!Restored: Customiztion for a newbie

[Sam Karli]

Hi,

I have just moved to Archicad from AutoCAD, and my main problem is how to get (nearly) the same result in Archicad - the same lines, text styles, etc. I use Hungarian 8.1 SE, so I'm not sure that I use the exact english names.

1. I want to modify the Section Tool to get the same section marker sign I use in AutoCAD. The program allows loading custom signs, but in the File open window for the "Files of type" the mysterious "Section sign" appears, without exact file types. I am simply struck at this point.

2. The same problem appears at the Zone tool: for example, I want to use different character sizes for the room's name, and it seemed to be impossible for me. For the area of the room, in don't need the "A:" tag, but I want to get a correct "m2" text, where the "2" is the sign of the squadratic meter, and therefore uppercase. That needs manipulation of the text size, the text itself, or the usage of unicode.

3. When making a section, wiser people than me (5+ years of experience) said that it is impossible to make correct sections in a fully 3D environment, 2D "afterwork" is needed, more lines, etc, and for a "1:50" section they detach the section from the 3D model. Is it common, or they have to learn a bit, too?
For example, if I put a wall onto a slab, by default, the wall starts from the level of the floor. In the reality, certainly, this is not the truth, there are structures (isolation, etc) over the concrete slab itself. If i put the wall deeper, as planned, for example 10 or 12 cm, to reach the real place for the wall, I get an uncertain wall-(composite) slab intersection, in my cases the wall was seeable through and not the slab, that was the correct solution, but I am not sure to get this result anytime. Other people said me to make two slabs, one being the real concrete slab, while the other for the structures above the concrete.

4. An easier: Am I able to cut more slabs than one together? The slabs are below one another, the contour is the same. I tried to subtract a cube from them, but it did not work (newbie syndrome ). Finally, in the 3D window i stretched them, using the first one's corner points as reference. Is there easier solution?

It's important to say that i do not wait for complete answers, only tips where can I seek for the solution, lins for tutorials, etc.

Thanks in advance

[Steve Jepson]

I will try to help you one question at a time.

Lets start with section markers:

This may depend on if you are using PlotMaker or not.
Also, can you post an image of what the section marker you want to use looks like? Are you familiar with the Pack-N-Go command for AutoCAD?

[Link]

I'd recommend taking the advice of your Hungarian counterparts. They are quite correct, although they may have oversimplified it for you. (Probably as punishment for using AutoCAD for so long )

For points 3 & 4, try searching for Solid Element Operations in ArchiCAD Help from the Help menu, or hitting F1 in ArchiCAD.

Cheers,
Link.

[Sam Karli]

Thank You,
I have managed to solve problems 1 and 2 with some GDL work, and only the #3 remained absolutely unsolvable, and it seems to be quite difficult to build a house section purely in 3D, because in my close environment every architect makes the sections nearly purely in 2D, and I will try to make perfect 3D sections and facades.

Thanks again