topic Re: Best workflow for multiple wall finish combinations without Composite Bloat in Documentation

Best workflow for multiple wall finish combinations without Composite Bloat

Cazer_36 — Wed, 20 May 2026 10:39:44 GMT

Hi everyone,

I am looking for the best professional workflow to manage various interior and exterior wall finishes in Archicad without ending up with an uncontrollable number of Composite Structures (Composite Bloat).

I have prepared a small demo plan to illustrate the issue. As you can see in the attached image, even in a very small layout, I am forced to create 5 different wall combinations (TYPE-1 to TYPE-5) because the finish layers (C-1 to C-4) change depending on the room types on either side of the core wall.

I have already tried two common workarounds:

Using Wall Accessories.
Modeling finishes as separate, thin composite/basic walls (furring walls).

However, both methods create serious headaches when it comes to doors and windows. The openings do not automatically coordinate seamlessly across multiple walls, and whenever a door/window position or size changes during revisions, it becomes a manual tracking nightmare.

How do you handle this complexity in large-scale professional projects? Is there a native feature, a specific Wall Closure/Opening Tool workflow, or an industry-standard method that makes managing separate finish layers seamless when dealing with doors and windows?

I would highly appreciate your insights and workflows. Thank you!

Operating system used: Windows

Re: Best workflow for multiple wall finish combinations without Composite Bloat

Lingwisyer — Tue, 26 May 2026 08:48:25 GMT

There is a related wish that would resolve issues with your second stated workaround. Currently, the wish is listed as "On Roadmap", though it never was. The "Opening Input in Section/Elevation" that came out with AC29 was stated as being related though it is a bit of a tangent, and quite a leap in it's current form from the wish...

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/Opening-Tool-as-Standard-Wall-Penetration-Tool/idc-p/703639#M4214

Ling.

Re: Best workflow for multiple wall finish combinations without Composite Bloat

Cazer_36 — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 19:37:46 GMT

Thank you, Lingwisyer,

The main problem I am facing is that the same structural wall core often requires different finish build-ups on each side depending on the functions of the adjacent rooms, which eventually leads to an excessive number of Composite Structures.

What I am really curious about is how offices handle this situation in large-scale projects. Are most users modeling finishes as separate walls or accessories and manually managing opening coordination, or is there a more robust Archicad workflow that I may be overlooking?

I would be very interested to hear how this is handled in projects.

Re: Best workflow for multiple wall finish combinations without Composite Bloat

Lingwisyer — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 01:46:37 GMT

Drafting wise, are you modelling the finish build-ups as generic thickness, or as composite layers to be listed? I assume you are labelling the walls based on the inside / outside Building Material ID?

Re: Best workflow for multiple wall finish combinations without Composite Bloat

Cazer_36 — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:31:48 GMT

Yes, I am modeling the finish build-ups as composite layers so they can be properly listed in the schedules. And yes, you are correct, I am labeling the walls based on the Building Material ID.