illustrator and archicad - good bedfellows?

[Anonymous]

Hi, I am a 2D designer and illustrator looking to move into 3D architectural illustration. First steps!

My general question is this: how can I best use my 14 years of experience with Adobe illustrator to shallow my learning curve with archicad?

My specific question is: Can Archicad import vector files from illustrator? and if so, is that a practical workflow model?

Hope someone can help, thanks.

[Eduardo Rolon]

Yes, export as dwg from AI. In AC link the dwg into a Worksheet by using the "Place External DWG" command.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. Is this a common and effective way of working? Or is better to simply draft in AC ?

[Anonymous]

It depends on what you want to achieve. ArchiCAD's primary function is as a building modeler so drafting is a secondary function. Your Illustrator drawings will only serve as background references for building the model.

In general the accuracy required for good modeling is higher (or at least different - depending on your point of view) than it is for good illustration, so your backgrounds may not serve as well as you might like. It will depend on your needs for the model of course.

You might be better off placing your drawings as PDF for reference to avoid snapping to points that are nearly correct. In any case make sure you check that the scaling is correct. If not it is simple to resize the drawing to match the world dimensions.