Make Modules Great Again - 1: In Place Module Management

[Karoly Horvath]

Modules are a great productivity tool to manage repetitive complex elements in Archicad,

however the current Hotlink Module technology is extremely outdated and thus Archicad is lagging behind all other BIM authoring tools.

The first - and most important - step to Make Modules Great Agaain is to make it possible to create and edit modules in place.

What does it mean:

Imagine an apartment complex that consists of several identical apartment types.

These apartments consist of a few bathroom / kitchen / laundry etc types.

These projects (just like Hotels / Hospitals / Prisons / etc) typically can be imagined as Lego. Each module is a Lego piece that you put together smartly.

Currently the most effective method to use Modules is the so called Iceberg Method.

In this method we create a module in a negative storey, then we publish these modules to .mod files and then assemble the building using the .mod-s.

While this method was smart 10 years ago, today users would expect to be able to

- select a bunch of elements in plan or 3D,

- call it a module and

- start placing the modules in plan or 3D as needed.

If something needs to change, users would expect to just

- select any of the placed modules, unwrap it,

- make the changes and instantly update all placed instances of that module.

This is how it's done in the competitor tools, so Archicad must adopt this technology before it's too late.

In fact, pls GS learn from others and make Archicad work better!

Note:
Modules are not necessarily used as whole building elements.

I often use modules for complex furniture or furniture assembly, complex, repetitive facade arrangement, repetitive window arrangement etc.

Also refer to:

Modules: required improvements 

Make Modules Great Again - 2: Embedded Library Management 

Make Modules Great Again - 3: Attribute Management 

Make Modules Great Again - 4.0: Schedule Modules 

Make Modules Great Again - 4.1: Schedule Mirrored Modules 

Make Modules Great Again - 5: Modules Source Storey 

Make Modules Great Again - 6: Labels in Mirrored Modules 

[GG_rakurs]

Currently I'm working on a site consisting of four plots. I have a module for the basic building, a module for the surrounding plots and road, and four modules which call up the first two and then all the others - they are each a project on its own so it's not feasible to keep them all in one file. But it's rather cumbersome and at times awfully slow to update them, and it's awful when you have to edit composites or materials or ANYTHING (MVOs, GOs, master layouts, anything basically) because you have to be super careful to implement all those things in all four project files. Modules are a pain as they are right now.

For instance, yesterday I encountered a situation where schedules were showing wrong values for sills in the project files (A, B, C and D) but the main building module had the exact same schedule show the right values for sills of doors and windows. All the modules have the same story heights and I had to do quite a lot of tinkering (and updating and updating and updating of modules) to get it right, and I'm still confused why this is happening. I mean, I'm not looking for suppport in this topic on wishlist, I'm just trying to show how cumbersome the current way the modules work is.

[Karoly Horvath]

Hi @GG_rakurs ,

I absolutely 100% agree and feel your pain.

A huge part of your issue is attribute management, which in Graphisoft Developers mind was resolved in Archicad 26, however from the users point of view, nothing really happened. I was amongst those beta testers who voiced their strong concerns of the development at the time. At least we achieved that we got the Attribute Manager back, but the Central Attribute Manager is still just a dream, not even on the roadmap...

At this time linking multiple project files should be an easy thing. Just look at the competitor bim tools. They just send native model files to each other, importing, inserting models into one another and they don't even understand us Archicad users when we talk about attribute mess.

Working in Archicad on any project larger than a cabin, one has to be super careful not to copy paste anything from other projects, unless the goal is to achieve a constantly crashing messy file with duplicate attributes, missing objects etc.

Making Modules work smoothly would therefore be a massive step forwards for all Archicad users, not only for those who work on large projects, simply because for modules to work well, attribute management must be resolved.

This is in fact a fundamental minimum that GS must addres if they want to stay in business, as the competitors are getting light years ahead.

It is ok to do pet projects as AI assistant and AI visualiser etc, but these are just pet projects, not mainstream features.

If I'm looking at the new features list in AC29, I can't see anything that anybody really asked for.

There are long standing fundamental issues that don't get resolved from version to version, yet huge resources spent on stuff that users could happily live without.

(AI assustant for example: the GS native AI in 29 is just Beta. Very likely will never be further developed, because Google or Chat Gpt already gives better results for free, yet GS puts this native AI up as the main feature of the new version... Why? Why not solve important things like Modules, or finish features properly, like the Key Notes (current one is an anti-BIM solution.) or finish the Central Attribute Manager, just to mention a few features that were introduced lately, but never resolved fully.

[raph88]

Hi everyone,

This topic has already been discussed under the notion of “instances,” but I believe it is necessary to elaborate on certain points regarding major functional gaps in Archicad.

Observation
As of today, Archicad does not offer a fluid equivalent to AutoCAD’s block system or to the parametric instances available in other BIM/CAD environments.
The existing solutions — linked modules (.mod), GDL objects, Param-O, patches, or simple groups — have notable limitations:

• Modules require external files, making their management heavy and unintuitive in a collaborative workflow.

• GDL objects and Param-O elements cannot be edited directly within the host file; any modification requires manual re-saving.

For example, one of the most common cases is that of a repetitive 2D detail placed on a worksheet. The use of a GDL object appears to be the most efficient solution, yet it requires tinkering with the scripts to prevent unwanted changes to the original dimensions of the detail. It also involves going through several dialog panels before editing, and the process itself is tedious (adding hotspots to every vertex, lack of polyline tools, etc.).

Expressed needs
For everyday architectural work, it would be extremely useful to have:

• A system of “Archicad Blocks” — 3D or 2D — that can be edited on the fly directly within the host file, with all instances updating automatically.

• The ability to easily convert any selection of elements (walls, slabs, objects, shapes, texts, dimensions, etc.) into a reusable instance without relying on an external file (for example, a group of 3D objects from the native library).

• A global/local instance management system, allowing the user to break the link for a specific occurrence while keeping others synchronized.

• An instance hierarchy (master block / sub-block), suited for projects with repetitive floors, standard housing units, or modular furniture.

• Integrated 2D/3D compatibility, where each block contains both its plan and model representation, usable interchangeably in 2D and 3D views.

2D Extension
Another very useful improvement would be the ability to insert worksheets into other worksheets, similar to how layouts work.
This would allow redundant drawings or details (technical symbols, diagrams, plan fragments) to be integrated into other drawings without the need to copy or reimport them.
Such an approach would greatly enhance graphic consistency and the management of details in complex projects.

Goals and benefits
Such a system would significantly simplify the management of repetitive elements by:

• avoiding redundancies and update errors;

• speeding up the design of buildings with repetitive typologies (housing, offices, hospitals, etc.);

• reducing file size through single-instance storage.

Technical proposal

• Introduce a new native entity: Block (Instance), managed directly by Archicad and accessible through a dedicated palette or panel.

• Allow contextual editing (double-click → edit → automatic update of all occurrences).

• Include an internal block library within the project to avoid dependencies on external files.

• Extend this concept to nested worksheets for 2D use, to facilitate graphic composition and the reuse of drawing fragments.

I do not know whether such solutions are being considered or already under development for future versions, but like many users around me, I am surprised that in 2025 Archicad still does not offer such tools.

I am convinced that the introduction of these features would fill a major functional gap, bridging the flexibility of 2D drafting with the rigor of BIM.

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[danielk]

Very well said. I have been saying we needed blocks in Archicad for a long time, just not with so many words. 😄

Very good round up of the problem and the needs.

[SeaGeoff]

Please take look at this existing and very popular wish: https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/Make-Modules-Great-Again-1-In-Place-Module-Management/i...

[raph88]

Actually, we should have a palette exactly like the new “Keynotes” feature, but designed to manage 2D and 3D modules that automatically update in every instance. Does Graphisoft plan to provide something like that soon?

[raph88]

Hi !

Please, support a similar topic here. : https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/A-Missing-Feature-in-Archicad-True-2D-and-3D-Instance-M...

We really need those new features !!

[Stefan L_]

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@Karoly Horvath  schrieb:

It is ok to do pet projects as AI assistant and AI visualiser etc... I can't see anything that anybody really asked for...

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For there's no Like-button around here: 👍

[Franz und Sue ZT]

And if this "Blocks" could be parametrical in a Easy way (like the Autocad Dinamic-Blocks or as it happens with Archicad-Profiles, but in 3D) would be amazing.

[hrovat]

We don't need AI, we don't need fancier icons or a newer interface,  we just need basic functionality -  and this "blocks / instances" feature is exactly the kind of thing that should be on the number 1 spot for the development team.  Modules feel like a half-baked attempt at this. They are clumsy and frustrating to use.  While a much more basic program like Sketchup has the so called "components" which are amazing and work beautifully. You can also have nested components and they update in 3D instantly.  I beg you, Graphisoft developers, please, just take some time and study Autocad blocks (for 2D) and Sketchup components (for 3D) and just implement that kind of functionality into Archicad.