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

How do YOU use Archicad ??

Anonymous
Not applicable
I would like to know how everyone here uses Archicad

The way you are 'meant' and trained to use Archicad according to Graphisoft is to do a reasonable 3d model using composites etc, project elevations and sections, and then rely mainly on patches and 2d lines to create the 1:20 sections and details. Who does this?

I've heard of firms adding nearly all of their construction detail to the 3d model itself creating much of the information that will end up in the details and sections automatically. This must be a good way to get accurate cost schedules from Archicad I would guess. But this must be really time consuming. Who does this way? Doesnt it make the model really slow and difficult to read? I suppose your layering conventions have to be spot on for this.

Does anyone create an Archicad 3d model just purely for aesthetic visuals and rely on Autocad or 2d Archicad for everything else?

Who here just uses 3d Archicad for the plans to enable doors and windows to be inserted and then does everything else in 2d?

Does anyone go the whole hog and use Archicad as a proper BIM model for heating calcs, daylighting, scheduling, as well as generated elevs/sections/details etc?

I would really appreciate hearing everyones views on this. Can a moderator make this poll sticky for a few days please?
45 REPLIES 45
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
Philip wrote:
In Ralph & Kliment's examples are moldings and profiles, the ones around heads and sills of windows, accomplished inside or outside of AC?
In AC 10 and above, the profiled elements can be made with a Complex Profile definition and wall, beam or column tools. AC 9 and below, the Profiler ('goodie' folder) will do it (but is more awkward to use than ArchiForma.)

Linear profiles of any orientation are directly drawn in AC 10 and above. Curved profiles lie on a plane parallel to the floor though, even the doubly curved ones available in 11.

For the curved, profiled heads in Ralph's model, you need to build the profiled element(s) flat on the ground, and then use the 'save as object' method to create a vertical version of it for placement in the model. (This is discussed in the online help - Object Making with ArchiCAD - and various places in these forums: just view the element(s) in 3D axo, oriented as you would see them in plan, and from the File > menu, save as GDL object. Then just insert.)

This only takes 20 seconds.

But, ArchiForma, which Kliment used, lets you rotate the curved, profiled head visually. I find it takes the same amount of time though.

My 2 cents,
Karl
One of the forum moderators
AC 28 USA and earlier   •   macOS Sequoia 15.2, MacBook Pro M2 Max 12CPU/30GPU cores, 32GB
Anonymous
Not applicable
Karl wrote:
.........For the curved, profiled heads in Ralph's model, you need to build........


Karl, I do not know if you have experience with Ralph's Objective (v11) Add-on. Can AC11 Profiler replace Objective's v11 capabilities in making Profiles (ONLY, not other Objective's capabilities)?
Maybe Ralph could jump in on this answer also?
Thanks,
Joseph
Anonymous
Not applicable
Seriously Graphisoft really need to buy that Objective and add it to Archicad! That software looks amazing and it is exactly what Archicad badly needs to make it more user friendly IMO.
Ralph Wessel
Mentor
Joseph wrote:
Karl, I do not know if you have experience with Ralph's Objective (v11) Add-on. Can AC11 Profiler replace Objective's v11 capabilities in making Profiles (ONLY, not other Objective's capabilities)?
Maybe Ralph could jump in on this answer also?
Yes, I used OBJECTiVE to create a lot of the detail in my models. It's vastly easier than the Profiler add-on or even Complex Profiles.

I think Complex Profiles are great, but they are focussed on tools with specific behaviours that limit what you can do in 3D, e.g. walls can be curved but not inclined; beams can be inclined but not vertical or curved; columns can only be vertical. These tools also have automatic clean-up behaviours which are great but often annoying for 3D detail. There is also still no concept of 3D rotation in ArchiCAD.

OBJECTiVE allows me to make/edit/place/rotate/cut/bend profiles quickly, but not just in plan. I can shape them without having SEO's trailing along (but the objects make good SEO operators). And you bind a group of complex 3D elements into an assembly to simplify editing in different planes. You can do all of these things in the section/elevation windows too, so I can draw a lot of these details directly onto the face of the model rather than trying to tilt them up afterwards. The attached image shows a close-up of one of the selected profiles which has been bent and cut to the right shape (selected). The 3D hotspots on the shapes make them really easy to place in 3D too.

Saving slabs etc as GDL objects is slower and the end results a 'dumb' object, but worst of all not very flexible. If you want to make a change, you really have to reconstruct the object from scratch - not too bad if you don't expect to make changes, but not a design tool. Fundamentally, I've made OBJECTiVE work they way I want it to for my own architectural work.

Note that the bending features are only in the current beta, but the final release will be available shortly. The attached image show how a beam can be bent to a complex curve. The end can also be elevated to quickly produce objects like curved ramps etc. I'll let everyone know when the final release is available, but PM me if you want to try the beta.
Ralph Wessel BArch
Active Thread Ltd
Anonymous
Not applicable
A wise technologist once said to me...

"model everything son, the details will look after themselves"

I am now a true believer and self proclaimed Prophet.
Karl Ottenstein
Moderator
Ralph wrote:
... columns can only be vertical.
Not true in AC 10 and 11.

But, I agree with your point about the awkwardness of existing tools, Ralph. 🙂

Cheers,
Karl
One of the forum moderators
AC 28 USA and earlier   •   macOS Sequoia 15.2, MacBook Pro M2 Max 12CPU/30GPU cores, 32GB