Enhance your designs with custom fills in Archicad

[Olivia Basily]

Custom fills are a simple yet powerful way to give your drawings clarity and add a unique character to your designs. Whether you’re creating repetitive patterns, textures, or importing images, Archicad offers flexible tools to make your elements stand out. This guide highlights practical workflows to create symbol and image-based fills that you can reuse throughout your projects.

Fast 90-degree rotation

When the default fill textures don’t match your vision, symbol fills allow you to turn your custom 2D patterns into reusable fill elements. Here’s how:

• Draw your pattern on any 2D window.

• Select the entire pattern, then copy it using Edit > Copy or the copy shortcut.

• Go to Options > Element Attributes > Fills and click New.

• Name your fill and select Symbol Fill.
• Click Paste to insert your previously copied pattern into the fill preview.
• Set where the fill should appear: Drafting, Cover, or Cut Fill. 
• Adjust the pattern and unit size to your preference and save. 

Your custom symbol fill is now ready to use anywhere in your project. 

Create linear copies on the fly

Archicad also allows you to create fills from images, ideal for textures, logos, or more complex patterns: 

• Navigate to Options > Element Attributes > Fills and click New. 

• Name your fill and select Image Fill. 

• Under Appearance, click Browse > Add to upload your image. 

• Adjust the unit size and display preferences as needed. 
• Save the fill to add it to your project’s embedded library. 

Using image fills opens endless creative possibilities while keeping your documentation clear and professional.

Quick custom fill cheat sheet

Task                                                                          Steps                                                                        Purpose

Create symbol fill task	Draw pattern > Copy > Options > Fills > New > Symbol Fill > Paste	Turn your 2D drawings into reusable fills
Set fill type	Drafting / Cover / Cut	Define where the fill will display in your project
Adjust pattern	Modify unit size & pattern	Control scale and appearance
Create image fill	Options > Fills > New > Image Fill > Upload image	Use external images as fill patterns

Custom fills are an easy way to add a personal touch to your project while improving clarity and readability. Explore symbol and image fills to give your drawings a distinctive edge.