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Project data & BIM

Best practices for attributes, schedules, templates, favorites, hotlinks, and more

Articles

An office template is a predefined, “empty” file that contains all the necessary information for starting a new project, based on the applicable national and company CAD/BIM standards. An office template will dictate that all new projects work to an agreed consistent standar...

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In our previous article, What is the Role of a BIM Coordinator?, we identified the primary responsibilities of a BIM Manager and a BIM Coordinator. It is not a short list and shows us how a good office structure, with clear roles and responsibilities, is strategic for the su...

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Data strategy in Archicad is the structured planning and management of model information to ensure consistent, accurate, and standards-compliant data for design, documentation, and collaboration. We know that a BIM project cannot rely solely on a great 3D model. This 3D mode...

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A BIM Coordinator is a professional who ensures that all project models are accurate, consistent, and well-coordinated across disciplines to support smooth collaboration and compliance with BIM standards. With the penetration of BIM in the construction industry, offices have...

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The Survey Point in Archicad is a reference marker that defines the model’s real-world geographic location, ensuring accurate positioning and coordination with external data and other disciplines. If you are actively involved in a BIM-enabled project, you know how a model pl...

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Continuing our focus on enhancing project manageability, Archicad 27 includes highly requested additions to the attribute management workflow. This update helps increase the efficiency of design teams, by letting more attributes be organized using a folder-based structure. I...

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Welcome to our series of articles from the One Override To Rule Them All 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 start a thread in the Documentation forum i...

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Table of Content Improvements to the Attribute PaletteImprovements to the Import Attributes dialogImprovements to the attributes’ settings dialogsImprovements to the attributes’ pickersHow do I access the update?Why should I update Archicad? Graphisoft has released Archicad ...

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Table of Content Managing attributes is getting increasingly complexHierarchy and structuring in attribute managementKey attributesThe Attributes PaletteSpend less time and effort on project management and more on design Managing attributes is getting increasingly complex Th...

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Scroll to find a specific Navigator item Nowadays, a project can have hundreds of sections, elevations, details, 3D views, and layouts – all listed in the Navigator. With the increasing complexity and size of projects, it is becoming time-consuming to find specific items in ...

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Archicad usually got you covered by sophisticated solutions in case of a crash, apparent data loss or file damage, but sometimes manual recovery or troubleshooting might be needed. The following post collects the backup and recovery options and the location of those logs and...

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The MEP Modeler gives good results when it comes to Collision Detection, but sometimes it is not that easy to identify the actual collisions despite the highlight options, especially if the project is larger. Let’s see an example and a quick enhancement of the representation...

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Just recently came across this issue that unit modules were meant to be linked into a block file, but due to the large amount of small variations within the units, the designers wanted to have a base module to link into the unit file as well, such as: Module A is linked to t...

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Every now and then the question arises: how to use Archicad as a coordination tool. There are multiple workflows in which you can differentiate and compare the models of different disciplines. Let’s take a look at the following model where architecture was created using Arch...

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There are a lot of cases – even if it is not entirely intentional when you migrate projects. This happens when content made in an earlier version of Archicad is opened in a newer version. These scenarios can include: simple copy-paste from your old projects hotlinking conten...

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If your model is feeling laggy or sluggish, especially in 3D, it may be due to a high number of polygons in the model and on-screen. For example, when navigating in 3D, there is a drop of frames (image stutters).This article can help you to identify, prevent and reduce polyg...

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About origins in Archicad Why can projects be located far from the origin?Potential issuesTypical visible signsHow offsetting worksCheck your projectFix your projectRelocate projects placed far from the Project OriginA worksheet is far from the origin You can experience loss...

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In a collaboration environment, it is a common issue that in a project, if you set a file path (e.g. for publishing) to a network location on Windows, it may not work when opening the project on macOS or vice versa. You will need to re-enter the path before performing the sa...

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Although a project's performance is the most important, sometimes the large size of a file can be a problem. This article helps you learn what data is stored in a file and how to achieve a balanced BIM project that does not occupy more storage space than necessary. There are...

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If you've ever spent hours doing repetitive tasks - like assigning numbers to parking spaces one-by-one, finding any unused items in the View Map, or editing each element ID due to multiplying - you know how tedious and error-prone these tasks can be. What if we could have t...

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As projects evolve, they naturally become more and more complex and detailed. Also approaching deadlines might shift the focus from precise modeling to getting the job done. These might result in heavier files than necessary, that can slow down your Archicad experience. It i...

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Possible issues of file corruptions When opening Archicad project files, you might experience that the file is not opened correctly. In some cases the file will not open, in other cases the file opens but some or all of the content is missing. Here are some typical scenarios...

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As the world of AEC has become more deeply interconnected, so have the different disciplines with their myriad of various platforms, software tools and file types. In times of a digital transformation, it’s great to see these all converging into one single multi-disciplinary...

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It is essential to find modeling errors in architectural models and correct them before sending them to structural engineers or other stakeholders. The effectivity of the coordination between disciplines largely depends on the quality of the model. Archicad’s Model Checking ...

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Building Information Models continuously change during the various phases of design and documentation. Keeping track of changes made by all the members of the team is very important and can be challenging. Archicad's Model Compare lets you compare two 3D models, then visuali...

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BIMcloud (from version 2020.2) is a multi-disciplinary model hub, able to host all file formats* coming from various collaboration tools and accessible by all project stakeholders. All files are managed with the help of the BIMcloud Project and Teams features*. For further i...

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What is the FastLogger folder? FastLogger is a folder created by Archicad and related tools, in which binary log files are written while the program is running, in order to help with troubleshooting. The size of the folder will be a maximum of 100 MB. If you create a Support...

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File Compatibility • ARCHICAD 27 and newer versions can open PLN files back to version 17. • ARCHICAD 26 and earlier versions can open PLN files back to version 8.1. • ARCHICAD 6.5, 7.0 and 8.0 files may be opened in the ARCHICAD 10 file converter. Once a copy is saved to ve...

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The New and Reset all command is a useful way to troubleshoot minor issues you may be experiencing in ArchiCAD. Important! - Preparation 1. Save your open project(s). 2. Store and export your current Work Environment. Steps 1. In ArchiCAD, hold down Option key (Mac) or Alt k...

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Archicad saves ‘Preferences’ and ‘Work Environment’ files on your computer to ensure you find your own customized environment next time you start Archicad. In rare cases these files can become corrupt, leading to issues within the program. In such cases, as a troubleshooting...

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Graphic Overrides provide users with a tool to highlight and visualize a project and they are also a fantastic way to audit a file. They can be used to identify code issues, elements placed incorrectly, static dimensions and many other issues. Below are links to some Graphic...

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During the the course of a project elements can be placed on the wrong layer. When this happens, drawings, schedules and other areas of the project can be affected. Follow the steps below to use Graphic Overrides to locate elements on the wrong layer. 1. Go to Document > Gra...

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During the IFC collaboration it is important to set element position to either Exterior or Interior. Follow the steps below to use Graphic Overrides to see how elements are assigned. 1. Go to Document > Graphic Overrides > Graphic Override Combinations... 2. In the Graphic O...

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During the course of a project dimensions that were once associative can be turned static. Whether this is intentional or accidental, it is important to keep track of values that no longer reflect changes in the model. Follow the steps below to use Graphic Overrides to ident...

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Factors that Affect Performance The mesh tool is great way to create topographic volumes within a project. It can also hinder performance if used incorrectly. Meshes that are overly complex take much longer to regenerate due to the number of polygons. Likewise meshes involve...

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What is Incremental Drawing? If the speed of the 3D-explore falls below a predetermined value, ARCHICAD starts to leave out elements during the navigation. It continues until the speed reaches again the desired one. It eventuates working faster with ARCHICAD, but the disappe...

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ARCHICAD can back-save project files in the previous ARCHICAD version. As example if you have an ARCHICAD 21 project, you can save it back to ARCHICAD 20 but not to ARCHICAD 19. To back-save: Use File > Save as… In the Save dialog box, choose ARCHICAD xx Project from the Sav...

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You may have noticed, that sometimes when you open the Attribute Manager there are several Attributes that have italic and/or underlined fonts. But what do they mean? Underlined: In Teamwork, you have the option to create new attributes in a project, most of the time even wi...

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General Attribute management concepts When hotlinking a Module file into another file, the necessary, but not all attributes (layers, line types, complex profiles, etc...) of the source file will be appended to the attributes of the host file. This means that if any element ...

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The more Attributes are collected in a Project, the more difficult it becomes to work with. Lots of Layers, unused Fills, Line types can slow your work down as you might spend too much time selecting attributes you want to use from their lists. Some users may start a new Pro...

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Line and Fill Normalization Several Archicad features involve the creation of “exploded” elements. Model-based Details, Worksheets and Drawing Sections create 2D elements (lines, fills) out of the model construction elements. Also, imported DWG drawings appear in Archicad in...

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Issue You may experience that a minor change to a placed module in a file caused a huge file increase after saving the file and notice that every save action will cause further file size growth. Cause When you place a Hotlink into the file, it is only stored once and is mult...

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In ARCHICAD 8 and subsequent versions, intersection cleanup is linked to the Intersection Group Numbers assigned to layers. Elements which belong to layers having the same Intersection Group Number will intersect, regardless of layer visibility. Elements which belong to laye...

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RAL Colour Standards are developed and controlled by the German Institute of Quality Assurance and Trademark Control. The 194 classical shades (RAL 840-HR) and the RAL Design System with its 1688 colors are both well known in a number of industries, including building materi...

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PolyCount is an ARCHICAD add-on that helps you control the number of 3D polygons in your ARCHICAD models. This tool can be used effectively if the project size or the limited physical memory of your computer makes the 3D model size a critical factor in your modeling decision...

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In previous versions, the set of commands will appear in the Document/Schedules and Lists/Construction Simulation submenu by default. Since AC20 you can find it under Document/Listing Extras/Construction Simulation. The commands of the Construction Simulation hierarchical me...

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Introduction During the lifetime of a project it is essential to manage project related information such as the exact name, address and contact info of the architect, those of the client, location of the building site, etc. These are important in several aspects: documentati...

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The complexity of a plan, especially the 3D model mainly depends on how many polygons it contains. Polygons are the most basic 2 dimensional plain geometric elements that form the 3D model. Polygon Counting Tool is an ARCHICAD add-on that helps you control the number of 3D p...

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The Autosave function controls a number of options protecting you against losing work in case of a program or system crash, power outage or sudden termination of the program. If you are experiencing one of these, then the next time you launch ARCHICAD, a dialog box gives you...

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This article discusses the process of transferring the ARCHICAD Projects, Libraries, Images, Linked Files from one computer to another. Step 1: Export Projects, Library Items and Drawing Files To ease your further work with ARCHICAD projects on another computer, save the ARC...

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You can customize the content and the appearance of your ARCHICAD Tools. Let's see an example with the Grid Tool. If your Grid Tool Settings dialog doesn't look like the one below or you don't even have the Grid Tool, although you are sure it is loaded, then you should go to...

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On Macs running Snow Leopard (10.6) and newer there is an awesome search field in the menu bar. If you cannot remember where a menu item is located in the menu structure, you can use this search field to quickly access the command. You can either perform the command immediat...

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This Troubleshooting guide will show you the new special functions of the Tab Based Navigation. If you want to learn how this Navigation works detailed please go to the ARCHICAD Reference Guide Tab Bar section. As of ARCHICAD 20, when you switch between opened tabs, each tab...

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"(...) Someone asked me privately if there was a way to extract all of the layer settings for every layer combination in order to document all of the Layer combinations in an external program such as Excel or Access." This tip is an example of using one of ARCHICAD's lesser-...

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Architects who cooperate with colleagues working on a different platform than they work on can sometimes experince the problem of missing fonts. Let's see what you need to do to overcome this issue. The file named XreadCfg.txt that is located in the Add-Ons folder of ARCHICA...

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You can choose from the below listed Archicad File converters to convert your Archicad files to a format which is supported by current Archicad versions. The latest Archicad File converters can be find on Graphisoft.com. You can also find the FAQ on installation, platform an...

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The External Content Menu is missing from the File menu in ARCHICAD 19 Solo edition Issue The External Content menu is missing from the File menu therefore the Place External Drawing command and the Drawing Manager menu is also missing from the default Work Environment. Solu...

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Background Updating Background Updating uses idle processor capacity to generate the 3D model and its associated BIM data for open windows and tabs. Before AC19: When switching to another open window, all model generation for that window would begin only after that window be...

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Would you like to work faster and more efficiently in ARCHICAD? We have collected 12 lesser known shortcuts in ARCHICAD International version that can ease your daily workflow: Highlight Toggle Shortcut: TAB Have you ever wanted to select a Zone instead of a Slab? The TAB bu...

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See also: Template Files in ARCHICAD Help A template is a read-only project file with extension tpl. Why should I create my own template Templates are intended to cut down or eliminate the time to create a new project by reducing the repetitive task of creating these items. ...

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Originally published at Cadalyst, written by Eric Bobrow Principal, Bobrow Consulting Group Editor's note: This tutorial is courtesy of Archicad. Archicad's Quick Layers palette complements the Layer Settings dialog box that allows layers to be turned on and off or locked on...

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This article is written by Eric Bobrow, Principal of Bobrow Consulting Group.Office standards set the graphic appearance and organization of documents produced by a firm. They also play a significant role in promoting consistency, efficiency and usability of the project file...

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Originally published at AECBytes: http://aecbytes.com/tipsandtricks/2007/issue24-archicad.html written by Eric Bobrow Principal, Bobrow Consulting Group Within the Navigator View Map, ARCHICAD has a powerful, yet little-known and underutilized feature called Clone Folders. T...

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At the bottom of the Start Archicad dialog box, you can select your preferred Work Environment profile. Unlike Project settings, Work Environment settings are saved not as part of the project, but in a local folder on your computer. The individual settings can be stored for ...

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