ArchiCAD Training Series Vol 3 - v17

ArchiCAD Training Series
Vol. 3
Intermediate ArchiCAD
Credits
Visit the GRAPHISOFT website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and

product availability information.
ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

(International English Metric Version)
Copyright 2013 by GRAPHISOFT, all rights reserved. Reproduction, paraphrasing or
translation without express prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Trademarks
ArchiCAD is a registered trademark of GRAPHISOFT. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective holders.
Credits
Courtesy of GRAPHISOFT
2
Contents
CONTENTS
Introduction ___________________________________________ 9
Chapter 1 - Creating the Building Envelope ________________12
Creating the Site __________________________________________ 14
Importing Surveyor Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Creating a New Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Modeling the Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Creating Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Modeling Basic Building Structures __________________________ 22
Creating Exterior Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Creating a Floor Slab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Creating Pavement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Creating a Curved Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Adding More External Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Creating New Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Creating a Single Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Trimming to a Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Creating Wood Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Placing Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Creating Rafters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Creating Collar Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Adding Terrace Slab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
3
Contents
Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and Foundations _____________67

Doors ____________________________________________________ 67
Adding an Entrance Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Adding Sliding Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Multiplying Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adding Internal Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Creating a New Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Creating the Floor Slab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Creating Partition Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Creating Internal doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Adding a Gallery Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Windows _________________________________________________ 82
Adding Windows on the Ground Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Adding Windows on the Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Rectangular Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Modifying Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Changing Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Modifying Size in the 3D View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Resizing a Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Adding Skylights __________________________________________ 87
Creating a Stair____________________________________________ 89
Using Library Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Creating a Stair with StairMaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4
Contents
Foundation Structures _____________________________________ 99

Creating Foundations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Creating pad foundations under the columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 3 - Creating Zones _____________________________103

Zones ___________________________________________________ 104
Zone Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Adding Automatic Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Adding a Manual Zone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Refining Zones in 3D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Changing Zone Appearance on Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Adding Zone Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Color Coding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Using Image Fills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Creating Image Fills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Changing Zone Stamp Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Chapter 4 - Adding Dimensions _________________________123

Placing Dimensions on Floor Plan ___________________________ 123
Automatic Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Editing Dimensions _______________________________________ 128
Dimension Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Dragging Chains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Deleting a Full Chain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
5
Contents
Adding Full Chains Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Adding Points Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Deleting Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Adding Radial Dimension__________________________________ 134
Adding Level Dimensions __________________________________ 135
On Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
On Section/Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Adding Dimension Points to a Level Dimension Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Changing Markers In a Dimension Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Changing Dimension Text _________________________________ 142
Changing Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Chapter 5 - Adding Accessory Elements __________________148

Accessing Objects ________________________________________ 148
Loading Objects and Libraries ______________________________ 149
Adding a New Library to the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Adding Handrails _________________________________________ 150
Placing External Handrails as Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Placing Internal Handrails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Creating Railing with Profiled Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Adding Furniture and Equipment ___________________________ 159
Interior Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Exterior Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
6
Contents
Chapter 6 - Details and Schedules _______________________168

Cleaning Up Sections and Elevations ________________________ 168
Basement and Terrain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Floor Slab, Pavement and Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Adding Details ___________________________________________ 172
Creating Linked Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Creating Unlinked Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Creating Schedules _______________________________________ 177
Modifying an Existing Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Adding/Removing Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Changing an Element's Parameters from the List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Adding Dimensions to Views in Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Creating a New Element List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Creating a New Component List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Chapter 7 - Creating Documentation and Visualization _____189

Creating Views ___________________________________________ 189
Creating a Folder in the View Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Deleting a Folder in the View Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
View Settings ____________________________________________ 191
Terrain and Pavement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
View Dependent Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Visualization _____________________________________________ 197
Saving a View Directly in 3D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
7
Contents
Creating Rendered Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Sketch Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Internal Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
LightWorks Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Creating a Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Adding Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Rendering a Photorealistic Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Chapter 8 - Sharing Your Design ________________________213

Traditional (2D) Formats ___________________________________ 213
Creating a Layout Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Changing Section/Elevation Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Changing Drawing Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Changing Master Layout of Existing Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Creating New Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Layout Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Creating and Using a Custom Master Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Publishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Publisher Set Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Creating New Publisher Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
BIM-based Documentation ________________________________ 237
IFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
8
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome to the ArchiCAD Training Series!
This Guide is part of the ArchiCAD Training Series, which currently includes the following
materials:
Vol. 1, The ArchiCAD BIM Concept
Vol. 2, Basic ArchiCAD
Vol. 3, Intermediate ArchiCAD
Vol. 4, Advanced ArchiCAD
Vol. 5, Using Teamwork
You are now reading Vol. 3, Intermediate ArchiCAD a comprehensive hands-on training to
familiarize you with the advanced modeling and documentation tools of ArchiCAD. This guide is
meant for basic ArchiCAD users. We strongly recommend that you complete Training Series Vol. 1
and 2 before starting this one.
Contents of this guide:

Training guide e-book: The PDF guide includes detailed explanation of every step, with several
screen shots.
ArchiCAD project file: The preset training file will help your learning process. Preset project views
help you to navigate between different steps thus you can focus on the core knowledge.
Movie clips: Narrated movie clips are available on the YouTube channel for GRAPHISOFT
ArchiCAD (www.youtube.com/user/Archicad) providing step-by-step instructions for each step
of the training guide. The ArchiCAD YouTube Channel can also be accessed from the Help menu
of ArchiCAD. Enter the name of this Training Guide in the search field to locate the related videos.
You must have ArchiCAD 17 installed on your computer to use this guide. This e-book and the
movie clips were made with the English language version of ArchiCAD. For your convenience we
recommend you to download and use the same version for practicing.
9
Introduction
If you do not have ArchiCAD yet, please visit https://myarchicad.com/ to obtain a free ArchiCAD
installer:
If you are a student, a teacher or a representative of a school, register and download a fully
functional Education Version of ArchiCAD for Students and Teachers.
If you are a professional architect, register and download a fully functional 30-day trial version
of ArchiCAD. Projects saved with this TRIAL version can be automatically upgraded to FULL
versions upon purchase of a commercial license.
Please contact your local distributor for purchasing commercial ArchiCAD licenses:
http://www.graphisoft.com/purchase/
How to use this training material?

Install the required ArchiCAD version.
Open the PDF Guide.
Open the related movie clips from the GRAPHISOFT ArchiCAD Youtube Channel.
Follow the instructions given in the PDF guide and the videos.
We hope you will find this training useful and wish you success with your future ArchiCAD
projects!
Good Luck!
The GRAPHISOFT Team
10
Introduction
Now, lets see the project we are going to create.

1 Double click the ArchiCAD application icon on your desktop to start ArchiCAD. The ArchiCAD
startup/screen will appear and shortly after the Start ArchiCAD 17 dialog box will appear,
providing various options.
2 In the Set up Work Environment pop-up list, select Standard Profile 17.
3 Select the Open a Project and Browse for a Solo Project options, and than select the
Browse button to open an ArchiCAD project file.
4 Select the Complete model.pln project file in the training project folder, and click the Open
button to open the file of the final project.
Open some views in the Navigator View Map to see the building in its final state. In the Navigator,
use the View Map to open some floor plans, sections and 3D views.
11
Chapter 1 - Creating the Building Envelope
Chapter 1 - Creating the Building

Envelope
In this chapter we will start the project using 2D site information, and then model the basic
building envelope: e.g. creating a floor slab and adding some walls and columns to our project.
While these are all really simple operations, they will underscore some important core design
concepts:
All ArchiCAD building elements are real 3D objects: you might create a wall or slab in the
floor plan view, but their 3D view is also at hand immediately and at any time. This enables
users to view the project in its own 3D environment (instant, real-time 3D feedback) and to
make better, more informed design decisions.
ArchiCAD enables the creation of a fully integrated project information database: design
development can be done in any view - plan, 3D views, etc. - all other views will be
automatically and immediately updated. No tedious, iterative processes are required of the
designer. This is the true power of the Virtual BuildingTM design concept.
Create a new project by selecting the File > New command. In the appearing dialog, select Use a
Template: ArchiCAD 17 Template, select the Standard Profile 17, and click the New button.
Choose Don't save if the Save Changes dialog appears.
12
A new project is created based on the standard template of ArchiCAD. This template already
contains layers, fills, materials, and composites to help you from the very beginning. Later on, you
may also create your own template to fit your own design and office standards.
Save the project to a location where you will easily find it later.
The default project contains 3 stories.
Lets change the default working units from millimeters to meters. This will not scale the model,
but affects data input.
1 Open Options > Project Preferences > Working Units
2 Set the Model Unit to meter, and its Decimals to 2. Click OK.
13
Creating the Site

Importing Surveyor Data
Usually, buildings are designed to physical locations; therefore orientation and geographical
parameters provide the initial context of the design. ArchiCAD is capable of importing various
data formats to enable the architects to use it as native building environment. For example point
clouds, Google Earth terrain, or simple DWG/DWF files.
In the exercise, we will follow the most typical workflow for how architects and surveyors work
together - we will import a DWG file to model the site.
Creating a New Worksheet

In ArchiCAD, a dedicated workspace called Worksheet is available to manage all external 2D data.
1 Open Navigator Project Map,
and right-click on the Worksheets item. Select New Independent Worksheet,
and set ID as W-01 and name to Site. Click Create.
14
The worksheet opens automatically. Now you can import the DWG data and place it into the
project. There are two ways of using 2D data in the project depending on whether the data may
change or not. If you expect that the data may change during the project, use the Xref method.
This way, there is a living connection between the original external file and the ArchiCAD project,
which ensures that in case the external file changes, you can simply update the content. If the
data does not change during the full project lifecycle, you can also merge the content into the
ArchiCAD project. In this case all elements will be converted into native ArchiCAD elements, and
can be edited in the future.
2 Now select File > External Content > Attach Xref
15
3 In the appearing dialog, click Browse on top to locate the W 01 Site.dwg file. You can find it in
the DWG Drawings subfolder of the Training folder. Click Open, and click Skip to select font
files if prompted. Set the options as below:
4 Click Attach, and then click the x sign (origin) in the project. In the upcoming DWG/DXF
Partial Open dialog, leave all layers checked, and click OK.
Click any elements. The linework is selected with faded nodes. This means that it is not editable,
because it is part of another file.
16
Modeling the Terrain

We will use the lines as base geometry for our terrain mesh.
Switch to Navigator - Project Map > 0. Ground Floor.
1 Right-click the W-01 Site worksheet in the Navigator and choose Show as Trace Reference to
select it as a traced view.
2 Click the arrow next to the Trace and Reference button and choose Trace and Reference
from the bottom of the list to open the Trace & Reference palette.
3 Click Apply Settings to all References to ensure that the trace will behave the same way.
4 Close the palette.

5 If you still cannot see the lines, their layers may be hidden. Open the Layer Settings dialog by
pressing CTRL/CMD+L, and scroll down in the list of layers. The layers of the Xref are
separated from the native ArchiCAD layers. Click the eye icons to make them visible. Click OK.
17
Creating Mesh
1 Activate the Mesh tool (click the mesh tool icon in the tool bar so that it will be active), and
double-click on its icon.
2 The Mesh Settings dialog opens. Set the mesh properties as follows:
Mesh Height
Thickness: 2.0 meters
Offset to Home Story
Elevation: -0.1 meter under the project zero level
Select Solid Body as Structure
Set Soil as Building Material
3 Make sure the Current (0. Ground Floor) story is selected as Home Story. Uncheck COVER FILLS
in the Floor Plan and Section panel.
Set LS-Grass Green as top material, and LS-Earth as side and bottom materials by clicking
the Override Surfaces buttons.
Select All Ridges Sharp.
Tags and categories: if you are going to communicate your design to any engineers who
work with 3D applications, you have to fill in these fields, so the external application can
recognize them properly.
Set ID as Mesh - 001.
Structural Function as Non-Load-Bearing Element and Position as Exterior.
18
4 Click OK.
19
5 Select the Rectangular geometry method in the Info Box, and click the two opposite points of
the site rectangle to create a mesh.
6 Select the mesh with SHIFT + click, and activate the Mesh tool if deactivated.
7 Space + click (hold down the space bar on your keyboard and click with the mouse cursor) on
the curved level lines one by one to add them to the mesh. Select Fit to User Ridges in the
New Mesh Points dialog.
8 To set the height of the points of the mesh that are on the same height level, select the mesh,
and click on a node of the second line from the right (line in the middle):
When the Pet palette appears, click Elevate Mesh Point. Set Height to 0,50 and check the
Apply to All checkbox, so that all nodes on this line will be elevated to the same height. Click
OK.
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Repeat this action with the line on the right, In this case, set the Elevate Mesh Point to 1,00.
Now elevate the two corners on the right one by one. Click on the upper corner. Select
Elevate Mesh Point again and set 1,00 as the Height but leave the Apply to All checkbox
unchecked, otherwise all points of the rectangle would rise. Repeat this with the corner
below. The result should look like this:
21
Select the mesh, right-click, and select Show Selection/Marquee in 3D to check its shape.
Click on the Fit in window icon, if it is not visible.
Go to View and click Editing Plane Display to turn off the editing plane.
Modeling Basic Building Structures

Creating Exterior Walls
Walls can have multiple skins representing the real structure, including the load bearing
structures, insulation, and finishing. Out of the box, ArchiCAD contains a set of fills and
composites, but now we will create our own composite structure representing the exterior wall of
the building. The needed skin order from outside to inside is:
10 cm white brick finish
10 cm rigid insulation
25 cm masonry block
2 cm plaster
The white brick material does not exist by default, so we will have to create it ourselves.
1 Go Options > Element Attributes > Building Materials...
In the upcoming dialog on the left you can see the list of the building materials used in the
project. Each material is simulating a real material has a so-called intersection priority setting.
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These priority settings will control how our junctions will appear later when two constructions
collide.
The higher priority a material has, the more important it will be in a junction. On the right you can
assign cut fills to the materials for 2D representation and surfaces for 3D. You can see a preview of
these settings in front of the building material name in the list as well.
2 Select an existing material - Brick - Finish - and click New... in the bottom.
3 Set a name - Brick - Finish (white) and click OK.
4 Change the cut fill pen color to 161 and surface to Brick-White.
5 Click OK to close the dialog.
6 Open Options > Element Attributes > Composites
7 Select an existing composite, which fits the best to the needed skin structure, for example 215
block insul. cav. plastered.
8 Click Duplicate, and set a new descriptive name, like Exterior Wall_01. In the future, you may
use a different naming logic. Click OK.
9 To change the skin structure, click the skins in the preview image, or in the list of skins. The
settings appear in the Edit Skin and Line Structure panel.
10 Make the following changes:
Select the Brick skin and change its building material to Brick - Finish (white), by pressing
the arrow button next to the skin name and selecting it.
Delete the Air Space skin by selecting it, and clicking on the Remove Skin button.
Set the Skin Thickness of Insulation Mineral Hard to 0.1
Change the Concrete Block - Structural skin to Masonry Block - Structural, and its
thickness to 0.25.
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Change the thickness of the Plaster - Gypsum to 0.02.

Note that composites can be also assigned to other structures, like slabs and shells.
This particular structure is typical for walls, but by clicking on the icons, you can
assign the composites to other building structures too. Later on, the composite
structure will appear in the settings dialog of the assigned element types only.
Composite skins may represent different structural functions, like load bearing, finishing or
others. You can set this up skin-by-skin in the Edit Skin and Line Structure panel.
11 Click OK.
Now, lets define the walls settings.
1 Switch to Navigator - Project Map > 0. Ground Floor and reselect the mesh if still selected.
2 Activate the Wall tool , and open its Settings dialog.
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3 Set the Wall settings as follows:

Set the Wall Top linked to 2. Story and 1,00 as Top offset to Top Linked Story. This function will
make sure that the wall height will automatically follow story height changes. The wall will
model both the ground floor and the 1st floor walls.
Set the Bottom offset to Home Story to -0,10, because it will start on top of the foundation
structure that we will model later.
With the Composite structure selected, choose the Exterior Wall_01 composite.
Set the Reference Line to Core Inside.
Open the Tags and categories panel. The information you set here can be used both in
internal schedules and elements search, as well as in collaboration with engineers who use
their own 3D applications. If you later save the file in IFC format, the engineering application
will use this information to recognize the architectural elements correctly.
25
Set the tags as follows, and click the Manage IFC Properties line to enable the same button.
Click on it.
Click Apply predefined Rule to select from the predefined standard rules. Select GSA -
Building Elements (OmniClass), and type exterior wall in the search field. Click the Search
button on the right. Select Exterior Walls in the result list, and click Apply. Click OK to close
both of the dialogs.
26
4 Select the rectangular geometry method in the Info Box and click the two marked points to
create the walls. For this action it is highly recommended to turn off the grid display by View >
Grid Display, because the grid line and the dashed lines we need cover each other. Later we
can turn the grid on again.
5 Press CTRL + F5 to open the 3D window to see the result. Zoom in, and use the Orbit
command until you can see the interior.
Hint: When drawing the line of a wall, after the first click a heavy black line follows
the cursor like a rubber band. This line is the reference line for the wall, and the
width of the wall is measured from this reference line. The reference line is used to
connect walls smoothly and helps locate the walls with the cursor.
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Creating a Floor Slab

First let's create a composite again, open Options/Element Attributes/Composites.
Select concrete floor, insul+10mm tile and click Duplicate.
Add a name: concrete floor, insul+10mm tile on ground and click OK
Change the thickness of the Concrete skin to 0,06 and remove the bottom Plaster - Gypsum
skin and click OK to close the dialog.
Now we can create our slab.
Now, the walls define the size and shape of the slab.
1 Activate the Slab tool , and open its settings.
2 Set its properties as follows:
Select concrete floor, insul+10mm tile on ground as composite structure cut fill.
Set Reference Plane to Top.
On the Model panel, click the buttons next to the grayed materials to override the default
surfaces. Override Top to Wd-Pine Horizontal and side and bottom to Paint-01. Overriding
surfaces is advantageous we have the same structure with different appearance, for example
walls with different paints. In this case it is not necessary to recreate the composite with
different building materials, we can override the default surface.
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Set the tags as Load-Bearing Element, Exterior and Slab. By default, slabs have FLOOR as
PredefinedType (Attribute), which is good for us now. Click OK.
3 Select the rectangular geometry method in the Info Box.
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4 Hold the Space bar, and move the cursor towards the bottom on the interior of the walls. This
activates the Magic Wand feature that can recognize closed contours. Click when the plane
indicator turns into a lighter gray on the wall and the slab will immediately appear in the
middle and below the walls as well.
Creating Pavement
We model the sidewalk area on the Floor plan with the Slab tool as well. Lets assume that the
correct skin settings are not available in the current project, but that we have used the right
composite in another project before. In this case, we can import existing composites from other
files. Lets see an example.
Adding a composite from an existing project

1 Open Options > Element Attributes > Attribute Manager.
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In this dialog, on the left side, you can review all attribute-like properties in one place, like layers,
materials, composites, etc. The check mark next to the attribute indicates if it is currently in use in
the project. On the right side, you can open the attribute set of another project, browse, and add
additional attributes to the current project. Open the Composites tab page of the dialog.
2 Click the Open button, and browse Existing project.pln. Click Open: the composites
appear on the right side.
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3 Select Exterior Pavement_01, and click Append. The composite appears in the list of the
current project.
4 Click OK, then Create to confirm the changes.
Creating the pavement slab

1 Switch to Navigator - Project Map > 0. Ground Floor.
2 Activate the Slab tool, and set the settings as follows:
Change to Project Zero to Current Story and set it -0,05.
Choose the Exterior Pavement_01 as cut composite fill.
Override the top and side materials and choose Paving-Brick and turn off override for the
bottom surface.
Set the tags to Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Site Geometry.
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Choose Site and Landscape - General as layer.
3 Click OK.
4 Select the Polygonal geometry method.
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5 Click the marked linework intersection points to define the exterior pavement.
6 Open the 3D window to see the result. Now we need a hole in the area of the building.
7 Select the pavement slab, and activate the Slab tool. Click on any edge to display the Pet
palette. This palette contains all editing commands available for the selected element. Select
the Subtract from polygon command, and the rectangular geometry method in the Info
Box.
8 Click on the outer corners of the exterior walls.
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Note that even though you pick a point on the top of the wall, its projected
correspondent is created on the level of the slab automatically. Once you click the
second point, a hole is created in the pavement slab.
Creating a Curved Wall

Now, we will create some more walls.
Using Favorites
Instead of setting all the parameters for the newly created elements all the time, you can also save
and re-use parameters by defining Favorites. Similar to attributes, later on, you can export and
import the favorite settings between projects.
You can apply the favorite settings to existing elements, as well as using them as a basis for new
elements.
You can access the favorites using the Favorites palette.
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1 Deselect all and choose Window > Palettes > Favorites.
2 By default, you can see some predefined favorites available. If a tool is activated, the list will
show the relevant favorites only.
Lets assume that we want to use a Favorite we created in a former project already. Next to the
Name header, click the arrow icon to display the available options. Click the Load Favorites item.
Search and select the Existing favorites.prf file.
3 Click Open. In the upcoming dialog, click Merge to append the additional favorites to the
current project. Click Skip All to avoid replacing the existing favorites. Select the Wall tool: the
Exterior wall_02 will appear in the Favorites list. Close the Favorites palette.
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Creating a curved wall

1 Open the 0. Ground Floor plan.
2 Open the Wall Settings dialog. Click on the Favorites button at the top.
3 Select Exterior wall_02, and click Apply. Note that the parameter settings changed in the
Settings dialog. This is a solid stone wall with one side slanted. Set the Building Material to
Stone - Structural and Click OK.
4 Select the Straight Geometry method and the reference line on the Outside Face in the Info
Box. First, we create a straight segment 2 meters from the existing wall, then we will modify it.
To find the precise locations, we will use Guide lines.
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5 Hover your cursor over the edge of the longer wall segment, until an orange spot appears.
Click on the spot and drag the line by the dot towards the pavement. Type 2 in the Tracker.
Press Enter. If not visible, the Tracker can be activated from the Standard Toolbar by pressing
the Show/Hide Tracker button.
6 Repeat the same on the shorter sides, towards the interior by a distance of 0.5m.
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7 Draw the wall between the guide line intersection points starting from the left side.
8 Select the slanted wall. Click on the right side endpoint.

9 Select the Stretch command in the Pet palette, and move the endpoint downwards.
Hold down the SHIFT key while moving the cursor downwards. Release th SHIFT button and
type d 1, to define the endpoint a meter below its original position.
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10 Now, click on the reference line, and select the Curve edge icon on the Pet palette. Move the
cursor upwards, and type 30 in the Tracker as radius. Hit ENTER.
Adding More External Walls

1 To pick up the parameters of elements and set them as default, activate the eyedropper
button in the Standard Toolbar. The cursor will change to an eyedropper (you can also use the
shortcut ALT + Click to activate this option). Now pick up the settings of the existing external
wall.
2 Move the eyedropper above the external wall, so that it will be highlighted and the Tracker
will provide you with some brief details about the wall. Click on the wall. Note that the Wall
tool will be activated in the Toolbox and the Info Box will also refer to the wall.
Please note: In the case of multiple elements placed above each other, you can
always switch between them with the Tab key. Make sure that you found the
external wall with the eyedropper cursor.
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3 Open the wall settings and set:

Wall Top to 1. Story (Home + 1)
Top offset to Top Linked Story to 0,00.
Click OK.
4 Draw the front and the back walls of the entrance enclosure with the help of guide lines
created 1.80m from the outside edge of the wall. Core Inside reference line and draw the wall
downwards on the left side and upwards on the right side.
Note: You can also create these walls at a specific distance from the corner without
the guide lines. Move the cursor over the corner until it changes to a checkmark,
then type x 1,8+. The tracker will appear and the cursor will jump on the X axis by
1,8 meters. Hit enter to place the first endpoint of the wall.
5 Type x 1,8- for the other wall.
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Adjusting Skin Priorities

You can see that some skins of the multi-layer wall intersect the stone wall and some layers of the
external wall do not intersect correctly. This is because the skin priorities are not set correctly. The
bigger the priority number, the stronger the wall or wall skin will be when it comes to intersection
with other walls. You can set the priority between 0 and 999.
You can set skin priorities by building materials.
1 Select the exterior wall and open Options > Element Attributes > Building Materials. The
materials the composite uses will be highlighted in the list.
2 Select the Masonry block - Structural skin, and check its priority. It is 730, which means that
the stone wall must have an equal or higher priority number to avoid unneeded intersections.
3 Set the priority of the Stone - Structural material up to at least 730.
4 Click OK.
Now, the walls appear correctly.
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Creating New Stories

Our training project will have three stories: the existing Ground Floor on which weve already
worked, a Foundation, and an upper Gallery that we will create now.
1 Open Design > Story Settings dialog box.
2 By default, ArchiCAD creates the project with 3 stories. Select the third story (No. 2.) and name
it Roof.
3 Lets rename the 1st to Gallery, and enter 3.00 m as the Elevation Height and leave Height to
Next to 3,20.
4 With the Ground Floor item selected, click the Insert Below button to insert a new story
below the existing Ground Floor, type Foundation, and enter -1 as Elevation.
5 Click OK.
Hint: to easily navigate between stories, simply double-click the relevant story
under the Stories folder of the Navigator - Project Map. You can also access the Story
Settings dialog box by right-clicking any of the stories in the Navigator Project Map
and selecting Story Settings from the context menu.
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Creating a Single Roof

Lets add now a semi-pitched roof to the building with wide overhangs supported by the
columns, to create a south - facing the veranda at the front.
1 Open the 1. Gallery story.
2 Activate the Roof tool, and adjust its settings as follows:
Pivot Height (Pivot Line Offset to Home Story): 1.0 m
Cut Composite fill: roof, aluminum
Select the Single-plane geometry method along with the Rectangular construction
method, and set an angle of 18 degrees in the Info Box.
Top material: Mtl-Sheet Corrugated and side Wd-Pine Horizontal
Edge angle: Perpendicular
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Roof
44
Layer: Shell - Roof
3 Click OK.
45
4 First create a guide line parallel to the upper exterior wall by 0.55 meters, then start to
construct a pitched roof by defining its pivot line by clicking on the internal corners of the
lower x directional exterior wall.
5 Define the direction of the slope by clicking above the previously defined pivot line with the
eye-shaped cursor.
6 Draw the perimeter of the roof (which is its projection to the horizontal plane) using the lines
of the site plan drawing and the newly created guide line.
46
Trimming to a Roof
Activate the 3D window view on the Navigator. You can see that the tops of the walls are not fully
aligned to the roof. Now we will trim them to the right height.
1 Select the walls by SHIFT + clicking on one of them. The walls are grouped, so if you have
Suspend Groups off, which is a default setting (from the Standard Toolbar), one selection will
select all four wood exterior walls.
2 Right-click and select Connect > Trim Elements to Roof/Shell.
3 Click anywhere on the roof. The empty roof icon turns black if the program finds a selectable
element.
47
4 Click the side of the walls you want to keep. The chosen side is highlighted with blue before
clicking.
5 The only problem is that if we select the walls we can see that it is intersecting with the roof.
To solve this we have to change the priority of a roof skin. Select the roof and open
Options > Element attributes > Building Materials and set the priority of Air Space -
Frame to 735 to make it higher than the structural masonry (and all other materials used
within the wall composite). This building material is the bottom layer of the roof composite.
6 Click OK when done.
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The walls are now associatively trimmed to the roof. If you change the roof geometry or sloping
angle, the walls will be updated automatically.
Hint: Later on, you can review and manage the connections between the elements
very easily. If you select an element which has connections, an icon appears on its
surface. Click on the icon to get a list of current connections. You can highlight the
intended elements as well as delete the connections together or one by one.
Creating Wood Structure

Placing Columns
Next we place four columns to create a veranda on the south side of the building. The first and
the last column will align with the axis of the two walls, and they will be equally distributed and
run parallel to the front wall.
1 Switch to the 0. Ground Floor in the Navigator - Project Map.
2 Activate the Column tool .
3 Open the settings dialog and set parameters as follows:
Column Top: Not linked
Column Height: 3,15
Bottom Elevation to Project Zero: -0,05
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Rectangular structure
Size 0,2x0,2
Building Material: Timber - Structural
Anchor Point of Core: Middle
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Column
Layer: Structural - Bearing
Click OK.
50
4 Use the guide lines to create an imaginary intersection point for the first column.
Activate a temporary (blue) guide line on the outer edge of the vertical wall by hovering the
cursor over the edge. Click on the orange spot on the guide line. Drag the guide line to the
right. Without releasing the orange spot, type 0,30 in the Distance field of the Tracker.
Now, repeat the same on the outer edge of the horizontal wall, and drag the guide line 2.0 m
from the wall edge.
Click on the intersection point to place the first column.
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5 Create the same guide line geometry on the opposite side of the horizontal wall
6 Select the column and multiply it by activating the Multiply command from the context
menu: right-click and choose the Move > Multiply command. Alternatively you can use the
Edit > Move > Multiply menu command.
7 Choose Drag as the multiply action, and enter 3 for the number of copies. Now select the
Distribute multiply method - as indicated in the screen shot:
Click OK.
8 Click the center point of the column, and with the SHIFT key pressed move the cursor to the
guide line. Click to place the 3 new columns if the lines are perpendicular.
52
9 Hit ESC to deselect the columns. Checking in 3D, you can see that the exterior pavement is
not wide enough. Lets adjust it.
10 Select the slab, and click on the side to show the Pet palette commands.
11 Click the Offset edge command, and drag the edge by 2 meters so the pavement is under
the columns as well.
53
Creating Rafters
Now lets continue with the rafters.
1 Switch back to the 0. Ground Floor.
2 Activate the Section tool in the Navigator, and draw a section line vertically in the middle of
the building. Click with the eye cursor to the left of the section line. The section automatically
appears in the Section list of the Navigator.
54
3 Double click on the section in the Navigator to open it. Measure the distance between the
top of the rafter and the 0 level, so we will know where it should be placed precisely. You can
use the Measure tool on the standard toolbar.
4 We will take advantage of the automatic surface recognition when placing the beam. Switch
to the 3D window and select the roof and open its settings. Turn of surface override for the
side materials. Click OK. The skins of the roof are now visible.
5 Activate the Beam tool .
6 Set its settings as follows:
Beam Height/Width: 0,2
Reference Axis Offset: 0,1
Inclined method, 18 degrees
Building Material: Timber - Structural
55
Layer: Structural-Bearing
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Beam
We have not set the elevation of the beam we will leave automatic surface recognition do the job
instead.
7 Click OK.
56
8 Select the Single geometry method in the Info Box, and click the bottom corner of the roof
on the upper part of the rafter skin and the top corner of the roof, again on the upper part of
the rafter skin. After the beam is placed, open its settings to check the elevation and home
story. ArchiCAD automatically placed the beam to the desired home story and elevation that
we measured from the section earlier.
9 Turn on surface override again for the roof when done.
10 Open the Gallery plan view. Select the already drawn rafter, right-click on it, and select
Move > Multiply.
11 In the Multiply dialog, enter 12 for Number of copies, choose the Distribute method, and
click OK.
12 Click the top-left corner of the rafter. Then, hold down the SHIFT key to constrain mouse
movement horizontally, and click the top-left corner of the roof.
57
13 Click anywhere on the empty screen or press ESC to remove selection of newly created
elements.
14 Open the 3D window to see the result. Use the Orbit and Explore commands to navigate.
58
Creating Collar Beams

We also need some horizontal beams. To set the precise height, we will use the section view
again.
1 Open the section view, and measure the height position where the wooden collar beams will
be placed from 0 level (measure the middle of the top of the masonry block skin of the
external wall). Hold down the SHIFT button to constrain the cursor movement to the Y
direction. The measured height is 5,99.
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2 Repeat the same with the other wall. The measured height is 3,96.
3 Create a guide line by dragging a vertical one to the middle point of the column and measure
the distance between the 0 level and the intersection of the guide line and the rafter (not the
bottom of the roof layers).
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4 Switch to the Gallery plan, and activate the Beam tool.

5 The collar beams have similar parameters, like the rafter, the only main difference is that these
are horizontal. Lets pick up the properties of the existing beams with the Pipette tool .
6 Now, open the settings dialog, and change the parameters as follows:
Horizontal
Reference Axis Offset: 0
Height to Project zero: 5.99
Click OK.
7 Draw the beam on the floor plan from one side of the roof to the other and do the same with
the other two beams with different Heights to Project Zero: 3,96 and 3,20 as measured
previously on the section. Use guide lines to find the precise locations in the middle of the
load bearing skins by activating a guide line on the skin separator, and dragging it to half skin
thickness (0.125), and the columns. If necessary change the display order of the roof so that
you can see the walls below by selecting the roof, right-click and select
Display Order > Send Backward.
8 Open the 3D window to see the result. If you zoom in, you can see that the wooden columns
are too high. Select them, and click any of the black nodes on the top.
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9 Select the Stretch height command in the Pet palette, and set the height to the bottom
corner of the beam.
If you turn off the display of Beams in the View > Elements in 3D view > Filter and Cut
Elements in 3D dialog, you will see that the beams and walls are connected automatically and
there are holes in the place of beams as the Timber - Structural building material has higher
priority than the wall materials. These connections will be considered when creating bill of
materials as well.
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Adding Terrace Slab

Navigate to the terrace side of the building. There is a missing slab.
1 Activate the Slab tool, and set the settings as follows:
Open the 1. Gallery level in the Navigator - Project Map and activate the Slab tool. Set the
settings as follows:
Offset to Home Story: 0,00
Home Story: 1. Gallery
Composite: flat roof
Reference Plane: Top
Surfaces: Tile White 30x30, Brick-White, Paint-01
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Slab
2 Select the polygonal geometry method at the Info Box.
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3 Activate 3D Cutaway on the Standard Toolbar. Open the section and drag a horizontal 3D
cutting plane from top and position it on the top-level of the short walls (+3,00). Change to
3D Window again and start to draw the terrace slab by clicking the exterior corners of the
short wall segments. Click only the four corners of the slab, we will add the curve later. Make
sure that the straight, longer side goes along the internal side of the core skin of the exterior
wall (the reference line).
4 After clicking the fourth corner, select the slab and click the edge that needs to be curved.The
pet palette appears, choose the Curve Edge button and click on the inner side of the curved
stone wall.
5 Set Cut Surface Display: Use Element Attributes on Filter and Cut Elements in 3D panel
opened from the View / Elements in 3D View menu.
Offset the curved edge of the slab towards to the Stone wall by 0,15.
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6 Check the result in 3D.
7 As a last step, select the slab, right-click and choose Edit Selected Composite. In the
Composite Structures dialog change the thickness of the Insulation - Fiber Hard to 0,20. Click
OK to close the dialog.
65
In This Chapter
You created the basic envelope of the building using:
External DWG data for the terrain.
Exterior walls with different construction methods.
Slab with Magic Wand.
Roof with associative connection to the exterior walls.
Wood structures with the use of guide lines to get special intersection points.
Slab tool for pavement and floor slabs.
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Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and Foundations
Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and

Foundations
Its now time to further develop the design by adding openings to the building. Lets first add an
external door to the project.
ArchiCADs door, window, and skylight objects are intelligent parametric library parts; with a
tremendous range of configuration and setting options due to their parametric behavior. This
accelerates your work, makes the management of the project easier and allows you to design
instead of draft.
This means in practice, for example, that you do not need to delete and look for another window
object if you want to change its size, sill height, adjust its frame, sash, oversize, board or casing
properties. You can even specify shutter options using various shutters and glazing types, and
choose from a variety of handles. All these are available and valid for the very same window
object.
Doors
Adding an Entrance Door
1 In the 3D view navigate to see the entrance area of the building.
2 Activate the Door tool, and open its Settings dialog by double-clicking on its icon on the
Toolbox or Info box.
Doors are GDL objects, and have parameters to control their appearance and behavior in the
project. Open the Hinged Door Settings panel and use the arrow buttons to display the
settings in thematically grouped format. These settings affect the 3D and 2D properties of the
door.
67
3 Type asymmetric in the search field at the top left of the dialog, to find all available
asymmetric doors.
4 Select the Double Door Asymmetric 17 door object in the result list.
5 Set parameters as follows:
Width: 1.50
Height: 2.40
Anchor: Sill to Story 0 to 0,00 (Select Relink Anchor Story from the roll down list and select 0.
Ground Floor)
Anchor Point: middle
Reveal to Wall Core: -0,10 (the thickness of the insulation)
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On the Hinged door settings > General settings page uncheck Casing Out and Casing In
and choose Normal threshold
Set a value of 1.00 on the Shape page of the Hinged Door Settings panel
69
On the Door Leaf Type and Handle page select a leaf (style 20)
Select No mullions on the Side panel page
Tags and Categories: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Door.

Click OK.
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6 With Special Snap Points > Half option turned on, move the cursor over the wall segment.
Click the appearing snap point at the bottom to place the door. The outline of the door
appears in the wall. Now, move the cursor to pick the external side and the right side
(indicated with a dashed line).
The final door in the wall:
You can also check the result on the floor plan.

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Adding Sliding Doors

We need some additional doors facing the veranda.
1 Switch to the 0. Ground floor.
2 Open the Door settings, and type sliding in the search field, to find the sliding doors in the
library.
3 Select the Sliding door 17, and set its settings:
Size: 3.0/2.40
Anchor: Side 2
Sill to Story 0: 0,00
No casing in the Sliding Door Settings > General Settings
4 Place doors on the left and right vertical walls starting right in the corner, and one in the
horizontal wall:
First define vertical and horizontal guide lines by clicking on orange dots on the internal surface
(not the core).
Now place the sliding door into the vertical wall, by clicking on the intersection point of the guide
line and the external surface of the wall. This defines the external side, now click on the upper left
side of the door to define the opening direction. Before placing the door into the horizontal wall,
change the anchor to Side 1. Define the external side and click to the lower right side to define
the opening direction. Use this anchor to place the other vertical door, click the upper right
corner for the correct opening direction.
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Multiplying Doors
1 Select the sliding door in the horizontal wall segment.
2 Click on its upper right corner to bring up the Pet palette.
3 Click the Multiply icon to bring up the dialog.
4 Set 2 as number of copies, and Distribute as method. Click OK.
5 Click the same corner point of the door, then click the inner side of the right wall corner to
distribute the sliding doors evenly.
6 Hit ESC to remove selection.
Note: You can change the 3D opening angle independently in the 2D
representation. This way you can use the same element for visualization purposes.
7 Select a sliding door.
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8 Open its settings, and go to the Parameters tab. Click on the Opening item, and change
Opening Width in 3D value to .90.
Check that there are no changes on floor plan. Open the 3D window to see the door with the new
opening angle.
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Adding Internal Doors

To place internal doors, first we have to model some internal structures like the floor slab and
partition walls.
Now we have too many structures visible, which results in overlapping lines. Hiding some
elements that are not necessary for the input may ease our work. Lets create a new layer for the
wooden elements, and hide them.
Creating a New Layer

1 Change to the 1. Gallery floor plan.
2 Hit CMD/CTRL + L to display the Layer Settings dialog. Click the New button on the right, and
type Shell - Roof Wood. Click OK and close the Layer Settings dialog.
3 To change the layer of the selected beams, select Shell - Roof Wood in the Info box. Hit ESC to
deselect the beams.
4 Select all wooden beams by activating the beam tool and press CTRL + A. All 16 beams will be
selected.
5 Click on any beam, right-click, select Layers > Hide layer.
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Creating the Floor Slab

1 Activate the Slab tool, and set the followings:
Offset to Home Story: 0,00
Home Story: 1. Gallery
Composite: concrete floor + parquet
Surfaces: Floor-Parquet Pine/Paint-01/Paint-01
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Slab
2 We will place a slab, which covers half of the space. Select the Polygonal Geometry method,
and click the following points:
the external top left corner of the core skin in the exterior wall
the external halving point of the core on the vertical wall
the similar point on the wall on the right
the corner point on the top right similarly to the first point
3 Check the section to see the results.

You can change the priority value of Insulation - Fiber Hard (insulation of the flat roof ) to 645
from 420 so it would go below the brick skin.
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Creating Partition Walls

We need some partition walls.
1 Open the 0. Ground floor.
2 Activate the wall tool and set the settings as follows:
Wall Top linked to 1. Gallery (Home + 1)
Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,46 - so the wall will end below the story level by the
thickness of the slab.
Bottom Elevation (to Project Zero): -0.05
Reference Line Offset: 0.00
Home Story: 0. Ground Floor
Cut Composite fill: stud partition
Side Materials: Paint-01
Tags: Non-Load-Bearing, Interior, Wall, IFC property: Interior Partitions (Manage IFC
Properties > Apply Predefined Rules Omni Class > search Interior Partitions)
Layer: Interior - Partition
Click OK.
3 Select the Single geometry method and Core Center reference line method, and draw a Y-
directional segment from the mid point of the Stone wall. The wall will intersect with the
stonewall as well which is not correct so open the Composite Structures dialog again and
replace the Air Space - Frame skin to Air Space.
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4 Select the wall, right-click and choose Move > Drag a Copy and move the wall 1.2 meters to
the right. When finished, adjust the endpoint of the wall so that it reaches the curved wall.
When done, select the new walls, right-click and choose Display Order > Send Backward for
proper display at the top parts.
Creating Internal doors

First, we add a sliding door.
1 To have the right wall thickness for the door settings dialog, pick up the parameters of the
load bearing wall with the Pick up tool (pipette).
2 Activate the Door tool, and type pocket in the search field. Select Pocket door 17. Set the
door settings as follows:
Anchor Sill to Story 0 to 0,00.
Anchor: Side 2
General Settings tab page:
No casing
Door Frame - on, Pocket frame - on
Frame and Leaf tab page:
Centered Leaf off
Leaf offset: 0.125 (Set Model Unit decimals to 3 on Working Units panel.)
Click OK.
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3 Place the first door to the lower left corner of the entrance room. There are two walls meeting
at that point: click into the corner.
4 Click the upper-right arrow for opening direction so that the leaf will open in the right
direction and the pocket will be placed between the two walls (in the insulation skin).
5 You can see that the door is not in a convenient position to enter the interior space. Select it,
press CTRL/CMD +D and drag it to the right. Type d 0.6 into the Tracker to move the door by
60cms. Deselect the door.
Now, lets add some more doors to the future WC area.
1 Activate the door tool, and set the door as follows:
Type: Door 17 (Flat Top Hinged Doors 17 folder)
Size: 0.75/2.10
Anchor: Sill to Story 0 to 0,00
Reveal to Wall Core: 0,00
Anchor: Side 1
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Door Leaf Type and Handle tab page:

Door Leaf Type: Style 56
Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Door, IFC Interior Doors (Manage IFC
Properties > Apply Predefined Rules)
Click OK.
2 Place doors so you can enter all rooms:
Adding a Gallery Door

We place a door into the external wall of the gallery, which is identical to the one at the entrance.
1 Open the 1. Gallery floor plan, and turn on tracing.
2 We want to have exactly the same door as the entrance door. To have all settings and
parameters, we use the Pick up tool on the Standard toolbar. This tool sets all parameters of
the element as default for that tool.
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3 Activate the Pick up tool, and move the cursor over the door on the trace reference, until the
info tag appears with basic information about the door. Click once. Notice that the door tool is
activated at the same time.
Note: If you have overlapping elements on the floor plan, you can hit the Tab key to
switch between the elements.
4 Set the door anchor to Side 1.

5 Place a door at the intersection point of the short vertical wall segment on the right and the
horizontal wall. Click below right toward the wall with the single-eye cursor. Use a guide line if
necessary.
Note: The outer wall side you pick when you place a door or window sets the
direction of sill and board. If you want to change the opening direction, use the Flip
command, which has no effect on the wall side settings.
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Windows
Now well insert new windows in the building.
Adding Windows on the Ground Floor

1 Open the 0. Ground Floor.
2 Activate the Window tool, choose Window 17 from the Basic Windows 17 folder, and
open its settings dialog.
Similar to doors, windows have endless variations of appearance, thanks to the wide list of
parameters. Use the tabs of the Basic Window Settings panel to check the available parameters
in logical groups.
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3 Set the settings as follows:

Size: 0.6/0.6, Sill to Story 0: 1,80
Anchor Point: Center
Reveal to Wall Core: 0.15
Board on, Sill on
Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Window, IFC Exterior Windows
4 We insert the first window with automatic snap points in the middle of the entrance room.
Click the Special Snap Points options arrow, and select Half and Between Intersection Points
options. This way, the program shows the snap points between point of intersections, instead of
the entire element.
5 Place three windows in the Stone wall, one for each room, each of them in the middle of their
own wall-part. For placing use the automatic snap points appearing on the inner side of the
wall. Then use the arrows to define the opening direction of the windows: click on the lower-
right icon to make right hand windows (opening to the rooms).
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Adding Windows on the Gallery

Now we add some windows on the gallery as well.
Rectangular Windows
1 Open the 1. Gallery floor plan.
2 Activate the Window tool, and change the current settings:
Size: 0.8/0.8, Sill to Story 1: 1,70
Set the Anchor Point to Center.
Reveal to Wall Core: -0,10
3 The new window goes right above the pocket door from the ground floor. To place the
window to the right position, search for the center point of the door below with the help of
the trace. In case the wall fill covers the pocket door that should be traced, click the arrow
besides the Trace icon in the Standard Toolbar and turn on the Transparent Fills and Zones.
4 Turn Trace and Reference off using the icon in the Standard Toolbar.
5 Select the window, and click on any hotspots to display the Pet palette.
6 Select Multiply. Set 3 as the number of copies, and the Distribute-1 method. Click OK.
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7 Click on the top-left hotspot of the window as reference, and click the top-left corner of the
door as endpoint.
8 Place two more windows at the midpoint of the gallery slab on both sides.
Modifying Windows
Changing Type
Although window types are represented as objects, you can change the type of an already placed
window any time.
1 Select the two windows placed on the side walls.
2 Open the settings dialog, and select the Round Window 17 in the Special Windows 17
folder.
3 Change some parameters:
Size: 1.20/1.20, Sill to Story 1: 1.0, Reveal to Wall Core: -0,10
Click OK.
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4 The two windows change their type and size.

5 Go to the 3D window to check the result. Show the wooden beams by turning on their layer
again in the Layer Manager.
Modifying Size in the 3D View

As you develop the building model, sometimes certain views are more helpful than others, as
when changing the height or position of a window.
Resizing a Window
First, we resize a window in the 3D view.
1 Select the right window in the curved wall in the 3D view. This is going to be the window of
the Entrance, so we have to make it bigger.
2 Click on the lower left or right corner to display the Pet palette, and activate the Stretch
vertically command.
3 Drag the cursor downwards.
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4 Turn the Tracker on if needed, and type 1.5.
5 Hit Enter.
Adding Skylights
Skylights are an integrated part of the BIM model. They are capable of recognizing the roof
underneath, and using important information from the roof, such as thickness or sloping angle.
2 Use the measure tool to check the distance between two rafter midpoints. This will be the
width of the Skylight.
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3 Activate the Skylight tool , and open its Settings dialog by double-clicking on its
icon in the Toolbox or Info box. At the bottom left of the dialog you can see various skylight
types available out of the box.
4 Choose Skylight Flat Panel 17, and set the settings as follows:
Width: 1.97 (as measured), Height: 3.0
Curb Height: 0.15
Vertical Anchor: Story 1
Set the anchor point to the top right corner in the preview picture
No. of Horizontal Frames: 2, No. of Vertical Frames: 1
Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Window
IFC: Roof Windows and Skylights
Click OK.
5 Click the intersection point of the gallery slab and the rafter midpoint to place three skylights
to the roof. Please note that the skylights will automatically be placed into the roof.
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Go to the 3D window to check the result:
Creating a Stair
Using Library Stairs
Navigate to the building interior. Lets place a stair and create a hole in the slab for it.
1 Open the 0. Ground floor plan view.
2 Measure the distance between the two doors - this will be the place of the stair.
3 Activate the Stair tool , and open its settings.

On the left side, predefined GDL library stairs appear. These are highly customizable prototypes.
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4 Select the Steel Pan Stair 17, and set the properties as follows:
Bottom Offset to Home Story: 0,00
Dimension 1: 5.0 (less than measured value 5.03), Dimension 2: 1.0, Height: 3.0 (Height of
Ground floor)
Home Story: Ground Floor
On the preview pane, select the top-left corner as insertion point.
Parameters Panel:
Right Rail: Rail wired, number of bars: 3
Left rail: Rail Simple bar
Floor Plan and Section Panel:
Show on Stories: Home & One Story Up - this will ensure that the stair will automatically
appear on the Gallery level too.
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Stair
IFC: Stairs
Layer: Structural - Combined
Click OK.
5 Click at the right corner of the sliding door to place the stairs.
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6 Go to the Gallery level. The stair is visible, but there is no hole in the slab yet.
Apparently, there is a collision between the stair and the terrace door. Lets take a look at it in 3D
too:
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Creating a Stair with StairMaker

Lets use a different geometry method, so that the stairs starting and ending points fit better.
StairMakers tab pages guide you through the custom stair creation process.
1 With the stair selected, open the Settings dialog.
2 Click on the Create Stair button above the preview area, to open StairMaker.
3 Select Single Winder at Lower End type and click OK.
4 Set the stair settings tab by tab:
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Geometry and Flight Settings

Set the values in the order as shown in the picture below and dont forget to lock the Total
height and Upper part length values:
Click the Check Stair button to check the geometry.

Structure and Landing Settings
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Tread Settings
Railing Settings
5 Save the Stair 1 to the embedded library. Click Save. The new stair is now saved in the
embedded library. Later on, you can use Stair Maker to edit this stair, and save it by
overwriting, or with another name. Click OK.
6 Open the 0. Ground floor and delete the old stairs.
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7 Open the Stair Selection Settings dialog again. Choose Stair 1 from the Embedded Library.
8 Choose the top left anchor point in the preview picture.
9 Set the Home Story to 0 Ground Floor, then click OK.
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10 Place the stair 0.15 meters to the right from the door.
Now, we will cut a hole in the gallery slab. Open the 1. Gallery floor plan, and select the slab.
11 Click on any edge of the slab to display the Pet palette, and select the Subtract from polygon
method.
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12 Select the Polygonal geometry method and click on the corners of the stairs. Make sure you
cut the slab not only around the stairs, but below the plaster skin of the exterior wall as well:
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13 Go to the 3D perspective to check the result.
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Foundation Structures
This building has some simple underground structures only. We will use the already created
exterior walls to place the necessary foundations.
Creating Foundations
1 Open the -1 Foundation floor plan view. The existing walls are visible, because their bottom
plane is below the top of the current story.
2 Activate the Wall tool, and set the settings as follows:
Wall Top: 0. Ground Floor (Home + 1)
Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,10 (so that wall height is 0,90)
Home Story: -1. Foundation
Bottom offset to Current Story: 0,0
Structure: Basic
Building Material: Reinforced Concrete - Structural
Thickness: 0,60
Reference Line: Inside Face
Reference Line Offset: 0,05
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Wall
3 Draw the wall segments, so the reference line of the foundation meets the reference line of
the walls above. You can turn on the View > On-screen View Options > Walls and Beams
Reference Lines option to better see the reference line of the placed walls and use Chained
geometry method for faster placement.
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4 Space + click the curved stone wall to place the foundations.
5 The thickness of the foundation under the stone wall is not wide enough. Select that
segment, and change its thickness to 0.80.
6 Zoom in to check the foundation intersections.
Note that the wall segments are automatically joined.
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Creating pad foundations under the columns

We also need foundations under the wooden columns.
1 Activate the column tool, and use the following settings:
Column Top: 0. Ground Floor (Home + 1), Size: 0.5/0.5
Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,17
Bottom Offset to Home Story: 0,00
Anchor point of Core: Middle
Building Material: Reinforced Concrete - Structural
Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Column
2 Click the midpoints of the wooden columns to place the foundations.
In This Chapter
You set and placed entrance doors, internal doors, windows, and skylights into the building
model with different snap options. Then, you modified the openings in 3D view.
You also added a stair, and discovered the wide range of options for both GDL and StairMaker
stairs.
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Finally, you created the foundations to complete the load bearing structure of the building.
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Chapter 3 - Creating Zones

In this chapter, you will place zones in the rooms and create dimensioned model views, which can
be part of the documentation.
ArchiCAD incorporates a wide range of design documentation tools and techniques. Some of
these tools will be briefly presented in this chapter.
AchiCADs Zone tool helps to identify 3D spaces and stores multiple attributes and properties
associated with them. Rooms and groups of spaces (for instance, departments or areas with
similar functions) can be easily identified, with the help of colored fills Zone identifiers - or
space stamps - can be assigned to them with a single click.
ArchiCADs automatic and associative dimensions refer to project-specific locations. This
means that you are free to develop and edit all the elements in your design project - the
previously created associative dimension chain will always be automatically updated -
without spending any extra time on dimensioning.
ArchiCADs detail drawing views are extremely helpful at the project documentation stage,
since they allow you to reuse and further enhance your existing 2D details. These can be
stored in various file formats, such as DWG, DXF or DGN, or you can create new details based
on the model geometry.
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Zones
Zones represent rooms in the building. They are defined by categories in the Attributes section of
the program.
ArchiCADs zones are real 3D spaces. You can use them to create conceptual space studies as well
as to create detailed space lists and area calculations (see below). You can trim the 3D zone
spaces to slabs, roofs or beams to create more accurate volume calculations. Use the Options >
Project Preferences > Zones option to fine-tune the zone-related calculations and element
subtractions.
Calculated Values
Zones can gather information from the surrounding building elements, like door and window
holes or roof trim. In the appearing dialog box, you can set how a zone calculates wall openings,
columns and roof trims. Set the values to meet the local standards. Close the dialog.
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Zone Properties
Category
Go to Options > Element Attributes > Zone Categories.
Based on the project designation, you can define the necessary categories here. All zones must
be part of a category, but the appearance can be customized later zone by zone. Close the dialog.
Placement
Zones can identify existing geometry as boundaries - walls, lines, polylines, columns, etc. Later on,
you can update zones so they follow the changes of the boundary geometry.
Based on how you want to use zones, automatic boundaries can be the reference lines or outer
edge of walls.
Later on, you can edit the edges of the zone with polyline editing methods or edit the zone body
with Solid Element Operations.
If there are no defined boundary lines, or if you use zones before modeling the building itself, like
in an early design phase, you can set the boundary lines manually, with polyline editing methods.
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Adding Automatic Zones

1 Open the 0. Ground floor in the Navigator.
2 Activate the Zone tool , and open its Settings dialog. Set the parameters as
follows:
Zone Category: Education and Culture
Zone Name: Exhibition space
Zone Top: 1. gallery (Home + 1)
Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,24 (thickness of the slab)
Bottom Elevation to Project Zero: 0,00
Geometry method: Inner edge
Zone Stamp panel

Scale Sensitive: Off
Representation section:
Show Measured Area: On
Show Floor Finish: On
Show Ceiling Height: On
Background Fill: Off
Finishes section:
Floor Finish: Parquet
Layer: Model Unit - Zone
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You can find all related parameters thematically grouped on tabs. Open the tabs to see the
content.
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4 The zone is set to automatic boundary detection using the inner edge geometry method.
This means that the zone boundaries will be found automatically along the inner edges of the
elements. Click inside the large room area to detect the boundary. The cursor changes to a
hammer.
5 Click again to place the zone stamp.
Note: The point you click is marked with a small blue + sign. This represents the
point around which the zone boundary detection recognizes the zone area. This
means that if you draw a new boundary element between the stamp and the + sign,
the zone will be updated based on the + sign.
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6 Repeat to create the additional smaller zones:

Entrance: Communication and Access category, Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,46
(thickness of flat roof slab), floor type: Tiles.
WC and Washroom: Technical Equipment.
Note: Zone numbers increase automatically when you place a new zone. You can
change the boundary of the automatic zones with polyline editing methods, but
they keep the automatic behavior. This means that if you run the Design > Update
Zones command, these automatic zones will re-calculate their area based on the boundary
geometry around their + signs.
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Adding a Manual Zone

Now we go to the Gallery level to add one more zone.
1 Open the 1. Gallery floor plan in the Navigator.
2 Set Education and Culture category and type Gallery as name. Set Top offset to Top Linked
Story to 0, select the Manual geometry method and set floor finish to parquet again.
3 Click the corner points of the gallery slab to define the zone area, but do not include the hole,
door area will be added automatically. If necessary, hide the layer of the rafters.
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Refining Zones in 3D
Now we will modify the zone geometry based on the surrounding building structures.
1 Open the 3D Perspective view in the Navigator. By default, zones are turned off.
Lets create a view, where all building components appear as wireframe, while zones appear
as solid elements.
2 To create such a view, we will use layers. Open the Layer settings dialog (CMD/DTRL+L) and
turn the rafters layer (Shell - Roof Wood) back on if you turned it off previously. Now set all
visible layers to wireframe, except the Zones layer. To do that, select all layers and click the
third figure from the left for any of the layers: all layers will be set to wireframe except the very
first ArchiCAD Layer. Deselect all layers and click on the figure again for the Model Unit -
Zone. Click OK. The 3D view changes automatically, but without the zones for now.
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3 Now, lets show the zones. Go to View > Elements in 3D View > Filter and Cut Elements in
3D
4 Mark the Zone checkbox, and click OK. Zones appear with their default material - Glass.
5 Use the Orbit command to turn the Gallery zone and the roof to a comfortable position for
selection.
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6 Select the Gallery zone, right + click, and select Connect > Trim elements to Roof/Shell.
7 Pick the roof, and then the zone side you want to keep.
8 Change the layer and element visibility settings back to original (uncheck the Zone box in
Filter Elements in 3D, and set the layers back to Solid in the Layer Settings dialog).
Changing Zone Appearance on Floor Plan

Based on the standards and your own taste, you can widely customize the appearance of zones in
floor plan views.
Adding Zone Fill

You can set the fill origin and scale to display a more realistic pattern.
2 Select the three small zones, and open the settings dialog.
3 Open the Floor plan panel, and activate the fill by clicking on the Add/Remove Cover Fill
button. Select Grid 30x30 in the list, and click OK.
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4 Repeat the fill modification with the Exhibition zone, and set Plank Floor.
Color Coding
You can color-code the appearance in two ways, by Zone category or by Fill background color.
By Fill Background
Select any zone, and change the background color on the Info Box:
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Note: If you can not see any background colors, check the Trace Reference settings. If
the Transparent Fills and Zones option is selected, and the Trace Reference is active, the
background colors are off.
Color your zones as you like. Here is an example:
By Zone Category
The other color-coding is to use zone category colors. The advantage of this method is that if you
change category color, all zones of the same category will change their colors automatically.
1 Go to Document > Set Model View > Model View Options.
Here you find stored override options for saved views. This ensures that you do not have to re-
model the building because of the drawing standards and requirements.
2 Open the Override Fill Display panel to show the fill display options.
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3 Check Override Zone Fills.
This way, the appearance will be dependent on the original zone parameters.
4 Click the Store as button to save the current settings with a unique name. Enter 05
Building Plans - Zone fills as name. Click Store.
5 Click OK. The zones will appear by their category colors and the custom fills you set.
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6 Select all zones, and turn Cover fill off in the Zone Settings Dialog > Floor Plan panel. The
zones will appear with their category color only, custom fills are turned off.
Using Image Fills

You can change the zone fill to represent the flooring material. This way, the resulting floor plan
can have a visual appearance. Select the Exhibition Space, click the Cover Fill: Add/Remove
button and change its cover fill to Wood Parquet in the Info Box.
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Creating Image Fills

There is no predefined tiling image fill in the file, so we will create our own for the small zones.
1 Open Options > Elements Attributes > Fill Types, and select Wood Parquet from the list.
2 Click the New button, and set Ceramic Tiling as name. Set Image fill as type. Click OK.
3 Click the Load Image button, and find the White Tiles 1 image in the [TImg]Textures 17 >
Flooring 17 > Tiled Surfaces 17 folder. Click OK.
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4 Set the Image Size to 0.6 (assuming that one tile is 0.3x0.3 m). Check both Drafting and Cover
fills in the Availability and Screen-only Pattern panel. Change the screen-only pattern to a
square, by clicking on one of the unnecessary points inside and then moving your cursor
around in the preview while holding down the left button. Click OK.
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5 Change the cover fill of the small zones to the newly created texture fill.
Image fills provide an easy and quick way to make the representation more alive.
6 Go to the Gallery level, and set the same image fill as for the Exhibition space.
Changing Zone Stamp Appearance

Zone stamps are library parts attached to zones. You can customize their appearance by
setting the appropriate stamp type for each zone category,
turning on/off information,
defining pens and colors.
Lets customize the stamps, because there is too much information shown at the moment. Go
back to the ground floor and
1 Select all zones, and open the settings.
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2 Open the Settings panel, set the scale to 1:100 and define the order: Zone name, Zone Areas,
Finishes. To do that change the 2nd row to Zone Areas and the 3rd to Finishes. Turn the Show
Floor Finish option on in the Representation 1:100 list.
3 Delete all other rows by pressing the - buttons next to the actual rows.
4 Click OK.
5 Repeat the same on the Gallery level.

Note: You can either do the same process after selecting the gallery zone or -
especially in case of high-rise buildings with many stories and zones to modify - it is
useful to select all zones from all levels, using the 3D view. Turn on the visibility of
zones again in the Filter elements in 3D dialog, select the Zone tool from the Toolbox and
press CTRL/CMD + A.
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In This Chapter
You modeled the spaces inside the building structures using the Zone tool. These elements
display information about the zones on floor plan, and also can appear in 3D as real 3D elements.
You changed the appearance on floor plan by displaying fills and category colors.
Later on, you will learn how to retrieve this information in schedules.
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Chapter 4 - Adding Dimensions

Dimensions are an important part of the documentation. You can place dimensions to any
projected model view (floor plan, section, elevation, etc.) and into 3D Documents.
Now we add dimension chains to the design. ArchiCAD features associative dimensions, so that
the created dimension points and chains will remember their original reference points. If you
change the position or geometry of the dimensioned element, the dimension points and chains
will update automatically and immediately, saving you a lot of coordination time.
It is possible to create dimensions manually or by using the automatic dimension feature.
Later on, you can add and remove dimension points to the chain.
Placing Dimensions on Floor Plan

Automatic Dimensions
2 Activate the Wall tool, and press CTRL/CMD+A to select all walls.
3 Activate the Dimension tool .
4 Open the Dimension Settings dialog to see the available dimension parameters grouped on
tab pages. These settings drive the behavior and appearance of the placed dimension chains.
Set the parameters as follows:
Type and Font panel:
Dimension Type: Linear Method
Witness Line: Sized Height
Text Size: 2.0 mm
Marker and Witness Line Options panel:
Marker Size: 1.0 mm
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Dimension Details panel:

Dimension only the Core of Walls and Slabs - On
Layer: Dimensioning - Structure
Click OK.
5 Go to Document > Document Extras > Automatic Dimensioning > Exterior
Dimensioning...
6 Take a look at the available dimensioning settings, tick in all checkboxes and click OK.
7 Click on an element edge to define a direction for the dimension lines. This can be any
horizontal or vertical edge (e.g. a side of a wall). Once you click, the cursor changes to a
hammer.
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8 Click to set the position of the first inner dimension line on the same side where you set the
direction before.
The dimension lines will be placed on all 4 sides automatically, based on the center of the
selected geometry.
Repeat the same workflow on the Gallery story.
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9 Go to 1.Gallery level and turn on the Trace and Reference. By default, dimensions appear. If
not, open the Trace and Reference palette from the rolldown list of the Trace icon, and click
the arrow next to the Reference slider. Check dimensions, and click the Apply Settings to all
References button. Right-click the 0.Ground Floor in the Navigator, and show it as Trace
Reference.
10 We will use the existing dimensions to place the new ones so the documentation will be more
consistent.
11 Select all walls, activate the Dimension tool, and run the Automatic Dimension.
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12 Use the same reference points to place the dimension lines you used on the ground floor. Turn
off Trace and Reference.
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Editing Dimensions
After placed, you may change dimensions, e.g. add/remove dimension points, change dimension
text.
Dimension Chain
Now we will modify the whole dimension chain, while the chain remains associative to the
dimensioned points.
Dragging Chains
Some dimension lines overlap with the section marker, so we have to reposition them.
1 Select the overlapping dimension lines.

2 Activate the Drag command on the Pet palette.
3 Move the cursor downwards, and type d 0.5 into the Tracker.
4 Hit Enter. If necessary, modify the position of the dimension text and/or the section marker
too, by clicking on it and dragging/moving its endnode.
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Deleting a Full Chain

Take a look at the dimension chains. You can see that there are some identical dimensions on the
same side.
1 Select the last row by clicking on the dimension line, and hit DEL.
2 Open the 0. Ground floor plan and delete the duplicated dimension line at the bottom.
Modify the dimension line/texts according to the section marker as before.
Adding Full Chains Manually

Now add a new straight dimension line to the interior.
1 Activate the Dimension tool, and dimension the wooden columns of the veranda.
Note: Before you click to place the dimension point, ArchiCAD highlights the
element it will be associative to. In case of overlapping elements, it may not be the
one that we need. In this case hit Tab until the needed element is highlighted. This
ensures that if the model changes, the dimensions follow the right element.
2 When you are finished with the points, double click on an empty area. The cursor turns to a
hammer.
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3 Drag the cursor. A preview shows where the new dimension line will be created. Click to place
the dimension line.
Note: If you mis-clicked on a point accidentally, but you do not want to include that
point into the dimension chain, simply click on the point again, so the marker
disappears.
Now add a new curved dimension line to the project.
1 Activate the dimension tool, and change the Geometry Method to Arc Length in the Info
Box.
2 Click on one of the corners of the curved wall. The wall is highlighted, and small nodes appear
at the endpoints.
3 Click the window corners to add points to the chain.
4 Double click to finish and drag to place the dimension line to a position above the wall.
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5 Click to place the dimension.
Adding Points Manually

Now, we add some new points to an existing dimension chain: the veranda columns.
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1 Select the third dimension line.

2 Click on the line to display the Pet palette, and select the Insert > Merge Dimension Point
command.
3 Click a corner point of the column. A new segment is added to the dimension line. Now add
the other corner to the dimensions as well.
4 Now, repeat the same process with the lower corner on the fourth dimension line.
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Deleting Points
If the dimensioned element is deleted, the points automatically disappear from the dimension
chain. But sometimes you may also want to delete individual points from the chain.
Now we will get the full size of the building by deleting a point from the fourth chain.
Select the intermediate witness line above the newly added dimension line segment by clicking
on it, and press DEL.
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Adding Radial Dimension

Now, lets dimension the curved walls radius.
1 Activate the Radial Dimension tool in the Toolbox, and set the settings as
follows:
Dimension Type: Without Centerpoint
Marker Size: 1.0 mm
Font Size: 2.0 mm
Click OK.
2 Click the internal perimeter line of the curved stone wall with the thick Mercedes cursor to set
the place of the arrowhead.
3 Click inside the entrance area to place the dimension line.
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Adding Level Dimensions

On Floor Plan
Now we add some level dimensions to the floor plan. Level dimensions can associatively link to a
position of an element or be independent.
1 To place some associative level dimensions, activate the Level Dimension tool.
2 Open the Level Dimension Settings dialog to see the available dimension parameters
grouped on tab pages. These settings define the behavior and appearance of the placed
dimensions. Set the parameters as follows:
Marker Size: 2.0 mm
Font Size: 2.0 mm
Click OK.
3 To make a level dimension associative, you have to specify the element you want to anchor
the dimension to. This is necessary, because several overlapping elements may appear on the
floor plan at the point you want to place the dimension. Select the Gravity tool on the
Standard toolbar, and set Gravitate to Slab.
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4 Click on the exterior pavement slab and the interior floor slab to place level dimensions. These
dimensions are associative to the element, so their value will be updated if the parent
element changes.
5 Change gravity to Mesh, and place some level dimensions on the site mesh, typically around
the building, and on the level lines.
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Note: Repeat the steps above to place level dimensions on the Gallery level. If the
roof is visible, you can also set Gravity to Roof, so you can place level dimensions on
the roof eaves as well. To change the marker type, open the Level Dimension
Default Settings and use the Select Marker Type icon in the Type and Font panel. For the
markers at the bottom eave, set the Marker Rotation Angle to 180 degrees in the Type and
Font panel.
Turn off Gravity when you are done placing the level dimensions.
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On Section/Elevation
1 Activate the S-01 Building Section view.
2 Activate the Dimension tool, and select the Elevation construction method and the Upper
direction chain on the Info box.
3 Open the Dimension Default Settings dialog, and set:

Solid Marker marker type
Text size: 2.0 mm
Marker size: 1.0 mm
Click OK.
4 Lets dimension the right side of the building, by clicking on points of the roof, slanted wall,
slab, ground slab and foundation. Only click on points that will be highlighted with the
circular marks. Double click to finish point selection and place the dimension.
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Now let's see how the dimension is updated if the parent element changes.
5 Select the slanted wall.
6 Click on its upper node to display the Pet palette, and select the Stretch height command.
7 Move the cursor upwards, and type 4.

The level dimension will automatically jump to the right position.
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Adding Dimension Points to a Level Dimension Chain

Later on, you may need to add points to an existing dimension chain.
1 With the Dimension tool active, move the cursor over the dimension chain until it turns to a
Mercedes cursor.
2 SHIFT + click to select the chain and try to drag it to display the Pet palette, and select the
Insert/merge dimension point command. Click the points you want to add one by one.
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Changing Markers In a Dimension Chain

Depending on the dimensioned point, you may want to indicate whether the point is measured
from top or bottom. In our dimension all markers show top dimensions. Now we change some of
the markers to a bottom dimension.
1 With the Dimension tool active, hold down the Shift button, and select the dimension
markers you want to change.
2 Select the bottom dimension direction on the Info Box.
The selected dimensions change like this:
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Changing Dimension Text

Changing Position
If you zoom closer to the dimension chain, you will see that some text and markers overlap, or
they are too crowded to read them easily. To solve this problem, you can drag the text to a more
convenient position.
1 With the Dimension tool active, select the text 3.000 and 2.760 by hovering the cursor
around the text and Shift + clicking when they are highlighted.
2 Click on the black snap point.
3 Simply drag it to a new position.
Override
In some cases, you may put a prefix or suffix to the dimension text, or simply override it. The
reason for this may be, that:
You want to add additional information to the automatically calculated value using custom or
automatic text.
You want to completely replace the automatic value with different information.
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2 Select the text of the topmost dimension (10.500) by SHIFT + clicking on it.
3 Open its Settings dialog by clicking on the Settings Dialog icon in the Info box.
4 On the Content panel of the settings dialog, you can see the measured value, which is the
default. Now, click the Custom Text radio button.
An automatic text instantly appears in the line showing <MeasuredValue>. If you keep this
text, the value will follow the model changes. You can also delete the value, and replace it
with something else.
First, lets add a note to the dimension: type Overall dimension: before the automatic value.
The Displayed Value area shows the result which will appear on the screen.
Note 1: If you completely override the automatic dimension value, it is
recommended to change its Text Pen color, so later on you can easily check the
manual values.
Note 2: If you want to restore the original measured value, simply select Measured
Value radio button in the Text Settings dialog.
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Note 3: You can open all floor plans, elevations and/or create new sections and
place the necessary dimensions.
Note 4: Dimensions are fully associative. However, we recommend placing them

before you put the documentation together. This way you can avoid losing
dimension points (because of deleted and re-modeled elements) or undimensioned
structures.
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In This Chapter
You added automatic and manual dimensions to the project using ArchiCADs dimension tools.
This way floor plans, sections and elevations are almost ready to be published.
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Chapter 5 - Adding Accessory Elements

Designing a building usually does not end when the major building structures are done. The architect
has to prove that the spaces are big enough to serve the functionalities. To simulate and visualize how
a space can be used, we will place some handrails, furniture, fixtures and site elements. These
elements are stored under the Object tool in ArchiCAD.
Accessing Objects
The ArchiCAD Library has a wide range of objects including furniture, sanitary fixtures, special
building structures, site elements and so on. To open the set of available library parts, click the
icon in the Info Box, and review the Object Default Settings dialog.
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On the left side, you can see a folder structure by default. The self-explanatory folder names help
you find the needed part by type. However, you can also use the Search field, where you can find
library parts by their names and tags.
On the right side, you can see the parameters of the currently selected library parts. Objects are GDL
elements, their settings are very similar to what you have already seen for doors and windows.
Loading Objects and Libraries

If you open a new project, the Standard ArchiCAD Library is loaded. You can check and manage
loaded libraries in the Library Manager dialog. You can open the dialog using File > Libraries
and Objects > Library Manager...
This dialog contains all information about the loaded libraries and elements, and their status. For
example, if it lists a missing object that does not exist in the default ArchiCAD library, then we
have to load it.
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Adding a New Library to the Project

1 Click on the Add button, and browse the Training textures folder in the folder of this training
file.
2 Click Choose.
3 Click the Reload Libraries and Apply all the Changes item.
4 Click OK.
Objects created in the project are stored as Embedded library parts automatically. For example,
the StairMaker Stair is now visible in the list.
Adding Handrails
Lets start the work by adding railings.
The first objects we place are the missing railings on the Gallery level terrace and stair hole.
Placing External Handrails as Objects

2 Open the Object Settings dialog, and type railing in the search field. Click on the arrow next
to the field.
3 Select Rail Wired 17 in the list of found elements, and set its settings as follows:
Bottom Offset to Home Story (to Current Story): -0.15
Rotation Angle: 90
Insertion point: bottom-right
Home story: 1. Gallery
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Rail Settings panel > Dimensions section:
Handrail and Post section:

Handrail Width 0.10, Handrail Height: 0.05
Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Railing
Layer: Structural Combined
Click OK.
4 Click the meeting point of the terrace slab and the exterior wall.
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5 Change the insertion point to bottom-left, and place another railing on the other open side of
the terrace.
6 Now, one railing is too short, the other one is too long. Select one of them and click the mid-
top hotspot. Select the Move node command in the Pet palette to modify the horizontal
length of the railing and drag it to the intersection point with the stone wall.
7 Do the same and make the other railing as long as necessary.

8 Go to the 3D view to check the result. The posts of the shorter railing are too dense. Lets
remove one.
9 Select the railing and open its settings.
10 Set the number of posts to 2 in the Rail Settings > Handrail and Post section.
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Click OK.
Placing Internal Handrails

Now we will create a railing for the stair hole inside. It takes quite a complex path, so instead of
using library parts, we will create a profiled wall. Custom profiles allow us to create any kind of
extruded geometry. You can also create profiled beams and columns.
Creating Railing with Profiled Wall

Profiled elements consist of a profile and an extrusion part. To define the profile, we have a
special environment called Profile Manager.
1 Open the Profile Manager by the Options > Element Attributes > Profile Manager.
By default, the project contains some predefined profiles.
2 Click the New button to create the railing profile. Add a name, Gallery railing and click OK. A
profile editor window opens. Here you can define the profile with fills, but you can use any
lines as well as construction geometry. The little x icon indicates the baselines position.
3 We want to create a wood/glass railing. First, we draw the bottom wooden part. Activate the
Fill tool, and set the parameters:
Fill Pattern: Timber - Floor
Click OK.
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4 Select the Rectangular geometry method and draw a rectangle starting at the x sign, 0.05
by 0.3. Click the x and type x 0.05 and y 0.3. Press Enter.
5 Change the fill pattern to Glass, and draw another rectangle on top of the wooden one, 0.02
by 0.15. Draw the fill, then move it to the middle. Set the Special Snap Options back to Along
Entire Element if necessary.
6 Create another wooden fill, 0.05 by 0.15.
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7 Select the top two fills, and drag a copy upwards, so the railing is 0.90 meters high.
8 In the Design Layers panel, check the Horizontal and Vertical Stretch checkboxes. Additional
lines appear. These lines control what happens if you resize the wall height. If these are on, the
part between the lines will be stretched. If turned off, the stretch height command is not
available.
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9 Drag the horizontal lines to the middle of the Glass parts fills. This way, if you stretch the wall,
the footing and the handrail parts will keep their size.
10 Click the Store Profile button.

11 Close the Profile Manager.
12 Navigate to the gallery interior, so you can see the hole.
13 Activate the Wall tool, and set the settings as follows:
Reference Line: Outside Face
Reference line offset: 0.0
Structure: Complex
Home story: 1. Gallery
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Complex Structure profile: Gallery railing

Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Railing
Layer: Interior - Partition
Click OK.
14 Select the Chained geometry method, and click the corners of the hole.
Adding the railing to the other edge of the slab in 3D is very cumbersome, since there is not
enough space to see both endpoints. Lets hide part of the model. You can use the Marquee tool
for this purpose. The light marquee only affects the current story. The bold marquee affects all
stories.
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16 Activate the Marquee tool , and select the All Floors (bold) method.
17 Draw a rectangle around the upper half of the building.
18 Right-click, and select Show Selection/Marquee in 3D.
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The 3D window opens with the selected part of the model. Now, you can easily draw the railing
wall starting from the right side.
19 To show the full model content again, right-click, and select Show All in 3D.
Adding Furniture and Equipment

Interior Elements
To make the building alive, lets place some furniture and equipment objects. We will use the
Object tool again for this task.
2 Hit ESC to remove the marquee.
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3 Select and activate the Object tool, and type WC in the search field.
4 Select the WC 17 object of the current library.

5 Set it as follows:
Bottom Offset to Home Story: 0.0
Rotation angle: 180
Home Story: 0. Ground Floor
Set the preview to 3D
WC Settings panel > Bowl, Flush section:
Check the available types. Choose your favorite, and check how the preview changes to show the
current settings.
Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Furniture
IFC: type toilet to the search field, set Toilet, Bath and Laundry Accessories
Layer: Interior - Equipment
Click OK.
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6 Set the Special Snap Points to Between intersection points, and place the toilet in the
middle of the WC room.
7 Open the Object settings again, and find Basin 17. Leave all other settings unchanged and
click OK.
8 Place it 0.6 meters from the partition wall. Use the guide lines to find the right position.
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9 Open Object settings again, select Piano 17 and set its settings.
Layer: Interior - Furniture
Click OK.
10 Place it into the right side of the Exhibition space.
11 Repeat the same with a Piano Bench 17, and place it next to the piano.
Now, we will add several chairs as a single object. The ArchiCAD library contains such layout-like
elements, which can represent multiple objects.
12 Type chair in the search field, and select the Chair Layout 17 object.
13 Set rotation angle to 90, and insertion point to lower-left. Click OK.
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14 Click somewhere close to the left side of the middle sliding door.
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15 Select the chairs, and drag the top-left hotspot with the Move node command from the Pet
palette. The intelligent layout automatically changes the number of chairs according to the
size.
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As a result, you have a nicely furnished interior. Go to the 3D window to take a look and make
changes if needed.
Exterior Elements
To make the site more realistic, we will place some trees.
1 Zoom out and rotate the view so you can see the terrain mesh.
2 Find a tree in the library (e.g. Tree Decidous 01 17). Set the properties as follows:
Rotation Angle: 0.0
Tree Settings panel: trees may generate a lot of polygons if you set detailed leafs and branches.
Lets choose a setup with a medium level of detail:
Crown section: check Crown Type Automatically checkbox
Symbol and Surfaces section: select any 2d symbol in the list
Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, ArchiCAD Type
Layer: Site and Landscape - Terrain
Click OK.
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3 ArchiCAD automatically recognized the mesh surface, so you do not have to deal with the
placement height. Place some trees on the mesh.
4 Select the trees one by one, and modify their size and rotation angle to get a more natural
result. Use Stretch height and Rotate commands from the Pet palette.
Note: Trees and other complex-shaped elements may contain large number of
polygons, which can increase the processing time of the building model. If this
problem occurs, it is recommended to set a simplified 3D appearance and hide the
elements layer in all model views where not needed.
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In This Chapter
You furnished the building with GDL objects and railings represented by a profiled wall.
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Chapter 6 - Details and Schedules

The documentation of a building consists not only of the model and its projected views, but also
detail drawings and schedules. The good news is that by having a detailed model we can
automatically retrieve the necessary information.
Cleaning Up Sections and Elevations

Before we place details, lets clean up the content of sections and elevations.
1 Open the 0. Ground floor, and take a look at the section and elevation lines. You can see that
they are not entirely in the right position.
2 Use the hotspots of the section and elevation lines and the Drag/Stretch commands to align
them, so
the elevations show the whole building
the sections cut the building at openings
Feel free to also move the dimensions, if they overlap with the section and elevation lines.
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3 Break the S-01 section line to make it more informative. Select the section line and click on
the midpoint to activate the pet palette. Choose the Break Section/Elevation line option to
move the bottom part and click so that it would go through the veranda door and the pocket
door between the entrance and the exhibition space. Now move the horizontal part of the
section marker by clicking on the midpoint and choose Move Section/Elevation line
segment. Move it to the entrance area.
Solid Element Operations

The mesh was not affected when the priority-based junctions were created, therefore we will
have to use Solid Element Operations to solve its connections to the structures. What we will do:
Subtract foundations from the terrain
Subtract the pavement and ground floor slab from the terrain
4 In order to easily select the elements, lets go to the 3D window and filter the display.
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Basement and Terrain

1 Open the Find & Select dialog (CMD/CTRL + F), and set the criteria: Element Type: Wall, and
add Building Material: Reinforced Concrete - Structural.
2 Click the + button to select the concrete foundations. This will mean 7 selected elements.
Modify the Element Type to Column and press + again. Now 11 elements are selected. Close
the dialog.
3 SHIFT + click the mesh to add it to the current selection.
4 Right-click and select Show Selection/Marquee in the context menu. Now, the view is
filtered to the selected elements.
5 Click the mesh to remove it from the selection.
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6 Right-click and choose Connect > Solid Element Operations. A dialog appears where we can
define the connections among selected elements.
7 Click Get Operator Elements to add the current selection as operators.
8 Select the mesh only - the foundations will be deselected -, and click Get Target Elements.
Now you have 1 target element and 11 operator elements stored.
9 Select Subtraction with Upwards Extrusion from the list of operations, and click Execute.
The foundation and the parts above it are subtracted from the terrain mesh, and you can see
the top of the foundations.
Floor Slab, Pavement and Terrain

Now lets subtract the floor slab and the pavement from the terrain. Similar to the method used
before, we create a new 3D filtered view, and subtract the slabs from the mesh.
1 Deselect the mesh and right-click and select Show All in 3D.
2 Activate the Slab tool, and press CTRL/CMD+A to select all slabs, and click the mesh to add it
to the current selection
3 Choose Show Selection/Marquee in 3D in the context menu.
4 Select the slabs on the ground, and click Get Operator Elements (2 elements as operators).
5 Select the mesh, and click Get Target Elements (1 target element).
6 Select Subtraction as operation, and click Execute.
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7 To check the result, select the mesh only and choose Show Selection/Marquee in 3D.
8 Close the SEO and Find & Select dialogs and show all in 3D.
Adding Details
Details are part of the documentation, since they add valuable information on how the structures
will be constructed structure-by-structure, part-by-part.
In ArchiCAD, there is a dedicated place for these detail drawings.
You can create both linked details that can be updated by the model content, as well as
independent details that may contain typical details not marked in the model.
Creating Linked Detail

1 In the S-01 Section activate the Detail tool , and open the Detail Default Settings
dialog. Some settings are similar to sections/elevations, since the detail has a marker as well.
Leave the settings as they are and click OK.
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2 Select the Rectangular geometry method, and draw a rectangle around the roof-wall-
skylight connection. Click above the top-left corner to place the marker.
3 In the Navigator project map, a new detail is created under the Details node. Open the detail.
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4 The detail contains a snapshot of the model content represented by lines and fills. These lines
will be updated if the model changes. Some lines are unnecessary; some need more detailed
geometry. You can use the available 2D tools (lines, fills, dimensions) to finalize the detail, as in
the example below. Change the Scale to 1:10 on the bottom of the detail window.
5 To be more consistent, use building material-based fills. Open the Fill Default Settings
Dialog. By clicking on the arrow on the Fill Type button at the top, we can see the types of
fills. Choose Cut Fill - Building Material, so we can use the same fills that we can see in the
sections. Close the dialog.
6 Use the Suspend Groups button to be able to modify the loaded fills.
7 Change the cut fill of the Timber - Structural material to Wood 45 in the building Materials
dialog.
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To change the scale of the detail if needed, click on the Current Scale button at the bottom of
the detail window.
Creating Unlinked Detail

If you merge external content (DWG or PDF) as details which are not represented in any of the
sections or floor plans, you can create independent details.
1 Right-click on the Details item in the Navigator, and select New Independent Detail
2 Click Create, and open the new detail. It is currently empty.
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3 We can use the Drawing tool to place a PDF showing the pocket door. After
activating the Drawing tool, click into the work area, so that the Place Drawing dialog appears,
where you can select the PDF. Or you can choose the PDF using File > External content >
Place External Drawing.
Note: The Drawing tool allows you to place not only individual files, but also views
from other ArchiCAD projects. This may be helpful if the layout book is in a separate
file from the model, which is a typical workflow in large practices.
4 Browse to the folder of this training > Details > PocketDoorSection.pdf, and click Open.
5 Click in the detail window to place the details.
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Creating Schedules
This section will provide a conceptual overview of the various element schedules and component
lists. ArchiCADs enhanced Interactive Element Schedule provides intelligent, two-way
communication between the schedules and the design project, ensuring that even last-minute
changes will be accurately and consistently reflected in the model and documentation. You can
also export the created schedules in various file formats.
By default, ArchiCAD contains some predefined schedules you can start with. These are located in
the Navigator Project Map, under Schedules. Element Lists can contain any BIM elements and
all related properties, like volume of an entire wall. Component Lists can provide detailed
information about sub-elements, like volume of certain skins of a composite wall.
Later on, you can add these lists to the project documentation, or save them as individual files like
in .xls format.
Modifying an Existing Schedule

First, lets use an existing schedule as an example.
1 Open the 0. Ground floor.
2 Activate the Door List in the Navigator.
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3 The Schedule window opens. On the left side, formatting options are available to set up the
arrangement of the fields. On the right side, you can see the schedule. Use the Available Zoom
factors arrow to change the zoom to 150%. In case these functions are not visible due to small
screen resolution, move the existing palettes (like the Info Box) around temporarily to create
some space.
The list items here are exactly the same ones you created before. Thanks to the BIM concept,
these lists are not only automatically updated, but you also have access to the parameters, and
can change them directly from the schedule as well. Beside the numerical values, you can also see
graphical representation of the doors.
Lets see how we can customize the schedule.
Adding/Removing Parameters
1 Click the Scheme Settings button to open the Scheme Settings dialog. Here you can
modify the existing schedules, as well as create new ones. The existing schedules are listed on
the Schedules tab of the dialog. The Door list is selected, because this is what we are going to
modify.
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On the Criteria panel you can see the primary filter of the list. These are the elements that are
filtered out of the model, and displayed in the schedule with certain parameters. In our case it is
Door, but you can change the criteria to any or even multiple elements.
On the Fields panel, you can select any available parameters, and add to the Schedule Fields. You
can even change the order of the fields, or set summary fields as well.
2 Select the Home Story and Zone Name parameters in the list of General parameters with the
CTRL/CMD key pressed, and click the Add button to add them to the fields list. These are
general parameters available for all BIM elements in the model.
3 Select the Height and Width parameters in the Window/Door list with the CTRL/CMD key
pressed, and click Add to add them to the fields list. These are element-specific parameters,
which may vary depending on the Criteria you specify.
4 Select the Zone number parameter in the Schedule Fields list on the right, and click Remove
to remove it from the list. Remove the Nominal WxH Size parameter as well.
5 Select the Width parameter, and drag it to the third place using the arrow icons next to its
name. Drag the Height below the Width parameter. Drag the Orientation parameter to the
end of the list.
6 Click OK. The list is automatically updated.
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Changing an Element's Parameters from the List

Since the BIM elements themselves are listed in the schedule, you can change their parameters
from here. For example, lets change the size of the pocket door.
1 Select the pocket door in the schedule.
2 Click in the Width field, and type 1.
3 Click the Select on Floor Plan button.
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The program opens the floor plan, and displays the door selected. If you look at the Info box, you
can see that the size already reflects the changes.
4 Switch back to the schedule window.
Adding Dimensions to Views in Schedules

Sometimes, door and window schedules also contain dimensions or additional graphical
elements. In ArchiCAD, you can edit the previews easily.
1 Click the 2D Symbol field of the pocket door, and click the Annotate button.
A separate Element Preview window opens with the 2D tools available. This way you can add any
annotations, dimensions, or lines and fills.
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2 Activate the Dimension tool, change back to the Linear geometry method and the X-Y Only
geometry method in the Info Box and place a dimension line with the door corners picked.
This dimension line will be associative. If you change the size of the door, the dimensions will
follow the changes immediately.
3 Click the OK button in the top left of the window. The dimensions appear in the schedule
immediately.
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Creating a New Element List

Lets create a schedule for the foundations. This way we can calculate the necessary amount of
concrete.
1 Right-click the Element node in the Navigator, and select New Schedule.
2 Select Construction Elements in the list, set 01 as ID and Foundation as Name. Click OK.
The new scheme is created in the list.

3 Now lets add the criteria in the Criteria/01 Foundation panel. Wall is automatically in the list.
Click the Add button, set Element type as Criteria, and Column as Value. Set Or in the and/or
field of the wall criteria.
4 Click the Add button again, and set Home Story as Criteria. Choose -1. Foundation in the
Value field.
This way, both the wall and the pad foundations will be part of the schedule.
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5 Now, lets set the fields. Add the Net volume and Type fields from the General parameters to
the Schedule fields list. Move Type to the top and click OK.
6 Opening the 01 Foundation list we can see that it contains all elements, but we still do not
know the final amount.
7 Lets get back to the settings dialog. Click the rightmost icon at the Type field in the list to
activate a little flag icon. This will result in a summary by type. Click on the middle icon at the
Net volume field to display a sum icon. This will result an overall sum at the end of the list.
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Click OK.
Now the schedule shows the necessary information, but still needs some formatting.
8 You can use the formatting tools on the left panel of the schedule window. Simply select any
fields, and set the font size, type, etc.
Check Show uniform items as single entry to display identical items as one list row.
Check the Show headline box to insert an additional row for the Element type. This will help
to understand the schedule more easily.
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Click into the grand total cell and highlight its value by setting its font size to 4 mm, and its
font pen to red.
Hide the vertical borders for the entire table by selecting Entire Schedule from the Apply
Format Options to list and Separators only from the Cell Border list.
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Creating a New Component List

Now we will list some sub-elements, like the amount of insulation in the exterior walls. The logic
is similar to the element schedules we created before.
As an example lets calculate the necessary materials for the load bearing walls.
1 Click Scheme Settings, and click the Create New button.
2 In the Add Schedule Scheme dialog, select Components as items, and type 01 as ID and
Walls as Name. Click OK.
3 In the Criteria panel, set Wall as Element Type, Load-Bearing Element as Structural Function,
and 0. Ground Floor as Home Story.
4 Add the following fields to the Schedule on the Fields panel: general parameters: Fill,
components parameters: Component type; Composite Skin/Component Volume;
Building Material parameters: Cut Fill.
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5 Click OK, and check the Show uniform items as single entry checkbox. Use the formatting
options on the left and the rulers to set the right appearance.
The program contains some predefined component lists as well. Review those to get more ideas
on how to use the schedules.
In This Chapter
You created details directly based on the model and using preset manufacturer drawings.
You learned how to create dimensioned element schedules and component lists. You also
practiced how to change element parameters directly from the schedule window, and how to
modify an existing schedule to meet your needs.
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Chapter 7 - Creating Documentation and Visualization
Chapter 7 - Creating Documentation and

Visualization
Now, that we have finished modeling, we can focus on presentation and documentation. We will
create saved views in the Navigator > View map. Beside the model content, these views will also
store important settings about the representation of the elements, layer combinations, scale and
so on.
In the first part of this chapter you will learn how to create the saved views for documentation
purposes. In the second part of the chapter, you will use the 3D visualization tools in ArchiCAD.
And finally, we will create and publish the layout book of the project.
Creating Views
The second tab of the Navigator is the View Map. By default, this contains a predefined folder
structure for architectural and structural plans filled with the existing stories, sections and
elevations.
Creating a Folder in the View Map

We will need a special folder for the 3D visualization, so lets create it.
1 Open the Navigator - View Map by clicking on the third icon from the right in the Navigator.
2 Select the topmost item in the list - this shows the name of the project.
3 Right-click and select New Folder in the context menu.
4 Add 3D Renderings as name and click Create.
The new folder is created at the bottom of the list.
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5 Select the new folder, and drag it under the Details node. Be careful not to move it to any of
the existing folders.
Deleting a Folder in the View Map

Lets say we are creating the approval documentation of the project and we do not need any
specific structural documentation.
1 Select the Structural Plans folder in the list, and click the Delete button. Click Delete
anyway in the upcoming dialog to confirm deletion.
Note that the full content of the folder is also deleted.
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View Settings
Lets use the automatically created views to explore the available settings.
Activate the Site view. Our tasks are:
change the pavement representation
hide section and elevation markers
add dimensions (linear and level)
Terrain and Pavement

We have to change the current texture and hide the automatic slope lines of the mesh.
1 Select the terrain mesh, and open its settings.
2 Open the Floor Plan and Section panel.
3 Ridge Selection item, select Show User-defined ridges. This way, only the level lines will be
visible.
Click OK.
Now the appearance of the terrain is much clearer. We have to define a new cover fill for the
pavement slab.
4 Select the pavement slab, and open its settings.
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5 Open the Floor Plan and Section panel, check the Cover Fills box, and check Use Fill from
Surfaces to retrieve the fill automatically from the material you assigned to the surfaces.
6 Set the Cover Fill background Pen to 0 (Transparent), and click OK.
These are element level settings, so they affect all other views automatically where the element is
visible.
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View Dependent Settings

Now we will set how the view itself will look like. These settings control the appearance of the
elements depending on scale and drawing content. This way, the BIM model can be represented
in several ways. Before we start adjusting the settings, lets review these.
1 Select the Site view in the Navigator, and click the Settings button on the Properties panel.
The View settings dialog appears, where you can define:

Identification: This will identify the view in the view map, and later on, on the layouts.
Automatically the name of the viewpoint is applied, but you can rename it any time.
General: elements under this area contain how you filter your BIM model to display only the
information needed in the particular view. Later on, you can change these any time.
2D/3D Documents: you can set the projection settings by adding a custom floor plan cut
plane and the style of dimensioning.
3D Only: settings specific to 3D views.
2 Leave the settings as is, and click OK.
Now lets hide the markers.
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3 Select a section marker, right-click, and select Layers > Hide Layer. This is okay for now, but if
you leave this view and return, they will be shown again, because in terms of the view settings
this layer is not turned off. To make it permanently off we have two options:
You save the view with a custom layer combination: this seems to be a quick solution but later
on if you have different custom layer combinations you cannot follow which is applicable for
what view.
You update the layer combination. This is the suggested way, so lets do it.
4 Open the Layer Settings dialog (CTRL/CMD+L), and select the Site layer combination on the
left.
5 In the list of layers, find the layers of section and elevation markers. As you can see, hiding a
layer will not make it turned off, so turn them off now.
6 Click the Update button to update the layer combination settings and click OK.
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From now on all views using this layer combination will automatically hide all elements on these
layers.
As a quick exercise, lets set the other views too.

7 The views under the Floor Plans and Elevations folder have 02 Drafting layer combination. To
change it, select the containing folder and click the View Settings button to change the layer
combination.
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8 Set 0.Ground Floor view on View Map. Select 04 Plans - Approval as a layer combination
and click OK. The trees and the site disappear on the ground floor, and the roof is not visible
on the gallery level either, so turn them back by updating the 04 Plans - Approval layer
combination like before. Turn on both Site & Landscape layers and the Shell - Roof Wood
layer.
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Visualization
ArchiCAD delivers state-of-the-art visualization and presentation tools: no expert knowledge is
required to produce stunning renderings or fly-through movies.
You can create 3D model views by navigating in the 3D window or placing cameras in the model.
In both cases, you can return to the saved view any time, and modify it if needed.
Saving a View Directly in 3D

1 Open the 3D window from the Navigator Project Map and use the already known navigation
techniques (zoom, orbit, walk) to set an exterior view of the entrance, like this:
2 Open the View map in the Navigator, and select the 3D Renderings folder.
3 Click the Save Current View button at the bottom of the Navigator.
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4 Change Name to Custom using the rolldown list and name it Entrance - OpenGL. This is
because the view uses the Open GL engine.
5 Leave everything as is and click Create.
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6 Lets add some sun shadows. Open the 3D Windows Settings from View > 3D View Options
> 3D Window Settings...
7 Turn Sun Shadows On and click OK.

8 To save this to the view, right-click the view in the View Map and click Modify settings with
current window settings.
From now on, you can return to this view any time.
Note: Open the View > 3D View Options > 3D Window Settings dialog box to switch
between the OpenGL and Internal 3D Engines. If you choose the Internal Engine, you
can select Wireframe, Hidden line, or Shaded modes, switch on Vectorial 3D Hatches,
Transparency in Shading and Sun Shadows. If your computer supports OpenGL, you can use the
OpenGL engine for faster 3D navigation and representation. In this case, you can choose
between Wireframe and Shading mode and display Transparency in Shading. Here you can also
select various 3D display methods (e.g. Contours) and Effects (e.g. Vectorial 3D Hatching), adjust
display and background properties, and so on.
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Creating Rendered Views

There are three different, easy-to-use rendering engines shipped with ArchiCAD, giving you the
opportunity to create state-of-the-art renderings in different styles at any stage of the design
development.
Sketch Rendering
This rendering method gives you quick hand sketch-like images.
1 Activate the Document > Creative Imaging > PhotoRendering Settings command to set
all the parameters and characteristics of the selected rendering engine.
2 Select the Sketch rendering engine.

3 Click the Size to 3D Window button to resize the rendering area to the current 3D window.
4 Choose the preset Koh-I-Noor sketch style and custom black line color on the Basic Settings
panel. Make sure that Show 3D Vectorial Hatching and Show Vectorial Sun Shadows are
checked.
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5 You can also play with the line overstretch values for the sketch, hatch and shadow lines to get
a more realistic image. For example, set 18% thickness and 5% overstretch for the Sketch
lines. Feel free to explore the various options in Enhancements, Line and Hatch Settings, as
well as the Shadow Line and Background Settings tabs in the PhotoRendering Settings dialog
box. You can use the Partial Rendering tab to reduce the rendering range to only a part of
the image, to try the current settings. This can be very helpful in reducing rendering time for
complex building models, or just to test the current settings.
Click OK.
6 To check the result without saving the view, select Document > Creative Imaging >
PhotoRender Projection.
The result appears in seconds.

7 Now, you can save it as still image directly from the 3D window to several image formats (.png,
.jpg etc.) or you can save it as a view to be integrated into the documentation.
8 Click the Save Current View button in the Navigator, with the 3D Renderings folder selected,
and save the current 3D window.
9 Set Entrance - Sketch as name, and the Generate in Photorendering Window option on the
3D Only panel.
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10 Click Create. The image will be rendered. This view will be automatically updated, if the
model changes.
Internal Rendering
This rendering method gives a more realistic appearance using material and texture settings.
1 Create a back view of the building by using the already known navigation techniques (orbit,
walk, zoom), similar to this.
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2 Adjust the sun by selecting View > 3D View options > 3D Projection Settings.
3 Drag the sun to the same side as the camera and set 45 degrees as Sun Altitude. Click OK.
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4 Open the PhotoRendering Settings dialog, and select the settings as follows:
5 Click OK.
6 Save this view under name Back - Internal, using Photorendering Window option.
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LightWorks Rendering
Now lets try the high-quality, industry standard LightWorks rendering engine which can
dramatically boost your presentation capabilities and is available out of the box with ArchiCAD.
Create an interior view of the building using the already known navigation techniques (orbit,
walk, zoom), similar to this.
Lets create a unique interior by changing some materials, and adding lights.
Creating a Material
To make the interior more unique, first we create a new surface for the walls.
Let's create a new surface. Go to Options > Element Attributes > Surfaces.
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1 Select Paint-01 from the surfaces and click Duplicate. Set name as Interior Covering and click
OK.
2 First, we will set the Internal engine settings.

Set the Surface color to some dark gray in the Exposure to Light panel.
Set Block - Stack Bond vectorial hatching.
Click the Search button on the Texture panel, and locate and select the metal-8_inverse.jpg
file in the recently uploaded training textures folder. Click OK.
Set texture size to 1.5 by 1.03, and Alpha Channel Effects to Surface and Bump Mapping.
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3 Now, select the LightWorks Rendering Engine on the top of the Material Settings dialog.
The settings for the newly created material appear.
4 Open the LightWorks Shader Settings panel and click the Match with Internal Engine
button.
The program automatically retrieves all necessary information.

6 With Suspend Groups off, select the load bearing walls and open the settings. This might be
easier on a floor plan view as you dont have to modify the view to be able to select all walls.
Override the inside surface with the newly created one. Now going back to 3D, the walls will
change.
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Adding Lights
To make our interior more realistic, we add some lights. ArchiCADs default library contains a lot of
different parametric light sources.
1 Activate the Lamp tool in the More tab of the Toolbox, and open its settings.
2 You can see interior lamps, general light sources, street lamps and special LightWorks light
sources in the folder structure.
3 First, we add some ceiling lamps above the stair. Select the Ceiling Lamp 17, and in the Lamp
Setting panel > Style section select the fixture you prefer. We use Style 10 in the example.
In the Light section, set Intensity to 60.
Click OK.
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4 Place some lamps on the gallery slab. The gray rectangle helps you to position the lamps on
the bottom surface of it. A dialog box appears informing you that the lamps layer is not
visible, so click Show Layer. Arrange the lamps precisely on the floor plan view.
5 Now, lets add a pendant lamp over the piano. Open the Lamp settings again, and select
Pendant lamp 17.
In the Lamp Settings > Style, Dimensions section, select your favored Shade and mounting
style.
On the Parameters panel set intensity to 90 and set red color by double- clicking on the color
preview. It will give a more dramatic feeling to the piano area.
Set Show on Stories to All Relevant Stories

Click OK.
6 Place the lamp anywhere hanging from the roof over the piano. ArchiCAD will connect the
lamp to the roof if you move it after placing it.
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7 Select it and click the center-bottom hotspot to drag the lamp lower hanging on a longer
pendant. Go to the gallery floor plan and arrange it somewhere above the piano but avoid the
gallery slab and the skylight glass. After this you can set the floor plan representation to
Home Story Only.
Now we change the materials of some elements to fit better to the interior.
8 Select the Piano, uncheck Use Object's Surfaces and set surface to Paint-05 (black).
9 Select the chairs, and set the surface to Metal - Stainless Steel the same way.
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Rendering a Photorealistic Image

1 Go back to the perspective view in the Project Map. Open the PhotoRendering Settings
dialog, and select LightWorks Rendering Engine.
2 Set the settings as below and click OK.
3 Save the view to the 3D Renderings folder with Interior - LightWorks as name using
Photorendering Window option.
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As an exercise, create a new material for the exterior side of the load bearing walls too. You will
find a wood_texture_2.jpg file in the training textures folder. You will find this material under
the name Wood_Exterior in the sample file.
Please note, that once you change the material on the wall, all saved views will be
automatically updated.
Feel free to experiment with different settings and materials. Use the LightWorks and Sketch
rendering engines to try different line-colors, line styles, showing vectorial sun shadows and 3D
hatches, as well as Material settings. You can also apply different paper textures as background
images to further enhance the style and quality of your presentation.
In This Chapter...
You learned how to set up the appearance of individual elements in views using the cover fills.
You updated layer combinations to meet the requirements of the views.
You created and set saved views for the final documentation.
You explored the rendering capabilities, and created different views of the building with different
styles, including lights.
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Chapter 8 - Sharing Your Design

In the design process, you have to communicate your ideas with the other stakeholders in the
project, like the owner, engineers, and constructors. All of these usually need different formats
that are suited to their applications. ArchiCAD provides users with efficient and fine-tuned
publishing procedures.
ArchiCAD also gives the option to publish fine-tuned and target-specific, tailored project
documents: you can use specific layer sets and freely turn off of all the fills and hatches, for
instance, when you share your project data with your structural engineer. Conversely, you can
turn on all the necessary fills and related layers when assembling project documentation set for
your landscape designer.
And the best part is that you can remotely share your design-development project data with
clients and colleagues for review and mark-up, regardless of whether they have ArchiCAD
installed or not.
Traditional (2D) Formats

The traditional way of documentation is to publish sets of projected views, like floor plans,
sections, elevations, details, and some renderings.
The live model projections ensure that all the published project views and documents will be
fully updated and present the current - latest - design stage. You can be sure that last-minute
change to the gallery railing will be updated in a consistent manner in all the other
corresponding views (plans, sections, elevations, schedules, renderings, etc.).
Creating a Layout Book

ArchiCAD provides you a hassle-free and comprehensive layouting function right out of the box:
the Layout Book lets you layout various project views, as well as other materials from different
sources, with all the tools you need to produce high-quality working drawings and paper-based
presentations that will be easily understood by engineers, construction partners and clients.
With ArchiCAD, you will spend less time on documentation! The BIM project model is at the
cutting edge in effective documentation and management. Construction documents and files
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can be derived without any additional software and practically no repetitive work. Automatic
page numbering, multiple master pages and intelligent title blocks reduce tedious work and
makes compliance with office standards easier, thus saving you time.
Once all the views are set, you can easily create virtual sheets in the Layout Book area of the
Navigator.
The standard template contains a predefined set of layouts based on the local standards. If you
use a localized version of the program, you may find different layout and numbering structure
here. We are using the international version.
Lets explore the content of the layout book first.
Changing Section/Elevation Settings

1 Click the Layout Book icon of the Navigator.
2 Click on some floor plans and sections/elevations to see the content. The placed drawings
automatically show the model.
3 Open the A.02.4 E-04 West Elevation layout. This appearance is nice, but it is does not meet
our standards. We need fewer trees and more graphical details, like textures and shadows.
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We can set this for all our sections and elevations together. Lets start with elevations.
4 Go to the Project Map page of the Navigator, and select all elevations. Click the Settings
button on the Properties area.
5 On the Model Display panel of the Elevation Selection Settings dialog, check the following
and leave the pen settings as they are and click OK:
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6 Open the West elevation view in the View Map area of the Navigator. The graphical
appearance will be updated. It is almost perfect, but the entrance door is faded. This is
because the distance area is too close.
Lets fix this problem in Floor plan view.
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7 Open the Ground floor in the Navigator View Map and select the West Elevation marker. A
secondary line appears indicating where the faded parts starts. This is a screen-only line and
will not appear on any of the printed documents.
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8 Click the hotspot in the middle, and drag it so the building is between the two lines of the
elevation marker.
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9 Repeat with the other elevation lines, and adjust the section settings with the same options.
Start by selecting the sections in the Project Map.
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10 Now, lets go back to the layouts, and see the result. Open the A.02.4 West Elevation layout.
The view is automatically updated and reflects the latest changes.
Changing Drawing Settings

Lets see what we can set at the drawing level.
1 Select the drawing on the layout, and open its settings.
Identification
Here, you can change the automatic naming and numbering if necessary.
You can also change the update type to manual if you do not want the drawing to be
updated. This way you can freeze a certain state of the drawings content while you can work
on the model.
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Properties
Here you can set the scale and aspect ratio, as well as the anchor point.
You can also choose a pen set and colors that will set the printing/plotting style. Change to
Black and White in the Colors list to overwrite color settings. This way, all lines will be printed
in black, keeping the pen weight of the original pen set.
Frame
The drawing has a boundary that can have any shape. By default it is rectangular, adjusted to the
drawings content. By default it is screen-only, but you can make it printable too. Leave the
settings as they are.
Title
You can assign different title blocks to display information about the drawing automatically, like
scale, name, ID, etc. Select Built-in Drawing Title in the list. The parameters appear in the list, so
you can customize them, if needed. Leave the default settings unchanged for now.
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2 Click OK. Please note that the appearance of the drawing has changed to black and white and
the title appears at the bottom.
Changing Master Layout of Existing Layouts

If you zoom out you can see that the sheet is a lot bigger than needed. We have two ways to solve
this problem. We can put more drawings on the same sheet or we can change the sheet. These
are called Master Layouts and stored in the Masters folder of the Navigator - Layout book.
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You can create or modify any of these masters and use them as bases for the layout book. You can
also place information on them (title blocks) that will be visible on all layouts that use the master
as base.
1 You can change the master layout of one or more selected layouts or a folder too. All you have
to do is to select the layout and select the right master in the list under the Properties area of
the Navigator.
2 Change the master of the West Elevation to A4 portrait.
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3 Select and drag the drawing to the right position.
4 To set the same master for all layouts in the A.02 Elevations folder, drag the A4 Portrait master
on the folder in the Navigator. To adjust the drawings on all elevation layouts, you can use the
Trace reference.
5 Open the A.02.1 E-01 North Elevation layout.
6 Right-click on the A.02.4 E-04 West Elevation layout and select Show as Trace Reference.
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7 Position the drawing using the traced layout. You can use any snap points on both the current
and the referenced layout.
8 Repeat these steps with the other elevation layouts. This way you can have a consistent, well-
organized layout book.
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Creating New Layouts

Now, we create the Section layouts in a separate folder in one run.
1 We will use the Sections folder in the View Map, and simply drag it to the Layout Book. To
see both tree structures, we can use the Organizer. You can open it using the top-left button
of the Navigator.
The Organizers interface seems like a double Navigator. You can open different tree views on
both sides, and drag and drop content between them.
2 Open the View Map on the left side and the Layout Book on the right side.
3 Select the Sections folder in the View Map, and drag it above the Elevations subset in the
Layout Book.
A black line indicates where the subset will be created.

Thanks to the automatic numbering, the ID automatically appears at the Sections subset and the
elevation subsets below are re-numbered.
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4 Drag the A4 Portrait master layout on the Sections subset. Close the Organizer.
5 Use the Trace and Reference to align the Drawings to the right position, as before.
Layout Titles
By default there are preset titles on the layout masters, but you can change or create new ones
any time.
1 Double-click the A4 Portrait layout to open it.
In this view, you have access to its content. You can place any 2D content here, including text, fills,
lines, images, etc. You can also copy and paste these elements from one master layout to another.
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2 You can see normal texts and texts with # sign at the beginning. These texts are so called
Autotext elements. The advantage of using these elements is to retrieve information from
BIM instead of typing the text manually. Lets see what information we can use as Autotext.
Activate the Text tool, and double- click in the empty cell of the title block. The Text Editor
palette appears.
3 Click the A (Insert Autotext) button.
An organized list of available information appears. You can sort them by category. Lets fill in the
client data in the empty field of the title block.
4 Select Client Details in the Category list.
5 Place and format the text lines to include Client name and address. Use the formatting tools
like pen and text alignment. Hit Enter to start a new row.
6 Click outside the text editor box to place the text. Later on, you can change it at any time.
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7 The information displayed here comes from the Project Info dialog box. To define the
information, open File > Info > Project Info
8 Fill some fields, and see how those are updated:
Click OK. There are some other fields, related to layout properties. These will be filled only when
you create a layout based on the master.
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9 Select and delete the content of the Company name field. We will place an image here.
10 Select the Drawing tool and click in the middle of the field. The Place Drawing dialog
appears.
Instead of using an internal view or a view from another ArchiCAD file, lets use a simple
image from an external source.
11 Click the Browse button, and select sample_overlay.gif from the project folder. Click OK.
12 Select the drawing, and use the hotspots to resize it to fit into the field.
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13 Open its settings and turn off the Title block by setting No title.
14 Open any section or elevation layout to see the result.
Note: You can check the status of all drawings using the Drawing Manager. You can
open it from the same menu as the organizer. The Drawing Manager lists all
drawings and their status. You can also update, re-link or embed your drawings
from here to speed up your layout management. You can also make multiple selections and
sort the drawings by various properties.
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Creating and Using a Custom Master Layout

Now we will create a new master layout for the details and visualization. On these layouts we will
place multiple drawings, and we want them to adjust automatically.
1 Click the New Master Layout button in the Navigator > Layout Book.
2 Type A4 Landscape as name.

3 Select A4 (ISO) - Metric size from the Size list.
4 Pick the Landscape radio button.
5 Select Align and assign Drawings to a Grid radio button.
6 Click the Grid Setup button.
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7 In the Grid Setup dialog, set the settings as below:
Click OK.
8 Check the Set as Default for New layouts box and click Create.
9 Create a new layout subset and type Renderings as name.
10 Open the Organizer.
11 Create a new layout in the subset, and name it Renderings too.
12 Drag the rendered views on the layout (A.04.1. Renderings) in the Organizer. ArchiCAD will
regenerate the views; this might take some time. Close the Organizer.
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The views are positioned according to the grid but currently they are too big.
13 Select the drawings on the layout and open the settings.

14 On the Properties panel set the magnification to 30. Turn off the title and click OK.
The Project layout book will always be automatically updated as the project develops, since all
the drawings and sheets are linked to their source master content, so if any of the source
information changes, ArchiCAD will instantly regenerate and update all the layouts automatically.
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Publishing
ArchiCADs publisher functionality is a powerful tool for sharing custom tailored project
documents using various file formats, including DWG, DGN, DWF, PDF and many more, ensuring
that anyone will be able to view the results of your work on both the Windows and MacOS
platforms.
All the publishing parameters need to be defined and set only once as your project design
progresses.
The Publisher contains two sets by default: Views and Layouts. The default file format is PDF.
The Publisher sets page of the Navigator has two levels: you can display the list of available sets,
or the content of a selected set. Use the arrow next to the set name to go a level up.
The easiest way to create new Publisher sets is the Organizer. Once you create a new set, you can
easily drag and drop any view map or layout content. You can set a generic file format for the
whole set or by items and subfolders.
Publisher Set Settings

1 Open the Organizer and choose the Layout Book on the left and the Publisher Sets on the
right.
2 Go one level up and Select the 2 - Layouts set from the publisher sets.
3 Click the Publishing Properties button on the Publishing Properties area.
4 Set a location to which to save the files by clicking the Browse button.
5 If you choose Create a real folder structure, the files and folders are saved exactly with the
same hierarchy set in the publisher set. Create flat file structure option saves all files on the
same level.
6 Click OK.
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7 Double-click the 2 - Layouts publisher set to open its content. In the Properties area you can
see the name and page size of each page that is selected. In the Format area, set the file type
and additional options depending on the file type chosen.
8 Publish the set and check the result at the location you specified.
Creating New Publisher Set

Lets duplicate the Layout publisher set, and create a set in DWG format.
1 Go one level up and select the 2 - Layouts set, and click the Duplicate Publisher Set button.
2 Select the newly created set, and rename it 3 - DWG.

3 Double-click on the set to see its content.
4 Select the topmost level (Training Series 03).
5 Change the file format to DWG in the Format area. All layouts in the set change their icons
automatically to DWG.
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6 When it comes to publishing, you can choose whether you want to publish the whole set or
just a part of it. Next to the Publish button you find a drop down list with three options: this
set, selected items, all the sets. This way, you can even batch-publish the documentation with
one click. Pick some elements in the set, and publish them using the selected items option.
7 The program updates all affected views and saves the files.
BIM-based Documentation
We have covered a lot of material in this training session, but we are confident you will see how
easy it is to use the ArchiCAD Virtual Building. You may have found the process different from
traditional 2D CAD methods - which have clearly reached their limits and are increasingly being
replaced by the next generation Building Modeling and simulation solutions.
The Virtual Building integrated building model concept, pioneered by GRAPHISOFT in 1984 and
used by over 100,000 architects worldwide, offers tremendous advantages for architects and
designers:
The accurate 3D representation of the building supports true coordination and estimating;
superior visualization and animation for design development and presentation; automated
documentation, calculation and simulation.
The creation of a new building demands joint effort, streamlined teamwork and close
collaboration with other disciplines. GRAPHISOFT ArchiCAD, through its multi-user environment,
open architecture and seamless collaboration, puts you - the architect - fully in command when
taking on this challenge.
IFC
Today, 3D-based data exchange plays an ever-greater role in the design process. When you reach
the phase of having to share the design with engineers and others who use their own 3D design
software, the best way is to create an IFC format file. In our example we will communicate with a
structural engineer. Structural engineers are not interested in the finishes and furniture, only the
load-bearing structures of the building. So first we will filter the display, then we will save an IFC
file that best fits their requirements. This way our workflow will be smooth and easy.
1 Open the Entrance - OpenGL view in the View map of the Navigator.
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2 Open the Layer Settings dialog.

3 Having the 04 Plans - Approval layer selected, click the New button at the bottom left to
create a new layer combination that you can rename any time. Name it 11 IFC.
4 Hide all unnecessary elements on 11 IFC by turning off the layers:
Interior - Furniture
Site and Landscape General
Site and landscape - Terrain
Click the Update button to update the layer combination.
Click OK.
Note: The opened 3D view will use this layer combination temporarily only, which
means that if you reopen the view it will use the layer combination that is set and
can be seen in the Properties area below the View Map. To change the layer
combinations, open the Settings and select another layer combination.
5 Select Document > Partial Structure Display
6 Select the Core of Load-Bearing Elements Only option to hide all unnecessary composite
layers, and click OK.
238
7 Select View > Elements in 3D View > Filter and Cut Elements in 3D.
8 Uncheck the box of Window, Door, Roof and Skylights to hide them.
239
9 Now we have the skeleton of the building. Use the Orbit and Zoom commands to see the
result.
10 Save this view in a new View Map folder, called IFC. All settings, including filtering and partial
structure display, are saved with the view. Create the new folder with the New Folder
button below the View Map. Select the folder and click the Save current view button.
Note: Opening the Entrance - OpenGl view will again show all those layers that you
turned off for creating the IFC view. Opening the IFC view again will only show the
layers that were turned on when the view was saved.
240
11 Now, select File > Save as Select the IFC 2x3 file format. Select Visible elements (on all
stories) to export the content of the current 3D window only. Use the General Translator.
ArchiCAD contains a series of predefined translators to ensure smooth work with different
programs. If you know which application your engineer is using, you can choose an optimized
one.
12 Click Save.
Note: you can check the content of the IFC file by using various IFC viewers. These
applications are usually free. If you open the file, you can see that all geometry is
kept exactly, as well as materials, layers and other information. If we select any
elements, all available parameters appear. Beams remain beams, walls are walls, and so on.
There is no data loss.
241
In This Chapter
You shared the design with other project participants using 2D and 3D documentation methods.
You learned the process of creating automatically updated layouts, the concept of publisher sets
and IFC data exchange.
Congratulations!
You have completed this Training Guide! We hope that you have learned many new skills while
exploring the modeling and documentation capabilities of ArchiCAD. By now, you should have all
the necessary knowledge to start your own projects with ArchiCAD and complete them
successfully.
If you are interested in the advanced modeling capabilities of ArchiCAD, we suggest that you
complete the ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 4, Advanced ArchiCAD.
We look forward to seeing you in the ArchiCAD community.
The following web page provides additional free training guides in other areas of ArchiCAD,
including Building Object Creation, Collaboration, and Modeling:
http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/training_guides/
You can share your experiences and tricks & tips, and read other ArchiCAD users articles, on
Graphisoft Help Center: http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/.
The GRAPHISOFT Team
242

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ArchiCAD Training Series

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

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and Foundations _____________67

Foundation Structures _____________________________________ 99

Chapter 3 - Creating Zones _____________________________103

Chapter 4 - Adding Dimensions _________________________123

Adding Full Chains Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Chapter 5 - Adding Accessory Elements __________________148

Chapter 6 - Details and Schedules _______________________168

Chapter 7 - Creating Documentation and Visualization _____189

Creating Rendered Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Chapter 8 - Sharing Your Design ________________________213

Contents of this guide:

How to use this training material?

The GRAPHISOFT Team

Now, lets see the project we are going to create.

Chapter 1 - Creating the Building

Creating the Site

Creating a New Worksheet

and right-click on the Worksheets item. Select New Independent Worksheet,

and set ID as W-01 and name to Site. Click Create.

Modeling the Terrain

4 Close the palette.

Modeling Basic Building Structures

Change the thickness of the Plaster - Gypsum to 0.02.

3 Set the Wall settings as follows:

Creating a Floor Slab

3 Select the rectangular geometry method in the Info Box.

Adding a composite from an existing project

4 Click OK, then Create to confirm the changes.

Creating the pavement slab

Choose Site and Landscape - General as layer.

8 Click on the outer corners of the exterior walls.

Creating a Curved Wall

1 Deselect all and choose Window > Palettes > Favorites.

Creating a curved wall

8 Select the slanted wall. Click on the right side endpoint.

Adding More External Walls

3 Open the wall settings and set:

Adjusting Skin Priorities

Now, the walls appear correctly.

Creating New Stories

Creating a Single Roof

Layer: Shell - Roof

2 Right-click and select Connect > Trim Elements to Roof/Shell.

Creating Wood Structure

Click on the intersection point to place the first column.

Creating Collar Beams

4 Switch to the Gallery plan, and activate the Beam tool.

Adding Terrace Slab

6 Check the result in 3D.

Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and

Select No mullions on the Side panel page

Tags and Categories: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Door.

The final door in the wall:

You can also check the result on the floor plan.

Adding Sliding Doors

4 Set 2 as number of copies, and Distribute as method. Click OK.

7 Select a sliding door.

Adding Internal Doors

Creating a New Layer

Creating the Floor Slab