Dear Community members,
This month’s tip to a wish shared by @peter_94941: a solution for managing the Section tool’s display and markers on floor plans with more freedom and simplicity.
Our highlighted solutiona include a custom Section Marker from @Yves , and an alternative workflow shared by @vlahtinen.
Challenge context
When placing section drawings on layout sheets, some designers prefer the width of the section drawing and the section sign on the floor plan not to line up. The reason being, if they shorten the section marker to keep it visible in the plan, they might lose details in the actual section drawing.
Two solutions for resolving it
1) Custom section marker (by @Yves)
Yves duplicated and modified the built-in Section Marker object to add more flexible symbol movement options in the floor plan, independent of the actual 3D cut line. This custom marker allows the end symbols shown on the floor plan to be offset, without affecting the true scope of the 3D section cut.
This new object can be set as the default marker type and used with the same functionality as the standard section marker. The main benefit is a much more intuitive and integrated experience, maintaining 3D links and updatable references while enhancing flexibility in documentation.
One limitation is that the section line itself does not visually stay connected if the markers are moved beyond (or closer than) the initial extents. In which case you can hide both ends of the section line and manually adjust the lines of the custom section markers.
Download Yves’ custom Section Marker as a GDL object (import both to your embedded library).
2) Linked section markers (by @vlahtinen)
This method uses Archicad’s built-in ability to place "linked markers" on the floor plan for graphic clarity while keeping the actual section marker (the real section generating the drawing) hidden or on a separate layer.
The linked markers reference the real section drawing, serving as visual aids. Meanwhile, the hidden marker maintains the connection to the section view and controls the actual cut plane.
This solution is available in all Archicad versions without custom scripting or GDL modifications. The downside is that moving one marker does not move the other, so maintaining consistency requires manual adjustment.
|
Solution |
Key Principle |
Pros |
Cons |
|
Custom Section Marker |
Custom GDL marker object allows movement of section symbols separate from cut line |
Integrated with section view, more flexible, maintains linkage |
Some graphical limitations, requires custom GDL use |
|
Linked Section Markers |
Independent linked markers for visual clarity on plan |
Simple to implement, native feature |
Manual updates needed |
Have a similar workflow tweak or wish? Post your ideas in the Wishlist. Your feature requests help shape the future of Archicad development!
Meanwhile, we are already on the lookout for the next Community Tip. Share your best ideas to solve daily challenges to earn a spotlight in the coolest series on the Insights blog 😉
Last but not least, here’s the link to the original forum discussion where you can leave kudos to @Yves and @vlahtinen for their helpful answers.
