Modeling
About Archicad's design tools, element connections, modeling concepts, etc.

Importing pdf files / drawings

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hi,
I am fairly new to archicad so please excuse my terminology etc...
I am an Interior Design uni student and have a project for which I need to refurbish a heritage listed derelict building. We have been given the original drawings in pdf format and I was hoping to import and modify them as a base for my new drawings, rather then re draw the whole thing.
I have worked out how to import and explode them, so they are editable, but is there a way to then generate a 3D view from that, or will I need to re draw it all if I want 3D views etc...
Also, when I click on a wall, it comes up as a polymer line, but isn't recognised as a wall (etc) and doesn't give dimensions or any other information, is there a better way of going about it so I can use the drawings I have been given and turn them into usable drawings for my final project?
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks
5 REPLIES 5
Gerald Hoffman
Booster
PDFs are mostly 2D vector line drawings. They have no 3D intelligence embedded. If you want 3D modelling in ArchiCad you will have to trace over the PDF with the wall tools etc to get what you want.

If the PDF is accurate it will save input time for doing your drawings. The same is true in the case of DWGs.

Cheers,
Gerald
"The simplification of anything is always sensational" GKC
AC 25-4013 USA, CadImage Tools
2019 MacBook Pro 16" w/ AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU
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Anonymous
Not applicable
Thanks Gerald, that is a great help and the idea of tracing will save me lots of time.
DGSketcher
Legend
If you're new to AC and you have a lot of tracing to do then check out the Magic wand tool in the help files

http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/?s=Magic+wand&versions=Versions
Apple iMac Intel i9 / macOS Sonoma / AC27UKI (most recent builds.. if they work)
Stress Co_
Advisor
I'd add:
Place your pdf on a worksheet (as opposed to the story you are working in),
explode it and use "Show as Trace Reference".
Marc Corney, Architect
Red Canoe Architecture, P. A.

Mac OS 10.15.7 (Catalina) //// Mac OS 14.2.1 (Sonoma)
Processor: 3.6 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 //// Apple M2 Max
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Anonymous
Not applicable
Stress wrote:
I'd add:
Place your pdf on a worksheet (as opposed to the story you are working in),
explode it and use "Show as Trace Reference".
100% Agree, don't put the pdf in the story. I usually have a worksheet called 00 - Reference. This help you to do a cleaner work.