topic Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects in Documentation

Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

markmcmillan — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 04:24:51 GMT

Hi All,

I suspect there is already a inbuilt tool to do what I'm asking for here and I'm making an $%# of myself.

What the best workflow for repeating 2d elements?

I used AutoCAD for around seven years at the start of my career before moving to Revit and then Archicad, which I have now used for some time.

We have been creating our own objects for common repeating elements; generally static 2D Objects (window profiles etc. and making use of the GDL fragment2 command), and using CI Detail Elements.

I see a lot of users just grouping lines and fill together instead of creating objects for repetitive 2d elements which is a shame.

To me, this has always seemed like a poor substitute for AutoCAD Blocks. One of the major benefits of AutoCAD blocks is the ability to double-click any detail element, edit it in place, and have it updated throughout the project similar to sketch-up components.

I can see a very simple built-in solution that could be implemented in Archicad without imposing on anyone's intellectual property/protracted development. This would be adding a native Archicad 2D Detail Object that just displays a Profile in 2d(needs a drop down to select the right profile in the main palette, could have scale base view setting).

The Profile Manager could be used to create and display a drafted 2D object(you could even select if the object is beam, column,railing, object, 2d element etc). Hotspots could be added using the existing modifier framework, allowing detail elements to be stretched or adjusted where required.

For users, this would be a significant win and would allow standard detailing components to be maintained and updated quickly and consistently across projects.

The ability to centralize attributes is, I believe, already on the ArchiCAD development roadmap? Central Innovation had told us that was planned for V30 which I cant see in the Beta.

Would it be possible to test something like this? Is there already a object /tool in place that can display a profile on a worksheet / detail view in 2d?

Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

Barry Kelly — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 04:23:13 GMT

This post moved to the main forums for discussion.

It has nothing to do with Beta testing.

Barry.

Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

Mathias Jonathan — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 07:23:52 GMT

I made this object:

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Libraries-objects/Profile-Stack-2D-Detail-object/m-p/708893#M52668

Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

Lingwisyer — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 01:16:05 GMT

As soon as I started reading Mark's suggestion I thought of your object Mathias. Maybe it's time to add a 1 profile option.

Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

Karoly Horvath — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:29:16 GMT

Developing any 2D only tool in 2026 would be a waste of time, however if you check out the wishlist for "make modoles great again" the "in place module editing" would be an easy answer to all that you wish for.

There is no reason not using modules for drafting stuff like 2d details. Just keep allyour elements on Archicad layer so you can even share these 2d mods between projects without messing up attributes...

However GS does not seem to be doing much useful stuff for Architects modeling/documenting needs lately...

Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

markmcmillan — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 03:40:33 GMT

Point taken on the Beta Forum @Barry Kelly l. I'll close this item and focus on testing feedback/new tools feedback.

Thanks @Mathias jonathan . It's an interesting solution and I can see the value/power of the options available in your tool.
I may have a go at developing a single-profile object myself as a way of improving my GDL skill set, although I still feel a better in built workflow is needed.

My recollection is that AutoCAD & Architectural Desktop (effectively Autodesk's BIM platform before the 2005 Revit acquisition) supported seamless double-click editing of both embedded and external blocks(modules), in both 2D and 3D, back in the early 2000s. The workflow felt very natural for both things like apartments( unit layouts , bathroom pods and joinery unit) but also for details.

For 2D documentation, most content lived on Layer 0 (or the Archicad layer equivalent), and editing was immediate with no need to open a separate version(painfully slow).

I've been using Archicad since Version 13, and attempted to emulate this with modules as per @Karoly Horvath comments. Completely agreed on the 2d only comment but I was thinking on a quick win.

Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

Jaime-airc_digital — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:40:19 GMT

You are definitely right, this is a frustration a lot of us who transitioned to Archicad have felt when dealing with repetitive 2D detailing. Grouping lines and fills is incredibly tedious and breaks the parametric BIM mindset, but writing GDL code from scratch for every window extrusion or steel profile is overkill for everyday drafting.

The workflow you just described, using the Profile Manager to draft 2D detailing components and placing them as an object, is exactly why I built the ADI - Symbol Tool.

It functions precisely as the native detail object you are wishing for. You draft your shapes once in the Profile Manager using standard fills, and the object dynamically reads them. It automatically pulls the geometry, building materials, edge pens, and cut fills directly from the profile. It generates hotlines, origin, contour, and bounding box hotspots for easy placement and alignment. Because it relies entirely on the Profile Manager, any edits you make to the source profile update globally across all placed instances in your project, providing that type of AutoCAD block or SketchUp component behaviour you are asking for.

If you ever need to show those elements in 3D, the tool can seamlessly extrude them into flat or 3D representations, and it includes highly customisable text labels that can automatically read and format the profile's name. It essentially bridges the gap between 2D drafting and parametric object management levering complex profiles capabilities.

Let me know if this would be of interest to you and I would publish the tool.

Re: Detailing | Better methods of 2d drafting, creation of Blocks , Detail Elements , 2d Objects

JeffH — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:26:31 GMT

I am intrigued by this!