About the importance of optimizing Ceiling Plans and Detail Tool for Archicad

[---Z---]

started learning AC this year, and found that there are several very basic functions missing in AC, which greatly affects the user's experience, because the missing of these functions affects the construction of complete drawings: 1. Text tools cannot generate automatic serial numbers; 2. The ceiling view camera cannot achieve the function of ceiling reflection view in 3D documents; 3. The view mark does not have the view mark of the detail drawing. The existing Detail tool is not like the Elevation tool, which can generate the grid and directly link the 3D model view. Maybe developers think that the existing functions of AC can realize the ceiling view and detail view, but all the functions that are not directly implemented are very bad for users, especially for new users, who encounter these problems in learning, will have doubts about continuing to use AC, let alone buying it. The majority of users of Archicad are architectural designers. They seldom use Ceiling Plans and Detail Tool. They will be used more frequently in interior design. In my country, many people try to learn Archicad now, but it is not easy to get started with Archicad. People who have studied for half a year like me can only consider using other software when they encounter unfriendly and imperfect view functions such as Ceiling Plans and Detail Tool.

[Gerry Leonor]

many gripes have been said about the Detail Tool -- including me.

i'm not sure i get what you mean by "They seldom use Ceiling Plans and Detail Tool". i have RCPs on every project i work in -- sure they're a one-off drawing, depending on the complexity of the ceiling design & what you intend to show in those RCPs (electrical layouts VS insulation type setouts VS mech setouts VS ceiling height differences etc).

I use the Detail Tool as both a Source Marker & Linked Marker. I use the Source Marker when doing Plan Details & i mostly use a Linked Marker for Section Details after i've created a separate Section Marker solely for Detail work. This could easily be avoided if the Detail Tool was Additive, where elements still retain their 3D capabilities & can be tagged to gather their BIM info. Instead, the current Detail Tool is Destructive because they explode most 3D elements into simpler attributes (fills/lines).

[---Z---]

Archicad publicizes how popular it is among architectural design firms and architects. Architects do not draw RCPs when drawing drawings. Everyone uses the Detail Tool more, but Graphisoft is not improved.

I see that 10 years ago someone mentioned that Ceiling Plans and Detail Tool are not easy to use and need to be improved. But after so many years, I have never seen any updates. Is Graphsoft Archicad Design unable to improve, or does Graphsoft think that these two basic things are not important?

[Gerry Leonor]

i still don't understand what you mean by "Architects do not draw RCPs" -- it sounds like there's an unstated premise here. do you mean Architects don't use RCPs when doing their early sketch designs?

plan views, for lack of a better word, is the God-view within Archicad. you can close all other sub-windows (Elevations, sections, schedules, even the 3D window) & the project stays open as is -- as soon as you close the Plan View, the project closes. you also cannot have more than one Plan View open at a time.

unlike it's main American competitor, it's not advisable for you to create as many Plan Views (ie. creating new Stories) specifically for different Drawing Types: Floor Plans VS Finish Plans VS Structural Plans VS RCPs.

What you see in an Archicad plan view is a single camera that's looking downward. without meticulous workarounds, it might not be possible to create a Reflected Ceiling Plan where you put a mirror, on the floor, below said camera, so you're looking at the ceiling as a Reflected view. This is why we have a number of settings both for your View Map settings (Floor Plan Cut Planes) & element settings (All Relevant Stories, Projected, Projected with Overhead, etc). These settings are workarounds for you to use to display things as you need for whatever drawing you're doing.

It took me years & various project types to grasp the idea of these workarounds.

Is it convoluted? i agree. but it's how things were built from the early days of the program. it might be impossible to make changes at this stage to meaningfully change the workflow & workarounds are all we can do. I could be wrong -- in fact, i'd be more than happy to be wrong & would openly welcome a far better solution for Plan Views.

[---Z---]

It may be the difference between countries and regions. The architectural designer here does not draw the ceiling plan, but I am an interior decoration designer and must draw the ceiling plan.

My English is poor, and the translation content will be misunderstood. In my opinion, it should not be difficult for the camera to generate the same ceiling reflection plan as the plan in the software. Also, like the detail tool, select a part of the plan. This view has a grid. Use it to draw the plan details. Have you used Revit? In view setting, Archicad really needs to learn from Revit, which is too important.