you Click the Proceed button to finalize the changes to the
can either open a second ArchiCAD file (Project, Archive or layers.
Module) or create a new one in a special format that belongs
to Attribute Manager. Click the Open button on the right.
PART 5: WORK ENVIRONMENT Selecting Expert will minimize the tools and palettes in order
to provide a larger work area as well as providing additional
SCHEMES menu options.
Selecting Novice will hide commands, tools and menu options Selecting Standard will set the settings to the factory preset
that are not required by a new user. configuration.
3 Data Safety: Click the Data Safety item and set the options
of the Data Safety dialog box to minimize the risk of data
loss and file corruption. This is especially important if your
power lines suffer from voltage spikes or failures, or if your
computer is prone to software conflicts.
7 Once all the settings are set for each of the options, click on
User Preference Schemes to bring up the Scheme Options
dialog box. Click the Store As button. In the Store Scheme
dialog, type the name “My User Preferences” and click • To change the shortcut, click your cursor inside the “Desired
Store. Shortcut Keys” field (shown below) and press any keyboard
characters.
• Click the Store As button. In the Store Scheme dialog, type • Next, change the location of the Info Box. Click on the top
a name and click Store. edge of the Info Box and drag it to the top of the Floor Plan
Window as shown.
• In the Palette Shapes dialog click the Coordinate Box • To change the amount of information shown within the
Extended checkbox and click OK. Info Box, click on its bottom edge and drag the edge
upwards to create a single row.
name and click Store. The new palette scheme will also To display or hide these toolbars:
appear in the Windows > Palette Layout.
• Click on the New & Reset All command in the File list and button. This will add the commands to the Production
then click the Add Selected button below. This command is menu.
now available within the Classic Toolbar.
Creating Profiles
1 Reopen the Work Environment dialog from Options >
Work Environment. Click on Work Environment Profiles
from the left-hand menu of the Work Environment Dialog
Box. This brings up Profile Options, where you can create,
edit, delete, export, or import profiles.
3 Click and highlight the new profile you created. The bottom
window in the dialog indicates which Schemes are stored in
this Profile. Click OK.
Highlight each scheme type, then choose the scheme you want
from the pop-up list at the right. If you don’t choose a scheme,
it will remain Undefined, meaning when you apply the new
profile, that scheme’s settings will remain “as-is” or default.
Click OK when done.
STEP 2:
MANAGING THE BUILDING INFORMATION
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Layer Definition At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Layer Settings 1 Understand how to manage an ArchiCAD document using
• Part 3: Quick Layers layers, layer combinations and display options.
• Part 4: Display Options 2 Understand how to create and modify layer settings.
3 Understand how to control wall intersections using the
Exercises intersection group numbers option.
4 Understand how to change the appearance of a layer in 3D
• Layer Names and Extensions
using the appearance mode option.
• Creating and Modifying Layer Combinations
5 Understand how to create and modify display settings.
• Using Appearance Mode
• Setting Display Options and Combinations
2 Review the ArchiCAD Layers and note how the layers are generally reflect the drawings that are to be produced (such as a
organized. To view the layers by prefix, press the Layer floor plan, ceiling plan and site plan).
Name button.
Level2-02-1 Movie
2 With the STRUCTURAL PLAN layer combination selected, level will automatically connect in 2D and cut or connect to
click the Select All button, click the Hide button and click each other in 3D view.
the Deselect All button.
3 To restore the view, open the Layer Settings again, select the
S-SLAB.N layer and click the solid model icon to change it
PART 4: DISPLAY OPTIONS
to back to a solid model view. The Options > Display Options command opens a dialog box
where you can customize the way the various construction
PART 3: QUICK LAYERS elements are displayed on the Floor Plan Worksheet. As an
example, you can use this option to toggle between showing
The Quick Layers command accessible from the Options menu the door swing or displaying a header for the ceiling plan.
opens a submenu with a commands that help you quickly
change the state of the Layers in your Project.
• The Show/Hide Layers Toggle inverts the visibility of all Setting Display Options and
layers. Combinations
• The Lock/Unlock Toggle inverts the state of all protected
and unprotected layers. Level2-02-2 Movie
• The Active Layer command switches to single-layer mode
and back.
• The Hide/Lock/Unlock Selections’ Layers commands 1 Go to the Navigator and double click the Ceiling Plan -
invert the state of the Layers belonging to the currently Second Floor option in the Navigator.
selected elements, while Hide/Lock Others’ Layers does
the same for the elements that are not selected. Both explicit
selection and Marquee areas are taken into consideration.
2 Next, go to the Options menu and select Display Options. 5 Click the pop-up button next to Cut Fills and select No Fills.
This will show the walls without a fill pattern.
8 Click the Save As button and name this Combination If you select the Marquee Tool, draw a Marquee around an area
“Reflected Ceiling” and click Save. of the plan and go to the 3D Window, you will also see slabs
that represent the ceiling structure within the model.
STEP 3:
ORGANIZING FOR CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: View Editor Mode At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: View Settings 1 Understand the structure of the project as displayed through
a hierarchy of folders.
Exercises 2 Understand the difference between the Project Map and
View Sets.
• Define the Construction Document View Set
3 Understand the difference between the Navigator mode and
• Organize View Set Folders
the View Editor mode.
• Manage the Drawings
4 Configure the View Editor to organize a set of construction
• Organize with Cloned Folders documents.
• Redefining Views 5 Navigate between plans, elevations, sections and details
using custom view settings.
6 Understand the procedures and reasons for cloning project
content.
7 Redefine saved view sets to update changes in project
information.
4 To set the order of the folders simply click, hold and drag 2 Click the Fit in Window button from the zoom controls on
the folder to the desired position as shown below. the bottom of the Floor Plan Window or from the Display
menu.
Level2-03-2 Movie
5 Finally, in the Site Drawings folder click and rename the 7 If you want to reuse the settings of drawings as they were
saved view “Site Plan”. finished in the Design Development phase, select the
Design Development option from the Project Map pop-up
button on the upper left side of the palette.
6 Repeat the same steps to save views to the Floor Plan folder.
In this case, drag the First Floor, Second Floor, Third Floor
and Roof Plan to the Floor Plan folder after setting the
View Settings and Storing Options as follows.
• Layer Combination: Floor Plan 8 You will now see a list of drawings produced in Design
Development.
• Scale: 1:100
• Display Option Combination: Construction
• Select the Zoom In command from the Display menu and
zoom to the Floor Plan and select Zoom: Current Zoom
9 To use the same settings that were set for each these
drawings, click and drag the Design Development drawings
from the left column to the appropriate Construction
Document folder in the right column.
Level2-03-3 Movie
• Zoom: Current Zoom 5 Repeat this step to create a clone of the Details folder,
changing the Detail clone scale to 1:50. Any details that are
created in future steps will automatically be added to the
Detail cloned folder with a default scale of 1:50. Each new
detail can also be set to an individual scale.
Redefining Views
At any time, with a view selected, click the Redefine button
(second from left) or choose Redefine from the context
menu to change the definition of the selected item, using a
dialog box whose content is identical to the Save Current View
dialog box. You can also rename the view here.
1 Double click the Restroom Enlarged Plan option in the
The icon displayed on the new folder shows that it is a clone, as Enlarged Plans folder.
distinguished from a manually created folder.
You can move the entire cloned folder inside the hierarchy of
the View Set, but you cannot drag new items into it. If you wish
to delete an item from a cloned folder, you will be warned that
the entire link structure will be removed from the View Set.
STEP 4:
INCREASING THE BUILDING DETAIL
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Composite Structures At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Wall End Tool and Settings 1 Understand the purpose of composite structures and the
• Part 3: Solid Element Operations types of tools that use composite structures.
• Part 4: Solid Operation Maintenance 2 Understand how to select and modify a Wall End object and
where to place it within the model.
Exercises 3 Understand the purpose of a solid element operation.
4 Understand how to create and place an element that can be
• Create a New Composite
used for trimming.
• Composite Selection Options
5 Understand the difference between a Target Element and an
• Set up and Place a Wall End Object Operator Element.
• Placing a Trim Element 6 Understand how to perform a solid element operation.
• Performing a Solid Operation
• Maintaining a Solid Operation
Level2-04-1 Movie
3 In the Edit Skin and Line Structure panel, click the 5 Click the next skin and change the width to 30mm and
Gypsum Board skin and click the Insert Skin button. change the composite skin to Rigid Insulation.
4 Click the outer Gypsum Board skin and click on the Edit
Selected Item panel. Select the composite skin Stucco from
the pop-up list.
6 Select a line, then choose a line type and pen color in the
Edit Selected Item panel below.
7 Change the middle skin to Metal Stud and set this skin as the 2 Open the Floor Plan and Section panel. Select the Exterior
core by clicking the checkbox. Click OK to close the dialog Stucco Wall option from the composites pop-up menu.
box.
PART 2: WALL END TOOL AND Set up and Place a Wall End Object
SETTINGS 1 Select the Cased End Wall object from the available wall end
types in the Wall End Default Settings dialog.
The Wall End Tool allows you to create a correct wall end
profile with a single click. Wall Ends can be placed at either end
of a wall.
4 Drag the cursor to the corner of the wall and click to place
the Cased End Wall object.
2 Open the Second Floor Plan from the Floor Plan’s View
Sets.
PART 3: SOLID ELEMENT The operation remains in effect as long as the involved
elements are present. If you wish to keep the obtained shape
OPERATIONS permanently, save it as a GDL Object from the 3D Window.
Solid Element Operations allow you to create complex shapes Operation Types
by Boolean operations including subtraction, addition and
intersection. The result is associative: if you modify the location Five types of operations can be performed. The illustration
or the attributes of the elements that participate in the below shows the initial wall on the left, followed by each of the
operation, the linked elements will be updated accordingly. five operations’ effects to the right. The Operator element is
shown in Wireframe mode.
Solid Element Operations distinguish two roles:
• A Target is an element whose geometry will be modified by
the solid operation.
• An Operator is an element that affects the geometry of the
element it is linked to.
The operation does not modify or delete the Operator element.
You can hide the layers of the Operator elements after the
operation has been performed without resetting the modified
shape. You can also set the Operator’s layer to be shown as
Wireframe, which allows you to still see the Operator element’s
contour and adjust it as necessary.
In the illustration below, a Target Wall’s shape was modified by • Subtraction cuts the shape of the Operator from the
subtracting from it a Roof-type Operator shape. On the left, Target.
both elements are shown; in the middle, the Roof ’s layer has
been hidden; on the right, the Roof ’s layer has been set to • Subtraction with upward extrusion cuts both the shape of
Wireframe. the Operator from the Target and its vertical projection
upward from the bottom of the Operator.
• Subtraction with downward extrusion cuts both the
shape of the Operator from the Target and its vertical
projection downward from the top of the Operator.
• Intersection keeps only the common part of the Target and
the Operator.
• Addition adds the shape of the Target to the shape of the
Operator.
4 Draw a Marquee around the elevator and stair core as layer to “Operation Elements”. The color is important as
indicated below. View the cutaway in the 3D Window. this will become the color of the reveal.
9 Go to the 3D Window to view the new slab and its 13 The top section of the palette is the New Operation panel.
relationship to the wall. It contains tools for the creation of a new shape.
12 Now it’s time to subtract the wall from the slab. To do this, 15 Then click the Get Target Elements button. The text field
open the Solid Element Operations from the Edit Menu. below the button will show the number of stored elements.
Clicking the red button next to the number of stored 20Finally, when you have made and checked all your settings,
elements selects the elements in the current window. click the Execute button to perform the selected Solid
16 Next, select the elements that you wish to use as Operators. Operation between the stored Target and Operator
You do not need to perform this selection in the same elements. You will then see the wall subtracted and a red
window as you did for the Targets, and even in Floor Plan color applied to the reveal.
view, you can select the Target on one story and the
Operator on another one.
To select the Operator, click the corner of the slab to highlight
it.
17 When you have made your choice, click the Get Operator
Elements button. For these, too, you can check the number 21 To turn off the wireframe of the slab used to create the
of stored elements and select them for verification. reveal, open Layer Settings and hide the “Operation
Elements” layer.
18 When both the Target and the Operator are identified,
choose an operation from the pop-up menu illustrated
below.
PART 4: SOLID OPERATION • Clicking the All Other Selected Elements cancels all
operations between the selected elements, whether they are
MAINTENANCE Operators or Targets. On the other hand, no change occurs
concerning the operations that link any of these elements to
The bottom panel of the Edit Targets and Operators dialog other, unselected Operators or Targets.
box is called Maintain Operations. Its controls allow you to
verify and cancel Solid Operations.
With the two buttons on top, you can make sure that when you
select an element prior to moving or transforming it, all the
elements that are linked to it through a Solid Operation are also
selected. Alternatively, you can group such linked elements.
You can also use these buttons to modify the targets and
operators associated to an element. For example, select all
operators, change the selection, and repeat the operation with
the new selection.
The three buttons in the bottom section allow you to cancel
Solid Operations. They only work if there are elements selected
in the Project.
• Clicking the All Targets button will cancel operations of the
selected Operator element on all its Targets.
• Clicking the All Operators button will undo all
modifications on the selected Target element by any other
element.
STEP 5:
DEFINING DETAIL WITH OBJECTS
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Definition of an Object At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Creating Objects 1 Understand how objects are created and how to create
• Part 3: Object Master Window custom objects.
• Part 4: Changing Detail with Scale 2 Understand how to create and save a 2D Object using the
Line and Circle Tools.
Exercises 3 Understand how to create 3D objects using the Wall and
Slab Tools.
• Create a 2D Object
4 Understand how to use the Extras menu and existing objects
• Create a 3D Object to create new objects.
• Create a Window Object 5 Understand the Object Window and how to add and define
• Create a Truss Object new parameters.
• Add Parameters to the Object 6 Understand that objects are scale sensitive and that they can
• Change Detail by Scale change detail with scale.
Create a 2D Object
In this exercise we will create a 2D electrical symbol and save it
as an ArchiCAD Object. This symbol will then be accessible
within the Object Tool.
Level2-05-1 Movie
2 Select the Circle Tool, the centerpoint geometry method and to save the new object, name the new ArchiCAD library part
the A-OBJECTS.N layer from the Info Box. Draw a circle Electrical Symbol and click Save.
at the edge of the wall as shown.
3 Then select the Line Tool and select the single line method
and the Object Work layer from the Info Box. Draw two 6 To view the object, double click the
lines in plan to represent an electrical symbol. Object Tool. With the Object Settings
Dialog open, select the Electrical
Symbol object and click the 2D Plan
View button in the Preview and
Positioning panel.
4 Select the Arrow Tool, click outside the symbol, drag the
cursor across the symbol and click again to select the
elements.
Create a 3D Object
In this exercise we will create a 3D table and save it as an
ArchiCAD Object. The steps are similar to the previous steps,
5 Select File > GDL Objects > Save Selection As. When but in this exercise we will create the table within the Object
the Save dialog box appears, choose a folder where you want Development view set.
Level2-05-2 Movie
with all layers turned OFF, where you can develop custom 4 Select the rectangular geometry method from the Info Box,
objects. the Object Work layer and draw a slab 1500 mm x 1000 mm.
2 With the work area defined, select and open the Slab Tool.
The Slab Tool can be used to create any horizontal surface, 5 To create the table legs, select and open the Column Tool.
such as a shelf or a table top. To create a table top, select and Set the width, height, symbol, corner insertion point, fill
open the Slab Tool Settings. pattern, material and layer as shown. Then set the layer to
the Object-Work layer and click OK.
3 Set the slab size, height, fill pattern and materials as shown
below. Then set the layer to the Object-Work layer and click
OK.
save the new object, name the new ArchiCAD library part
Custom Table and click Save.
1 Open the Wall Settings dialog and set the wall type to an
7 As you did with the previous object, select the table Empty Fill pattern and set the width and height of the wall
elements with the Arrow Tool and go to GDL Objects and parameters to the frame size of the window. The 100mm
Save Selection As from the File Menu. When the Save height of the wall represents the height of the frame and the
dialog box appears, choose the folder where you want to 50mm depth of the wall represents the depth of the frame.
Set the material of the frame to Wood Oak, the layer to the 3 Select the Single Wall geometry method and change the
Object-Work layer and click OK. construction line to the center option. Select the Half
Marker option and draw two mullions.
4 Now open the Slab Settings dialog. We will use this tool to
create the glass for the window. Set the slab parameters to
the width of the glass and to a glass material, the layer to the
Object-Work layer and click OK. Draw the glass slab inside
the frame as shown. The glass width is 5 and the glass is
2 Now select the rectangular geometry method and the Object inset 25.
Work layer from the Info Box. Draw a simple window with
the measurements 1800 x 1500.
5 Again select the Arrow Tool and select the window 7 A new dialog, Save as Library Part, will appear. Select the
elements. When the elements are selected, select the 3D Window button in the middle and select Editable GDL
Projection Settings option from the Image menu. Create a Script. In this case the window will be editable.
3D parallel projection as a Side view and move the camera
so that it is a view from the top of the window (azimuth =
90).
an outline. The Accessories option contains special objects that 3 Finally, open the Line Tool again, set the pen color to a
can frame walls, create a wainscot or define a trim. different color and click OK. Draw the sloped structural
components as shown.
4 When you are satisfied with your design, select the Arrow
Tool and select the lines making up the truss. In the Extras
menu choose the Create Truss command from
TrussMaker.
A truss can be drawn in both the floor plan and in section. In
this exercise we will draw the truss in the Floor Plan Window,
but the same steps apply to creating a truss in section.
5 The TrussMaker Settings dialog box appears, allowing you
to choose a shape and define options for creating the truss.
Level2-05-4 Movie
• Timber Construction: click this button to construct • The first tab page, Attributes, defines the appearance of the
wooden trusses. truss in floor plan, section and 3D views. This tab page is
identical for all three construction types.
Because the pen colors used to define the different parts of the
truss are interpreted separately, in this tab page you can assign
distinct parameters (e.g., thickness, diameter or profile) to each
part.
A black diamond next to the pen color icon indicates which Instead of width and height values, circular truss elements are
part of the truss you are defining options for. You can check defined by their diameter and resolution.
this in the preview area, where the given part appears thicker. It is possible to customize the thickness of the different parts
of the truss.
For the Rolled Steel Profile construction type, an even wider
range of options is available:
To select a part to work on, either click its pen color icon or its
outline in the Truss Preview.
For the Timber Construction type, you can set the width and
The two pop-ups next to the pen color icon allow you to
the height of the elements. The right side of the dialog box
choose among profiles and ways of positioning.
displays a preview of the cross section.
The third tab page of the TrussMaker Settings dialog box is
only available for the Rolled Steel Profile construction type.
8 In the Junction Plates section, T stands for the cross-section
value, L for the length of the junction plate from the
intersection point of the profile axis and M for the minimal
overlapping length of the profile and the junction plate.
In addition to the above, the Hollow Section type of truss has Depending on the geometry (the angle between the
a number of additional settings. You can choose between profiles), either L or M will be used to determine the actual
rectangular and circular elements (but you cannot combine the
two).
defined Parameters can also be called by the different Scripts of 2 In the Open Library File dialog, navigate to the “Custom
the Object. Table” object you created and open the file.
3 With the Object Master Window now open, select the
Parameters button on the left and the 3D view button below
the object preview.
3D View button
Parameters button
parameter typically used to define such things as the number be typed directly into the value box, or set by clicking the
of window panes or door panels, or the materials of a part. checkbox at the right end of the parameter line.
• Text: specifies character strings up to 255 characters for uses
like defining changes in the GDL Object or typing plain
words instead of numbers in the parameter's value box.
• Material: Specifies a material as a GDL parameter.
• Line Type: specifies a line type as a GDL parameter.
• Fill Pattern: specifies a fill pattern as a GDL parameter.
Parameter Types button
• Pen Color: specifies a pen color as a GDL parameter.
5 Our new parameter will be used to describe the table top
6 In the Name column, enter “Table Top Material”.
material. Click the parameter types button to indicate which
type of parameter you wish to define. The pop-up list has 12
options described below. Select the Materials option.
7 In the Value column, click the button on the right and select
a material from the pop-up list.
• Length: specifies physical dimensions of the GDL Object
(and makes conversions to whatever units you are using).
• Angle: specifies angular values in decimal degrees for such
GDL operations as rotation transformations and defining
arcs.
• Real Number: specifies decimal non-dimensional values 8 We are now ready to assign this new parameter to the 3D
for uses like including a magnification factor in a GDL script. Go to the Variable column and highlight
calculation. “CustomTabl_A”. Select Copy from the Edit menu or right
• Integer: specifies whole numbers, dimensionless values for click and select Copy.
uses like defining the number of identical components in a
GDL description or the number of times to loop through a
part of the GDL Script.
• Boolean: the value of a Boolean parameter can only be 1 or
0, and is used, for example, to activate or deactivate an
action or an item in a GDL Object. These values can either
9 Click the 3D Script button on the left column to edit the 12 You have now scripted your first line of GDL code. To see
GDL 3D script that describes the table object. the effects, click the Parameters button again and change the
variable button to a different material. You will see the table
top change to a different material.
PART 4: CHANGING DETAIL WITH 3 Now change the scale by clicking the Scale button and
change the scale to 1:5.
SCALE
Many elements can have a different appearance in 2D and 3D
view. In Floor Plan view, the degree of detail can be set to
depend on the current Floor Plan Scale defined for the
Project. This enables an object to have a simple appearance at 4 Choose Fit to Window from the Display menu or the Fit in
one scale and to have a detailed appearance at another scale. Window button and zoom back into the same window on
the exterior.
5 Notice the change in detail within the window frame.
STEP 6:
EXTRACTING AND DEVELOPING BUILDING
DETAILS
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Definition of the Detail Tool At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Detail Tool Settings 1 Understand the purpose of the Detail Tool and its
• Part 3: Creating Details relationship to the virtual building.
• Part 4: Detail Window 2 Understand how to input and create settings for the detail
• Part 5: Adding AutoCAD Details and symbol.
3 Understand how to place a detail symbol and how to modify
Exercises its placement.
4 Understand how to open a Detail Window, how to edit its
• Set up the Detail Settings content and how to link the detail to an existing detail.
• Create a Plan Detail 5 Understand how to merge an AutoCAD DWG file into the
• Create a Section Detail Detail Window.
• Adding Detail in the Detail Window
• Merge a DWG Detail
PART 1: DEFINITION OF THE Detail Drawings can be generated either from details of the
floor plan, sections and elevations, or from model-based Detail
DETAIL TOOL Drawings. The content of the Detail Drawing can be generated
by using the clipping polygon surrounding the Detail Marker
The Detail tool places parametric Detail Markers on floor on the floor plan or section. Regeneration does not occur
plans, sections and elevations. These markers are linked to automatically. Similarly to Sections, Detail Drawings can be
Detail Drawings, just like Section/Elevation markers are linked regenerated by using the appropriate display menu commands.
to their associated drawings.
PART 2: DETAIL TOOL SETTINGS a dialog box in which you choose among available Detail
Drawings.
Double-clicking the Detail tool opens the Detail Settings dialog • We will start with a plan detail. Click the Create New Detail
box which has four panels: General, Marker, Marker Custom Drawing radio button. In the Reference ID text box enter
Settings and Detail. “1” and in the Name text box enter “Restroom Detail”.
Two radio buttons indicate the two options for the detail
marker; if you choose Create New Detail Drawing
Window, the Marker’s Reference ID and Name fields are
editable and if you choose Link this Marker to an
available Detail Drawing, both of the identification fields
are grayed, allowing you to click the Browse button to open
boundary and when the cursor changes to a Mercedes 6 The Detail Boundary can be hidden using the Display
Cursor, click to place the Detail Marker. Options in the Options menu. However, the Detail
Boundary is never present on printouts.
4 Go to the View Sets and note that the new Restroom Detail
is now present in the cloned Detail folder.
2 In the Info Box, type “Stair Detail” as the new name for this 5 To reduce the radius of the curved edges of the detail
detail. boundary, select the detail symbol with the Arrow Tool and
and open the Detail Settings.
3 Select the Detail Tool. In the Info Box, type “1 Hour 7 Next, change the scale of this detail to 1:10 and select Fit In
Partition Detail” as the new name for this detail. Window from the Display menu. Now redefine this view to
default to the new scale by selecting Redefine from the
pop-up menu in the Navigator.
4 Drag your cursor to the area of the section you wish to
detail. Click the cursor once to begin drawing the rectangle
and a second time to finish.
8 To develop the detail we will use the Object Tool, Line Tool
and Text Tool. First, select and open the Object
Tool Settings. Open the Metal Sections 9 folder within the
Project Library and select the “Mtl_Stud_CH_Shape”
5 Go to the Details folder in the View Sets and double click object. Select the bottom left insertion point, select the
the “1 Hour Partition Detail”. A-OBJECTS.N layer and click OK.
9 Drag the cursor to the ceiling and place as shown. 13 Insert the object into the top edge of the wall where the wall
meets the concrete floor above.
14 To finish the detail, select the Line Tool with the Single Line
10 Open the Object Tool Settings dialog and select the geometry method, and choose a continuous line type.
“Mtl_Stud_E_Shape” object. Select the right lower corner
insertion point and click OK.
16 In the Info Box, change the line type to a Cut Line and draw and the last click to describe the boundary of the text block.
a line at the left edge of the detail.
17 To add notes, select the Label Tool and click the first point
where the pointer is to be placed, the second click at the
start of the leader line, the third click at the start of the text
PART 5: ADDING AUTOCAD 2 In the New Independent Detail dialog, enter the Reference
ID as 4 and the Name as “Light Alcove Detail” and then
DETAILS click OK.
Select the DWG file type option, then the DWG file named Choose the default translator and click the Save Settings
“Lighting Alcove Detail.dwg”. Click on Open. and Close button.
5 The Drawing Placement dialog will appear where you can set
insertion point, scale, rotation, anchor point, and story
placement, and also select a translator.
8 Drag the cursor to the lower left corner of the detail window
and click to place the drawing.
STEP 7:
LINKING REPETITIVE BUILDING COMPONENTS
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Definition of a Module At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Creating & Managing Hotlinks 1 Understand the difference between an XREF from
• Part 3: Definition of an XREF AutoCAD and a Module from ArchiCAD.
• Part 4: Creating & Managing an XREF 2 Understand how a Module and an XREF are linked to an
ArchiCAD model.
Exercises 3 Understand how to create a Module file.
4 Understand how Modules and XREF’s are updated and how
• Creating a New Hotlink
to set automatic updates.
• Placing a Hotlink
5 Understand how to make a Module or an XREF a
• Managing a Hotlink permanent part of an ArchiCAD model and how to break
• Attaching an XREF the link.
• Managing an XREF
PART 1: DEFINITION OF A MODULE of each instance can be different even though they share the
same Hotlink.
A Module is a set of construction elements placed on the Floor • The Modules’ content can be updated as the hotlinked
Plan using a Hotlink. source file changes.
A Hotlink is a logical pointer to a single story of an external • The Module can only be edited as an entity (similarly to
source file. It is an attribute of Modules. Library Parts or Groups).
Using Hotlinked Modules allows you to insert the contents of • Managing (modifying, updating, breaking, deleting) a
external ArchiCAD files (sources) into the currently open Hotlink will have an effect on all associated Modules.
Project (host). Elements inserted into the host follow all There is a difference between Modules placed in Projects and
modifications of the source files. Module type files.
Hotlinked Modules can be used, for example, to manage the Modules placed in Projects are sets of elements coming from
repetitive structures of buildings such as hotels or offices with a Solo Project, Team Project or Module type files.
large number of identical rooms by modifying all instances in a
single step. Moreover, the same structures can be used in
multiple Projects. This is also a good way to subdivide large
Projects into easier-to-handle smaller files.
5 Click the OK button to close the Hotlink Manager dialog ArchiCAD files. Select the “Site Map.pln” Hotlink in the list
box. and click OK.
Placing a Module
1 After defining a list of Hotlinks, you can start placing
Modules in the Project. Choose the File > Modules and
XREFs > Place Module command.
4 The name of the chosen hotlink will appear in the dialog
box, and the Place Module button will become active. Click
2 In the dialog box that appears click the Choose Hotlink it to place an instance of the Hotlinked Module in your
button, which will open the Choose Hotlink dialog box. Floor Plan.
3 This dialog box lists the Hotlinks that have already been
established between the current Project and other A number of options are available for inserting Hotlinked
Modules, and some rules apply to them.
• Layers: The whole Module is placed on a Master Layer that
you choose from a pop-up menu when placing the module.
The Master Layer controls the visibility and locking of a
Module as an entity. This Master Layer is an ordinary layer of
the host file and can include any other elements. Set the
Master Layer to L-SITE.E.
• Height/Elevation values: Positions relative to the actual Site Map and note the element is not editable and responds
story of the original file are applied. When placing the with a warning.
module, you can type a value in the Elevation field to define
the height at which the Module will be placed, i.e., an
optional vertical offset added to the elements’ original
story-relative elevation. Leave as default.
• Type a value in the Orientation field to place the Module at
an angle that is different from the one defined in the original
file. Leave as default.
• Check the box next to the Orientation field to place a
mirrored Module. Leave as default.
5 Click the Place Module button to open the Pasting dialog
box. Choose Paste to Original Location and Zoom to
Pasted Elements. Then click the Paste button.
• In the Hotlinks dialog you will now note that this new
hotlink appears with the status of Unused since this module
has not yet been placed.
Managing a Hotlink
1 Open the Hotlink Manager dialog again from the File >
Modules & XREFs hierarchical menu and review the
3 Use the buttons on the right to manage selected hotlinks or
options for managing the hotlink.
all of them. Clicking the New Hotlink button allows you to
add new items to the list of hotlinked files, clicking the
Change Hotlink button allows you to modify the link to a
placed module, clicking the Update button will update all
related Modules, clicking the Save as File button creates a
new Module file, clicking the Break Hotlink button will
break the link to the hotlinked file and clicking the Delete
button will delete the hotlinked module from the file.
• Select Site Map.pln from the list and click the Break Hotlink
button. This will change its status to Broken.
PART 4: CREATING & MANAGING 1 Go to File > Modules and XREFs > Attach XREF.
AN XREF
All XREF-related functions can be performed in the XREF
Management dialog box (File > Modules and XREFs > XREF
Management) opened by this command. 2 Click the Browse button in the Attach XREF dialog and
navigate to the Training Guide Level 2 folder. In this folder
select the file named “Landscape.dwg” and click the Open
button.
3 In the Attach XREF dialog select and deactivate the Specify 6 Repeat the above steps and attach a second XREF. Navigate
on Screen checkbox in the Insertion Point section of the to the Training Guide Level 2 folder and select the file
dialog. named “Stairs.dwg”.
Managing an XREF
1 To manage an XREF it is necessary to open the XREF
Management dialog from the File menu by selecting the
Modules and XREFs/XREF Management... command.
2 When the dialog opens, you are presented with a list of the
DWG files currently linked to the model. Select the
Landscaping.dwg file within the list and click the Detach
button and in the next dialog select Remove XREF’s
4 Click the Attach button to link the XREF. Attributes.
3 Click OK and go to the floor plan. You will see that the 5 Go to the location of the stairs and select the elements. Note
Landscape.dwg file that was previously linked has now that the elements are no longer linked and are now editable
dissapeared from the floor plan. elements in the model.
STEP 8:
CALCULATING PROJECT DATA
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Overview of Calculate Menu At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: List Types 1 Understand the difference between a List type output and an
• Part 3: Interactive Element Schedule Interactive Schedule type output.
2 Understand the three List Types; Elements, Components
Exercises and Zones.
3 Understand the calculation sources used to create the
• Create an Element List
information available to a List.
• Create a Component List
4 Understand how to create a custom Interactive Schedule and
• Create a Zone List how to edit the schedule.
• View and Edit the Interactive Schedule 5 Understand how to update the model through the
• Customize the Window Schedule Interactive Schedule and how the options for outputting
• Output the Window Schedule schedule information.
In this step we will use the Standard profile mode and focus on
the creating an Element, Component and Zone list as well as
2 Scroll through the list and note that Descriptor Key Name
column at left contains descriptors of project components,
3 Scroll through the list and note the element such as Frame Finish and Frame Material that can be used
types that are listed on the left such as Walls, for material takeoffs.
Columns, Slabs, Fills, Windows, Doors and
Objects.
1 To create a Zone List, select the Basic list option from List
Zones in the Calculate menu.
PART 3: INTERACTIVE ELEMENT
SCHEDULE
ArchiCAD allows you to create simple tabular schedules with
bidirectional update capabilities. In the resulting schedule, you
can summarize and check element data and modify some of the
values of the elements concerned.
The Interactive Schedule hierarchical menu located in the
Calculate menu has two commands: Preview and Settings.
• The commands are available only when the Floor Plan
worksheet is active.
• The commands work on either selected elements or on all
visible elements that conform to the current settings.
2 Scroll through the list and note that the left • The output is either a list type window or a spreadsheet
column organizes the zone list by story. placed on the drawing. On Windows only, you can also
obtain the list in Excel and Word format.
2 The List Preview/Edit dialog will appear. Choose the are editing. In the List Elements section, click the Select on
Window List option from the pop-up menu within the Plan button.
Schedule Settings.
3 This will give you a list of the windows within this project
with information such as ID, Window Name, Quantity,
Width, Height, Manufacturer, Front View and Notes. Unlike
the List Types we reviewed previously, this list is an editable
list which is linked to a window within the project. Select the
first window with the ID “W01”.
7 To see how these changes affected the Parameters within the 2 Select Window List from the Schedule
Window Settings, select the W01 window item again from Settings pop-up option. We will use
the list and click the Select on Drawing button. Click the this as a template for our custom
Close button at the bottom right of the dialog and then Window Schedule.
double click the Window Tool with the windows
selected.
8 In the Window Settings dialog, open the Parameters panel.
Note that the width of the window has been updated to
1400 and the Manufacturer information in the ArchiFM and
Listing Parameters section is now displaying Pella Windows. 3 Click the Duplicate button.
4 Enter a new name for the
Window List called “Project
Window Schedule” and click OK.
5 The first tab in the Schedule Settings is where you define the
type of element which will be listed in the schedule and
Customize the Window Schedule whether the list will be by rows or columns. Since this is a
Window Schedule, select Element Type as the Criterion
Choosing the Settings command within the Interactive Name as and Window as the Value.
Element Schedule opens the corresponding dialog box where
you define the schedule data you wish to display.
Level2-08-1 Movie
6 To list the schedule by Rows, select the Record by Rows the Width parameter. Repeat this for the W/D Nominal Sill
option from the Schedule Scheme pop-up menu. Height parameter and click OK when finished.
9 Scroll down further and select the W/D Nominal Sill Height
option and click the check mark ON.
14 This is where you can set the defaults for Header Text,
Footer Text, Value Text, Borders and Paper Size. To set a
default for the Header Text, select the Header Text option
from the Schedule Item pop-up menu. Set the font type,
size, row height and color as shown. Output the Window Schedule
To output the Window Schedule you can either place it on the
drawing or open a list window.
Level2-08-2 Movie
15 Repeat this step to set the font type, size and row height for
the Value Text.
1 Go to the Calculate Menu and select Preview from the
Interactive Schedule option.
STEP 9:
ORGANIZING AND MANAGING A LAYOUT BOOK
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Layout Book Structure At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Master Layouts 1 Understand how to set up and organize a drawing set for
• Part 3: Title Types production drawings that utilizes Master Layouts, Subsets,
Title Types, Layout Sheets and intelligent linking.
Exercises 2 Understand how to set up a PlotMaker file with the linked
project information such as client name, project name,
• Set up the Book Info and Settings address, date of issue and date of printing.
• Set up Drawing Subsets 3 Understand how to configure the settings for auto-text and
• Set up a Master Layout auto-numbering.
• Create a Title Type 4 Understand how to set a file to print in Color, Gray Scale or
Black and White.
4 Next, go to the Add a Prefix for the Subset section and enter
1 When a new PlotMaker project is started, it does not place a a period “.” in the text box.
subset folder in the Navigator by default. To create a subset,
click the arrow to the right of the Trees by Subset and a
pop-up menu will appear. Select the New Subset option.
5 Select the Numbering Style as 01, 02, 03... from the pop-up
option and click OK.
6 Now drag the Layout 001 into the Project Data subset
2 A folder will appear in the Navigator. At the bottom of the folder.
Navigator, type “Project Data” into the Name field and click
the Settings button to set up the subset.
8 Now repeat the previous steps to add all the subset folders
required to organize this project. Use the diagram on the
following page as a guide to setting up the subset folder
organization.
Level2-09-2 Movie
2 A new layout will appear in the Masters list. Select the new
Master Layout called “Master 001” and double click it to
open the master.
7 Now double click the Master A0 Landscape that you just 10 Finally, let’s add an autotext for the drawing number which
created and select Paste from the Edit menu. will autonumber based on the Subset Settings we created
earlier. Select the Zoom In command and zoom to the
bottom right corner.
8 The title block is pasted into the new master layout, but
needs to be relocated. Select Drag from the Edit menu, click
on the bottom right corner of the titleblock and drag it to
the right edge of the master sheet.
11 Select the Text Tool and draw a text box in the Drawing
Number area at the bottom of the titleblock.
9 To stretch the top edge, select the Marquee Tool and draw a
boundary around the edge you wish to stretch. Select the
Stretch command from the edit menu, click on the edge of
the titleblock and stretch to the top edge of the master sheet.
12 The text editing window appears. Select the Insert AutoText
option in the upper left and select Layout Number from the
pop-up. Click outside to finish.
Titles are linked to the placed drawing: when the drawing is 3 Click on the drawing origin represented by the “X” and draw
moved, dragged, or rotated, the title will follow along with the a square.
drawing. You can also select an individual title and move it
around.
2 Let’s add a square to the left side of the title for the drawing
number. Select the Line Tool and the rectangular geometry
method.
6 Once you are satisfied with the title type content, open the
Title Type Settings to set its name, appearance and original
position. To do this, click the Settings button in Properties. In the next step when we insert and place drawings from the
In the bottom left corner of the dialog, check Set to Default ArchiCAD model file, the title type can be assigned to the
for New Drawings and click OK. drawings, automatically updated with the drawing number,
name and scale.
STEP 10:
PLACING, POSITIONING AND VIEWING DRAWINGS
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Set up the Layout Sheets At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Compose the Drawings 1 Import and place a drawing onto a PlotMaker Layout.
• Part 3: Modify Drawing Attributes 2 Understand the differences in composing both a plan and
detail sheet.
Exercises 3 Understand how to compose a Layout using a drawing grid
that will link to the auto-numbering.
• Create a Layout Sheet Manually
4 Understand how to modify the drawing border, scale, pen
• Create a Layout Sheet Automatically
settings and layer settings in order to edit the drawings view.
• Compose an Elevation Sheet
5 Understand the importance of Attribute Update Rules and
• Create a Drawing Grid how they apply to a placed drawing.
• Compose a Detail Sheet
• Compose an Enlarged Plan
• Compose a Screened Background
PART 1: SET UP THE LAYOUT You can place, arrange and transform drawings in the Layout
window, and manually add 2D elements as well as AutoText
SHEETS items. Drawings can be added and placed on the Layout using
the Import command (File menu). Any number of drawings of
The Layout window is the large window on the right in different formats can be placed on the same Layout.
PlotMaker. Several Layout windows can be opened at the same Imported drawings can be displayed with or without a frame, as
time. monochrome bitmaps or vectorized color objects. You can
• The blue frame shows the actual area of the Layout. scale, arrange, edit and manipulate them as needed. Basically,
• The white area represents the usable print area. two types of drawings (or other objects) can be placed on the
• The grey area represents the non-printing area (margins) of layout:
the paper. • Drawings (views) imported and placed from ArchiCAD
• The dotted blue line represents output pages (visible when a projects. These drawings can be edited in the source file by
single Layout will take up more than one printed page.) opening them directly in ArchiCAD.
The size and the margins of the Layout are defined with the • Manually placed drawings can be edited inside PlotMaker
Master Layout (as you did in the previous step). You can also either before or after they are placed in the Layout. Each
adjust these options in the Print Setup or Plot Setup dialog drawing can be opened in a separate Drawing window and
boxes when outputting the Layouts. you can then edit its individual graphic elements.
A hotlink exists between the imported file and the placed
Drawing. The links can be updated automatically or manually.
Level2-10-1 Movie
1 Select and open the Project Data folder in the Navigator. Set
the pop-up at bottom to “Show Names & Numbers.” To
create a new layout, select the arrow pop-up menu next to
Trees by Subset and select New Layout from the list.
2 Select the new layout and, in the Name field at the bottom of
the Navigator, rename this layout as “Cover Sheet”.
3 Repeat these steps for the second layout in the Project Data
folder and rename it as “Index and Map”. To change the
order of the layout, click the layout and drag it up or down
within the order.
Before we begin this process, go saved your file, you can ignore this warning and click the
back to ArchiCAD and select Save Continue button.
from the File menu. This will allow
you to import the most recent work
from the ArchiCAD file.
Level2-10-2 Movie
5 The Import Drawing dialog will appear. In the Available
View Sets menu, select the Construction Documents option
you created earlier.
6 Click the Site Drawings checkbox and select the radio button
next to Insert New Layouts in Current Layout Book
2 Select the Import option from the File Subset. Then click the Import button.
menu.
3 Navigate the file named
Level2-Step10.pln in the Training Guide-Level 2 Files folder.
Select the file, then press Open.
center of the new layout along with a Title Type which will 8 Repeat these steps to automatically create the layouts for the
be placed at the lower left of the drawing. A2 Floor Plans and A6 Reflected Ceiling Plans subset
folders.
edge of the first elevation and drag it to a new location on 6 To move the Title Type
the layout. that is associated with
this elevation, deselect
the elevation and select
only the Title Type.
Select Drag from the File
menu and move the title
to a new position.
7 Repeat these steps to
relocate the remaining elevations and the associated title
types.
8 Now zoom into one of the Title Types and note that the
information such as drawing name, drawing scale and
drawing number have been automatically updated within the
Title Type. This information is linked to the name and scale
you assigned within ArchiCAD.
3 With the copy selected, edit the name in the Properties panel
and change it to Master A0 Landscape with Grid. To change
1 We will use the Master A0 Landscape as a template to create its position, click and drag it up or down within the list.
a new Master Sheet with a drawing grid. To do this, select
the Master A0 Landscape in the Masters folder and select
Copy from the pop-up menu.
4 To customize the drawing grid, click
the Settings button at the bottom of
the Navigator while the “Master A0
Landscape with Grid” is selected.
1 Go to the A9 Interior Details folder and double click the 4 To place the partition details, select the Import button from
A9.01 Partition Details layout. the File menu.
6 The partition details will be placed onto the detail sheet at a layout, import and place the sections on the A3.02 Building
the center of each drawing grid and the drawing grid number Sections layout in the A3 Elevations and Sections folder.
will be input automatically into the Title Type for each detail.
6 You can also move the drawing within the drawing frame.
While the frame is highlighted, click inside the drawing
frame and move the cursor to change the drawing view.
7 Now let’s create a copy of the enlarged plan which will allow
you to independently change its settings. With the enlarged
plan highlighted, select Drag a Copy from the Edit menu.
Drag the copy of the enlarged plan to the left and click to
finish.
8 Select the copy and resize the frame to focus on the elevator
core.
Documents View Set) and place the layouts into the “A2
Floor Plans” subset of your PlotMaker Layout Book.
2 Select the Floor Plans folder in the Navigator and choose
New Layout from the pop-up menu.
Compose a Screened Background
Drawings from mechanical, electrical and structural consultants
will often create their own layer of information which will
overlay on a screened background of the architectural floor
plan. This can be accomplished by changing the pen colors of a
placed drawing to a gray color and printing the sheet to gray
scale or color.
3 Name this layout “Structural Plan” in the Properties panel.
6 To place the copied First Floor Plan drawing, select the 7 To display the First Floor Plan as a screened image, select
A2.05 Structural Plan sheet and select Paste from the the First Floor Plan drawing within the Structural Plan
pop-up menu. layout and select Drawing Settings from the pop-up menu.
hold the mouse button as you drag across the remaining 10 Click the Edit Color button and select a gray color. Then
colors until all colors are selected. click OK in both dialogs. The First Floor Plan is now a
screened drawing.
11 You can now import the structural plan and place it on top
of the First Floor Plan. Select the Import option from the
File menu.
Floor option. Then select the radio button next to Place 15 In the Drawing Settings, click the Title panel and click the
Drawings on Current Layout and click the Import button. checkbox OFF for Append a Title to this Drawing. Click
OK and the First Floor Plan Title Type will disappear.
14 In the bottom left corner, two title types are shown, one for
the First Floor Plan and one for the Structural Plan. To turn
off the First Floor Plan Title Type, select it and open the
Drawing Settings from the Edit menu.
STEP 11:
PUBLISHING AND UPDATING
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Managing Linked Drawings At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Publisher Definition 1 Understand how to use the Drawing Usage option within
• Part 3: Publisher Options the Navigator and how to update both individual drawings
and the whole drawing set.
Exercises 2 Understand how to set up a Publisher View Set.
3 Understand the four View Set Publishing options: Print,
• Review the Drawing Usage
Plot, Save Files and Upload to Internet.
• Create View Sets for Publishing
4 Understand how to set the options and format for
• Publish to Print/Plot publishing a document.
• Publish to a Local Directory 5 Understand the difference between Cloning an Item and
• Publish to the Web creating a New Folder.
optimized for a plotter using A1 paper can also be printed, 4 Now click the "Consultants" View Set and select New Set...
properly scaled down, on an A3 printer. from the pop-up menu.
6 Repeat this step and create 2 additional View Sets and name
them as follows: "Printer" and "Plotter".
1 Go to the File menu and select the Publish... option from
Publisher within the pull down menu.
2 Click the "Untitled" View Set and select Rename from the
pop-up menu.
1 The settings for a plotter can be saved with the drawing. 6 When you’re ready to Plot the entire set, select the Plot View
Select the Plot view set from the View Set pop-up menu. Set and click the Publish button. To plot selected drawings
rather than the entire set, select the drawings you wish to
print individually and choose the Selected Items option in
2 Click the View Set Publishing Properties... button. the pop-up menu to the right of the Publish button.
4 Select and drag the Layout Book from the left side of the
dialog to the window on the right side.
7 The settings and setup for • Select Save Files from the
printing documents is Publishing Method
similar to the previous pop-up menu (this
steps for the plot setup. exercise could also use the
Upload to Internet option
if we wanted to upload the files to an FTP site).
• Click the Browse button,
navigate to your
computer's Desktop and
click the Make New
Folder button. Type a
folder name called "For
Consultant". Select the
new folder and click OK
and then click OK to
close the View Set
Publishing Properties
dialog.
• Select and drag the
drawings that will be
Publish to a Local Directory needed for the consultant from the Layout Book window on
1 When you set the configuration for a consultant, the view set the left side of the dialog to the window on the right side.
can be saved with the consultant’s file type defaults such as
AutoCAD DWG, Universal DXF or Microstation DGN, as
well as to the Acrobat PDF format.
• Select the Consultants view set from the View Set pop-up
menu.
• Click the View Set Publishing Properties... button. • Select each file and click the Format pop-up menu at the
bottom of the dialog. Scroll up and select the DWG format.
•Click the Browse • Select each file and click the Format pop-up menu at the
button, navigate to your bottom of the dialog. Scroll up and select the DWF format.
computer's Desktop and
click the Make New
Folder button. Type a
folder name called "For • When you’re ready to send these documents to your client,
Client". Select the new simply select the Client View Set and click the Publish
folder and click OK. button. You can then attach the documents to an email or
burn the information onto a CD-ROM. To view these
•Click the option documents, go to the folder you created on your Desktop,
"Include Project "For Client", and double click the file "Client.html". This file
Reviewer web will open your default browser.
environment" This will allow the client to access the
documents and create markups through a web browser and
click OK.
• Select and drag the drawings you want the client to review
from the Layout Book window on the left side of the dialog
to the window on the right side.
STEP 12:
REVIEWING A PROJECT
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Markup Concepts At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Project Reviewer 1 Understand how to set up drawings and images to be
• Part 3: Markup Tool published with the Project Reviewer using ArchiCAD.
2 Understand how to mark up items within the Project
Exercises Reviewer.
3 Understand how a DWF file is used for viewing on the
• Publish a Review Document
Internet and how these files are important in using the
• Create a Markup in Project Reviewer Project Reviewer.
• Create a Markup Entry 4 Understand the difference and relationship between the
• Close the Markup Entry Markup Tool and the Project Reviewer.
5 Understand how to create a new Markup Entry and how to
edit, correct and highlight elements that are part of the
Markup Entry.
PART 1: MARKUP CONCEPTS additions to your published project and incorporate them into
your design.
The Mark-Up features facilitates communication between Mark-Up Entries are view-specific. They cannot contain
designers during a Project. It allows you to point out elements belonging to different Stories, Section/Elevation
problematic elements with a color highlight or to add new windows or Detail Drawing windows.
elements intended. You may wish to mark up a design for many Mark-Up Entries can be shown or hidden one by one in the
reasons - for example to correct and manage a colleague's Mark-Up palette or globally with the corresponding control of
errors or deviations from a project's guidelines, or to make the Options > Display Options dialog box. If an Entry is
alternative design suggestions. hidden, the applied corrections will disappear and highlighted
elements will appear with their real Pen Color and Line Type.
2 In the Publisher dialog, select New View Set within the View
Sets pop-up menu. Type the name “Structural Review” and
click the Create button.
4 In the Construction Documents list on the left, open the 8 To publish this set of review documents, click the Publish
Structural Plans folder and drag the plans into the Structural button at the bottom of the Publisher dialog.
Review View Set list on the right.
6 From the Publishing Method list, select Save Files from the
pop-up list and click the Browse button to create a folder for Create a Mark-Up in Project Reviewer
the files. In the Browse for Folder dialog, click the Make
New Folder button and name the new folder “Structural Now that the Project Reviewer documents have been
Review” and click the OK button. published, we can share these documents through a web site,
email, a CD-ROM or the network.
Level2-12-2 Movie
Review.html document. This will open the document within 3 Drag the cursor to the bottom of the plan and zoom to the
your web browser. shaft location that needs to be revised as indicated below.
5 Click the Labeled Arrow Tool and click the arrow start point 7 To save this revision so that it can be imported into the
at shaft and drag the line outside the cloud. Click a second ArchiCAD project file, click the Save As button on the
point to start the leader, a third point to start the text box Toolbar and save the document in DWF format.
and a fourth point to describe the size of the text box area.
When the Text Entry Box appears, enter the text
“Mechanical needs a larger shaft for ductwork. We changed
the structure to accommodate.”
Level2-12-3 Movie
5 In the Open dialog, locate and select the DWF file you saved
1 Go to the View previously and click the Open button. Then click OK in the
Sets and double-click the Second Floor Plan in the Floor New Mark-Up Entry dialog. The review entry you created in
Plan folder. the Project Reviewer is now part of the ArchiCAD model.
Select the Zoom In command and zoom to the area of the
revision.
removed closet” within the text box. When finished, click 12 To make the line and arrow a part of this Mark-Up
the Place on Plan button. discussion, select the line with the Arrow Tool and click the
Turn to Corrections button.
10 Your cursor will appear with a box. Drag the cursor to the
location where you would like to place the note and click. If
the text of the note appears too big or needs to be bolded,
select the text with the Arrow Tool and open the Text
Settings to change the text size, style or formatting.
1 Select the Arrow Tool and highlight the entry wall by 3 Repeat this step to remove the correction tag from the two
clicking on its edge. lines describing the shaft opening as well.
STEP 13:
MANAGING A PROJECT TEAM
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Teamwork Definition and Roles At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Sharing a Teamwork Project 1 Understand the purpose of Teamwork and the five roles of a
• Part 3: Updating a Teamwork Project Teamwork project; Administrator, Team Leader, Teammate,
• Part 4: Working on a Local Copy Mark-up and View Only.
• Part 5: Changing Workspace 2 Understand how to set up, share and update a Teamwork
project.
• Part 6: Signing Out of a Project
3 Understand the difference between a saved single model file
Exercises and a saved draft Teamwork file.
4 Understand how to change your workspace within a
• Share a Teamwork Project Teamwork file without signing out of the file.
• Review Project Sharing Info 5 Understand how to Send and Receive changes to the
• Save a Local Copy Teamwork file while receiving the updates from other team
• Change the Workspace members.
• Signing Out of a Project
PART 1: TEAMWORK DEFINITION & and to leave a large amount of freedom in smaller practices,
where the people working on the same project are in
ROLES face-to-face contact.
There are five possible roles in
With ArchiCAD's innovative and award-winning Teamwork Teamwork: Administrator, Team
concept, teams of architects share their projects - entire Leader, Teammate, Mark-Up and
three-dimensional building models - across a local network or View Only. The first two have to be
intranet, without hassle or hierarchy. Teamwork relies on the defined in advance by the person
compact Virtual BuildingTM file, so design teams can divide up sharing the project who can either
parts of the building to work on, share changes with their allow free access by any teammate or
colleagues and view what team members are doing. set up a strict cast of members who
Ideal for firms and projects of any size, Teamwork is simple to may access the project with centrally set
set up and use. All building information remains stored in passwords.
ArchiCAD's object-based team project file, while teams are • Administrator: The person who
coordinated and controlled by an easy-to-administer coordinates the team and first shares
management system. the project. There can only be one
When a project file is shared, team members simply 'sign in' to Administrator. When signed in as the
the project over a network and define a workspace using a Administrator, it is not possible to work
combination of stories, layers and the marquee tool. A satellite on the project or reserve areas.
of the project is then created on the team member's computer, • Team Leader: The person responsible for the project. They
eliminating dependence on a live network. At any time - by can modify and create layers, stories, pens, units, etc. Only one
network or by modem - team members can send changes to the person can be signed in as Team Leader at any one time.
master project and receive changes that others have made. • Teammate: Any team member working on any part of the
shared project.
• Mark-Up: If you intend to solely Mark-Up the project, an
additional option is available to allow you to work in Mark Up
Only mode. In this case your contribution will be limited to
drawing corrections and highlighting elements.
• View Only: Anyone able to access the shared project through
the network, but their modifications do not appear in the Team
Project.
The team using the Teamwork functionality can be organized
along a wide variety of principles. The flexibility of the software
makes it equally possible to use rigorous sets of house rules by
defining strict hierarchical access privileges in larger offices,
PART 2: SHARING A TEAMWORK 2 Click on Set Key Passwords. Enter the Administrator Name
and then click on Set Administrator Password and enter a
PROJECT password. You will be required to verify the password.
While the project setup was ideally done by the person who will
act as Team Leader, the actual creation (sharing) of the Team 3 Now click Set Team Leader Password and repeat the same
Project is the job of the Administrator. The two roles can be steps. Now click OK in the Set Key Passwords.
filled by the same person, but unique passwords must be
defined for both.
4 To enter the names of team members, click the Add New
Member button and type the name. A list of the team
members will appear in the Team Member window of the
Share a Teamwork Project dialog.
Level2-13-1 Movie
7 You are prompted to • Reserve Floor Plans: Click on the Next button to go to the
save the .PLP file. first option dialog box. Select the Stories and Layers you
Save the file in the wish to reserve. If you wish to reserve just part of the project
appropriate location. floor plan, click the Marquee Tool and select an area of the
This is the Team Floor Plan. You will have exclusive rights to the layers and
Project file. The marquee area that you reserve.
project can now be
signed into.
Level2-13-2 Movie
• Reserve Sections/Elevations and Marquee, a border will appear on the floor plan indicating
Animation/VRs: Click on the Next your name and workspace.
button to go to the
Sections/Elevations and
Animation/VRs dialog box. Select the
appropriate parts to access.
3 The Send & Receive Changes dialog will appear. Select Send
& Receive.
4 Follow the same steps as you did when you signed into the
project, changing layers, layer combinations, marquee area,
sections, floors, detail, etc.
2 You have three options: Don’t Send Changes, Cancel and
Send Changes. If you choose Don’t Send Changes in this
dialog box, your changes will be lost. If you choose Send
Changes, your changes will update the master model. If you
choose Cancel, it will return you to ArchiCAD.
STEP 14:
ARCHIVING A PROJECT
Content Outline Objectives
• Part 1: Archiving an ArchiCAD Model At completion of this step students will be able to:
• Part 2: Opening an ArchiCAD Archive 1 Understand the difference between an ArchiCAD model
• Part 3: Archiving a Layout Book archive and a creating an archive of a layout book in
• Part 4: Creating a PDF Archive PlotMaker.
2 Understand the three options available when you open a
Exercises model archive from ArchiCAD: Read Elements Directly
from Archive; Extract Elements to a Folder or Select a
• Saving as a Model Archive Library.
• Opening a Model Archive 3 Understand how to break the ArchiCAD drawing links
• Save as a Layout Book Archive within a PlotMaker Layout Book and save as a drawing
• Printing to PDF archive.
PART 2: OPENING AN ARCHICAD saves a lot of disk space, but limits the modification
possibilities.
ARCHIVE
Archive (.pla) files are similar to Solo Projects, but they include
all the library parts used in the Project, not only references to
them. To save a Project in the Archive format, use the Save as...
command.
2 In the File Name box type “Project Archive” and select a updated per changes to the drawing or project file. Select the
location to save the file. Click Save. Break Hotlink button.
Colors to Black unless you need to print in color, and click file. You can view the project drawings either by list or by
Print. thumbnail.
5 In the Output File Name dialog, select where you would like
the PDF file saved to and click OK.