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Modeling

Archicad design tools: Workflows, element connections, modeling tips

Articles

I recently came across a project from my first year as an architecture student, and since the paper model I had is long gone, I thought of modelling it with Archicad so as to keep record of it for my portfolio. The building is a 2-story family house, on a sloped site. What I...

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A quick way of inserting the representation of the terrain to our model is using the point cloud import feature of Archicad. Point clouds are more and more popular since they can give the most detailed surveying results, however at the same time need some touch up for archit...

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Prepare the AutoCAD file Open Surveyor’s dwg file and check whether it is done as per local practice/standards, for example: Units = Meters Block or Point is used to represent each survey point and placed at a correct global coordinate (X,Y,Z) – Use LIST command and pick the...

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Place a Ramp Object I felt it is good to share some software specific tips and tricks in between my posts focusing on interoperability. In this post I am sharing a tip on how to create guard walls (parapets) along the edge of a curved ramp using Morph Tool and Solid Element ...

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One kind of a recurring issue is how to create the frameless corner windows, using just a mitered glass connection as below: Switching to the Custom Corner… tab page of the Window settings however doesn’t allow us to choose Glass, but Frame or Corner Column only. The trick i...

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In this article I will be focusing on a simple example to demonstrate RH-GH-AC live connection, another wonderful OPEN BIM workflow from Graphisoft. We will start with an input from a Archicad (AC) file and based on that input a set of balconies will be created using Grassho...

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The MAC version of the Grasshopper-Archicad Live Connection has been released recently, so it was high time doing a test run on this platform as well. The following is not focusing on the performance and the features, the pure intention is to give some guidance to those who ...

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Recently came accross a situation where the Design Architect need to exchange Archicad model with their project partners. The Main Contractor was using REVIT for their BIM process. So, there was a need for conversion of Archicad model to REVIT model via IFC. The project has ...

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Archicad Meshes can be created in many different ways – by creating level ridges based on external drawings, by importing point clouds and modeling the terrain based on it or importing text files with the coordinates and then let Archicad automatically build the terrain.The ...

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There seems to be a clash between design sketch models (typically coming from SketchUp or Rhino, but even if they are created with Archicad) and models created for proper BIM use when we need to convert one to the other since they are built with completely different approach...

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Welcome to our series of articles from the Snow Globe Challenge! We invited some of the designers who participated in the challenge to elaborate on their entries, share their workflows and tips&tricks. Enjoy and feel free to drop us a comment if you have any questions. Now p...

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Welcome to our series of articles from the Snow Globe Challenge! We invited some of the designers who participated in the challenge to elaborate on their entries, share their workflows and tips&tricks. Enjoy and feel free to drop us a comment if you have any questions. Pleas...

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Welcome to our series of articles from the Snow Globe Challenge! We invited some of the participants of the challenge to elaborate on their entries, share their workflows and tips&tricks. Enjoy and feel free to drop us a comment if you have any questions. Welcome Sepideh Kol...

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Welcome to our series of articles from the Snow Globe Challenge! We invited some of the designers who participated in the challenge to elaborate on their entries, share their workflows and tips&tricks. Enjoy and feel free to drop us a comment if you have any questions. Now p...

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MEP Modeler Add-On has become the core part of Archicad 24 as an integrated design tool. The second update of Archicad 24 includes major MEP improvements primarily for increasing effectiveness. This article describes a new feature and further enhancements for using the MEP M...

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Many times we want to show a slab or a mesh on a story above or below its home position. To control which story a slab or mesh is displayed, there are some presets that can be found under Slab/Mesh Settings dialog: Floor Plan and Section > Floor Plan Display > Show on Storie...

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The BIM collaboration between architectural, structural and MEP engineering disciplines needs software solutions that aid this collaboration. It is becoming more usual for engineers to take part in the design process and work with architects starting from the initial phases ...

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Parameter transfer, also known as the eye-dropper and syringe, is the easiest way to pick up the parameters of one element and transfer them to another element of the same type. Simple usage of these tools allows you to speed up your pace while drawing your project. What is ...

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In Archicad the flexibility is given for just sketching up the building without having to numerically specify the correct size or location of an element, but if it's coming to a proper design process, you have to place the elements with a certain size and position. With the ...

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The Wood Ceiling add-on allows users to apply 3D wainscoting to an existing roof. Before Starting 1. Download and install the Goodies package here. 2. Add the Accessories Library to the project library. It is located under the ArchiCAD version folder under the Graphisoft fol...

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The Roof Surfacer add-on allows users to apply 3D cladding to an existing roof. Before Starting 1. Download and install the Goodies package here. 2. Add the Accessories Library to the project library. It is located under the ArchiCAD version folder under the Graphisoft folde...

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If you drag an element in a section or in 3D to a different story, the Home Story of the element won't be adjusted. So, it can happen, that an element is located on e.g the 1st story but it has a different Home Story. (To avoid issues like that use 'Edit Elements by Stories'...

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Trim function helps you to edit the existing elements quickly and easily in 2D and 3D. This is done by CTRL-clicking (on Windows) / CMD-clicking (on Mac OS) elements on the Floor Plan. One can cut off unneeded portions of Walls, Lines, Arcs etc., split them in two pieces or ...

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When using magic wand to place a morph, it will become polygonal instead of a proper circle. Why? It's easy to come across this phenomenon. We place a circle and then use the Magic Wand to place a Morph surface within. You will notice, that the segmentation of the Morph prob...

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For entering distances in Archicad the Tracker is used. Entering distances works the same way in 2D and in 3D. The Tracker appears during element input and it follows your mouse movements, constantly providing feedback about the distance and angle or/and the XYZ coordinates ...

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How to use Accessories Add-on With the help of this Archicad Add-On, you can supplement the roof, slab, and wall elements with special objects. Make sure you add the Accessories Library to your project, using Library Manager. First, select an existing building element (wall,...

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This article explains methods of enhancing the appearance of connections of floors and walls in model section views. Description of the floating floor screed edge detail In most cases the solution for floors to match soundproofing requirements is to design a so called floati...

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Archicad approaches the design workflows strongly level-based – it is of great significance to which story the elements belong. As a consequence of that, the planning of buildings with split levels may be slightly more difficult in certain cases. This article would like to g...

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Let's say you want to distribute trees along a given path. From ARCHICAD 21 and up, you have the option in the Multiply dialogue to do just that. Let's see how. Distribute Elements along a Path Before you start, make sure you have a path placed. This can be a polyline, a spl...

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Irregular "free-form" shapes can be modeled using the mesh tool. These items can be converted to roofs with this Add-On. The new "Create Roofs from Mesh" command will appear in the "Design/Design Extras" menu by default. How to use "Mesh To Roof" Add-On The selected mesh obj...

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The Profiler Add-On allows you to create Object type Library Parts by extruding a profile along a straight or curved path. The new Profiler command will appear in the Design/Design Extras sub-menu by default. How to use Profiler Add-On To create an object: In the Floor Plan ...

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The Interior Wizard command enhances the modeling of 3D Zones by applying Accessory Objects to selected walls, ceilings, and floors and creating interior finish elements. You can edit the shape and the material parameters of these elements using standard ARCHICAD tools as we...

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The Home Story parameter in Favorites is a little bit hard to understand. Using a fix story as a saved parameter is not ideal when working in floor plan, and relative story (Open Story + 2) makes no sense when you're in a 3D view or a section, so it can be used to something ...

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Permanent Guides issues Parallel snap indicator doesn't appear with a Permanent Guide Issue The Snap Guide's parallel indicator doesn't appear when trying to draw a parallel to a Permanent Guide Solution Workaround: Apply a Snap Guide to the Permanent Guide. Now the parallel...

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Have you tried to trace a line in space with the morph tool to make handrails while Archicad rotated the anchor point and tube surface when changing planes? This article will show you step by step how to avoid this problem. 1. Introduce a horizontal section A horizontal sect...

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Marc's tip on using the Element Information Palette for measuring Exit Travel Distances! "To measure exit travel distances.... trace the path with a polyline (turn on a ghost layer if the path covers two floors). Open "element information" Window > Palette Display > Show ele...

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You can find the making of the mediterranean house at the end of this article. Texture Mapping If your Morph uses a material that includes a texture, you can control how that texture is displayed on the Morph surfaces. The Texture Mapping definition (either Box or Planar) is...

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Use the Morph tool to create freeform elements within ARCHICAD, so you don't have to import special shapes from other programs. The Morph tool is fully integrated into ARCHICAD, and works with a familiar logic and interface. However, there are some Morph features that go bey...

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Guide Lines are drafting aids which help you find special points and projections, to ensure precise input in both 2D and 3D windows. Guide Lines are based on the cursor’s relationship to the input plane and to existing elements. 1 - Show/Hide Guide Lines To hide the existing...

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Trim Slanted Walls to Roof This article discusses the methods to trim a Slanted Wall to a Roof or Shell element. In ARCHICAD 15 there are now three designated roof elements: Multi-plane Roof - New in AC15 Single-plane Roof Shell Tool - New in AC15 There are also now three co...

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The connection of two Walls and their Fills on the Floor Plan does not match your needs. The intersection depends on the Reference Lines of the Walls (turn on View menu/On-Screen View Options/'Walls & Beams Reference Lines' option), on the geometry method of the Wall, on Wal...

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Originally published at AECBytes: http://www.aecbytes.com/tipsandtricks/2006/issue10-archicad.html written by Eric Bobrow Principal, Bobrow Consulting GroupArchicad's Solid Element Operations (SEO) are powerful tools to carve and model complex shapes and forms that would oth...

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by Dwight Atkinson, Vancouver, Canada Creating wall openings as windows is not the easiest or fastest way to make design experiments with wall openings. For non-critical work, using an SEO (=Solid Element Operation) combined with a Complex Profile Beam is faster and more ada...

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This article is based on a thread from our Design Forum. 1 - The Column Tool trick Simply place columns into the wall where you want the chimneys to be - just make sure they go all the way up on each floor. This works fine for singular flues in 2D plans and sections, but you...

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Original thread by Mike Hann, Carlsbad & Eric Link, Worldwide Is it possible to select items in the 3D Window and keeping the selection in plan? And why can we select different items in 3D and in 2D? Yes, it is possible and to do this, the best method is to use the Selection...

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Walls in ARCHICAD by default have a uniform height along the whole element. By trimming Walls with Roofs or using Solid Element Operations (SEOs) with the Wall as target and Roofs/Beams/Slabs etc. as Operators, the contours of Walls can again be modified as desired. Here is ...

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- by Ben Frost, UK and Eric Link, Worldwide ARCHICAD specialist Is there a way to group walls/elements that occur on different stories? - select them in the 3D window and 'Group'. The above answer of Ben Frost is 100% OK, but Link's advice may be of special interest for ARCH...

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Originally published at Cadalyst, written by Eric Bobrow Principal, Bobrow Consulting GroupEditor's note: This tutorial courtesy of ARCHICAD. ARCHICAD is a very flexible environment for modeling and documenting architectural designs. Every tool has many options and settings ...

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