ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

Graphisoft
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ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
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strictly prohibited.
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 Introduction

INTRODUCTION
The ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide contains six main chapters, providing a concise overview about ArchiCAD features and functions. This material is also available
through the electronic Help system.
The User Interface Reference section of this Reference Guide, providing more detailed descriptions of each setting and dialog box, is available in the electronic Help system
only.

Chapters in this book:

Configuration summarizes what you need to know to set up your
ArchiCAD program.
Interaction introduces you to ArchiCAD’s basic operations. It has
three main sections: Navigation, Editing Concepts, and Techniques.
Collaboration presents the Teamwork function which allows teams
of architects to work simultaneously on the same project. This
chapter also covers how to include repetitive structures efficiently; an
intelligent DXF/DWG import-export and merge process; and an
on-line redlining process.

Visualization encompasses all the tools and techniques that allow

Virtual Building describes the model views and windows you will you to display and present your architectural design to your customer.
use to create your Virtual Building using the ArchiCAD design tools.

Documentation describes ArchiCAD’s drafting and annotation

tools, as well as the integrated Layouting process for producing a
complete, final documentation for your project.

ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide 3

Introduction

4 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

CONTENTS
Introduction_______________________________________________ 3
Configuration _____________________________________________15
Managing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Start ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Create New Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Close a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
File Types Recognized by ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
File Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Template Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Backup Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Archive Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Opening Projects through a Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Merging Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Add-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Project Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Working Units & Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Dimension Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
About Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Quick Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Create and Use Layer Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Use Layers to Prevent Wall/Column/Beam Intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Use Separate Layer Settings for the Layout Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Place All Elements on a Single “Active Layer” (Simulate Autocad Work
Methods). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Line Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Fill Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Available Fill Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Composite Structures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Assign a Composite Structure to a Wall, Roof or Slab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Define a Custom Composite Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Components of Composite Structures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Pens & Colors/Pen Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Apply a Pen Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Redefine a Pen Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Transfer a Pen Set to Another Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Automatic Pen Color Visibility Adjustment for Model Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Predefined Pen Sets for Specific Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
About Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Display of Materials and Textures in 3D Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Display of Materials in Section/Elevation/IE Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Display of Materials in the 3D Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Display of Materials in Renderings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Create or Modify a Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Attribute Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Custom Attributes of GDL Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
About Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Startup Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Library Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Library Management Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
About Library Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Identifying Duplicates Among Library Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Missing Library Parts and the Library Loading Report Palette . . . . . . . . . . .45
Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
About Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Storing and Applying Favorites in Tool Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
The ArchiCAD User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Info Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
About Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
About Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Pet Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Customizing your Work Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
About the Work Environment Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
5
Saving Your Customized Work Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
How to Use Your Personalized Work Environment Settings on Another
Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Interaction________________________________________________ 59
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
How to Navigate Among ArchiCAD Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Navigation Inside the Active Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Fit in Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Navigator Preview (2D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Navigation in the 3D Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Accessing 3D Navigation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Explore Model (3D Navigation). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Orbit (3D Navigation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Navigator Preview (3D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
3Dconnexion Enabler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
The Navigator Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
About the Navigator Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Using the Navigator to Open Project Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Project Workflow in the Navigator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Organizer Palette (Special Navigator View) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Navigator Color Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Navigator Project Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Navigator View Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Setting up a View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Saving a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Modifying View Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Quick Options Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Navigator Layout Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Navigator Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
External Projects in the Navigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Editing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Selecting Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Quick Selection of Surface Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Select Multiple Elements Using a Selection Rectangle/Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Selection of Overlapping Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
6 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Selection Feedback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Selection Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Selection Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Element Information Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Element Information Pop-up (Info Tags) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
The Intelligent Cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Deselecting Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Find and Select Elements by Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Edit Selection Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Store and Access Selection Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Marquee Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
About Marquee Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Marquee Area Definition Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
View Marquee Area in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Removing a Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Copy/Paste Marquee Area from Project Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Copy Cropped Image File with Marquee Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Drag or Stretch Multiple Elements Using Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Other Editing Operations within the Marquee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Origins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
About Origins in ArchiCAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Create a User Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
User Origin in the 3D Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Use Tracker to Display and Input Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
About the Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Parameters Shown in Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Defining Tracker Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Coordinate Input in Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Coordinate Input Logic: Expert Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
The Measure Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
The Grid System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Grid Snap Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Guide Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
About Guide Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Turn Guide Lines on or off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Types of Guide Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Defining Your Preferred Guide Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Placing Guide Lines During Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Removing Guide Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Examples for Using Guide Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Mouse Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Using Mouse Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Projection Mode of Cursor with Mouse Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Coordinate Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Relative Construction Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Parallel and Perpendicular Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Angle Bisector Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Offset and Multiple Offset (Relative Construction Methods) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Aligning Elements to a Surface in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Snapping to Existing Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Special Snap Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Special Snap Points on Temporary Vector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Cursor Snap Range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Elevation and Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
About Elevation of Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Elevation Values in the Tracker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Reference Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Elevation and Stories in the 3D Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Cancel Operations with Esc and Backspace Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Pet Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Basic Editing Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Moving Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Nudging Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Dragging Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Rotating Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Mirroring Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Elevating Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Align Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
About the Align function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
How to Align Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Special Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Distribute Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Special Distribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Modifying Element Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Overview of Modifying Element Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Stretching Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Modifying Slanted Walls and Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Modifying Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Modifying Complex Profile Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Reshaping Polygons and Chained Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Stretching with the Marquee Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Stretch Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Resize (Enlarge or Reduce) Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Splitting Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Adjusting Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Intersect Two Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Create a Fillet or Chamfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Trimming Elements to Intersection Point(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Adding Element Nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Editing Element Nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Curve/Straighten Element Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Explode into Current View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Creating Element Duplicates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Drag, Rotate, Mirror Element Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Multiplying Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Drag & Drop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Parameter Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Grouping Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Lock/Unlock Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Display Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Magic Wand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
About the Magic Wand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
How to Create an Element with the Magic Wand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Using the Magic Wand in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Using the Magic Wand to Add/Subtract Polygon Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
“Virtual Trace:” Using References to Edit and Compare Model Views
and Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
About Trace References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Access Trace Reference Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Show/Hide Trace Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Choosing a Trace Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
Set Color/Visibility Options for Trace Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Move Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Switch Reference with Active: How to Access Elements within the Reference for
Editing or Copying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Rebuild Trace Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Compare Reference with Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
7
Consolidating Lines and Fills in Drawing Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Assign Section Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Why Consolidate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Display of Elements in Section Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Linework Consolidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Open a Section Viewpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Fill Consolidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Place a Linked Section Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Define Marker Reference for Linked Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Virtual Building __________________________________________ 155
Place an Unlinked Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
ArchiCAD Model Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Create an Independent Section Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
About Model Views in ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Updating Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Floor Plan Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Summary of Rebuild Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Stories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Display of Section Lines and Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
About Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Adjusting or Breaking Section Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Navigate Among Stories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Elevations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Defining Story Display in 3D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Interior Elevations (IE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Defining Story Display in Section/Elevation/IE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
About Interior Elevations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Manage Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Create Single Interior Elevation Viewpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Story Level Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Create Multiple IE Viewpoints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Floor Plan Cut Plane (Global Setting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Interior Elevation IDs and Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
How to Display Individual Elements on the Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Editing Interior Elevation Viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Set Home Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Editing the Interior Elevation Limit Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Control Element Display by Story (Show On Stories) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Vertical and Horizontal Range of the Interior Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Define Element’s Floor Plan Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Interior Elevations and Zone Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Define Range of Element’s Projected Display (Show Projection). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Display of Elements in Interior Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Examples of Floor Plan Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
3D Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
3D Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
About the 3D Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Show All in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Create a 3D Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Show Selection in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
The 3D Document and its 3D Window Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Show Marquee Area in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Redefine the 3D Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Default Display in 3D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Model Display of the 3D Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Filter Elements to Show in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Save Contents of 3D Window as a View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
About Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
3D Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Create a Detail Drawing Viewpoint with Model Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
3D View Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Contents of the Detail Viewpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
3D Projections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Place a Linked Detail Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
3D Navigation Extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Place an Unlinked Detail Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
3D “Cutaway” Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Create an Independent Detail Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Display of Detail/Worksheet Boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
About Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Update Detail/Worksheet Marker Boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Create a Section Viewpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Display of Detail Drawing Icons in the Navigator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Define Horizontal/Vertical Range of Section Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Updating the Detail Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Define Marker Reference for Source Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

8 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
About Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Worksheet vs. Detail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Create a Worksheet Drawing with Model Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Contents of the Worksheet Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Editing in the Worksheet Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Create an Independent Worksheet Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Place a Linked Worksheet Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Place an Unlinked Worksheet Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Managing Markers in ArchiCAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
About Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Display of Marker Range Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Source Marker Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Changing Marker Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Transfer Marker Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Copying a Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Navigation Using Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Find Linked Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Check Markers Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Deleting a Viewpoint/View/Drawing with a Marker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
Deleting a Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Interactive Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
About Schedules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Open a Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
Show Schedule Data for Selected Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Editing and Updating Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Define a Schedule Using Scheme Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
Sort Schedule Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
Format a Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
Schedule Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Restructure Schedule to Fit Layout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Split Schedule into Multiple Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
Project Indexes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
About Project Indexes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Index of Published Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Construction Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
How to Place a Construction Element in ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
About Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
Create a Straight Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Create a Curved Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Create a Chain of Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Create a Rectangle of Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Create a Trapezoid Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Create a Composite Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
Create a Polygon Wall (PolyWall) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
Create a Slanted or Double-Slanted Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Create a Log Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Create a Gable Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Wall-Wall Intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Modify Wall Geometry (Add-On) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Walls and Other Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Column Display on Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Column Display in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231
Creating Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232
Create a Slanted Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Columns and Other Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Beam Reference Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Beam Display on the Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Create a Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Create a Hole in a Beam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
How to Change Angle of Beam End Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
Beams and Other Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Place a Wall/Column/Beam with a Complex Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
About Complex Profile Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
Creating or Editing a Complex Profile Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238
Store or Apply a Modified Complex Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
Create Complex Profile from Parallel Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
About Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Create a Simple Roof on the Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Create a Simple Roof in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242
Create a Polyroof or Curved Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242
Create a Dome-Shaped Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Create a Barrel-Vaulted Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Create a Hole in a Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
Modify the Roof Slant Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
Create Roof Level Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
9
 Set Custom Roof Edge Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Intersect Roof Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Trim Element to Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Create Special Roof Objects with RoofMaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Creating Slabs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Placing Holes in Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Meshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Display of Meshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Create a Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Edit Elevation of a Mesh Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Add New Points to the Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Create a Hole in the Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Zone Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
2D Display of Zone Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Zone Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
3D Display of Zone Spaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Creating Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Trim Zone to Another Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Calculating Zone Area and Zone Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Updating Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Update Zones Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Curtain Wall: A System Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Working with Curtain Walls: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Curtain Wall Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Create a Curtain Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
System-Level Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Curtain Wall Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Curtain Wall Edit Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Edit Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Edit Curtain Wall Boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Edit Curtain Wall Boundary in Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Add Additional Curtain Wall Boundary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Edit Curtain Wall Reference Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Curtain Wall Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Curtain Wall Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Curtain Wall Junctions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Curtain Wall Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
10
Curtain Walls and Other Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Free-Rotate Curtain Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Attach Labels to Curtain Wall Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Parametric Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
About Parametric Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Object Settings of Library Part Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Where to Find Objects for Use in ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Locating a Library Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Placing an Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Selecting a Placed Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Stretching Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Customizing Object Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Parameter Transfer Between Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Graphical Editing Using Editable Hotspots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Create Patch Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Graphic Creation of Custom Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Saving Library Parts from the Project File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Saving 2D Symbols as Library Parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Saving 3D Models as Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Saving Rectangular Doors and Windows from the Project File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Saving Custom Shape Doors and Windows from the Project File . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Scripting Custom Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Custom Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Dedicated Object Tools: Doors, Windows, Skylights, Wall Ends,
Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326
Doors/Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Floor Plan Display of Doors/Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Setting the Window/Door Plane in Slanted or Complex Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Anchoring Sill or Header Heights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Placing Doors or Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Creating an Empty Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Moving Wall Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Corner Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Skylights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Wall Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Stairs (Predefined Stair Objects) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Displaying Stairs on the Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Custom Stairs with StairMaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
StairMaker Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Custom Stair Based on a Standard Stair Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336
Geometry and Flight Settings (StairMaker). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337
Structure and Landing (StairMaker) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341
Tread Settings (StairMaker) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343
Railings (StairMaker) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344
Symbol Settings (StairMaker) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346
Listing Settings (StairMaker) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347
Check and Save Stair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348
Custom Stair Based on Manually Drawn Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348
Element Extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
TrussMaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350
Creating Trusses in the Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350
Editing Trusses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350
Creating Trusses in Section/Elevation/IE Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351
Solid Element Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352
About Solid Element Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352
Solid Operation Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353
Solid Operations: Element Display and Calculation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353
Solid Operation Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353
Model View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Set Model View Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .355
Model View Options Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356
On-Screen View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Partial Structure Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
About Partial Structure Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Choose Partial Structure Display Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Partial Structure Display Settings in ArchiCAD Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359
Save Partial Structure Settings by View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360
How to Define Skins of a Composite Structure as “Core” or “Finish”. . . . . . . . .360
How to Define Components of Complex (Profile) Elements as “Core” or “
Finish”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .361
Visualizing the Entire Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .361
Columns In Partial Structure Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362
Zones and Partial Structure Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363
Floor Plan Cover Fills in Partial Structure Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363
Dimensions in Partial Structure Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363
Partial Structure Display Settings in Windows Based on a Source Marker. . . . . .364
Intersections of Partially Displayed Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365
Doors and Windows in Partial Structure Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Documentation __________________________________________ 367
Drafting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
About Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
Fill Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
Assign a Fill to a Construction Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369
Draw a Freehand Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370
Defining Fill Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370
Fill Display Mode: Vectorial vs. Bitmap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372
Display of Vectorial Hatching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372
Set Orientation of Vectorial Hatching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372
Model View Options: Global Settings for Fill Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375
Create New Symbol Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375
Adding Area Text to a Fill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375
Gradient Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376
Image Fills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376
Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378
Line Categories in ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378
Drawing a Single Straight Line Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .379
Stretching or Shrinking Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .379
Drawing Circular Arcs and Full Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .379
Stretching Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .380
Editing an Arc Using its Tangent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381
Drawing Elliptical Arcs and Full Ellipses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381
Convert Ellipse to Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382
Drawing Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382
Editing Splines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383
Drawing Freehand Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383
Drawing Polylines and Chained Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383
Decompose a Polyline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .384
Unify Drafting Elements into Polyline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .384
Hotspots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .385
Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386
Drawings in Model Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386
Placing Drawings into a Model window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .387
Annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .388
Placing Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .388
Glossary of Dimensioning Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389
11
 Static Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Linear Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Linear Dimensions in the 3D Document Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Dimensioning Overlapping Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Elevation Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Dimensioning Wall Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Radial Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
Level Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
Angle Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Editing a Dimension Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Modify the Witness Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Dimension Text Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Move or Edit Dimension Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Associative Dimensions in Sections/Elevations/IE and 3D Document. . . . . . . . 402
Secondary Dimensions (Add-On) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Automatic Exterior Dimensioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Automatic Interior Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
The Grid Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
About the Grid Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Components of a Grid Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Visibility of a Grid Element. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Creating a Straight Grid Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Creating a Curved Grid Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Editing a Grid Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Place a Grid System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Text Blocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Placing Text Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Formatting Text Blocks As a Whole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Resizing Text Graphically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Applying Favorite Text Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Formatting Individual Components of Text Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
Autotext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
How to Insert Autotext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Autotext Reference Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Placing Independent Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Placing Associative Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Tool-Specific Default Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Placing Member Labels on Curtain Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Define Default Text Content of Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
12
Symbol Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Text Editing in ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Search and Replace Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Spell Checker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Editing Commands in Text-Type Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
The Layout Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .422
Layouting Work Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Layout Book Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
About the Layout Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Layouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Master Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Subsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
Drawings in the Layout Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Placing Drawings Onto the Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Arranging Multiple Drawings on the Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Importing PDF Files As Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Modifying Drawings on the Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Drawing Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Managing and Updating Placed Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Deleting a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Layout and Drawing IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Simple Layout Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
Automatic Layout ID Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
Custom Layout/Subset IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Drawing IDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Layouting Workflow Schemes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Smaller Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Mid-Size Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Larger Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Layouting in Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
Publishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .440
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Publisher Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Planning to Publish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Defining a Publisher Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Defining Output Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Defining Output Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Viewing and Redlining DWF Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
 Publishing Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445
PDF Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
Create PDF Output Using the Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
Save Document in PDF Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .447
3D Content in PDF (WIN only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .448
Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Calculation Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Calculation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451
List Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451
Displaying Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453
Element Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .454
ID Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
Collaboration _____________________________________________459
Teamwork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Project Setup in Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .459
Team Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .459
Sharing the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .460
Reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .461
Changing Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .462
Working Inside the Reserved Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .463
View Maps and Publisher Sets in Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464
Workflow in Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Sending and Receiving Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Working on a Local Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Teamwork Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Working Off-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Library Management in Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Teamwork Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473
Troubleshooting in Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473
Teamwork Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .477
Small Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .477
Medium Size Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
Large Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .479
Hotlinked Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
About Hotlinked Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .482
Create Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484
Place Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484
Modules Involving Multiple Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .486
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Editing Module Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .486
Edit Hotlink Source in Separate ArchiCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .486
Edit Module: Break Link, Edit Elements, Replace Hotlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .487
Managing Hotlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .488
Modules: Multiplatform Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .492
Hotlinked Modules and Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .492
XREFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
XREFs and the Layer Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .494
Using XREFs in Round-Trip Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .495
Data Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
Opening DWG/DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .496
Saving DWG/DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .498
Merge a DXF/DWG File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500
Round-Trip Conversion (Smart Merge). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500
Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Project Reviewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .503
Project Reviewer Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .503
Project Mark-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .508
About Project Mark-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .508
Version Management with Mark-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .509
Mark-Up Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510
Publishing and Retrieving Mark-Up Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510
Teamwork and Project Mark-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510
Mark-Up Example in Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .511
Visualization_____________________________________________ 513
Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
PhotoRendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Basic LightWorks Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .515
Expert LightWorks Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .517
Exterior LightWorks Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520
Interior LightWorks Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .523
Visualization Extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Fly-Through . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .525
VR Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .526
VR Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .527
Sun Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529
Align View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529
Index___________________________________________________ 533
13
14 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
 Configuration

CONFIGURATION
The first section of this chapter, Managing Projects, contains
information about creating, opening and saving projects.
Next, the Project Preferences section describes how to set up a
project by defining preferences, for example, the units of measure
used in the project.
You will set a scale for your project window by using the Document
> Scale command.
Then, by looking through the Options > Element Attributes
submenu, view the Attributes that are loaded by default - these
include Layer Settings, Line Types, Fill Types, Composites, Pens &
Colors, Materials, Zone Categories, and Mark-Up Styles.
If you plan to edit an existing project, make sure you have loaded all
the object libraries needed to be able to display and edit all placed
objects.
The next section describes an easy way to re-use preferred settings, by
defining and using Favorites.
After an overview of the ArchiCAD User Interface, the section on
Customizing your Work Environment shows you how to save your
personal working preferences on your computer, and how to export
and import them to other machines if necessary.
Start ArchiCAD
Double-click on the ArchiCAD icon in your program folder
to start the program.
The Start ArchiCAD dialog box appears.
For more information, see “Start ArchiCAD Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Create New Project
Every time you create a new project (File > New), you can choose
among saved sets of project settings:
Use a Template: Use the predefined ArchiCAD 12 template to
enable the Default Project Settings shipped with ArchiCAD. Use a
customized template if you have developed your own template files
with predefined options.
A template is a read-only project file, which contains all preferences
settings, placed construction and drawing elements and tool default
settings of the project. (When starting a new project based on a template,
you are in fact opening a copy of this template file as “Untitled”).

Managing Projects
ArchiCAD’s main native document type is the .pln file, the “solo”
Project. It includes all model and Layout Book data, the views
generated for the project, as well as project preferences, attributes and
library references.
The following sections include information on managing projects in
ArchiCAD.

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Configuration
At the top of the list is the default template shipped together with the
current version of ArchiCAD. (It is saved to the Defaults folder when
you install ArchiCAD.) Defaults folder locations:
On PC: C:\Program Files\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD
12\Defaults\ArchiCAD
On MacOS: \Applications\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD
12\Defaults\ArchiCAD
The next section contains any additional template files saved to the
“Templates” folder, located here:
On PC: Documents and Settings\user\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD
Templates.
On MacOS: Library\Application Support\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD
Templates.
In the bottom section of the pop-up list, you will find up to three of
the last template files chosen.
Select Browse Template to choose a template file from any other
location.
Use Latest Project Settings: You will continue working with all the
project-specific options, and a few general preferences, that were in
effect when you last quit ArchiCAD. This can be the perfect solution
for you, if you always work with the same standard definitions.
However, if you last opened and worked on a project that was created
by another person, you may find that your preferred settings are off.
If you do not wish to return to the program’s default settings, open a
project that you are familiar with, then close it and start the new
project again: this time, Latest Project Settings will mean the
settings you are familiar with.
• If you press Alt (Opt) key when choosing the New command, its
name changes to New and Reset All and ArchiCAD will
automatically use the default project settings.
Launch a new instance of ArchiCAD: Check this box if you want
to open an additional ArchiCAD in addition to the currently running
program, if any.
16
Setup Work Environment
Choose one of the Work Environment Profiles (a predefined Profile,
or one that you customized and saved yourself.)
For more information, see “Default Profiles in ArchiCAD 12” on page 57 and
“Customizing your Work Environment” on page 53.
Close a Project
If you use File > Close to close the Floor Plan, you close the entire
Project. You will be prompted to save recent changes, if any. External
files (GDL Object windows, pictures) will remain open.
When you save and close a project with many windows open
simultaneously, ArchiCAD will reopen these windows the next time
you open the project. Re-opening all these windows may take time,
especially if they must be rebuilt.
If the number of windows to be re-opened exceeds 20 (not including
PhotoRendering windows, which are not saved with the project), then
ArchiCAD will show a warning dialog in which you can opt to
re-open just the frontmost window (plus the Floor Plan), instead of
all of the previously open windows.
File Types Recognized by
ArchiCAD
Use File > Open to open a saved project. Use File > Save to save it.
See the following sections in ArchiCAD for details:
File Types Opened by ArchiCAD
File Types Saved by ArchiCAD
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

File Compression
When saving certain file types from ArchiCAD (.pln, .plp, .tpl, .pla,
.mod), the Options button in the Save dialog box presents you with
the option to “Compress file.”
This option is enabled by default, and is recommended in most cases,
since file compression reduces file size considerably (by 60-70%).
Using this option also increases download speed if you are working
from a slow network, because the files are smaller.
However, note that using the Compress file option means increased
file saving time (about 30% longer), as a consequence of increased
calculation needs. If the saving procedure takes too long, try turning
this option off.
Note: If you are using a computer with dual processors, file
saving time should increase by only 5-10%.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Configuration
Template Files
A template is a read-only project file with extension tpl. It contains all
project preferences settings, placed elements and tool default settings
of the project.
ArchiCAD 12 is shipped with a default template file together with the
default library. Upon installation, the default template is located in the
Defaults folder. When you create a new project in ArchiCAD using a
template file, this default template is at the top of the pop-up list
when you choose a template:
See also “Create New Project” on page 15.
To create a customized template, open a new empty project file. Edit
your project preferences, set up the project structure and/or place
elements. Save this project file as a template: use File > Save as, and
choose “ArchiCAD Project Template (*.tpl)” as the file type.
To open a copy of the template, choose the New command and select
the Template option, then select the desired template file. When
starting a new project based on a template, you are in fact opening a
copy of this template file as “Untitled.”
Note: Settings of the Work Environment Profile used to open
your project will override Template file settings.
17
Configuration

Backup Files
Opening a Backup Project file (.bpn) allows you to
recover the latest backup copy of a damaged project
file, provided that the Make Backup Copy checkbox
is active in Options > Work Environment > Data
Safety.
See also “Data Safety” in ArchiCAD Help.

Archive Files
Archive (.pla) files are similar to Solo Projects, but may also include
the following:
• Library parts, background images and linked textures used in the
Project, not just references to them
• Properties in loaded libraries For more information on Library Containers, see “Startup Library” on page 42.
• Placed Drawings Warning: If any Library Parts are missing from your Project at
the time you save the Project as an Archive, these missing parts
To save a Project in the Archive format, use the Save as command. will not be included in the Archive document either.
The Archive format is recommended for: If you choose the Archive format in the directory dialog box when
• Moving a Project to another computer saving the project, an Options button appears. Clicking it opens a
dialog box, in which you can specify which types of library parts
• Storing a completed Project
should be included in the archive.
ArchiCAD Projects may refer to Library Parts, stored as outside files
Because of the larger volume
in Library folders or directories. If you want to ensure that all files
of information it stores, an
referenced in the Project are included, you should save the project as
Archive file is somewhat
an Archive. Documents saved as Archives are stored together with all
larger than the
the Library Parts (in a library container file, with extension lcf) and
corresponding Project
properties contained in and defined with the Project.
document.
Note: If you add a .pla file to your Active Libraries using Library
Important: Archives
Manager, make sure you add the explicit .pla file itself, not a
store the font
folder that contains the .pla. Otherwise the parts located within
information used in the
the .pla will not be read.
project, but not the fonts
themselves. This means
that if you wish to display textual information the same way as it
appears in the original environment, you have to install the
appropriate fonts.

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Archive files do not store Add-Ons. Therefore, if your project
contains elements affected by Add-Ons, these elements may lose
certain features or behavior if these Add-Ons are not present.
When you open an Archive type document, the Open Archive
Project dialog box appears.
Choose one of the three options:
• Read elements directly from archive: this means that the
library parts will not be extracted from the archive file. You can
place Objects referring to the embedded elements in the Archive
file, but you cannot edit the embedded Library parts themselves
(unlike the elements in an .lcf file). This also applies to list
schemes used in calculations. This method saves a lot of disk
space, but limits the modification possibilities.
• Extract elements to a new folder: the external library parts
required for the project will be extracted from the archive and
placed in a new folder that you can name. This solution is
recommended if you need to actually work on the GDL Objects
of the Project.
• Select a library: instead of extracting the library parts saved with
the project, you can indicate a folder that houses the required
elements. This solution is recommended if you wish to update
the Project’s GDL Objects with their latest versions.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Configuration
Opening Projects through a
Network
If the file that you wish to open is already in use by someone else on
the local network, ArchiCAD will warn you about this and let you
know the name of the user, that is, the name defined in the Sharing
Setup Control Panel (MacOS) or as the User Name (Windows).
You have the following choices:
• Open the file with exclusive access
• Cancel opening the file
• Open the file as read-only
If you choose to open the file as read-only, you can see and modify
the whole file, but you can only save it under a different name or into
another location. If you try to overwrite the original file, you will
again be notified that it is in use and that you cannot replace it with
your modified Project.
You can also choose to open the file with exclusive access. However,
you should be very careful about using this option.
There are a number of reasons why ArchiCAD may state that a file is
in use although it actually is not:
• The person who last used the file did not properly open and
close the file in ArchiCAD, e.g., because of a system crash.
• You have made a copy of a file that was in use at the moment,
and the copy of the file also includes the name of the person who
was using it during the copying operation.
19
Configuration

Note: If you do open a file with full access while another person
is using it, you will both overwrite each other’s work without
getting any further warning message from ArchiCAD. Therefore,
be extremely careful when opening a file with exclusive access in
any situation other than the emergencies mentioned above.
Merging Files
The File > File Special > Merge command allows you to paste the
elements of another Project, or a Module, DWF/DWG/DXF, PLT
or image file into ArchiCAD. Files can be merged into either the
current Floor Plan, the currently open Section/Elevation/IE, 3D
Document or Detail/Worksheet window.
When merging a Project or Module file, ArchiCAD matches the
stories of the merged (imported) file to the current (open) one. When
you merge a multistory building into your current Floor Plan,
ArchiCAD will ask you to define which story from the imported file
will match the story you are working on, and it will also suggest a
possible match. If you do not have enough stories in your current
plan to accommodate all the merged ones, ArchiCAD will
automatically create the missing stories.
Note: You cannot merge multistory elements or modules into
2D windows other than the Floor Plan.
Note: When merging a Module into a Section/Elevation/IE or
3D Document window, only 2D Elements will be pasted.
Note: There is a difference between merging a multistory project,
and placing a multistory Hotlinked Module. If the host project that
contains fewer stories than Hotlinked Module you are placing,
the module stories which do not “fit” in the host project will not
be placed.
See “Modules Involving Multiple Stories” on page 486.
Since attributes (Layers, Materials, Line Types, Fill Types, etc.) are
identified by their names, the following rules are observed:
• If the name of the attribute is the same in the two Projects, the
merged (imported) elements will inherit the attributes of the
current Project.
• If the name of an attribute for the merged Project is not present
in the current one, this attribute is appended to the current
Project’s attribute set to accommodate the new names.
When merging a Project or Module, you can drag, rotate and mirror it
before placing it to the final location. Until the file is placed, its
elements will be surrounded by a dashed rectangle. Click within the
rectangle to move the elements to the desired position. Click outside
the rectangle, or click OK from the context menu (or the Control
Box) to place the elements.
The elements of the merged files will become independent of each
other after being placed. You can place the same elements repeatedly
with the Paste command.
If you choose dxf/dwg file format, the Merge DXF-DWG dialog
Box appears.
For more information, see “Merge DXF-DWG Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Merging Image-Type Files
You can merge an image-type file into your ArchiCAD Project.
(These include documents created in drawing or painting programs;
3D views and elevations saved in picture format; PhotoRenderings
saved only in picture format.) Before choosing Merge for an
image-type file, you can define its size on the plan in advance: Choose
the Marquee tool and draw a Marquee of the desired size and
position.
The merged image will fit into this rectangle.

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 Configuration

Note: Be careful to draw the Marquee with the same proportions

as the original picture, otherwise the figure will be distorted.

Add-Ons
Add-Ons are small applications that extend ArchiCAD’s core
functionality. Many add-ons are integrated as ArchiCAD menu
commands. You can freely customize visibility and the menu and
toolbar location of these integrated add-ons in the settings dialogs of
Options > Work Environment > Menus/Toolbars.
The location of these additional add-ons in the menu structure depends
on where the Add-On Anchor Point is located for that menu.
You can move this Add-On Anchor
Point to any menu location, again
using the controls in Options >
Work Environment > Menus and
Toolbars. Use the Add-On Manager to
If the Add-On Anchor Point is not • Load Add-Ons from any location. They will be loaded after the
part of your customized menu next startup of ArchiCAD;
structure, then the additionally • Permanently remove Add-Ons while ArchiCAD is running;
loaded Add-Ons will not be
displayed either. • Control which Add-Ons should load automatically when
ArchiCAD is started;
Open the Add-On Manager using
Options > Add-On Manager • Show information about the loaded Add-Ons.
command. For more information, see “Add-On Manager” in ArchiCAD Help.

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Configuration

Goodies
“Goodies” are another source of ArchiCAD Add-Ons. They are not
integrated into ArchiCAD’s default interface. To access them, go to
ArchiCAD’s Help menu and choose the Goodies command, from
which you can access a web page containing information on available
add-ons and how to install them.
• Layouts
• Miscellaneous
The most important Project Preferences which you can set in this
dialog box are Working Units & Levels, and Dimension Units; these
are described in the sections below.

Once you have installed a Goody into the program, you can then
customize the location of the associated menu commands using the
Work Environment interface, as for any other Add-On, and manage
it with the Add-On Manager.
For more information, see “Add-On Manager” in ArchiCAD Help.
The other Project Preferences are described in detail in ArchiCAD
Help.
See Calculation Units Preferences, Construction Elements Preferences, Zones
Preferences, Layouts Preferences, and “Miscellaneous Project Preferences” in
ArchiCAD Help.

Project Preferences Working Units & Levels

To set working units for the current project, open Options > Project
The Options > Project Preferences command contains settings Preferences > Working Units & Levels.
which are specific to the project you are working on, and which are
saved along with the project. These preferences are crucial standards
and working methods applicable to the whole project.
The Project Preferences dialog box contains a pop-up menu at top
left listing each preference category (which you can also access
directly from Options > Preferences.) Clicking the Next and
Previous buttons allows you to go from one screen to the other

• Working Units & Levels

• Dimensions
• Calculation Units
• Construction Elements
• Zones

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 Configuration

Use the controls of this dialog box to set a project standard for such
units as length measurement, angle units and Reference Levels for
calculating elevations.
Note: This dialog box allows you to set different length
measurement units for editing Layout Book items (Layout Unit)
and Model items (Model Unit).
The unit standards you choose here are Project Preferences: specific
to the Project you are working on and are saved with it. If another
user opens the Project on his or her own computer, the same settings
will be applied.
See “Quick Options Palette” on page 74.
Note: Length measurement units for ArchiCAD dimensions are
However, you can fine-tune
set in a separate dialog box, at Options > Project Preferences >
any of the dimension unit
Dimensions.
types in the project. For
For details on each control of this dialog box, see “Working Units & Levels example, if you are working
Preferences” in ArchiCAD Help. with the millimeter standard,
but decide to display
Dimension Units Door/Window dimensions in centimeters, choose Door/Window as
the dimension type and change its units to centimeters.
To set dimension unit preferences for the current project, open The project Standard is now “Custom.” You can save this new
Options > Project Preferences > Dimensions. standard under its own name by clicking “Add.” Dimension unit
For details on each control of this dialog box, see “Dimensions Preferences” in standards you set here are saved along with your project.
ArchiCAD Help. While the Dimension Standard set here applies to the Project globally,
Each project can be assigned its own you can apply a different dimension standard to any view of the
Dimensioning Standard. These are Project, if needed. To change the dimension standard for any single
predefined sets of units that affect the view, open its View Settings and adjust its Dimensions setting.
entire project at a single click.
This is useful if you are working on
several projects requiring different levels
of accuracy (construction details versus
site plans) or projects being built in
countries other than those in which they
are designed.
For a quick way to change the dimension units of your project, use
the Dimensions pop-up in the Quick Options Palette.

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Configuration
Scale
To set the scale of the currently active window, choose the
Document > Floor Plan Scale command. (The name of the
command varies depending on which window is active.)
You can have a separate scale in effect for
each window.
Select either a standard scale from the
pop-up list or type a nonstandard scale
into the numeric input field. The name of
the given window is displayed in the
caption of the dialog box.
Standard scales are shown according to either metric or US standards,
depending on the Length Unit setting made in the Options > Project
Preferences > Working Units & Levels dialog box.
24
You can also use the Scale pop-up from the Quick Options palette
to reset the scale of the current window.
For more information, see “Quick Options Palette” in ArchiCAD Help.
After setting a scale, what you see is a
preview of the Project if printed or
plotted at that scale. To make a
zoomed view match the view at the currently set scale, choose View >
Zoom > Actual Size (or click the zoom button) after setting the scale.
Actual Size is the equivalent of the 100% scale value. The 2D Symbol
of some GDL Objects (such as Stairs) can be set to be sensitive to the
current scale: the symbol varies depending on the current scale.
Scaled vs. Fixed Elements
According to their behavior at different scales, there are two types of
elements in ArchiCAD.
Scaled elements are rescaled along with the model whenever you
change the project scale. Scaled elements include all construction
elements such as walls, objects, slabs etc.
Fixed Size elements are printed or displayed on the screen at the size
you specify, regardless of the scale selected for the Project. For
elements that do not have any real size, such as dimensions and
arrowheads, you can specify a fixed size defined in either points or
millimeters.
Either fixed or scaled: Text Blocks created with the Text tool,
dashed and symbol line types, and vectorial, symbol and image fill
types can be defined as either fixed scale (Scale independent/paper
size) or scaled (Scale with plan/model size). You can set this
characteristic for each line type or fill pattern in the Line Types and
Fill Types dialog boxes (Options > Element Attributes menu), or
in the Text Settings dialog box for Text blocks.
Set a Different Scale for Each View
As you save views of your project, the scale is saved along with the
view. Naturally, you will vary the scale as your project develops and
you save multiple views at different scales for different purposes,
using the Scale option in View Settings.
For more information, see “View Settings Stored with the View” on page 73.
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 Configuration

Set a Separate Printing Scale for 2D Document

The ArchiCAD Print and Plot dialog
boxes (File > Print and File > Plot) allow
you to specify a custom printing scale
each time you print or plot your work
from a Floor Plan or other 2D window.
You can also choose whether you want
the program to reduce or enlarge text and
markers as the printing scale is changed,
or keep them at a fixed (paper) size.
For more information, see Print 2D Document
and “Plot 2D Document” in ArchiCAD Help.

Attributes
ArchiCAD Attributes are groups of defined settings available to your
project. For example, Line Types and Materials are Attributes which
you can apply to many project elements as you create them. You will
access these attributes in the appropriate dialog boxes: for example,
when assigning Wall Settings, you will choose from the project’s Fill
set and Line Type set, using the appropriate pop-up menus in the
Wall Settings dialog box. What you see in these pop-up menus are
defined in Options > Element Attributes.

Drawing Scale
Drawings based on an ArchiCAD view have a Drawing Scale. By
default, this Drawing Scale is the same as the Original Scale (the
scale of the Drawing’s source view), but you can customize the
Drawing Scale in Drawing Settings.
Customizing the Drawing scale has no effect on the scale of objects
within the drawing; it is equivalent to a graphical resizing of the
Drawing, like the effect of magnifying a document with a copy
machine.
See “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. ArchiCAD comes with a default set of Attributes. For most users,
these default attribute sets are amply suited to their design needs. If
you wish, you can customize Attributes or create new ones. For

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Configuration

example, you can draw a new fill type, or customize a default material
to give it a new look. Attributes are saved with your project, so if you
open the project on a different computer, your customized Attributes
are available.
To open and (if needed) edit Attribute sets, use the commands from
Options > Element Attributes.
Three other attribute types - also accessible from the Options >
Element Attributes menu - are discussed elsewhere:
“Zone Categories” on page 259,
“Mark-Up Concepts” on page 510,
“Profile Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

Layers
About Layers
Layers are used to separate elements logically. Related groups of
elements, such as dimensions, furniture, electrical symbols and so on,
are placed on common Layers.
An element can only belong to a single layer.
For each layer, you can set different settings (lock/unlock, show/hide,
3D view mode, layer intersection group).
Layers are global, which means that the same layers are available on
all stories and in all windows.
Each ArchiCAD project has a single layer set, which is accessible
from Options > Element Attributes > Layer Settings, as well as
Document > Layers > Layer Settings (shortcut: Ctrl+L).
Although your ArchiCAD project contains a single Layer Set, you can
set the visibility and locked/unlocked status of the layers separately
for model views and for layouts. (The title bar of the Layer Settings
dialog box reflects which type of window is active in ArchiCAD - a
Model View or the Layout Book.)
26
See “Use Separate Layer Settings for the Layout Book” on page 29.
ArchiCAD comes with a predefined set of layers. Each tool has a
default Layer assignment, so if you place an element using that tool,
the new element is automatically placed on the corresponding layer
(e.g. External Wall, Column, Beam).
Layers can be deleted; in this case, you will delete all the elements on
it. However, the ArchiCAD Layer is a special layer that cannot be
deleted, hidden or locked, since an ArchiCAD project must always
contain at least one layer. In case of a file error, any elements that may
have lost their layer definitions will be placed on the ArchiCAD layer.
Use Layers to Lock Elements to Prevent Editing
Click the lock icon to toggle
between locked/unlocked status for
the selected layer in the Layer
Settings dialog box.
If a layer status is locked, then
elements on that layer cannot be edited - this is useful if you want to
prevent unintended changes.
Use Layers to Show/Hide Elements
To show/hide a layer, toggle the “eye” icon open or shut for the
selected layer.
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If a layer is in hidden status, elements For example, suppose you want to edit this roof in the Floor Plan:
on that layer are not displayed on your
plan.

Use Layers to Show 3D Elements

in Wireframe Mode.
Click the shaded/wireframe icon for
the selected layer to toggle between
these display mode options for 3D.
This setting is independent of the current 3D mode set in the View >
3D View Mode menu.
For more information, see “Layer Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

Quick Layers
The Quick Layers palette lets you quickly change the state of the You don’t need the Section and Elevation markers; to temporarily
Layers in your Project without having to open the Layer Settings hide them, select all the Section/Elevation markers...
dialog box.
Choose the Window > Palettes > Quick Layers command.

• The Show/Hide Toggle inverts the visibility of all layers.

• The Lock/Unlock Toggle inverts the state of all protected and
unprotected layers.
• The Hide/Lock/Unlock Selections’ Layers commands invert
the state of the Layers belonging to the currently selected
elements, while Hide/Lock Others’ Layers does the same for
the elements that are not selected. Both explicit selection and
Marquee areas are taken into consideration.
• The Undo Quick Layer Actions command undoes the last
Quick Layer action (up to 10 actions). ... then click the Hide Selections’ Layers command.
• The Redo Quick Layer Actions command redoes the last
undone QuickLayer action (up to 10 actions).

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Now the unneeded markers and lines are hidden.

Once you are done working on the roof and want to show the hidden
layers again, click the Undo Quick Layers button.

To change the active Layer

Combination, use the Layer
Combination pop-up control
in the Quick Options palette,
or the Document > Layers
hierarchical menu, where
Layer Combinations are listed
by name.
For example, you can set up a “Show All, Lock 3D Elements” Layer
Combination, all the layers are visible, yet all Layers assigned to 3D
All Section and Elevation markers are now shown again. model elements are locked, making those elements uneditable. You
might use this Layer Combination when working with 2D only
functions, such as dimensioning, to prevent inadvertent modifications
Create and Use Layer Combinations to the building elements.
To automate the process of displaying and locking layers, you can Since the settings of layers for Model Views and for the Layout Book
store various setups as Layer Combinations using the Document > can differ, the Layer Combinations saved from these views can also
Layers > Layer Settings command. be different.
See “Layer Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help. Note: Layers and Layer Combinations are handled by ArchiCAD
The current Layer Combination is indicated by a checkmark in the as attributes.
list. ArchiCAD comes with several default Layer Combinations.

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Use Layers to Prevent Wall/Column/Beam

Intersections
Another way to use layers is
to vary their Layer
Intersection Group numbers.
Intersecting elements that
belong to the same Layer
Intersection Group will be
joined to each other, Note on Intersection with Hidden Layer: Elements having
provided they are drawn identical intersection groups will intersect even if one of the
correctly. Elements on layers is hidden. This may result in “missing” lines, indicating an
different Layer Intersection Groups will not be joined. intersection with an element on a hidden layer. To avoid this, go
The numbers under the intersection icon in the Layers panel to Layer Settings, select one of the layers, and assign it any
(Document > Layers > Layer Settings) indicate the number of the different intersection group.
intersection group the elements on that layer belong to. Exception for Level 0: Elements which are both on intersection
Only elements on the same intersection group will connect to each other. group 0 (whether on the same or different layers) will NOT intersect.
By default, every layer is set to Group 1, so all intersecting elements
will be joined according to the regular intersection rules for
Use Separate Layer Settings for the Layout
ArchiCAD. You may want to prevent this intersection - for example, Book
to show the details of composite walls that have not been joined. In
this case, place the intersecting walls on different layers, and then give While each ArchiCAD project has only one Layer set, the settings of
one of these a layers a different Layer Intersection Group number. any particular layer (for example its show/hide or locked/unlocked
status) can be different in the Layout Book and in Model Views. The
For example: settings variation you see in Layer Settings (either Layout Book or
Wall Layers Have Identical Intersection Group Numbers: Model Views) depends on which window is active when you open
Layer Settings. The Layer Settings command and its dialog box are
labeled accordingly.

Wall Layers Have Different Intersection Group Numbers:

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Important: Layer settings for the Layout Book serve to For more information, see “Line Types Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
show/hide elements directly placed on layouts, such as lines,
texts and drawings as a whole. Layout Book layers do not affect
the drawing content, which is determined by the layers of its
associated view.

Place All Elements on a Single “Active Layer”

(Simulate Autocad Work Methods)
If you wish to simulate AutoCAD work methods, the Active Layer
command is an easy way of placing all of your elements on a single
layer, rather than using ArchiCAD’s default layer set-up.
Choose Document > Layers >
Layer Extras > Active Layer from
the menu and choose the One Active
Layer for all Element Types option from the appearing palette.
This will set the default layer of all element types to the layer of the
currently active tool (regardless of any selection). All Tool Settings dialog
boxes will now use the same default Layer definition and successive
elements will all be placed on that layer, regardless of type.
You can override this setting manually for selected elements. If you
wish to return to the previous layer state, choose the Individually Set
Line Weight Display
Layers option. The last set of manually defined layers will be used. By default, all lines will be displayed at Hairline width, at one pixel
wide.
Line Types In addition, you can enable Bold Cut Lines (View > On-Screen
View Options); this will show all Cut lines as bold (two pixels wide,
You can assign line types to each ArchiCAD construction element in regardless of the line’s true pen weight). All other lines will be shown
its own Tool Settings dialog box, depending on the element type. at Hairline width.
For example, when defining how a Column should be displayed in a The alternative to Hairline weight is display each pen’s True Line
2D window, you can apply different line types for its core outline, for Weight: enable Line True Weight in View > On-Screen View
its overhead display and for its crossing symbol. Options. Each line’s pen weight (depending on its pen weight value
The line types available in the Settings dialog boxes are defined and as defined in the Pens and Colors dialog box) will be displayed
managed as the project’s Line Type attributes, in Options > Element accurately.
Attributes > Line Types. See also “On-Screen View Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
Use this dialog box if you wish to modify the standard line types
(solid, dotted, dashed, etc.) and define customized line types.

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Fill Types
Fill Types are used to define the appearance of fills applied to
construction elements.
For details on Fills and how to use them, see “Fills” on page 368.
Use the Options > Element Attributes > Fill Types dialog box to
define and/or edit fill types and patterns, and determine the category
of each particular Fill (Drafting Fill, Cut Fill, and/or Cover Fill).
Available Fill Attributes
Solid Fill Types
Solid Fills include:
• The Background Fill (in earlier ArchiCAD versions: Empty):
You see only the Background, because the Foreground is set to
zero.
• The Foreground fill (in earlier ArchiCAD versions: Solid): You
see only the Foreground, because it covers up the Background.
• Three fills whose foregrounds are of predefined Translucence
(25%, 50%, 75%).
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These percentages can be adjusted by hand in Options > Element
Attributes > Fill Types.
For details, see “Fill Appearance Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Vectorial Fills can be assigned to construction elements in 2D
windows. You can also assign Vectorial Fills to Materials, which are
displayed in the 3D window.
See “Display of Vectorial Hatching” on page 372.
Some properties of vectorial patterns can be adjusted, including their
scale, angle, spacing, availability and associated screen-only bitmap
display.
See “Fill Edit Vectorial Pattern Panel” in ArchiCAD Help
Symbol Fills can be assigned to construction elements. You can edit
the symbol pattern of an existing fill, or draw a new symbol fill
entirely.
See “Create New Symbol Fill” on page 375.
Gradient Fills and Image Fills are Drafting fills only, and thus are
available only from the Fill Tool’s pop-up.
See “Gradient Fills” on page 376 and “Image Fills” on page 376.
Composite Structures
Walls, Slabs and Roofs can be defined as composite structures.
Assign a Composite Structure to a Wall, Roof
or Slab
1) Select the element, or open the Default Settings dialog box for
the element type.
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Configuration
2) In the Floor Plan & Section panel, open the “Structure” pop-up
list, and click on “Cut Fills.”
The Structure’s “Cut Fills” pop-up list of Wall, Slab and Roof Settings
includes a number of predefined Composite Structures (in addition to
the uniform structures).
Note: Composite Structures are defined for specific element
types: Wall, Slab, and/or Roof. Therefore, a composite element
available from the Wall’s “Structure - Cut Fills” pop-up may not
be available in the Roof Settings “Structure - Cut Fills” pop-up.
If necessary, you can customize these definitions in the Options
> Element Attributes > Composites dialog box.
For more information, see “Composite Structures Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD
Help.
3) Choose the desired composite structure. This composite
structure will be applied to the currently selected or created
element.
32
Define a Custom Composite Structure
Customize any composite structure, or create a new one, using the
Options > Element Attributes > Composite Structures dialog
box.
Components of Composite Structures
The layers of the composite element are called “skins”; the skins are
separated by “separator lines”; and the outline of the composite is the
“contour line.”
All composite elements include structural, load-bearing skins called
Core, which play an important role when connecting Walls and
Columns.
See “Wrapped Columns on the Floor Plan” on page 231.
The skins you define as “Core” or “Finish” will also affect views in
Partial Structure Display.
See “Partial Structure Display” on page 358.
However, a Wall skin’s Core or Finish status has no relation to its 2D
intersection priority, which is set separately.
For composite elements (Wall, Slab, Roof): skins can be checkmarked
“Core” or “Finish” in Options > Element Attributes >
Composite Structures.
You can check multiple skins as “Core,” but these skins must be
adjacent to each other.
You can define multiple adjacent skins as “Finish”, but they must
include one or both of the outermost skins.
A skin cannot be both “Finish” and “Core.”
Core/Finish checkboxes are available in the Edit Skin and Line
Structure panel of Composite Structures. For any skin you select in
this panel, you can also set its Core or Finish option in the Edit
Selected Skin panel.
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When drawing a trapezoid Wall with a composite fill, only the

outermost Core skin’s thickness reflects the trapezoidal shape of the
Wall. In the image below, two of the skins are marked as Core, but
only the Insulation core skin - the outermost Core - has a trapezoid
shape.

By default, the core skin is the thickest one, but you can also define
other skins as Core (in the Core column of the list).

Pens & Colors/Pen Sets

Pens are simulated drawing instruments which have a specific color
and line weight. You assign pens to ArchiCAD elements in their own
tool settings dialog box.
Each pen has a color and a pen weight. Assigning a pen to an element
(or a part of an element) means that the element will appear in that
pen’s defined color and pen weight.
Note: Your current On-Screen View Options (Bold Cut Lines,
True Line Weight) may affect the on-screen display of your lines.
For more information, see “On-Screen View Options” on page 357.

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To assign a pen to an element, open the pencolor pop-up (in the Apply a Separate Pen Set for the Layout Book
element settings dialog box or in the Info Box of a selected element) You can use a separate pen set for your Model Views and your Layout
and choose the desired pen for the element or one of its components Book: the name of the dialog box includes either “Model Views” or
- such as the cut line pen assigned to the slab in the following image: “Layout Book”, depending on which type of window is active.

The Pens & Colors (Layout Book) settings are applied only to items
placed onto the Layout (such as Autotext and Master Layout items),
but not to the content of placed Drawings.
Apply a Pen Set
Apply a Pen Set to a Drawing
To choose and apply a pen set, use: When you place a view onto a Layout, it becomes a Drawing. By
Options > Element Attributes > Pens & Colors default, the Drawing placed in the Layout Book uses its own pen set
or (the one saved in the source view’s View Settings - by default, the pen
set defined for the project’s Model Views). However, you can
Document > Pen Sets > Pens & Colors. override this pen set in Drawing Settings Properties panel: click the
Both commands open the Pen Set drop-down menu and choose a different pen set, for this
identical dialog box. drawing only.
Select a pen set from the
“Available Pen Set” list and
click OK.
For more information, see “Pens
& Colors Dialog Box” in
ArchiCAD Help.
For a quick way to change the
pen set of your model view,
use the Dimensions pop-up
in the Quick Options Palette.
See “Quick Options Palette” on
page 74.

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Of course, Drawings that have their source in external files - such as
DWG/DXF/PDF files placed using ArchiCAD’s Drawing tool - can
be assigned pen sets the same way, in the Drawing Settings dialog box.
See also “Pen Set” in ArchiCAD Help.
Or you can change the source view’s pen set, in its View Settings
Dialog Box.
After redefining a color or changing the Pen Set, the ArchiCAD
construction elements immediately change to the new colors on the
Floor Plan. The 3D window, 3D Document and
Section/Elevation/IE/Worksheet windows may require that you
rebuild the view.
Transfer a Pen Set to Another Project
Pen Sets are attributes, and can be transferred among different
ArchiCAD projects using the Pen Sets tab page of the Attribute
Manager (Options > Element Attributes > Attribute Manager).
Similarly, each pen set's individual definitions can be copied among
projects in the Attribute Manager (“Pens and Colors” tab page).

See “View Settings Stored with the View” on page 73.

Redefine a Pen Set

The predefined pen sets shipped with ArchiCAD are based on
common workflows, but you can redefine or rename any pen set
together with its description, and redefine any pen’s line weight or
color, using the Edit Color control within the Pens and Colors dialog
box. Pen numbers remain constant even if you change pen sets.
For more information, see “Pens & Colors Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

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Automatic Pen Color Visibility Adjustment
for Model Views
When the luminance value of a particular background color falls
below a threshold value - that is, if your background is sufficiently
dark - black pens will be shown as white on your ArchiCAD screen.
(This is useful if you use a dark or black background to imitate
AutoCAD methods.)
However, when printed, pen colors will print according to their actual
settings in the pen set.
Non-black pens that would be difficult to see against a particular
background will automatically shift to a similar, but more easily visible
color. On a white background, elements in white pens are adjusted to
a light gray to enhance visibility. Again, when printed, pen colors will
print according to their actual settings in the pen set.
To disable this automatic color adjustment, uncheck the Automatic
Pen Color Visibility Adjustment checkbox in Options > Work
Environment > More Options.
Predefined Pen Sets for Specific Functions
Architects often wish to output the same model in several versions,
using different pen colors or pen weights each time to meet different
requirements for scale, color or emphasis.
36
To aid users in this effort, ArchiCAD comes with several predefined
pen sets. This way, you can switch pen sets for the entire project with
a single click: you might prefer to use the “architectural plans” pen set
when outputting plans for approval, then switch to the “electrical”
pen set to output layouts for a subcontractor. When you change the
pen set of a given project, the pen index numbers assigned to
individual elements remain the same, but the colors and line weights
associated with those pen indexes may change in accordance with the
definitions in the new pen set, and your display and output will get a
whole different look.
When you assign a pen to an element, you are assigning a pen index
number to that element. ArchiCAD’s default pen indexes assigned to
element parameters correspond to the element function. For
example, slabs are assigned a default cut line pen with index 29, which
corresponds to the function “Slabs - Cut Structural.”
Note: Depending on your localized version of ArchiCAD, your
default pen sets and pen index assignments may vary.
For more information on pen sets in ArchiCAD, see
http://www.archicadwiki.com/Pen_Sets.
Since each pen index number has a distinct function definition, it is
worth paying attention to the pen function when assigning a pen to
an element. (Or you can simply use the default element pens that are
shipped with ArchiCAD.) If you assign pen index numbers consistent
with the function of the element, then switching from one pen set to
the other will ensure a consistent display that is in line with the
purpose of your output.
Materials
About Materials
To display your plan realistically, you can apply materials to your
elements. Materials contain color, texture and light effects. Materials
can be displayed in the 3D Window, Section/Elevation/IE and 3D
Document windows, and in PhotoRenderings.
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Materials are defined in the Material Settings Dialog Box (Options >
Element Attributes > Materials). Materials defined here can then be
assigned to elements in their Element settings dialog boxes (Model
panel). Some materials have vectorial hatching and/or textures as part
of their definition, as indicated by icons. This material, for example,
uses both vectorial Hatching and a texture:
Important: Vectorial Hatching is only displayed when using the
Internal 3D engine. Textures are displayed only when using the
OpenGL 3D engine. To switch between 3D Engines, use the
commands in View > 3D View Mode.
For more information, see “3D Engines” on page 170.
Vectorial Hatching is a vectorial fill pattern used with a Material. In
the Material Settings dialog box, you can choose a vectorial hatching
for any material, selecting one of the project’s defined vectorial fill
types.
See “Material Vectorial Hatching Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Textures are image files that can be assigned to materials to give
them a more realistic “look and feel”. By default, many ArchiCAD
materials have textures assigned to them (such materials will have a
texture icon next to their name.) You can load additional textures
from the ArchiCAD library, or load other custom images. Textures
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Configuration
are assigned and edited in the Texture Panel of the Material Settings
dialog box.
See “Material Texture Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Assign a Material to a Construction Element
1) Select a placed element, or open the Default Settings dialog box
for the element type.
2) Use the Model panel to access the available materials for the
element’s top, bottom and side surfaces in the 3D window.
3) Choose the desired materials to apply them to the current
element. (Apply a single material to all surfaces using the Chain
icon, or apply separate materials, as needed.)
Note: Wall geometry and the direction of its reference line affect
the assignment of materials to each surface of the Wall. For more
information, see “Wall Model Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: Clicking the Chain icon (“Link Materials”) in this or other
element settings dialog boxes means that the group of materials
next to the chain icon are linked: each of the linked surfaces will
use a single material; changing the material for one surface will
change the material for all surfaces. To set a separate material for
each surface, unlink them by clicking the chain again.
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Configuration

Suggested Workflow for Using Materials For each individual element, you can discard the customized texture
1) Edit the default set of materials and/or create new materials. alignment by clicking the “Reset Texture” button in the Model panel
(This step is optional and recommended for advanced users.) of its element Settings dialog box.

2) Choose a material for each construction element, using the

material pop-up in the Model panel of the element’s Settings
dialog box. (For Wall Ends, materials are set in the 3D
Representation section of the Parameters panel.)
3) In the PhotoRendering Settings dialog box, choose a Rendering
Engine, then adjust the relevant settings (transparency, effects,
background, etc.) to define how the materials will be displayed in
the final rendering.
For more information, see “PhotoRendering Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. 3D Textures are visible only when using the OpenGL 3D engine
(View > 3D View Mode > 3D Window Settings), and if the Textures
Display of Materials and Textures in 3D box is checked in OpenGL options as in the image below:
Window
The 3D Window displays the material’s colors, vectorial hatching and
applied textures, if any.
Important: Vectorial Hatching is only displayed when using the
Internal 3D engine. Textures are displayed only when using the
OpenGL 3D engine. To switch between 3D Engines, use the
commands in View > 3D View Mode.
For more information, see “3D Engines” on page 170. See also “3D Window Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

To display vectorial hatchings, the Vectorial 3D Hatching control in

View > 3D View Mode > 3D Window Settings must be On.
3D Texture Alignment
The orientation and origin of construction element textures can be
fine-tuned in 3D views with the commands of the Design > Align
3D Texture hierarchical menu.
These commands are only available in the 3D Window on selected
construction elements whose Material attribute includes a Texture
assignment (Options > Element Attributes > Materials).
For details on these commands, see “Align 3D Texture” in ArchiCAD Help.
Display of Materials in Section/Elevation/IE
Window
The Section/Elevation/IE window can display an element’s material’s
colors and/or vectorial hatching on the element’s uncut portion.
To display material colors:
1) Open the Model Display panel of the Section/Elevation/IE
Settings dialog box.
2) Choose “Fill Uncut Surfaces” and activate one of these two
options.

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• Elements’ Own Material Colors (Shaded): Surfaces will
display the elements’ own material colors. The display colors will
reflect shading effects, as in the image below.
• Elements’ Own Material Colors (Non-Shaded): Surfaces will
display the elements’ own material colors. The display colors will
not reflect any shading effects; each material color will be uniform
over the whole surface.
3) Check “Vectorial 3D Hatching” to display the material’s vectorial
hatching, if any.
Material colors and vectorial hatching can be displayed only on uncut
surfaces of elements in the Section/Elevation/IE windows.
Display of Materials in the 3D Document
A 3D Document has its own Settings dialog box. Use the Model
Display Panel of 3D Document Settings to define how materials will
be displayed. Unlike in Section-type window, the 3D Document’s
Model Display settings enable you to choose materials,
element-specific fills and shaded or non-shaded colors to display cut
surfaces.
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Configuration
The Vectorial Hatching in 3D and Transparency options for the 3D
Document are specific to the 3D Document, and are not connected
to the same options set for the 3D Window.
Display of Materials in Renderings
Different Rendering Engines have different capabilities for displaying
materials. Thus, when editing a Material in the Material Settings dialog
box, some of the available controls may not have any effect on the
material’s rendered appearance. To streamline the process, choose
your intended Rendering Engine as the Preview Engine in the
Material Settings dialog box and check the Disable unrelated
Controls box.
This way, only those controls will be available in Material Settings that
will actually affect the final rendered appearance. If you intend to
render with LightWorks, choose the LightWorks Rendering Engine in
Material Settings, and check Disable unrelated controls. The
LightWorks Shader Settings panel is now the only one you need to
edit in Material Settings.
For more information, see “LightWorks Shader Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Renderings display all material characteristics except vectorial
hatching. The general appearance of your renderings is defined in the
PhotoRendering Settings dialog box, whose settings apply to all
materials in the rendering.
For more information, see “PhotoRendering Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Configuration

Create or Modify a Material

Materials can be created or modified using the Material Settings
Dialog Box (Options > Element Attributes > Materials).
For more information, see “Material Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

Assign a Vectorial Hatching to a Material

Use the Options > Material Settings > Vectorial Hatching panel
to assign a Vectorial Hatching to a Material.
For more information, see “Material Vectorial Hatching Panel” in ArchiCAD
Help.

Assign a Texture to a Material

Use the Options > Material Settings > Texture panel to assign a
Texture, if desired.
For more information, see “Material Texture Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Attribute Manager
The Attribute Manager command (Options > Element Attributes
> Attribute Manager) allows you to copy (append, overwrite)
attributes (Layers, Layer Combinations, Pens & Colors, Pen Sets, Line
Types, Fill Types, Composite Structures, Materials, Profiles, Zone
Categories and Cities) between two opened files. It can also duplicate
or delete attributes in either of the two files. On choosing the
Attribute Manager command, the following dialog box appears
(since it has to list all the attributes of the project, displaying the
dialog box might take some time):
Custom Attributes of GDL Objects
Some GDL object scripts include custom attributes. These attributes
may be defined either as part of their individual object scripts or
defined in the MASTER_GDL script.
When you load such objects into a project, their custom attributes are
automatically merged into the project’s attribute set as follows:
• If the Attribute definition is contained in the MASTER_GDL
script, then once the library containing the MASTER_GDL
script is loaded, the attributes are merged into the ArchiCAD
project attributes. Attributes with the same names are not
replaced.
• If the Attribute definition is contained in the individual library
part scripts, then
- Fills and Line types are merged into the ArchiCAD project.
- Material and Texture attributes are not merged into the
ArchiCAD project attributes.

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Libraries
About Libraries
ArchiCAD Libraries are folders containing the external files used by
ArchiCAD or referred to by construction elements.
Normally, library elements are arranged hierarchically within the main
Library folder/directory.
Some of the library type files contain geometric data that allow you to
place instances of the given item into the ArchiCAD Project, while
others only contain graphic or text information that can be attached
to other library items or to the entire Project.
Libraries contain geometric library parts collectively called GDL
Objects (or Parametric Objects). They can be placed in the Project
• using one of ArchiCAD’s dedicated tools (Object, Lamp, Door,
Window, Skylight, Corner Window, Stair, Wall End, Curtain Wall
Accessory or Junction)
• automatically by specific commands or Add-Ons (Markers,
Labels, RoofMaker and TrussMaker elements) The Library also contains files of different formats that are referred
• or only used as a reference by other elements (macros, Zone to by ArchiCAD elements:
stamps, Property Objects) • Listing Templates are plain text files that are used to customize
See “Parametric Objects” on page 311. the content and the look of quantity calculations.
When you place an Object (as opposed to other elements in For a detailed description, see “Calculation” on page 449.
ArchiCAD), you are placing an instance of an external file located in • Textures are picture files that can be attached to Materials to
an object library. ArchiCAD is shipped with a standard object library provide added realism in rendered views, and in the 3D Window
containing hundreds of preconfigured, editable objects (also known when using the OpenGL engine.
as GDL objects or Library parts). For the most part, you will use
ArchiCAD tools to place objects from this standard library. See “Assign a Texture to a Material” on page 40.

All of these files can be opened in ArchiCAD with the File > • Background images are additional picture files used to provide
Libraries and Objects > Open Object command and they can be the 3D model with a lifelike environment.
created in ArchiCAD with the File > Libraries and Objects > New You can use specialized Libraries for different applications (e.g.,
Object command. residential Projects and industrial building design) to avoid the need

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for extremely large Libraries. There are also different Libraries
corresponding to different national standards.
• You can define different or additional libraries for your Projects
in the Library Manager dialog box. When opening a saved
Project, ArchiCAD looks for the libraries that were last defined
for it.
• When creating a new Project with the latest settings, ArchiCAD
will keep (or look for) the last used library.
• When creating a new Project with default settings, ArchiCAD
will again look for your default “ArchiCAD Library”.
Individual items from libraries not in the active Library set can be
used in your Projects via the Load Other Object commands in the
corresponding tool settings dialog boxes (Window, Door, etc.).
You can also use the drag & drop feature of ArchiCAD to place
Library Parts. Objects placed into your Project using drag & drop
does not add the items to the active Library.
Startup Library
When you start ArchiCAD for the very first time, it searches for a
Library under the name “ArchiCAD Library 12.lcf.” The extension
.lcf identifies a “Library Container file”. The default ArchiCAD 12
Library is stored in an .lcf, but you can also create your own Library
42
Container file, or extract its contents, using the File > Libraries and
Objects > Create/Extract a Container command.
Since the Library Container file is a single file, yet contains all the
objects used in your project, it lets you keep all the objects used in
your projects in one place, while keeping hierarchies intact within the
.lcf.
If ArchiCAD’s default Library is found on the hard disk in the same
folder/directory as ArchiCAD, it is opened and used as the Active
Library. Otherwise, the Library Manager dialog box appears,
prompting you to choose a folder/directory to be the startup Library.
For more information, see “Library Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
• If you have already used ArchiCAD and start the program by
double-clicking its program icon, the Library set used in the
previous session will be active.
• If you have modified the name of a folder/directory in the active
Library set, or changed its location in the file hierarchy, it will not
be found and the Library Manager dialog box will be displayed,
so you can find and select the library you need.
• When you open a Project from within ArchiCAD (with the
Open command), or by double-clicking a Project file in the file
manager, it is opened with the Library set it was originally created
with.
If you have modified the name of a folder or directory in the Active
Library set, or changed its location in the file hierarchy, the Project
opens using one of the following protocols:
• If the currently Active Library set includes folders with the same
names as the original ones, the Project is opened using this
current Library set.
• If the original Library set included folders with names different
from those in the current one, ArchiCAD will search for
Libraries containing folders or directories with these names. If
there are folders with those names, the Project is opened using
these folders.
• If there are no folders bearing the original names, the Library
Manager dialog box is displayed. You can either specify a
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Library set to be used with the Project or Cancel reading

altogether.
Note: If you click Done, the Project is opened without a
Library. All Library Parts placed in the file will then be missing.

Library Updates
Graphisoft updates its standard library parts on a regular basis. To
check for the latest library updates, you should enable the Check for
Updates option in Options > Work Environment > Web Options.
This means you will be notified, upon starting ArchiCAD, if a new
library version matching your ArchiCAD language version is
available, which you can then choose to download if needed.
For more information, see “Web Options” in ArchiCAD Help.

Library Management Workflow

The following diagram illustrates a library management scheme
involving the ArchiCAD Standard Library and a separate Company
Standards Library. Both are located on a server. Each Project has a
project-specific library that is loaded into the project.
• The ArchiCAD Library is installed on the client machines.
• The Company Standard library is copied to each client machine.
• The project-specific libraries are loaded when opening each
project and kept updated.

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About Library Manager
Libraries are made available to ArchiCAD through the File >
Libraries and Objects > Library Manager command.
remote volumes connected to your computer through a local area
network.
• Using the FTP Sites tab page, you can add Libraries and single
Library Parts stored on FTP servers.
• The History tab page lists all the Libraries and Library Parts
loaded while using ArchiCAD.
• The Web Objects tab page allows you to download GDL
Objects from websites and to add them to your local Libraries.
For more information, see “Library Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

Loading Libraries
When you have finished making your library choices on the tab pages,
click the Done/Reload button in the bottom right corner of the
Library Manager dialog box.

The Library Manager allows access to complete Libraries and

individual Library Parts, both from local volumes and through a
network. At startup, ArchiCAD automatically loads the last used
Library. In the course of your work, you may need additional Library
Parts or set up your own user libraries. Typically, each Project file uses
a different library including all the external files it refers to (objects,
doors, windows, lamps, textures, property data, etc.).
The Library Manager dialog box has four tab pages:
• The Local/LAN tab page allows you to manage complete
Libraries and individual Library Parts stored on local disks or on
44 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

A status box will appear on the screen to inform you about the
loading process. By clicking Stop, you can abort loading the libraries.
When starting a new Project, you can also use the Library Manager
dialog box to check which libraries are currently used, and then either
click the Use Active Libraries button to continue working with the
current set, or define a new library set as described above.
Note: When working on a shared Project (Teamwork) only the
Team Leader with exclusive access can define the libraries to be
loaded for the Team Project. Teammates can load other libraries,
but only for their own local use.
Identifying Duplicates Among
Library Parts
ArchiCAD uses an internal identifier system to track the evolution
(creation, modification, and/or renaming) of each library object.
Each object is assigned a Global Unique Identifier (GUID) consisting
of two sets of 36 characters each.
Every time you load a project containing library parts, the program
will search the loaded libraries for an exact match based on the
object’s GUID. This means that even if two or more library objects of
the same name are loaded, if they are actually different objects,
ArchiCAD will use the correct one based on its GUID.
This way, library parts having identical names but different GUIDs
do not conflict. Such objects are listed in the Status Report Dialog as
“Duplicate Names.” Since duplicate names don’t cause problems,
work on the project can be continued.
Library parts having identical GUIDs conflict; these items are actually
identical, and are listed under “Duplicate Library Parts.” To avoid
conflicts in the project, you must remove one of the two identical
parts from the library.
For a complete description of how GUID works, see
http://www.ArchiCADwiki.com/guid.
It is advisable to use projects with their original libraries.
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Configuration
If you use newer versions of a library, the objects will be matched
based on their GUID. If GUIDs don’t match, ArchiCAD looks for
objects with identical names.
Objects placed from libraries of ArchiCAD 7.0 or earlier do not have
GUIDs. Consequently, the system will identify library parts based on
name only. If the loaded libraries contain two objects with the same
name as the placed version, the object to be used will be randomly
selected from the two possible locations.
Missing Library Parts and the
Library Loading Report Palette
If you open a Project file and the Library Loading Report appears
with a listing of missing items, this means that the Library used when
creating the Project is not available.
For details, see “Library Loading Report” in ArchiCAD Help.
The missing items cannot be displayed on the plan. (The place of
missing library parts is indicated by nondescript spots.)
The Library Loading Report Floating Palette shows you the names of
the Library Part files that present problems and the download status
of web objects. (To view the palette if it doesn’t appear automatically,
activate Window > Palettes > Library Loading Report.)
The problem of missing library parts usually occurs when you open
the Project on a different computer. To make sure that no files are
missing, it is recommended to save Projects in Archive format before
moving them to another computer. Another solution - within a single
office - is to use a common standard library that is continuously
updated on each computer.
For more information, see “Archive Files” on page 18.
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Configuration

Favorites • If the Favorites refer to attributes that do exist in the target

project but are different from those of the original project, they
will take on the attributes of the target project.
About Favorites To customize the storing of
Favorites for each tool or
The Favorites feature allows you to save and easily recall default tool parameter type, choose
settings. If you choose a stored Favorite, you can create an element Favorite Preferences from
that has the same parameters and attributes as the Favorite. the Favorite palette’s pop-up
Favorites can be accessed from two locations: menu.
• The Favorites palette that stores all saved favorite settings (You can also access the
regardless of the tool that created them. The palette is hidden by Favorite Preferences dialog
default; choose Window > Palettes > Favorites to display it. It box from Options > Project Preferences > Miscellaneous.)
remains visible on top of the other Windows. In the Favorites Preferences dialog
• The Favorites button in the top left corner of all tool Settings box that appears, use the Parameter
dialog boxes (except Camera). The dialog box that opens will list Exclusion list to check the names of
the favorite settings saved for that tool only. the parameters that you DO NOT
want to apply with Favorites.
The stored settings include:
• The element’s attributes, including the line type, fill pattern and
pen color, as well as surface material choices
• In the case of Library Parts, the name of the Library Part
• All of the element’s dimensions that can be entered in the
settings dialog boxes for the element, e.g., wall thickness and
height (but not length)
Favorites are saved with your Project file. You can also save a
separate Favorites file for reuse in other projects.
• If you close the current Project and create a new one, stored
favorites will remain at your disposal just like materials, pen Storing and Applying Favorites in
colors or line types. Tool Settings
• If you choose New and Reset, Favorites will be cleared.
To apply Favorite settings to a placed element, select the element and
• You can restore saved favorites by choosing the Load Favorites open its Settings dialog box. Click the Favorites button. Choose the
command from the Favorite palette’s pop-up menu. Favorite you need, then click Apply to apply to the selected element.
Note: When importing Favorites from another Project, The Apply Favorites dialog box lists only the Favorites defined for
remember that element attributes are identified by name. that given tool.
• If the Favorites refer to attributes that do not exist in the target
Project, the necessary attributes will be missing.
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You can either: Customizing the Toolbox

• Select a stored Favorite in this Use the controls of the Options > Work Environment > Toolbox
list and click the Apply button page to customize the contents and arrangement of your toolbox.
to load that Favorite’s settings
in the tool’s dialog box, or An easy way to access this dialog box is to open
the Toolbox context menu by right-clicking
• Click the Save Current anywhere in the Toolbox, then click the icon
Settings as Favorite button representing the Toolbox customization page.
on top and create a new
Favorite by naming it in the Specifically, you can customize your toolbox by organizing the tools
appearing dialog box. into groups.

Note: Favorites are identified
by their names. If you attempt
to use the name of an existing Favorite when creating a new
favorite (even if it belongs to another tool), ArchiCAD will warn
you about this. Also, some characters are invalid as Favorite
names. If you enter an invalid character, a Warning message will
prompt you to type a new name.
For more information, see “Favorites Palette” in ArchiCAD Help.
For details, see “Toolbox Customization Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Then store your customized Toolbox settings as part of a Tool
Scheme in your Work Environment.
For more information, see “Customizing Palette Schemes” in ArchiCAD Help.
How to Open and Close Tool Groups Within the Toolbox
By default, the Toolbox shows all tools in all Tool Groups
simultaneously. If the Toolbox becomes too unwieldy, use the
open/close arrows at the top of each Tool Group to temporarily

The ArchiCAD User Interface open and close these groups as needed. If the open/close arrows are
not displayed, go to Options > Work Environment > Toolbox.
This section introduces the main customizable palettes and menus in Click on Tool Group Options, then uncheck the “Always Keep Tool
ArchiCAD. Groups Open” option.

Toolbox
The Toolbox shows a variety of tools for selection, 3D construction,
2D drawing and visualization.
By default, the Toolbox is divided into Tool Groups -Select, Design,
Document and More - to make it easier to locate the tool you need.
Besides the standard set of tools, additional tools can appear in the
Toolbox depending on the installation and the available Add-Ons.
Display the Toolbox
If the Toolbox is not visible on screen, activate the Windows > Now you will be able to open or close each Tool Group in the
Palettes > Toolbox command. Toolbox separately.

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Info Box
An Info Box is available for each tool in the toolbox. When you
activate a tool or select a placed element, its Info Box palette will
display current settings for that tool/element. If several elements are
selected, the Info Box displays the controls for the last selected
element.
The Info Box contains a condensed collection of input and parameter
controls that are specific to the selected tool/element. While some of
these controls are also available in the Tool Settings dialog box, the
Info Box is a quicker way to access these controls, because it stays on
screen while you work.
By default, the Info Box is docked at the top of your workspace in a
horizontal position. To show it vertically, dock it at either side of your
screen. Displaying the Info Box
Let your cursor hover over an Info Box item to provide a Tool Tip if If the Info Box is not visible on screen, activate the Windows >
you are not sure what the icon represents. Palettes > Info Box command. The Info Box will show controls
specific to the active tool or the selected element.
Customizing the Info Box
You can customize the order and visibility of panels in each Tool’s
Info Box: go to Options > Work Environment and open the Info
Box page.
You can use a scroll-mouse or the scrollbar to scroll through the
contents of your Info Box. An easy way to access this dialog box
is to open the Info Box context menu
• Selected/Editable: The current Info Box gives you feedback on by right-clicking anywhere in the Info
the number of Selected Elements, as well as how many of those Box, then click the icon representing
are Editable. Changes made to Info Box settings will affect the the Info Box customization page:
Editable elements. On the Floor Plan below, all Walls are For details, see “Info Box Customization
selected; four of them have been locked for editing, as reflected Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
in the Info Box.
Also available from the Info Box context menu (pictured here): click
• Default Settings: If there is no selection, the Info Box displays a display preference for the Info Box Header location: at the left edge
the active tool’s Default Settings. of the palette, or on top.

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Menus Simple 3D, Standard, Standard for Low-Res Screens, Teamwork,

About Menus
When starting ArchiCAD 12 with default settings, you will load the
Standard Profile, which - along with other Work Environment
settings - defines the default menu structure.
See “Default Profiles in ArchiCAD 12” on page 57.
However, there are some commands and menus
in ArchiCAD 12 which are not displayed as part
of this standard profile.
Use the settings in the Options > Work
Environment > Menus dialog box to customize the content of your
menus.
Toolbox Tools.
Displaying Toolbars
To display a toolbar, choose its name from Window > Toolbars; or
right-click the title bar of any toolbar on screen to display the list of
defined toolbars. Click any toolbar in the list to display it.
Creating or Customizing Toolbars
Use the Customize Toolbar dialog box, accessed from Options >
Work Environment > Toolbars, to create a new toolbar, or
customize any of the available ones. You can also set whether a given
command is represented on a toolbar by its name, its icon, or both.

Customizing Menus
Use the Options > Work Environment > Menus dialog box to
customize any ArchiCAD menu. Any command or menu can be
placed into or removed from any menu; the order of the commands
within any menu is entirely customizable.
Exception: Context menus are not customizable.
For details, see “Menu Customization Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
You can store your customized menu command settings as part of a
Command Layout Scheme in your Work Environment.
For details, see “Scheme Options” in ArchiCAD Help.

Toolbars
About Toolbars
A toolbar is a collection of commands and/or menus displayed in
icon or text form and grouped by topic. The predefined toolbars are:
3D Visualization, Arrange Elements, Attributes, Classic 3D
Navigation, Drafting Aids, Edit Elements, Edit GDL Library Parts,
Layouts and Drawings, Mini Navigator, On-Screen View Options,
An easy way to access this dialog box is to open any Toolbar’s context
menu by right-clicking anywhere on the Toolbar, then click the icon
representing the Toolbar customization page:
You can store your customized toolbars as part of a Command
Layout Scheme in your Work Environment.
For details, see “Scheme Options” in ArchiCAD Help.

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The content of named toolbars are saved as part of a Command Layout
Scheme. The on-screen display of toolbars is saved in a Palette Scheme.
For details, see “Toolbar Customization Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Shortcuts
ArchiCAD is shipped with several predefined shortcut schemes. To
view or print out a list of the shortcuts of the Work Environment, go
to Options > Work Environment > Keyboard Shortcuts, and
click the Show Shortcut List in Browser button at the bottom of the
Keyboard Shortcut Preview Panel.
To customize a shortcut command, use the Options > Work
Environment > Keyboard Shortcuts: choose a command from the
list on the left, then enter the desired shortcut combination in the
field at the right, then click Assign.
For details, see “Shortcut Customization Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Apart from a few non-customizable shortcuts (listed at the bottom of
the Show Shortcut list), all shortcuts in any scheme are customizable.
Changes to the selected Shortcut scheme are applied when you press
OK and close the dialog box. You can store your customized Shortcut
settings as part of a Shortcut Scheme in your Work Environment.
For details, see “Scheme Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
Palettes
ArchiCAD’s palettes help you construct, modify and locate elements.
Each palette can be shown or hidden separately using the Window >
Palettes command.
50
The main palettes (Toolbox, Info Box, Quick Options and Navigator)
can be enabled all at once, using the Window > Palettes > Show
Main Palettes Only command.
Each of these palettes is described in detail in the ArchiCAD
documentation.
Two palettes - the Control Box and Coordinates - are familiar from
earlier versions of ArchiCAD. They are not displayed by default,
because their commands are available from other parts of the
interface. To display either of these palettes, go to Window > Palettes
and choose the desired palette(s).
Customizing Palette Schemes
To customize your palette scheme (a saved configuration of palettes),
set up your palettes manually in the ArchiCAD workspace by doing
any or all of the following:
• Show or hide palettes as needed (click its name on or off from
Window > Palettes).
• Show or hide toolbars as needed (click its name on or off from
Window > Toolbars).
• Change the shape of a palette by
choosing a shape option from its
context menu. The Info Box,
Coordinates Palette and Control
Box palettes have shape options
- for example, extended or
compact - that you can set using
the context menu opened by right-clicking the palette on screen.
• Change the position and size of a palette by dragging the
palettes to a desired position.
• Dock palettes as needed (Windows only).
Use the Palette Schemes “Schemes Options” page to manage (Store,
Rename, Delete, Redefine, Export, Import) and apply Palette
Schemes: go to Options > Work Environment > Palette Schemes.
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Note: When dragging a palette in Windows, its anchor point is

the drag symbol (not a palette edge).

How to Un-Dock a Palette

To pop a palette out of its dock and into a free-floating position, just
click and drag on its header. Alternatively, double-click the palette;
double-click it again to re-dock.

Docking Groups of Palettes

You can dock several palettes at either side of the screen and snap
them to each other, forming a palette group.
• Click and drag to dock the first palette.
• To insert a second palette above the first, click and drag the
second palette onto the title bar of the first.
• To insert a second palette below the first, click and drag the
second palette to the line at the bottom of the first one.
For details, see “Scheme Options” in ArchiCAD Help. • You can also place two (or more) palettes side by side, sitting
Palette Schemes differ from the rest of the Work Environment atop a single palette (or vice versa), as part of the same group.
schemes: the settings they contain are defined not in the Work • If you resize any palette that is part of a palette group, the rest of
Environment dialog box; instead, Palette Schemes settings reflect the the palettes in the group will be resized automatically.
way you manually set up your palettes in your workspace. • The width of all palettes in the group are resized simultaneously
Note: While the show/hide status of a toolbar is saved in a (by dragging the edge to the right or left).
palette scheme, its content is defined as part of a Command
Layout Scheme.
Docking Palettes (Windows Only)
Palettes can “float” over your workspace, and if a floating palette is in
the way, you can either close it or drag it away. However, many
ArchiCAD palettes can also be docked (in Windows only) at an edge
of the workspace. A docked palette is fixed at the edge of your screen,
with no workspace underneath it: this way, if you maximize the active
window, the entire workspace is visible. A docked palette can be made
to “float” again at any time.
To dock a palette, click on its title bar (the drag symbol will
appear) and drag it to one side or the top or bottom of the screen
until the drag symbol hits either the side or the top/bottom limit.
Release the cursor to dock the palette.
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To set how much of each palette should be visible on screen, drag the
splitter bars up or down, for palettes stacked on top of each other, or
right/left, for palettes grouped next to each other. (The splitter bars
are the lines which divide each palette from the others.)
Limitations on Docking Palettes
• Not every palette can be docked to all sides of the screen.
• The following palettes/dialog boxes cannot be docked: Mark-Up
Tools; Selections; Library Loading Report; Pet Palettes; Element
Information; Find and Select; Roofmaker; Solid Element
Operations; Sign in; Text Formatting; Profile Manager; Quick
Layers.
Suspend Docking Function
To suspend the docking function while dragging a palette, press Ctrl
(Windows).
Snapping Palettes (MacOS Only)
On a MacOS, you can snap ArchiCAD floating palettes to each other,
to the edge of the screen.
Palettes will snap to each other if you pull them within a given range
of each other. The palette edge (not the cursor) is the docking anchor.
• If a palette is snapped to the bottom or to the right of another,
then both palettes can be dragged as a single object.
• If a palette is snapped onto the top or to the left of another
palette, then they will not “stick together” when you move them.
Suspend Snapping Function
To suspend the snapping function while dragging a palette, press
Cmd (MacOS).
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Pet Palettes
A pet palette is a collection of icons (representing commands and
relevant options) which pops up during graphical input and editing
operations. In some cases, the pet palette appears during input (as
when inputting a polyline), but in most cases the pet palette appears
after you have placed an element, then selected the element for
further editing.
To access the pet palette, place your cursor on an editable edge, node,
or surface, and left-click.
The contents of the pet palette depends on the following:
• The selected element
• The part of the element you choose to act on (edge, node or
surface)
• The active window
Move your cursor over the icons to read the tool tip for each one, and
click on the icon for the function you need. Use the shortcuts “F”
and Shift+F (Opt+F) to move to the next/previous icon in the
current pet palette.
You cannot customize the contents of a pet palette.
You can change your mind and choose a different function from the
pet palette as long as you have not completed the editing operation.
The pet palette automatically disappears when the operation is
finished.
The pet palette will either follow your cursor around on screen as you
work (like a pet on a leash), or be placed in a preferred spot (and told
to “stay”), depending on which pet palette movement option you
specify.
To set these preferences, go to Options > Work Environment >
Dialog Boxes and Palettes.
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Customizing your Work

Environment

You can store these Pet Palette settings as part of a User Preference
Scheme in your Work Environment.
As you get used to working with ArchiCAD, you will develop
personal preferences for using the program’s features and arranging
the various palettes, toolbars and menus on screen. You will set most
of these options using the Options > Work Environment dialog
box.
For a brief description of every available setting in the Work Environment Dialog
Box, see “Work Environment Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
You can customize any of these settings while you work: just open the
Work Environment dialog box, change the setting you need, and
press OK. The setting will take effect.
Work Environment settings are saved not as part of the project, but
in a local folder on your computer.

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About the Work Environment • Command Layout Schemes. Command Layout Schemes
include your Toolbar and Menu settings.
Dialog Box For more information, see “Toolbars” on page 49 and “Menus” on page 49.
Work Environment settings Click on the name of the settings you wish to alter (for example,
(Options > Work Environment) “Selection and Element Information”).
are divided into six self-contained
schemes. Each scheme is a thematic
collection of settings.
• User Preference Schemes.
These include a wide variety of
your preferences for functions
such as Guide Line functions,
coordinate input, and how
certain dialog boxes should
appear.
• Company Standard Schemes.
These settings are typically
standardized within a firm.
For more information, see Data Safety,
Web Options, and “Special Folders” in
ArchiCAD Help.
See also Creating a Custom Install
Package in Getting Started, accessible from
ArchiCAD’s Help menu.
• Shortcut Schemes As soon as you make a change to any Work Environment setting, the
For more information, see “Shortcuts” on page 50. scheme name at the top of the settings page changes to Custom.
• Tool Schemes. A tool scheme includes settings for the Toolbox,
the Info Box and the Tool Settings dialog boxes.
• Palette Schemes. These settings are defined outside the Work
Environment dialog box; a palette scheme saves the current
on-screen status of your palettes.
For more information, see “Palettes” on page 50.

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Use the splitter bars within each page to display the text as needed.
Saving Your Customized Work
Environment
If you have customized a number of settings in Options > Work
Environment, you may wish to save them for future use in other
projects, so that your personalized Work Environment is ready for
you when you start to work.
Individual settings are organized into six Schemes; saving settings
occurs at the Scheme level. Unlike Project settings, which are saved
with the project file, Work Environment Schemes are saved in a local
folder on your computer.
The Scheme Options screen appears in the Work Environment dialog
box if you have selected one of the six scheme sets from the tree
structure at the left side of the dialog box. There is one Scheme
Options page for each of the six schemes.
You can store any or all of the schemes by name; you can also
combine any of the schemes into a Profile, and store the Profile
under its own name. Using the ArchiCAD interface (Options > Work
Environment > Work Environment Profiles), you can export and
import Schemes and Profiles: this enables you to transport your
favorite settings to other computers, or to keep them after installing a
new version of ArchiCAD.
When you finish making changes, press OK to close the dialog box Note: It is entirely possible to use ArchiCAD successfully
and apply current settings. without saving schemes and profiles; you can just adjust settings
The latest Custom settings will remain intact even after you close and as you work. However, the option to save settings according to
restart ArchiCAD. named schemes, and then to combine schemes into profiles, is
However, every new settings change redefines the “Custom” scheme useful for CAD managers, for offices working in teams, and for
according to your latest change. If you want to keep your individual users who might want to alternate among several
modifications saved on the long term, it is advisable to store the different sets of customized settings.
settings of your Custom scheme in a named scheme.
For more information, see “Saving Your Customized Work Environment” in
ArchiCAD Help.

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Store a Customized Scheme
To store the settings of a Scheme, choose the scheme set whose
settings you want to store, using the left-hand tree structure of the
Work Environment Dialog Box. (For example, if you have changed
shortcuts and want to save them, click on Shortcut Schemes.) This
brings up Scheme Options, where you can store, rename, delete,
redefine, export, or import schemes.
For detailed information on saving scheme settings, see “Scheme Options” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Apply a Scheme
To apply a stored scheme, choose the desired scheme from the Apply
Scheme pop-up at the top of any of Work Environment’s settings
pages.
You can also apply a scheme using the Scheme Options page of
Work Environment: choose one of the defined schemes, then either
double-click it, or click the Apply Scheme button.
56
Once you apply the scheme and
press OK to close the Work
Environment dialog box, your
ArchiCAD program will adjust
itself to reflect the settings you
have stored in that scheme.
Creating an Office-Standard Work Environment
The ability to save and rename any combination of Work
Environment Settings can be useful not only for the individual user,
but also for encouraging consistency among multiple users on a
particular project. CAD managers can create office-standard Work
Environment Profiles and install them as defaults when installing the
ArchiCAD program at multiple workstations.
For more information, see the Getting Started booklet.
Profiles
If you have customized and saved multiple schemes, you may want to
store and apply them together: in this case, combine any of the
schemes into a Profile, and store the Profile under its own name.
Using the ArchiCAD interface, you can export and import Profiles to
use on other computers.
For details on configuring and applying profiles, see “Profile Options” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Profiles themselves do not contain settings; they are just a collection
of schemes. Profiles do not have to contain all six scheme
possibilities. Once you start working, you don’t have to apply entire
profiles at once; you can apply schemes one by one.
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Define and Store a New Profile
To assemble any combination of schemes into a profile, go to
Options > Work Environment and click “Work Environment
Profiles” (the top item in the list at the left.) This opens the Profile
Options dialog page.
Click the “New Profile” command at the right and follow the
instructions for selecting the schemes for the new profile.
For details on configuring and applying profiles, see “Profile Options” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Apply a Profile
1) Go to Options > Work
Environment and click “Work
Environment Profiles” (the
top item in the list at the left.)
This opens the Profile
Options dialog page.
2) From the list of Stored
Profiles, choose the desired
Profile. Double-click to apply
the profile, or click Apply
Schemes of Profile button.
3) Click OK to close the Work Environment dialog box.
Default Profiles in ArchiCAD 12
ArchiCAD 12 is shipped with three default Profiles: Standard,
Visualization and Layouting. When you first start ArchiCAD, the
default Work Environment Profile is set to Standard.
These predefined profiles are designed to get you up and running
with ArchiCAD 12. Naturally, you or your office CAD manager can
reconfigure these profiles as needed.
• The Standard profile is designed to reflect the workflow in
common architectural practice. Menus, commands, palette
layout, and toolbar visibility are optimized to give you easy access
to the tools and functions you need to build up your Virtual
Building. The Standard toolbar and Mini-Navigator toolbar (for
easy switching between windows) are visible, and your Toolbox
displays each tool individually.
• The Layouting Profile places commonly used layouting and
publishing commands within reach. The Layout Book menu now
appears, the Toolbox is minimized to show only the
Documenting tools, and the Navigator/Organizer is located at
the left edge of the screen. Two specialized toolbars are now
visible: “Layouts & Drawings”, and “Standard for Layouting”.
• The Visualization Profile is useful when you reach the stage of
setting up and creating output from 3D images, such as
Fly-Throughs and PhotoRenderings. The 3D Visualization menu
now appears, so that all commands related to the 3D window, 3D
navigation and 3D output are collected in a single menu. The 3D
Visualization toolbar provides quick access to many of these
same commands. In this profile, the Navigator is not displayed,
and the Toolbox displays only Selection and Design tools.
For details on configuring and applying profiles, see “Profile Options” in
ArchiCAD Help.
You can save a Custom scheme as part of a profile, but the Custom
scheme will be given a name when the profile is created.
Schemes named “Custom” cannot be exported.
How to Use Your Personalized
Work Environment Settings on
Another Computer
To make your schemes or profiles available to a network or other
users, or to transfer them to another computer, you can export them.
Use Options > Work Environment > Work Environment Profiles
to export and import profiles to/from folders of your choice. In this
operation, profiles are .xml files which refer to the schemes (also .xml
files) contained within them.
For details, see “Profile Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
Use Options > Work Environment > Scheme Options to export
and import schemes (as .xml files) to/from folders of your choice.

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Configuration

The Scheme Options screen appears in the Work Environment dialog

box if you have selected one of the six scheme sets from the tree
structure at the left side of the dialog box. There is one Scheme
Options page for each of the six schemes.
For details, see “Scheme Options” in ArchiCAD Help.

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INTERACTION
This chapter will introduce you to ArchiCAD’s basic operations. It has
three main sections: Navigation, Editing Concepts, and Techniques.
Navigation
In this section you will learn how to navigate among different
windows and views of the Virtual Building. You will use zooming and
panning techniques to locate and display specific areas of the project,
in both 2D and 3D. You will use the Navigator to move around in the
project structure to reach the window you need.
How to Navigate Among
• go to 3D Window: F3
• go to 3D Window (Perspective): Shift+F3
• go to 3D Window (Axonometry): Ctrl+F3
• go to last Section window: F6
• go to last opened Layout: F7
Navigation Inside the Active Window
The following techniques work in both 2D and 3D windows in ArchiCAD.
For information on special navigation techniques for the 3D window, see
“Navigation in the 3D Window” on page 62.

ArchiCAD Windows Zoom

1) The easiest way to switch You can zoom in on details, or use zoom out to display more
among the different windows elements. The Zoom control on the bottom scrollbar gives you
is to use the maps in the feedback on the current zoom.
Navigator Palette. Just
double-click on the item you
want to see.
2) The predefined To return to Actual Size (zoom at 100%), double-click the Zoom
Mini-Navigator toolbar button.
(available from Windows >
There are several techniques you can use to achieve Zoom effects:
Toolbars) is another way to
quickly switch windows Zoom with Wheel-Mouse
3) Or use the View > Navigate If you have a mouse with a scrolling wheel, use it for zooming in on
hierarchical menu. (or out of) the area where the cursor is located.
Navigation Shortcuts If you don’t have a wheel-mouse, you can still emulate its operation:
First click the Scroll-Zoom button on the bottom scrollbar. Then
You can also use keyboard then click anywhere in the window; move the cursor upwards to
shortcuts to navigate among zoom in, downwards to zoom out. The greater distance you move the
windows: cursor, the greater the scope of the zoom. Click again to activate the
• go to Floor Plan Window: F2 zoom.

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Zoom with Keyboard Set Home Zoom

You can use numeric keypad shortcuts to achieve the scrolling zoom
effect: press the ‘+’ key for zooming in and the ‘-’ key for zooming
out.
Zoom with Scrollbar Buttons
Click the Zoom In or Zoom Out button on the bottom
scrollbar of the active window to activate the corresponding shortcut.
Draw a rectangle around the detail you want to enlarge with the
Zoom In cursor. The area enclosed by the rectangle is enlarged to the
size of the current window. With Zoom Out, the entire current view
is squeezed into the rectangle that you have defined. The operation is
optimized so that no distortion will result.
Note: To double the current magnification or reduction level,
double-click the appropriate icon.
Zoom with Menu Commands
Choose View > Zoom > Zoom In or Zoom Out.
Note: If these commands are not available in the View menu,
you can use Options > Work Environment > Menus to add
them.
For more information, see “Customizing Menus” on page 49.
Draw a rectangle around the detail you want to enlarge with the
Zoom In cursor. The area surrounded by the rectangle- is
enlarged to the size of the current window. With Zoom Out, the
entire current view is squeezed into the rectangle that you have
defined. The operation is optimized so that no distortion will
result.
• Zoom to Selection: Use this command (View > Zoom >
Zoom to Selection) to move in on only selected elements.
• Previous/Next Zoom: If you wish to move one step back from
your previous Zoom In, Zoom Out, Pan, Home Zoom or Fit
in Window operations, you can click its shortcut button in
the bottom scrollbar of the active window. Up to 20 previous
steps are stored. To go to the next zoom, use the Next Zoom
command or shortcut button . the current window size.
If you need to return frequently to a part of your project, you can
define it as the home zoom by choosing the View > Zoom > Set
Home Zoom command. You can return easily to this view by
choosing the View > Zoom > Home Zoom command. This home
zoom is saved with the project.
Save Zooms
You can save different zooms for
further use by clicking the arrow
pop-up button in the bottom
scrollbar of the active window.
The pop-up menu commands
allows you to access, rename and
delete predefined zooms. Home
zooms are not included in the list of saved zooms.
Fit in Window
You can size your view to accommodate all the currently visible
construction elements. This provides a good way to check whether
you have placed something in the far corners of your window by
mistake during numeric input or a multiply operation.
Choose the View > Fit in Window command or click the
corresponding shortcut button on the bottom scrollbar of the
active window.
Listing windows have an additional shortcut in their bottom
scrollbar allowing you to Fit the Width of the generated list to

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Pan
Use the Pan function to scan the worksheet as a whole, usually to
display elements or details that do not fit in the current view. Enable
the Pan function, then move the cursor to “move” the view around in
the window along with the cursor.
• With Pan Button: Click the Pan button on the bottom
scrollbar of the active window. Click into the active worksheet and
pan it by moving the Hand cursor with your mouse. The whole
on-screen area will move, while the current zoom level is preserved.
• If you have a three-button mouse, you can use it for panning by
pressing down the middle button while moving the Hand cursor
over the worksheet.
• With Wheel Mouse: If you have a mouse with a scrolling wheel,
you can use it for panning by pressing the wheel continuously
while moving the Hand cursor over the worksheet.
• With the numeric keypad (Windows only): Press the following
keys: 4 (left), 2 (downwards), 6 (right), 8 (upwards). (Make sure
Numbers Lock is off.) The up/down and left/right keys achieve
the same result.
• With the Navigator Preview Palette
For more information, see “Navigator Preview (2D)” on page 61.
What to Do if Panning Produces “Jumpy” Screen Effect
When panning a large and complex project in a 2D window, you may
experience fits and starts in model display. To remedy this, try
switching among the choices in Options > Work Environment >
Advanced Redraw Options: Model Display in 2D Navigation.
For more information, see “Advanced Redraw Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
Navigator Preview (2D)
The Navigator Preview Palette makes it easier to locate and zoom in on
certain parts of your project, especially when working on larger projects.
For more information, see “The 2D Navigator Preview Palette Controls” in
ArchiCAD Help.
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Interaction
To display the Navigator Preview Palette, click the shortcut button in
the bottom scrollbar of any window ; or use Window >
Palettes > Navigator Preview.
For 2D Windows, the Preview Palette displays a miniature copy of the
entire contents of the current view. The frame inside the Preview
Palette represents the active window at its current zoom. Use this
frame to zoom and pan within the Preview Palette; this has the same
effect as zooming and panning in the active window, while
simultaneously giving you an overview of the entire window contents.
When previewing a 2D window in the Navigator Preview, you have
the following zooming and panning options:
• To change the location of the frame, drag its
enclosed area with the Hand Cursor (this
lets you pan in the active window).
• To change the size of the frame, drag its
sides or corners (this has the effect of
zooming in and out within the active
window).
• At the bottom of the palette, the plus and
minus buttons and a sliding switch are
additional zooming techniques: they allow
you to zoom the current view in and out.
Clicking the buttons increases the zoom
level in about 10% increments.
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Interaction

• At the bottom right corner, a

pop-up menu contains three
options for controlling the Note: The 3D Navigation controls familiar from earlier versions
zooming techniques of the of ArchiCAD can be accessed by choosing Window > Toolbars
Navigator Preview. The default > Classic 3D Navigation toolbar.
is Real-time zoom: as you For more information, see “Classic 3D Navigation Toolbar” in ArchiCAD Help.
move the cursor, the zoom is The 3D Navigation commands are available only in the 3D Window.
adjusted. Auto zoom will
adjust the zoom after you finish
moving the cursor.
Double-click to zoom means
you must double-click or press the Go button at top right to
execute the chosen zoom.
• Use Redraw Preview if you have made changes in the current
window that are not yet reflected in the Navigator Preview.

Navigation in the 3D Window Explore Model (3D Navigation)

Note: For general information on accessing the 3D window, and
how to set up Perspective and Axonometric (Parallel) views, see
“3D Window” on page 167.
The 3D window can be navigated using most of the basic 2D
navigation methods. The keyboard, wheel-mouse, fit in window,
panning and command-based zoom techniques work the same way as
in 2D.
See “Navigation Inside the Active Window” on page 59.
The 3D window also contains unique navigation possibilities for
exploring the model and orbiting around in it. These are described in
the following sections.
Accessing 3D Navigation Commands
Special commands for navigating in 3D are displayed in the 3D
Visualization and the Simple 3D toolbar, and can be assigned shortcuts.
Choose Window > Toolbars > 3D Visualization or Simple 3D to
display these toolbars as needed. If the 3D window is active, its bottom
scrollbar contains icon shortcuts to 3D Navigation commands.
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In Perspective views only, you can
explore the model either by choosing
the View > Explore Model or access
the same command from a toolbar, or from the bottom scrollbar of
the 3D window.
In Explore mode, use the mouse and the arrow keys of the keyboard
for navigation (as when playing a video game on a PC.) When in this
mode, you cannot edit the model or use any of the commands.
The “Fly” option and speed slider also
appear at the bottom of the screen as
long as you are in Explore mode. To exit Explore mode, click with
the left mouse button or use the Esc key.
Note: Exploring the model is optimized for the OpenGL engine.
When choosing the Explore Model command, an informational
dialog box opens to give you a visual prompt on what you can expect
from your various actions with the mouse and the keyboard.
Note: If you don’t need to see this information every time you
enter Explore mode, check Do not show this information next
time at the bottom of the dialog box.
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To enable this or any other dialog box you have marked as “do
not show,” use the Enable all informational messages
command at Options > Work Environment (bottom of menu).
“Rotate” camera in Explore mode
Moving the mouse around will rotate the camera in the
directions indicated by the arrows next to the camera
on the picture above.
“Walk” forward and backward in Explore mode
Pressing the arrow keys, or the W-A-S-D keys, will walk
you forward/backward and laterally in the directions
indicated by the arrows in the picture above. Note that
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Interaction
the Up arrow brings the model closer to you while the Down arrow
moves it further away.
“Fly” around the model
In Explore mode, click “F” for Fly mode. Again, use
the arrow keys or the W-A-S-D keys to move around,
but this time the Fly mode combines the lifting effect
with the rotating and lateral movements to simulate a
walking movement on a horizontal plane or in space.
“Lift” the model up and down
Use the PageUp (shortcut: spacebar) and PageDown
(shortcut: C) keys to simulate a lifting effect.
Speed Up/Slow Down in Explore Mode
Click the Plus and Minus keys on your numeric keypad to change the
speed in which you explore the model. For a temporary speed
increase, press Shift, then release it to return to your basic speed.
Orbit (3D Navigation)
For Orbit mode, choose View > Orbit, or access the same command
from a toolbar or from the bottom scrollbar of the 3D window.
Once you enter Orbit mode, press the left button and drag the mouse
to turn the model around its centerpoint (axonometry) or target point
(perspective).
If you are in Orbit mode, you cannot edit the model. Click ESC to
exit Orbit mode and return to editing mode.
Temporary “Orbit” effects while in editing mode
While in editing mode (not in Orbit mode), you can temporarily
simulate Orbit mode by pressing Shift together with the mouse wheel
to orbit the model. Release the keys to stop orbiting.
This type of temporary Orbit requires the model to be redrawn and
can result in slowed-down navigation.
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Interaction

Navigator Preview (3D)

To display the Navigator Preview Palette, click the shortcut button in
the bottom scrollbar of any window ; or use Window > Palettes
> Navigator Preview.
This palette allows you a quick way to modify your 3D Projections,
whether perspective or parallel (axonometric)
The options of the Navigator Preview depend on whether you are
looking at a Perspective or Axonometric view.
For Perspective 3D views, edit the camera and target positions Or you can change the view cone, using the sliding switch or the
directly by clicking them in the Preview window and dragging them small icons at its ends, in 5 degree increments
to a new location. For Axonometric (parallel)
Note: Make sure that Show from Top is projections, the 3D Navigator
chosen from the pop-up menu in the Preview has two pop-up menus at
Preview’s lower right corner. the bottom right. From the left
button, choose one of the 12
predefined projections to quickly
switch to that view. (These are the
same predefined axonometries
available from 3D Projection
Settings). To customize the
In the image below, we “turn the building projection, use the right-side
around” simply by clicking and dragging the camera represented in pop-up button, then move the
the Navigator Preview Window. small camera icon inside the
Preview window to set up a
custom view.

If you choose Show from Side view from the Preview options
pop-up, you can easily re-set the camera height relative to the stories
of the project: just click in the Navigator Preview and move the
camera up or down.
64
For detailed information, see “The 3D Navigator Preview Palette Controls” in
ArchiCAD Help and “3D Projections” on page 172.
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3Dconnexion Enabler
The 3D connexion Enabler is an add-on functionality that allows you to
use your 3Dconnexion device for navigating in ArchiCAD’s 3D window.
If you are using a 3Dconnexion device, use one of the two options at
View > 3D Navigation Extras > 3Dconnexion:
• Camera mode: Move the device to navigate in the model by
moving the camera position.
• Object mode: As you move the device, the model is moved
accordingly. The camera viewpoint is fixed, while the model moves.
The Navigator Palette
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Interaction
About the Navigator Palette
The Navigator Palette (Navigator) is a tree structure that lets you
build up the entire logical structure of your project and navigate
within it. You can create folders, then copy, drag and drop views and
other project items depending on their particular purpose. The
Navigator also lets you access views and layouts from external
ArchiCAD files and place them into the Layout Book of your current
project. Finally, you can configure the outputs for publication using
Navigator controls.
Important: Operations involving Navigator/Organizer items
(such as drag and drop between Navigator maps, deleting items
from a map, or adding items to the Publisher set) are not added
to the undo queue, and are not undoable.
The Navigator displays the whole project’s tree structure in four
different maps.
• The Project Map provides a tree structure of the components
(viewpoints) of your Virtual Building Model.
• The View Map includes all the predefined and custom-created
Views of the Project File.
• The Layout Book contains the layouts defined for the entire
architectural project.
• The Publisher Sets map is a tree structure in which you define
sets of views for various output purposes (printing, plotting,
saving to a local disk or uploading to the internet or an intranet).
To switch from one map to another, click
among the four buttons at the top of the
Navigator. The palette’s title bar indicates
which map is currently displayed.
The Navigator item currently open in the
window is shown in bold.
The Navigator has special features for shared projects: for more information, see
“View Maps and Publisher Sets in Teamwork” on page 464.
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Interaction
How to Display the Navigator
The Navigator is displayed by default.
If it is hidden, choose Window > Palettes >
Navigator, or click the Navigator icon from the
horizontal scrollbar at the bottom of the
ArchiCAD screen.
Using the Navigator to Open Project
Windows
Double-click the desired item from any map of the Navigator.
By default, ArchiCAD will open the item in existing windows,
replacing the previous view in that window. To open a new view in a
new window instead, use the context menu command from the
Navigator item to be opened.
66
If you would rather open a new window by default each time you
open an additional view or layout (from a menu or by double-clicking
in the Navigator), change the window-opening default preference in
Options > Work Environment > More Options.
Project Workflow in the Navigator
A Viewpoint represents a window onto a particular part of your
project, but its settings have not been saved yet. Viewpoints are listed
in the Navigator Project Map.
A View is a stored version of a Viewpoint; each view is defined by its
adjustable View Settings that you configure for a particular purpose
as you construct your Virtual Building. Every saved view is listed in
the Navigator View Map.
The Navigator Layout Book contains the layouts defined for the
entire architectural project, and can contain Drawings originating
from multiple ArchiCAD project files and other source files. A view
placed on a Layout is called a Drawing.
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Use the Navigator Publisher Sets to set up the items you want to The following diagram summarizes the project workflow as reflected
publish, and set the publishing method and format. Each Publisher in the maps of the Navigator:
item refers directly to a View or to a Layout (in effect, the Publisher
item is a shortcut to the View/Layout).

Organizer Palette (Special Navigator View) The Auto-Hide command is found in the
Navigator/Organizer palette’s context menu
The Organizer is related to the Navigator palette and opened from (right-click in the gray area at the top of either
the Navigator. It houses essentially the same controls, but has a palette.)
double-tree structure to make it easier to move and copy views and Click the desired map icons on both sides of
files from one map to the other. the Organizer to bring up one of the three
To display the Organizer, modes of the Organizer:
choose Window > Palettes > The Organizer’s title bar shows the name of the right-side tree
Organizer, or the Show structure.
Organizer command from the
Project Chooser at top left of
the Navigator.
Both Navigator and Organizer
Palettes have an Auto-Hide feature: if you turn this on, you can use • View Editor mode (Project Map on the left, View Map on the
the Navigator/Organizer as usual, but once you click outside the right): Save views by selecting a viewpoint from the Project Map
palette, it will disappear. and clicking Save view , or drag and drop it into the View Map.

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Note that the Project Map is available only on the left side. Certain
combinations are not possible, and ArchiCAD will always adjust to
one of the three possible Organizer modes. (For example, if you
choose the Publisher on the right, then the left side will switch from
Project Map to View Map, because you cannot place items directly
from the Project Map to the Publisher.)
It is possible to have the same map open on both sides of the
Organizer; this enables you to make copies of items within a single
map.
When you click any item in the Navigator/Organizer, its preview is
displayed in the Navigator Preview palette (if applicable).
Double-clicking the item activates the corresponding window.
For more information on the Navigator/Organizer interface, see Navigator
Palette Controls and “Organizer Palette Controls” in ArchiCAD Help.

Navigator Color Codes

A color-coding system makes it easier for you to identify items in the
Navigator palette.
• Items of the Project Map are colored orange.

• Layout Editor mode (Layout Map on the right): Place Drawings

onto Layouts in the Layout Book by selecting a view from the
Project or View Map (on the left), then clicking Place Drawing,
or drag and drop it onto a Layout (on the right).
• Publisher (Publisher on the Right): To add a view or layout (on
the left) to a Publisher set (on the right), select a view or layout
and click Add Shortcut. • Items of the View Map are colored yellow.
If you select a Subset in the Layout Map, the Add Shortcut
button will create a folder in the Publisher Set which corresponds
to that Subset: if you change or add items in the original subset,
the Publisher Set folder will reflect these changes automatically.
However, if you drag and drop a Subset into the Publishing Set, a
folder is created, but this folder is not linked to any subsequent
modifications to the Subset.

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• Items of the Layout Map • Info

are colored white. • Help
• In Teamwork mode, Double-click a viewpoint to open it in the project. Once you save a
public View Map and viewpoint’s settings, it becomes a view (listed in your View Map) and
Layout Book items that can then be placed onto a Layout for editing.
you haven’t shared yet by
sending and receiving At the top level of the project map hierarchy, the house icon
changes are colored represents the project and is followed by the project name. (The
green . project gets a name once you save the project file, but if you assign a
Project Name in File > Info > Project Info, that is the name that
• In Teamwork mode, items belonging to other team members will be shown in the Navigator.)
include a head icon .
Below, folders store the available viewpoints of the project (one
Navigator Project Map folder named for each type of viewpoint). Project Map folders are a
fixed list of item types; you cannot add or delete folders here. You can
The Project Map provides a tree structure display the contents of each folder by clicking the plus sign in front of
of the components (viewpoints) of your it (in Windows) or the little arrow (in MacOS). In Windows,
Virtual Building Model. double-clicking the folder icon or name also opens the folder.
For details on Project Map controls, see “Project The Stories folder contains all the Stories defined for the project.
Map Controls” in ArchiCAD Help. When you first start a new project, your Stories folder contains three
items, whose names will vary depending on the local version of
A Viewpoint represents a window onto
ArchiCAD being used.
a particular part of your project, but its
settings have not been saved yet. The The Sections, Elevations, Interior Elevations, Worksheets,
Project Map Viewpoints are: Details and 3D Documents folders contain the list of
corresponding windows. If there is no plus sign in front of a folder,
• Stories
this means that no such viewpoint has been created yet in the project.
• Sections
The Detail, Section, Elevation and
• Elevations Worksheet viewpoints have different
• Interior Elevations icons depending on the type of
viewpoint (e.g. Independent;
• Worksheets Independent with Marker, etc.).
• Detail Drawings The 3D folder contains five types of
• 3D Documents elements for the various projection
• 3D and camera types.
• Schedules • By default, two items are
present on starting the project:
• Project Indexes Generic Perspective and
• Lists Generic Axonometry.

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• When you place Cameras in the Project, their names appear in

the 3D folder of the Project Map, grouped under the Path. The
Path can be renamed in the Camera Settings dialog box, and
more Paths can be added. All these additions and changes are
updated in the Project Map.
• Creating a VR Object-type Camera automatically adds its name
to the Project Map. All the created VR Object type Cameras are Double-clicking any of the items of the Project Map activates the
listed one by one. corresponding window and shows its contents with its last used zoom
• Creating a new VR Scene automatically adds its name to the and display settings. (These zoom and display settings can be checked
Project Map. Placed panoramic Cameras’ names appear below in the Quick Options palette.)
the name of the VR Scene, and more Scenes can be added. All For more information, see “Quick Options Palette” on page 74.
changes are updated in the Project Map. When you have set up the viewpoint settings as desired, you can save
The Schedules folder contains the interactive schedules (Elements it as a view. Remember, a viewpoint’s settings change along with edits
and Components) created as part of the project documentation that in the window.
will serve as a basis for ordering doors, windows, and other
construction elements from the manufacturers and for checking the
consistency of elements based on a set of criteria.
The Project Indexes folder contains three sets of table of contents
type items. Project indexes include view list indexes, layout sheet
indexes and drawing list indexes based on a set of filtering criteria.
For more information, see “Project Indexes” on page 217.
The Lists folder contains three items: Elements, Components and
Zones. When opened, all three show the list of predefined list
schemes available for the project. All these items also appear in the
Document > Schedules and Lists menu.
For more information, see “Calculation” on page 449.
The Info folder contains two items: Project Notes and Report.
They represent the corresponding windows also available from the
Window menu.
For more information, see “Project Notes” in ArchiCAD Help and “Report
Window” in ArchiCAD Help.
If you click an item with the right mouse button, a set of relevant
commands appear in a context menu (for example story-related
commands for Stories or 3D-related commands for Perspectives).

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Navigator View Map Creating a Cloned Folder in the View Map

Cloning a folder means that you recreate a Project
With the second button in the Map folder inside the View Map. To do this, click
Navigator Palette, you will display the the Clone Folder at the bottom of the View Map.
Navigator View Map: the list of saved This opens the Clone a Folder dialog box.
Views available in your project file.
For details on View Map controls, see “View
Map Controls” in ArchiCAD Help.
A View is a stored version of a
Viewpoint; each view is defined by its
adjustable View Settings that you
configure for a particular purpose as
you construct your Virtual Building.
Every saved view is listed in the
Navigator Palette’s View Map. The
Properties section at the bottom of
the View Map provides feedback on
the settings of the selected view. To
modify view settings, select the view
and click Settings at the bottom of the
View Map to access the View Settings
dialog box. Views can be created within
the active project or imported from
other ArchiCAD projects.
For more information, see “Saving a View”
on page 73 and “View Settings Dialog Box”
in ArchiCAD Help.
See also “Managing View Maps in Teamwork” on page 464.
In the View Map, several view folders are predefined; you can rename
or delete these, and add new folders as needed.To gain an overview of
View Map items or to sort them by criteria, use the Project Index
function.
For more information, see “Project Indexes” on page 217.
Choose the folder to clone from the list at the top of the dialog box.
Even if the project content changes, the settings of your saved views - The rest of the controls are identical to those of the View Settings
will remain unchanged unless you expressly modify them. dialog box. The settings you define here will be applied to the views
Note: You can create a dynamic connection between project of the cloned folder. Click Clone to create the cloned folder.
viewpoints and views if you clone a folder. For more information, see “View Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
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The resulting cloned folder in the View Map will be identified by a Views in Cloned View Map folders:
special “clone” folder icon , rather than a regular folder icon.
Another way to create a clone is to drag the folder from the Project
Map to the View Map, using Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Opt+Cmd
(MacOS) within the Organizer’s View Editor. The result of cloning a
folder is that for each new viewpoint you create in the Project Map, a
counterpart new view will be created in its cloned folder in the View
Map. For example, if you have cloned the Project Map’s Stories
folder, then the cloned folder in View Map will always show all
Stories of the Project, even new ones added after the creation of the
clone folder. Moreover, the newly created views in the cloned folder
will be assigned View Settings that are defined for the clone folder.
The following two diagrams illustrate the difference between views in
regular folders in the View Map (which are not affected by changes in
the Project Map structure), and views in cloned folders in the View
Map (whose contents change in tandem with changes in the Project
Map viewpoints.)

Views in regular View Map folders:

When you create a clone, the Clone a Folder dialog box lets you
define view settings for all the views in the cloned folder.

Setting up a View
To set up a new view, open the project in the appropriate window
(Floor Plan, Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, Detail,
Worksheet, 3D, Interactive Schedule, or List) and adjust any or all of
its settings as needed. For example, you can change the scale and layer
combination to fit your output needs, in one of the following ways:
• in the active window, using the usual editing commands
• changing the options of the Quick Options Palette, which always
show the settings of the currently active (frontmost) window
For more information, see “Quick Options Palette” on page 74.
• in the Organizer, using the “View Settings and Storing Options”
at the bottom of the Project Map
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View Settings Stored with the View • Dimensions

The View Settings of each view are accessible in the View Settings
dialog box.
• Zooming
• Image Settings (for 3D Window views): these include 3D
projection settings (including zooming), filtered elements in 3D,
3D window settings, 3D cutting planes, 3D Cutaway and
PhotoRendering Settings.
• Existing selection (3D only)

Saving a View
To save the view, do one of the following:
• Use the Organizer to drag and drop the viewpoint from the
Project Map into the View Map. The current settings are saved as
view settings.
• Click the Save Current view button at the bottom of the View
Map. (The View Settings dialog box appears, allowing you to
modify the settings before saving the view.)

See “View Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

Once you save the view, it will store the combination of the following
settings:
• Layer Combination
• Scale
• Structure Display
• Pen Set
• Model View Option Combination • Select the Viewpoint in the Project map, then right-click and
• Floor Plan Cut Plane execute the Save Current View command. (The View Settings

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Interaction
dialog box appears, allowing you to modify the settings before
saving the view.)
• Drag and drop the viewpoint from the Project Map into the
Layout Book. The current settings are saved as view settings.The
new view will appear both in the View Map and in the Layout
Book.
• Use the Save View and Place on Layout command, available in
the active window’s context menu, the item’s context menu in the
Navigator/Organizer, and as a command in the Document
menu. The current settings are saved as view settings.The new
view will appear both in the View Map and in the Layout Book.
Modifying View Settings
To change the settings of an already saved view, open the View
Settings dialog box and make any changes needed. Or click Get
Current Window’s Settings to overwrite the original view settings
with the current viewpoint settings (i.e. those of the active window).
If you have opened a saved view from the View Map, and if, while
working in the active window, you have changed any of its View
Settings, a triangular yellow “warning” icon will appear at the bottom
of the Navigator, next to the changed settings, alerting you that “The
settings in the frontmost window no longer correspond to the
original view settings.” For example, the image below indicates that
the current window’s zoom and layer settings are different than in the
saved view.
74
If you wish, you can save the current window settings as a view: Click
Settings to open the View Settings dialog box, then click Get Current
Window’s Settings.
See “View Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Quick Options Palette
The Quick Options Palette displays the current settings of the active
(frontmost) window:
The current window settings as reflected in
Quick Options are the currently effective
project settings, but they have not necessarily
been saved as part of any view; they merely
provide feedback on what you are currently
seeing in the active window, and offer a quick
way to apply changes among these settings.
For more information, see “Quick Options Palette
Controls” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Quick Options Palette is displayed by default at the lower right
corner of your screen. (You may have to drag the palette to a new
position or stretch it to see all six of the Quick Options.)
To hide/show this palette, use Windows > Palettes > Quick
Options Palette or the corresponding button in the bottom
scrollbar of the model window.
Navigator Layout Book
The Layout Book contains the layouts defined for the entire
architectural project, and can contain Drawings originating from
multiple ArchiCAD project files and other source files. A view placed
on a Layout is called a Drawing. You can view the list of layouts in
two formats: Tree by Subset or Tree by Master.
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Tree by Subset (the default display) lists layouts according to the in the Publisher are the output format and related options (these are
Subsets you have created - a freely defined logic. (The primary accessible in the Format panel at the bottom of the Publisher).
function of Subsets is to enable you to assign a customized
numbering system. See “Subsets” on page 426.) Tree by Master lists
the Layouts in categories according to its Master Layout.
See “Master Layouts” on page 425.
At the bottom of the Layout Book,
the Properties section displays the
settings of the current Layout, some
of which are editable directly. To
access the Layout Settings of the
selected Layout placed Drawing,
click the Settings button at the
bottom of the Layout Book.
Drawings are accompanied by icons
that correspond to their file type.
Views imported from ArchiCAD
project files retain their icons (for
example, floor plan or detail) but
are shown in white.
For more information on creating and
outputting Layouts, see “The Layout
Book” on page 422.

Navigator Publisher
Use this map of the .
Navigator/Organizer to set up the
items you want to publish, and set You define Publisher sets by simply dragging and dropping any
the publishing method and format. combination of items from the View Map or the Layout Book.
You can access this palette from Publisher sets are stored with the project, so you can access them any
either the Navigator or the Document > Publisher > Publish time, adjust settings if needed, and re-publish them.
menu command.
By clicking the Publish button, you can publish a single set or all
Each Publisher item refers directly to a View or to a Layout (in effect, defined publishing sets or even selected views.
the Publisher item is a shortcut to the View/Layout). The View or
See “Publisher Function” on page 442.
Layout Properties of the item are displayed at the bottom of the
Publisher, but are not editable. The only additional settings controlled

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External Projects in the Navigator
The Project Chooser pop-up menu at
top left lists, first of all, the “active”
ArchiCAD project which you are
working on. By default, it is this
project whose tree structure appears
in the Navigator and on the left side
of the Organizer.
To access the tree structure (View
Map and Layout Book) of any other
ArchiCAD project, click the Browse command. The tree structure of
the “running” project you choose here will now be shown in the
Navigator, and its name is listed in the Project Chooser.
To open the external project in the ArchiCAD window, double-click
any of its items in the Navigator.
To place layouts or views from an external ArchiCAD projects onto a
Layout of the active project:
• Make sure you have a Layout open (the Layout onto which you
want to place a view or Layout from an external project).
• Click the Browse command in the Project Chooser.
• Choose an ArchiCAD project whose content you want to use in
the active project.
• Click Open.
The external project is now displayed in a tree structure on the left
side of the Organizer, in one of two available map options (View Map
or Layout Book). You can add any of its views or layouts to the
76
Layout Book of the active project by dragging and dropping it directly
onto the Layout, or dragging the item into the Layout Book tree
structure on the right side of the Organizer.
Project Chooser
Projects accessed in the Navigator/Organizer are listed in the Project
Chooser (the pop-up menu at the top left of the
Navigator/Organizer) as follows:
• Active: Your current project.
• Linked: An external project from which you have already added
a view or layout to the active project.
• Running: An external project which you have accessed and
browsed as a separate instance of ArchiCAD.
Also in the Project Chooser, you can show the Navigator or
Organizer, and display the Drawing Manager.
Editing Concepts
To aid you in editing the elements of your Virtual Building,
ArchiCAD has built-in interface features that give you constant
feedback as you edit.
• Selection methods and related feedback ensure that you lose no
time in choosing the right element to edit.
• The Coordinate System ensures that you always find the exact
location for placing and editing elements.
• The intelligent cursor gives you feedback as you draw, so that you
avoid drafting mistakes and join elements properly.
• Setting up your grids is another way of ensuring that element
placement is exact.
• Keyboard shortcuts and context-sensitive Pet Palettes make it
easy to reach the commands you need while editing.
The following sections provide details on all of these editing
concepts.
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Selecting Elements
With the Arrow tool active: Point at the desired element and click; or
drag the mouse to draw a rectangle around the element you want to
select.
With any other tool active: Press Shift, then point at the desired
element and click; or drag the mouse to draw a rectangle around the
element you want to select.
For more information on cursor shapes, see “The Intelligent Cursor” on page 82.
Select All Elements (in Window or in Marquee)
To select all elements on screen (either in the entire window or inside
a previously defined Marquee area) with the Arrow or Marquee Tool
active, use the Ctrl/Cmd+A shortcut or the Edit > Select All
command.
Note: Select All will only select elements on the currently
displayed story.
Select All Elements of a Single Type
To select all elements of a single type (for example, all Walls, or all
Windows), activate the corresponding tool, then use the Ctrl+A
shortcut.
To learn about additional Arrow tool selection options, see “Select Multiple
Elements Using a Selection Rectangle/Polygon” on page 78.
To learn how to highlight an element before selecting it, see “Element Information
Highlight” on page 80.
Select Elements Based on Multiple Criteria
Use the Find and Select function to select elements defined by a wide
variety of criteria.
See “Find and Select Elements by Criteria” on page 84.
Add/Remove Elements to/from Selection
You can add elements to the selection by shift-clicking them.
Shift-clicking an already selected element will deselect it.
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Quick Selection of Surface Areas
Quick Selection is the easiest way to select single elements which have
a surface area (such as slabs and roofs).
To activate Quick Selection as the
default working mode, turn on the Quick
Selection icon in the Arrow tool’s Info Box.
Now, to use Quick Selection, either the Arrow tool must be active, or
you must press the Shift key.
Move the cursor over any surface of the element you want to select.
You will note that every time the cursor hovers over a selectable
element, it will change shape . Click to select.
As shown in this image, you need only move the cursor over any part
of the roof area; (if the Arrow tool is not active, press Shift to change
to the Quick Select cursor), and click to select the roof.
Quick Selection works on all construction and text elements, fills and
objects.
To temporarily suspend the Quick Selection method while the icon
is activated, press the Spacebar with the Arrow Tool active, or
Shift-spacebar if any other tool is active.
Quick Selection is active by default, but it can be deactivated in the
Arrow tool’s Info Box by releasing the button.
To use Quick Selection on a temporary basis (while the Quick
Selection icon is deactivated in the Arrow Tool’s Info Box), press
Spacebar with the Arrow Tool active (or Shift+Spacebar with any
other Tool).
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Interaction
Click and Drag with Quick Selection
With the Arrow Tool and Quick Selection active, you can drag any
element by clicking on it and holding down the button while you drag
it, without having to use the Drag command. (With any other tool
active, press Shift, then click and drag.)
Note: All selected elements will be dragged simultaneously.
Select Multiple Elements Using a Selection
Rectangle/Polygon
A useful method for selecting multiple elements is by drawing a
selection polygon or rectangle around the items. These will be
explicitly selected items, displaying selection dots. To use this method,
activate the Arrow tool and a geometry method for the selection
rectangle/polygon.
Note: To select an area instead of explicitly selecting elements,
use the Marquee tool as detailed at Marquee Area.
Click on the screen and draw the selection rectangle/polygon.
This will select all the elements inside the area and deselect all other
currently selected elements. If you keep the Shift key pressed,
enclosed elements will be added to the selection while already
selected ones will be subtracted from it.
If you want to use a selection rectangle or polygon within a
quick-selectable area, press the spacebar to temporarily suspend
Quick Selection, then draw the selection polygon - keeping the
spacebar pressed.
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Selection Methods for Selection Rectangle/Polygon
The Arrow tool’s Info Box offers a number
of selection methods when using a
rectangular or polygonal shape.
With the first (default) Selection Method
any element that has at least one of its nodes, edges or curves in
the selection polygon or rectangle will become selected.
• With the second method , only elements that are entirely
within the selection polygon or rectangle will become selected.
Area Shape Options for Selection Rectangle/Polygon
In the Arrow tool’s Info Box, you can choose among three selection
area shapes.
The options are Polygonal, Rectangular and
Rotated Rectangular.
Double-clicking while drawing the polygon
automatically closes it if at least two segments have already been
defined manually. The double-clicked point becomes the last apex of
the polygon.
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Selection of Overlapping Elements

When the nodes of several elements overlap at a single point, the
Element Information Highlight indicates which element will be selected,
and the Element Information Pop-up (Info Tags) shows its type and main
properties.
Note: The element information highlight pops up if the cursor is
over any element (with Arrow Tool active). If any other tool is
active, press Shift to see the element information highlight.
To cycle the highlight among multiple elements which overlap or join,
press Tab until the desired target element is highlighted. When you
are satisfied that the appropriate element will be selected, click with
the cursor.

In the case of GDL Object type elements, the number of selection

dots depends on the number of hotspots defined in the object.

Selection Feedback
Selection Dots
Explicitly selected elements display selection dots (or reference
points). Selection dots represent the points of the element by which
you can modify the element.
Note: Elements selected by Marquee do not display selection
dots.
For more information, see “Marquee Area” on page 85. Selection Dot Variations
The location of the selection dots depends on the type and the Single elements have small solid selection dots
geometry of the element. which are black by default.
To change the color of selection dots, use the color
chooser in Options > Work Environment >
Selection and Element Information.

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Editable selection dots are diamond-shaped and appear on

objects whose parameters can be edited using an on-screen
parameter palette.
For more information, see “Graphical Editing Using Editable Hotspots” on page
318.
Grouped elements display larger circles, whose color
is automatically assigned.

Elements that belong to a Hotlinked Module or an

XREF are shown with hollow squares, whose color is
automatically defined. Even if you leave the Selection Highlight function on, you may want
to disable it temporarily - for example, if you want to see the actual
display colors of lines and fills. To suspend Selection highlight, use
Locked elements’ selection the Ctrl/Alt + spacebar shortcut.
dots appear in faded form.
Note: Surface highlights in 3D are available only when using the
Elements are locked (and
OpenGL 3D engine.
display “locked” selection dots) in four cases:
• The element is placed on a locked Layer.
• The element has been explicitly locked with the Edit > Locking
> Lock command.
• In a shared Project (Teamwork), the element is outside your own
workspace.
• The elements belong to a Hotlinked Module or an XREF.
In all cases, locked elements can be selected, but they cannot be
edited. (You will be informed of this if you try to edit a locked
element.) You can open the settings dialog boxes of these elements,
but you cannot edit their parameters. For more information, see “Selection and Element Information” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Selection Highlight
Selected elements will be shown with a distinguishing highlight, in Element Information Highlight
addition to selection dots. Selection highlight color (for both element
surfaces and their contours) are configurable in Options > Work ArchiCAD helps you identify elements by highlighting them before
Environment > Selection and Element Information, or you can you select them (also known as “element detection”). Just place the
turn off selection highlights altogether. cursor on an element node or edge, then press Shift.

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Note: If the Arrow tool is active, the highlight appears on its
own, without your having to press Shift.
When working in 3D, you will notice that the informational highlight
acts on the entire outline of the element, that is, even hidden lines of
its contour are shown. Grouped elements are highlighted individually.
Element information highlights can be configured, or even turned off
entirely, in the Options > Work Environment > Selection and
Element Information dialog box.
For more information, see “Selection and Element Information” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Element Information highlights also work when clicking to
dimension an element, and with the Parameter transfer functions
(Pick Up Parameters and Inject Parameters commands): the
information highlight appears along with the eyedropper/syringe
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cursors right before you complete the parameter transfer. You do not
need to press Shift to see the element detection highlight with
Parameter Transfer.
For more information, see “Parameter Transfer” on page 139.
Note: These highlights (identifying related elements for
Parameter Transfer and Dimensioning functions) will appear if
the “Highlight contours of related element(s)” checkbox is active
in Options > Work Environment > Selection and Element
Information. For these highlights, you need not press Shift.
Element Information Pop-up (Info
Tags)
If you move the cursor over an element and press Shift, an element
information pop-up appears.
Note: If the Arrow tool is active, the element information
pop-up appears on its own (along with the highlight), without
your having to press Shift.
The Element Information Pop-up displays the following information:
• The element’s type
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Interaction

• The element’s basic properties (structural fill for Walls, name for • Heavy Mercedes on the reference line of a wall or the
Objects, thickness for Slabs, type for Lines, and so on) reference axis of a beam.
• The element’s elevation (for 3D shapes only) • Light Mercedes at any other edge of any element.
• The element’s Layer • Intersection at an intersection of edges.
• In 3D and Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document windows,
the Story the element belongs to.
• In Teamwork, the owner of the element.
Some additional information is displayed in the bottom section of the
pop-up:
• If more than one element has a selectable part at the given
location (node, edge, or surface if Quick Selection is active), the
caption Multiple Elements (TAB) is shown in the Info Tag to
inform you that you can cycle through selected and selectable
elements by hitting the TAB key as many times as needed.
See also “Selection of Overlapping Elements” on page 79.
• If the element is selected, the mention (Selected) appears in
brackets.
Element information highlights, including the time interval before it
appears on screen, can be configured in the Options > Work
Environment > Selection and Element Information dialog box.
For more information, see “Selection and Element Information” in ArchiCAD
Help.

The Intelligent Cursor

The following section describes the various shapes of the intelligent
cursor in different locations and situations in the project.
The ArchiCAD cursor takes on the following shapes when drafting
or editing elements, with any tool except the Arrow tool active:
• Crosshair in an empty area in the window.
• Heavy Checkmark at a wall node on its reference line or a
beam node at its reference axis. When you click to start drawing an element whose definition requires
• Light Checkmark at any other node/hotspot of any more than a single spot, the cursor’s shape changes to an empty
element.

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pencil. It then changes its shape again depending on whether it

encounters other elements. The possibilities are as follows:
• White pencil in an empty space or over any element where
there is no hotspot or edge
• Striped pencil with black top at a wall’s reference line or a
beam’s reference axis.
• Striped pencil at any other edge.
• Filled pencil at a node on a wall’s reference line or on a
beam’s reference axis.
• Filled pencil with white top at any other node or hotspot.
• Pencil point with intersection at an intersection of edges.
• Pencil point with perpendicular sign at a perpendicular
edge.
• Pencil point with tangent sign at a tangential edge.

When using the Arrow tool, the following shapes are available:
• Arrow at empty area in the window.
• Quick Selection (Magnet) appears whenever you move the
cursor onto a quick-selectable item.
• Arrow with Heavy Checkmark snaps to nodes on
reference lines of Walls and reference axes of Beams.
• Arrow with Light Checkmark snaps to Hotspots and
nodes other than the ones on reference lines of Walls and
reference axes of Beams.
• Arrow with Heavy Mercedes snaps to reference lines of
Walls and reference axes of Beams.
• Arrow with Light Mercedes snaps to edges other than
reference lines of Walls and reference axes of Beams.
• Arrow with Intersection snaps to an intersection of edges.
• Arrow with Perpendicular sign snaps perpendicularly to an
edge or arc while dragging an element

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• Arrow with Tangent sign snaps tangentially to an arc while • Hammer places Dimension chains, Angular Dimensions,
dragging an element. the Elevation Dimension array, Zone Stamps and Fill areas; it
also appears when closing polygons.
Some cursor shapes only appear in special situations:
• Trident moves Marquee area or the Clipboard contents after
• Cloud indicates empty space over the horizon in perspective pasting.
views.
During a dimensioning operation:
• Magic Wand used for tracing the contours of existing elements
for creating new elements with the active tool. It has three • Magnet plus dimension-line icon: In a 3D Document, after
different shapes for identifying nodes , edges and empty clicking the points to be dimensioned, this cursor allows you to
choose the plane in which to dimension the clicked elements.
space (including surfaces).
• Mercedes plus parallel dimension icon: During a linear
• Scissors trims elements (hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key while dimensioning operation using Any Direction, allows you to
clicking on an element). The Black Scissors appear on top choose a line or edge. The dimension will be created parallel to
of element edges, while the White Scissors indicate empty this clicked line/edge.
space.
• Eyeball defines the direction of Roof ’s slope, the side that
remains selected when splitting elements, the depth of Limited
Deselecting Elements
Sections and the orientation of Doors/Windows. It is also used To deselect one or more selected elements, do one of the following:
to set the position of curved walls and Curtain Walls placed with • Press Esc.
the tangential method, when more than one placement
possibility exists. • Click with any tool (including the Arrow) on an empty part of the
worksheet to deselect all the selected elements at once.
• Double Eyeball locates position of edge-placed
• Click a selected element while holding down the Shift key.
Door/Window.
• With the Arrow tool active, hold down the Shift key, and click or
• Sun appears during Curtain Wall input to define the draw a selection rectangle around the elements you want to
“outside” part of the Curtain Wall. deselect.
• Eyedropper appears when picking up parameters from an
element as part of Parameter Transfer shortcut. Find and Select Elements by
• Syringe appears when transferring parameters of one
element to another as part of Parameter Transfer shortcut. Criteria
• Plus when dragging, rotating or mirroring a copy of an Choose the Edit > Find & Select command to select and deselect
element. elements based on a wide variety of criteria.
• Double-Plus when dragging or rotating multiple copies of
an element. Edit Selection Set
• Fill Handle prompts you to draw a vector orientation after a The Edit Selection Set command from Edit > Element Settings
fill is placed. opens a dialog box which makes it possible to edit specific attributes

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(layers and pencolors) for a collection of dissimilar element types
simultaneously without affecting any other settings of these elements.
For details, see “Edit Selection Set Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Store and Access Selection Sets
Use the Window > Palettes > Selections palette to recall previously
saved, frequently accessed sets of selections that are stored with the
Project.
Marquee Area
About Marquee Areas
The Marquee tool is used to define areas for selection, editing
and visualization purposes. The capabilities of the Marquee tool
complement those of the Arrow tool, and are particularly useful in
selecting and moving groups of ArchiCAD elements.
A Marquee area does not
display selection dots on the
included elements; the
marqueed area is shown by a
dashed line of “marching
ants.” The color of the
Marquee is the same as that of Selection dots: set this color at
Options > Work Environment > Selection and Element Information
> Selection Dots and Marquee color.
Marquee selection is often used when:
• You wish to define a smaller area in which to select all of the
elements of a given type.
• You want to visualize a particular part of the design in 3D.
• You need to move or resize a number of elements of different
types at the same time: for example, you can stretch all polygonal
and linear elements of a building simultaneously.
The Marquee tool is available in the Floor Plan, the 3D Window,
Section/Elevation/Interior Elevation windows, 3D Document,
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Detail and Worksheet windows, Layout windows, and the 2D Symbol
window of GDL Objects. In image-type windows (PhotoRendering
or picture windows) or the GDL Object’s 3D view, the only operation
available for a marquee selection is Copy.
To use the Marquee tool for selection and editing, you must first
define a rectangular or polygonal Marquee area. All construction aids
are available.
• If you inadvertently start to draw the Marquee area at an
unintended point, press Esc (or the Cancel button in the Control
Box).
• If you click a node or an edge inside the Marquee area, with the
Marquee tool active, the cursor will assume the Checkmark or
Mercedes shape. If you then move the cursor, the Marquee area
will be moved with all the nodes or edges included in it.
• All polygonal or linear elements with a node included in the
Marquee area can be stretched simultaneously.
For a detailed description, see “Modifying Element Sizes” on page 123 and
“Moving Elements” on page 113.
• If you click inside the Marquee area without touching a node or
an edge, the cursor will assume the Trident shape. In this
case, moving the cursor will only move the marquee, leaving all
enclosed elements unchanged.
Select All Elements in a Marquee
To select all elements inside a previously defined Marquee area with
the Marquee Tool active, use the Ctrl/Cmd+A shortcut or the Edit >
Select All in Marquee command.
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Interaction

Use Marquee in Find&Select

If you have placed a Marquee, then the Find & Select includes the
Marquee criterion automatically. You can then opt to search either
inside or outside the Marquee.
See “Find and Select Elements by Criteria” on page 84.

• The Polygonal method defines a Marquee area consisting of any

number of segments. Completing a segment automatically begins
the next one. Close the Marquee by double-clicking the last
endpoint, by clicking OK in the context menu to close the
polygon, or by drawing the last endpoint on top of the first one
Marquee Area Definition Options and clicking when the Hammer cursor appears. At least two
segments must be defined manually, since the area must have a
The Marquee tool has two definition methods minimum of three sides. Only straight segments are possible.
available in the Info Box.
• With the thin dashed line contour representing
the Single Floor method , you can select
elements on the current Story.
• With the thick dashed line contour representing the All Floors
method , you can select elements on all the Stories of the
Project.
Note: These controls are dimmed when not viewing the Floor
Plan.
To draw a Marquee, select the Marquee tool from the Toolbox.
Choose one of the Geometry Methods from the Info Box. (If you are
working in the 3D Window, four options are available; otherwise
there are three options). • The Rectangle method defines a Marquee rectangle at right
angles to the window. After the first click, a rubberband line
rectangle will follow the cursor, allowing you to see the area.
After the second click at the diagonally opposed corner, the
Marquee rectangle will appear.

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• The Rotated Rectangle

method defines a
Marquee rectangle placed
at any angle. You first
draw one side of the
rectangle with two clicks,
and then, with a third
click, you define the
length of the
perpendicular sides.
• The first three methods available in the 3D Window are
extensions of the Polygonal, Rectangle and Rotated
Rectangle methods. First the base of the marquee area is
defined with the same steps as on the Floor Plan. (In perspective
view, the marquee base must be underneath the horizon.) Then For more information, see “Copy/Paste Marquee Area from Project Window”
you define the height of the selected space. The coordinate axes on page 88.
are continuously present on screen to help you.
View Marquee Area in 3D
You can use the Marquee to view a selected area of your project in the
3D window.
Define the Marquee area, then use the View > Elements in 3D
View > Show Selection/Marquee in 3D command; or select the
same command from the context menu.
Any part of an element that falls inside the Marquee area will be
included in the 3D view, even if there is no selection node or hotspot
on this part of the element.
Note: If your plan includes both explicitly selected elements and
a marquee selection, this command will disregard the marquee
and show only the explicitly selected elements.
To further define how Marqueed elements are shown in 3D, use the
“Marquee Effects” controls of the View > Elements in 3D View >
Filter Elements in 3D dialog box.
For more information, see “Show Marquee Area in 3D” on page 168.
• The fourth option (3D window only) allows you to draw a 2D
marquee in order to copy elements from the 3D Window in the
form of pictures.

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Removing a Marquee If you are copying from

the 3D window using
To remove a drawn Marquee area, do one of the following: the Internal Engine, a
• Press Esc. dialog box appears
during the Copy
• Click with the right mouse button or Ctrl-click (MacOS), and operation giving you
choose the Remove Marquee command in the appearing options for how the
context menu. image will be displayed
• Begin drawing a new Marquee. on the screen.
• Double-click on the worksheet outside the marquee area with the For more information, see “Copy
Marquee tool selected. Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
If you have explicitly selected further elements within the Marquee, Note: If you are copy-pasting construction elements, they will be
pressing Esc will deselect these elements in reverse order, and finally placed as 2D elements (points, lines and fills.)
remove the Marquee. You may find that the “exploded” 2D elements generated from
If you choose another tool, the Marquee area will not be removed, in the model often contain superfluous elements (extra line
order to save the recent Marquee area for further use. segments, overlapping or superfluous fills) that make such
editing difficult. To make editing easier, use the The Linework
Copy/Paste Marquee Area from Project and Fill Consolidation functions on selected items in the
window.
Window For more information, see “Consolidating Lines and Fills in Drawing Windows”
You can use the Marquee tool to copy and paste an area of the 3D on page 153.
Window, a Section/Elevation/IE or 3D Document window, or a 4) Move to the Floor Plan and choose Edit > Paste.
Model Picture Window.
Note: You can paste into other 2D model windows, but the
1) Generate the view you need. pasted elements will behave as 2D drawing elements only, not
2) Use the Marquee tool to model elements.
select the area you wish to 5) Position the image on your Floor Plan using the Trident cursor.
copy (if you are selecting
from the 3D window, make 6) Click outside the selection rectangle to complete the operation.
sure that the 2D Marquee - Elevations are pasted to the Floor Plan as full-sized 2D
option is active). elements.
3) Choose Edit > Copy. - Parts of Model Pictures are pasted as screenshots.
If you are copying from the 3D window using the OpenGL
engine, all images will be pasted in pixel format. Copy Cropped Image File with Marquee Tool
You can insert a cropped part of any image file into your ArchiCAD
plan.

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• With your ArchiCAD project file open, open any image format
file.
• Click and drag (only the Marquee tool is available) to select the
desired image area, then copy it to the clipboard.
• Close the image file, then paste the clipboard contents into the
open project.
You can modify it like any other figure.
For more information, see “Figures” on page 386.

Other Editing Operations within the

Drag or Stretch Multiple Elements Using
Marquee
Draw a Marquee area around the linear, polygonal and circular
elements you wish to drag or stretch.
• Elements entirely within the Marquee will be dragged to the
new position. (See illustration below.)
• Elements with at least one node within the Marquee area but
partly outside of the Marquee will be stretched as you move the
Marquee.
With the Marquee tool active, click on one of the elements’ hotspots
and drag/stretch to a new location. In the following illustration, the
Marquee tool is used to drag two sofas and a table from one room to
another all at once.
Marquee
If you wish to Cut, Copy, Clear, Drag, Mirror, Rotate, Elevate or
Duplicate elements, they must have at least one node inside the
Marquee area in order to be selected. The edit operations will act on
the whole element.
To use Edit commands on a placed Drawing, include at least one
node of the Drawing (i.e. one of the Drawing’s corners) inside the
Marquee.
Note: In Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, Detail and
Worksheet windows, some editing commands are available only
for 2D drawing elements.

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Origins In this image, the corner of the

selected column (marked with an X) is
the Edit Origin; its coordinates are (0,
About Origins in ArchiCAD 0).
In ArchiCAD, as in any coordinate system, all measurements are In Floor Plan and other 2D views, the
made in reference to an origin. The location of the origin is always origin is always marked by a bold X.
interpreted as (0, 0). In 3D Views, the origins and their X, Y and Z axes are displayed with
ArchiCAD defines three coordinate system origins: bold black lines. The lines are 1 meter (approx. 3 ft.) long.
1) The Project Origin is a constant
location which remains fixed for
the life of your Project. The
Project Origin of the coordinate
system, marked with an X, is close
to the lower left corner of the Floor Plan window, when using the
default view of the default template. (The Coordinates Palette
shows the coordinates as (0, 0).
2) The User Origin is created manually by the user to act as a
temporary aid to drafting and measurements. By default, the User
Origin is located at the Project Origin. However, the User Origin Note: When a User or Edit Origin appears, the Project Origin
can be moved to any location, allowing you to “reset the zero remains visible in the same color as the construction grid.
point” to any location. This is often helpful when you need to
draw elements with respect to existing walls, slabs or other Create a User Origin
components.
There are two ways to create a User Origin:
For details, see “Create a User Origin” on page 90.
• At any construction node by using the keyboard. Hold down
In this image, the User
both the Alt and Shift keys (MacOS: Opt + Shift) and move the
Origin is reset to one end
cursor to the construction node where you want the origin
of the selected wall; it is
located.
marked with an X; its
coordinates are (0, 0); the
Project Origin is also
visible, but dimmed.
3) The Edit Origin is also
temporary; it appears only
during drafting and
• At any location by using the User
editing operations and is
Origin button from the Standard
used to display the distance and angle of a rubberband line from
toolbar (or the Coordinates
the starting point of a drawing operation.
90 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

palette, if it is displayed). This method allows you to move the
origin where nothing is currently drawn.
Click the User Origin button, then click at any point in the
window. The origin is instantly relocated there.
To return the User Origin to the Project Origin, double-click the User
Origin button in the Standard Toolbar.
User Origin in the 3D Window
When placing a new element in the 3D window, its elevation is
measured from the User Origin.
Use the Tool Settings dialog box
to enter the desired elevation (or
Base Height, in the case of a
Wall) for placement.
To redefine the User Origin’s
elevation in 3D:
• Activate the User Origin
button (Standard toolbar)
• Then click on an element surface (this is only possible in Hidden
Line or Shading mode).
Creating the User Origin in blank space places it without changing its
elevation.
Note: If you are using Gravity, a newly placed element will
gravitate onto the Roof/Slab/Mesh below it - it will be placed at
that elevation.
See “Elevation and Gravity” on page 108.
Note: If the element was placed in a 2D window, it will also have
a home story value. If you prefer, you can redefine a placed
element’s elevation reference to its Home Story - instead of the
User Origin - using the pop-up in the Tool Settings dialog box.
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Interaction
Use Tracker to Display and Input
Coordinates
About the Tracker
Coordinate values are displayed in the Tracker, which follows your
mouse movements and is available in any editable window type.
Note: This section describes coordinate input using the Tracker
function. If you prefer to use the Coordinates box familiar from
older versions of ArchiCAD, consult “Coordinates Palette” in
ArchiCAD Help.
The Tracker gives you a dynamic and constant feedback on such
values as edited lengths, angles, and hotspot values for GDL Object
editing.
To use the Tracker, you must activate
the Tracker toggle button on the
Standard toolbar, or activate the Show
Tracker checkbox in Options > Work
Environment > Tracker and Coordinate Input.
By default, the Tracker only appears “On -demand”: that is, during
coordinate input and editing operations.
Another way to show the Tracker if you have not yet begun element
input: use the n shortcut. The Tracker will pop up and display the
cursor position.
Alternatively, choose the Always option to display the Tracker
continuously. This means that the Tracker will follow your cursor
even if you are not inputting anything, providing feedback on the
cursor position.
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To deactivate the Tracker, deselect the Tracker toggle icon on the As a rule, the parameters in the Tracker (will be listed in order of
Standard toolbar, or hit the n shortcut. relevance, with D/A coordinates followed by X, Y and Z coordinates.
Tracker options (including colors, contents and behavior) can be set By default, the coordinate values are Relative values. (If you prefer
in Options > Work Environment > Tracker and Coordinate Absolute values, deselect the “Relative Coordinates in Tracker” toggle
Input. command; this command is enabled by default, except during
editing/input.)
Some Tracker options are commands
accessible from the pop-up arrow next If you have activated the Expand Tracker Automatically option
to the Standard toolbar’s Tracker from the drop-down Tracker menu, then all the parameters will be
toggle. shown as soon as you enter the Tracker (by entering a value or by
pressing Tab).
For more information, see “Tracker and
Coordinate Input” in ArchiCAD Help. Note: The same option, “Expand Tracker automatically during
numeric input,” is also available as a checkbox in Options >
Work Environment > Tracker and Coordinate Input.
Otherwise, if you want to expand the Tracker,
Parameters Shown in Tracker enter the Tracker by pressing Tab, then click the
The parameters appearing in the arrow at the bottom of the Tracker to expand it.
Tracker vary depending on the type
of editing action that is underway. For Defining Tracker Coordinates
example, if you select a straight
segment and choose the Curve edge You can enter numeric coordinates directly from the keyboard or use
command from the pet palette, then a combination of mouse and keyboard.
the Tracker shows the “Arc Radius” The horizontal and vertical values correspond to the X and Y
parameter. coordinates (also called Cartesian coordinates), while the radial and
The Tracker always shows one of its angular values are called polar coordinates.
parameters in bold; this is the default Coordinates can take on absolute and relative values. By default, they
parameter. are shown as relative values in the Tracker.
Use the Tracker menu from the
Depending on your choices in the
Standard Toolbar to toggle the
Tracker pop-up menu in the Standard Toolbar,
the Tracker will display only the XY or the DA Relative Coordinates in Tracker
preference on or off.
(distance/angle) coordinate pair (switch from
one to the other by clicking “Prefer XY Coordinates/Prefer Polar • Relative values are measured
Coordinates” during editing/input), and will show or hide the names from the Edit Origin, that is, they
of the coordinates (“Show/Hide Parameter Tags”). display horizontal (X), vertical
(Y), distance (D) and angular (A)
Hint: To switch between DA and XY coordinates on the fly, use
the / (slash character) shortcut. distance or position of the cursor
from the last edited point in the worksheet.

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• Absolute values are measured from the User Origin (see
“Origins” on page 90). This means that they always display the
horizontal (X), vertical (Y), distance (D) and angular (A) distance
or position of the cursor from the User Origin.
A temporary dashed line is drawn between the origin and the
cursor to indicate that you are using absolute coordinates.
For information on Elevation values, see “Elevation Values in the Tracker” on
page 109.
Coordinate Input in Tracker
As long as the Tracker is shown during input, just type a number for
the default parameter (the one shown in bold.) The cursor will
automatically jump to the Tracker and enter the value.
Note: This input method works if the “Enable direct input into
Tracker fields” box is checked in Options > Work Environment
> Tracker and Coordinate Input. This is the default setting.
Another way to enter the Tracker is to press Tab. The cursor jumps to
the default field of the Tracker (the one shown in bold). Click Tab as
many times as needed to activate the required Tracker field. Type in
the desired number.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Interaction
You can also activate fields by clicking them or typing the shortcut of
the corresponding field. If the Tracker is displayed in its compact
form, typing the shortcut for a hidden parameter will display it.
To enter numeric coordinates, type the shortcut of the desired
coordinate (X, Y, Z or D/R or A) immediately followed by the value
you intend to assign to it, for example X3 or Y-4. The + prefix is
optional for positive values. You can type coordinate values in any
order.
Note: This input method works if the “Coordinate Shortcuts
prefer Tracker” box is checked in Options > Work Environment
> Tracker and Coordinate Input. This is the default setting. The
other way to enter coordinates is through the Coordinates Box
(enable it using Window > Palettes > Coordinates).
The selected value is highlighted. At this point, you have several
options:
• To enter another coordinate value, type another shortcut for the
desired coordinate, then enter a value.
• To complete the element you are drawing, press Enter or click
the checkmark icon in the Tracker.
• To fix the value of a coordinate, click the crosshair icon in the
Tracker. The edited element will then jump into this position and,
if Guide Lines are active, this will also display Guide Lines of the
currently available type at this location to help you continue the
input.
• To cancel the last operation, press Esc.
• Return to graphic input by typing the name of the edited
coordinate again or by mouse-clicking anywhere in the
worksheet.
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Interaction
You can also perform additions or subtractions from the current
value by typing a + or – sign after the value. For example, typing x3+
will add 3 to the x value shown in the Tracker box.
Notes for users of U.S. dimensions:
• Two dashes are required for subtraction of whole feet because
the first dash is interpreted as an indication that inches are to
follow.
• When 3 is entered, ArchiCAD assumes you mean three feet.
Typing 3’6, 3’6", or 3-6 will enter three feet, six inches.
Coordinates can be copied and pasted using the clipboard. The Cut,
Copy and Paste menu items are inactive during numeric input, so
you must use the standard shortcuts or the context menu.
It is possible to enter a whole series of coordinates one after the other
in the Tracker when drawing chains of elements (Walls, Beams, Lines,
etc.). As soon as you have finished drawing the first element, the Edit
Origin is immediately transferred to this endpoint, which becomes
the starting point of the second element and is therefore given the
x=0, y=0 value when working with relative coordinates.
You can combine coordinate input by fixing the value of a field and
then editing the value of another one.
94
Coordinate Input Logic: Expert Options
Special Tracker options are
available to let you further
customize the Tracker
function, using the
Coordinate Input Logic
checkboxes in Options >
Work Environment >
Tracker and Coordinate
Input.
Show X-Y Coordinates relative to User origin in Tracker: If you
check this box, the XY coordinates will always be shown as Absolute
cartesian values, even if you have activated the Relative Coordinates
toggle button. This means that X-Y coordinates are shown as
absolute values, and the RA or DA values are shown as relative values.
Use relative angle measures: If you check this box, angle measures
in the Tracker will be shown either:
• relative to the previous input segment, in case of polygon input,
or
• relative to the grid, with the horizontal grid line as the zero value,
and angle values shown relative to this line, up to 180 degrees.
If this box is unchecked, angle values are shown from 0 to 360
degrees.
Use angle relative to the active Guide Line: If you check this box,
angle values in the Tracker will be shown relative to the active Guide
Line. (You must first activate a Guide Line for this to work.)
For information on all these options, see “Tracker and Coordinate Input” in
ArchiCAD Help.
The Measure Tool
The Measure tool, located in the Standard
toolbar, allows you to measure distances and
areas in the project. It is a temporary, on-screen
function for quick feedback.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

To use the Measure Tool, activate its icon in the Standard Toolbar, or
use the M shortcut. Click on a starting point (the top left corner of
the rectangular wall, in the image below) and start to trace the wall.
The Tracker displays the horizontal, vertical and radial distance
measured from the starting point, as well as the angle.
You can Measure any number of segments in sequence: each click
represents a new starting-point from which the next distance will be
measured. After two or more clicks, the Tracker also shows a
cumulative distance and the area (shown by a temporary gray area on
screen). The image below shows the Measure tool feedback after
three clicks, as you approach the last corner of the rectangular wall.
You can also use the Measure tool while creating elements. When you
start drawing a Wall, for example, you can activate the Measure tool
on the fly, measure (or even edit) a value with the fields it displays and
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Interaction
then hit Enter to transfer this value into the appropriate field of the
Tracker.
The Grid System
Two grid systems are provided to help you make drafting easier: the
Construction Grid and the Snap Grid. You can set these up in
View > Grid Options > Grids and Background.
For more information, see “Grids & Background Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD
Help.
As a shortcut, many of these controls are available in the Standard
toolbar and the Coordinates palette.
Grids can be defined separately for the Floor Plan and any individual
Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, Detail/Worksheet, or Layout
window. Note that, in Floor Plan window, the same Grid settings will
be used for all Stories. Grids are not available in the 3D Window.
Note: You can also create, place and use custom local structural
grids of different sizes and shapes using the Grid Tool.
For a detailed description, see “The Grid Tool” on page 404.
The Construction Grid is used to reflect any characteristic spacing
of your Project. The Construction Grid can also be used to define the
foundation footings or the column grid of a building.
Like the printed grids on traditional graph paper, the Construction
Grid adds a visual orientation and sense of scale to the Floor Plan and
the Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, and Detail/Worksheet
windows.
The Construction Grid is normally visible on the
Floor Plan, but you can turn it off with the Grid
Display toggle command in the View > Grid
Options hierarchical menu or in the Standard
Toolbar’s Grid pop-up menu.
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Interaction

Depending on your project’s layout, a rotated

version of the construction grid may be more
helpful than the default orthogonal one. Define
the Rotation Angle in the View > Grid
Options > Grids and Background dialog box.
You can also define a rotated grid by hand: first,
choose “Set Rotated Grid” from the Standard
Toolbar, then draw a vector on screen or click
on an existing straight segment: this vector will
represent the rotated grid angle relative to the
horizontal axis.

To display the rotated version of your Construction Grid, click the
Rotated Grid button in the Standard Toolbar grid menu or the
Coordinates Palette.
The Construction Grid can be optionally enhanced with an Auxiliary
Grid, which is also visible on the screen and is defined in View >
Grid Options > Grids and Background. The Auxiliary Grid is
often used to indicate the thickness of concrete walls or foundation
footings, and can be used to create periodic or stepped grids.
The Snap Grid is an invisible grid - if you enable the Grid Snap
function (see below), you can make the cursor snap to the nodes of
this Snap Grid. When defining your Snap Grid in the Grids and
Background dialog box, you will usually enter the smallest unit of
measurement relevant to your Project. You can set different
horizontal and vertical Snap Grid increments, allowing you to reflect
the unique geometry of your Project.
The Snap increments you define here can also be used for the Nudge
shortcut - to easily move any element by a small defined factor, using
a keyboard shortcut.
See “Nudging Elements” on page 114.
If the Grid Snap function is enabled, the cursor will snap to the
nodes of either your Construction Grid or your Snap Grid, depending
on what you set as your preferred option.
See “Grid Snap Function” on page 97.

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Grid Snap Function Guide Lines

The Grid Snap function allows precise graphic alignment of
elements at consistent lengths and distances. When the Grid Snap
function is active, you can only draw from one grid intersection to
another; the grid “pulls” the cursor and makes it snap to the grid
nodes. This allows you to position the cursor accurately, even at low
zoom levels.
When grid snap is active, it restricts the movement of the cursor to
either Construction or Snap Grid nodes. A small dot jumping from
grid-point to grid-point indicates the current cursor position.
To disable this feature (for example, to position a piece of furniture at
a non-grid location), you can suspend or activate the grid snap feature
by pressing the S key.
To activate the Grid Snap function, do one of the following:
• Use the S Shortcut.
• Use the View > Grid Snap menu command. The Snap function
will use the last grid type used, either Construction or Snap grid.
• Select the Snap Grid or
Construction Grid from the grid
menu in the Standard Toolbar.,
or from the Coordinates Box.
• Select Snap Grid or
Construction Grid from View >
Grid Snap Options.
• Select one of the Snap On
buttons (either Construction
Grid or Snap Grid) in the Grids and Background dialog box.
To deactivate the Grid Snap function:
• Use the S shortcut key
• Use the View > Grid Snap menu command (deactivate the
toggle).
About Guide Lines
Guide Lines are 2D drafting aids which help the user find special
points and projections while editing and drafting elements, using the
geometry constraints of existing elements. The cursor can snap to
Guide Lines, and special snap points can be placed on them. Some
Guide Lines are extended from existing element edges/arcs; others
pop up temporarily while you move the cursor. In some cases,
multiple Guide Lines are offered, allowing you to choose your
preferred Guide Line and have it remain on screen.
Guide Lines are available in all 2D windows (Floor Plan,
Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, Detail/Worksheet, Layout,
GDL Object 2D Symbol).
Guide Lines are available with any tool. If a selection tool is active,
they only appear when you start editing elements (Arrow) or when
you are placing or moving elements (Marquee).
Turn Guide Lines on or off
• Use the Q key as a shortcut (toggle Guide Lines on and off)
• Use the toggle button in the Standard toolbar
• Use the View > Guide Lines toggle
command
Guide Lines options are available at:
• Options > Work Environment >
Guide Lines
• and from the Guide Lines toggle
command in the Standard Toolbar.

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Types of Guide Lines

Instant (temporary) guide lines appear during an input operation and
disappear automatically after input is completed. They appear and
disappear depending on the location of the cursor, and their
geometry depends on which Guide Line settings you have switched
on in Options > Work Environment > Guide Lines (including
Main Direction, Relative Direction and Incremental Guide Lines). To make a guide line active, place the cursor on it and wait until
You can snap to these instant Guide Lines, but you cannot make it becomes thicker. Only one Guide Line is active (shown in
them remain on screen. bold) at a time. Relative Guide Lines will be calculated relative to
To constrain the cursor to the nearest instant Guide Line, press Shift the active Guide Line.
during input (first, make sure that the Nearest Instant Guide Line box 2) place the cursor on a node (either before or during output).
is checked in Options > Work Environment > Mouse Constraints Multi-choice guide lines appear when several choices make sense
and Methods.) in a given situation, for example the horizonal-vertical lines
Note: Context menu commands do provide a way to convert appearing at element nodes (as in the image below). You can
instant guide lines into lasting segments. choose to make any of these lines a lasting guide line by moving
the cursor onto the chosen line.
See “Placing Guide Lines During Input” on page 100.
Lasting guide lines are visible on the screen until the given editing
operation is terminated (completed, cancelled or interrupted by a
different type of operation such as the activation of another window)
or until you choose to remove them.
See “Removing Guide Lines” on page 100.
To make Lasting guide lines appear (the temporary blue Guide Lines
become orange in color), do one of the following:
1) place the cursor on an edge or arc either before or during
element input. (The cursor takes on the Mercedes shape.)
Edge-extension guide lines will be projected. In the case of arcs,
they will be extended to a full circle. If you have not yet begun
the editing operation, you must move the cursor onto the Guide
Line to make it a lasting Guide Line.
To constrain the cursor to the nearest lasting Guide Line, make sure
that the Lasting Guide Lines box is checked in Options > Work
Environment > Mouse Constraints and Methods. At an element node, the multi-choice Guide Lines appear in fixed
directions (Main Direction and Relative Direction) as defined in the
Guide Lines panel of the Work Environment dialog box. Relative
direction guide lines can be parallel, perpendicular or tangential to the
active guide line or intersect guide lines.

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The relative guide lines are always relative to the active guide line.
The following image shows multi-choice relative Guide Lines that are
parallel to and perpendicular to the active Guide Line (shown in
bold). Note the parallel and perpendicular signs on the Guide Lines.
To make either of these multi-choice Guide Lines remain on screen as
an editing aid (i.e., to turn them into lasting Guide Lines), just move
the cursor over it.
Defining Your Preferred Guide Lines
On this Guide Lines tab page (Options > Work Environment >
Guide Lines, you can define and activate/deactivate three categories
of Guide Lines:
• Main Direction Guide Lines: Their direction/angle is
determined based on the drawing environment (e.g.
horizontal/vertical direction, rotated grid, etc.) If you check the
Input Vector and Length box in this section, the direction and
radius of the last input vector will also be offered as a Guide
Line.
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Interaction
• Relative-direction Guide Lines: These are created relative to
the active Guide Line.
• Incremental Guide Lines: These are displayed, during input
only, at every increment of the specified angle (relative to the
orthogonal coordinate system and originating from the current
Edit Origin.) If you check the Relative to active Guide Line
check box, these incremental Guide Lines, too, will always be
displayed relative to the currently active Guide Line if any.
Incremental Guide Lines are temporary (“instant”) only.
Any of these Guide Line groups can also
be activated/deactivated using the toggle
commands from the Standard toolbar or
from View > Guide Line Options.
You can also use Coordinate Constraints,
with Guide Lines active, to display Guide
Lines which constrain the cursor to
particular directions.
See “Coordinate Constraints” on page 102.
You can set default Guide Line colors for Multi-Choice Guide Lines
and other Guide Lines separately (again, in the Options > Work
Environment > Guide Lines tab page).
For more information, see “Guide Lines Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Time-Based Guide Line Appearance
For each category of Guide Lines (Main-Direction,
Relative-Direction), you can set a time interval after which the Guide
Lines will appear, so long as you keep the cursor still at an edge or
node.
Enter preferred time intervals in seconds on the Options > Work
Environment > Guide Lines tab page.
However, you can override these wait-time intervals at any time using
the Force Guide Line Display command (shortcut: ‘). This shortcut
is useful if you are at a node with several sets of multi-choice Guide
Lines available, and you want to see a different set without waiting the
specified interval.
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Placing Guide Lines During Input

Independent of your default Guide Line definitions, you can place a
Guide Line (or Guide Circle) at any time during input using the Place
Guide Line/Guide Circle command from the context menu.
After clicking on screen to begin input, choose the Place Guide Line
(Circle) command from the context menu. A lasting Guide Line Draw a simple straight wall in the Floor Plan,
(circle) will appear. then place the cursor on its edge (the cursor
will assume the Mercedes shape). The
Similarly, you can use the Convert to edge-extension Guide Line appears. Move the
Guide Line Segment command cursor over this Guide Line to make it a
from the context menu. The current lasting Guide Line.
vector will be transformed into a
Guide Line. In this case, the length of Now click to the point where you wish to
the Guide Line is limited to the start drawing the parallel wall. Start drawing
length of the vector you drew and a wall that is roughly parallel to the original
will not run across the whole screen. wall. You will see a second Guide Line
appear which is exactly parallel to the active
Removing Guide Lines Guide Line of original wall.
Draw your new wall along the line that is
Guide Lines are removed when you finish the editing action, or when parallel to the active guide line and click to
you press Esc in succession (the first “Esc” will cancel the operation finish.
in progress; the next will remove all Guide Lines).
Note: You can also use the Relative Construction Methods
• To manually remove a guide line, place the cursor on it, activate provided by the Control Box to draw parallel, perpendicular,
the context menu and choose the Remove guide line angle bisector and tangential elements.
command.
For more information, see “Relative Construction Methods” on page 103.
• To remove all guide lines manually, right-click anywhere in the
Let us now see a more complex example. Grid Snap still inactive,
window to activate the context menu and choose the Remove all
Guide Lines enabled, make sure that the following settings are active
guide lines command.
in the Options > Work Environment > Guide Lines dialog box:
Examples for Using Guide Lines
Guide Lines make it easy to create parallel walls.
Before you start, make sure that Grid Snap is disabled and that Guide
Lines are enabled. Check that the “Parallel to the active Guide line”
option is active in the “Relative direction Guide lines” section of
Options > Work Environment > Guide Lines.
For more information, see “Guide Lines Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
For more information, see “Guide Lines Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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These settings will enable you to use Guide Lines to place a wall that • The horizontal-vertical set aligned to the rotated grid
is at a 30-degree angle from the perpendicular of the first wall. • The fixed angle set
First, draw a simple straight wall and place The fixed angle set can be set relative to the rotated grid or the main
the cursor on it until the guide line extending grid. A practical use for the fixed angle orthogonal set would be
it appears. Move the cursor over the Guide aligning multiple elements with a roadway. In addition, you can check
Line to make it active. Then place the cursor one or both Guide Line constraint options:
at the end of the wall and wait until a new
guide line appears, perpendicular to the • Nearest Instant Guide Line
active one. • Lasting Guide Lines
Move the cursor along this guide line and
click at the point where you wish to start a Using Mouse Constraints
new wall. Move the cursor at a roughly 30
degree angle from the permanent guide line. Constraining the drawing direction helps you precisely align or
connect new elements. To use the orthogonal direction sets for
You will see a new guide line appear at
drawing a new element:
exactly 30 degrees. Start drawing a new wall
along that line and click to finish. 1) Make sure the Grid Snap is disabled.
For more information, see “Grid Snap Function” on page 97.
Mouse Constraints 2) Click to start drawing an element.
ArchiCAD’s Mouse Constraints are like having a computerized 3) Move the cursor from this starting
T-square and triangle available while drafting in the Floor Plan. They point and hold down the Shift key.
are editing aids that can be used as an alternative to Guide Lines, ArchiCAD will search for the
although most users will prefer to use Guide Lines in 2D windows. closest enabled constraint direction.
For more information, see “Guide Lines” on page 97.
The angle pairs they define can be used to lock the cursor at a
particular drawing angle, by pressing Shift during input. The
mechanism can only be engaged while drawing or editing an element,
as indicated by the thick rubberband line shown in the Floor Plan or
the ghosted element contour shown in the 3D Window. It
temporarily locks the cursor’s polar angle value in the Coordinates
Palette using one of the angle pairs defined in the Options > Work
Environment > Mouse Constraints & Methods dialog box.
For more information, see “Mouse Constraints and Methods Dialog Box” in 4) If the constrained direction is not what you had in mind, release
ArchiCAD Help. the Shift key and move the cursor to a position closer to the
Three orthogonal angles/angle pairs can be specified: desired direction, then hold down the Shift key.
• The horizontal-vertical set aligned to the main grid

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5) When you have chosen the appropriate
constraint direction, click the cursor
again to place the endpoint of the
element. Since the direction remains
locked, you can align this endpoint with
other elements using the projection
mode of the cursor.
Projection Mode of Cursor with Mouse
Constraints
When the drawing direction is constrained by
pressing Shift, a dotted line connects the
unfinished element with the location of the
cursor.
In the Control Box, you can vary the display of this dotted line among
three possible settings (Cursor Snap Variants):
• Perpendicular to the constrained direction
• Horizontal from the constrained direction
• Vertical from the constrained direction
102
These options allow you to best align the element under construction
with other already existing elements.
To switch among these options:
1) Display the Control Box. (Window > Palettes > Control Box)
2) Draw an input vector on screen.
3) Press Shift to enable a constraint.
The Cursor Snap Variants pop-up is now active in the Control Box.
Move your cursor to this pop-up and choose the cursor snap variant
you need.
For more information on setting Control Box options, see “Control Box” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Coordinate Constraints
You can lock a cursor coordinate and thereby restrict the movement
of the cursor by pressing Alt (Windows) or Opt (MacOS) and either
X, Y, A, or R/D on the keyboard.
If Guide Lines are active:
• Alt/Opt + X produces a vertical Guide Line.
• Alt/Opt + Y produces a horizontal Guide Line.
• Alt/Opt + A (having defined the Angle value numerically or
drawing in a sample direction) produces a corresponding Guide
Line.
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 Interaction

• Alt/Opt + R produces a Guide Circle whose radius is 3) Select a line or an element edge as a reference by clicking it, or
determined numerically or graphically. draw a temporary reference line using the cursor. (The reference
To unlock the constraint, just press the same key combination (e.g. edge/line will not be shown as selected; a newly drawn reference
Alt/Opt + X) again. line will not remain visible on-screen.)
If Guide Lines are inactive, the locking function works the same way, 4) Draw the new element.
but you will not see the Guide Lines. The new element you draw will be
Another way to lock a coordinate during input is to choose the Lock perpendicular or parallel to the reference
to Guide Line command from the context menu, if you have already line (depending on the method selected).
snapped to a Guide Line. Note: You can also select the
Perpendicular or Parallel method
Relative Construction Methods after you have started drawing an
element. In this case, the drawing
In addition to the Guide Lines feature, the relative construction operation is frozen until you have either drawn or selected a
methods also constrain the element construction direction to a reference line or edge.
constant angle. They are accessed from the third button of the You can draw multiple
Control Box. perpendiculars or parallels by
combining the relative
construction method with the
Mouse Constraints
Note: The Control Box is not visible by default. To show it, mechanism. When you define
choose its name from the Window > Palettes menu. the reference line for drawing
the single perpendicular or
For more information on Control Box options, see “Control Box” in ArchiCAD parallel element, its angle is
Help. automatically stored in the Options > Work Environment >
These Relative Construction Methods are described below. Mouse Constraints & Methods dialog box as the Custom angle.
You can then draw multiple parallel or perpendicular lines until the
Exception: The Special Snap Vector method is described here:
Custom angle is redefined either numerically or by activating the
“Special Snap Points on Temporary Vector” on page 107. Perpendicular or Parallel method again.
For more information, see “Mouse Constraints and Methods Dialog Box” in
Parallel and Perpendicular Constraints ArchiCAD Help.
The first two Relative Construction methods are Perpendicular and
Parallel constraints. Angle Bisector Constraint
1) Make sure that Grid Snap is inactive. Using the Angle Bisector relative construction method , you can
For more information, see “Grid Snap Function” on page 97. draw elements bisecting the angle formed by other elements or
temporary reference vectors.
2) Choose the Perpendicular or Parallel icon and click it to make it
active (pressed).

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You can either start drawing the new element before activating the Offset and Multiple Offset (Relative
Angle Bisector method and defining the reference vectors, or the
other way round. Before using Angle Bisector constraint, make sure Construction Methods)
that Grid Snap is disabled.
The Offset and Multiple Offset methods help you create lines or
polylines with a given offset to a drawn segment or polygon. These
methods have no effect on elements defined by a single click.
Either relative construction
Click the Angle Bisector icon, then define the reference vectors by method can be activated
either clicking on two existing element edges or lines, or drawing two from the Control Box.
temporary lines. (The reference edges/lines will not be shown as
selected; the temporary lines will not remain visible on-screen.) The To draw an offset segment or polygonal element:
mouse is constrained to the bisecting angle between the two reference 1) Choose or activate the Offset method . (The active tool must
lines. Before you actually draw the element, the cursor is already support polygon shapes.)
constrained, and you can see a small black dot move along the line 2) Draw a line or an open or closed polyline. (You can, if you wish,
that would be drawn at that angle. create this polyline using the Magic Wand.)
See “Magic Wand” on page 143.
3) The base polyline can be
completed by a double-click.
When it is completed, a
rubberband outline will appear,
starting from the endpoint of the
polyline and running
As for any other constraint, you can use remote cursor snap to define perpendicular to its last entered
the other endpoint of the drawn line. segment.
4) Click once to place the element.
When using the Multiple Offset method , the same steps can be
used, except that the process is not completed when placing the
element with a click. You can continue placing offset copies until you
choose to terminate input.
• With a double-click, you terminate input by drawing a last offset
element.

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 Interaction

• When hitting the Cancel

button in the Control
Box, you terminate
input by omitting the
offset element you are
just drawing.

7) Click where you want to start drawing your new element. The
Aligning Elements to a Surface in 3D element will be constrained to the intersection line. Finish
drawing the element in the usual way.
The Align to Surface relative construction method is only active
when working in the 3D Window. It enables you to fit elements onto
non-horizontal planes when working in 3D views.
This method automatically identifies the intersection of a selected
plane and the working plane of the cursor. The working plane is often
horizontal. However, in special cases, for example when moving a
hole in a roof plane, the cursor’s working plane is angled. It is also
possible to align to curved surfaces, for example when fitting an
object to a curved wall. The limitation here is that if the cursor is
moving in an angled plane, it is not possible to fit to a curved surface,
only the tangential plane of the surface.

Using the Constraint when Creating New Elements

1) To use the constraint, first activate the 3D Window.
2) Choose the tool for the element you wish to add.
3) Adjust your User Origin if necessary.
4) Choose and activate the
Align to Surface
Relative Construction
Using Align to Surface with Existing Elements
method in the Control Box. 1) Activate the 3D Window.
5) Click on any surface in the 3D view you want to align your new 2) Adjust the User Origin if necessary.
element to.
For more information, see “Origins” on page 90.
6) A black dot will appear on the selected plane at the height of the
current User Origin. The dot will follow the cursor constrained 3) Select the element you wish to edit.
to the intersection line of your reference plane and the User 4) Choose the Edit command you wish to execute, e.g., stretch an
Origin plane. edge of a slab to the intersection of a roof and the User Origin.
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5) Click a reference point or edge to start editing.
6) Select the Align to Surface modifier icon in the Control box and
activate the constraint as described above.
7) Choose your reference plane.
8) Finish editing the element.
Snapping to Existing Elements
In addition to the methods offered to create elements at a specified
point relative to existing elements, or at specific points of your
project, ArchiCAD also helps you to move or reshape elements by
snapping them to existing ones as part of a move operation.
The Element Snap function can be
enabled and disabled using the Options
> Element Snap toggle command.
(This command is also available on the
Standard Toolbar.)
Element Snap only works on selected elements and can be toggled on
and off while you work using the E shortcut.
Note: Element Snap can only be used when Grid Snap is
disabled.
If you select an element and then
start moving it with Element Snap
active, you will see that its special
points change to small squares.
These special points include:
• The selection dot points of the
element including anchor
points
• The division points of the element (if Special Snap Points are
enabled. See “Special Snap Points” on page 106.)
• The tip of the cursor
When one of these selection dots
encounters a node, anchor point or
edge of another element where the
cursor changes its shape to indicate
a special relation, that selection dot
becomes larger showing that the
element is attracted to the sensitive
point. You can then click to join the
two elements without having to place the cursor at the actual joining
point.
If more than one snapping point touches an eligible point on the
other element, you will see that these turn black. You can use the
spacebar to cycle through possible points. Click when the one you
need is displayed with the larger empty square.
Special Snap Points
Special Snap Points help you start drawing new elements from a
specific point located on an edge of another element or to edit
existing elements with reference to these specific points.
Activating special snap points will place
temporary nodes at the division points
based on the current Special Snap Point
commands in the Standard toolbar.
These controls are also available as
commands in the Control Box.

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Note: The Control Box is not visible by default. To show it,

choose its name from the Window > Palettes menu.
Special Snap Points can be defined either on the entire length of a
linear or circular element or element edge, or on a segment closed by
two intersections.

Distances and percentages are always calculated from the endpoint

that is closest. The toggle commands in the Standard Toolbar’s
Special Snap Points menu allow you to disable the feature or to enable
it along the entire element, or between intersection points
(Icons in the Control Box serve the same function.)
Note: The Control Box is not visible by default. To show it,
choose its name from the Window > Palettes menu.

The temporary nodes behave as hotspots. The cursor will change to Special Snap Points on Temporary Vector
a Checkmark when held above them. Special points only appear
temporarily and will disappear by default after about 5 seconds. You In addition, you can display
can start drawing new elements from these points or use them for Special Snap Points on a
editing other elements in relation to them. temporary vector used while
Note: Although Special Snap Points (if enabled) will disappear drawing elements. The method can be activated with the Special Snap
on their own after a set interval by default, you can opt to have icon among the relative construction icons in the Control Box.
the snap points remain visible until you either place an element In the following example, you will draw a Wall that starts at one-
or change to another view or story: disable the “Autohide Special fourth of the gap between two endpoints of two other Walls.
Snap points” checkbox in Options > Work Environment > 1) Start by choosing the Divisions option in Special Snap Point
More Options. Settings, then type 4 as the number of Divisions.
Special Snap Points include:
• Halving points
• Division points (up to 20, set manually)
• Points located at a given distance from an endpoint or at a
specific percentage of the distance between two endpoints
(entered manually)
To define division points and custom distances, use the Set Special
Snap Values command from the menu in the Standard Toolbar.
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Interaction
2) Make sure that Grid Snap is inactive. Activate
the Wall tool, then choose and activate the
Special Snap Point icon in the Control Box.
3) Start drawing the reference vector from the
endpoint of one of the Walls.
4) A dashed line is drawn indicating the reference vector, with small
black dots at the locations of the special snap points. Click the
endpoint of the other Wall to terminate the definition of the
reference vector.
The Edit Origin is relocated to the place of the generated special snap
point.
You can start drawing the new Wall.
108
Cursor Snap Range
To help locate hotspots on the screen, the cursor gravitates toward
edges and nodes. The attraction of the cursor by elements is defined
in pixels in the bottom section of the Options > Work
Environment > Mouse Constraints & Methods dialog box.
Cursor Snap Range can be set between 1 and 9 pixels. 3-4 pixels is a
comfortable setting, but at small zoom levels you may hit hotspots
that you did not wish to snap to. If you have good pointing skills, use
1 pixel and you will not be forced to zoom in.
Cursor Snap Range will also help you to automatically snap to special
points including the section points of existing lines or edges,
perpendicular projections from the Edit Origin to existing lines or
edges, and tangential points of the rubberband line along existing
arcs, splines, curved edges, etc. The cursor’s shape informs you about
the type of special point ArchiCAD has found.
Elevation and Gravity
About Elevation of Elements
ArchiCAD offers several ways to determine the elevation of elements
and to set the height at which new elements should be created.
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 Interaction

When placing a new element in a 2D model window, its elevation Elevation Values in the Tracker
value can be set in the Tool Settings dialog box. This elevation can be
measured in several ways: During input, refer to the Tracker’s Z field to check the elevation of
• from the level of the current story (Story 0, in the image below): the newly created element.
You must activate Show Z in Tracker
from the Tracker’s drop-down menu in
the Standard toolbar. (This command
is available during editing/input.).
If you are inputting a Wall, Column,
Beam or Object using the Gravity
function, the Z value will reflect the
elevation of the underlying
Slab/Roof/Mesh.
For more information, see “Gravity” on page 110.
If you switch the Show Tracker control to Always in Options >
• from the element’s Home Story. Work Environment > Tracker and Coordinate Input, then the
See “Set Home Story” on page 161. Tracker’s Z field will display elevation values even if input is not yet
underway; just move the cursor to get feedback.
When placing a new element in
the 3D window, its elevation, The Tracker can display elevation values in one of three different
defined in the Tool Settings forms depending on your choice:
dialog box, is measured from the • from the Project Zero
User Origin. • from the current Story (or in 3D, the User Origin)
You can reset the User Origin to • or one of the two optional Reference Levels defined in Options
any elevation, then place a new > Project Preferences > Working Units & Levels.
element whose elevation is
measured from this level. For more information, see “Reference Levels” on page 110.
For more information, see “User Origin in the 3D Window” on page 91. To determine which reference level the Tracker’s elevation (Z)
feedback should use:
When placing a new Wall, Column, Beam or Object-type element, the
Gravity function lets you place it directly on top of an existing Slab, Roof 1) Open the drop-down menu of the Tracker icon from the
or Mesh, thus taking on the elevation of the element it is placed on. Standard toolbar.
For more information, see “Gravity” on page 110.
Note: The elevation of wall openings is strictly determined by
the current values in the Door and Window Settings dialog
boxes.
For more information, see “Door/Window Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

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2) Go to the Elevation Value Origin sub-menu. In this image, a wall (with

Gravity on) is being placed on
top of a slab whose elevation is
400; the wall’s Z-coordinate in
the Tracker, accordingly, is
shown as 400.

Reference Levels
3) Choose the desired reference level. You can define two optional Reference Levels that will help you
position elements. This is done in the bottom section of the Options
Gravity > Project Preferences > Working Units & Levels dialog box.
Gravity helps you place Wall, Column, Beam and Object type Select a level’s name and modify it as you like, then type the value you
elements relative to the elevation of a Slab, Roof or Mesh. need in the Elevation field. In this example, we defined the two
reference levels in addition to Project Zero: the top of the property, at
If Gravity is on (activate Gravity icon), newly created elements will be
400 meters, and Sea level, at 200 meters below Project zero.
placed on top of (i.e., gravitate to) the Roof, Slab or Mesh beneath
them, depending on which Gravity option you choose.
Level Dimensions placed with Gravity On on top of Slabs, Roofs or
Meshes are associated to them.
To choose an option, use the Gravity controls in the Standard toolbar
or the icons of the Coordinates palette.

You may find it easier to calculate levels (in this dialog box) by
switching the zero value to another level than Project Zero. You can
do so by simply clicking in the Relative to field next to the level’s
name.

Note: Gravity only affects newly created elements and cannot be

used for editing existing ones.
If you are using Gravity to place a Wall, Column, Beam or any
Object-type element onto a slab, roof or mesh surface, you can
monitor the changes in elevation (Z) values in the Tracker (or the Note: Reference Levels are display and input aids only. Changing
Coordinates Palette). When several slabs, roofs or meshes overlap, the their value has no effect on placed elements, whose actual
highest elevation value is displayed. elevation is always calculated from Project Zero.

110 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide


The newly defined Reference Levels are now available in the Absolute
Base Height fields of the Geometry and Positioning Panels of
construction and object-type elements.
See also “How to Place a Construction Element in ArchiCAD” on page 218.
Reference levels can also be used as
reference levels for showing elevation (Z)
values in the Tracker.
Elevation and Stories in the 3D Window
The 3D Window always displays the range of Stories defined in View
> Elements in 3D View > Filter Elements in 3D, and there is no
visual clue as to which elements belong to which story.
For more information, see “Defining Story Display in 3D” on page 158.
New elements are always added to the story within the range that best
matches their elevation. This means that any new element will be
added to the story onto which the element falls, taking its elevation
value into account.
Cancel Operations with Esc and
Backspace Keys
By successively pressing the Esc key, you will achieve the following
actions:
1) Cancel current operation entirely (during input)
2) If nothing is selected: Remove Guide Lines, if any
3) Deselect selected item(s), if any
4) Remove Marquee selection, if any
5) If nothing is selected: Switch to Arrow tool
During input, pressing the Backspace key will cancel the operation.
Warning: Pressing Backspace with any items selected will delete
those items!
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Interaction
Pet Palettes
A pet palette with relevant commands appears with most on-screen
editing operations. The contents of the pet palette depends on the
following factors:
• The selected element
• The part of the element you choose to act on (edge or node)
• The active window
Move your cursor over the icons to read the tool tip
for each one, and click on the icon for the function
you need.
You can change your mind and choose a different
function from the pet palette as long as you have not
completed the editing operation with a second mouse click. The pet
palette automatically disappears when the operation is finished.
For more information on customizing pet palette functions, see “Dialog Boxes and
Palettes” in ArchiCAD Help.
Techniques
This section describes:
• basic editing techniques
• how to move and modify placed elements
• the “Magic Wand” function to transform existing shapes into a
new element
• the Virtual Trace function, using Reference views to easily
compare and contrast different parts of the model
• Line/Fill Consolidation - to “clean up” superfluous lines and fills
in drawing-type windows.
Basic Editing Techniques
The following commands are available from Edit menu.
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Interaction

Cut You cannot create new construction elements in

The Edit > Cut command removes selected elements from a Project
and places them on the Clipboard for future use via the Paste
command. It can also be used for dialog box or Coordinates Palette
numeric field contents.
Note: The Cut command is not available in the 3D Window.
Section/Elevation/IE or 3D Document windows using either
Cut/Paste or Copy/Paste.
The Paste command is not available in the 3D window.
When you are pasting with a multiple story marquee, an alert appears
asking you to identify the copied story to merge to the current one.

The selection can be made with either the Arrow or the Marquee
tool, or by Shift+clicking.
If you cut a construction element from a Model-type
Section/Elevation/IE window or a 3D Document, the element is
also cut from the Floor Plan.
In Text type windows, you can use the Cut command as in any word
processor.
Copy
The Edit > Copy command puts the selected construction or text If you Cut/Copy and then Paste a selection between stories at the
elements on the Clipboard, but the selected elements are not removed same zoom level with no Panning operations in between, the contents
from the original document. of the Clipboard are pasted into the same position they were
originally cut or copied from.
The selection can be made with either the Arrow or the Marquee
tool, or by Shift+clicking. If there are several possible options for locating the pasted Clipboard
contents, the Paste Options dialog box appears. (The dialog box
You cannot create new construction elements in appears if the pasted elements cannot appear in their entirety in the
Section/Elevation/IE or 3D Document windows using Copy/Paste. Window at the current zoom level, or if it is possible to locate the
(The only exception is if you use the “Drag a copy” command to pasted elements relative to either the Active view or a Reference view.)
move a Door/Window, in a model-type Section window.)
In the 3D window, the Copy command is only available with the
Marquee tool.
See “Copy Cropped Image File with Marquee Tool” on page 88.
Paste
Use Edit > Paste command to insert the contents of the Clipboard
onto the current Project or a text Window.
When pasting cut elements into a Section/Elevation/IE, 3D
Document or Detail/Worksheet window, the elements are pasted as
drawing primitives (points, lines and fills). Fore more information, see “Paste Options Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

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Copy/Paste Elements Between Stories
• The Story Settings dialog box also provides a quick way to copy
identical elements from one story to another without having to
redraw them for each story.
For more information, see “Story Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Copy/Paste Elements Between Projects
When pasting elements to another project, remember that element
attributes are identified by name.
• If the pasted elements refer to attributes that do not exist in the
target Project, the necessary attributes will be appended.
• If the elements refer to attributes that do exist in the target
project but are different from those of the original project, they
will take on the attributes of the target project.
The Clipboard can be used not only to hold ArchiCAD elements for
pasting, but also to import bitmap graphics and other types of
information. You can paste multi-line texts from word-processing
applications into ArchiCAD.
If you have copied items from an external application, you have
several options - depending on the type of copied item - for pasting
them into ArchiCAD.
For more information, see “Pasting Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Delete
The Edit > Delete command removes selected items from Project
or text Windows. The deleted elements are not preserved on the
Clipboard. They are easily retrieved by Undo.
The keyboard equivalent of Delete is hitting the Backspace or
Delete key. Deleting construction elements in any model window
(Floor Plan, 3D, model-type Section/Elevation/IE, or 3D
Document) will also clear these elements from all the other windows.
Note: Deleting any additional (i.e. manually added) elements
from a model-type Section/Elevation/IE window or a 3D
Document, or any elements from a drawing-type
Section/Elevation/IE window will leave all other windows
unchanged.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Interaction
Undo/Redo
The Undo and Redo commands allow you to undo (revert to a
previous step) and redo a large number of construction operations.
The name of the command to be undone is displayed in the menu
along with the Undo or Redo command. This capability also allows
you to test tentative solutions by trying them out until you arrive at
the desired result.
The number of steps that can be undone and redone (from 1 to 99) is
set using in the Options > Work Environment > Data Safety
dialog box (Undo Limit). The default value is 20. After redoing a
series of steps, Undo will only be available when you complete a new
undoable action.
All model and drafting operations can be undone step by step,
chronologically, regardless of the model or drawing view they were
performed in.
In text type windows, only the last editing step can be
undone/redone. (Text-type windows include all Listing windows
created with the Calculation function, GDL script windows, Project
Notes, and Report windows.)
Important: Operations involving Navigator/Organizer items
(such as drag and drop between Navigator maps, deleting items
from a map, or adding items to the Publisher set) are not added
to the undo queue, and are not undoable.
Note: Each time you save the Project, your previously available
Undo steps will be cleared. In case of a crash, Autosave will save
your Project. Autosave does not clear the undoable steps.
Moving Elements
You can move elements individually or collectively. You can “nudge”
them in increments; you can drag, rotate or mirror them along a
horizontal plane and through vertical displacement, that is, by
changing their elevation values.
To move elements, you can:
• Select them and choose the corresponding menu command from
the Edit > Move menu (with any tool active in the Toolbox) or
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Interaction

the Move commands in the context menu of a selected element-

as with the selected column in this image:

• With any tool active, click on a node and then choose the desired
shortcut in the appearing pet palette.
In the 3D window, Nudge will move the element left, right, forward
or backward on a horizontal plane. In Section/Elevation/IE
windows, Nudge
To Nudge a selected element in larger increments, use Shift + Alt +
an arrow key. This will move the selected elements by the distance
entered for your Construction Grid in View > Grid Options >
Grids & Background.

Nudging Elements
A quick way to move elements on the screen is to use the “Nudge”
feature: select one or more elements, then use Shift + an arrow key
to move the element left, right, up or down.
The “Nudge factor” - the increment by which you will move the
element - is the same as the distance entered for your Snap Grid in
View > Grid Options > Grids & Background.
See “The Grid System” on page 95.

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Dragging Elements
To drag an element, do one of the following:
• With Quick Selection: click on the element’s surface and drag it
to its new position.
See “Quick Selection of Surface Areas” on page 77.
• Select the Element; select the Edit > Move > Drag command,
and draw a temporary vector anywhere in the active window: the
element will be dragged to its new location according to this
vector’s length and direction.
• Select the element, select the Drag icon from the pet palette,
then drag the element. All selected elements are moved to a new location. Single elements
are accompanied by a ghost outline or boundary as you move them.
• Select the element, then access the drag command with the Selections containing grouped elements appear as a greyed bounding
context menu or using the Drag command shortcut (Ctrl+D). box as you move them.
To move a wall, select it, then take hold of it anywhere on its surface
and drag it with the cursor to its new location. (The accompanying
pet palette shows the “Drag” command activated.)

These functions will also work when several elements have been
simultaneously selected. All of the selected elements will be dragged
along the same vector. In the image below, we select a wall, table and
chair, and drag them all at the same time to their new position.

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Note: In 3D, dragging can also change the elevation of the

selected elements. To constrain the movement of the elements to
the horizontal plane, activate the horizontal-vertical angle pair in
Options > Work Environment > Mouse Constraints and
Methods, make sure the Drag Horizontally icon is active in the
appearing pet palette, and keep the Shift key pressed while
dragging the elements.
For more information, see “Mouse Constraints and Methods Dialog Box” in
ArchiCAD Help.

Rotating Elements
To rotate an element:
• Select the Element.
• Select the Edit >
Move > Rotate
command (or Move
> Rotate from the
selected element’s
context menu).
Alternatively, click
again on a node or
edge of the selected element to bring up the pet palette, then
choose the Rotate command . Or use the Ctrl (Cmd) + E
shortcut. You can rotate selected elements in the Floor Plan or in the 3D
• Click to define the center of rotation of the selected elements. Window, and drawing elements only in Section/Elevation/IE, 3D
Document, and Detail/Worksheet windows. Even in the 3D Window,
• Click to define the starting point of the rotation arc and its radius. rotation is always performed across a horizontal plane.

Mirroring Elements
Mirroring creates a mirror image of selected elements on the Floor
Plan or in the 3D Window.
To Mirror an element:
• Select the Element(s) you want to mirror. Here, we want to place
the table and chairs in the facing direction, at the other side of
• Move the cursor and click to complete the rotation arc. the room.

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• Select the Edit > Move > Mirror command, or choose the
Mirror command from the context menu or the pet palette .
• Define the mirroring axis with two clicks, as if you were drawing
a Line.
The mirrored elements will be placed after the second click.
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Notes:
• Any number of Doors and Windows can be mirrored at a time.
The mirrored Door/Window will always be in line with the wall
that contains the original. Select the Door/Window; click once.
This click is the axis of the mirroring action.
• Text, Line arrowheads and Dimensions will not be mirrored,
only their bounding box.
• Mirrored Text blocks, Labels, Dimensions and Fill polygon area
labels are always readable from the bottom and the left side of
the drawing.
• Zone stamps cannot be mirrored.
Elevating Elements
The Elevate command allows you to move selected elements
vertically along the Z axis. Use Edit > Move > Elevate.
To elevate an element in the Floor Plan and Section/Elevation/IE
windows:
• Select the element.
• Choose the Edit > Move >
Elevate command, or the
Elevate command from the
pet palette. This brings up the
Elevate dialog box.
• Type the value by which you wish to raise or lower all selected
elements
• Click OK.
This command is well-suited to changing the elevations of large
numbers of similar elements (i.e., walls, landscaping objects, floor
tiles, and lighting fixtures). It is the best way to preserve the vertical
relationships between objects while moving them.
Note: In the Section/Elevation/IE window, you can also elevate
elements simply by clicking and dragging.
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In the 3D Window, click an element node (Arrow tool active) and
choose the Elevate icon from the appearing pet palette, and then
graphically move the selected elements up and down.
Align Elements
About the Align function
Use this menu (Edit > Align) to align selected elements with each
other, or to a custom-drawn target line, using a variety of criteria:
• Align elements right or left;
• Align elements to the top or bottom;
• Center elements vertically or horizontally;
• “Special”-align elements to any point on an existing element, or
to a temporary line/arc drawn by you.
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The Align commands are only active if you have selected at least two
elements.
When using the Align commands, the expression “right” refers to the
rightmost element on the x-axis in the window you are looking at (e.g.
Floor Plan, Section, 3D). The expression “left” refers to the lefthand
direction on the x-axis.
Similarly, “top” means the element with the highest y-coordinate in
the current window, and “bottom” is the element with the lowest
y-coordinate.
ArchiCAD identifies an element’s right/left/top/bottom/center
point according to an (invisible) bounding box around the element.
For example, suppose you want to align the
following Corner Table object with other
furniture:
ArchiCAD will use the centerpoint of the table’s
bounding box (here, illustrated in red):
Note: If you want to use a different anchor point of the elements
you are aligning, use the Special Align options (Edit > Align >
Special Align).
See “Special Align” on page 120.
How to Align Elements
1) Select the elements you wish to align.
2) Go to Edit > Align and choose one of the following operations:
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Select all three windows and use

Edit > Align Left.
Right: If you choose Edit > Align
> Right, all selected elements will be
aligned to the rightmost
bounding-box point of the element
located farthest to the right.
• In the illustration below, the arc
wall is the rightmost element;
the rest of the walls (their
rightmost points) are aligned to
the rightmost point on the arc
wall’s bounding box.

Left: If you choose Edit > Align > Left, all selected elements will be
aligned to the leftmost bounding-box point of the element that is
located farthest to the left. Top/Bottom: If you choose Edit > Align > Top or Bottom, all
selected elements will be aligned to the topmost (or bottommost)
In this example, we want to align point on the element that is the top (or bottom) element of the
the three windows shown in selected group.
Section view.
• In the example below, we want to move up the window on the
left, so that it lines up with other two windows.

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To achieve this, we select all the windows, then use Edit > Align
> Top to obtain the desired result.
Special Align
The options in Edit > Align > Special Align give you great
flexibility in lining up selected elements. You can choose which point
to align, and you can choose what to align the elements to: a
temporary line/arc drawn by you, or any existing line/edge.

Center Horizontally: If you choose Edit > Align > Center

Horizontally, ArchiCAD will determine the selected elements’ top
and bottom y-coordinates, and then align all the elements horizontally
(using each element’s centerpoint), along a horizontal line halfway
between the top and bottom elements.
In this example, we wish to align the selected tree objects to the edge
Center Vertically: If you choose Edit > Align > Center Vertically,
of the garden path.
ArchiCAD will determine the selected elements’ leftmost and
rightmost x-coordinates, and then align all the elements vertically,
along a vertical line halfway between them.
• For example, in the following Floor Plan, we will center the
selected furniture vertically.

Go to Edit > Align > Special Align and choose the Nearest Point
option: each tree will line up along the path using each tree’s
bounding box point that falls closest to the path.
Choose the Click an existing line or element edge option.
Click OK to close the dialog box, then click the edge of the path
(here, the edge of the mesh). The trees line up along the path.

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To ensure they are all distributed evenly, select all the windows and
use Edit > Distribute > Along X.

Along Y: The two selected elements at either end (vertically) will

Distribute Elements remain in place; the rest will be evenly distributed between them.
Use this menu (Edit > Distribute) to evenly distribute selected For example, suppose you want to distribute chairs evenly against the
elements using a variety of criteria: back wall of the room. Select them, then use Edit > Distribute >
Along Y.

The Distribute commands are only active if you have selected at least
two elements.
Along X: The two selected elements at either end will remain in
place; the rest will be evenly distributed between them.
For example, suppose you have three windows distributed evenly
along a wall.

As a result of a design change, the wall is lengthened and you add two
more windows.
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Along XY: The two selected elements at either end (at top left and
bottom right) will remain in place, and the rest will be distributed
evenly along an XY diagonal.
For example, you have nine desks in
the classroom placed roughly in a V
formation.
To distribute the desks precisely,
select a group of 5 desks and use
Edit > Distribute > Along XY. Suppose you want to distribute potted plants in a circle around a
hexagonal soil holder object:
First group:

Repeat with a second group of five chairs.

Final result:

Use Edit > Distribute > Special Distribute. Choose the “Draw a
line or arc” option, then click OK to close the dialog box.
Click to start drawing and choose the “Arc by centerpoint” pet palette
option. You will create a temporary circle around the hexagonal
object. As you complete the circle, the potted plants will be
distributed around it.

Special Distribute
The options in Edit > Distribute > Special Distribute let you
choose which point to distribute and along what to distribute the
elements: a temporary line/arc drawn by you, or any existing
line/edge.

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Modifying Element Sizes
Overview of Modifying Element Size
Different element types have different characteristic dimensions:
length, width, height, thickness, opening angle, etc. Some of these are
easiest to modify numerically, by selecting the given element, opening
its settings dialog box and adjusting the relevant values.
Some dimensions, however, cannot be modified numerically (for
example, the length of linear elements or edges), while some others
need to be fitted exactly to other elements (walls to roofs, for
example) which may make numeric adjustment a tedious calculation
task. You may also need to change the overall dimensions of several
elements at the same time while keeping their relative proportions.
In such cases, ArchiCAD allows you to modify element sizes using
splitting, stretching and trimming operations.
Most of the operations can be performed in three ways:
• Edit menu command
• keyboard shortcuts
For more information, see “Shortcuts” in ArchiCAD Help.
• pet palette commands
For more information, see “Pet Palettes” on page 111.
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In some cases, only the pet palette is available.
Some general considerations:
• You cannot stretch Hotspots, Cameras or Detail Markers.
• Some GDL Object type elements are programmed to allow only
specific sizes, or include smart editing hotspots to edit their
shape graphically.
• Stretch is available for most types of selected elements in both
the Floor Plan and the 3D Window. Only drawing elements can
be stretched in the Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document and
Detail/Worksheet windows.
• The Stretch command cannot be used on polygonal elements,
but you can stretch their edges or displace any of their nodes
graphically.
Stretching Walls
To stretch/shrink straight walls with the menu command:
1) Select a wall.
2) Choose the Edit > Reshape > Stretch menu command, or the
Stretch command from the pet palette.
3) Click the reference line endpoint and move it.
4) Click again to either define the new endpoint as an extension (or
reduction) of the previous length or define an entire different
new location. The wall is stretched or shrunk and, if needed,
rotated according to the new endpoint. The other endpoint will
remain at its original position.
Note: Multiple Walls, Lines and Arcs with overlapping
endpoints can all be stretched at the same time with the Stretch
menu command, or by using the Marquee.
For more information, see “Stretching with the Marquee Tool” on page 128.
When using the pet palette:
1) Select a wall.
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2) Click one of the wall’s reference line endpoints. The pet palette See also “Stretching or Shrinking Lines” on page 379; “Stretching Objects” on
appears. Choose the stretch icon. page 316.

Modifying Slanted Walls and Columns

Slanted walls and columns can be stretched and/or their slant angle
can be modified with pet palette commands in 3D and Section views.
(Columns can also be modified in Floor Plan views.)
In 3D, you can:
• Slant a wall/column or change the inclination angle of a slanted
wall/column by selecting a corner point (for a wall) or the center
of the top plane of the column, and dragging it along the
horizontal plane. (Use “Modify Angle” in the pet palette)
Note: You cannot slant a wall whose reference line is centered.
• Stretch a slanted wall/column by moving its top or bottom edge
up or down along the wall plane (Use “Stretch slanted height” for
walls, or “Stretch height with fixed angle” for columns, in the pet
palette.)
• Stretch a slanted wall/column vertically. (Use “Stretch height” in
the pet palette.) As you change the wall height, the wall thickness
remains the same but its slant angle is adjusted accordingly.

Click to define the new endpoint. You can stretch a curved wall by
using a special angular or radial stretch commands.
See “Stretching Curves” on page 380.
To stretch a Trapezoid wall, you can use the special Stretch
Trapezoid Wall command from the pet palette: this will
increase/decrease the width of the wall proportionally as you stretch
it from either end.

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In Section view, you can use the same

functions. (“Modify Slant Angle” is
possible only if the wall’s reference line is
perpendicular to the section line.) In
Section view, the Tracker’s “Distance”
field provides a way to edit the wall
inclination using its offset (e.g. Distance)
value.)
In addition, you can edit double slanted
walls:
• If you elevate the top or bottom surface of the double slanted
wall, the angles of both lateral surfaces will change
• If you elevate the height of one side of the wall, both lateral You can modify the slant angle of Columns
surface angles remain unchanged (and the top surface may be graphically on the Floor Plan as well as in 3D.
reduced to zero thickness)

Modifying Beams
To stretch/shrink beams using the pet palette:
1) Select a beam on the Floor Plan or in 3D.
Note: Beams can also be stretched/shrunk in Section view, if the
Beam reference line is perpendicular to the Section line.
2) Click one of the beam’s endpoints. The pet palette appears.
Choose the appropriate stretch (or stretch length) icon:

The next two methods work on double-slanted walls in Section view

only if the Section line is perpendicular to the wall.
• If you move the top surface horizontally, both lateral surface
angles will change while the top thickness remains constant
• If you move one of the top nodes of the double slanted wall
horizontally, the angle of the surface on that side of the wall will
change as will the top thickness, while the opposite surface angle Click to define the new endpoint.
will remain unchanged. To stretch/shrink beams with the menu command:
1) Select a beam.
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2) Choose the Edit > Reshape > Stretch command.

3) Click the reference line endpoint of the beam and move it.
4) Click again to either define the new endpoint as an extension (or
reduction) of the previous length or define an entire different
new location. The beam is stretched or shrunk and, if needed,
rotated according to the new endpoint. The other endpoint will
remain at its original position.
To modify the inclination (slant) angle of an inclined beam, select it
on the Floor Plan or in the 3D Window.
Choose the Modify Angle command from the Pet Palette.
Drag the beam graphically to the desired inclination angle.

Reshaping Polygons and Chained Elements

Move Polygon Node
To move a node of a selected
polygon (including a
polygonal wall), click the node
and use the pet palette’s Move
node option.
The two neighboring edges
will follow the stretching
movement and the shape of
the polygon will change accordingly.

Modifying Complex Profile Elements Offset Polygon Edge

To apply an offset on a whole side of a selected polygon, click an
Profile Walls, Columns and
edge and use the pet palette’s Offset edge option. This will stretch
Beams have special stretch and
the neighboring edges.
rotate commands in the pet
palette. This offset feature is available
for chained elements as well as
polygons. Selected elements
will be treated temporarily as a
polygon, and all polygon
reshaping pet palette options
will be available.

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In the example below, the chained Wall on the right needs to be Select the polygon, and
moved a bit further away while keeping its connection to the two click a node (or reference
horizontal Walls. Select all three Walls, click anywhere on the edge of line endpoint). Choose the
the Wall on the right and choose the appropriate icon from the pet offset option in the pet
palette. Click when you are satisfied with the new distance. palette.
A ghost contour of the
proportionally increased
or reduced polygon
follows the movements of
the cursor. Click when you
are satisfied with the new
polygon size.

Adding and Subtracting Polygonal Shapes

You can use the pet palette to add to the shape of a polygonal
element, or subtract new polygons from it.
To add a new polygon to the existing one:
Select the polygon and
click it either on an edge
When you offset a segment of a polygon perpendicularly, new or a node. From the pet
segments are correspondingly created. This can be useful, for palette, choose the icon
example, when tracing a terrace. with the + sign (Add to
Polygon).

Draw the new polygon

shape. It must intersect
with the selected one or
at least they should have
a common edge.

Offset All Polygon Edges

For polygonal and chained elements only, there is a graphic offset
option available in the pet palette.

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Click to finish drawing the Stretching with the Marquee Tool

new shape, which will be
automatically added to the You can stretch multiple polygons or linear elements along a
original one. particular vector by using the Marquee tool.
The process is the same To stretch elements inside a Marquee area:
for subtracting a shape • Draw a Marquee so that the nodes or endpoints you want to
from a polygon, but you stretch fall inside the Marquee. Any nodes you want to keep
will choose the icon with intact should be outside the Marquee.
the - sign (Subtract from
Polygon). • Define a stretch vector: with the Marquee tool active, click on a
node or endpoint inside the Marquee area, then click on a second
point.
• Alternatively, choose the Edit > Reshape > Stretch command,
and then define the stretch vector by clicking any two different
points.
The shape of all linear elements that have one of their endpoints
inside the Marquee area, and polygonal elements that have nodes
inside the marquee area, will be stretched along this vector.
Note: If you don’t want to stretch an element whose node is
inside the Marquee, lock the element (select it, then use Edit >
Locking > Lock; or lock the element’s layer.).

You can also use the Magic Wand for adding/subtracting a polygon
shape.
• If all the nodes of a polygon are inside the Marquee area, the
polygon will be dragged instead of stretched.
• Stretching nodes in a Marquee area is not available in the 3D
Window.
• Columns, Objects and Lamps cannot be stretched with the
Marquee. If any of their hotspots fall inside the Marquee area, the
whole object/column will be dragged along when the Marquee
area is repositioned.

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• When stretching Arcs or curved Walls with the Marquee, their 1) Select the elements you wish to
central angle (i.e. the arc/chord ratio) will remain unchanged. transform and choose Resize.
2) In the appearing dialog box, enter a
value into any one of the resize
ratio fields. (Make sure the Define
graphically checkbox is unchecked.)
• Resize ratio: Use any one of the
three ways to define the resize ratio
Stretch Height you want. (If you enter a value in
one field, the other two will be
In the 3D, Section/Elevation and IE windows, you can modify the filled in automatically.)
height of selected elements graphically with Stretch height • Resize wall, column thickness: For walls, columns and beams, the
command of the pet palette. Click a node of a selected element and thickness will be resized as well as the length/height.
choose the vertical stretch icon in the pet palette. A ghost contour of
the element follows the cursor. Click to set the new height of the • Resize library parts: Any selected library parts will be resized.
element. • Resize all text entities: All texts and labels are resized.
• Resize all arrows and markers: The size of all arrows/markers are
modified.
3) Click OK.

Resize (Enlarge or Reduce) Elements

The Edit > Reshape > Resize command lets you enlarge or reduce
selected elements using numeric or graphical input.
This feature is available only in the Floor Plan and 3D windows, and -
for 2D drawing elements only - in the Section/Elevation, 3D
Document and Detail/Worksheet windows.
The Resize dialog box offers additional options for resizing the
thickness of Walls/Columns, GDL Objects, text elements,
arrowheads and markers.

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4) Click in the window to define which point or edge of the Note: You cannot split a polygon - such as a Roof element - with
elements should remain in its original location. The an arc.
transformation will be executed. Note: You can split a Curtain Wall with another Curtain Wall,
but you must use the Split Curtain Wall command.
See “Split Intersecting Curtain Walls” on page 307.
1) Select the elements you wish to split.
2) Choose the Edit >
Reshape > Split
command.
3) Draw a temporary
splitting line, or
click on an existing
Line, Arc, Wall or
polygon edge.
4) Click on either side
of the splitting
line/arc/edge with
the Eyeball cursor.
To perform the operation graphically:
Note: When splitting walls, the split takes place at the point
1) Open the Resize dialog box. where the splitting line intersects with the reference line(s) of the
2) Check the Define Graphically checkbox. selected elements.
3) Draw a transformation vector to define both the resizing ratio 5) Elements on the clicked side will remain selected, while elements
and the location of the resized elements. on the other side will be deselected. The selected group of
elements can be edited in the usual ways.
Note: Resizing does not affect grouped elements. To resize
grouped elements, ungroup them first or choose Suspend If the selected element is intersected by an element in several
Groups. locations, the Split command will split the selected element at every
intersection point.
Splitting Elements
You can split many selected elements (Walls, Beams, Lines, Slabs,
Roofs, Meshes, Fill and Zone Polygons, Lines, Arcs, Polylines and
Splines) along a line segment, arc or element edge.
The Split command is available in the Floor Plan and 3D Window,
and - for drawing elements only - in Section/Elevation/IE and 3D
Document windows, and Details and Worksheets.

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Splitting is also available in the 3D Window. You can split the selected Split and Adjust Shortcut
element with a vertical plane into two segments. This feature works A simple shortcut lets you adjust short elements and split long ones
the same way as on the Floor Plan. The splitting line is drawn in the by the same edge.
plane of the User Origin.
1) Select all the elements that you
Note: When no elements are selected, the Split command will let wish to split or adjust. The
you split a wall at the clicked location along any of its sides or active tool must be one of
reference line. those that created the selected
elements.
Adjusting Elements
Use the Adjust command to extend or trim the endpoints of selected 2) Press the Ctrl (Windows) or
Walls, Beams, Arcs and Lines to a Line, Arc segment or element edge. Cmd (MacOS) key and click
1) Select the elements you wish to adjust. the edge you wish to use for
splitting/adjusting.
2) Choose the Edit > Reshape > Adjust command.
3) Draw a line segment, or click an existing line, wall, polygon edge
or arc/circle. The endpoints of the selected walls and lines will be
adjusted (lengthened or shortened) to meet the drawn or clicked
3) The operation is immediately
line or curve. Only those elements will be affected that intersect
performed. All transformed
(or would intersect) with the chosen line/arc/edge.
elements will remain selected.

Intersect Two Elements

The Adjust command is available in the Floor Plan and 3D Window,
and - for drawing elements only - in Section/Elevation/IE and 3D
Document windows, and Details and Worksheets. In 3D view, you
can adjust the selected Wall or Beam to a vertical plane.
You can intersect two selected Lines, Walls or circular or elliptic Arcs
with each other by having them meet at their endpoints’ nearest
point.
1) Select the two elements (they must be of the same element type).

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2) Choose the Edit > Reshape > Intersect command. • Chamfer joins the endpoints of two straight segments with a
straight segment, cutting off corners.

• Enter a radius for the fillet/chamfer. (The chamfer does not have
a radius, but it will be drawn as the chord of arcs of the specified
radius.)
Note: If filleting the arc with the current radius would extend
any of the neighboring vertices, the radius will be limited
Create a Fillet or Chamfer automatically so that the filleting arc contains the closer
neighboring vertex.
Use the Edit > Reshape > Fillet/Chamfer command to fillet or • Click OK.
chamfer the intersection of two straight lines or walls, or the corner(s)
of a polygon element. Note: The Fillet, Chamfer and Intersect commands are not
effective on grouped elements, unless Suspend Groups is on (See
To open the Fillet/Chamfer dialog box “Suspending Groups” on page 140.)
• Select the two lines, or the polygon element. Lines are adjusted depending on whether or not they intersect; if
• Choose the Edit > Reshape > Fillet/Chamfer command, or they do not, a new length is determined in order to make an
intersection or to meet the fillet or chamfer.
• if the selected element is
a polygon, choose the Apply to All Corners
Fillet/Chamfer icon
from the pet palette. To apply the Fillet or Chamfer to all corners of the selected polygon,
check the Apply to All Corners checkbox.
Choose either Fillet or
Chamfer: Note: This checkbox is applicable only if the selected element is
a polygon. It is not available if you have selected two separate
elements.
• Fillet joins the If you have selected a polygon and then the Edit > Reshape >
endpoints of two Fillet/Chamfer command, the checkbox is selected by default and
straight segments endpoints with an Arc. uneditable; the fillet/chamfer will apply to all nodes.

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To apply the Fillet/Chamfer to a single node of the polygon, click on Adding Element Nodes
that node and use the pet palette command to open the
Fillet/Chamfer dialog box. You can add new nodes to elements using the pet palette.
Adding a node to a straight linear element creates an additional
Trimming Elements to Intersection Point(s) element.
Adding a node to a polygon-type element increases the number of its
You can trim an element by simply removing the part extending
edges.
beyond its intersection point with another element, or even cut out a
part of the element between two intersection points. Trimmable In the 3D Window, you can add nodes only to polygonal elements.
elements are: Walls, Beams, Lines, Circles, Arcs, Polyline and Splines. To add a node to an element:
Note: Trimming elements to a roof is a separate function in 1) Select the element.
ArchiCAD. 2) Click an edge of the element to bring up the pet palette.
For more information, see “Trim Element to Roof ” on page 248. 3) Choose the Insert new node icon .
To trim an element take the following steps: 4) Click to define the location of the new node.
• Choose the Edit > Reshape > Trim command, or press the
Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (MacOS) key.
• The Scissors cursor appears. Move it to a trimmable element and
click the segment you want to trim.
Note: In the 3D window, you can also click on a Wall or Beam
surface for trimming.
• The clicked part of the element between the two nearest To insert a new node without moving it, double-click on a polygon
intersection points will be deleted. edge. (The Insert node option must be active in the pet palette.)
For example, here we will trim part of the beam - the part that falls Note: You cannot add a new node to a curved element or
between the first two walls on the left. segment; if you click Insert new node on a curved element, the
curved element will be straightened out.

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Editing Element Nodes
With the Move node icon of the pet palette, you can reposition
the node of a polygon type element. The connected edges will follow.
• You can eliminate a node by merging it into one of its neighbors.
• If you merge a node to a remote node (that is, not a neighboring
one), the smaller part of the polygon will be deleted.
• If repositioning a node eliminates one of the connecting edges,
the other node of that edge will also be deleted, together with the
corresponding part of its own other connecting edge.
134
• If you reposition a node so that the polygon edges intersect each
other (but no connecting edge is eliminated), the polygon will be
split.
• When repositioning a bent edge’s
endpoint, the arc segment will be
stretched in a way that its central angle
(the arc-chord ratio) remains the same.
With the Fillet function (use the
Fillet/Chamfer pet palette icon ), you can
replace a polygon node by a tangential arc
whose radius can be set in the
Fillet/Chamfer Radius dialog box.
For a detailed description, see “Create a Fillet or Chamfer” on page 132.
Curve/Straighten Element Edge
With the pet palette’s Curve edge function , you can curve a
segment of a straight element - such as a wall - by dragging its edge or
reference line. The resulting arc will cross the two endpoints of the
clicked edge and the point that has been dragged.
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Note: If the bent segment of a polygon intersects any of the
other polygon edges, ArchiCAD will regularize the polygon’s
shape, which may result in cutting the polygon into several parts.
To straighten a curved element edge, select the curved element, then
select the Insert New Node command from the pet palette.
Explode into Current View
Choosing Edit > Reshape > Explode into Current View will turn
selected elements (Floor Plan and other 2D windows only) into basic
elements (Lines without arrowheads, Circles, Arcs, Elliptic arcs,
Splines, unframed Fills, single-line Texts).
You have the option to delete or retain the original elements.
Note: If Autogroup is On, the exploded elements will be created
in grouped mode.
Note that exploding a construction element with the first option
(Keep drawing primitives only) means that it no longer exists as a
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construction element. Consequently, it will disappear from other
model views (model-type Sections, Elevations, IEs, 3D Documents).
After an Explode function, you may wish to fine-tune the view before
final output. You will find, however, that the “exploded” lines and
fills often contain superfluous elements (extra line segments,
overlapping or superfluous fills) that make such editing difficult.
To make editing easier, first use the The Linework and Fill
Consolidation functions on selected items in the window.
For more information, see “Consolidating Lines and Fills in Drawing Windows”
on page 153.
Some examples:
• Slabs, Roofs and Meshes are decomposed into lines.
• Walls and Columns are decomposed into Lines and Fills (Doors
and Windows inserted into Walls are also exploded).
• Doors and Windows (if selected without the Wall they are placed
into) are decomposed like GDL Objects into 2D elements and
are replaced by empty hole type openings.
• Dimensions are decomposed into Lines, Texts and the basic
elements of arrowheads (Lines, Circles, Arcs, Fills).
• Polylines are decomposed into Lines and Arcs.
• GDL Objects are decomposed into basic 2D drawing elements.
Explode has no effect in the following cases:
• In Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document windows, cut
construction elements cannot be exploded.
• Section/Elevation/IE lines and Cameras.
• Basic 2D elements.
Creating Element Duplicates
You will often need to create exact duplicates of a particular element.
Often, the simplest way to duplicate is to use Copy/Paste.
See “Basic Editing Techniques” on page 111.
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It is also easy to use graphical editing to drag, rotate, or mirror one or
more copies of a selected element, or to use the multiply function.
These functions are described below.
Drag, Rotate, Mirror Element Copies
You can also create exact duplicates of an element inside the same
project by dragging one or several copies of the selected element. The
selection can be made with either the Arrow tool or the Marquee tool.
• To Drag, Rotate, or Mirror one copy of an element, select the
element and choose the desired command from the Edit > Move
menu or the context menu.
• Another way is to choose the plain Drag/Rotate/Mirror
command from the pet palette, then press Ctrl (Windows) or
Alt/Opt (MacOS). (This adds a small + sign to the cursor; press
Ctrl again to undo the Copy feature). A copy of the selected
element will be dragged, rotated or mirrored. Click to place the
copy., which will now be selected instead of the original.
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• To Drag or Rotate multiple copies of an element, select the
element, choose the desired command from the Edit > Move
menu or the context menu (or use Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or Cmd
+ Opt/Alt (MacOS) as a shortcut). You will see a “++” sign
appear. Click the element to drag or rotate its copy to its new
position. You can place any number of copies. Double-click to
finish placing copies.
Note: When rotating copies, they will all be placed along the
same rotation axis.
This feature works in both the Floor Plan and the 3D Window. In
Section/Elevation/IE windows, the feature works on added drawing
elements and Doors and Windows (dragging only). In Detail
Drawings, you can use it on any drawing elements. In the 3D
Window, Drag/Rotate/Mirror is available only for added Drawing
elements.
Multiplying Elements
If you need to create a number of identical elements inside the same
project following a definite pattern, for example at equal distances
from each other, use the Edit > Move > Multiply command, or the
Multiply command from the pet palette.
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Multiply creates any number of exact copies of selected elements on
the current story, using one the following methods:
• Drag multiplies the copies along a straight path defined by the
reference line.
• Rotate multiplies the copies along an arc, using the angle
specified in the reference arc.
• Elevate stacks the copies with a vertical displacement. Note that
this option is grayed when working in a Section/Elevation/IE,
3D Document or Detail/Worksheet window.
• Matrix will place the copies of the selected element(s) to a matrix
defined by two perpendicular reference lines. When choosing the
Matrix option, you need to define the number of copies for both
the first and the second stroke of the matrix. Two parameters for
the vertical displacement can also be set.
In the lower half of the dialog box, the distribution options determine
how the start and endpoint of the reference line will be interpreted.
• Increment spaces the copies by an incremental distance equal to
the length of the reference line or reference arc.
• Distribute spaces the copies evenly between the start and
endpoints of the reference line or reference arc.
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• Distribute-1 will also space the copies evenly between the
starting point and the endpoint of the reference line or arc, but
the distance is divided by the Number of copies + 1 and no copy
will be placed at the endpoint.
• Spread will place the copies of the multiplied element to equal
distance from each other along the reference line or arc all the
way until the reference is drawn. In this case, instead of defining
the number of copies, you set the spacing in length or in degrees
between two neighboring copies.
• Vertical displacement will define the value that is added to the
elevation of each subsequent copy of the multiplied object, even
during dragging, rotating or arraying the copies.
Note: When multiplying the element(s) in the 3D window, the
vertical displacement must be defined with a reference vector,
not by a value in the dialog box. In this case, simply push a radio
button in the dialog box indicating whether you need vertical
displacement.
When you have defined your choices, click OK in the Multiply dialog
box and perform the operation by dragging the cursor to the desired
location.
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Drag & Drop
The Drag & Drop technique is familiar to both MacOS and Windows
users as a shortcut for opening files or for copying and pasting
elements of different types into Windows of the same application or
between applications.
Since ArchiCAD has many different Window types, the smart
implementation of Drag & Drop allows you to copy elements from
Windows by pasting data in the receiving Window.
You can also drag & drop GDL Objects (Library Parts) from GDL
Object Web Plug-in enabled web pages directly into ArchiCAD
Projects, the Object Settings dialog box or the Active Libraries list of
the Library Manager dialog box.
For information on dragging and dropping GDL files, see “Opening with
Drag-and-Drop” on page 497.
Data can only be dropped into a Window if the receiving Window
can accommodate the dragged data type.
Dragging and Dropping Text
The following possibilities exist for transferring text:
• From any ArchiCAD Text Window or from a Text Window of
any other Drag & Drop-capable application to any other
ArchiCAD Text Window
• From any Text Window to any 2D Window (Floor Plan,
Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, Detail/Worksheet,
Library Part 2D Symbol) with the default parameters
• Moving or copying text within the same Text Window
• Creating text type clipping files in the File Manager
• Pasting clipping files into a text type Window
• Dropping plain text files into a text type Window (with some
restrictions)
Dragging and Dropping Drawings
The easiest way to add a Drawing from an external ArchiCAD file is
to open the external project structure in the Navigator, select a View
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or Drawing in the Navigator, and drag it onto the Layout in the
Layout Window of the current project.
For more information, see “Placing Drawings Onto the Layout” on page 427.
Dragging and Dropping Pictures
The following possibilities exist for transferring picture type data:
• Dropping a picture file into a GDL Object Preview Window
• Dropping a picture file into the Floor Plan to paste it as a Figure
• Creating picture type clipping files in the MacOS Finder
• Pasting clipping files into the GDL Object Preview Window
Dragging and Dropping GDL Object Files
You can drag and drop GDL Object files from the MacOS Finder or
the file manager directly into ArchiCAD Projects, the Object Settings
dialog box or the Active Libraries list of the Library Manager.
Dropping an Object into the Floor Plan activates the corresponding
tool in the Toolbox and the newly placed element becomes the
default element for the given Object type.
• It is possible to place several GDL Objects at the same time
using Drag & Drop.
• Windows and Doors can only be dropped into a Wall.
Dragging and Dropping Floor Plan Elements
If there is a selection on the Floor Plan defined either with a marquee
area or through individual selection with the Arrow, pressing the
mouse button and dragging the cursor out of the ArchiCAD Floor
Plan Window will initiate a Drag & Drop operation.
The following can be copied:
• Floor Plan elements (in module format).
• Selected elements on the Floor Plan in picture format (for
example, into the Project Preview Window).
• The 2D and/or the 3D script of the selected elements in text
format.
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3D GDL script is only generated if the drop is made into the 3D
Script window. The 2D script of the selected element can be dropped
into any other text type window.
Dragging and Dropping DWG/DXF Objects
Drag & Drop is available as a way to download DWG/DXF objects
from the web. A special “i-drop” technique is also available for
Windows only.
For more information, see “Opening with i-Drop® (Windows Only)” on page 497.
Parameter Transfer
ArchiCAD speeds up the creation of new elements through a variety
of shortcuts that allow you to create any number of exact duplicates
of existing elements through Parameter Transfer.
ArchiCAD allows you to pick the settings of one construction
element and pass them to another of the same type, using one of the
following techniques:
• keyboard shortcuts: Alt for Pick Up Parameters and Ctrl+Alt for
Inject Parameters
• the commands in the Standard Toolbar
• or at Edit > Element Settings > Pick Up
Parameters and Inject Parameters.
This facilitates the modification of either the default values in a
settings dialog box, or the settings of existing elements, without
having to select tools and open dialog boxes. The feature is available:
• on the Floor Plan and the in the 3D Document and 3D windows
for most element types
• In Section/Elevation/IE and Detail/Worksheet windows, for
drawing elements only
• You can also use a form of Parameter transfer between two
library parts of the same type.
See “Parameter Transfer Between Objects” on page 318.
When you activate the Pick Up Parameters command from the
toolbar (shortcut: Alt/Opt key, or use Edit > Element Settings > Pick
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Up Parameters), the cursor takes on the Eyedropper shape. At the
same time, the element is shown with an information highlight.
For more information, see “Element Information Highlight” on page 80.
The Eyedropper is:
Full, when snapping to a Reference Line or axis node;
Half full, when snapping to Hotspots, general nodes or selectable
area;
Part full, part striped when snapping to a reference line;
Striped, on top of a normal edge;
Empty, when the cursor is in an empty workspace area (visual
feedback only).
Regardless of whether the Eyedropper is full, striped, or half full, the
parameter transfer will work. (An empty eyedropper does not work.)
Clicking with the Eyedropper will load the settings of the given
element into the corresponding tool type’s settings dialog box and
make them the new default settings for that tool. The given tool
becomes active, and, with the next click, you can start drawing a clone
of a clicked element.
To transfer a dialog box’s settings to an element, activate the Inject
Parameters command from the toolbar (shortcut: Ctrl-Alt
(Windows) or Alt/Opt-Cmd (MacOS); the cursor changes into a
Syringe. (You can also activate the syringe with Edit > Element
Settings > Inject Parameters.) The same variations (empty, striped,
full, etc.) apply as for the Eyedropper.
Move the syringe cursor on top of or to the edge or node of the
target element, so that the target element is highlighted. (To cycle the
pre-selection highlight among multiple elements which overlap or
join, press Shift+Tab until the desired target element is highlighted.)
Click the target element to apply the default values and attributes
(Line Type, Pen Color, Material, etc.) to that element.
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In the example below, the settings of the Wall on top have been Elements belonging to other Stories, even if their outlines appear on
transferred to the Wall on bottom. the current Story, cannot be part of a group on the current Story.
Edit > Grouping > Autogroup, a toggle command, lets you group
elements at the same time you create them (instead of creating
elements first and then grouping them). If the Autogroup command
is on, chained polygonal and rectangular elements (such as PolyWalls,
PolyRoofs, etc.) will automatically be created as a group. To make all
elements constituting a group independent again, choose Edit >
Notes: The attributes of the element will also be loaded into the Grouping > Ungroup. In the case of nested groups, you will need to
Find & Select dialog box’s corresponding fields, provided that the repeat this command several times until you obtain single elements
dialog box is currently open and the appropriate button is active. only again. Grouping and ungrouping are available in all editable
For more information, see “Find & Select Palette” in ArchiCAD Help. window types.
The transferred attributes will also be pre-selected when opening Operations on Grouped Elements
any of the corresponding dialog boxes (Line Types, Pens & The following operations can be performed simultaneously on all the
Colors, Fill Types, Materials, Composites, Zone Categories). elements constituting the group:
• Selection
Grouping Elements • The following Edit menu functions: Drag, Rotate, Mirror, Multiply
Groups are created by selecting a set • Attribute (e.g., Layer) assignment
of elements and then using the Edit
> Grouping commands or the Other operations (such as Unify and Fillet/Chamfer) can be
relevant buttons of the Arrange Element toolbar. performed on individual elements only, after the elements are
ungrouped or the group is suspended.
Grouped elements can then be
selected and modified as a group, Suspending Groups
unless you temporarily suspend the You may need to perform only a single operation on a particular
group to allow editing of individual element in the group. In this case, ungrouping altogether is
elements. Grouped elements are burdensome, since you will have to select all the elements again to
distinguished by their large, empty recreate the group after you have finished the operation.
selection dots. If you select several
groups simultaneously, each group’s The solution is to temporarily suspend groups by
selection dots will have a different choosing the Suspend Group toggle icon in the
color. Several groups can, in turn, be grouped together into a single Standard Toolbar, or at Edit > Grouping >
higher-level group. Suspend Groups.
The following element types cannot be grouped: any of the Dimension (The Suspend Groups icon is also available in the Control Box.)
types, Zones, Labels, Section/Elevation/IE lines, Cameras. Doors If Suspend Groups is ON, elements that have been assigned to a
and Windows can only be grouped as part of the Wall they are placed group can be selected and modified separately. ALL groups are
into. Only elements on the current Story can be grouped together. temporarily rendered inactive: single elements can be selected and
edited individually, even if they are part of a complex group hierarchy.
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If Suspend Groups is OFF, groups are activated once again.
• Choosing Edit > Grouping > Ungroup with Suspend Groups
ON will detach any selected elements from their groups and
break down all groups into single independent elements, no
matter how complex the nested grouping is.
• If the Suspend Groups switch is OFF and you choose to
ungroup a selection consisting of two or more lower level groups,
it will first be divided into the groups it comprises. You may need
to repeat the Edit > Grouping> Ungroup command several
times before an element can be selected and edited individually.
Note: There is a way to change the settings of one element in a
group, even if the Suspend Groups option is switched off. Go to the
settings dialog of the element you intend to change (make sure
nothing is selected), change the parameters and settings you wanted
to change, and close the dialog box by clicking the OK button. Now
click the element you want to change while holding the Ctrl+Alt
(Windows)/Opt+Cmd (MacOS) keys. This will transfer the default
parameters of the element type you just set to the clicked element.
The changes will affect only the selected element.
Groups and Layers
Grouping elements does not change their attribute assignments,
which means that each element remains on its own Layer.
If some elements of a Group are in an invisible Layer:
• Elements on the hidden Layer will be invisible.
• When editing the group (by drag, rotate, mirror, multiply)
invisible elements will also change their position.
• When modifying the Attributes or parameters of the elements,
the Attributes of the invisible elements will not be changed.
If some elements of a Group are in a locked Layer:
• Elements on the locked Layer will be visible on the Floor Plan,
but they will cause the entire group to be locked. The group will
not be affected by drag, rotate, mirror and multiply.
• When selecting the group, all of its elements will be selected, but
with grey dots. Use the Suspend Groups command to edit those
grouped items that are not in a locked layer.
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Note for TeamWork users: Elements of a group may be
reserved by different signed in team members, but groups still
remain active. Attributes and parameters of reserved elements
can only be modified by first suspending the groups.
For more information on reserving elements in Teamwork, see “Teamwork
Techniques” on page 466.
Lock/Unlock Elements
The Edit > Locking > Lock command locks the selected items to
prevent them from being accidentally modified. Locked elements can
still be selected and used for relative construction; Guide Lines are
still available; and you can even pick up their settings through
parameter transfer.
Note: Locking a layer will have the same effect - it locks all
elements which are located on that layer.
The Edit > Locking > Unlock command unlocks the selected item(s).
With the Unlock All command, you can
unlock all locked elements, even if they are
not selected. You can also use the relevant
buttons of the Arrange Elements toolbar for these actions.
For more information, see “Layers” on page 26.
Note for Teamwork users: You can only lock items which you
have reserved. Locked items cannot be reserved by others. You
can only unlock items locked by you. The locking information is
kept even after you have signed out from the Teamwork Project.
When signed in to a Teamwork Project as the Team Leader, you
can unlock all the elements locked by any Teammate.
For more information on reserving elements in Teamwork, see “Teamwork
Techniques” on page 466.
Display Order
When drawing a Project with ArchiCAD, overlapping elements will
be drawn according to a specified stacking order. By default, elements
are stacked in an order typically used in architectural drawings.
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By default, stacking order is determined by element classes, of which • Bring Forward: On this command, selected element(s) will
there are six. Regardless of the sequence in which elements are overlap all the unchanged elements of their own and any lower
placed, those in the first class will be placed in the foreground, second classes, but will still stay below the elements of higher classes.
class in the level behind it, and so on.
• Bring to Front: On this command, selected element(s) will
The element classes are in overlap all other existing elements.
descending order of class:
• Send Backward: On this command, selected element(s) will be
1) Annotation (Text, Labels, all overlapped by (sent behind) all the unchanged elements of their
Dimension types, Zone
own and higher classes, but will overlap the elements of lower
Stamps)
classes.
2) 2D artwork (Lines, Circles,
Splines, Hotspots) • Send to Back: On this command, selected element(s) will
become overlapped by all other existing elements.
3) Library Parts (Objects, Lamps,
Stairs) • Reset Default Order: This command restores the default
overlapping order described previously.
4) 3D structures (Walls, Beams,
Slabs, Doors, Windows, Mechanism of the Stacking Order
Columns, Roofs, Meshes)
Both the default stacking order and the customization commands are
5) 2D polygons (Fills, Zone Polygons) based on two ordering mechanisms: classes and stack levels.
6) Figures
ArchiCAD places elements in 14 stack levels. Each level can contain
Display Order of Overlapping Elements any of the element types. The final stacking order you see on screen
Overlapping within the same class depends on the order in which you and on printouts is based on stack level and element class. All
place the elements, although walls with the same fills will display clean elements on a level will overlap elements on lower stack levels,
intersections. regardless of class.
When selecting overlapping elements within the same class, you can New elements are always placed into the preferred stack level of their
select them in sequence using Tab. own class. Stack level preference is as follows:
See “Selection of Overlapping Elements” on page 79. 1-4: Void by default
Custom Stacking Order 5: Annotation
ArchiCAD’s default stacking order is 6: 2D Artwork
appropriate in most cases, but you may wish 7: Library Parts
to place elements in a different overlapping
position. For instance, for a Fill to overlap a 2D element or an Object, 8: 3D Structures
a set of commands in Edit > Display Order hierarchical menu or 9: 2D Polygons
the relevant buttons of the Arrange Elements toolbar let you
override the default stacking order element by element. 10: Figures
On newly placed elements, the commands work as follows: 11-14: Void by default

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By default, the upper and lower 4 stack levels are empty. You can
bring or send elements of any type into these stack levels with the
Edit > Display Order commands detailed above.
For example, bringing a Fill forward from level 9 to level 8, which is
the default level of structures, means that the Fill will overlap all the
unchanged fills remaining on level 9, but will still be overlapped by all
the unchanged structures on level 8.
If you bring it forward again, it will overlap all the remaining
structures. However, it will still stay below all of the unchanged
Library Parts on level 7. This way, you can move it forward until it
overlaps the higher levels.
Of course you can bring other elements forward as well, which will
again overlap the changed Fill.
The Bring to Front and Send to Back commands move the selected
elements until they overlap (or are overlapped by) all of the existing
elements. This is not necessarily the 1st or the 14th level, which
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means that in most cases it will still be possible to place other
elements above or below them.
Text or Dimensions brought up to the top stack level cannot be
overlapped. For example, if you want a Fill to overlap them, you will
have to send the Text one level backwards.
If you attempt to move elements forward that are already placed on
the top level, or to move elements backward from the bottom of the
stack, you will be alerted.
When moving several elements placed at different stack levels
forward or backward, each element will only move one level.
When bringing to front or sending to back elements of different
types, they will overlap (or be overlapped by) all existing elements,
and will retain their stacking order in relation to each other.
Zones and Fills are compound elements consisting of components of
two different classes (Zone Polygons and Zone Stamps, Fills and
their area texts). These two components always keep their order
according to their classes, for instance area texts always overlap their
fills. Although you can change their overlapping order separately, Fills
and Zone Fills can never overlap their own area texts and zone
stamps and vice versa, forcing the other component to move with
them if necessary.
The stacking order will be preserved on printer or raster plotter
output.
In DXF/DWG output, all elements will be transparent, meaning that
hidden or partially overlapped elements will be entirely visible.
Magic Wand
About the Magic Wand
The Magic Wand saves you work by finding and tracing a linear or
polygon shape from among existing elements, and then generating a
new element based on the polygon. The Magic Wand lets you create
special shapes that are not available for that particular tool type or
would be tedious to construct segment by segment. Since it creates
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polygonal shapes by nature, the Magic Wand will ignore geometry
method settings (such as Rotated Rectangle) for the current tool.
When creating curved Walls and polygon-type elements based on
Arcs, Circles and Splines, the approximation is based on the state of
the Magic Wand Settings dialog box.
See “Magic Wand Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Magic Wand works in both the 2D and 3D Windows and
recognizes the following element types: Wall, Beam, Slab, Roof,
Curtain Wall, Fill, Mesh, Line, Arc, Polyline, and Spline. (In
Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document windows, the Magic Wand
recognizes only 2D drawing-type elements). The Magic Wand
recognizes elements that are locked, displayed from remote stories or
a Trace Reference, reserved by others or outside your workspace.
How to Create an Element with the Magic
Wand
1) From the Toolbox, select the new type of element you want to
create.
2) Activate the Magic Wand. Press the Spacebar, or click the Magic
Wand icon in the Control Box to make it appear.
Note: The Control Box is not visible by default. To show it,
choose its name from the Window > Palettes menu.
The Magic Wand has three different shapes for identifying:
• nodes
• edges
• empty space and surfaces
3) Click the Magic Wand to find and trace a polygon shape.
• If you click on an edge or node, the Magic Wand creates a
polygon by tracing that element and/or finding an element chain:
it runs along that edge and traces the element chains whose
endpoints fall within that edge.
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• If you click in empty space or on a surface,
the Magic Wand searches for and traces
the closed geometric area formed by the
nearest elements (whether chained
together or merely intersecting), and
generates the resulting polygon.
• You can refine the Magic Wand function
by selecting one or more elements. In this
case, the Magic Wand will only take the
selected elements into account when
searching for chained elements or a
bounded area.
4) The new elements are generated.
• The new elements are not linked to the originals and can be
manipulated independently.
• If the original shapes are superfluous, you can delete them.
• If Offset or Multi-Offset has been activated, you can complete
the offset function after the Magic Wand has created the new
polygon.
• If you are creating a single Roof, you must first draw a pivot line
and define the slope before creating the polygon with the Magic
Wand.
• If you are creating a Fill with a custom origin, you will first
generate the polygon with the Magic Wand, then draw the fill
orientation vector.
All of the characteristics of the new elements are determined by the
current default settings of the corresponding tool. You should always
check that these are correct either before or after using the Magic
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Wand, especially if the elements are intended to have a specific

relationship to each other, such as a roof resting on a Wall.

Using the Magic Wand in 3D

In 3D, the Magic Wand feature works as in the Floor Plan, but instead
of using only the top view of the elements, each element is considered
the way it lies in space. When searching for the contours of the new
element, ArchiCAD will only look at the elements that are actually
intersected by the clicked plane. The clicked plane is always the
horizontal plane through the clicked surface point or through the
User Origin (e.g., when clicking inside polygon walls or beams into
space).

Using the Magic Wand to Add/Subtract
Polygon Shapes
Instead of defining a new polygon, you can use the Magic Wand tool
to add or subtract the shape of an existing polygon (of the same or a
different element type).
1) Select the polygon from which you wish to subtract another
shape. In this example we want to subtract a complex polygonal
shape from a slab.
2) Choose the “Subtract from Polygon” icon in the pet palette.
3) Move the cursor onto the polygon that you want to subtract and
activate the Magic Wand (press the spacebar).
4) Click to complete.
Verify that the operation has been performed by deleting or dragging
away the other polygon or viewing the shape in 3D. Or select the
polygon and note the contour around its hole.
Note: Drawing a polygon hole by clicking inside the selected
element’s boundary with its tool active is similar to subtraction,
but it lets you temporarily create a self-intersecting shape.
Subtraction always creates a valid shape.
For more information, see “Magic Wand Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
“Virtual Trace:” Using References
to Edit and Compare Model Views
and Drawings
About Trace References
In ArchiCAD 12, you can opt to display two different views
concurrently in any model or layout window:
• the Active Content - the actual model or drawing you are
currently working on (“Active”)
• the Trace Reference (“Reference”), optionally placed alongside,
on top of or underneath the currently Active content. This acts
as a kind of underlay, making it easy to compare multiple model
views/drawings on the same screen.

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Any viewpoint, view or Layout can be a Reference beneath any active
Model or Layout window:
Typically, in Model Windows, you will use any of the following as a
Reference:
• Floor Plan
• Section, Elevation, Interior Elevation, 3D Document
• Detail, Worksheet
And in the Layout Window:
• Layout, Master Layout
For example, you can draw a roof detail in a Detail window (the
Active Content) while seeing the relevant wall section as a Reference.
A Section shown as a Reference next to another Section:
A Floor Plan shown as a Reference beneath a Detail:
Any given window can display only one Reference at a time.
However, as you navigate among your project windows, you can
display a different Reference in each:
• The Floor Plan window has a single current Reference for all
stories
• Each Section, Elevation, Interior Elevation, 3D Document,
Worksheet, Detail, Layout and Master Layout can have its own
unique Reference.
Reference settings are saved along with the window (for example,
each Section in your project can have a Reference of a different color
and filter different elements). References are also saved with the
project file.
The Trace Reference is essentially a temporary editing aid that is tied
to the currently active window. When using the Print command to
output a model window or a Layout, you can opt to print the
currently visible Reference as well. However, when you place a
Drawing onto a Layout, the Drawing content will not include the
Reference.
The user can offset and rotate the Reference as needed, though
logical default Reference settings for each combination of
Active/Reference views will usually align them correctly for the
particular context.
On-Screen View Options affect the Reference just as they affect the
Active.
The cursor is sensitive to elements in the Reference. Consequently:
• You can use the Pick Up Parameters command (Alt +C) on
Reference elements, then transfer the parameters to an element
in the Active.
• You can use the Trim command, the Magic Wand, and snap
points with elements in the Reference to edit Active elements.

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Access Trace Reference Commands

Reference-related commands are easily accessible from several points
in the interface.
• The Standard Toolbar contains
the Trace toggle icon, plus a pop-up
list of related commands.
• Right-click any eligible item in the
Navigator and choose Show as
Trace Reference to show that item
(e.g. viewpoint, view, Drawing or
Layout) as the Reference for the
current window.

Show/Hide Trace Reference

The Trace button is a toggle command
available in the Standard Toolbar. Click
the button to show or hide the Trace
Reference in the current window.
Click the sticky pop-up control of
the Trace toggle icon to access Trace
Reference-related commands.

• Use the Trace & Reference Palette (Window > Palettes >
Trace & Reference) to keep the Trace commands on screen if
you use these commands often, or if you use several of the
commands in sequence.
• Use the View > Trace Options command.
• Many Trace Reference-related commands are available from the
context menu of an ArchiCAD window that shows a Reference:
just right-click in empty space in the window, provided that no
elements are currently selected.

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Choosing a Trace Reference - the window’s context menu Reference commands

Three item types can be chosen as a Reference:

1) Viewpoints. Any item in the Navigator's Project Map (except
3D window items and list-type items) can be set as a Reference.
The Reference Viewpoint will always reflect the current settings
of the active window.
2) Views. Any view in the Navigator's View Map (except 3D
window items and list-type items) can be set as a Reference. The
Reference's view settings are independent of the active window.
For example, if you change the layer combination in the active
window, the Reference won’t change. If a view is deleted from - the Trace & Reference
the view map, its Reference is no longer available. Palette
3) Layouts (and their drawings). The Choose Reference
list is dynamic - the
To choose a Reference to display, do one of the following: appearing choices
• Select the item from the depend on the content
Navigator and right-click of the active window,
to bring up its context and the most
menu. Choose Show as recent/most logical Reference choices will appear in the list.
Trace Reference. • Recent References are listed at the top
or • Other relevant References, if any, follow. If the active window is:
• Choose an item from the - Floor Plan: the Choose Reference list includes three
Choose Reference list. possibilities that are relative to the current story, so that the
The Choose Reference list Reference will change as you navigate among stories: Above or
is accessible from: Below Current Story will always show the story above (or below) the
- the Standard Toolbar’s Reference commands current story as a Reference. Previous Story will always show the
last story you were on as a Reference.
- Model-type Section/Elevation: the Choose Reference list
includes the stories which fall into its vertical range (except if the
range is unlimited).
- Drawing-type Section/Elevation: the Choose Reference list
includes the relevant Model Section/Elevation.
- Interior Elevation: the Choose Reference list includes all
viewpoints of the IE group (if any), plus the stories which fall
into its vertical range (except if the range is unlimited).

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- Detail or Worksheet: the Choose Reference list includes their Change you make here apply to the Reference of the current window
source viewpoints. only. However, to apply the settings in this pop-up to all References
Note: Independent viewpoints (e.g. an independent Section, in the project, click the Apply Settings to All References button.
Elevation, Detail or Worksheet) have no model source; their
“Choose Ghost” list shows the viewpoint itself.
- Layout: the Choose Reference list includes the source view (if
available) of the placed Drawings.
• Entire Structure Display: This option will display the current
view/viewpoint as a Trace Reference in Entire Structure Display
form.
• Next in the “Choose Ghost” list: any Layouts containing
drawings that originated with the current viewpoint.
The chosen Reference appears in a predefined default position
(appropriate to the type of the Active Content and the Reference
item). You can move the Reference at any time.
For more information, see “Move Reference” on page 149.
If you choose a recent Reference, it will include any manual
transformations (drag, rotate) which the user applied the last time he
Move Reference
showed this Reference. These commands are accessible from the list of Reference
All user-defined Reference-related parameters, such as the list of commands; or from the Trace & Reference palette.
recent References and recently chosen Reference colors, are saved • Use this icon to drag the Reference to another location.
together with the project file.
• Use this icon to rotate the Reference.
Set Color/Visibility Options for Trace • Use this icon if you want to reset the Reference to its
original default position after you have moved it.
Reference Note: The same commands are available from the context
To set the color of the Reference and the menu by right-clicking into any window showing a Reference;
visibility of elements on the Reference, first and from the Standard Toolbar’s pop-up list of Reference
open the Trace & Reference Palette. (Use commands.
Window > Palettes > Trace & Reference, or
choose Trace & Reference from the list of Trace
Reference commands.)
Use the controls in the top half of this palette to
set the Reference’s color and element visibility
options.
For details, see “Trace & Reference Palette” in ArchiCAD Help.
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In the image below, a Section viewpoint is displayed as a Reference
and rotated alongside the Floor Plan that contains the Section
marker:
Drag/Rotate commands applied to the Reference will be reflected in
the Tracker's coordinate data (coordinate data are calculated
according to the Active's coordinate system, not the Reference's.)
Switch Reference with Active: How to Access
Elements within the Reference for Editing or
Copying
Elements on the Reference cannot be selected or edited. However, by
switching the Reference and Active views temporarily, you can select
and edit elements in the Reference. For example, you can use the
Switch Reference with Active command if you need to paste
certain Reference elements into the Active view:
150
1) First, use the Switch Reference with
Active command (from the list of Trace
Reference commands, or the Trace &
Reference palette.)
This changes the Reference into the Active
(now you can edit its elements), and the Active into a Reference.
Note: This command is not available if a Drawing Section is
active and its own Model-based Section is the Reference.
2) Select, edit and/or copy the required elements.
3) Once again, use the “Switch Reference with Active” command
and return to the original Active content.
4) If you copied elements to the clipboard, now you can paste these
into the Active.
This workflow can be used, for example, if you are working in a
Worksheet window, while the Floor Plan model has changed. To
update your Worksheet, display the Floor Plan as the Reference,
identify the differences, switch Reference with Active, copy the
updated parts you need, switch Reference and Active (again), and
paste into the Worksheet window.
Note: When pasting into a drawing-type window (such as a
Worksheet), construction elements will be “exploded” into their
2D components.
Rebuild Trace Reference
Use the Rebuild command (available from the Trace & Reference
Palette or from the list of Trace Reference commands) to rebuild
the Reference to reflect any changes in the source view.
The Reference will be rebuilt automatically as a result of certain other
user actions, such as navigating to another window and panning
inside a window. However, editing a model view will not automatically
rebuild the Reference; you must use the Rebuild Reference button.
Note the following:
• If the Reference’s source is a manual-rebuild model, then the
Reference is rebuilt only when that model Section/Elevation/IE
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is manually rebuilt. Similarly, References containing You may want to set two sharply different, custom colors for each of
manual-update drawings will be rebuilt along with the drawing. the views - say, red and blue - to make it easy to distinguish one from
• If the Reference is an Auto-Rebuild Model, it is possible that the other.
you make changes in the Active, yet these are not reflected in the To set the colors, use the pop-up icons
Reference, even after you navigate or pan, because - to avoid (one each for Reference and Active) in
slowing down the program - you have unchecked “Update the middle of the Palette.
Autorebuild Model Viewpoints continuously” in Options > Note: Even if you’ve set separate
Project Preferences > Miscellaneous. Use the Rebuild Reference colors, the background fills of one
button when needed. view may obscure the underlying
• If the Reference contains an Auto-update Drawing, such a elements in the other view.
Reference will not be continuously rebuilt, to avoid slowing
down the program. Use the Rebuild Reference button when
needed.

Compare Reference with Active

ArchiCAD provides several functions to help you identify and
understand differences between the Reference and the Active
content, especially when the Reference is on top of the Active Tip 2: Make Fills and Zones Transparent
content, or vice versa, and you need additional help to see the Note the Make Fills and Zones Transparent toggle at the
differences clearly. The best way to compare the two will depend on bottom of the Trace & Reference Palette: activate this to make fills
your particular task. You can use several of these functions at the and zones transparent in both the Reference and Active views. This
same time to get the most accurate information. All the Compare way you will “uncover” information that otherwise might have been
functions can be used “on the fly” while editing your Active content. covered up by a fill in the top view.
They are on-screen only functions, with no effect on output.
This switch has only a temporary effect and does not affect the
To access these functions, open Window > settings of the model elements.
Palettes > Trace & Reference.
For details on each control, see “Trace & Reference
Palette” in ArchiCAD Help.
Each of the techniques below can be useful in
visually comparing the Reference with the Active.
Try them out to see which works best.

Tip 1: Use Separate Colors for Active and Reference

You can set separate display colors for the Reference and the Active
content: a custom color for each, or else retain the original colors.

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Tip 3: Reverse Display Order of Reference and Active Tip 5: Use the Splitter Bar to “Turn the Page”
When comparing the Reference to the Active, it may help to switch This function is useful for identifying differences between the
their display order. Reference and Active when they overlap. You will drag a Splitter bar
Click the “Reference on Top” button across the window, with the Reference on one side and the Active on
at the bottom of the Trace & the other. The effect is like turning the “page” of an overlay to see
Reference Palette. what is beneath.
If your Reference was previously To activate the Splitter
underneath the Active, this command function, click the Splitter
will change them around, placing the icon from the Trace &
Reference on top of the Active. Reference Palette.
Four “splitter handles”
appear, one on each edge of
the screen. Choose any one
of them and move it in a
Tip 4: Optimize Intensity of Reference vs. Active perpendicular direction, to
A simple way to make an initial visual comparison is to use the create either a horizontal or
Intensity sliders of the Reference and Active. vertical splitter bar.
Note: This method works
best if the Active is shown in
its original colors, and the
Reference in a different
color.
Pull the Reference intensity slider
back and forth. On screen, the
effect will be to flash the
Reference “on” and “off ”,
allowing you to identify places on screen where there are differences
from the Active View.
Then you can zoom in on these locations and analyze the differences.

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As you drag it, the content on either side of the splitter changes
dynamically.
Consolidating Lines and Fills in
Drawing Windows
Why Consolidate?
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 2D
form, as a large collection of lines and fills.
In these Drawing-type windows, you may wish to fine-tune the view
before final output. You will find, however, that the “exploded” lines
and fills often contain superfluous elements (extra line segments,
overlapping or superfluous fills) that make such editing difficult.
To make editing easier, first use the The Linework and Fill
Consolidation functions on selected items in the window.
Once you let go of the mouse button, the splitter bar returns to its Line and Fill Consolidation are separate functions and are executed
original position. independently of each other. Select the elements, then execute either
the Linework Consolidation or the Fill Consolidation command.
Tip 6: Move the Reference Over Temporarily (Displace (Edit > Reshape > Linework/Fill Consolidation).
Reference)
Use this function when you have zoomed in to an area where the two
Linework Consolidation
views are different, and you want to quickly check what is on the view In the window, select at least two line-type elements you wish to
underneath. include in the Linework Consolidation process. Line-type elements
Click the Temporarily Displace are straight-lines, polylines, arcs and circles.
Reference button in the Trace & Note: Linework Consolidation does not affect any line-type
Reference Palette. element having an arrowhead.
Click in the window. The cursor The Linework Consolidation command (Edit > Reshape >
changes to the familiar hand Linework Consolidation) brings up the Linework Consolidation
shape, allowing the user to nudge Wizard.
the Reference temporarily (i.e. to
move it “out of the way”). This command is also available from the Edit Elements toolbar.
Click again, and the Reference
jumps back to its original
position.

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Now page through the wizard (click “Next” at the bottom of every Linework Consolidation Settings contains the same options as the Wizard,
screen) and check the boxes of every Line Consolidation option that but all options are accessible in a single dialog box.
you wish to execute as part of the consolidation process.
For details, see “Linework Consolidation Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
On the last screen, click “Consolidate” to execute Linework
Consolidation.
Following the linework consolidation, a report appears, listing the
number of elements (if any) that have been deleted or merged for
each type of line consolidation.
At the bottom of this page, a checkbox gives you the option of using
the simplified Linework Consolidations Settings (rather than the
Wizard) the next time you issue the command.

Fill Consolidation
In the window, select at least two fills that you wish to include in the
Fill Consolidation process.
The Fill Consolidation command (Edit > Reshape > Fill
Consolidation) brings up Fill Consolidation Settings.
Check the options you wish to execute as part of Fill Consolidation.

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VIRTUAL BUILDING
In ArchiCAD you build a real-sized Virtual Building using virtual
building elements. If properly modeled, your virtual building can be
used to automatically generate the necessary drawings, visualizations
and calculations with minimal 2D adjustments.
Use walls, openings, slabs, columns, beams and roofs to virtually
construct your building, instead of having to compile drawings from
lines and other 2D elements. ArchiCAD elements are “intelligent”:
these components are not merely a collection of lines or 3D surfaces,
but rather entities with a set of editable parameters. For example, a
wall has thickness, height and material parameters, among others.
ArchiCAD’s intelligent elements connect to each other automatically
and are displayed in 2D according to architectural conventions. At
this point, once modeling is finished, documentation becomes an
effortless task.
The real advantage of using the virtual building concept becomes
clear when you have to modify something in your building. If you are
using separate 2D drawings, you have to implement the modification
on each drawing. In contrast, in ArchiCAD you modify the model at
one place, then all generated drawings will reflect your changes at
once.
ArchiCAD Model Views
About Model Views in ArchiCAD
You can approach the Virtual Building model from several different
model views. Model views have two main uses. First, you will work in
model views to modify the Virtual Building. Second, saved model
views are the basis for creating architectural drawings (placed onto
Layouts) for the final documentation of the Virtual Building.
As you will see, each model view shows a very different aspect of the
same Virtual Building.
• In 3D perspective, you see the Virtual Building as it will look
when actually constructed.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Virtual Building
• In Floor Plan, the Virtual Building is shown as a two-dimensional
blueprint.
• In the Section/Elevation/Interior Elevation (IE) windows,
elements are generated from the 3D model; you cannot create
new model elements here, but you can view and modify them.
• The 3D Document window is generated from the 3D window,
but is a a 2D-type document that allows for annotations and
dimensions, and can display the sections of composite elements
in their 3D aspect.
• In the model window known as the Interactive Schedule, the
Virtual Building is expressed in lists and figures - here, too, your
input will modify the Virtual Building and can be output as
documentation.
When you work on each of these aspects of the model, you are
working on a “viewpoint.” You can navigate among them, and save
them as views.
For more information, see “Project Workflow in the Navigator” on page 66.
The available commands and functions vary depending on the
window that is active.
Every time you activate a window, its contents are rebuilt to reflect
any modifications you made to the plan.
The View > Refresh > Rebuild command is available in all
construction windows. It rebuilds the model in the currently active
window.
For more information, see “Summary of Rebuild Commands” on page 183.
You can have only one Floor Plan and one 3D window open at a
time. While it is possible to keep several windows open for other
types of viewpoints(e.g. several Section/Elevation/IE windows), by
default ArchiCAD will open subsequent viewpoints in existing
windows, replacing the previous one. To open a new viewpoint in a
new window instead, use the context menu command from the
Navigator item to be opened.
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Virtual Building
If you would rather open a new window each time you open an
additional view or layout (from a menu or by double-clicking in the
Navigator), change the window-opening default preference in
Options > Work Environment > More Options:
You can pan and zoom the window within the full drawing space to
obtain the best view of the work you are currently doing, by using the
shortcut icons next to the bottom scrollbar or the commands of the
View > Zoom menu.
For more information, see “Navigation” on page 59.
To maximize working space, use the Window > Full Screen
command to have your active window, including palettes, occupy the
entire workspace on your monitor. The Window > Full Screen &
Hide All Palettes does the same, without showing any palettes.
The following sections describe how to work in each of ArchiCAD’s
model views.
156
Floor Plan Window
The Floor Plan Window is the basic construction area where most
editing operations take place. It shows a representation of the current
project as a traditional architectural drawing. When you start
ArchiCAD, the first window you see is the Floor Plan. Each story of
the Virtual Building has its own Floor Plan. ArchiCAD gives you the
freedom to replicate 3D-like aspects of construction elements in the
Floor Plan window, using Cut Plane settings and element-level display
and projection options. These options let you visualize parts of
multi-story elements that are located on a different floor plan, or to
project parts of the element that are above or below the cut plane. See
the sections below for how these options work.
Note, however, that these Floor Plan projections are not true 3D
projections, but rather symbolic depictions. Consequently, the display
and, especially, automatic intersection of complex or multi-story
elements (on the Floor Plan only) may have some limitations in
replicating the true model. The visibility and accessibility of elements
on the Floor Plan depends on:
• chosen options in the element’s Tool Settings dialog box,
including multi-story display and projection settings;
• the Floor Plan Cut Plane settings;
For more information, see “Floor Plan Cut Plane (Global Setting)” on page 160.
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 Virtual Building

• the element’s Layer Settings (elements on invisible layers will not Navigate Among Stories
be displayed; elements on locked layers cannot be edited).
For more information, see “Layers” on page 26. To navigate among stories, do one of the following:
Modifications to the model in the Floor Plan window will be updated • In the Navigator Project Map, double-click the Story you wish to
accordingly in the 3D, Detail/Worksheet and Section/Elevation/IE open.
and 3D Document windows. The converse is also true: changes made • Activate a story from the Story Settings dialog box at Design >
in other windows are automatically displayed on the Floor Plan when Story Settings: click on its name, then click OK to close the
activated. The updates can take place either manually or automatically dialog box and display the selected story on the Floor Plan.
depending on the Detail or Section/Elevation/IE update settings you
choose. • Use predefined keyboard shortcuts to jump among stories
For more information, see “Updating Sections” on page 182 and “Updating the • Use the Mini-Navigator (see below)
Detail Window” on page 201.
Story Shortcuts in Mini-Navigator
Stories You can use the story shortcuts
located in the predefined
“Mini-Navigator” toolbar.
About Stories
The Go Up a Story command
Stories in ArchiCAD, just as in real buildings, serve to divide space activates the next Story above the
vertically and replicate the story structure of your real building. current one on the Floor Plan.
Stories are typically used for drawing each Floor Plan of multistory
structures separately. Go Down a Story takes you to the
Story below the current one.
Each story in the project is
displayed, by name and number, in If you attempt to go to a story that does not exist, the Create New
the Navigator’s Project Map. Story dialog box appears.
Double-click on the story name to
display it in the Floor Plan window.
The current Story name appears in
the title bar of the Floor Plan Window.
The elevation (or relative base
height) of construction elements
placed in 2D windows are The Go To Story command in
calculated relative to a chosen the Mini-Navigator toolbar
Story: either the element’s defined opens a dialog box allowing you
Home Story, or the current story. to jump directly to an existing
(See the Base Height setting in the Story and provides you with a
Settings dialog box of construction range indicator of how many
elements, as in the following Stories currently exist. If you enter a Story number outside the
image.) existing range, the field will revert to the top or bottom Story of the
For more information, see “Set Home Story” on page 161. valid range.
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Defining Story Display in 3D Story Settings and story-related commands are also available:
• from the context menu if you
In the 3D window, all Stories are have selected a Story in the
projected by default, but you can Navigator’s Project Map or
limit the projection using the View Map.
“Stories to Show in 3D” controls at
View > Elements in 3D View > • from the Mini-Navigator.
Filter Elements in 3D. Choose the
range of stories you wish to display
in 3D. Create a New Story
The Trim Elements to Story checkbox (in the same dialog box) 1) Go to the Design > Story Settings dialog box.
means that the model will be clipped at the story range boundaries. If
this box is not checked, the model will not be clipped, and all
elements that fall at least partially inside the story range will be
displayed.
The story display in the 3D window, as set in the Filter Elements
dialog box, will naturally affect the 3D Documents that are created
from this 3D source.
For more information, see “Filter Elements to Show in 3D” on page 169.
See also “3D Document” on page 192.
2) Click “Insert Above” or “Insert Below” to insert a new story
above or below the story name selected in the dialog box list.
Defining Story Display in
Alternatively:
Section/Elevation/IE 1) Select a Story in the Navigator’s Project Map.
In Section/Elevation/IE views, you define a vertical range that can 2) Use the context menu’s “Create New Story” command.
include entire Stories or only parts of them. Also, Story Level Lines
Type a name for the new story.
can be optionally displayed in these views.
Click an option for where the new story should be placed in the
See “Define Horizontal/Vertical Range of Section Viewpoint” on page 177 and
project structure:
“Show/Hide Story Level Lines in Section/Elevation/IE” on page 159.
• Insert Above: The story will be inserted above the currently
Manage Stories selected story (in Story Settings or the Navigator).
• Insert Below: The story will be inserted below the currently
Use the Design > Story Settings dialog box to create, delete and selected story (in Story Settings or the Navigator).
manage stories.
The new story appears above or below the selected story. The
For more information, see “Story Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help. numbering is automatically updated.
There is no limit to the number of stories.

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Create New Story from the Mini-Navigator Toolbar

If you choose the Mini-Navigator toolbar’s Go up a Story/Go Down
a Story command, and that story does not exist, the Create New
Story Dialog Box appears, where you can add “Name”, “Elevation”
and “Height to Next” values for the new story.
Note: It is possible to turn off story level line display on a
Copy/Move Elements Between Stories story-by-story basis. Go to Design > Story Settings, and for
any selected story, uncheck the “Story Level Line” box. This
When creating a new Story, you may wish to copy elements onto it story’s level line will henceforth not appear in any model window
which already exist on another Story. in the project.
• Go to Design > Story Settings.
• Use the commands in “Edit Elements of Selected Story” to Cut,
Copy, and/or Paste all elements or selected element types from
one story to another.
For more information, see “Story Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

Story Level Lines Edit Story Levels

Story Level Lines indicate the vertical location of stories in Sections,
Elevations and Interior Elevations.
Story Levels can be set to appear in Section/Elevation/IE views. In
this case, each story level line included in the Section/Elevation/IE
range will appear in the window.
The story line markers are library parts. The Story Marker parameters
and position can be edited in Section/Elevation/IE Settings dialog
boxes.
For more information, see “Section Story Levels Panel” in ArchiCAD Help

Show/Hide Story Level Lines in Section/Elevation/IE

For each individual Section/Elevation/Interior Elevation, you can
hide, show and/or output Story Level Lines.
To set these options, open the Section/Elevation/IE Settings Dialog
box, go to the Story Levels panel, and use the “Show Story Levels”
pop-up.

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You can edit the elevation of any given story or set of stories using The elements that are on the given stories will retain their elevation
Story Editing Mode: respective to their home story, as you will see when the view is
1) Choose the Design > Edit Story Levels command, or the same updated after you click OK.
command from the context menu that appears by right-clicking
inside the Section window.
2) The Story Editing Mode palette appears. As long as the palette
remains open on screen, you are in Story Editing mode and can
move the story level lines.

Floor Plan Cut Plane (Global Setting)

3D construction elements on the Floor Plan (Walls, Curtain Walls,
Columns, Beams and Roofs) are displayed as if they were cut
horizontally along a theoretical plane; this is the Floor Plan Cut Plane.
The default height of the Cut Plane, measured from the base of the
current story, depends on local architectural conventions, but you can
set any Floor Plan Cut Plane for the current window using the Floor
Plan Cut Plane dialog box.
To set the Cut Plane, use Document > Floor Plan Cut Plane to
open the Floor Plan Cut Plane Settings dialog box.
3) Choose a mode from this palette by clicking one of the four
buttons:
• Adjust only the selected story
• Adjust the selected story and all stories below
• Adjust the selected story and all stories above
• Adjust all stories
4) Move the cursor onto the Story Level Line you wish to move.
The cursor will assume the Mercedes shape. (Make sure you
move the cursor onto the line itself, not the markers at either
end.) Click and drag the story level line to edit its elevation. Note: The Cut Plane does not affect the display of Mesh, Slab or
5) Click OK to apply changes and exit Story Editing Mode. Object elements, including Stairs. However, Stairs and other

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GDL Objects can be programmed to display themselves
according to the Floor Plan Cut Plan Settings.
Enter a value for “Cut Plane Height to Current Story.”
If you wish to display all construction elements in their entirety, on all
stories (the default settings for construction elements), the rest of the
settings in the Floor Plan Cut Plane dialog box are not relevant.
The Relative Floor Plan Range and Absolute Display Limit - the
other Floor Plan Cut Plane Settings - are only relevant if any of your
construction elements are defined as having a limited projection.
The Floor Plan Cut Plane settings are global; the current settings
apply to all the stories of the project. Once you set the global Floor
Plan Cut Plane, you can further fine-tune the Floor Plan display of
individual construction elements (Walls, Columns, Beams and Roofs
only) in their element Settings dialog boxes.
For more information, see “How to Display Individual Elements on the Floor
Plan” on page 161.
Set Separate Floor Plan Cut Planes in Different Views
For every view, you can define a unique Floor Plan Cut Plane, if
required, using the Floor Plan Cut Plane controls accessible from
View Settings.
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Virtual Building
How to Display Individual
Elements on the Floor Plan
While the current Floor Plan Cut Plane settings are applied globally
to the whole project, you can set a separate display preference for
each individual construction element. The settings described below
(Home Story, Show on, Floor Plan Display and Show Projection)
are found in the element’s Tool Settings Dialog Box.
Set Home Story
In the Geometry and Positioning Panel of the construction
element’s Tool Settings, you can define a home story for the element.
Once you place the element, it will be “linked” to this home story.
The Home Story setting acts as a point of reference for:
• defining which parts of an element will be displayed (as defined
in the “Show on Stories” control)
• expressing an element’s Relative Base Height (in the Relative Base
Height field in Tool Settings)
• reserving elements in Teamwork
• defining listing criteria
In each element’s Tool Default Settings
dialog box, choose a home story setting
for elements placed with this tool.
Automatic: This option is available only
for Wall, Curtain Wall, Beam, Column and
Roof elements.
With an Automatic Home Story, ArchiCAD assigns the element's
home story as the story onto which you place it (the story which
contains the element’s reference line or base.) In most cases, this is
the element’s most logical home story.
If you change an element’s geometry so that its reference line/point is
moved to a different story, ArchiCAD will automatically adjust the
element’s home story accordingly.
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Select Home Story: Use this option if you
want to tie the element to a particular story.
You can choose the current story (listed as
the topmost option in the drop-down list), or click Select Story to
bring up a list of stories in the current project. Choose a home story
to which to link the element when you place it. The Home Story
dialog always shows the home story defined in terms of the Current
story, as in the image.
Note: The “Current” story in a tool’s Default Settings will vary,
of course, depending on the story you are currently working on.
Note: In some instances, a new element’s home story doesn’t
exist in the project. For example, you define the default home
story as “Current + 2” in a 3-story project; then you go up a story
before input. Now, the “Current + 2” story doesn’t exist. In this
case, ArchiCAD redefines the element’s home story as the
topmost story.
The home story can then be used as a reference level from which to
measure the element’s relative base height, in both the 2D and 3D
windows.
For example, you may have placed the base of a multistory wall on the
subfloor, slightly below the current story level. Yet you want to
measure its elevation from the current story, not the subfloor. In this
case, you can define the current story to be the Home Story of this
wall.
Control Element Display by Story (Show On
Stories)
The Show on Stories pop-up in the Floor Plan and Section Panel of
Tool Settings of construction elements let you choose whether to
show the element on every story it intersects, or only on selected
stories.
The available “Show on Stories” options differ depending on the
construction element, as discussed below.
For a Wall, Curtain Wall or Column, you have the following
options:
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• All Relevant Stories: The element will be shown and editable on
all stories which it physically intersects. When available, this will
be your preferred option most of the time.
• Home Story Only: The element will be shown only on its home
story. (If the element is drawn so that it does not physically
intersect its home story, then the only way the element will be
shown on the Floor Plan is if you set its Floor Plan Display to
one of the symbolic options: Symbolic Cut, Outlines only,
Overhead all.)
For a Roof:
• Home Story Only: The roof will be shown only on its home
story. (If the element is drawn so that it does not physically
intersect its home story, then the only way the element will be
shown on the Floor Plan is if you set its Floor Plan Display to
one of the symbolic options: Symbolic Cut, Outlines only,
Overhead all.)
• Home & One Story Up and/or Down: The roof will be
shown on its Home Story, plus one story up and/or down.
• All Stories: The roof ’s outline - regardless of its actual location -
will be shown on every story of the project.
• All Relevant Stories: The roof will be shown and editable on all
stories which it physically intersects.
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• Custom: Choose this option if you wish to set separate display
combinations for the roof ’s outline and fill. The Show on
Stories: Custom Settings dialog box appears, where you can set
separate story display options for the roof ’s outline and its fill.
(Once you set these Custom Settings, use the Edit Custom
option to edit them.)
For a Slab or Mesh, the same options are available as for the Roof,
except for All Relevant Stories (since there are no multi-story versions
of these elements):
See also “Line Types of Construction Elements Displayed Across Stories” on
page 163.
For Beams, the same options are available as for the Roof, except for
Custom settings:
Objects and Stairs have a unique display option: One Story up and
One Story Down. This way, you can opt to not display these elements
on their Home Story at all.
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Line Types of Construction Elements Displayed Across
Stories
For Slabs, Meshes, certain Library Parts and Stairs: The
element’s outline on remote stories will be displayed using the line
type chosen in Options > Project Preferences > Construction
Elements.
Define Element’s Floor Plan Display
Use the Floor Plan Display pop-up to display Walls, Curtain Walls,
Beams, Columns and Roofs in one of several representations. This
pop-up control is located on the Floor Plan & Section panel of the
element’s Tool Settings dialog box.
1) Projected with Overhead: shows cut part of element (e.g., as
cut at the level of the Floor Plan Cut Plane), plus the element’s
overhead part (i.e. the part of the element that is above the Floor
Plan Cut Plane.
Note: “Projected with Overhead” is the default display setting
for slanted or complex columns and walls, and for all roofs and
beams.
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2) Projected: shows cut part of element, plus its uncut (downward)
part in 3D-like form.
If you choose either of these “projected” options (Projected with
Overhead or Projected), you can then further define the extent of the
projection, using the Show Projection options.
For more information, see “Define Range of Element’s Projected Display (Show
Projection)” on page 164.
3) Cut Only: displays only the cut part, as cut with the Floor Plan
Cut Plane.
Some additional abstract display options are available:
4) Symbolic Cut: (Available only for non-slanted and non-complex walls
and for vertical or complex columns.) The whole floor plan projection
of non-slanted, non-complex walls or vertical (simple or
complex) columns will be displayed as cut, using their cut line
and cut fill attributes, regardless of the elements’ vertical
position. This option is available only for simple straight walls or
columns, or for complex columns, and only if the Show on Story
control is set to Home Story only. The Floor Plan Cut Plane
settings do not affect the display of these elements.
5) Symbolic with Overhead: This display option is available for
Curtain Walls only.
See “Curtain Wall Settings: System Page: Floor Plan and Section Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help
6) Outlines Only: the entire element’s outline is shown using its
uncut attributes. (Uncut attributes are set for each element using
the “Outline” controls of the Floor Plan and Section panel of its
Settings dialog box.)
7) Overhead All: the entire element’s outline is shown using its
overhead attributes. (Overhead attributes are set for each element
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using the “Outline” controls of the Floor Plan and Section panel
of its Settings dialog box.)
Note: When opening projects from an earlier format of
ArchiCAD, the Floor Plan display of construction elements will
automatically be set to predefined Floor Plan Display settings
which correspond to traditional architectural standards for these
elements. You can reset any element’s Floor Plan Display setting
as needed.
Define Range of Element’s Projected Display
(Show Projection)
The Show Projection pop-up provides options for setting the range
within which a multi-story element (Wall, Curtain Wall, Column,
Beam, Roof) should be displayed. This control is therefore only
available if the element’s Floor Plan Display is set (using the Floor
Plan Display pop-up) to either “Projected” or “Projected with
Overhead.”
• Entire Element (default setting): The element will be displayed on
all relevant stories.
However, you may prefer not to show the entire element. In this case,
you have two other ways to set its display in the Show Projection
pop-up:
1) by Relative Floor Plan Range: Choose to show the element on
a range of stories (the current story, plus a given number of
stories above and below it, and an optional offset.)
If you choose this option, this element will be shown on the stories
defined as the Relative Floor Plan Range (i.e. the number of stories
on which to show this element in either direction) in Document >
Floor Plan Cut Plane.
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In certain situations, the current Floor Plan Cut Plane and Relative
Floor Plan Range settings may conflict:
• The Cut Plane level may be outside the current Floor Plan Range
(e.g. an extremely small story height as compared to the default
Cut Plane level). In this case, the Cut Plane will be automatically
relocated to the upper limit of the Floor Plan Range (or to its
lower limit, if the Cut Plane would fall below the lower limit).
• The lower Floor Plan Range limit may be higher than the upper
limit. In this case, the lower limit will be considered as both the
lower and upper limit of the Floor Plan Range (which will also
equals the Cut Plane level, as described in (1) above.)
2) by Absolute Display Limit: Set a fixed lower limit (by default, this
is Project Zero), then show all parts of the element above this
limit.
If you choose this option, then the Absolute Display Limit set in
Document > Floor Plan Cut Plane determines this element’s lower
display limit.
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For more information, see “Floor Plan Cut Plane Settings Dialog Box” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Examples of Floor Plan Display Settings
Suppose your settings are as follows:
• Show on Story: Automatic
This means that each multi-story construction element will be
displayed on each relevant story of the Floor Plan.
• Floor Plan Display: Projected with Overhead
This means that each construction element will be displayed in its
entirety, its cut portion, its overhead portion, and its uncut
portion, with the line types and pen colors you set in the dialog
box for each of these parameters
• Show Projection: Entire Element
This means that the displayed projection is not limited by either
an absolute display limit or by a defined vertical range.
Consider the following building with slanted walls:
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As you view the building on its various stories, its Floor Plan
appearance changes accordingly: although the entire wall is indicated
on every story, the cut and overhead segments are different on every
story.

Non-Standard Projections for Construction Elements

In the example below, the structure is shown on 3 stories:
• the Curtain Wall is set to “Projected with Overhead” and “Entire
Element”
• the mullions - made of columns - are “Cut Only”
• the round structural columns are set to “Projected with
Overhead” and “Floor Plan Range” (on each story, only their
relevant section is displayed)

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All 3D Documents are derived from a 3D Window source. If you

change the projection, the cutting planes, the zoom level or the
selected/marqueed/filtered items of the 3D source window, you can
redefine the 3D Document accordingly.
See “3D Document” on page 192.
Special navigation techniques in the 3D Window let you explore the
model much more freely than in other windows.
For more information, see “Navigation in the 3D Window” on page 62.
The 3D display of individual construction elements is controlled by
the options of the Model panel in its Settings Dialog box.
General settings affecting the parameters for displaying the 3D
window are in 3D Window Settings.
See “3D Window Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
The commands that affect the set of elements displayed in 3D are in
the View > Elements in 3D View and the View > 3D View Mode
hierarchical menus.
These commands are also accessible in the 3D Visualization toolbar.

Open the 3D Window

To open or activate the 3D window, do one of the following:
• press the F3 key
3D Window • use the Window > 3D Window command
The 3D window displays your model in real perspective or • press the 3D window control on the 3D Visualization
axonometry: this gives the best overall view of what the final building toolbar or the Mini-Navigator toolbar.
will really look like, inside and out. • use context menu commands from right-clicking on blank space
In the 3D window, you can directly edit your model, and create new in the current window:
construction elements, in either perspective or parallel view, using any
of the construction tools.
The 3D window is directly linked to the Floor Plan and to the
Section/Elevation/IE windows: any changes made on the Floor
Plan or in a Section/Elevation/IE window will be visible in the 3D
window and vice versa.
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The following sections provide details on working with the 3D window.
Show All in 3D
To show the entire model in 3D, regardless of any current selection,
use the View > Elements in 3D View > Show All option.
This command’s shortcut is Ctrl + F5.
The full model display resulting from the Show
All command may be limited by filtering
criteria as set in the Filter Elements in 3D
dialog box.
See “Filter Elements to Show in 3D” on page 169.
Show Selection in 3D
For a 3D display of only the explicitly selected items, use the View >
Elements in 3D View > Show Selection/Marquee in 3D
command from any type of editable window.
(Or use the 3D Visualization toolbar control for this command.)
If your plan includes both explicitly selected elements and a marquee
selection, this command will disregard the marquee and show only
the explicitly selected elements.
Show Selection/Marquee in 3D also works if you are already in the
3D Window and make an explicit selection there, then execute the
Show Selection command. The caption of the 3D Window will
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include the “Selection” mention and the name of the home story of
the selected element(s).
If the 3D Window’s content is based on explicit selection and you add
elements to it, these will be preserved in the 3D Window as long as
you continue to work in it.
Note: Another command, Show Previous Selection/Marquee
in 3D, will display the last 3D view generated by the Show
Selection/Marquee command. This command is not visible in
ArchiCAD by default; to use it, you must customize a menu or
toolbar to include this command, using Options > Work
Environment > Menus (or Toolbars).
For more information, see “Menu Customization Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Show Marquee Area in 3D
To show only the marqueed element(s) in 3D, use the View >
Elements in 3D View > Show Selection/Marquee in 3D
command.
The caption of the 3D Window will include the “Marquee” mention.
For more information on defining a marquee area, see “Marquee Area” on page
85.
If your plan includes both explicitly selected elements and a marquee
selection, this command will disregard the marquee and show only
the explicitly selected elements.
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Marquee Effect: By default,

the elements inside the Marquee
will be displayed and they will be
cropped to the marquee area.
However, you can adjust the
Marquee effect to show the
elements outside the marquee
instead of those inside: use the
Marquee Effect controls in
If edited, a temporary ghosted image of the whole element will be
View > Elements in 3D View
visible.
> Filter Elements in 3D, and
choose the Outside Marquee radio button.
See “Filter Elements in 3D Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
To show the entirety of elements that fall partly inside the marquee -
without cropping them - uncheck the Trim Elements to Marquee
checkbox (also under Marquee Effect, in View > Elements in 3D
View > Filter Elements in 3D).

Elements in a Marqueed 3D Window

If you create an element in the 3D Window which is delimited by a
marquee, the new element will only appear in the 3D Window if you
draw it inside the marquee area.
If you place a new element outside the boundaries of a
Marquee-based 3D view, or drag an existing element outside the
Marquee boundaries, that element will disappear immediately from
the 3D Window.
When you go to the Floor Plan, however, you will see the elements.
Change your marquee area (or remove it) and return to the 3D
Window to check it.
If you select one or more elements in a trimmed 3D view, resulting
from either a Marquee area or a 3D Cutaway, some elements will be
only partially visible, but selection dots of the whole element will be
displayed and all the nodes and edges can be found with the cursor.
Default Display in 3D
If you simply switch to the 3D window, without using any specific 3D
display command, the 3D window will display the contents last
shown in the 3D window, irrespective of what might be selected in
any other window.
Filter Elements to Show in 3D
Use the View > Elements in 3D View > Filter Elements in 3D
command, then activating or deactivating the checkboxes of the
different types. Only those elements whose checkbox is active will be
displayed in the 3D window.
If you are displaying a Marquee area in 3D, the Marquee Effect part
of this dialog box provides options on what to include in the 3D
window.

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The Stories to Show in 3D part of this dialog box lets you define a
range of stories for display.
For more information, see “Filter Elements in 3D Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Note: You may wish to display 3D Zones as solid bodies in
shading mode, and all other elements types in wireframe mode.
To achieve this effect (a default setting in previous ArchiCAD
versions), apply the predefined “Show 3D Zones as Solid” Layer
Combination.
Save Contents of 3D Window as a View
If you save the contents of your 3D window as a view (see “Saving a
View” on page 73), the 3D Only panel of its View Settings dialog box
will provide feedback on whether that view is a result of a filter or a
marquee selection.
3D view settings include: 3D projection settings (including zooming),
filter elements in 3D, 3D window settings, 3D cutting planes, 3D
cutaway and photo rendering settings.
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You can redefine a 3D view by changing these settings in the 3D
window, then use the View Settings 3D Only Panel to redefine the
view accordingly.
For more information, see “View Settings 3D Only Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
3D Engines
3D Engines are built-in configurations which control the generation
of the 3D model in ArchiCAD. By default, two engines are offered:
• Internal 3D Engine
• OpenGL Engine
To choose an engine, go to: View > 3D View Mode > 3D Window
Settings and use the 3D Engine pop-up, or use the Engine
commands at the bottom of the View > 3D View Mode menu.
1) Internal 3D engine
The internal 3D engine is most useful for working in the 3D
window: views generated by the internal engine show vectorial
patterns and are easy to print. It produces a simple, clean,
navigable 3D view, without textures. The internal engine is
optimized for simple, non-photorealistic architectural
representation, and for direct output from the 3D window
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without using photorendering. The internal engine features more
visualization effects than OpenGL, but usually results in slower
navigation and access to the model on most machines.
For more information, see “Internal Rendering Engine” in ArchiCAD Help.
2) OpenGL engine
The OpenGL engine for 3D is recommended if you have a
high-performance OpenGL display card. Some effects, such as
sun shadows, vectorial 3D hatching and saving the contents of
the 3D window as a vectorial 2D drawing, are not available with
OpenGL. Additional options for OpenGL can be accessed by
clicking the Options button of 3D Window Settings.
See also “3D Window Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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OpenGL is a bitmap-based technology. Consequently, 3D views
created using the OpenGL engine will be placed as image files.
Important: Open GL is optimized for fast, smooth navigation
during model development. It displays textures correctly, but
features fewer model effects; it can be considered an interactive
preview of the rendering. OpenGL’s output capability is more
limited than that of the internal engine, since it is based on
bitmap technology. OpenGL will produce significantly faster
on-screen navigation on most machines, provided that the
supporting hardware is available.
For more information, see “Open GL Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
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The following image uses OpenGL with the Transparency effect
enabled in View > 3D View Mode > 3D Window Settings:
3D View Modes
When using ArchiCAD’s Internal 3D engine, three 3D viewing
modes are offered: Wireframe, Hidden Line, and Shading. They can
be chosen from the View > 3D View Mode > 3D Window
Settings dialog box or using the commands of the View > 3D View
Mode menu.
Note: When using the OpenGL engine, only the Wireframe and
Shading modes are available.
The icons of the 3D Modes are also accessible if you
display the predefined Window > Toolbars >
Simple 3D toolbar.
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Wireframe, Hidden Lines, Shading
Choosing Wireframe mode creates a view showing all the edges and
lines of your Project. Note that if you have many elements one
behind the other, this type of view can be hard to interpret.
In Hidden Line mode, those lines which are blocked from view by
solid objects are removed. This type of view is the best choice for
easy interpretation, if you do not want a shaded view. It is also
suitable for hard copy output on a printer. Hidden Lines can be saved
in many file formats, either as 2D or 3D files.
Choosing the Shading method causes your 3D model to appear with
all of its visible surfaces shaded according to the light direction set in
the 3D Projection Settings dialog box.
The colors of the surfaces are determined by the material attributes of
the construction elements (regardless of the color of light set in the
Sun dialog box).
For more information, see “3D Projection Settings” in ArchiCAD Help and
“Materials” on page 36.
Shading is recommended for:
• Fast on-screen feedback
• Easy checking of surface colors
• Any presentation for which photorealistic quality is not a
requirement
3D Projections
ArchiCAD can display parallel (axonometric) projections and
perspectives.
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Axonometric projections automatically show the entire model in the

center of your view. Perspectives are defined by a viewpoint and a
specific target.
When the 3D window is active, the 3D Navigator Preview Palette
contains a miniature representation of the entire project view. This
allows you a quick way to modify your 3D Projection Settings, • 3D Visualization toolbar:
whether perspective or parallel (axonometric); you can adjust the view
cone or change the axonometry while retaining an overview of the
whole project.
See “Navigator Preview (3D)” on page 64.

3D Projection Settings • Mini-Navigator toolbar:

The View > 3D View Mode > 3D Projection Settings command
from the menu or from the Mini-Navigator’s pop-up menu opens the
dialog box that contains all the controls you need to define the 3D
view.
The name and contents of the dialog box depend on the projection
type: Parallel Projection Settings or Perspective Settings. You can
easily switch from one settings dialog to the other with the button at
the top right corner.
The projections that you define in the 3D Projection Settings dialog
box remain valid only until the next time you open the dialog box and
modify them.
For more information, see “3D Projection Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
How to Switch Between Axonometric and Perspective Views
You can switch between the 3D Window’s “Perspective” and
“Axonometry” views by using the:
• Predefined shortcuts:
Ctrl+F3 = Axonometry
Shift+F3 = Perspective
• commands available from View > 3D View Mode:
• Navigator Palette:
How to Store a 3D Projection
To store projections that you set up in the 3D Window, you can:
• Use the Save Current View command from the context menu
of the Navigator palette. This will create a view (perspective or
axonometric) based on the currently set up projection in the 3D
window. The new view will be added to your Navigator View
Map.
• Add the current perspective to your Project Map, using the View
> 3D Navigation Extras > Place a Camera into the path
command. A camera capturing the current perspective will also
appear on the Floor Plan.
For more information, see “Cameras” on page 513.
• Add the current axonometric (parallel) projection to the series of
Pre-Set views, using the View > 3D Navigation Extras > Add
Current Projection command.
For more information, see “Pre-Set Projections” in ArchiCAD Help and “3D
Navigation Extras” on page 174.

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3D Navigation Extras • Insert a new camera after the selected one: A new camera is
added to the path to define the current perspective view, and will
Other controls useful in modifying the 3D view are available from the be selected.
View > 3D Navigation Extras (or a toolbar containing 3D window For more information, see “Cameras” on page 513.
commands). These controls allow you to:
• Interactively set the target point for the perspective (Look to). 3D “Cutaway” Sections
• Switch to a view perpendicular to a given point (Look to 3D Cutaway is an imaging mode in ArchiCAD. With 3D Cutaway
perpendicular). active, you can produce either ordinary cross sections or special
• Reset the roll angle to zero to rapidly return from a bizarre view sections to visualize the project in new ways. 3D Cutaway can be
obtained during navigation (Reset Roll Angle). useful for special 3D visualizations allowing an insight into building
• Return with a single command to a horizontal view of the model spaces. The 3D section cuts you define are stored within the project
(Horizontal View). document and can be recreated after opening the Project in a future
session. Once the sectional 3D model has been created, you can save
• Edit pre-set projections and Add current projection: These it in a variety of formats for additional work.
commands are available if you are viewing an axonometric
(parallel) projection. 3D Cutaway settings will take effect in the 3D Document. Separate
Model Display Settings for the 3D Document allow you to define
For more information, see “Pre-Set Projections” in ArchiCAD Help.
materials for the surfaces cut by 3D Cutaway.
• Put a camera into the path (for perspectives). This command
See “3D Document” on page 192.
adds the current perspective to the Project Map, if no camera is
selected on the Floor Plan. If you have cameras on the Floor Plan
already that define an animation path, the new camera will be
added after the active camera in the active path, which is marked
by its view cone on the Floor Plan.
If you are in perspective view, the following commands are also
available from View > 3D Navigation Extras:
Note: As you use these commands to change the camera
selection, the selected item in the Navigator Project Map also
changes accordingly.
• Go to the previous/Go to the next: Use these commands to
navigate to the perspective views of the previous and next
cameras in the active path, and to select the camera.
• Modify the selected: The selected camera will be updated to
reflect the perspective view that you currently see in the 3D
How to Create a 3D Cutaway
window. Use this when you have changed the view in the 3D 3D Cutaway works by applying cutting planes to the 3D model.
window. These cutting planes are defined in the 3D Cutting Planes dialog box.
• Revert view to the selected: Discards all changes you made For more information, see “3D Cutting Planes Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD
manually and shows the 3D model as the selected camera sees it. Help.

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After defining 3D Cutting Planes in the dialog box, activate View > In the Section window, you can view and modify elements but you
Elements in 3D View > 3D Cutaway. (To deactivate 3D Cutaway, cannot create new construction elements. (The only exception is if
press the command again.) If the View > Elements in 3D View > you use the “Drag a copy” command to move a Door/Window, in a
3D Cutaway command is active, these cutting planes are applied to model-type Section window.) If you paste an element into a Section
the model every time it is rebuilt. window, it will be reproduced as drawing primitives (points, lines,
fills).
Sections Sections can be saved as Views and placed on a Layout as Drawings;
the contents of a Section window can also be published directly.
To place a linked or unlinked Section marker, use the Section tool in
About Sections any of the following windows: Floor Plan, Section, Elevation, Interior
The Section tool is used to place a Section marker. The Section Elevation, Detail, Worksheet. Such a marker is a linked marker, and
you can use it to link it to any viewpoint, view or drawing in the
marker can take one of three different forms:
project. A linked marker is for reference purposes only.
1) a source marker, which generates a section viewpoint See an example at “Place a Linked Section Marker” on page 180.
2) a linked marker, which does not generate a section viewpoint, but You can choose and format the Section Line and Marker object in
acts as a reference to any other view, viewpoint or drawing. Section Settings.
3) an unlinked marker containing custom text
Note: An easy way to distinguish between source-type and
linked/unlinked markers is to use the “Highlight Source
Markers” option, which is activated by default at View >
On-Screen View Options.
See also “Source Marker Highlight” on page 205.
To generate a Section, you draw a Section line on the Floor Plan and
place a Section source marker, which generates a new viewpoint in
ArchiCAD. You can set this marker to display a variety of reference
information - such as the first drawing that is created out of this
Section viewpoint - for easy navigation and identification.
Each newly created Section viewpoint is listed in the Navigator
Project Map, in the “Sections” part.
Elements in the Section viewpoint depend on the Section Status,
defined in Section Settings. A Model Section contains editable Section Line on the Floor Plan
construction elements linked and updated with their counterparts on
the Floor Plan, as well as any 2D elements. A Drawing Section
contains drawing primitives, which are not linked to the Floor Plan
and do not reflect its changes.

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Create a Section Viewpoint
Note: The creation process is identical for Elevations.
To create a section with its source in the model, you must place a
section marker on the Floor Plan. (This is a “source” section marker.)
Note: Another type of Section viewpoint is the Independent
Section, having no model source.
See “Create an Independent Section Viewpoint” on page 182.
1) Activate the Section tool.
2) In the Info Box or Section Default Settings, make sure that
“Create new section viewpoint” is selected.
3) Choose an input method (either Straight Line or Staggered Line)
from the Info Box and draw a Section line on the Floor Plan.
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• Straight line: click twice to define each end of the line.
• Staggered line: click as many times as needed to define each
segment of the Section line. Double-click to complete the input
line.
The Eyeball cursor appears.
4) With the eyeball cursor, click on either side of the line to set the
orientation of the Section. The place where you click also defines
the Section’s limit line, if you have chosen a “Limited” horizontal
range in Section Tool Settings.
Section line
Limit Line
5) The Marker is automatically placed after the section line is
completed. (If you are placing a Section of limited horizontal
range, the limit line is also placed automatically.)
Note: Source markers are distinguished on screen by an optional
semi-transparent solid fill. (Use View > On-screen View Options
> Highlight Source Marker to enable or disable this
distinguishing fill for all source markers. The color of this fill can
be set in Options > Work Environment > More Options.)
6) A new Section viewpoint is created and listed in the Navigator
Project Map.
Other information about the new Section viewpoint - its Markers and
Reference information, Model Display, and Story Lines - can be
defined in the Section Settings dialog box.
For more information, see “Section Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Define Horizontal/Vertical Range of Section
Viewpoint
Note: This process is identical for Elevations.
Use the controls in the General Panel of Section Settings to define
the Section geometry.
Horizontal Range
• An infinite Horizontal Range shows the full extent of the visible
model from the Section line.
• A limited Horizontal range shows the model between the
Section line and its limit, which is placed automatically. Once it is
placed, you can select the limit line and move it, if necessary.
• A zero-depth range shows only the parts of the model cut by the
Section line, at the cut location only. (For Elevations, there is no
“zero depth” option.)
For more information, see “Horizontal Range (for Source Section markers only)”
in ArchiCAD Help.
Vertical Range
• A Section with an infinite Vertical Range shows all stories of the
model.
• If you choose limited
Vertical Range, enter
the elevation values
corresponding to the
vertical range of the
model you wish to include in the Section.
Editing a Section’s Horizontal Range and Distant Area Limit
You can change the depth (horizontal range) of a selected section by
moving the limit line: make sure that the Section tool is active, then
move the line by clicking it and dragging to the desired position.
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You can also move the Distant Area limit line, if such a limit has been
defined in Section Settings.
Note: An optional “distant” area of your Section viewpoint, with
separate colors/effects, is created if you check the Marked
Distant Area box in Section Settings (Model Display Panel). The
Distant Area limit line is then displayed as part of your Section.
See “Section Model Display Panel (for Source Section markers only)” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Both the Section limit line and the secondary “distant” line are
on-screen-only elements.
• To show or hide the Section limit line (horizontal range) and the
Distant Area limit line on the Floor Plan, use the toggle control
in View > On-Screen View Options > Marker Range.
• To change these line types/colors, use the control in Options >
Project Preferences > Miscellaneous.
For more information, see “Display of Marker Range Lines” on page 205.
Define Marker Reference for Source Marker
Follow these steps to define reference information for source-type
Section, Elevation, Interior Elevation, Detail and Worksheet markers.
When placing a new source marker on the Floor Plan to create a
viewpoint, the tool’s Default Settings gives you two choices for
defining the Marker Reference:
• the viewpoint, or
• the first placed drawing of the viewpoint
In other words, the marker will display information pertaining either
to the viewpoint you are currently creating, or to the first drawing
created from this new viewpoint. (“First” means the topmost eligible
drawing in the Navigator Layout Book.)
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For example, the following Since you cannot refer to the actual drawing, you can refer to the
Section has been defined to View (in the current project) from which the Drawing was created (in
display the information of the the other project). The marker will display the drawing data of the
first placed drawing created out first drawing created out of this view as autotext (e.g. #Drawing
of this viewpoint. Name, #DrgID). Once the Layout Book that contains the reference
If you choose “first placed drawing is opened alongside the project containing the marker, the
drawing,” and no drawing has marker will fill in the correct drawing data.
been placed yet, the marker will The link information that will appear in the marker is previewed in
display autotext (such as the Reference to text field, as long as the referred item (such as a
#DrgID), and once the drawing is placed, this autotext will be drawing) already exists in the project.
replaced by the relevant information. Note: The same marker information is shown in the Marker
If you select an already placed source Panel in the Section Settings dialog box.
marker and open the tool’s Selection
Settings or Info box, you have two Assign Section Status
additional choices, because the
viewpoint may already have multiple Note: The process for assigning a status is identical for Sections,
drawings or views created out of it: Elevations and Interior Elevations. 3D Document status can be
either Auto-rebuild or Manual Rebuild, but not Drawing.
• the selected drawing
When creating each new Section, you assign it a status in the General
• the first placed drawing of the selected view
panel of Section Settings. A Section can have one of three statuses:
Choosing either of these two Auto-rebuild Model, Manual-rebuild Model, and Drawing.
options will bring up a directory
dialog box showing the Navigator
Layout Book or the Navigator View
Map. Eligible drawings/views are
available for selection (i.e., those
which have been created from the Each Section’s status defines the link between the Section and the
selected Section viewpoint); other model on the Floor Plan, and its rebuild method.
items are greyed and cannot be • In the two Model statuses (Auto-rebuild and Manual-rebuild),
selected. the window consists of construction elements; any changes made
Note: The option to refer to a in a Model Section window can be updated in the Floor Plan
view is available in case the window, as well as in the 3D window and in other Section
desired Drawing is located in a windows, and vice versa.
different project's Layout Book • In a Section of Drawing status, construction elements are
(and is therefore not listed in decomposed into 2D fills, arcs and lines. Changes made in this
the “Define Marker Reference” kind of window are not updated in other windows. You can,
dialog box). however, update the drawing to reflect recent changes made to
See “To import a Drawing from another ArchiCAD project file:” on page 429. the model.

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Construction elements are editable in both Autorebuild and Another effect is to display the materials of uncut surfaces in
Manual-rebuild Model status windows, but no new construction “shaded” mode - that is, to reflect rounded contours:
elements can be created within them, with the exception of
duplicating existing Doors and Windows. Even by copying
construction elements and pasting them back you can only obtain
plain, additional drawing elements.
Warning: Clearing a construction element from a Section
Window of model status (either Autorebuild or Manual-rebuild)
will also clear it from both the Floor Plan and the 3D model.
Regardless of a section’s status, you can add 2D graphics, annotation
and dimensioning.
For more information, see “Updating Sections” on page 182. You can combine the two effects (cast shadows and shaded effect) in
a single Section display:
Display of Elements in Section Window
Note: The controls for the display of elements is nearly identical
for Elevations and Interior Elevations.
Use the Model Display controls in Section Settings to define the
appearance of cut and uncut elements in the Section Window. Here
you can define any vectorial shadows and separate display options for
a section’s “distant area”.
For more information, see “Section Model Display Panel (for Source Section
markers only)” in ArchiCAD Help.
The following section window is displayed with Vectorial Hatching Open a Section Viewpoint
“on” (as shown by the roof tiles) and with Vectorial Sun Shadow
To open a Section viewpoint,
“on” (as shown by the shadow cast by the roof overhang.) double-click its name in the
Navigator, or use a menu
command. (View > Navigate >
Sections > Open Section).
Another way to open the
viewpoint is to select the Section
line on the Floor Plan and use the
“Open Section” command from the context menu.
By default, each Section is opened in a single window, replacing the
previous opened Section. To open multiple Section windows at a

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time, open each new Section from the Navigator, using the Open in
new window context menu command.
Place a Linked Section Marker
Note: This process is identical for Elevations, Details and
Worksheets.
Linked section markers have no model source and do not generate a
new viewpoint. Instead, they are placed in the project, then linked by
the user to an existing viewpoint, view or drawing whose information
is displayed in the marker.
You can place a linked Section marker in any of the following
windows: Floor Plan; Section; Elevation; Interior Elevation; 3D
Document; Worksheet; Detail.
For example, you might create a Wall Section that functions like a
Detail:
First, place a source Detail marker in the Section window;
then place a linked Wall Section marker on the Floor Plan which is
linked to this Detail.
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This linked Section marker points you to the Detail of this wall’s
Section.
To place a linked section marker:
1) Activate the Section tool.
2) In the Info Box or Section Default
Settings, make sure that “Place Linked
Marker” is selected.
3) Define the Marker Reference using the appearing dialog box.
See “Define Marker Reference for Linked Marker” on page 181.
4) Choose an input method (either Straight Line or Staggered Line)
from the Info Box and draw a Section line on the plan.
• Straight line: click twice to define each end of the line.
• Staggered line: click as many times as needed to define each
segment of the Section line. Double-click to complete the input
line.
Note: The Staggered line option is not available for Elevations.
The Eyeball cursor appears.
5) With the eyeball cursor, click on either side of the line to set the
orientation of the linked Section marker.
6) The Marker is automatically placed after the section line is
completed.
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Define Marker Reference for Linked Marker
Follow these steps to define reference information for linked Section,
Elevation, Detail and Worksheet markers.
For a new linked marker, or to redefine an already placed selected
marker, you have these choices:
• The selected viewpoint (i.e., the viewpoint you select from the
directory list after choosing “Browse”).
• The selected drawing (i.e., the drawing you select from the
directory list after choosing “Browse”).
• The first placed drawing of the selected viewpoint (i.e., the
first drawing created from the viewpoint you select from the
directory list after choosing “Browse.”). “First” means the
topmost eligible drawing in the Navigator Layout Book.
• The first placed drawing of the selected view (i.e., the first
drawing created from the view you select from the directory list
after choosing “Browse.”). “First” means the topmost eligible
drawing in the Navigator Layout Book.
Choosing any of these reference options will bring up a directory
dialog box showing the relevant view of the Navigator (Project Map,
View Map, or Layout Book). Choose the desired viewpoint, view or
drawing. The chosen item’s information will be displayed in the linked
marker.
Thus, a linked marker can refer to any viewpoint, view or drawing in
the project.
If you are redefining a selected marker, click the Browse button to
bring up the Define Marker Reference directory, and choose the
item whose information you wish the marker to refer to.
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Note: The option to refer to a view is available in case the
desired Drawing is located in a different project's Layout Book
(and is therefore not listed in the “Define Marker Reference”
dialog box). Since you cannot refer to the actual drawing, you can
refer to the View (in the current project) from which the
Drawing was created (in the other project). The marker will
display the drawing data of the first drawing created out of this
view as autotext (e.g. #Drawing Name, #DrgID). Once the
Layout Book that contains the reference drawing is opened
alongside the project containing the marker, the marker will fill in
the correct drawing data.
See “To import a Drawing from another ArchiCAD project file:” on page 429.
After the marker is placed, you can still go back and change its marker
information at any time.
Place an Unlinked Marker
Follow these steps to place an unlinked marker with the Section,
Elevation, Detail or Worksheet tool.
1) In Default Settings or the Info Box, choose “Placed Unlinked
Marker.”
Such a marker displays no linked information.
2) Define any custom text for the marker using the Custom text
fields in the parameter list in the Marker Panel of the Settings
dialog box.
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3) Draw a line or boundary (depending on the tool) and place a
marker in any of the following windows: Floor Plan; Section;
Elevation; Interior Elevation; Worksheet; Detail; 3D Document.
Create an Independent Section Viewpoint
Note: This process is identical for Independent Elevation
Viewpoints.
“Independent” sections, with or without a marker, can be created in
some windows. These viewpoints have no model source; they are
listed as “Independent” viewpoints in the Navigator.
You can use 2D tools to create or add new content in the
independent viewpoint. Use copy-paste to transfer selected items
from a Trace Reference into the drawing window in 2D form for
further editing.
To create an independent Section without a marker, use the “Create
New Independent Section” command. This creates an empty
viewpoint without a marker, but listed in the Navigator.
This command is accessible:
• from the Section part of the Navigator Project Map. Right-click
on this folder and choose the “New Independent Section”
command from the context menu
• or from the Document > Documenting Tools submenu
• or by clicking the New Viewpoint folder at the bottom of the
Navigator Project Map; the selected Project Map item (in this
case, a Section) determines which kind of new viewpoint will be
created.
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If you wish this independent Section viewpoint to be linked to a
marker, place a linked Section marker into the project and link it
(“Marker Reference to”) to the existing independent Section.
Updating Sections
Note: The updating process is identical for Sections, Elevations,
Interior Elevations and 3D Documents.
Each Section’s status defines the link (and rebuild method) between
the Section and the model on the Floor Plan.
For information on assigning Section status, see “Assign Section Status” on page
178.
Updating an Autorebuild Model Section
An Autorebuild Model Section is linked to the Floor Plan model
and can be edited interactively. If the Floor Plan has changed, a
Section in Autorebuild Model status will be automatically rebuilt
every time it is opened or brought to the front of the screen.
Changes to existing construction elements in the Section window
(including associative dimensions) will automatically be updated in
the Floor Plan Window, and, when activated, in any other Section
Window and the 3D Window. The update process works on
construction elements only; 2D elements added to either the Floor
Plan or Section window will not be reflected in the other window.
If you are in Autorebuild status and you are editing elements inside
the Section window, the rebuild function is continuous and
immediate within this window. However, in large plans, continuous
auto-rebuild can cause slowdowns. If you prefer that your Section
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window be rebuilt only when it is opened or brought to the front of
the screen (the way it worked in ArchiCAD 9), go to the Options
>Project Preferences > Miscellaneous tab page and uncheck the
“Update Autorebuild Model...” checkbox.
If you nevertheless need to Rebuild manually, the View > Refresh >
Rebuild from Model command is available. (The plain View >
Refresh > Rebuild command, used to refresh 2D drawing elements,
is not available for Autorebuild Model windows.)
Note: Some complex changes to the plan (e.g., modifying a
Library Part) do not appear automatically in Model Section
Windows. For a Manual-rebuild section, use the View > Refresh
> Rebuild command; for an Autorebuild section, use View >
Refresh > Rebuild from Model to see these changes reflected
properly.
Updating a Manual-Rebuild Section
A Section having Manual-Rebuild Model status is not rebuilt
automatically. It can be rebuilt from the model only by using the
View > Refresh > Rebuild from Model command in the menu. In
this case, any additional drawing elements you have added to the
Section window will remain unchanged.
Updating a Drawing Section
Not applicable for 3D Documents, which are either Autorebuild or
Manual-Rebuild type documents.
• To rebuild a Drawing-status Section, use View > Refresh >
Rebuild. These commands refresh the view as a 2D drawing,
fixing any potential temporary display errors.
• For a complete refreshing of a Drawing-status Section window,
choose View > Refresh > Rebuild from Model. This will
refresh the contents of these windows to fully reflect the current
state of the Virtual Building model. In the process, all 2D
elements originating from the model will be removed and an
up-to-date view will be generated. This means that any previous
manual editing of this artwork will be lost. 2D artwork added to
the drawing manually will be kept intact.
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Summary of Rebuild Commands
The View > Refresh > Rebuild command is available in all
construction windows. It rebuilds the model in the currently active
window.
Additional Rebuild commands in the View > Refresh menu are
available if the active window is a Section/Elevation/IE, 3D
Document, or a Detail or a Worksheet.
Rebuild from Model: Use this command to rebuild the active
window; this will refresh the window information to reflect
modifications in the Floor Plan.
Rebuild from Source View: This command is available only in the
Detail and Worksheet windows.
The following commands might not be visible in the View > Refresh
menu by default. You can customize your menu (Options > Work
Environment > Menus) to include these commands if needed.
For more information, see “Customizing Menus” on page 49.
Also, these commands are available from the context menu of the
folders in the Navigator Project Map and View Map.
Rebuild All from Model: Use this command to rebuild all
Section/Elevation/IE windows in your project.
Rebuild All Model Sections from Model: Use this command to
rebuild all the Section windows of Model status (either Autorebuild
Model or Manual-Rebuild Model).
Rebuild All Drawing Sections from Model: Use this command to
rebuild all Drawing-status Section windows.
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Display of Section Lines and Markers
Note: This information also applies to Elevations.
To customize the attributes of a Section’s line marker, use the controls
in Section Settings Marker and Marker Head panels.
For more information, see Section Marker Panel and “Section Marker Head
Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Adjusting or Breaking Section Lines
Note: This process is identical for Elevations. However,
Elevation lines cannot be segmented.
To manipulate a selected Section line as a whole, you can use the
Arrow tool, the Marquee tool, or Edit menu commands, as well as
their counterpart commands from the pet palette.
To change the length of a Section line,
select it, then click the pet palette’s
stretch icon to stretch the line at either
of its endpoints.
To break a Section line or line segment:
• Select the line’s midpoint.
184
• Choose the Break
Section/Elevation Line icon
from the pet palette.
• Click to break the segment in half,
then move the newly created
half-segment to a new position.
Click to place.
To move a segment of a Section line, select the Section Marker, then
use the pet palette’s Move Section line segment icon to move it.
To eliminate a break in a staggered Section line, select the Section
line, then pull the break line (perpendicular to the Section line) out of
the section range.
Elevations
ArchiCAD has a separate tool for creating Elevation viewpoints
and linked or unlinked Elevation markers.
In contrast to Sections:
• Elevations generally do not “slice through” the structure, but
rather create a cross-section view of the structure from a distant
point.
• There is no “zero depth” option for the Elevation’s horizontal
range.
• Elevation markers are conventionally different from Section
markers; consequently, the Marker options in Elevation Settings
vary from their counterparts in Section Settings.
• Unlike the Section Line, the Elevation line is an on-screen-only
Marker item, and is not shown on the Layout.
See “Display of Marker Range Lines” on page 205.
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In all other respects, the Elevation Tool works the same way as the Moving an Elevation Marker
Section Tool. This option is available only for Elevation and
• To create an Elevation viewpoint, you must place a source-type Interior Elevation markers.
Elevation marker on the Floor Plan. Select the Elevation line; the marker will be
• The resulting Elevation viewpoint has a Status (Model or selected and will display a node.
Drawing) which determines its update process. Click on this node and choose the Move
• The Elevation Settings Model Display Panel defines the display Elevation Marker command from the pet
of the Elevation viewpoint, while the Marker and Marker Head palette, then drag the marker to the desired
panels determine the content and display of the Elevation position.
marker. The marker will retain this position even if the
• A linked-type Elevation marker, containing reference elevation is dragged or rotated to a new
information only (without creating a viewpoint), can be placed in position.
the Floor Plan, Section, Elevation, Interior Elevation, 3D
Document, Detail or Worksheet Window.
Interior Elevations (IE)
• Unlinked Elevation markers can also be placed.
For more information, see the following topics: About Interior Elevations
“Create a Section Viewpoint” on page 176,
ArchiCAD has a dedicated tool that is optimized for creating
“Define Horizontal/Vertical Range of Section Viewpoint” on page 177, interior elevations of interior spaces.
“Assign Section Status” on page 178,
“Display of Elements in Section Window” on page 179,
“Define Marker Reference for Source Marker” on page 177,
“Place a Linked Section Marker” on page 180,
“Define Marker Reference for Linked Marker” on page 181,
“Place an Unlinked Marker” on page 181, Interior Elevations (IEs) work similarly to Sections and regular
“Create an Independent Section Viewpoint” on page 182, Elevations: choose an input method; define the view and its limits
graphically; and place a marker with custom-defined marker reference
“Updating Sections” on page 182, information. Each Interior Elevation is a separate viewpoint in the
“Display of Section Lines and Markers” on page 184. Navigator Project Map.
Edits made on an Interior
Elevation can be reflected in the
Model, and vice-versa: model
changes can be reflected in the
Interior Elevation following an
update. Dimensions are associative.

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Unlike the Section and Elevation tools, the Interior Elevation tool is
used to create new viewpoints only; you cannot place a linked,
reference-only IE marker.
Note: As source markers, IE markers are distinguished on
screen by an optional semi-transparent solid fill. (Use View >
On-screen View Options > Highlight Source Marker to enable
or disable this distinguishing fill for all source markers. The color
of this fill can be set in Options > Work Environment > More
Options.)
An IE created using one of the polyline or rectangle input methods
will have a separate IE view for each segment of the line; each view is
created perpendicular to the segment.
Since Interior Elevations are typically created in groups (e.g. four IE's
created by placing a four-segment polyline around a single room),
IE's are handled as a group for purposes of numbering, display, Trace
functions, and placement on a layout. (Typically, you will use the
Master Layout’s “Auto Arrange Setup” options - in Master Layout
Settings - to fine-tune the appearance of IE views on the Layout.)
For more information, see “Arranging Multiple Drawings on the Layout” on
page 429.
186
These IE groups are automatically listed together in their own subsets
in the Project Map. Each new IE viewpoint is assigned to an IE
Group, even if there is only one viewpoint in the Group.
You cannot move individual IE
viewpoints from one Group to
another.
Create Single Interior Elevation Viewpoint
Draw the IE limit line using the single line method to create a
single IE viewpoint.
Note: In contrast to Sections/Elevations, when creating an
Interior Elevation you start by defining the limit of the view (e.g.
the wall you want to see), then click to define view line (the place
from which you view the wall).
1) Click once to begin the limit line.
2) Click a second time to complete the line.
3) Move the cursor to the desired view position.
4) Click a third time to place the IE marker.
To define the Marker style and position, use the controls in the
Marker Panel of Interior Elevation Settings.
See “Interior Elevation Marker Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
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5) A new IE viewpoint is created and listed in the Project Map. It is 2) Move the cursor to the desired view
assigned its own IE Group, even if there is only one viewpoint in position.
the Group.
Many other aspects of Interior Elevation viewpoints - status, display, marker
reference, and updating - work the same as in Section viewpoints. For more
information, see the following topics:
“Assign Section Status” on page 178,
“Display of Elements in Section Window” on page 179,
“Define Marker Reference for Source Marker” on page 177,
“Updating Sections” on page 182.

Create Multiple IE Viewpoints

Use the polyline/ rectangle method to create multiple viewpoints in a
single IE Group. 3) Click once more to place the
IE marker(s).
The resulting Interior Elevation group contains the same number of
viewpoints as the number of segments on the polyline/rectangle. Interior elevations use a
dedicated IE marker, a GDL
1) Click to begin drawing the limit line. object with editable
• With the polyline method, click parameters.
once for each segment of the IE marker(s) are placed at the
polyline; double-click to complete middle of each segment of
the polyline. the IE line or at the center of
• With the rectangular method, click the room.
a second time to define the To define the Marker style
opposing corners. and Position, use the controls
• With the rotated rectangular in the Marker Panel of
method, click to define the rotation Interior Elevation Settings. For any or all of the viewpoints, you
vector; click again to define the can opt not to show a marker, by choosing the No Marker
length of the rectangle. option in this panel.
The resulting line/polyline/rectangle See “Interior Elevation Marker Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
represents the limit line of the Interior 4) The new group of viewpoints is created and listed in the Project
Elevation group. Map.
5) The Interior Elevation Group has its own Clone folder in the
Navigator View Map.

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The viewpoints within a single IE group share certain settings (such
as Show on Stories and Layer settings) which can be applied only to
the group as a whole. However, the settings of any single segment are
accessible individually.
See “Editing Interior Elevation Viewpoints” on page 189.
Many other aspects of Interior Elevation viewpoints - status, display,
marker reference, and updating - work the same as in Section
viewpoints. For more information, see the following topics:
“Assign Section Status” on page 178,
“Display of Elements in Section Window” on page 179,
“Define Marker Reference for Source Marker” on page 177,
“Updating Sections” on page 182.
Interior Elevation IDs and Names
To assign IDs and names to IE Groups and their viewpoints, use the
General Panel of Interior Elevation Settings. The options in the
General Panel vary depending on whether you are defining Settings
for an IE Group:
or for an individual IE viewpoint:
Each new IE viewpoint is automatically assigned to an IE Group
(even if there is only one viewpoint in the group). The IE Group is
assigned a default ID of IE-01.
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Subsequent IE Groups receive their IDs accordingly. (IE-02, IE-03...)
In each individual viewpoint’s IE settings,
the Reference ID and Name fields are set
to “By IE Group” by default.
This means that each IE viewpoint will
have the same ID and Name as its parent
IE Group.
ArchiCAD’s default IE Settings further define the ID and Name of
each IE viewpoint to include Autotexts.
Use Autotext to Create Meaningful IDs/Names for
Interior Elevation Group
You can define a logical naming convention for your IE Groups by
including an Autotext in the parent IE Group’s ID and Name.
This way, each individual Interior Elevation contained in the group
will display a logical Autotext value that can vary for each elevation.
By default, ArchiCAD’s IE Group ID adds an Autotext of
<Number> to the ID of each viewpoint in the IE group. In the
image below, each viewpoint ID includes the Group ID (IE-01) plus
an automatically assigned number (01, 02, 03...).
Also, the default IE Group Name
adds an Autotext of <Orientation>
to each viewpoint Name.
Consequently, each viewpoint name
consists of its specific orientation,
which automatically assigned using
Autotext (North, South, East,
West...).
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Use the General Panel of IE Settings to define any other Autotext to You can also change IDs and Names for any IE
include in the IE viewpoints’ name and/or ID. For example, you can Group or viewpoint in the Navigator.
set the Interior Elevation Group’s ID to be the Zone Number:
1) Click the Autotext button next to the ID field in General Settings
and choose Zone Number from the list. Editing Interior Elevation Viewpoints
Each viewpoint of an Interior Elevation group can be edited
separately. First, select the viewpoint:
• select any individual Interior Elevation marker, or
• select any individual line
segment of the Interior
Elevation line.
2) In the Navigator, note that the The pet palette and context menu
ID of the Group is now commands opened from this
equivalent to the number of the segment affect that viewpoint
zone (007, in this case) contained only.
in the Interior Elevation. To edit the selected viewpoint:
This ID is inherited by all of the • Open Interior Elevation Settings. (Use the context menu or the
viewpoints in the Group. Info Box). Any changes you make here will apply only to the
(Naturally, assigning a Zone Number autotext works only if the selected viewpoint. Note that certain options in IE Settings are
Interior Elevation includes a zone.) greyed if you are editing a single viewpoint rather than an IE
group.
Customize IDs and Names • Use the pet palette's options to manipulate the selected IE
You can give a customized ID and/or Name to any IE Group or segment or its marker.
individual viewpoint:
• Select the IE limit line. Delete/Restore IE Viewpoint
• Open Interior Elevation Settings. If you have selected an
individual IE viewpoint, you
If it is an individual IE Viewpoint, make sure the pop-up is set to can delete that single
Custom. viewpoint using the context
menu’s Delete command.

• Enter the desired ID and/or Name.

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You can restore this viewpoint
even after deleting it: select the
IE group to which it belongs
(select any part of the IE Limit
Line) and use the Restore all
Interior Elevations in Group
command from the context
menu.
Note: This command regenerates the IE viewpoint, but any 2D
edits you made in this viewpoint before deleting it have been lost.
Editing the Interior Elevation Limit Line
Selecting any segment of the IE limit polyline
selects the entire IE group. If the IE group
uses a single, common marker, then selecting
the marker also selects the entire IE group.
As when editing other polylines in ArchiCAD,
use the pet palette’s line editing options.
Vertical and Horizontal Range of the Interior
Elevation
Vertical Range
An IE viewpoint’s vertical range is set manually by the user in the
General Panel of Interior Elevation Settings or the Info Box.
See “Interior Elevation (IE) Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Each IE view (i.e. each segment of
the IE limit polyline) can have a
separate, custom vertical range
value, if desired: choose the
Limited option as the Vertical
Range and enter the desired elevation limits.
Use the pop-up to define whether this vertical range should be
measured from Project Zero, or from the Interior Elevation’s Home
Story (the story onto which it was placed).

Horizontal Range
By default, the IE limit line represents the horizontal range of the
resulting IE view.
The Horizontal Range option of Interior Elevation Settings (see the
General Panel) is set to By Limit Lines by default.

Inserting a node will create a new IE viewpoint in the IE group. To adjust the horizontal range, select the limit line and stretch or
shrink it using the commands of the pet palette. (Stretch/shrink
modifications to this segment will affect the neighboring line
segments accordingly, as when editing any polyline.)
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Interior Elevations and Zone Shape

If you want the Interior Elevation to correspond to a zone, choose
the Detect and Fit to Zones Vertical Range option from the
General Panel of Interior Elevation Settings.

If a zone is detected, its height will be used as the vertical range of the
selected Interior Elevation viewpoint.
Note: The zone’s height is the difference between its Level value
and its Height value as set in Zone Settings):

To include connected enclosed areas in the

Interior Elevation viewpoint, choose Add
bounded areas the Horizontal Range option
in IE Settings.

This way, if the room contains an odd-shaped alcove, the IE

viewpoint will include structures that fall beyond the Limit Line, but
still fall inside the room, as in this image:

Zones edited by Solid Element Operations are also calculated

accurately, provided that you also check the Consider Solid
Operations box. For example, a single zone trimmed to a slanted
roof will have several different zone heights. These are accurately
reflected in each viewpont of the Interior Elevation group.

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Display of Elements in Interior Elevation
Use the Model Display controls in Interior Elevation Settings to
define the appearance of cut and uncut elements in the view. These
options are largely identical to the Model Display options for Sections
and Elevations.
See “Display of Elements in Section Window” on page 179 and “Interior
Elevation Model Display Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Interior Elevations do not have a “Marked Distant Area” display
option.
Two special display options are available for the display of cut
elements in Interior Elevations:
Exclude View Blocking Walls: If this option is checked, any
intervening walls which “block the view” in the Interior Elevation
will not be displayed.
Hide Cut Elements: If this option is checked, elements that are cut
by the Interior Elevation Line will not be displayed.
3D Document
About the 3D Document
The 3D Document allows you to use the 3D view of the model as the
basis for creating a document, to which you can add dimensions,
labels and additional 2D drawing elements.
For example, you can convert a 3D view of a building into a
document that shows detailed structural information in 3D - such as
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intersection of composite walls in space. This is possible because the
3D Document can display cut surfaces in a 3D model structure,
optionally using the cut fill and line attributes defined at the element
level.
See “Model Display of the 3D Document” on page 198.
To add dimensions, just use ArchiCAD’s dimensioning tools, plus
certain dimensioning functions that are available only for 3D
Documents.
See “Linear Dimensions in the 3D Document Window” in ArchiCAD Help.
The 3D Document is a viewpoint which appears in the Navigator
Project Map. In many respects, the 3D Document is analogous to the
Section viewpoint: it is an integral part of the ArchiCAD model, and
its model elements are rebuilt automatically or manually, depending
on its status.
In the 3D Document, you can select model elements and access their
settings dialog boxes to make changes in the model, but you cannot
edit them graphically or create new model elements.
The 3D Document has its source in the 3D window. Specific
parameters and options affecting 3D window display (such as
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projection and filtering/selection of elements) will affect 3D 2) Create a new 3D Document by doing one of the following:
Document display; you can redefine the 3D Document after adjusting With 3D window open:
these 3D window settings. (See “The 3D Document and its 3D
Window Source” on page 194.) • Use New 3D Document... command from the context menu of
the Navigator's 3D Document folder
However, like other model views, the 3D Document has its own 3D
Document Settings dialog box, where you can set parameters that are
specific to the 3D Document: these include fill/pen display of
element surfaces (including cut composite elements) and contours,
transparency, 3D hatching, shading, shadow and sun effects.
Note: The display of composite elements in the 3D Document
window also depends on the Partial Display Settings. See “Partial
Structure Display” on page 358.
In particular, you can display the materials of cut surfaces in a 3D-like
display to graphically communicate composite structures:

• Use Capture Window for 3D Document command from the

context menu of the 3D window (with nothing selected).

See “3D Document Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

Create a 3D Document
1) In the 3D window, set up a 3D view of the model: the view you
want to see in your 3D Document:
Set up the perspective or projected 3D view; use 3D Cutting
Planes; filter or select elements; use Marquee as needed, or
perform solid element operations.
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• Use a menu command (Document > 3D Document > Create Note: the difference between Redefine and Rebuild. Rebuild
New 3D Document; or Document > Documenting Tools > refers to the model elements: their size, shape and relation to the
Create 3D Document). rest of the model elements. Rebuild for a 3D Document works
3) The New 3D Document the same as for other model views (e.g. Section). Your 3D
dialog box appears. Document, if set to Auto-Rebuild, is rebuilt every time you open
it. If it is Manual-Update, it is rebuilt only upon command. (View
Enter a Reference ID and > Rebuild > Rebuild from Model).
Name for the new 3D
Document; click Create. There is no Drawing-type 3D Document.
4) The 3D Document is For more information, see “Assign Section Status” on page 178.
created and opened in its
own window. Redefine the 3D Document
5) The 3D Document is listed in the 3D Document folder in the
Project Map of the Navigator. There are three ways to redefine a 3D Document after you have
created it. Each method is described below:
The 3D Document and its 3D Window Source Redefine 3D Document: Open and Edit 3D Source
The contents of the 3D Document are defined out of the 3D If the 3D Document window is in front: use the Open 3D Source
Window; that 3D window is the source of your 3D Document. command from the context menu to open the source 3D window.
Although there is only one current 3D window at any given time (you
cannot open multiple 3D windows simultaneously), each 3D
Document can have its own 3D window source. In other words: each
3D Document stores the settings (projection, filtering, cutting planes
etc.) of its own 3D window source.
You can, at any time, edit certain settings of this 3D Window source,
and then Redefine the 3D Document to reflect these edits.
Redefine refers to specific settings of the 3D window that affect how
the 3D Document appears in the window. These settings are:
• The current 3D projection, including zoom
See “3D Projections” on page 172.
• Filter Elements to Show in 3D (View > Elements in 3D View)
See “Filter Elements to Show in 3D” on page 169.
• Selection/Marquee limitations
See Show Marquee Area in 3D and “Show Selection in 3D” on page 168.
• Cutting Planes
See “3D “Cutaway” Sections” on page 174.

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Or: right-click the 3D Document viewpoint or view from the

Navigator, then click the Open Source View command:

• Alternatively, with the 3D window in front and nothing selected,

use the Redefine 3D Document command.

Make your changes in the 3D window:

• Edit elements
• Adjust the projection
• Change element visibility using Selection/Marquee
• Change the Filter Elements settings.
Then use the Redefine command:
• Select the 3D Document from the Navigator Project Map and
right-click to access the Redefine 3D Document based on
current 3D command.

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This brings up the Redefine 3D With the 3D Document in front, use the Redefine based on the
Document dialog box. Current 3D command from the context menu with nothing selected:
Choose the 3D Document which
you want to redefine based on the
current 3D window.
A warning reminds you that this
Redefine operation is not undoable.

Another way to get the same result: In the Navigator Project Map,
right-click the 3D document which you want to define and use
Redefine 3D Document based on current 3D window.
Click Redefine Anyway to proceed.

Redefine 3D Document Based on Current 3D Window

Command
This command will redefine your 3D Document based on the status
of the latest instance of the 3D window (the one currently open, or
the one that was last open). You do not need to open the 3D window.
Note: The current 3D window is not necessarily the same as the
original source of your 3D Document.
Your 3D Document will be redefined according to the following
settings of the current 3D window:
• The current 3D projection, including zoom
• Filter Elements to Show in 3D (View > Elements in 3D View)
• Selection/Marquee limitations
• Cutting Planes

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Redefine Using 3D Document Settings
If you want to redefine an existing 3D Document without having to
open the source 3D window, an easy way to do it is to use its 3D
Document Settings.
Open 3D Document Settings (select the 3D Document in the
Navigator Project Map; or click Settings at the bottom of the
Navigator or from the context menu; or from the Document > 3D
Document menu).
The controls in the General panel allow you to access dialog boxes to
modify the 3D Document and its 3D window source, without having
to open the 3D window itself:
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Make any or all of the following changes:
• Click Redefine 3D Projections to bring up the Perspective or
Parallel Settings dialog box which reflects the 3D Document’s
source 3D window. Make any adjustments needed, and click OK
to leave the projections dialog box. This is where you can
redefine Sun settings for your 3D Document: click Redefine 3D
Projections, then More Sun to adjust the sun position.
• Click Redefine Filter Elements to access the Filter Elements in
3D dialog box. Make any adjustments needed, and click OK to
leave the dialog box.
• Check the box to redefine the projection, cutting planes, and
visible elements of the 3D Document based on the current 3D
window.
Changes in your 3D Document will take effect when you click OK to
leave 3D Document Settings.
For details on these controls, see “3D Document General Panel” in ArchiCAD
Help.
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Model Display of the 3D Document
While the 3D Document derives many of its settings from its 3D
window source, several important settings for the 3D Document’s
model appearance are derived from the 3D Document Settings dialog
box (Model Panel).
In particular, you can display the materials of cut surfaces in a 3D-like
display to graphically communicate composite structures.
Use the 3D Document Settings Model Panel to set:
• Fills and pens for element surfaces and contours, and for cut
elements
• Transparency
• Vectorial 3D hatching
• Shaded materials
• Sun and Shadow effects
Important: These settings apply to the 3D Document and are
independent of its 3D source window.
For details on these controls, see “3D Document Model Display Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Detail viewpoints generated from existing elements in the project are
2D-only copies of these elements. The viewpoints can be updated to
reflect changes in the plan. You can add additional 2D elements, text,
labels and objects to a Detail Drawing.
You may wish to fine-tune the Detail Drawing before final output.
You will find, however, that the “exploded” 2D elements generated
from the model often contain superfluous elements (extra line
segments, overlapping or superfluous fills) that make such editing
difficult. To make editing easier, first use the The Linework and Fill
Consolidation functions on selected items in the window.
For more information, see “Consolidating Lines and Fills in Drawing Windows”
on page 153.
To open the Detail Drawing in its own window, double-click the
detail view name in the Navigator.

Details
About Details
The Detail tool is used to generate a Detail drawing viewpoint
from the model by placing a Detail marker in any of the following
windows: Floor Plan; Section; Elevation; Interior Elevation; 3D
Document; Worksheet; Detail window. It is also used to place linked
Detail markers, as a reference to any viewpoint, view or drawing.
The Detail Marker (a GDL object) is displayed according to the
settings you made in the Detail Settings dialog box. You can also
create an independent Detail drawing, with or without a marker.
Detail viewpoints are displayed in a dedicated Detail Drawing
Window and listed in the Details part of the Navigator Project Map.

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Create a Detail Drawing Viewpoint with
Model Source
To create a Detail with its source in the model, place an area-based
Detail marker in any of the following windows: Floor Plan,
Section/Elevation/Interior Elevation, 3D Document, Worksheet or
Detail.
1) Activate the Detail tool.
2) In the Info Box or Detail Default Settings,
make sure that “Create new detail
viewpoint” is selected.
3) Choose an area-based geometry method
from the Info Box: Polygonal, Rectangular, or Rotated
Rectangular. (The first, “No Boundary” geometry method,
creates a marker linked to an independent viewpoint having no
model source.)
4) Draw the Detail boundary and click to complete.
5) After drawing the detail boundary, click with the hammer cursor
to place the Detail Marker. The X represents the Detail’s origin.
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Note: Source-type Detail markers are distinguished on screen by
an optional semi-transparent solid fill. (Use View > On-screen
View Options > Highlight Source Marker to enable or disable
this distinguishing fill for all source markers. The color of this
highlight can be set in Options > Work Environment > More
Options.)
6) A new Detail Drawing viewpoint is created and listed in the
Navigator Project Map.
To define the reference information displayed in a source-type
Detail marker:
See “Define Marker Reference for Source Marker” on page 177.
Other information about the new Detail viewpoint - its Markers and
Reference information - can be defined in the Marker Settings dialog
box.
For more information, see “Detail Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Contents of the Detail Viewpoint
The source-based detail drawing consists
of only 2D lines/fills, including the 2D
exploded representations of all
construction elements inside the detail
boundary. By default, only construction elements are transferred;
annotations and dimensions are not transferred to the Detail
viewpoint. (You can change this setting using a checkbox in the
General Panel of Detail Settings.)
For information on what happens to annotation elements cut by the Detail
boundary, see “Annotations, Dimensions and Markers Cut by the Boundary” on
page 203.
Only 2D tools are available in the Detail window. All types of 2D
information can be added to the Detail Drawing: Lines, Fills,
Hotspots, Text, Figures, Dimensions and 2D Symbols of Objects.
The Detail Drawing will include a line representing the Detail
Boundary you drew on the plan.
See “Display of Detail/Worksheet Boundary” on page 201.
Section Details (Detail viewpoints created from a Section) reveal the
elevation of the original construction, which means that Elevation
Dimensioning placed on Detail viewpoints shows correct elevation
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values, unless you displace drawing elements vertically. (The same is
true for Elevation Dimensions in Details generated from Elevations
and Interior Elevations.)
Place a Linked Detail Marker
To place a linked detail marker without creating a viewpoint:
1) Activate the Detail tool.
2) In the Info Box or Detail Default Settings,
make sure that “Place Linked Marker” is
selected.
3) Define the Marker Reference using the
appearing dialog box. See “Define Marker Reference for Linked
Marker” on page 181.
4) Choose any of the Detail geometry methods to place the marker.
• If you use the No Boundary geometry method: click once to
place the marker
• If you use any of the area-based methods: draw a Detail
boundary, then click with the hammer cursor to place the marker.
Such a marker has no model source and does not generate a new
viewpoint. To define the reference information displayed in a linked
Detail marker:
See “Define Marker Reference for Linked Marker” on page 181.
Place an Unlinked Detail Marker
See “Place an Unlinked Marker” on page 181.
Create an Independent Detail Viewpoint
An Independent Detail drawing is one whose content you create
yourself, starting with an empty detail viewpoint. You can then use
2D drawing tools or paste an object or existing drawing.
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An Independent Detail drawing is not generated from existing
project elements and so is unlinked to any modifications that take
place in your plan.
You may wish to create an Independent Detail for your
documentation which depicts something that does not otherwise
exist in the model - for example, detail of a fence.
These independent Detail Drawings always appear in the Navigator
tree structure. They can be marked or unmarked: Independent marked
details have a corresponding detail marker on the plan. Independent
unmarked details do not have a detail marker on the plan, but they
exist as viewpoints which you can open from the Navigator.
Create an Independent Detail viewpoint with a marker
1) In Detail Settings or the Info Box, choose “Create New Detail
Viewpoint.”
2) Define the Marker Reference:
• the viewpoint, or
• the first placed drawing of the viewpoint
The link information of the chosen viewpoint/drawing will appear in
the “Reference to” text field.
After the marker is placed and the new Detail is created, you can still
go back and change its marker information at any time.
3) Choose the single-click geometry
method (the first icon among the
Info Box geometry methods) and
click to place a detail marker on the plan.
4) A new, empty Detail viewpoint is created (“independent marked
detail”) and listed in the navigator. This viewpoint has no model
source.
To open the independent Detail viewpoint, double-click its name in
the Navigator or access it with the “Open Detail Drawing” in the
marker’s context menu. Use the available 2D drawing tools, place
objects, text, labels, or paste an existing drawing into the detail
drawing window.
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Create an Independent Detail viewpoint without a marker

Use the Document > Documenting
Tools > Create Independent Detail
command. You can also access this
command from the Detail folder
context menu in the Project Map of the
Navigator;
This command affects the shape of marker boundaries only, not any
or by clicking the New Viewpoint folder associated model content.
at the bottom of the Navigator Project
Map, if a Detail or the Detail folder is Display of Detail Drawing Icons in the
selected. Independent unmarked details
are listed in the Navigator, though they Navigator
have no associated marker.
This image shows the four different
Later, if needed, you can attach a icons assigned to Detail viewpoints
Independent Detail viewpoint to a marker: place a linked marker and listed in the Navigator. The icons differ
point the marker to your Detail viewpoint. depending on the type of Detail.

Display of Detail/Worksheet Boundary Updating the Detail Window

When you create a new Detail or Worksheet viewpoint using a
polygon input method, the resulting drawing will show the Boundary
as a dashed line. If you do not want this boundary included in the
Drawing window, disable the relevant checkbox in Options >
Project Preferences > Miscellaneous.
If the source view of a Detail viewpoint has been modified, update its
contents with the Rebuild from Source View command (from
context menu of the detail drawing listed in the Navigator, or from
the View > Refresh sub-menu).

Update Detail/Worksheet Marker Boundary

If you redraw the boundary of a source detail or worksheet marker, any
markers linked to this marker's viewpoint will not be updated until you
issue the Update Linked Markers’ Boundaries command from the For more information, see “Summary of Rebuild Commands” on page 183.
Detail/Worksheet viewpoint item's Navigator context menu.

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Worksheets
About Worksheets
The Worksheet window provides a dedicated environment for 2D
model-based drawings, such as partial floor plans and partial sections,
and for drawings created entirely in 2D. Worksheets can be used as a
dedicated environment for finishing drawings using 2D tools, and for
working with consultants limited to 2D methods.
You might want use a Worksheet to add a diagram or organizational
chart, which is totally independent of your model, yet useful for your
documentation.
As in the Detail window, elements on the Worksheet consist of
2D-only duplicates of any construction elements in “exploded” form
(e.g. 2D lines and fills). Only 2D tools are available in the Worksheet
window.
You may find that the “exploded” 2D elements generated from the
model often contain superfluous elements (extra line segments,
overlapping or superfluous fills) that make such editing difficult. To
make editing easier, first use the The Linework and Fill
Consolidation functions on selected items in the window.
For more information, see “Consolidating Lines and Fills in Drawing Windows”
on page 153.
The user can link any type of marker to the Worksheet.
You can place a Section marker onto a Worksheet to create a
Drawing-type section. You can also place a Detail marker onto a
Worksheet to create a Drawing-type Detail. Such Drawing Sections
and Drawing Details cannot be refreshed based on the content of the
Worksheet window.
The Worksheet tool is active in any window. It has marker and linking
options similar to those of the other ArchiCAD marker tools
(Section, Detail).
To open a Worksheet window, double-click its name in the Navigator.
Use the available 2D drawing tools, place objects, text, labels, or paste
an existing drawing into the drawing window.
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Worksheet vs. Detail
While creating a Worksheet based on the source model is similar to
creating a model-based Detail, the Worksheet is optimized for
creating partial floor plans and partial sections.
Unlike the Detail tool, the Worksheet tool has a single-click “capture”
geometry method which reproduces the entire contents of the
current window as 2D elements in the Worksheet viewpoint.
Consequently, when transferring all or part of a source model view to
a Worksheet window:
• Annotation elements and dimensions will, by default, appear in
the resulting Worksheet, in addition to construction elements
exploded into 2D components. (In contrast, a Detail viewpoint
created from the model will - by default - contain the 2D-only
copies of construction elements only, without the source model's
annotation/dimension elements.)
• The resulting Worksheet will have the same scale as the source.
(In contrast, a Detail is created, by default, at half the scale of the
original.)
Create a Worksheet Drawing with Model
Source
To create a Worksheet with its source in the model, place a Worksheet
marker in any of the following windows: Floor Plan,
Section/Elevation/Interior Elevation, Worksheet or Detail.
1) Activate the Worksheet tool.
2) In the Info Box or Default Settings, make sure that “Create new
Worksheet viewpoint” is selected.
3) Choose any of the geometry methods from the Info Box.
• Capture Screen input method: Use the single-click method:
the first input method in the Worksheet info box. Choose this
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icon, then click anywhere in the active project window. You will
create a Worksheet based on the entire contents of the window.
• Area-based input method: Use one of the polygonal or
rectangular/rotated rectangle geometry methods to define the
Worksheet area.
4) Draw the Worksheet boundary and click to complete.
5) After drawing the Worksheet boundary, click with the hammer
cursor to place the Worksheet Marker.
Note: Source-type Worksheet markers are distinguished on
screen by an optional semi-transparent solid fill. (Use View >
On-screen View Options > Highlight Source Marker to enable
or disable this distinguishing fill for all source markers. The color
of this highlight can be set in Options > Work Environment >
More Options.)
6) A new Worksheet viewpoint is created and listed in the
Navigator Project Map.
To define the reference information displayed in a source-type
Worksheet marker:
See “Define Marker Reference for Source Marker” on page 177.
Other information about the new Worksheet viewpoint - its Markers
and Reference information - are defined in Worksheet Settings.
See “Worksheet Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Contents of the Worksheet Window
A project-based Worksheet only contains drawing primitives, that is,
lines and fills. These originate from the construction elements on the
Floor Plan or Section/Elevation/IE, or 3D Document.
Section/ Elevation and Detail/Worksheet markers within the
Worksheet boundary are “live” markers: they continue to function as
markers.
When transferring all or part of a model view to a Worksheet window,
annotation elements and dimensions will, by default, also appear in
the resulting Worksheet.
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To copy construction elements only, without
annotations/dimensions, check the “Copy construction elements
only” box in Worksheet Settings.
The resulting Worksheet will have the same scale as the source, if any.
(If the source has no scale, the Worksheet will be shown at a default
scale value.)
Annotations, Dimensions and Markers Cut by the
Boundary
If the Worksheet boundary intersects annotation elements,
dimensions or marker-type elements (Section/Elevation markers;
Detail/Worksheet markers), then these will be transferred to the
Worksheet window if they meet the relevant criteria, as follows.
Note: The following also apply to Detail drawings. (However, by
default, Detail drawings do not include annotations or
dimensions at all, unless you uncheck “Copy Construction
elements only” in Detail Settings.)
Figures and Drawings: if at least one reference point is inside the
worksheet boundary, the entire Figure or Drawing will be included in
the Worksheet.
Labels: Arrowhead must be inside the boundary.
Dimensions: The relevant reference point(s) or the dimension’s
endpoints must be inside the boundary.
• Dimensions with two endpoints must have both endpoints
inside.
• Dimension chains will be transferred by segment: if both
endpoints of any segment are within the boundary, that segment
is included in the Worksheet.
Door/Window markers: If any part of the Wall falls within the
boundary, then all Doors, Windows, and Door/Window markers in
that Wall are also included in the Worksheet.
Detail markers: If a detail viewpoint’s origin (the “X”) or endpoint
of a marker falls within the boundary, the entire marker is included in
the Worksheet.
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Section and Elevation Markers: If any part of a Section or
Elevation line is included in the boundary, the Section/Elevation
marker (a GDL object) will be included in the Worksheet, although
the line’s geometry may be different (the line may be shorter) if the
boundary includes only part of the Section/Elevation line.
Note: Interior Elevation markers, unlike Section/Elevation
markers, are cut by the boundary and appear in the Worksheet as
exploded line/fill components.
Editing in the Worksheet Window
Only 2D tools are available when the Worksheet window is active.
All types of 2D information can be added to the Worksheet: Lines,
Fills, Hotspots, Text, Figures, Drawings, Dimensions and 2D
Symbols of Objects.
You can add content to your Worksheet window in several ways:
• Select any element(s) from any window and paste them into the
Worksheet window. All elements, including construction
elements, will be pasted in 2D form.
• To transfer elements from a Trace Reference, first switch the
Reference with the active window, then copy-paste from there
into the Worksheet (in exploded form)
• Draw all new 2D elements into the Worksheet window.
Create an Independent Worksheet Viewpoint
An independent worksheet is one which you create yourself, starting
with an empty worksheet viewpoint. You can then use 2D drawing
tools or paste an object or existing drawing.
An independent worksheet is not generated from existing project
elements and so is unlinked to any modifications that take place in
your plan.
These independent Worksheets always appear in the Navigator tree
structure. They can either have a marker, or not. Independent
worksheets without a marker in the project exist as viewpoints which
you can open from the Navigator.
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To create an independent Worksheet without a marker, use the
Document > Documenting Tools > Create Independent
Worksheet command. You can also access this command from the
Worksheet folder context menu in the Project Map of the Navigator; or
by clicking the New Viewpoint folder at the bottom of the Navigator
Project Map, if a Worksheet or the Worksheet folder is selected.
Independent Worksheets without a marker are also listed in the
Navigator. However, you can subsequently link a marker to such a
Worksheet as needed.
Place a Linked Worksheet Marker
To place a linked Worksheet marker without creating a viewpoint:
1) Activate the Worksheet tool.
2) In the Info Box or Default Settings, make sure that “Place Linked
Marker” is selected.
3) Choose any of the Worksheet geometry methods to place the
marker.
Such a marker has no model source and does not generate a new
viewpoint.
To define the reference information displayed in a linked Worksheet
marker:
See “Define Marker Reference for Linked Marker” on page 181.
Place an Unlinked Worksheet Marker
See “Place an Unlinked Marker” on page 181.
Managing Markers in ArchiCAD
About Markers
Markers can be placed using any of the following tools:
Sections
Elevations
Interior Elevations (IE)
Worksheets
Details
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With any of the Marker tools, you can opt to place a source marker.
A source marker creates a new viewpoint (e.g. a Section, Elevation,
Worksheet, Detail) involving the model as their source.
Any of the Markers - except Interior Elevation - can optionally be
defined as a linked marker. Such markers have no model source and
do not generate a new viewpoint. Instead, they are placed in the
project, then linked by the user to an existing viewpoint, view or
drawing. This information is displayed in the marker, which can be
used to navigate to the referred item.
An unlinked marker has no model source and displays no linked
information. You cannot use it to navigate among markers, but you
can define any custom text for it.
Display of Marker Range Lines
After you draw an input line or polygon with the any of the
marker-type tools, these input lines will remain displayed on screen
when you place the Marker. Marker Range items include:
• Elevation, Interior Elevation Line
• Section/Elevation Limit Line (for Sections and Elevations of
limited depth)
• Distant line (for Sections and Elevations with a Marked Distant
Area)
• Interior Elevation Limit lines
• Polygons defining area-based Details and Worksheets
These Marker Range items are on-screen elements only; and never
present on printouts.
You can choose to show or hide Marker range items of all types using
the View > On-Screen View Options > Marker Range toggle.
To customize the line
type/color of these
Marker Range lines, use
the controls in Options
> Project Preferences
> Miscellaneous.
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Source Marker Highlight
Source markers are distinguished on screen by an optional
semi-transparent solid fill. This option makes it easy to tell at a glance
which of your markers on screen are source markers.
To toggle this highlight on or off for all source markers, use the View
> On-Screen View Options > Highlight Source Markers
command.
To change the color of the source marker highlight, use the color
chooser in Options > Work Environment > More Options.
Changing Marker Type
You can change the type of an already placed marker, so long as all
the Marker references point to items that originate with a Marker
tool.
To change a linked marker to a source marker:
• Select the marker.
• Use the “Set as Source Marker”
command from its context menu; or
• Open the marker's Settings dialog box
and choose the Source Marker option
The linked marker becomes the source
marker, while the original source marker
becomes a linked marker.
This function is available for:
• Linked markers which are linked to a viewpoint/view/drawing
that is located within the current project. The linked marker must
have been placed using the same tool as the item to which it
was linked (e.g. a Section marker linked to a Section viewpoint).
Note: A viewpoint’s cut/model attributes are defined by its
source marker. If a linked marker becomes the source of a
section, that marker's cut/model attributes are now applied to
the viewpoint.
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Note: If you change a linked detail marker into a source detail Copying a Marker
marker, the viewpoint’s defining polygon will change to reflect
the new source detail marker’s polygon. Any interaction (Copy/Paste, Drag/Rotate/Mirror Copy/Copies)
that results in creating a new copy of a marker will have the following
• Linked markers linked to an independent viewpoint of the results:
same type.
Copying a source marker (Section/Elevation/IE or Worksheet)
The independent viewpoint is deleted and replaced by a source results in a second source marker, which creates a new viewpoint
viewpoint. (If the original linked marker had no boundary, the having the same parameters as the viewpoint associated with the
source will take on a default boundary value.) original marker. The new viewpoint's name, however, will be
Markers linked to an external drawing cannot be changed to a source different. Moreover, the Marker Link information is not copied.
marker. Copying a source Detail marker will create a new linked Detail
marker, which is linked to the original detail viewpoint.
To change a source marker to a linked marker:
• Select the marker. Navigation Using Markers
• Use the “Set as Linked Marker” command from its context menu; To navigate using a marker, select
the marker and open the context
or
menu.
• Open the marker's Settings dialog box and choose the Linked Use the “Open” command to go to
Marker option the referred item.
The original source marker becomes a linked marker containing the
same reference information as before.
If the marker is linked to a
Transfer Marker Parameters Drawing, use the context menu
(Go to Drawing) to open the
You can use the parameter transfer commands (Pick Up layout containing the referred
Parameters/Inject Parameters) among markers. If you Pick Up drawing.
Parameters from a source marker and inject them into another From the same context menu,
marker, the second marker will take on all of the first marker’s the Open/Open in new
parameters except its link information, and except for its geometry window commands will open the source viewpoint/view of the
(e.g. the range of a section marker.) linked drawing.
If you Pick Up Parameters from a linked marker and inject them The linked detail marker in the image below refers to the first placed
into another marker, the second marker will become identical to the drawing of a selected Interior Elevation view. Its context menu allows
first: a second linked marker with the same parameters, and you to
containing the identical reference information, as the first. • Go to the Drawing

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• Open the Interior

Elevation view in the
current or in a new window

Find Linked Markers

To find all the markers linked to a particular
viewpoint/view/drawing, select the item from the Navigator. Use the
Find Linked Markers command from the item's context menu.

For Drawings placed on Layouts, the Find Linked Markers command
is also available if you select the Drawing itself, then open the context
menu.
The Find Linked markers dialog box lists all the linked markers:
• By marker subtype (shown as an icon)
• Placed to: ID and name of the viewpoint in which the marker is
placed. (If it is a source marker, the viewpoint name is
underlined.)
Clicking either column header will sort the list accordingly.
Click Marker Settings to open the Tool Settings dialog box of the
selected marker.
Click Go to Selected to zoom to the selected marker. (The button is
disabled if multiple markers are selected.)
Check Markers Palette
The Check Markers function lists which marker-referred items are
missing from the project.
The Check Markers Palette is available from Window > Palettes >
Check Markers.

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To list undefined marker references, click the Check Markers button
at the top of the palette.
The palette lists all the markers in the project which the user has
automatically or manually linked a viewpoint, drawing or view, but
whose referred viewpoint/drawing/view has since been deleted from this
project. (In this case, the marker will display Autotext in place of the
missing data.)
If no such marker exists, the Palette will display this message: No
undefined marker references in this project.
Markers are listed, and can be sorted, according to the following:
• Marker subtype: Section/Elevation/Detail/Worksheet/Interior
Elevation (shown as icon)
• Placed to: ID and Project Map path of the viewpoint in which
the marker is placed
• Selected item: Name and ID of the marker’s referenced item
(i.e. the viewpoint/view/drawing one you chose when defining
the marker reference). If this referenced item has been deleted
from the project, this column will show “N/A”.
• Approve: Editable checkbox for each marker.
You can sort items by any of these properties by clicking on its
column header. You can then perform a secondary sorting function:
clicking a second column header will further sort within the hierarchy
obtained by the first sorting.
208
An icon at the bottom of the palette allows the user to zoom to the
selected marker. (The zoom button is disabled if multiple markers are
selected.)
For each problematic marker listed (or multiple selected markers), the
user can click Marker Settings to re-link the marker(s) or otherwise
modify them.
The user may decide that the marker is OK the way it is (even though
it continues to display undefined Autotext). In this case, the Approve
checkbox can be used as a sorting criterion; check the box for these
markers. (For example, if you know that the undefined Autotext
refers to an external project that has not yet been loaded.)
If you don't want the palette to re-list these approved markers as
problems the next time you click the Check Markers button, use the
Hide Approved Markers option from the pop-up at top right of the
dialog box.
Otherwise, use the List all items option.
Deleting a Viewpoint/View/Drawing with a
Marker
If you delete a viewpoint, the program will first check whether its
source/linked markers are located on a locked layer or in a different
Teammate's workspace, or whether the marker elements themselves
have been locked. These markers include:
• The viewpoint's source marker
• Markers linked to the viewpoint
• Markers linked to views created out of the viewpoint.
If none of these markers is locked or reserved, then the program
displays a Warning dialog box informing you that proceeding with the
Delete procedure will delete all of the following:
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• The viewpoint (even if its source marker displays the data of a
different viewpoint)
• Any views created out of the viewpoint
• All the source/linked markers listed above.
If you delete a view, any markers linked to that view will remain in
place. However, they will no longer display any linked information,
just an undefined Autotext. These markers will be listed as
problematic the next time you run the Check Markers function.
Markers linked to the deleted drawing with “first drawing from
viewpoint” will henceforth be linked to the next drawing created out
of the same viewpoint.
If you delete a drawing, any markers linked to that drawing will
remain in place. However, they will no longer display any linked
information, just an undefined Autotext.
Markers linked to the deleted drawing with “first drawing from
view/viewpoint” will henceforth be linked to the next drawing
created out of the same viewpoint.
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Deleting a Marker
If you delete a source marker, a dialog box appears informing you
that deleting a source marker will also delete the viewpoint and any
markers linked to it.
However, the same dialog box gives you a different option: delete the
source marker, but keep the viewpoint as an independent viewpoint
with no model source.
Deleting a linked marker has no effect on any other element.
Interactive Schedule
About Schedules
ArchiCAD’s Interactive Schedule function allows you to
automatically generate schedules. Unlike simple lists created with the
commands of the Document > Schedules and Lists menu, the
Interactive Schedule not only displays quantities and other parameters
- you can actually edit it. This makes it possible to notice and correct
inconsistencies resulting from a data entry error or from the merging
of the work of several people on different parts of the same project.
For example, the schedule may allow you to detect that all but one of
the thirty or forty doors placed in your building have the same height
and width. You can then select this door directly from the schedule
and check whether there is a reason for this inconsistency. If you find
that this was a mistake, then you can correct the setting in the
schedule and automatically update the door in all views.
Similarly, it’s easy to double-check how many of the doors open to the
right or the left.
Schedules can list items either by row or by column.
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There are two categories of Interactive Schedules: Element Lists and
Component Lists. Element Lists show characteristics of simple
construction elements, while Component Lists are optimized to list
information about each component of composite elements
(composite walls, slabs, roofs and/or multi-component profile
elements.)
Open a Schedule
ArchiCAD 12 comes with predefined
Schedules, such as Door List; Wall List;
Window List. To open any of these schedules
to list the elements in the current project,
double-click the Schedule name in the
Navigator.
(You can also access Schedules through the
Go command of the Mini-Navigator Toolbar, or from the Window
menu.)
The Schedule window opens, showing the schedule, along with
formatting options (“Schedule/Format Options”) in the left column.
To display the schedule only, without the formatting panel, click the
black arrow on the dividing line.

You can access Schedules from either the Navigator palette or the
Document > Schedules and Lists > Schedules submenu. Click
the name of a defined Schedule to open the Interactive Schedule
window and update its contents. Schedules are viewpoints, which you
can save as views and output as drawings on a Layout, or save in
various other file formats.
See “Saving from a Schedule Window (Interactive Schedule)” in ArchiCAD
Help.
A formatted schedule can be placed into any 2D window (typically a
Worksheet), by using Copy/Paste. The contents of the schedule, after
pasting, will consist of lines and text, which you can freely edit, but
will no longer be associative to the model.

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Selection Only” to view schedule data for the selected items only (as
opposed to the items defined in the Schedule Scheme criteria).
This is a quick way to filter elements for editing as a group, by taking
advantage of the Interactive Schedule capabilities. You cannot save a
view out of the displayed data.

Editing and Updating Schedules

To work on an item of the Interactive Element Schedule, click its
column (or row). You will then see that some of the cells of this
column become editable, while others cannot be modified. In the
example below, you can see that while the name field of the Door
type library part is locked, it is possible to overwrite the sill and head
height.

For information on formatting the schedule, see “Schedule and Format Options
(Interactive Schedule)” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Interactive Schedule window, like other Listing windows, has an
additional shortcut in their bottom scrollbar allowing you to Fit the
Width of the generated list to the current window size.
The content of the Schedule is based on Schedule Scheme Settings.
To adjust these, you can directly access this dialog box by clicking the Any changes you make in these fields of the Schedule are
Scheme Settings button at top right. automatically and instantly reflected in the Floor Plan and in other
views, when activated. Conversely, all changes made on these
For more information on defining schedule content, see “Define a Schedule Using elements in the Floor Plan or another editable view are updated in the
Scheme Settings” on page 212. Schedule when you return to it.
If you have selected an item
Show Schedule Data for Selected Items in the Schedule Window, use
You may wish to view an Element Schedule for only certain items on the Select on Floor Plan
the Floor Plan, for the purpose of interactively editing these elements. icon to go to the Floor Plan
window and view the selected item.
Select the desired elements (on the Floor Plan only), then find the
desired Element Schedule in the Navigator Project Map or View The icon to its right, Select in 3D, takes you to the 3D Window and
Map. Right-click the schedule name and choose “List Floor Plan zooms onto the selected item.

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Define a Schedule Using Scheme Settings Define Schedule Criteria

In the Criteria panel, select
The contents of your Interactive Schedule are defined in the Scheme
the first line, then choose a
Settings dialog box. Here, you define (1) the criteria for selecting the
criterion for the items you
items to be listed in the Schedule; and (2) the fields (i.e. the particular
wish to include in the
information about the chosen items) to be listed in the Schedule.
Schedule. For simple Element
Choose the Document > Schedules and Lists > Schedules > lists, choose “Element type”.
Scheme Settings command from the menu;
In the Value column, select
or the Scheme Settings button from the desired element. For example, to create a Door List we have
the opened Schedule window. chosen “Element Type is Door” as the only criterion.
In the top Schemes Panel, choose the
scheme you want to edit, or use the
buttons at the right to create, rename,
delete, import and export schemes.
For more information, see “Scheme Settings
Dialog Box (Interactive Schedule)” in
ArchiCAD Help.

If you want, you can expand the value of a criterion (such as Element
Type), by clicking the + sign on the right edge of the selected row.

If you choose Create New, you must

define whether the new Schedule will
be an Element Schedule or a You can now choose a second value (such as Window) for the
Component Schedule. Element Type criterion.

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The two values (Door, Window) are joined as an “or” statement, so For example, in the Wall List scheme pictured here, we want the Wall
that the resulting schedule will include every element that is either a Layer to be included in the schedule. Choose “Layer” from the
Window or a Door. Available Parameter, then click “Add” to add it to the Schedule Fields
on the right.
Add New Criteria
To narrow the scope of a schedule, you can add new
criteria. For example, if you want a schedule of only
those doors and windows which are on Story 2 and
above, add a new criterion by clicking the Add
button at the bottom of the dialog box.
Then choose Story from the Criteria list, and
complete the row with the desired Story value (>=2).

Sort Schedule Fields

The two criteria (Element Type and Story) are joined as an “and”
statement, so that the resulting schedule will include only those
elements which fit both criteria: the element must be either a window
or a door, and it must be located with the defined Story range.
If you have chosen an object-type Element as an Element Type, and
you want to use one of its particular parameters as an additional
criterion, click the Additional Parameters button at the bottom of
the dialog box. In the appearing dialog box, browse the loaded
libraries to find the library part whose parameters you need. Choose
the parameter, then click “Add.” This parameter will then be listed in
your Criteria list.
Define Schedule Fields
In the Fields Panel of Schedule Scheme Settings, you will choose
which fields should be displayed in your schedule.
From the list of Available Parameters on the left, choose the desired
items, and click “Add” at the bottom of the dialog box to add them to
the Schedule Fields on the right.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
To change the order in which fields are
listed in the schedule, use the up/down
arrows at the left edge of each row to
move the field up or down.
You can further set the order in which
items are listed within each field, by using the three buttons at the
right:
• Click the first button to sort walls in this field in
ascending/descending order. In the example below, walls will be
listed by Wall Type (the name of the schedule column that lists
walls by Cut Fill type, the first schedule field); inasmuch as
several walls are of the same type - such as Masonry Block- the
walls will be listed in order of their volume.
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Click the second button to add a schedule cell which displays the sum separate sum or quantity for each group of identical elements in that
of the items in the selected field. Here, we will have the schedule add field. For example, the Wall Type field already has a “Quantity” row,
a sum to the schedule’s Volume column. showing the total number of walls; to show a Quantity for each type
of wall in that field, we have added a flag to the Cut Fill Type field.
The result: Wall Types show a
separate quantity for each separate
wall type. Moreover, the Volume
column also lists the corresponding
volume sub-totals.
Note: You can apply unique
formatting options to this row
The second button contains an icon of sum/quantity subtotals,
for a second option: to list a which is called Total.
quantity for this field. Here, we will
have the schedule add a Quantity to the Format a Schedule
schedule’s Wall Type column.
The result: Wall Type shows a Use the “Schedule Options” and
Quantity at the bottom of the “Format Options” controls at the left
column (a total of 8 walls), and the side of the Schedule Window to format
Volume column shows a total sum the current schedule.
of all the volumes at the bottom The Schedule Options part affects the
(65.19 m3). appearance of the schedule as a whole,
such as whether to list records by rows or
columns, or whether to group similar
Note: You can apply unique items under a common headline.
formatting options to this row of The Format Options part applies
sums/quantities, which is called formatting to the contents of the
Grand Total. If you choose schedule cells.
“Grand Total” from the Apply For more information on each of these options,
to pop-up list, the formatting see “Schedule and Format Options (Interactive
options will apply to this Schedule)” in ArchiCAD Help.
row/column of the schedule
only.
The third button lets you add a flag
to one of the fields in the list. (You
cannot flag more than one field at a
time.) The flagged field will display a

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Schedule Headers
Each field of the schedule has a header. These headers are shown at
the top of the schedule (for column-style schedules) or at the side (for
row-style schedules).
Each schedule also has a single
“main header”. To show or hide
headers and/or the main
header, use the commands
from Header Options, at the
top of the Schedule window.
For more information, see “Header Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
To change a header text, just click into the
field and type. To format it, make sure that
“Header” is selected from the Apply To The Restructure Table command is used to define a new enclosing
pop-up, then choose text formatting rectangle for the Schedule table. In this case, ArchiCAD recalculates
options. sizes and lays out the Schedule so it best fits the new geometry. The
To select multiple fields, use Shift-click. result: the Schedule is split in two portions which are placed under
each other.
You can add an additional header field above existing headers:
1) Select multiple headers (use Shift-click.) Note: If the selected Drawing is set to Split Drawing into
Multiple Layouts, then the Restructure Table command will
2) Choose Insert Header Cell enable you to define a new enclosing rectangle, but instead of
Above from Header
Options. placing the Schedule parts onto a single Layout, each new part
will be placed onto an additional Layout.
3) A new cell is inserted above the selected cells, showing the text
“merged”. Type in any header text and format as usual. See “Split Schedule into Multiple Layouts” on page 216.

Restructure Schedule to Fit Layout

Note: This function is also available for Project Indexes placed
on Layouts.
The Restructure Table command is
available in the Pet Palette, from the
node of a selected Schedule placed as
a Drawing.
With this command, large tables
which exceed the Layout size can be automatically split into parts and
laid out next to each other. The following image shows a Window
Schedule that does not fit onto an A4 sized sheet.
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Split Schedule into Multiple Layouts
Note: This function is also available for Project Indexes placed
on Layouts.
Use this feature to quickly and easily split up a long Schedule and
place it onto multiple Layouts, so that all data on the Schedule can be
published.
This feature is available only for Drawings created from Element
Schedules and Project Indexes.
The feature works using the Split Drawing into Multiple Layouts
checkbox, located on the Frame Panel of Drawing Tool Settings.
Whenever you place a Drawing based on an Element Schedule onto a
Layout, this checkbox becomes available, and is checked, in Drawing
Selection Settings. (For Drawings with any other source, the checkbox
is grey.)
In the Navigator Layout Book, only one
Layout is shown, but it has a “multi-page”
icon, different from the single Layout
icon, and the total number of Layouts
used for this Drawing is displayed after
the Drawing Name.
If a Layout Window displays a
multi-Layout Drawing, the Window’s title
bar shows the range of Layouts which
display the Drawing.

In the Layout Book, you can navigate between Layout pages as usual,
using the navigation arrows at the bottom of the Layout Window.
If this Drawing does not fit onto a
single Layout - as can easily happen with
a long Schedule - ArchiCAD will create However, if you open a Layout Window
as many Layouts as needed to display which contains a multi-Layout Drawing,
the entire contents of the Schedule. the navigation button at the bottom of
In this example, the Window List has the screen displays a small black arrow.
been placed on the Layout. The Split Click this to access additional navigation
Drawing feature has placed the total options among just the Layouts that
Window List onto two Layouts. In the display the current multi-page Drawing.
Layout Window, Layout is drawn to “First Page” and “Last Page” here refer to the Layouts of the
indicate that it consists of multiple multi-page Drawing.
pages:
Place Additional Drawings Next to Multi-Layout Drawing
It is possible to place several multi-page Drawings (Schedules or
Indexes) alongside each other, on the same Layouts. For example,
suppose you place a long Schedule onto a Layout; ArchiCAD

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generates a total of three Layouts to display the entire Schedule. Then
you place another long Schedule onto the first of those Layouts.
ArchiCAD fills up the three existing Layouts with the second
Schedule (alongside the first Schedule), and generates any additional
Layouts needed to display the full Schedule.
If you place any other type of Drawing (i.e. which is neither a
Schedule nor a Index) onto a Layout that contains a multi-page
Drawing, then that Drawing will appear on every one of that set of
Layouts. This can be an advantage if the additional Drawing serves as
a Title on the Layout.
Project Indexes
About Project Indexes
Project Indexes are table of contents type items listed in the Project
Map of the Navigator palette. They allow you to display and access
lists of views, layout sheets and drawings based on a set of filtering
criteria.
Project indexes are based on schemes defined with the Document >
Project Indexes > Project Index Schemes command. The dialog
box that appears allows you to:
• Create, rename, delete, import and export schemes
• Choose the filtering criteria (depending on the type of the index)
• Select the parameters and other information to display for the
items that match the set criteria.
For more information, see “Index Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Once the new (or modified) scheme is defined, its name appears in
the Navigator and you can use it like any other view, meaning that you
can add it to a view map, publish it or place it on a layout.
Project indexes have their own special icons in the Navigator.
• View lists allow you to filter and list views by their location
in the Project Map, their scale, model view option combination,
layer combination, dimensioning standard and publishing status.
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• Layout sheet lists allow you to filter and list layouts by their
master layouts, subsets and publishing status.
• Drawing lists allow you to filter and list drawings by their
location (layout and subset), update status and zoom
information.
To open an index, go to the Navigator palette and double-click its
name.
• The format of the index (including fonts, colors, cell and heading
styles) can be fully customized with the controls on the left of the
displayed list.
• The content of the index is based on the choices you made in
Project Index Schemes. If you need to adjust them, you can
directly access this dialog box by clicking the Index Settings
button top right.
Project indexes are interactive, which means that you can edit some of
the fields: for example, you can change the scale or the layer
combination of a view, the name or the ID of a layout or a placed
drawing.
The modifications are carried out immediately.
You can move Index Settings among projects by exporting and
importing them (use the Import/Export commands in the Index
Settings dialog box).
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Index of Published Items Elements are displayed as solid building components in the 3D
Window. Their cut or elevated view can be projected in Section and
Suppose you are publishing a number of Layouts in a Publisher Set, Elevation windows.
and you want to include a Sheet Index which indicates which items
have been published.
How to Place a Construction
One way to do this is to add the
field “Published” to the Index. Element in ArchiCAD
The checkboxes will be activated The typical steps in element creation using the Toolbox are:
for those items which you have 1) Select the element’s tool in the Toolbox and open its settings
published, but only in the dialog box.
published copy of the Index (not 2) Adjust the settings offered by default to suit your particular
while you work in ArchiCAD). situation or purpose. You can choose a Favorite - a predefined
For example, if you publish element configuration - using the button on top of the Tool
Foundation and Roof plans, as Settings dialog box.
well as this Sheet Index, on a 3) The panels of the Settings dialog boxes provide lists of pen,
Layout, then the published Sheet material and line options for the element’s Core Structure, Cut
Index Layout will look like this: Surfaces, Outlines, and other parameters where applicable.
If you want the published Sheet For more information, see the descriptions of individual panels for each Tool
Index to list only published items, add “Published” as a criterion to Settings dialog box in “Tool Settings Dialog Boxes” in ArchiCAD Help.
your Index Settings.
4) Where applicable, choose a Geometry Method from the Info
Box allowing you to create plain, curved, chained, rotated or
polygonal variations of the elements.
5) Draw the element in the Floor Plan or 3D window.
Other methods of element creation include:
• Use the Favorites Palette: double-click on stored Favorite
Note: As long as the “Published” criterion is set to “On”, the settings for the relevant tool, then click to place an element with
Index as viewed in the ArchiCAD window will be empty. Thus, those settings.
set this criterion to Off while you format the list, then set it to
On before you publish the Sheet Index. The published Sheet See “Favorites” on page 46.
Index will then consist of a list of published index items. • Using the Magic Wand to create irregularly shaped elements
For more information, see “Index Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help. See “Magic Wand” on page 143.

Construction Elements • Creating Element Duplicates of existing elements

See “Creating Element Duplicates” on page 135.
Construction Elements are the virtual equivalents of actual
three-dimensional building components. They include Walls, • RoofMaker and TrussMaker from the Design > Design
Columns, Beams, Roofs, Slabs, Meshes, Zones and Curtain Walls. Extras menu.
Each of these elements has a dedicated tool in the ArchiCAD Toolbox. See “Element Extras” on page 349.
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Positioning Construction Elements direction) that appears when you draw the Wall on the Floor Plan,
For any of the construction elements, you define its absolute and provided that the View > On-Screen View Options > Walls &
relative base height in the Geometry and Positioning Panel of its Beams Reference Lines feature is switched on.
Settings dialog box.

Positioning Construction Elements to a Custom

Elevation Level
The actual elevation of elements is always calculated to Project Zero.
However, in some projects you may want to define the input elevation
to with reference to some other level. To do this, define one or two
alternative Reference Levels in Options > Project Preferences >
Working Units and Levels. These newly defined reference levels The reference line helps you achieve the precise connection of Walls
will then be available in the Geometry and Positioning panels of all for clean intersections. It also establishes hotspots and edges for
elements’ Settings dialog boxes. selecting, moving and transforming Walls. Some Pet Palette editing
For more information, see “Reference Levels” on page 110. commands are accessible only from the reference-line side of the
selected Wall, as shown in the two images here:
Gravitate Elements onto a Slab, Roof or Mesh
To make placement more accurate, you can use the “Gravitate”
function to place Wall, Column, Beam and Object type elements
directly onto a Slab, Roof or Mesh.
For more information, see “Gravity” on page 110.
The reference line is also relevant for determining which side of the
Walls wall is which, for assigning materials to the 3D model (in the Model
panel of Wall Tool Settings).
About Walls See “Wall Model Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
In ArchiCAD, you can draw walls that are straight, curved, Depending on the chosen Construction and Geometry Method, the
trapezoidal and polygonal. They can be simple, of a single material, or wall body protrudes on either or both sides of the reference line. The
composite, composed of several materials. You can even go a step direction of the wall is defined by the order in which you define the
further, and create complex walls (Profile Wall) of any custom shape wall’s endpoints.
and with a combination of materials. Note: With the commands of the Modify Wall Add-On, you
Certain parametric objects such as Doors, Windows, and Wall Ends can modify the thickness, the Reference Line position and the
can only be placed into Walls. direction of selected wall type elements.
See “Modify Wall Geometry (Add-On)” on page 229.
Wall Reference Lines
Each Wall possesses a reference line and a direction. The reference
line is a heavy black line (including the arrow that shows the Wall’s

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Display of Walls Create a Straight Wall

Use the panels of the Wall Tool Settings dialog box to choose attributes
for the display of your wall in the various 2D and 3D windows. The Single Straight Wall method
produces one straight wall
Attributes for each part of the representation (e.g. cut surfaces, element at a time.
overhead lines) are set using the pop-up options in the Floor Plan &
Section panel of the Settings dialog box. With the Wall Tool selected,
choose the Straight Wall Geometry method from the Info Box and
Use the Floor Plan Cut Plane Settings, combined with element draw the wall segment on the plan.
projection preferences, to determine which parts of the placed wall
should be displayed. In both Floor Plan and 3D, you define the length of Wall segments by
clicking at their endpoints.
For more information, see “Floor Plan Cut Plane (Global Setting)” on page 160
Note: This CAD-like drawing method is the default method of
and “How to Display Individual Elements on the Floor Plan” on page 161.
drawing segments in ArchiCAD, but you can change it in
Some aspects of Wall display depend on the current settings in View Options > Work Environment > Mouse Constraints &
> On-Screen View Options. Methods.
• Wall & Beam Intersections can be set on and off. The moment you start
• Fill patterns can be shown as vectorial or bitmap. drawing the Wall, a ghost
contour appears and it
• Other display options for Fill patterns are set in Document > follows the cursor until you
Set Model View > Model View Options: you can opt to show click at the second
contours only, or empty fills, or to display each element’s fills as endpoint. Walls can be stretched using either menu commands or pet
defined in its own settings dialog box. In the case of composite palette commands.
walls, you can choose to display only the separator lines, or only a
solid fill with no lines. See “Stretching Walls” on page 123.
For more information, see “Model View Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
Create a Curved Wall
With the Wall Tool selected, choose one of the three Curved Wall
Geometry Methods from the Info Box.

• The first option defines the curved wall by the arc’s or circle’s
centerpoint and radius. Your first click defines the centerpoint.
A ghost contour of the circular wall follows your cursor until you
click a second to time to define the radius. After that, only a
When you are satisfied with the choices you made in the Wall Tool partial ghost curved segment is shown, until you click a third
Settings dialog box, you can start drawing Walls, in either the Floor time to define the length of the arc wall’s circumference. If you
Plan or the 3D Window. need a full circular wall, double-click when defining its radius.

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When all three points are defined, the ghost contour is replaced
by the fully displayed wall contours and hatches.
The second option defines the curved wall by three points on the
arc’s circumference. The first two clicks define two points that you
will probably locate on points connecting other elements, grid
intersections or special snap points. After that, a ghost circle follows
the cursor until you click a third time to define the third point.
A fourth click is needed to define the length of the arc segment.
Double-click the third point to define a full circular wall. Note that
the second and the third points do not need to be actually part of the
arc wall.
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When the arc length is defined, the ghost arc is replaced by the fully
displayed wall contours and hatches.
• The third option only defines full circular shapes based on three
tangential edges or points. In this process, you select three
initial points: these can be a tangent edge (indicated by the
Mercedes cursor), a node (indicated by the Checkmark cursor),
or a free-floating point (indicated by the Crosshair cursor.) An
endpoint cannot qualify as a tangent edge when using this
method, so a maximum of two endpoints are allowed. If more
than two are selected, the process will revert to the second
method described above. Only linear tangency is allowed: all
tangent points must be on the straight edges of Slabs, Lines,
Walls, etc. If you click a radial edge with the Mercedes cursor, the
resulting Circle will pass through that point rather than being a
tangent to the curve.
The next step depends on the geometric situation.
• If there is only one solution, the circular Wall is automatically
drawn.
• If there are two or four solutions, the Eyeball cursor appears and
the ghost contour of the Wall flips from one position to the other
as you move the cursor around. Click when it is at the right place
to complete the circular wall.
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The options are:

• A straight wall segment
• A curved segment tangential to the previous one (cannot be used
for the first wall segment)
• A curved segment tangential to a line you define before actually
drawing the segment
• A curved segment passing through two points
• A curved segment defined by its centerpoint, radius and length

• If there is no solution, (for example, if you define three parallel

edges for tangency), no circle will be made.
Note: Since Walls need to have two endpoints, the fully closed
circular Wall that you draw will in fact consist of two half-circles.
Walls in the forms of full ellipses, elliptic arcs or splines cannot
be created directly, but you can trace the shapes of plain drawing
elements with the Magic Wand.
Place the cursor on the option that suits you best and define the
For a description of how to edit curved walls, see “Stretching Curves” on page 380. endpoint of the first segment using the methods described above for
For information on creating a curved wall out of a straight one, see single Wall segments. This endpoint automatically becomes the
“Curve/Straighten Element Edge” on page 134. starting point of the next Wall segment. When you want to finish
drawing Wall chain segments, double-click the endpoint of the last
Create a Chain of Walls segment.

A chained wall is a sequence of connected straight or curved wall Throughout the process, a ghost contour of the Wall segments is
elements with automatically coincident reference line endpoints. shown. The full Walls are only displayed when you are finished.
With the Wall Tool selected, choose the Chained Wall method from • Clicking the Cancel button in the context menu or the Delete
the Info Box. (Pop out the small black arrow on the Straight Wall key at any time during drafting will abort the process, and no
Method button.) elements will be created.
• Choosing Edit > Undo command will remove the entire new
chain of Walls, not just the last segment.
• Hitting the Backspace key allows you to undo the previous
As soon as you start drawing
segment and continue the creation of the Wall chain.
the first Wall, a pet palette
appears, offering you • If you change the Wall’s attributes in the Info Box during the
geometry options for creation process, all created Wall segments will have the modified
drawing a straight or a curved attributes (reference line position, line type, fill color, material,
segment. etc.).
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• If necessary, you can switch methods on the fly with the pet
palette.
• If the Edit > Grouping > Autogroup function is switched on,
the chained Wall segments will be created as part of a group.
For more information, see “Grouping Elements” on page 140.

Create a Rectangle of Walls

The Rectangle Wall method produces four Wall elements with
coincident nodes by defining the diagonal line of a rectangle.
With the Wall Tool selected, choose the Rectangle Wall method from
the Info Box. (Pop out the small black arrow on the Straight Wall
Method button.)

Draw the diagonal of the rectangular wall and click to define its Create a Trapezoid Wall
length. The rectangle wall is created.
The Trapezoid or Non-Parallel method
Its four sides are always aligned orthogonally with the Normal Grid allows you to draw straight Walls whose
and are not affected by the use of a Rotated Grid. thickness is not constant.
You draw this type of Wall as a straight
Wall, except that you will first enter the
thickness of the Wall at its two
endpoints, using the Wall Thickness
fields in the Info Box or in Wall Settings.

The Rotated Rectangle Wall method produces four wall elements as with
the previous method, except that you first define a rotation vector for
the rectangle’s base reference line. Then drag the cursor to define the
rectangle.

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Create a Composite Wall

You can apply or customize a composite structure for a wall.
(Remember that the model’s Partial Display Settings will affect the
display of composite walls.)
For more information, see “Composite Structures” on page 31.

Create a Polygon Wall (PolyWall)

To define a polygonal wall block of free shape, choose the Polygon
Wall Geometry Method in the Info Box. Polygon Walls can contain
Doors or Windows. For Polygon Walls, only simple fills are available
(no composites).
Draw the contour of the Polygon Wall, using pet palette segment
options as needed (as when drawing a chained wall). Both straight and
curved edges are allowed.
When you assign materials to the surfaces of a polygon wall in the
Model panel of Wall Settings, the materials are assigned depending on
the location of the reference edge.
• The “Left Material” is the reference-edge surface; here, in red.
• “Side Material” are the two surfaces adjacent to the reference
edge; here, in gold.
• “Right Material” surfaces are assigned to all other edges (those
which are “opposite the reference edge”), here, in blue.

Once you have closed the polygon, click with the hammer cursor to
complete the wall.
If you define a polygon whose edges intersect themselves, ArchiCAD
will warn you about this, but the wall will still be drawn.
The wall’s edges will include one reference edge (like
a straight wall’s reference line).
To make another edge the reference edge, select an
endpoint of the current reference edge. The pet palette
contains a command with which you can move the
reference edge endpoints to other nodes of the
polygon wall.

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To edit polygon walls, click the composite wall, however, has to be wide enough to accommodate all
nodes and edges of the selected of the skins.
Walls and use the pet palette. The height of either type of slanted wall is the distance between its
When connected to other, plain lowest and highest point. When entering a height value of a
walls, wall polygons keep their double-slanted wall, you face the obvious constraint that the wall’s
original contour by default. width at the top cannot be negative (i.e. once the two faces meet, you
If you wish to override this can’t go any higher.)
setting, check the PolyWall The thickness of a slanted wall is its
Corners Can Change box in the thickness perpendicular to its slant vector
Geometry and Positioning (as indicated by the icon in the Info Box):
section of the Wall Settings dialog box (available when the PolyWall The thickness of a double-slanted wall equals the width of the wall
geometry method is active in the Info Box). base.
For more information, see “PolyWall Corners” on page 228. If you switch from one kind of slant to another, the wall is
transformed as follows:
Create a Slanted or Double-Slanted Wall • If you transform a single-slanted into a double-slanted wall, the
To draw a wall whose vertical axis is slanted on either or both sides, new wall’s width (i.e. its wall base) will take on the width of the
go to Wall Tool Settings - Geometry and Positioning Panel, and click old, single-slanted wall.
the desired Slanted Wall Icon, then enter the desired wall angle(s). • Similarly, if you have a double-slanted wall and change it to either
a vertical or single-slanted wall, the new wall will have the same
width as that of the old, double-slanted wall.
For more information on modifying slanted wall geometry, see “Modifying Slanted
Walls and Columns” on page 124.

Create a Log Wall

You can create straight walls constructed from logs. Log details
appear in both the 3D Window and Section/Elevation/IE Windows.

For more information, see “Wall Geometry and Positioning Panel” in

ArchiCAD Help.
A slanted wall tilts in one direction; its two faces are parallel to each
other. A double-slanted wall has faces which are not parallel; in
Section view, the wall is trapezoid in shape.
When setting the angles of a double-slanted wall, you are constrained
by the minimum thickness of the top of the wall. For a simple
structure (using a single material), this can be zero. The top of a

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Clicking the Log Details button in the Model panel of the Wall
Settings dialog box opens a dialog box with a number of geometry
and texture options.
Note: Log construction is only available for simple straight walls.
When determining the log’s height, remember that if you enter a
value that is larger than the wall’s width parameter, the logs will
not rest on each other.
For more information, see “Log Details Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Display of Intersecting Composite Wall Skins (2D
only)
When displaying an intersecting composite wall in 2D windows and
the 3D Document window, you can control its display of skin by skin
if you wish. Each skin of a composite wall has a separate intersection
priority, which you can fine-tune in Options > Attributes >
Composite Structures.

Create a Gable Wall

When you need walls to fit a Roof or you want Walls with cutoff
corners, you can obtain them by cutting regular Rectangular Walls
with appropriate roof pitches as shown below.
For more information, see “Trim Element to Roof ” on page 248.

These Walls intersect according to the following rules:

• Skins with higher priorities will block skins with lower priorities.
• Skins with equal priorities will form a mitered joint. (provided
they have the same fill pattern)
Wall Outlines and Overhead lines also intersect each other.
Once you set these skin priorities for a composite wall, you must
Wall-Wall Intersections activate them with the Enable Skin Priorities checkbox (in Wall
Tool Settings: Floor Plan & Section Panel).
The connection of walls and their fills on the floor plan and in 3D is
determined first of all by their Wall Priorities. When walls of unequal
priorities intersect, the element of higher priority will remain intact in
3D. (In 2D, the element of higher priority will be in front.) The
element of lower priority will be cut, and the intersected part removed
You can set a separate priority for each individual wall, on a scale of
0-16 (even numbers only), using the Wall Priority slider switch (Wall
Settings > Floor Plan and Section panel).
To make alignment of connecting walls easier, the intelligent cursor
snaps to all sides and corners of wall segments. In the case of
composite walls, the cursor snaps to each endpoint of the inner skin However, if you want to set a single 2D intersection priority for the
as well. composite Wall as a whole, do not check Enable Skin Priorities; in
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this case, the Wall Priority slider switch (in Wall Settings: Structure)
will prevail for this wall in 2D as well as 3D.
Composite Wall Intersection Example
You can make good use of the priority options to fine-tune the
appearance of connecting fills on your floor plan.
In the example below, the Wall Priorities of both Walls are set to 8 in
their Wall Settings dialog boxes. The skins of the wall core do not
intersect the way we want.
So, in Options > Element Attributes > Composites, we set Skin
Priority numbers for the Composite used for these Walls. In this
composite, we set the Core skin’s Priority to 12. Then we return to the
Wall Settings dialog box and check the Enable Skin Priorities box.
Now, the skins intersect as desired.
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Display of Intersecting Profile Wall Skins
Complex Wall skins are represented as cut with the Floor Plan Cut
Plane. A priority value is assigned to each component of a Complex
structure, just as they are assigned to each skin of Composite
Structures.
For more information, see “Components - Default/Selected Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
For example, the predefined “Brick Wall with Footing” complex wall
has three components. In the Profile Editor, select each of these
components in turn to assign a separate intersection priority for each.
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Note: Wall (and Composite Structure) and Column Intersection
Priority Numbers are always even numbers; Beam Intersection
Priority Numbers are always odd numbers. Thus, any time a
Wall/Column intersects with a Beam in 3D, the program can
determine which is “dominant” depending on their Priority Numbers.
Wall Intersection Display in 2D
For best display of wall intersections in 2D, the reference lines of the
intersecting walls must be joined together. Then the Clean Wall &
Beam Intersections option (View > On-Screen View Options) will
ensure that walls are joined correctly in 2D.
Note: Wall intersections are effective even if some of the
intersecting elements are on currently hidden Layers. However, if
intersecting walls are on layers with differing Layer Intersection
Groups, then wall intersection will not take place.
For more information, see “Layers” on page 26.
When drawing a new wall to meet an existing wall, it is sufficient to
click any edge or inside the hatching of the target Wall. You don’t
have to meet the target wall’s reference line manually; the new Wall’s
reference line will be adjusted automatically for proper connection,
and the walls will also be joined correctly in 3D. This feature is called
“Auto Intersection,” and works only if the Options > Auto
Intersection option is switched On.
Walls in an “X” Intersection
Two walls crossing each other in an X junction will automatically
create a clean intersection. When making an X wall junction, the wall
you place second will cut the wall that is already on the plan, provided
that the two walls have equal intersection priority. The intersection
sequence is visible in the 2D window (if Clean Wall and Intersections
is off) as well as in the 3D window. You can modify this intersection
sequence for X intersections using the Edit > Display Order
command. The 2D Display Order affects the intersection sequence in
both the 2D and 3D windows.
Walls in “L” or “T” Intersections
In the case of T intersections, if the connecting walls have equal
priorities, then the running wall will prevail over the adjoining wall. In
the case of L intersections, if the connecting walls have equal
priorities and are of equal thicknesses, they will be joined in random
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order. To change the order in which they are joined, change their Wall
Priorities.
If two walls are connected in an L
intersection and have equal priorities, the fill
that is thicker has priority.
“L” or “T” intersections are not affected by
Display Order modifications.
If you need a more elaborate drawing detail
at wall intersections, you can create a patch
or a detail drawing.
Intersecting Walls in 3D
To improve the appearance of wall connections in 3D, especially
when connecting walls of different heights, enable the Enhanced
connections for Walls and Beams checkmark in Options >
Project Preferences > Construction Elements. Your 3D result
will then correctly display how much of each wall has been cut.
Intersections involving complex walls will always be calculated as if
this function were active. Activating this checkbox might result in
slower 3D performance. If your project’s wall intersections involve
simple walls of equal heights, you might improve performance by
leaving the box unchecked.
PolyWall Corners
When connected to other, plain walls, wall polygons keep their
original contour by default.
If you wish to override this setting, check the PolyWall Corners Can
Change box in the Geometry and Positioning section of the Wall
Settings dialog box (available when the PolyWall geometry method is
active).
In the following example, a Single Wall is
connected to a Wall Polygon.
The first illustration shows you the
situation with View > On-Screen View
Options > Clean Wall & Beam
Intersections turned Off.
Turning Clean Wall & Beam
Intersections On will give a different
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results depending on whether PolyWall Corners Can Change is moved.) With the Modify Wall Reference Line command, you can
active. move the reference line of the selected walls without changing the
walls’ position on the Floor Plan.
On the left side of the dialog box, you can change the reference line
side of walls. On the right you can add an offset to the reference line
to position it to the desired part of the wall.

Modify Wall Geometry (Add-On)

Note: This tool is not visible in the interface according to
ArchiCAD’s Standard Work Environment profile. You can add
it to the Edit menu (or any other menu) by customizing the
menu scheme in Options > Work Environment > Work
Environment > Command Layout Schemes > Menus.
For more information, see “Customizing Menus” on page 49.
With the commands of the Modify Wall
hierarchical menu, you can modify the With the Invert Direction command, you can change the direction
thickness, the Reference Line position of the reference line. (This is visible when the Clean Wall & Beam
and the direction of selected wall type Intersections command toggle is Off.)
elements. See also “Wall Reference Lines” on page 219.
With the Modify Wall Structure
command, you can change the hatching Walls and Other Elements
of the selected Walls, and still keep the
position of a desired part of the Wall. • Beams and Walls: Intersection priorities for walls and beams
At the top of the dialog box, you can set are set at the element level in their respective Settings dialog
the fill. If the chosen fill is not a boxes. (Wall priorities are always even numbers; beam priorities
composite, you can set its thickness, are odd.) When a wall intersects a beam, the element of higher
otherwise the thickness of the core layer priority will remain intact. The element of lower priority will be
is displayed. Click the radio button at the cut in 3D, which means that the intersection part will be removed
bottom to choose which part of the from it.
wall“Connect Wall to Curtain Wall” on page 306 should keep its
• Columns and Walls
position after the modification. (If possible, this will be done by
adding an offset to the reference line. If not, the reference line will be For more information, see “Columns and Other Elements” on page 233.

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• Roofs and Walls: The top or the bottom surface of Walls can be
trimmed to Roofs.
For more information, see “Trim Element to Roof ” on page 248.
• Walls and Curtain Walls: Walls can be connected to Curtain
Walls using the Design > Curtain Wall > Connect Wall command.
For more information, see “Connect Wall to Curtain Wall” on page 306.
• Relation to Zones: In the Listing and Labeling Panel of Wall
settings, define how the Wall should behave in relation to zones:
as a zone boundary (delimiter), or whether its area/volume
should be subtracted from the zone it is in, or whether it should
have no effect at all on a zone.
For more information, see “Relation to Zones” on page 264.
Columns
Columns in ArchiCAD are made up of two components: the
load-bearing core and the optional veneer used to simulate fire
proofing or any kind of sheathing around the core. The Column’s
section can be rectangular or circular, or they can be complex, as
defined in a profile. Columns can stand free, or they can be smartly
connected to walls. The column’s axis can be either vertical or slanted.
Double-click the Column tool icon to open the Column Settings
dialog box and set your preferences.
For more information, see “Column Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Column Display on Floor Plan
Attributes for each part of the Floor Plan representation (e.g. cut
surfaces, overhead lines) are set using the pop-up options in the Floor
Plan & Section panel of the column’s Settings dialog box.
Use the panels of the Column Tool Settings dialog box to choose
attributes for the display of your column in the various 2D and 3D
windows.
Attributes for each part of the representation (e.g. cut surfaces,
overhead lines) are set using the pop-up options in the Floor Plan &
Section panel of the Settings dialog box.
230
Use the Floor Plan Cut Plane Settings, combined with element
projection preferences, to determine which parts of the placed
column should be displayed.
For more information, see “Floor Plan Cut Plane (Global Setting)” on page 160
and “How to Display Individual Elements on the Floor Plan” on page 161.
Crossing Symbol
The Floor Plan Symbol options (in
Column Tool Settings, Floor Plan and
Section Panel) refer to the column’s
crossing symbol (Plain, Slash, X, or
Crosshair). The display of all column floor plan symbols in the project
can be turned on or off with the Show Column Symbol checkbox in
Document > Set Model View > Model View Options.
For more information, see “Model View Options for Construction Elements” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Core and Veneer
In Section view, the core fill pattern is shown, while in Elevations the
Column is displayed with its contour only.
The structure and cut attributes of the core and veneer are set in the
Floor Plan & Section panel of Column Settings.
The contour of Column cores with a slash or an X is always fully
drawn, regardless of any other factors.
Unwrapped Columns on the Floor Plan
Unwrapped Columns (those placed with the Freestanding
Construction method) do not modify the shape of the wall, just cut
out a place for themselves, breaking through all wall skins.
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The connection line between wall skins and the Column are removed In 3D, a single material is used to
where their fill patterns match. display all their surfaces.

Wrapped Columns on the Floor Plan

Wrapped Columns (those placed with the “wrapped” construction
method) break through the core skins of composite Walls. The other
(non-core) wall skins wrap around the column, thus adding this
thickness to the column.
Note: For composite walls, the skins that are “core” are defined
in Options > Element Attributes > Composites.
Columns in 3D Views
Columns placed with the Wrapped Construction Method will inherit
the Surface Material of the connecting Walls, even if the wall is not a
composite wall, and even if there are no wall skins configured to
actually wrap around the Columns.

Wrapping on the Floor Plan will only occur if:

• the Column was placed using the Wrapped Method
• it intersects a composite Wall
• the composite Wall type has at least one skin that is non-core
(which will wrap around)
• the Column touches or intersects the core skin(s) of the
composite Wall
Note: Wrapping is not available for curved or polygonal Walls.

Column Display in 3D
The Model panel controls the wall’s material settings in 3D view.

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Unwrapped columns retain their own materials in 3D.
If Column surfaces are connected to wall or slab surfaces or other
Column surfaces within the same 3D plane, the connection lines are
eliminated in 3D view when using the Internal 3D engine.
Creating Columns
Use the Column tool to create new columns in either the Floor Plan
or the 3D Window.
Choose the desired column attributes and geometry from the
Column Settings Dialog box, then click to place the column into the
project.
After placement, you can still stretch a column’s height in the 3D
window.
For more information, see “Stretch Height” on page 129.
Column Placement Methods
There are three Geometry Methods
(input methods) available in the Info Box
for placing Columns.
• Simple: Place the Column with one
click. The Column axis will be
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projected vertically from the Floor Plan.
• Rotated: Your first click determines the position of the
Column’s Anchor Point at its Base, the second will define its
rotation angle around a vertical axis.
• Revolved placement method: If your column is complex and/or
slanted, this input method provides a three-step placement
process. First, click to place the column. Second, rotate it around
its vertical axis and click. Third, revolve it around its own, slanted
axis (i.e. set the rotation angle), and click to complete.
Column Construction Methods
When placing a Column that will intersect a Composite wall, your
choice of Geometry method - wrapped or unwrapped - will affect the
display of the wall/column in the Floor Plan.
Use the wrapped/unwrapped (or
“freestanding”) icons from the
Column Info Box or the Column
Settings dialog box to determine
how the columns will be interact with composite walls.
Wrapped Columns can only break through the core skins of
composite Walls. The other wall skins wrap around the column,
retaining their thickness.
For more information, see “Wrapped Columns on the Floor Plan” on page 231.
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Create a Slanted Column
From the Column Settings dialog
box, choose the Slanted icon and
enter a slant angle in degrees.
Choose a Placement Method from
the Info Box, then place the column.
For more information, see “Modifying Slanted Walls and Columns” on page 124.
Columns and Other Elements
Beams and Columns: When a Beam crosses a Column, the element
of lower priority is cut in 3D.
• Column Priority vs. Beams is a global setting applicable to all
columns; it is set in Options > Project Preferences >
Construction Elements.
• Beam Priority is set in the Beam Tool Settings dialog box (Floor
Plan and Section Panel).
Walls and Columns: See “Column Display on Floor Plan” on page 230.
Roofs and Columns: The top or bottom surface of Columns can be
trimmed to roofs.
For more information, see “Trim Element to Roof ” on page 248.
Relation to Zones: In the Listing and Labeling Panel of Column
settings, define how the Column should behave in relation to zones:
as a zone boundary (delimiter), or whether its area/volume should be
subtracted from the zone it is in, or whether it should have no effect
at all on a zone.
For more information, see “Relation to Zones” on page 264.
Beams
ArchiCAD Beams are horizontal or inclined construction elements
with vertical end faces. They can be rectangular or complex in shape.
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Beam Reference Axis
Each Beam possesses a reference axis (center line) which serves the
precise connection of Beams for clean intersections and establishes
hotspots and edges for selecting, moving and transforming Beams.
Its direction determines the beam’s “left” and “right” surfaces for the
purpose of applying materials in the Model Panel of Beam Tool
Settings. The direction of the reference axis follows your cursor as
you drag it to draw the beam. (To see the arrow on the beam that
indicates the axis direction, turn on View > On-Screen View Options
> Wall and Beam Reference Lines.) You can show/hide the reference
axis (center line) of any individual beam using the “Show Center
Line” checkbox in the Symbols part of Beam Tool Settings (Floor
Plan and Section Panel).
Beam Display on the Floor Plan
When you create a beam with the Beam Tool, ArchiCAD generates
its Floor Plan display according to your choices in Beam Tool Settings.
These determine the individual beam’s structure and its fill and line
attributes.
Attributes for each part of the representation (e.g. cut surfaces,
overhead lines) are set using the pop-up options in the Floor Plan &
Section panel of the Settings dialog box.
Use the Floor Plan Cut Plane Settings, combined with element
projection preferences, to determine which parts of the placed beam
should be displayed.
For more information, see “Floor Plan Cut Plane (Global Setting)” on page 160
and “How to Display Individual Elements on the Floor Plan” on page 161.
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Global Settings for Beam Display • The Rotated Rectangle Beam method produces four beam elements
In Document > Set Model with coincident nodes, the first side of the rectangle being
View > Model View Options defined by the first two mouse clicks at their endpoints and the
(Options for Construction perpendicular side defined by the third mouse click.
Elements panel), the “Show
Beam as” options apply globally Create an Inclined Beam
to all beams in the project. To create an inclined (slanted) beam, click the inclined beam icon (in
Choose to display beam in their entirety, or just the reference lines, or either the Info Box or in Beam Settings).
just the contours.
The slant angle field is now enabled. The slant angle of Inclined
Beams must be between -89° and +89°, and is measured from the
Create a Beam starting point of the Beam. The Beam is inclined in the vertical plane
Define Beam settings in the Beam Settings dialog box. defined by its Axis.
For more information, see “Beam Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
When you are satisfied with the choices you made in the Beam
Settings dialog box, you can start drawing Beams.
New Beams can be created in either the Floor Plan or the 3D
Window.

Beam Geometry
There are four Geometry Methods available for
drawing Beams.
Choose one of these Geometry Methods from the Info Box.
• The Single Beam method produces a beam element by clicking Inclined Beams are placed the same way as Horizontal Beams. The 3D
twice, at the reference line’s starting point and endpoint. body of an Inclined Beam is created so that the height of its section cut
by a plane perpendicular to its Inclined Axis will be constant at every
• The PolyBeam method creates a sequence of connected beam point (and equal to the Beam Height value). In the image below, the
elements with automatically coincident reference line endpoints. Beam’s height was set to 500 mm in its Settings dialog.
The process for drawing chained Beams is the same as for Walls.
Only straight beam segments can be drawn when creating a
PolyBeam. When you click to end the definition of the first
Beam, you automatically start drawing the second one, and so on,
until you double-click to finish drawing the chained Beams.
• The Rectangle Beam produces four beam elements with coincident
nodes and aligned to the X and Y axes. Define the rectangle by
clicking the starting point and the endpoint of one of its diagonal
lines.

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Create a Hole in a Beam multiplying them and then fine-tune some of the Holes’ shapes, sizes
or positions. To select a hole, make sure the Beam tool is active, then
All types of Beams can include Holes. Holes can be circular or Shift-click in the center of the hole.
rectangular, and Holes of different shapes and sizes can appear in the
same Beam.
Holes are defined after the Beam has been placed. The geometry of
the Holes is defined in the Hole panel of the selected Beam’s Settings
dialog box.
Select the desired Beam and make
sure that the Beam tool is active. Note that only one selected hole can be edited at a time, but if you
select the Beam itself, you can modify the values of all holes
simultaneously.
To modify a selected Hole’s shape and size, use the controls in the
On the Floor Plan, create a hole by Beam Settings dialog box or the Info Box. The position of the Hole
clicking on the Beam’s reference line. can also be changed graphically. Selected Holes can be moved along
The pet palette appears with the the Beam in Floor Plan view. In 3D, the pet palette offers you the
possible editing choices. Click the possibility of moving the Holes up and down.
Hole icon. The Beam Hole Settings
dialog box will appear, letting you set How to Change Angle of Beam End Faces
hole parameters.
For end faces at free angles, use the following trick:
1) Draw your Beam.
2) Set Beam thickness to zero in the Beam Settings dialog box in
order to draw a second (virtual) Beam.
3) Draw the zero thickness Beam starting from the end of the
reference axis of the first Beam at the desired angle as shown in
the figure below.

Click OK to apply the beam hole settings; the Hole will immediately
appear in the Beam.
In the 3D window, you can access the pet palette by clicking the
Mercedes cursor on a top edge of the selected Beam element.

Selecting and Modifying Holes

If you need a number of Holes in the Beam whose settings are
dissimilar, you may wish to first create the series of Holes by

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4) Click to complete the zero-thickness beam and view the result in If one end of the joining
3D. Beam falls within the contour
of the other Beam, the end of
the joining Beam will
automatically adjust to the
reference axis. Their
appearance in 3D will be
5) Touch up the floor plan symbol by adding a line segment to “cleaned up” accordingly,
complete the gap. provided that the beams have
the same intersection priority.
Beam junctions are also cleaned up if the crossing or joining Beams
run at different elevations. If Beams pass each other in space, without
intersecting reference lines, the junction will be cleaned up depending
Beams and Other Elements on their respective intersection priorities.

Beam Intersection Priority

A Beam’s intersection priority is set using the “Beam Priority” slider
in Beam Tool Settings (Floor Plan and Section panel.)
For more information, see “Beam Floor Plan and Section Panel” in ArchiCAD
Help.
When Beams cross Walls or Columns, the element of lower priority
will be cut in 3D, which means that the intersection part will be
removed. The element of higher priority will remain intact. This
applies to volume calculations as well.
Note: The priority of Columns vs. Beams is a global control set
in Options > Project Preferences > Construction Elements.
Slabs and Beams: Beams always cut Slabs when the two elements
join in space (provided that their Layers belong to the same
intersection priority group). This applies to both the 3D Window and
volume calculations.
Roofs and Beams: Beams can be trimmed to Roofs using the “Trim Beam Connections in 3D
to Roof ” command.
To improve the appearance of beam connections in 3D, especially
Auto-Intersection of Beams with Other Beams when connecting walls of different heights, enable the Enhanced
When a Beam intersects another Beam, ArchiCAD automatically connections for Walls and Beams checkmark in Options >
cleans crossings, T and L junctions of Beams if the Options > Auto Project Preferences > Construction Elements. Your 3D result
Intersection feature is turned on. will then correctly display how much of each beam has been cut.

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Intersections involving complex beam will always be calculated as if

this function were active.
Activating this checkbox might result in slower 3D performance. If
your project’s intersections involve simple beams at uniform
elevations, you might improve performance by leaving the box
unchecked.

Note: Beam intersections are effective even if some of the

intersecting elements are on currently hidden Layers. However, if
intersecting beam are on layers with differing Layer Intersection
Groups, then beam intersection will not take place.
For more information, see “Create and Use Layer Combinations” on page 28.
Place a Wall/Column/Beam with a
Complex Profile
About Complex Profile Elements
If customizing a standard construction element gets very
complicated, or you don’t find a specialized construction object in the
library, you can place a profiled Wall, Column or Beam, known as a
Complex Profile.
Complex Profiles are predefined and custom defined walls, columns
and beams that can be edited by hand to take nearly any desired
shape.
For example, the following image shows a curved wall to which the
“Brick Wall with Footing” profile has been applied.
A Complex Profile element is composed of a cross-sectional profile
that is extruded perpendicular to the profile’s plane. To place a
complex element, you can use or modify a predefined profile, or
create a new one.
A saved Complex Profile element is handled as an attribute of the
Wall, Column, and/or Beam element. Saved profiles will appear in the
Settings dialog box of the respective tool. Alternatively, you can apply
a custom profile to any selected element in the model window on a
one-time basis without having to save it as an attribute.
ArchiCAD ships a number of predefined profile elements for these
tools. To use them, do the following:
• Open the Wall (Column, Beam) Settings dialog box.
• Choose Profiled Wall from the Geometry and Positioning panel.

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• The Structure section of the Floor Plan and Section panel

includes a pop-up that lets you choose among saved profiles for
the current element. The pop-up includes a preview to help you
choose.

• Choose the desired profile, then adjust the rest of the settings in
the element Settings dialog box as you would for any other
element.
• Click on the plan to place.
Once you place a complex profile element, you can modify it
graphically on-screen, similar to other construction elements.
Creating or Editing a Complex Profile
Element
Choose Design > Complex Profiles > Profile Manager. The
Profile Manager appears.
Manage Profiles: Choose a command in this section of the Profile
Manager depending on what you want to do.
• To create a new profile, click New.
• To create a new profile based on an existing profile: Choose an
existing profile, then click Duplicate.
• To create a new profile using the shape of a selected Wall, Beam
or Column element in the active model window, click the
Capture element’s profile button in the Profile Manager (or
choose Capture Profile of selection from the context menu of a
selected element in the model window).
• To edit an existing profile, select it, then click Edit chosen
profile.
The Profile Editor window opens. In this window you will draw or
edit the cross-section of the profile element, using the 2D drawing
tools that are available.
Use the Fill tool to draw the cross-section of the complex profile and
edit it, with the usual 2D techniques, to achieve the desired shape.
Your cross-sectional profile can contain multiple shapes; they will all
be saved together as a single profile.

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The Origin shown in the Profile Editor window is a significant
reference point: if the complex element is a Wall, the origin represents
the location of the Wall’s reference line. In case of a Column or Beam,
the origin represents the location of the element’s axis. You cannot
move this origin, but you can move the profile shape so that it
correctly positioned with respect to the origin.
Only hotspots and shapes drawn with the Fill tool in the Profile
Editor window will be part of the saved profile. Other 2D elements
added to the Profile Editor window (lines, dimensioning, etc.) can be
used as local drafting aids, but will have no effect on the final
appearance of the complex profile when placed into the model.
(These drafting aids are located on the “Drafting” Design Layer; see
below.)
In Profile Manager, the Use with buttons, like those in other
Attribute Settings dialog boxes, determine which ArchiCAD tools can
be used to place the current profile.
The rest of the Profile Manager settings are active only if the Profile
Editor is open.
Design Layers: The Design Layers
section of Profile Manager contains layer
settings that apply to the Profile Editor
window only.
The layer of the active tool will be
highlighted. For example, if the Fill or
Hotspot tool is active, the Construction
layer will be highlighted; all items drawn
on the Construction layer will be saved as
part of the profile.
Other 2D elements in this window will be placed on the Drafting
layer; while they will be saved as part of the profile attribute, they will
not be visible in the placed profile.
Note: Dimension elements placed in the Profile Editor window
are not saved as part of the attribute; they are for drafting
purposes only.
The show/hide parameters for Design Layers affect the Profile
Editor window only.
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Horizontal and Vertical Stretch (in the
list of Design Layers) are an optional
attribute of the profile. Check the boxes
to switch on the stretch parameter in
either or both directions. If you do not
switch it on, you will not be able to
stretch or resize the cross-section of the
resulting profile once you place it on the
plan.
If Horizontal/Vertical Stretch is switched on, the Profile Editor
window displays dotted lines indicating the plane that can be
stretched. Within the Profile Editor window, you can move these lines
like any other drawing element to any part of the profile; these will
serve as the stretch “handles” of the resulting profile element after it
is placed in the model.
If you switch on Opening Reference
(in the list of Design Layers), the
Profile Editor window displays a line
representing the reference line at which
doors/windows will be placed, once
you place the profile wall on the plan.
If necessary, edit the line, like any other line, to conform to the shape
of the profile so that openings will be in the right place. If you do not
switch on Opening Reference, doors/windows will be placed along
the profile element’s bounding box.
The rest of the controls in the Profile Manager dialog box allow you
to fine-tune the Section and 3D appearance of each component of
the profile element and are recommended for advanced users.
For details, see “Profile Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
See also “Modifying Complex Profile Elements” on page 126.
Store or Apply a Modified Complex Profile
Click Store Profile to name and save the profile you have edited.
If a newly stored profile is a modified version of an existing profile,
and you do not rename it, then the modifications will be applied to all
profile elements of this type that have been placed in the plan.
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If you do not want to store the profile, and need the profile only for a met, all types of Columns (Vertical, Slanted, Custom Profile) may be
one-time use, you can apply it to a selected element in the model, merged. More than two Columns may be merged at the same time.
using the Apply to selection button. The selected element will turn
into that profile element.
The unstored profile is called “Custom” until it is stored.

Create Complex Profile from Parallel

Elements
A quick way to create a complex profile is to use the Design >
Complex Profiles > Merge Walls/Columns/Beams.
To use this command, draw multiple walls, columns or beams in the
model window. The elements must be of the same type and must be
parallel to each other.
Executing the command will create a new profile element, which will Use the Merge Beams command to merge two or more Beams
replace the original elements. The new profile element will be as long whose axes are parallel to each other. If this condition is met, all types
as the longest original element, and will inherit the attributes of the of Beams (Horizontal, Inclined, Custom Profile) may be merged.
original as well as any wall openings.
By default, the new profile is named “custom” but can be opened in
the Profile Editor, modified and renamed.
To merge two or more parallel Straight Walls, use the Merge Walls
command on them. The Walls will become the same length, and the
cross section of the resulting Wall will be a unity of the cross sections
of the two Walls. The bodies of the two Walls do not need to touch, For more information, see “Profile Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
they may be at a distance from each other. This command works only
for Straight Walls (Vertical, Slanted, Double-Slanted, Custom Profile).
It does not work for Trapezoid, Polygonal and Curved Walls. Roofs
About Roofs
ArchiCAD’s flexible Roofs can be used to create both standard and
abstract 3D shapes meeting a wide variety of needs.
The roof ’s elevation is measured by the elevation of the pivot line, a
horizontal non-printing line that you draw when creating the roof.
The Merge Columns command allows you to merge two or more In most cases, you will want the pivot line of the roof to coincide with
Columns whose axes are parallel to each other. If this condition is a wall Reference Line or a slab edge.

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Note: You can hide all pivot lines with the appropriate control in
View > On-Screen View Options.
The Pivot Line elevation is
shown in the roof ’s info box
(the “B” value). This is the
same value as the Roof ’s Relative Base Height, in Roof Settings.
The Roof Slope Angle (or pitch) is measured from this pivot line.
The Roof Pitch value is also
shown in the Info Box (the
“T” value).
See also “Modify the Roof Slant Angle” on page 246.
To aid in precise element placement, you can turn on the “Gravitate
to Roof ” command to place additional elements onto the surface of
the Roof.
Display of Roofs
Attributes for each part of the representation (e.g. cut surfaces,
overhead lines) are set using the pop-up options in the Floor Plan &
Section panel of the Settings dialog box.
For more information, see “Roof Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Use the Floor Plan Cut Plane Settings, combined with element
projection preferences, to determine which parts of the placed roof
should be displayed.
For more information on Floor Plan display of roofs, see “How to Display
Individual Elements on the Floor Plan” on page 161.
For Roofs, the default Floor Plan Display option is “Projected with
Overhead”.
Roof Geometry
The Roof tool has six geometry methods in the
Info Box, allowing you to create both simple
and complex roof shapes. The options are: Polygon, Rectangle,
Rotated Rectangle, Polyroof, Dome and Barrel-vaulted. Note
that only four options are visible at a time. The remaining options can
be viewed by holding down the button to pop out the additional
icons.
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When you are satisfied with the choices you made in the Roof
Settings dialog box, you can start drawing Roofs. New Roofs can be
created in either the Floor Plan or the 3D Window, although some
options differ or are restricted.
Gravitate New Elements onto a Roof
Use the Gravity control to place Wall, Column, Beam and Object
type elements relative to the elevation of a Roof.
For more information, see “Gravity” on page 110.
Create a Simple Roof on the Floor Plan
Choose one of the first three Geometry Methods in the Info Box
(Polygon, Rectangle, Rotated Rectangle), then define the position of
the pivot line with two clicks. With the Rectangle method, the roof
will always be orthogonal.
In most cases, you will want the pivot line of the roof to coincide with
a wall Reference Line or a slab edge.
As an aid in drawing the pivot line, the cursor will change to a Heavy
Checkmark/Heavy Mercedes when it hits a wall or beam reference
line; it will change to a Light Checkmark/Light Mercedes when it
hits any edge that is not a Wall or Beam reference line.
1) Draw the pivot line.
Pivot Line
2) After you draw the pivot line, a cursor in the form of an Eyeball
will appear. Use this cursor to click on the side of the pivot line
where you want the roof plane to rise (or, in the case of a
negative roof pitch, slope downward).
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3) You can then draw the contour of the roof by clicking on each of
the new roof ’s nodes. Or use the Magic Wand: click on an
existing element to serve as the pattern for the roof ’s contour.
See “Magic Wand” on page 143.

Create a Polyroof or Curved Roof

By choosing the Polyroof geometry method, you can create
equally sloped roofs on any polygonal or curved base. The result will
be a set of individual roof planes. With the Autogroup function
active, they will be automatically grouped when created.
The process for drawing a Polyroof is the same on the Floor Plan and
in the 3D Window.
First, you draw a polygon of
straight segments only. This
defines the pivot lines of the
elements of the Polyroof. When
you are finished, the Polyroof
Settings dialog box appears.
The final outline will be defined
by the Eave Overhang value
Create a Simple Roof in 3D which is added as an offset to the
pivot line polygon.
1) Choose one of the first three Geometry Methods in the Info
Box (Polygon, Rectangle, Rotated Rectangle), then define the
slope of the roof plane by clicking any three points. ArchiCAD
will generate the Pivot Line for you.
2) Draw the contour of the roof. The Hammer cursor appears
when you return to the first node. Click to close the polygon.
ArchiCAD will then generate the Roof.

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Polyroofs can be made up of a

maximum of four levels. The
inclination and maximum height
of each segment can be
independently defined. To create
curved or other shapes with the
Polyroof method, draw the
shapes with the 2D drawing
tools, then use the Magic Wand
to define the pivot line polygon.
Make sure that the Polyroof
Geometry Method is active Enter the height of the Dome Roof as measured from its centerpoint.
when you do so. This value is set by default to the maximum allowed, i.e., the height
Note: ArchiCAD uses a crystal growth algorithm to calculate the of a semi-sphere structure. By entering a smaller number, you can
best solution for any particular polygon base. The height defined flatten your dome.
in the settings dialog box is the maximum limit. If the roof meets The next edit field contains the elevation of the dome’s
another roof plane before it reaches that particular height, it will base. The number of strips and segments that make up the
not go higher. If the roof has reached the maximum level dome can also be defined in this dialog box: they are
allowed, and the roof planes have not met, a horizontal plane will limited to 90 and 360 respectively. The roof thickness
be placed on top. Once the structure is completed, its parts are measured perpendicular to the roof ’s elevation can also be set, while
individually editable. the roof edge’s trimming is controlled by the radio buttons. The three
options available are perpendicular, vertical and horizontal trimming.
Create a Dome-Shaped Roof Once the dome is created, its parts can be edited as individual pitched
roofs, but not as a whole.
To create a Dome-shaped roof, select the Dome geometry
method in the Info Box. A Dome-Shaped Roof is a set of individual Create a Barrel-Vaulted Roof
roof planes. With the Autogroup function active, they will be
automatically grouped when created. The process for drawing a Barrel-vaulted Roofs can be constructed in either Floor Plan or
Dome-shaped roof is the same on the Floor Plan and in the 3D 3D view, but it is done through different steps. In 2D, a curve drawn
Window. on the Floor Plan is interpreted as the cross-section of the Roof.
With the first click, you define the center of the arc; the second click Draw a series of arcs (or trace a shape with the Magic Wand) and
marks the beginning and the third, the end of the outline. double-click when finished. When you have defined the curve, you
Double-clicking the beginning of the arc will create a full circular will see a rubberband boundary, whose ends are connected to those
dome. of the cross-section curve. One of the sides of this boundary is the
imaginary “floor” and, at the same time, the side of the barrel roof.
Once you have defined the outline, make your choices in the Dome
Settings dialog box:

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Note: ArchiCAD only allows the construction of curved roofs

that can be hit by vertical rainfall. This avoids the construction of
self-intersecting or reclinate roofs. This also means that the same
curve may be valid for the generation of a roof from one angle of
the boundary box, and invalid from another angle. This is
because the shape of the roof is determined not only by the curve
that it is constructed from, but also by the angle of the boundary
box that it is associated to. The start and end points of the roof
must be defined in such a way that the heavy line side of the
rubberband boundary does not intersect the original
With a first click, you define the starting point and the shape, and cross-section curve.
with the second, the length of the barrel-vaulted roof. Then make There are three possible methods available for drawing a
choices in the Vaulted Roof Settings dialog box. Barrel-Vaulted Roof in 3D: Rounded, Symmetrical and Irregular.
You can set Vaulted Roof Draw the first side of the outline rectangle of the roof at the desired
characteristics here. height. The pet palette appears. Defining the cross-section is different
Enter the elevation of the base for the three methods.
point of the roof, its edge angle
and, if using a simple fill pattern, Rounded Roof
its thickness. Press the OK or To create a Rounded roof:
Cancel button when finished.
Click on the first icon.
The resulting roof planes are
individually editable. If Autogroup
is on, they are generated as a group. The curve drawn in the Floor
Plan is clearly visible in the 3D view of the roof.

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Draw the geometry of the roof cross-section by defining its height

and click.

Extend the roof to the desired length and click to place the roof.

Extend the roof to the desired length and click to place the roof.

Symmetrical Vaulted Roof

To create a Symmetrical vaulted roof, click
on the second icon. The Symmetrical
Vaulted Roof dialog box appears. Enter
the number of roof planes to create.
Draw the geometry of the roof by defining
its height and click. Note: This method creates roof planes of equal length in
cross-section.

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Irregular Roof Create a Hole in a Roof

To create an Irregular roof:
1) Select a Roof pane
Choose the third method from the pet palette and click.
2) With the Roof tool active, draw a new contour within its
boundaries. The new contour will be interpreted as a hole in the
Roof.
Note: If you create a hole whose outline intersects the host
Roof’s contour or the outline of other holes in the same polygon,
ArchiCAD will display a warning message, but the outline of the
hole will still be created.

Define the shape of the roof by clicking as many times as you wish to Modify the Roof Slant Angle
create new planes. Double-click to finish creating roof planes.
Once you’ve drawn a roof and selected it, you can modify its slant
angle in several ways.
• Change the roof slant angle in the Info Box or in Roof Settings.
• In the 3D window, select the
roof, then select the Modify
Slant Angle command from
the pet palette and graphically
adjust the roof angle (or enter a
Slant Angle value into the
Tracker.)
• In the Floor Plan or 3D Window, select the roof, then Ctrl+click
Extend the roof to the desired length and click to place the roof. (MacOS: Cmd+Click) at any point on the roof plane to bring up
the Roof Elevations dialog box. Enter a numerical value in the
top field: this value will be the elevation value of the roof plane at
the point at which you clicked it. Altering this elevation value has
the same effect as modifying the roof slant angle.

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Create Roof Level Lines
The Design > Create Roof Level Lines command, available in the
Floor Plan, will place a line on a selected roof at the height value you
specify in the Roof Level Lines dialog box.
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On Top/On Bottom: Choose whether you want to measure the
height value to the top or to the bottom surface of the roof.
Specify Roof Level Lines height level: Use either input field - the
current story level or Project Zero - to define the height of the
desired roof level lines.
Omit Lines Outside Roofs: Check this box to omit level lines that
fall outside the floor plan polygon of the roof they belong.
If the checkbox is disabled, all resulting lines will be drawn. In this
case, lines that fall outside the roof polygon will be drawn to be of
equal length to the pivot line of the roof they belong to.
Group with Roof: Check this box to group level lines with the roofs
they belong to.
Note: This option is greyed if the Suspend Groups toggle is
active.
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Set Custom Roof Edge Angle The two faces have been adjusted to each other.

To customize a roof edge angle, select the

roof and click on its edge with the
Mercedes cursor to bring up a pet palette.
Select the Roof Edge Angle icon to
open the Roof Edge Angle dialog box.
Enter a desired custom angle. (As a result,
the Roof Edge Angle setting in the Model
panel of this roof ’s settings will display the
In this example, when the two ridge lines meet on the Floor Plan, this
custom option.) ArchiCAD allows fascia
means that they are in fact intersected in 3D.
and barge boards to be at unique angles.
For this reason, it is possible for two roofs
to not be properly joined, even though they meet on the Floor Plan.
You can create mitred joints at these intersections, or have the roof
planes connect with vertical ridges. This is done by selecting all roof
planes that you would like to intersect, positioning the cursor at the
common ridge and keeping the mouse button down.
Note: This option is only available if the Roof is cut by another
Roof element.

Intersect Roof Planes

You may need to adjust simple roof panes to each other or to modify
some of the panes of a complex roof, for example to accommodate a
dormer. For more complex intersections, when more than two roof planes
meet (e.g., when a barrel-vaulted roof meets a simple pitched roof),
To have these two roof
additional nodes should be added to accommodate the shape.
planes intersect:
However, the intersection process itself is similar.
Select the lower one on the
Floor Plan, and Ctrl-click Trim Element to Roof
(Windows) or Cmd-click
(MacOS) the ridge line of the Note: You can also achieve the effect of trimming with a Roof
other. by using Solid Element Operations.
Now select the other roof See “Solid Element Operations” on page 352.
plane and Ctrl-click
(Windows) or Cmd-click
(MacOS) the ridge line of the
lower one.

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Using the Trim to Roof Function 2) Go to Design > Trim to Roof

Roofs can trim either the top or the bottom of to bring up the Trim to Roof
dialog box.
• Walls
3) Check the element type(s) you
• Beams want to trim. (If you have
• Columns already selected certain
• Slabs elements before bringing up
the dialog box, these
• Doors checkboxes are greyed.)
• Windows 4) Check either “Trim Top” or
• Objects “Trim Base”, depending on
which part of the eligible
This trimming is not done automatically: you must use the Design > element(s) you want to trim.
Trim to Roof command.
“Trim Top” will trim the part
Elements are trimmed only if they intersect a roof at any point, and of the element(s) above the
only if you check its element type in the Trim to Roof dialog box. roof, and “Trim Base” will trim the part below the roof.
It is usually easiest to use Trim to Roof in the 3D window, where you 5) Click the Trim button.
can see the spatial relationships of roofs to other construction
elements.
The Trim to Roof command is available only if at least one roof or
one element of the above types is selected.
To trim elements to a roof, follow these steps:
1) Do one of the following:
• Select the elements you wish to trim. (Remember, only elements Undo Roof Trim
which intersect a roof at any point can be trimmed); or Trimming an element can either be temporary, for visual display only,
• Select the roof(s) to which you want to trim elements; or or definitive.
• Select both elements and roof(s). You can restore elements after a temporary trimming. If an element
has been trimmed to a roof, the Undo Roof Trim button becomes
Selection of roofs and/or elements narrows the scope of the Trim. If active at the bottom of that element’s Settings dialog box (Model
you select only a roof, all eligible elements are trimmed; if you select section). The only exception is Slabs: their trimming can only be
only elements, they will be trimmed to all the eligible roofs. undone through the Edit > Undo command.
The trim remains in effect even if you hide the Roof or the trimmed
elements, move them away from each other or even delete the
trimming Roof. This allows you to create special gable shapes from
those construction element types.

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If you trim a wall with a roof that crosses the wall entirely, the original In the first trim, the checkbox is
wall will be cut into two walls: one with a cutting at the end, while the checked. This means that the Wall’s
other will be a separate wall without any cut. actual height (as shown by the selection
dots) has changed to the highest point
of the trimmed Wall.

In the second trim, the box is left

Exception: If you have an opening that would have points in both
parts of the wall after the trim, the wall will remain one piece.
Effect of Roof Trim on Wall/Column Height Settings
By default, trimming a Wall or Column to a Roof will also alter the
trimmed element’s height.
The Set Wall/Column Top to highest (lowest) Point checkbox at
the bottom of the Trim to Roof dialog box is active by default. This
means that the height of a trimmed wall or column is recalculated to
equal the maximum of its trimmed height (if you trimmed the top) or
the minimum trimmed base height (if you trimmed the bottom).
Regardless of whether the checkbox is active, the Trim operation will
result in the same visual effect.
In this example, the top of the wall will
be trimmed to the roof.
unchecked. The Wall is trimmed as
usual, but the selection dots indicate
that its height remains at its original
value.
Note: if you click Trim Base, the
Set Wall/Column Top to highest
Point box changes to Set
Wall/Column Base to lowest
Point. In this case, it’s the base
elevation of the element that changes.
However, the Undo Roof Trim command will have a different effect
depending on the checkbox status: if you set the Trim operation to
recalculate the Wall/Column’s height value (if the checkbox was
active), then the Undo Roof Trim will only recreate the wall/column
up to the maximum trimmed height. If you did not check the box,
then the Undo Roof Trim will recreate the original Wall height.
Use Roof Trim to Create Complex-Shaped Walls, Beams
and Columns
You can cut complex shapes into walls, beams and columns by
trimming them to Roofs. The wall will always follow the shape of the
roof(s) above them, no matter how many roof segments you have.

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However, remember that any
roof can only make parallel
cuts into the walls.
Trimming Slabs with a Roof
Slabs can also be trimmed by the lower or upper slope of roofs with
the help of the Design > Trim to Roof command. However, there is a
big difference between trimming slabs and trimming walls, columns
or Library Parts. While other elements can be partly trimmed, slabs
are always cut along the whole section line of the roof and the slab.
Moreover, the trimmed edge of the slab is always vertical even after
being trimmed by a slanted roof.
Trimming with a Remote Roof
You can use remote roofs and even roofs on other stories whose
outline is shown on the given story for trimming elements to the
plane of that particular roof.
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Just select the elements you intend to cut, then Ctrl-click (Cmd-click)
an edge or a node of the roof you want to cut them with. The reverse
procedure will also work: select the roof you want to cut with and
Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) the individual elements you want to be cut.
Note: The Wall/Beam/Column is cut whether it is under a roof
or not. Be sure to set a sufficient height for the original
rectangular Walls/Beams/Columns so that they are cut correctly.
Create Special Roof Objects with RoofMaker
RoofMaker allows you to add GDL Object-based elements to specific
parts of your design in order to enhance them in 3D views and
Section/Elevation/IE windows. RoofMaker can be accessed from
the Design > Design Extras menu. Technically, RoofMaker is an
ArchiCAD Add-On and is loaded with ArchiCAD on startup.
After placement, roof construction elements behave like ordinary
Objects and can be modified.
The Roof Wizard is a RoofMaker function that allows you to create
entire roof constructions quickly and easily.
For more information, see “Using the Roof Wizard” on page 255.
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We recommend that you begin modelling the roof construction
with the purlins and continue with the hip rafters/valley rafters
before placing the rafters. This way you can easily keep track of
all the connecting elements. (When placing ridges, you already
know the thickness of the purlin; when placing rafters you
already know the thickness of purlins, hip and valley rafters,
etc.)
To place rafters, ridges or purlins (beams), a single roof surface has
to be selected. If multiple roof surfaces are grouped, you must first
ungroup them using the Edit > Grouping > Ungroup. You will then
be able to select roof surfaces individually.
Although the placement of roof construction elements using
RoofMaker works using other methods, we strongly recommend
setting the reference line of the roof to the upper exterior edge of the
wall beneath (as handled by ArchiCAD’s Complex Roof Placement
Method). The definition of elements, with or without overhang, uses
this reference line as a basis.
We recommend setting the roof thickness equal to the general
cross-section height of the rafters. This way, you can use the roof to
cut elements that are standing upon the rafters (e.g., Posts).
To place a trimmer (blocking), a collar beam or a tie beam, two
corresponding rafters must be selected (opposite rafters for a collar
beam or a tie beam, and rafters in the same roof surface for a
trimmer).
252
After choosing the command for the placement of an object, a dialog
box opens in which certain parameters concerning the object itself
can be set. Surface materials and a layer can be assigned to all
elements. The current pencolor set for the Object is used by default.
If you change the current pencolor, all the subsequently placed
elements will have the new color.
The object is then placed with one or more clicks, or is placed
automatically, depending on the object type.
To display the RoofMaker commands in a separate floating toolbox,
choose Design > Design Extras > RoofMaker > Show
RoofMaker Toolbox. The RoofMaker Toolbox opens, which
contains shortcuts to all of the RoofMaker menu commands.
Create a rafter
When creating rafters, the bottom plane of the roof serves as a
reference plane. Rafters will be automatically placed on top of it.
Select a reference roof surface on the floor plan. Choose Create a
rafter from the Design > Design Extras > RoofMaker menu (or
select the first icon from the RoofMaker toolbox).
The Rafter Settings dialog box appears in which rafter parameters can
be set.
For more information, see “Rafter Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Clicking OK returns you to the floor plan with the reference roof
surface still selected. Click inside the selected roof surface. (If you
click outside, an error message appears.)
A rafter is placed with its axis going through the specified point. By
definition, rafters are perpendicular to the reference line of the roof.
After the rafter is placed, you can select it and open its Object
Settings dialog box. Among others, the parameters include profile and
profile thickness. The rafter may have a rectangular (default) profile as
well as I-beam, L-beam or C-beam profiles.
Create multiple rafters
Select a reference roof surface on the floor plan. Choose Create
multiple rafters from the Design > Design Extras > RoofMaker
menu (or select the second icon from the RoofMaker toolbox.
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In the Rafter Settings dialog box, set the desired parameters. You will
set the same controls as for a single rafter, but the placement controls
for multiple rafters are also active.
For more information, see “Multiple Rafters Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Clicking OK returns you to the floor plan with the reference roof
surface still selected. Click twice inside the selected roof surface to
define a placement line. (If you click outside, an error message
appears.)
Several rafters are placed along the placement line, with the axis of
the first rafter going through the point defined with the first click,
and the axis of the last rafter going through the point defined with the
second click. By definition, rafters are perpendicular to the reference
line of the roof.
Create hip or valley rafter
The hip rafter usually lies between two neighboring roof polygons.
Select the roof surface where the hip rafter connects to a purlin
instead of another hip rafter; other methods may cause errors.
Choose Create a hip rafter or valley rafter from the Design >
Design Extras > RoofMaker menu (or click the third icon of the
RoofMaker toolbox). The Hip or Valley Rafter Settings dialog box
opens.
For more information, see “Create a Hip or Valley Rafter” in ArchiCAD
Help.
After adjusting those settings, click OK to return to the floor plan
with the reference roof surface still selected. Click along one of the
edges of the selected roof that is NOT parallel or perpendicular to
the reference line.
A Hip or a Valley Rafter (or a Valley Rafter without Overhang) is
placed along the specified edge of the roof, depending on the
position of the edge to the roof ’s reference line.
Hip and Valley Rafters can also be placed with two roof surfaces
selected previously. It is then not necessary to click afterwards to
specify an edge; the object will be placed along the common edge of
the two surfaces. The difference between the two methods lies in the
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Virtual Building
shape of the resulting objects; the top cut in the latter method makes
the object suitable for steeple type roofs.
Create a trimmer
In order to place a trimmer, you must first select the two rafters the
trimmer is going to be placed between. The two rafters have to be
within the same roof polygon. (This also means that they have the
same pitch angle and they are both perpendicular to the reference line
of the roof.)
Choose Create a Trimmer from the Design > Design Extras >
RoofMaker menu. The Trimmer Settings dialog box appears.
For more information, see “Create a Trimmer (or Blocking)” in ArchiCAD
Help.
A trimmer is placed at the same height as the rafters. It can be vertical
or rotated to a position perpendicular to the pitch angle of the roof.
The 2D symbol also shows the current position.
Clicking OK, you return to the floor plan with the two rafters still
selected. Click between the rafters. (If you click outside them, an error
message will appear.)
A trimmer is placed between the two rafters, the axis going through
the specified point. Trimmers are always parallel to the reference line
of the roof and thus perpendicular to the rafters.
Create a purlin
Select a reference roof surface on the floor plan and choose Create a
Purlin from the Design > Design Extras > RoofMaker menu (or
click the fifth icon from the RoofMaker toolbox). The Purlin Settings
dialog box appears in which purlin parameters can be set.
For more information, see “Create a Purlin (or Beam)” in ArchiCAD Help.
By default, the purlin is placed under the reference plane defined by
the roof, since a purlin generally supports the rafters from below.
However, an elevation value can be set for the purlin so that it can be
higher or lower than the reference plane. Set the values for the width
and the height of the cross-section.
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The purlin can also be perpendicular to the rafters and be on the top
of them as well. If the purlin is placed on top, the cross section height
of the rafters has to be set.
Clicking OK returns you to the floor plan with the reference roof
surface still selected. Click either an edge of the selected roof, or
inside the roof polygon. (Clicking outside the polygon produces an
error message.)
If you click on an edge, a purlin is placed with its axis along the edge.
If the edge is not parallel to the reference line of the roof, the
endpoints of the axis of the purlin will be at different heights - as
indicated in the “Height difference” parameter of the library part -
and the purlin will be inclined.
Clicking inside the roof polygon determines the position of only one
side of the purlin; an additional click is needed to define the direction
where the purlin extends. (For example, if you want to place a rafter
in line with the interior side of a wall, first you click to the interior
side and then toward the exterior.)
If you click inside the polygon, the axis of the beam will pass through
the clicked point parallel to the reference line of the roof.
Create an eaves purlin
Select a reference roof surface on the floor plan and choose Create
an eaves purlin from the Design > Design Extras > RoofMaker
menu (or click the sixth icon in the RoofMaker toolbox). The Eaves
Purlin Settings dialog box appears in which eaves purlin parameters
can be set.
For more information, see “Create an Eaves Purlin (or Plate Beam)” in
ArchiCAD Help.
This type of purlin is placed under the reference plane defined by the
roof, supporting the rafters from below. However, an elevation value
can be set for the eaves purlin so that it can be higher or lower than
the reference plane. You can also set the values for the width and the
height of the cross section.
Clicking OK returns you to the floor plan, with the reference roof
surface still selected. You need to click either one of the edges of the
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selected roof, or inside the roof polygon. (If you click outside the
polygon, an error message appears.)
If you click on an edge, the purlin is placed inside the polygon, with
its side along the edge. If the edge is not parallel to the reference line
of the roof, the two endpoints of the axis of the purlin will be at
different heights, as indicated in the “Height difference” parameter of
the library part, and the purlin will be inclined.
If you click inside the polygon, the axis of the purlin will pass through
the clicked point, parallel to the reference line of the roof surface. An
additional click is then needed to define the direction where the plate
beam extends. (For example, if you want to place a rafter in line with
the interior side of a wall, first click on the interior edge of the wall
and then toward the exterior.)
There is an empty fill included in the 2D symbol of purlins because
purlins usually have to cover posts placed underneath. These posts
are generally displayed as a larger circle to indicate that there is some
kind of supporting structure. You can use the Bring to Front and
Send to Back commands to ensure the accurate positioning of
elements.
Create collar beams
In order to place a collar beam you must first select two rafters to
place it between. The axes of the two rafters must be along the same
line and meet at the top, otherwise you will get an error message.
Choose Create a collar beam from the Design > Design Extras >
RoofMaker menu (or the seventh icon in the RoofMaker toolbox).
The Collar Beam Settings dialog box appears in which different
parameters of the collar beam can be set.
For more information, see “Create Collar Beams” in ArchiCAD Help.
A collar beam can be double- or single-sided. In addition to the
dimensions of the cross-section, an elevation value must be set,
calculated from the height of the insertion point of the rafters (which
is usually also the height of the reference line of the roof). If the two
rafters are not inserted at the same height, the collar beam is placed
relative to the higher one.
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Clicking OK returns you to the floor plan with the two rafters still
selected. If a double-sided collar beam has been selected, it is placed
automatically in the appropriate position. If a single-sided collar beam
is selected, click once more to determine on which side of the rafters
the collar beam will be placed.

Create tie beams

In order to place a tie beam, you must first select two rafters to place
it between. The axes of the two rafters must be along the same line
and meet at the top, otherwise you will get an error message.
Choose Create a tie beam from the Design > Design Extras >
RoofMaker menu (or eighth icon in RoofMaker Toolbox). The Tie The placement of the rafters is optimized to meet the specified
Beam Settings dialog box appears in which different parameters of requirements. The objects now behave as ordinary Objects and can
the tie beam can be set. be modified as such.

For more information, see “Create Tie Beams” in ArchiCAD Help.
In addition to the dimensions of the cross section, an elevation value
must be set, calculated either from Project Zero or the current story
elevation.
Clicking OK returns you to the floor plan with the two rafters still
selected. The tie beam is placed automatically in the appropriate
position.
Using the Roof Wizard
The Roof Wizard allows you to create entire roof constructions
quickly and easily. You can place rafters, purlins, trimmers, collar or
tie beams in one step.
To begin, select all the roof surfaces in the project that you wish to
add structural elements to. Choose the Roof Wizard command from
the Design > Design Extras > RoofMaker menu (or the last icon
in the RoofMaker Toolbox). The Roof Wizard dialog box appears.
For more information, see “Roof Wizard Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Clicking OK returns you to the floor plan. The roof construction
elements you have specified are placed automatically in the
appropriate position.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Slabs
Slabs are the basic horizontal building blocks in ArchiCAD. They are
typically used for modeling floors or split levels.
Attributes for each part of the slab’s representation (e.g. cover fill, cut
fill in Sections) are set using the pop-up options in the Floor Plan &
Section panel of the Settings dialog box.
Note: For Slabs and Meshes, their Floor Plan outlines on remote
stories (if they are shown on stories other than their home
stories) are displayed using the line type set in Project
Preferences > Construction Elements. Choose a separate line
type to display slabs and meshes on stories Above and Below
their home stories.
For more information, see “Construction Elements Preferences” in ArchiCAD
Help.
In 3D view, you can assign separate materials for each of the three
slab surfaces (top, bottom and side).
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For more information, see “Slab Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

For more information on Floor Plan display of slabs, see “How to Display
Individual Elements on the Floor Plan” on page 161.
Note: The default slab structure is a composite slab. The
thickness of such a composite slab is defined in Options >
Element Attributes > Composites, and equals the sum of the
skins’ thicknesses. A composite slab’s thickness cannot be edited
in Slab Settings. If you want to edit the slab thickness in Slab
Settings, choose a non-composite slab structure, or change the
thickness of the composite skins in Options > Element
Attributes > Composites. If the Slab’s polygon intersects itself, a warning appears, but the Slab
To aid in precise element placement, you can turn on the “Gravitate will still be drawn.
to Slab” command to place additional elements onto the surface of A self-intersecting Slab polygon will be fixed automatically if you edit
the Slab. Slabs, like other construction elements, can be trimmed to the polygon later using any of the pet palette’s editing methods.
Roofs. There is, however, an important difference for Slabs: unlike
• The second and third icon allow you to create a Rectangular or
for Walls, Columns and Beams, the trim is final and cannot be
a Rotated Rectangular Slab. The rectangle is defined by placing
undone in the Slab Settings dialog box.
two opposing corner nodes. A rectangle Slab is always aligned
orthogonally with the normal grid. The Rotated Rectangular
Creating Slabs method requires that you first define a rotation vector, then drag
the cursor in a perpendicular direction to complete the slab.
When you are satisfied with your choices in the Slab Settings dialog
box, you can start drawing Slabs by applying one of the Geometry
Methods in the Info Box. Placing Holes in Slabs
New Slabs can be created in either the Floor Plan or the 3D Window. You may need to make holes in Slabs to accommodate objects such as
staircases, or for an open atrium space.
Slab Geometry Select a Slab and activate the Slab tool, then draw a new contour
There are three Geometry Methods available for Slabs within the Slab’s boundaries. This new contour will be interpreted as a
from the Info Box. hole in the Slab.
• With the first icon on the left, you can create a Polygonal Slab.
Just like for Walls, the pet palette appears and allows you to draw
straight and curved segments for the Slab’s outline.

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• If you forgot to select a Slab before starting to create a hole in it,
the new contour will be interpreted as a new Slab, even if it lies
inside another Slab. (In 3D, this will not be apparent until you
select either of the two slabs. You can then delete the
inadvertently created slab).
• If you create a hole whose outline intersects the host Slab’s
contour or the outline of other holes in the same polygon,
ArchiCAD will display a warning message, but the outline of the
hole will still be created.
Meshes
Meshes are surfaces of any form created by defining the elevation of
their characteristic points and interpolating between them.
In the Floor Plan, only the outline and the ridges of the mesh are
shown.
In 3D, depending on the construction method chosen in the Info
Box and the Mesh Settings dialog box, you will obtain meshes
created as superficies, meshes created with vertical sides (skirt) and
meshes created as solid bodies.
For more information, see “Mesh Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
A mesh is created on the foundation of the Mesh Reference Plane
and the ridges of the Mesh.
You draw the main contours of the mesh projected to the Reference
Plane. You can then raise the characteristic points of the mesh’s
superficies out of this plane.
To aid in precise element placement, you can turn on the “Gravitate
to Mesh” command to place additional elements onto the surface of
the Mesh.
Display of Meshes
Attributes for each part of the representation (e.g. cut surfaces, uncut
lines) are set using the pop-up options in the Floor Plan & Section
panel of the Settings dialog box.
For more information, see “Mesh Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Virtual Building
When you are satisfied with the choices you made in the Mesh
Settings dialog box, you can start drawing meshes.
For more information, see “Mesh Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: For Slabs and Meshes, their Floor Plan outlines on remote
stories (if they are shown on stories other than their home
stories) are displayed using the line type set in Project
Preferences > Construction Elements. Choose a separate line
type to display slabs and meshes on stories Above and Below
their home stories.
For more information, see “Construction Elements Preferences” in ArchiCAD
Help.
There are two types of ridges in a mesh: user-defined and generated
ridges. You have the option to display all the ridges, or just the
user-defined ones. (This control is located in Mesh Tool Settings).
User-defined ridges are always displayed. If the Show All Ridges
option is selected, ArchiCAD will also show the ridges generated
through the connecting mesh nodes. Each generated ridge connects
two mesh points at different heights that are not already connected by
a user-defined ridge. Generated ridges are shown only if they connect
points that differ in elevation.
Create a Mesh
New meshes can be created in either the Floor Plan or the 3D
Window.
Mesh Geometry
The Mesh has four geometry methods in
the Info Box. You can create Polygonal,
Rectangular and Rotated Rectangular
shapes or a Regular Sloped Mesh.
In all cases, you will draw a Mesh polygon at the elevation of the basis
plane defined in the Settings dialog box.
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Create a Polygonal or Rectangular Mesh This opens the Mesh Point Height
The Polygonal and Rectangular/Rotated Rectangular Mesh geometry dialog box.
methods work the same as similar controls for the Slab tool. 4) Enter a new height value in the
For more information, see “Creating Slabs” on page 256. text field.
If needed, select the Mesh and edit its points, add new points, or Checking the Apply to All box will set
create a hole. all Mesh points to this new height.
Changing the elevation of a single point will not affect the elevation
Create a Regular Sloped Mesh of the neighboring points.
The Regular Sloped Mesh method (the The arrow below the text
fourth in the Info Box) helps you quickly field opens a pop-up
create regular meshes with plane surfaces. menu in which you can
After defining the rectangle contour of choose a reference level
the mesh, the Regular Sloped Mesh for the modified height.
dialog box opens automatically.
In the first part of the dialog box, you can
set the number of divisions in either
coordinate direction.
You must then set the elevation of three Add New Points to the Mesh
mesh corners; the fourth one is generated
automatically. 1) With the Mesh tool active, select the mesh.
On confirming the settings, ArchiCAD 2) Draw a closed polygon or a straight segment within the Mesh
will draw the mesh. polygon.
See also “Regular Sloped Mesh Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help. (If you draw outside of the contour of the first polygon, only points
If needed, select the Mesh and edit its points, add new points, or within the contour will constitute the Mesh.)
create a hole. The New Mesh Points dialog box then
opens.
Edit Elevation of a Mesh Point 3) Choose the “Add New Points” radio
button. (If you drew a two-point line
1) Select the Mesh. rather than a polygon, this is the
2) With the Mesh tool active, default and only choice.)
click a Mesh Point to bring up
4) Choose an option from the
the pet palette.
drop-down menu to define the relationship between the newly
3) Choose the Elevate Mesh created points and existing ones.
Point command from the pet For more information, see “New Mesh Points Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
palette.

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Create a Hole in the Mesh Zone Categories

1) With the Mesh tool active, select the mesh. Each zone you create in your project is assigned a Zone category in
2) Draw a closed polygon that falls entirely within the Mesh the Zone’s Settings dialog box.
polygon. This Zone Category defines the color of the default zone fill and the
The New Mesh Points dialog box then type of Zone Stamp object used for the zone.
opens. The main function of zone categories is to use colors to visually
3) Choose the “Create Hole” radio distinguish different types of spaces in your project: for example, you
button. can assign the “Office” category to all your office space, which will all
be displayed in pink; and the “Communication and Access” category
4) Choose an option from the to the hallways, which will all be displayed in white.
drop-down menu to define the
relationship between the newly (However, you have great flexibility in the display of zone fills; see “2D Display
created points and existing ones. of Zone Fills” on page 259).
For more information, see “New Mesh Points Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help. Some Zone categories are predefined in ArchiCAD; you can define
your own categories using the Options > Element Attributes >
Zone Categories command.
Zones
Zones are spatial units in your Project. Usually, they represent rooms; 2D Display of Zone Fills
wings of a building; blocks of a housing estate or functional areas of a By default, zones are displayed in the color of their zone category.
building. Zones in 3D can also be used for simple mass modeling. (See Zone Categories.) If you like, you can assign a different Zone fill
Zone area is an important using any cover fill.
component in project calculations, 1) Go to the Floor Plan panel of Zone Settings.
and you can customize the way in
which zone areas and 3D zone 2) Activate the Cover Fill icon at the left.
spaces are calculated. Zone 3) Choose a fill pattern from the fill
dimensions are associative; following pop-up menu.
an update, zone areas will be
If you have assigned a Zone fill, it will be
recalculated to reflect any
displayed in Floor Plan by default.
modifications.
You may want to vary your zone display
settings depending on what you are
outputting. For example, construction
documentation might display zones using the zone fill settings, while
draft and approval documentation display category colors.
To vary zone fill display on the Floor Plan, use the options in the
Override Fill Display panel of Document > Set Model View >

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Model View Options. For Zone fills, the relevant settings are in the
panel section called Override Zone Fills.

Check the Override Zone fills Zone Stamps

box to choose any other zone
fill display preference. These Zone stamps are intelligent parametric GDL Objects whose look,
settings are global and apply to contents and behavior can be fitted to local architectural practice.
every zone in your project. They reside in the ArchiCAD Library.
For details, see “Model View The zone stamp object assigned to your zone depends on the Zone
Options Override Fill Display” in Category you have chosen.
ArchiCAD Help. For more information, see “Zone Categories” on page 259.
Each zone stamp contains textual information about the zone,
Display of Zones with Slanted Walls including its name, number, area, and other optional parameters; the
Zones bounded by one or more slanted walls will accurately consider exact content of your Zone Stamp depends on the parameters you set
the slanted geometry. Such zones are displayed on the Floor Plan with in the Zone Stamp panel of the Zone Settings dialog box.
two separate zone polygons:
For more information on Zone Stamps, see “Zone Stamp Panel” in ArchiCAD
• the polygon with editable selection dots, which delimits the Help.
visible part of the zone on the Floor Plan (while you can edit this
polygon, such editing has no effect on the true 3D zone), and 2D Display of Zone Stamps
• the polygon with regular selection dots, which indicates the true Zone stamps are displayed by default.
extent of the base of the 3D zone (you cannot edit the zone If you do not wish to display any
shape by editing this polygon.) zone stamps in the project, check
“Hide Zone Stamp” checkbox in
Document > Set Model View
> Model View Options.

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Moving Zone Stamps
Zone Stamps can be moved independently of the Zone:
• Click on a node of the Zone stamp.
• Choose the Move Sub-Element
icon from the pet palette.
• Drag the Zone Stamp to the
desired location.
3D Display of Zone Spaces
To view zone spaces in 3D, go to View > Elements in 3D View >
Filter Elements in 3D and make sure the “Zone” checkbox is
selected.
In 3D, Zones appear as 3D spaces. ArchiCAD performs accurate
analyses of both the geometric and quantitative attributes of zone
spaces, no matter how complex their geometric shape.
Note that the Z-value (height) of a zone space is not constrained by
its boundaries as defined in the 2D view; your zone space in 3D takes
on the height you define in Zone Settings (zone height.)
When viewing the Shaded
model, go to the View > 3D
View Mode > 3D Window
Settings, and choose the
Contours: Draft option to view only the 3D Zones, without any of
the construction elements.
If you choose Contours: Best, you will see the shaded Zone
surrounded by the construction elements. Elements hidden by the
zone shape are not displayed at all.
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For more information, see “3D Window” on page 167.
Note: You may wish to display 3D Zones as solid bodies in
shading mode, and all other elements types in wireframe mode.
To achieve this effect, apply the predefined “Show 3D Zones as
Solid” Layer Combination.
Creating Zones
In the Zone Settings dialog box, customize the parameters of your
zone - such as its name, its category, its height, and the content of its
zone stamp. Then you are ready to define the zone shape.
For more information, see “Zone Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Zone definition methods are represented
by the three icons in the Info Box. You can
either manually draw the contour of a zone
(using the Polygonal Method), or let ArchiCAD
automatically recognize a zone surrounded by
bordering elements (using the two Automatic
Recognition Methods).
Note: Columns cannot serve as the enclosing boundary of a
zone.
Whichever Geometry Method you choose, the Hammer cursor
appears when you have finished defining the outline of the Zone.
Click with it to define the location of the Zone Stamp.
The Zone Stamp does not necessarily have to be placed inside the
Zone polygon.
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Polygonal Method Create a Manual Zone Boundary

The Polygonal (manual) method is your best choice when your If the Zone has openings that are not Doors or Windows, ArchiCAD
Zone’s boundary is not clearly surrounded by elements (e.g. when will continue searching for boundaries outside the spatial unit that
doing space planning). With this method, you simply draw a polyline you wished to identify as a Zone. In this case, the result may not be
(as you would for any other polygon) by clicking at every corner of what you expect (see figure, below right).
the zone. Zones created with this method cannot change their shape
when using the Update Zone command on them. You can edit a
polygonal zone graphically by selecting it and using the pet palette
commands.

Automatic Recognition Method

Both automatic recognition methods, Inner Edge and
Reference Line , are based on the fact that most Zones are
surrounded by Walls and the only openings in them are Doors and In this case, close the Zone by:
Windows.
• using the Polygon method
• If you choose the Inner Edge method, ArchiCAD will always
define the zone area by the inner edges of walls. • place an Empty Opening Door object into the Wall which is the
same height as the Wall - the Wall is not shown in 2D, but it does
• If you choose the Reference Line method, ArchiCAD considers serve as a Zone Boundary
the reference lines of the walls as the boundaries of the zone. • drawing a line to serve as a Zone Boundary
Note that even if you constructed Walls with the reference line
placed on the external edge, the Zone fill does not overlap the
wall symbol until you choose Bring to Front from the Edit >
Display Order.
Note: In case of a slanted or complex wall, the Reference Line
method will not consider the wall’s reference line, but rather its
inner edge.
(You cannot edit a zone polygon created with the automatic method
using graphical methods, since these methods cannot determine the
zone’s 3D shape.)

Exclude a Wall or Column as a Zone Boundary

By default, the Relation to Zones setting in the Wall Settings Listing
and Labeling panel is set to “Zone Boundary;” this means that all
walls/column enclosing a closed space are considered zone
boundaries by default. To exclude any wall/column as a zone
boundary, just change the Relation to Zones setting to No Effect on
Zones.
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You can draw a Line, Arc or Spline to serve as a zone boundary if you
check the Zone Boundary checkbox in its Line Settings dialog boxes
(General panel).
For more information, see “Relation to Zones” on page 264.
For more information, see “Calculating Zone Area and Zone Volume” on page
264.
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If your desired zone boundaries also encompass freestanding shapes
or walls, you may get a warning message when clicking to place the
zone stamp.
If this happens, you must click closer to the bounding elements. Then
the zone will be created correctly.
Zone Reference Point
If you place the Zone Stamp with one of the automatic recognition
methods, you will see a cross appear inside the Zone at the location
that you first clicked to define the Zone’s area. This cross indicates
the reference point of the Zone.
This point is used as the starting point of boundary recognition for
subsequent updating actions.
See also “Updating Zones” on page 265.
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Trim Zone to Another Element
Zone spaces can be trimmed to roofs, slabs and beams with the
Design > Trim Zone command.
You can either select an element (Roof, Slab, Wall, Column, Beam or
Library Part) and trim a Zone to it if the element protrudes into the
Zone, or select a Zone and then choose which element types to trim
it to.
Note: Zone space will be trimmed by any multi-story element
with which it intersects, on any story.
When trimming a zone to a roof, a checkbox gives you the option of
ignoring holes (that is, to include any hole in the roof as part of the
roof for the purposes of a zone boundary.)
You can choose between trimming the
base or the top of zone spaces. Check the
corresponding boxes to define which
elements you wish to trim to the zone.
The trim will be executed by clicking the
Trim button in the dialog box.
If you select only one type of trimming
element in the project (e.g. Roof), all the
checkboxes are greyed.
Zone space trims can be undone by selecting the trimmed zone space
and pressing the Undo Top Trim or Undo Bottom Trim button in
the Model panel of the Zone Settings dialog box.
For more information, see “Zone Model Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Note: You can also opt to undo the Trim when updating
modified Zones.
For more information, see “Updating Zones” on page 265.
Calculating Zone Area and Zone Volume
Zone areas are usually displayed on documentation as part of the
Zone Stamp; they also form part of Zone Lists created with the
Document > Schedules and Lists > Zone Lists hierarchical
menu.
The way ArchiCAD calculates Zone area depends on several different
settings:
• Relation to Zones options chosen for Walls and Columns which
define the Zone’s area;
For more information, see “Relation to Zones” on page 264.
• the Zones screen in Options > Project Preferences > Zones,
containing global controls for calculating wall recesses and
refining the calculation of walls or columns;
For more information, see “Zones Preferences” in ArchiCAD Help.
• the Area Calculation panel of the Zone Settings dialog box,
which allows you to check the measured area of the Zone and
refine the calculated values.
For more information, see “Zone Area Calculation Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Relation to Zones
For each wall, Curtain Wall and column, you can customize its
Relation to Zones, that is, whether it will act as a zone boundary
(“stopping” the zone, as a delimiter), and whether its area and/or
volume should be taken into account when calculating the area and
volume of the zone shape.
This definition is made in the Wall Settings, Column Settings and
Curtain Wall Settings dialog boxes, with a pop-up menu located on
the Listing and Labeling panel.
The options are as follows:
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1) Zone Boundary (not available for slanted columns.): A wall or Curtain
Wall set to “Zone Boundary” will act as a delimiter of the zone; it
will be the edge of the zone. If such a “Zone Boundary”
wall/Curtain Wall is slanted, the zone’s geometry will take this
into account, and will be slanted accordingly to fit to the wall.
Also, a wall/Curtain Wall set to “Zone Boundary”, if located
inside the zone area, will not be included as part of the measured
zone area. The zone boundary is drawn at the base of the wall.
A column set to “Zone Boundary” cannot act as the edge of a
zone (unless it is located inside of a wall that is a zone boundary).
However, a vertical column set to “Zone Boundary”, if located
inside the zone area, will not be included as part of the measured
zone area. The zone boundary is drawn at the base of the
column.
Multi-story elements in automatic display mode can serve as zone
boundaries on any story on which they exist, not just their home
story.
Note: Any line-type element can also be set as “Zone Boundary”
in its Settings dialog box. Such a line will act as a delimiter of the
zone.
2) A wall/Curtain Wall/column located inside a zone and set to
Reduce Zone Area Only means that the wall/Curtain
Wall/column does not affect the zone geometry, but when you
calculate the zone area, the area of these walls/Curtain
Walls/columns is excluded from the zone area. (Zone volume,
however, will include the wall/column volume.)
Note: Even if you have set a wall, Curtain Wall or column to
“Reduce Zone Area”, you may prefer to ignore this setting for
very small-sized walls or columns. To set the minimum limit for
excluding such walls and columns, go to Options > Project
Preferences > Zones.
For more information, see “Zones Preferences” in ArchiCAD Help.
To see how much of a zone’s gross area has been reduced due to
Wall/Column reduction, select the zone and view the data in the
Area Calculation Panel of Zone Settings.
For more information, see “Zone Area Calculation Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
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3) A wall/Curtain Wall/column located inside a zone and set to To adjust Zones to your updated design and recalculate the Zone
Reduce Zone Volume means that the wall/Curtain Wall/column area, use the Design > Update Zones command. This function also
does not affect the zone geometry, but when you calculate the alerts you to any problematic Zones that might have been created.
zone area and volume, the volume of these walls/Curtain
Walls/columns is excluded from the zone volume. For more information, see “Update Zones Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
4) No Effect On Zones means that the wall/Curtain Wall/column
has no effect on the zone; the zone area and volume will include Update Zones Dialog Box
the area and volume occupied by the element.
For more information, see “Updating Zones” on page 265.
The following example and table will help you understand what
happens to a zone area of 10 by 10 meters (and of 2.70 meter To adjust Zones to your updated design and recalculate the Zone
standard height) including a square 1 by 1 meter column. area, use the Design > Update Zones command.
The dialog box contains the following columns:
• Status: This is where ArchiCAD tells you if the Zone could be
updated, and if not, what the nature of the problem is. The icons
appearing in this field represent the following:
: All is well, ArchiCAD has successfully updated your Zone.
: The Zone was created manually and cannot be automatically
adjusted.
Option Area Volume
: The layer on which the Zone resides is locked. Unlock the
Boundary 99 m2 267.3 m3 layer in the Layer Settings dialog box and repeat the update
Reduce Area only 99 m2 270 m3 process.
Reduce Volume 99 m2 267.3 m3 : The Zone is self-intersecting. Just as in the case of
No effect 100 m2 270 m3 polygons, you may have to adjust the Zone to have valid
geometry, or split it into two Zones. You can examine the Zone
by selecting it in the list, and clicking the Zoom to Selected
Updating Zones Zones button. Fix the problem and repeat the update process.
When you modify your design, associative zones do not automatically
adjust themselves to the changes. : The reference point of the Zone is outside of its
boundary. Each automatic Zone has a reference point that must
lie inside the Zone. If you get this error message, move the
reference point inside the Zone and repeat the update process.
For more information, see “Zone Reference Point” on page 263.
: The Zone you are trying to update is not in your
workspace. This error can only occur if you are working in a
shared Project in Teamwork mode, and the Zone is assigned to
another team member. Ask the team member to make the Zone
available to you.
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: The Zone you are trying to update cannot be properly
adjusted, because it has difficulty in finding all of its edges. Click
the Zoom to Selected Zones button to find the Zone. Fix the
problem and repeat the update process.
No.: This column contains the number that has been assigned to
the particular Zone.
Name: This column contains the name of the Zone.
Added m2: This column contains information on how the Zone
has changed. (You can change the area unit in the pop-up menu
in the upper right portion of the dialog box.)
To keep the original position of zone stamps when updating zones,
check the Keep Zone Stamp position checkbox.
To remove the 3D zone space trim, check the Undo Top Trim if
updated and/or Undo Bottom Trim if updated checkboxes.
Note: If you leave these checkboxes unchecked, conflicts may
arise in certain geometric configurations.
For more information, see “Trim Zone to Another Element” on page 263.
Curtain Wall: A System Tool
The Curtain Wall tool, located in the regular
ArchiCAD toolbox, lets you create a Curtain
Wall in the Floor Plan, Section/Elevation/IE, or
3D window.
The Curtain Wall is a single element consisting
of Frame, Panel, Accessory and Junction
components: these are the Members of the
Curtain Wall, arranged on a Base Surface
according to a pre-defined and editable Scheme.
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To control the whole hierarchy at once, System level settings, which
define the overall scheme and configure the Curtain Wall members,
are organized into a multi-page settings dialog.
Curtain Walls can be manipulated in the same way as any
construction element in ArchiCAD. But unlike other elements, a
Curtain Wall’s component members can be placed and edited
individually, without disassembling the System. To enable the
manipulation of sub-structural members, each Curtain Wall can be
accessed at a deeper level: the Curtain Wall Edit mode. This is a
graphical 3D workspace, similar to ArchiCAD's own, with dedicated
tools and techniques to manipulate Curtain Wall members. In this
context, only the members and scheme of the selected Curtain Wall
are editable, although the rest of the model can be also displayed in a
background manner, as a reference.
Since Curtain Walls often feature extreme geometry that does not
necessarily coincide with vertical-horizontal planes, ArchiCAD offers
versatile input planes for greater freedom in surface definition. Also,
in comparison with other construction elements, a higher level of
editing freedom is provided: including input in Section views,
boundary editing, and free rotation.
Working with Curtain Walls: Overview
Creating a Curtain Wall involves a simple graphical input. You will
select the Curtain Wall tool from the ArchiCAD toolbox, then a
geometry method, and then draw a reference line, polyline, contour
or arc, depending on the chosen geometry method.
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If you use the Boundary method, then your input defines the entire
geometry of the Curtain Wall.
If you draw a Reference Line/Arc/Polyline, then the Curtain Wall
will be extruded from this line/polyline/arc. The next click, with a
“sun” cursor, defines which side of the Curtain Wall should face the
“outside”. Finally, a dialog box pops up to allow you to enter basic
geometry information for the Curtain Wall. Clicking Place will create
the Curtain Wall.
For details on Curtain Wall geometry methods in different windows, see “Create a
Curtain Wall” on page 270.
Curtain Walls consist of a set of Members (such as Frames, Panels
and Junctions), and each Member’s parameters are defined in Curtain
Wall Default Settings.
See “Curtain Wall Members” on page 268.
View the Curtain Wall in your project. If you want to change
something, you can approach the Curtain Wall at two levels:
1) either edit the Curtain Wall as a whole, using System-level
Settings;
2) or edit the settings of individual selected members of the Curtain
Wall. To do this, you will enter Curtain Wall Edit Mode, where
you can edit selected members either graphically or using
member-specific Settings dialog boxes. These individual, edited
Curtain Wall members will henceforth have Custom settings.
For System-Level Editing of Whole Curtain Wall:
Select the Curtain Wall; open Curtain Wall Settings; and edit any
of its System-level settings again.
Click OK to redefine the Curtain Wall according to the modified
settings.
See “System-Level Editing” on page 284.
To Edit Individual Curtain Wall Members:
Select the Curtain Wall; go into Edit mode. (See “Curtain Wall
Edit Mode” on page 285).
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Edit mode shows you your Curtain Wall in 3D. At the Edit mode
level, you can delve deeper into the individual components of the
Curtain Wall you are editing.
In Edit mode, you cannot place additional Curtain Walls, but you
can edit any members of the selected Curtain Wall or add
additional members to it. In Edit mode, each member (Scheme,
Frame, Panel, Accessory, Junction) has its own Dialog box and
its own Tool, enabling you to change settings and place new
Members in this Curtain Wall.
To customize the settings of any member of the Curtain Wall,
select it and use the dialog box to change its settings. For
example, select a panel and change its materials. Changing the
settings of a selected member will transform that member into a
“Custom” member. You can have any number of different
customized members. Once a member has Custom settings, the
System-level settings no longer apply to it.
In Edit mode, you can create additional members for your
Curtain Wall, using the Scheme, Frame, Panel, Junction and
Accessory Tools. When using any of these tools to create a new
member, you have the choice of using the System-level default
settings, or else defining custom settings.
Save changes and leave Curtain Wall Edit Mode to return to your
regular ArchiCAD editing environment.
Additional Curtain Wall Commands
The Design > Curtain
Wall menu contains a
collection of commands
which are specific to
Curtain Wall functions.
These functions are
described elsewhere in
this documentation.
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Curtain Wall Members
It is important to distinguish the following Curtain Wall components:
Reference Line
The Reference Line is the original input line/polyline/arc you draw
in the window. If you use a Boundary method to create a Curtain
Wall, the first drawn segment of the Boundary is the Reference Line.
The Reference Line is part of the Curtain Wall Scheme (together with
the Grid pattern, the Boundary, and the Base Surface.)
Later, you can edit the Reference Line of a placed Curtain Wall.
See “Edit Curtain Wall Reference Line” on page 295.
Reference Surface
The Reference Surface is an imaginary plane or arced surface
automatically created by ArchiCAD by extruding the input line
(polyline, arc) you have drawn. Often, you will place your input line
along an existing ArchiCAD element (e.g. slab); the Reference Surface
is extruded from this input line.
Base Surface
The Base Surface defines the shape and orientation of the Curtain
Wall. It is the surface in which the physical members of the Curtain
Wall (Frame, Panels) lie. The Base Surface may coincide with the
Reference Surface; more likely, you will offset it. When you move or
rotate the Curtain Wall as a whole, it is the Base Surface which you are
moving; the Reference Line and Reference Surface move along with
the Base Surface.
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The Base Surface of Curtain Walls is an infinite plane - except if it is
based on a curved shape. (The Base Surface of a curved Curtain Wall
is cylindrical, and is infinite only in the direction of the cylinder’s axis.)
A Curtain Wall’s infinite Base Surface gives you great freedom in
connecting the Curtain Wall to other elements, and in adding
multiple, bounded Curtain Wall portions to any Curtain Wall.
See “Add Additional Curtain Wall Boundary” on page 293.
Grid
The Base Surface is crisscrossed by a Grid (primary gridlines plus
secondary gridlines, defined as part of the Curtain Wall Scheme.)
The Grid defines the default location and arrangement of Frames and
Panels in the Curtain Wall. You can edit the Grid (delete, add
gridlines, move or rotate it). Changes to Grid geometry will change
the geometry of its Frames and Panels accordingly.
See “Edit Grid” on page 289.
Boundary
The Boundary is a simple polygon on the Base Surface, which
represents the physical limits of the Curtain Wall.
The Boundary is part of the Curtain Wall Scheme (together with the
Grid, the Base Surface and the Reference Line).
Depending on the geometry method used to create the Curtain Wall,
the Boundary is either drawn by you or created by ArchiCAD in
accordance with input parameters.
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You can draw additional boundaries on an existing Curtain Wall - this
gives you freedom to separate the Curtain Wall into parts, while still
keeping it as a single element: all parts of the Curtain Wall use the
identical Scheme.
See “Add Additional Curtain Wall Boundary” on page 293.
The Curtain Wall’s Boundary Frame always
coincides with this Boundary polygon.
You can edit the Boundary of the Curtain
Wall like any other polygon.
See “Edit Curtain Wall Boundary” on page 291.
Scheme
The Scheme contains the essential geometry definitions for the
Curtain Wall: the Scheme encompasses the Base Surface, the Grid,
Boundary, and Reference Line. Use Scheme Settings to arrange the
gridline pattern in two directions (“primary” and “secondary”). The
Scheme also defines the class to which individual panels within this
basic pattern belong.
See “Curtain Wall Settings: Scheme Page” in ArchiCAD Help.
All other members of the Curtain Wall
(Frames, Panels, Accessories, Junctions) are
attached to the Scheme.
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Frame
You can define three classes of Frames for
any Curtain Wall: Boundary Frame; Mullion
Frame; Transom Frame. Each Frame class
has unique settings. Frames are attached to
the Grid when you create the Curtain Wall,
so if you move or delete a Gridline, you
move or delete the Frame. (In Curtain Wall
Edit mode, you can place additional Frames
independent of the Grid.)
See “Curtain Wall Frames” on page 295.
Panel
Panels are the flat surfaces - generally
glazed - of the Curtain Wall. Any Curtain
Wall can have two predefined classes of
Panels: Main and Distinct. Panels are always
placed between Frames.
See “Curtain Wall Panels” on page 299.
Junction
A Curtain Wall Junction is an optional structure that serves to
connect panels to the Frame. In ArchiCAD, a Junction is a GDL
object, and can be placed either one by one, or automatically at every
intersection.
See “Curtain Wall Junctions” on page 302.
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Accessories Note: The Polyline Geometry method is also available in the

Accessories are optional, non-load-bearing
members - such as a sun shade - attached to
the Curtain Wall. These are GDL objects
placed at any Frame of an existing Curtain
Wall.
See “Curtain Wall Accessories” on page 304.
Section, Elevation or Interior Elevation Window. In these
windows, the “Single” method will extrude the Curtain Wall
perpendicularly from the Section plane.
See “Positioning Curtain Wall in Section View” on page 276.
Suppose you are working on the following Floor Plan of a two-story
project, and you want to place a Curtain Wall for the remaining side
of the building.

Create a Curtain Wall

In ArchiCAD, creating a Curtain Wall is intuitive and flexible. You
will use input methods that are familiar from other ArchiCAD
functions. ArchiCAD also gives you a wide range of geometry
methods so that you can choose the easiest method for the situation
and model view you are working on.
Input methods are almost identical in all the windows (Floor Plan,
Section/Elevation/IE, and 3D): draw an input line, polyline, or arc,
and then extrude the Curtain Wall to a defined distance. Or draw the
entire boundary of the Curtain Wall.
The Curtain Wall is placed on or relative to the input plane.
• In the Floor Plan, the input plane is the Story level. Draw a Reference Line representing the length of the Curtain Wall.
• In Section/Elevation/IE, the input plane is identical to the
Section plane.
• In 3D, the default input plane for Curtain Walls (as for any
construction element) is Project Zero or the User Origin, but you
may use several methods for defining any other input plane.
See “Define Curtain Wall Input Plane in 3D Window” on page 278.

Create a Single Flat Curtain Wall on the Floor Plan

To create a single flat Curtain Wall,
activate the Curtain Wall tool and
choose the Polyline - Single
geometry method from the Info
Box.
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Click to complete the Reference Line. The sun cursor appears: click
with the sun cursor to define the “outside” direction of the Curtain
Wall. Here, move the cursor to the outside of the building and click.

To edit the Curtain Wall’s individual Members using the Curtain Wall
Edit mode, select the Curtain Wall and click the Edit button. (If you
select the Curtain Wall in the Floor Plan or Section/Elevation, this is
In the appearing Place Curtain Wall the “Edit in 3D” button.)
dialog, enter the Curtain Wall height and
slant angle (default: 90 degrees). Here, we
will enter 6200 mm and leave the angle at
90 degrees for a vertical Curtain Wall.
Note: The three icons in the
Positioning part of the Place Curtain
Wall dialog box give you three
different methods for defining the
Curtain Wall height.
For details, see “Place Curtain Wall Dialog Box:
Floor Plan and 3D Window” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Click Place to close the dialog. The Curtain Wall is placed.
View the result in the 3D window.

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Create a Slanted Curtain Wall

To create a slanted Curtain Wall, follow the same steps as above
(“Create a Single Flat Curtain Wall on the Floor Plan” on page 270).
After drawing the reference line, the sun cursor appears: click with
the sun cursor to define the “outside” of the Curtain Wall.
In the Place Curtain Wall Dialog Box,
enter a slant angle: we will use 72 degrees.
Note that this angle is measured on the
“inside” of the Curtain Wall (opposite the
side you clicked with the sun cursor).
Click to place the slanted Curtain Wall.

To change the slant angle of a placed Curtain Wall, you can edit the
Curtain Wall graphically in the 3D window, using the Free Rotate
function.
See “Free-Rotate Curtain Wall” on page 310.
To trim the ends of the walls by connecting them to the Curtain Wall,
use the Connect Curtain Wall function.
See “Example: Connect Slanted Curtain Wall to Side Walls” on page 309.

Draw Curtain Wall Boundary in the Section Window

Use this method to create a Curtain Wall by drawing its Boundary
freehand, in the Section window.
View it in 3D: Note: Using this Boundary method in the Floor Plan will create
a horizontal Curtain Wall placed at the Story level.
We start with the following building model. We will create a Curtain
Wall whose Boundary runs along the opening on the building’s
southern face. To do this, we will use the Boundary geometry method
in the Section Window.

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In the Floor Plan, the building and its Section line S-01 look like this.
Note that we have drawn a Section line here whose sole purpose is to
define the Curtain Wall’s input plane. In Section windows, the Curtain
Wall input plane exactly coincides with the Section plane.
Open the Section. With the Curtain Wall tool active, choose the
Boundary geometry method from the Curtain Wall Info Box.
Draw the Curtain Wall Boundary along the desired contour, clicking
at each node as when drawing any polyline. Double-click or click with
the Hammer cursor to close the polygon.
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Note: The Reference Line of this Curtain Wall is the first
Boundary segment you draw.
Now click with the “Sun” cursor to define the “outside” of the
Curtain Wall:
• If you click outside the polygon, the outside of the Curtain Wall
will face in the same direction as the Section plane (away from
you). The result in the Floor Plan looks like this:
• If you click inside the polygon (on the Curtain Wall surface), the
outside of the Curtain Wall will face opposite the Section plane
(toward you). The result in the Floor Plan looks like this:
In our case, we want the Curtain Wall to face outside the building,
opposite the Section plane (toward you). So after drawing the Curtain
Wall boundary in the Section window, we will click inside the polygon,
using the “Sun” cursor:
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Now the outside of the Curtain Wall is behind the Section Line.
Therefore, due to the geometry of this Curtain Wall, no physical
members (Panel, Frame) of the Curtain Wall are visible in the Section
window. However, the result is seen in both the Floor Plan and the
3D window:
To edit the Curtain Wall’s individual Members using Curtain
Wall Edit mode, select the Curtain Wall and click the Edit
button. (If you select the Curtain Wall in the Floor Plan or
Section/Elevation, this is the “Edit in 3D” button.)
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Create a Curved Curtain Wall: Geometry Methods
You can create a curved Curtain Wall in the Floor Plan,
Section/Elevation/IE window, or 3D window.
When defining the geometry of a curved Curtain Wall, you must first
define the cylindrical Base Surface, then mark off the parts of this
cylinder onto which the Curtain Wall will be placed.
Note: Curved Curtain Walls are always regularly shaped: the axis
of its cylindrical Base Surface is either horizontal or vertical to
the input plane when you create it, although subsequently you
can tilt it in any direction.
Choose one of the four geometry methods
for creating a curved Curtain Wall with a
cylindrical Base Surface. For the most part,
these are the same methods used to draw
circles or arc walls in ArchiCAD.
1) Centerpoint and Radius: Click to place the centerpoint. Click a
second time to define the radius and one of the endpoints of the
Curtain Wall. Click a third time to define the other end of the
wall.
Click with the sun cursor to define the “outside” of the Curtain
Wall.
Click Place to close the dialog. The Curtain Wall is placed.
2) Three Points: Click three times in succession to define the
beginning point, another point, and the endpoint of the Curtain
Wall. By defining these three points, the reference cylinder’s
radius and centerpoint are also calculated.
For an example, see “Create a Curved Curtain Wall on Floor Plan” on page
275.
3) Tangential: Use this geometry method to place a Curtain Wall
that forms a full circle. Click three times in succession to define
three points on the Curtain Wall. By defining these three points,
the reference cylinder’s radius and centerpoint are also calculated.
A temporary reference circle appears.
If the three tangential points enable more than one geometrical
possibility for a full-circle, the eyeball cursor appears. Move the
cursor to view the possibilities, then click to choose which
geometry you need.
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Click with the sun cursor to define the “outside” of the Curtain Click the three points to define the reference arc of the Curtain Wall.
Wall.
The full-circle Curtain Wall is placed.
4) Radius and Axis: Use this geometry method to create a regular
arc-shaped Curtain Wall. This Curtain Wall will always be a
half-cylinder shape placed on the input plane.
The first two clicks define the Curtain Wall’s beginning and
endpoints.
Click a third time to define the extrusion length of the arc
Curtain Wall.
For an example, see “Create a Half-Cylinder Curtain Wall in the 3D Window”
on page 282.

Create a Curved Curtain Wall on Floor Plan

The following building in the Floor Plan is based on a curved slab.
Click a fourth time to define the angle formed by the two ends of the
wall and the cylinder centerpoint.

Follow these steps to add a curved Curtain Wall to the South

Elevation: Click with the sun cursor to define the “outside” of the Curtain Wall.
Activate the Curtain Wall tool and choose the Three In the appearing Place Curtain Wall follow-up dialog, enter the
Points geometry method from the Info Box: Curtain Wall height. Here, we will enter 6200 mm.

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For a curved Curtain Wall, you cannot set Positioning Curtain Wall in Section View
a slant angle; it will always be vertical. The input plane in the Section window coincides with the Section
Note: The three icons in the Plane. When you use an input method which extrudes the Curtain
Positioning part of the Place Curtain Wall from a Reference Line (such as the Polyline, Chained, or Curved
Wall dialog box give you three methods), you must define starting point and the length of the
different methods for defining the extrusion. For this, use the options in the Place Curtain Wall on
Curtain Wall height. Section dialog box.
For details, see “Place Curtain Wall Dialog Box: • To freely position the beginning of the
Floor Plan and 3D Window” in ArchiCAD extrusion by offsetting the starting point
Help. from the input plane: choose the first
method. The first field is the absolute
length of the extrusion; the third field is
Click Place to close the dialog. The Curtain Wall is placed. its offset from the input plane. (The sum
View the result in the 3D window. of the two values is shown in the middle
field.)

• To begin extruding the Curtain Wall

“away” from you, at exactly the input
plane (Section line): choose the second
method and enter the length of
extrusion. There is no offset (the
Curtain Wall begins right at the input
plane).

• To begin extruding the Curtain Wall

“toward” you, at exactly the input plane
(Section line): choose the fourth method
and enter the length of extrusion.

To edit the Curtain Wall’s individual Members using Curtain Wall Edit
mode, select the Curtain Wall and click the Edit button. (If you select
the Curtain Wall in the Floor Plan or Section/Elevation, this is the
“Edit in 3D” button.)

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• To place the midpoint of the

extrusion vector at the input plane,
choose the third option. Enter the total
extrusion length in the first field below.

Create a Chained Curtain Wall on the Floor Plan

Use the Chained geometry method to create a multi-segment Curtain
Wall based on a reference line drawn as a chained polyline. For each
segment of a chained Curtain Wall, you can set up a separate Scheme,
with a distinct pattern for each.
In this example, we will place a chained Curtain Wall along a more
complex slab contour.
Click with the sun cursor to define the “outside” of the Curtain Wall.
In the appearing Place Curtain Wall dialog, enter the Curtain Wall
height. Here, we will enter 6200 mm.
For a chained Curtain Wall, you cannot set a slant angle; it will always
be vertical.
Note: The three icons in the Positioning part of the Place
Curtain Wall dialog box give you three different methods for
defining the Curtain Wall height.
For details, see “Place Curtain Wall Dialog Box: Floor Plan and 3D Window”
in ArchiCAD Help.
Click Place to close the dialog. The Curtain Wall is placed.

Activate the Curtain Wall tool and

choose the Chained geometry
method from the Info Box:
Trace the outline of the slab to
create the Curtain Wall reference line, using the same pet palette
controls as when drawing a polyline. Double-click to complete the
reference line.
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The result: a single Curtain Wall with three Base Surfaces, based on a
three-segment Reference Line.
A Frame is always placed at the place where two adjacent segments
are joined. Such a Frame cannot be deleted. (If you wish, you can set
its type to Invisible, by selecting the Frame in Edit mode and
adjusting its Type in Frame Settings.)
A Chained Curtain Wall has as many Schemes as it has segments: you
can select one Scheme at a time and customize each Scheme
separately.
278
Make any changes in the Grid Pattern, or modify the Grid Pattern’s
origin. The selected Scheme is now a Custom Scheme.
See also “Edit Grid Pattern and Position” on page 290.
Click OK to apply the changes.
To edit the Curtain Wall’s individual Members using the Curtain Wall
Edit mode, select the Curtain Wall and click the Edit button. (If you
select the Curtain Wall in the Floor Plan or Section/Elevation, this is
the “Edit in 3D” button.)
Define Curtain Wall Input Plane in 3D Window
With the Curtain Wall tool active in the 3D
window, the Info Box provides the
following options for defining the Curtain
Wall’s input plane:
Default: Use the default input plane in the 3D window, which
is the same input plane - Project Zero or the User Origin - you use
when working with any other tool in the 3D window.
Intelligent: Use one of the following “intelligent” methods to
define an input plane by a series of clicks:
• Surface: Click any surface: the plane of the surface will be your
input plane.
• Edge plus point: Click any edge (mercedes cursor) to define a
line.
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For an example, see “Extrude Curtain Wall from a Slanted Input Plane” on
page 282.

Create a Single Flat Curtain Wall in the 3D Window

A plane appears on screen, rotating around the line as its axis.
Then click a point (arrow cursor) to fix the input plane.
In the 3D window, the process is the same as in the Floor Plan.
However, the feedback is different.
In the 3D window, the default Curtain Wall input plane is the same as
the current 3D input plane (Project Zero, or the User Origin).
To define other input planes, see “Define Curtain Wall Input Plane in 3D
Window” on page 278.
With the Curtain Wall tool active, choose the Polyline - Single
geometry method and the Default Input Plane from the Info Box.

Click to begin drawing the Curtain Wall Reference Line. No matter

where you click, the input plane is fixed, and indicated by a temporary
grid. Any Reference Line you now draw will be placed on this input
plane.
In our example:
• Point plus edge: This is just the reverse of the method above.
Click a point, then an edge to define the input plane.
• Three points: Click any three points to define the input plane.
Horizontal: Click on a point to place a horizontal input plane
at that point.
Vertical: Click on a point to place a vertical input plane at that
point.
Normal: Define a slanted input plane by defining a vector that
is perpendicular (“normal”) to the desired plane.
1) Click two points to define the normal vector to the input plane,
or
Click on an edge to define the normal vector to the input plane
2) Then click a point through which the input plane will run.
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Click at the two front corners of the building to define the Reference Click Place. View the result.
Line length. With the “Sun” cursor, click on either side of the
Reference Line to define the outside of the Curtain Wall.
The Place Curtain Wall dialog box appears:

To edit the Curtain Wall’s individual Members using Curtain

By default, both the top and the bottom height values are measured
to the Reference Line, and the Curtain Wall will be perpendicular to
the Input Plane, but you can choose a different reference level using
the pop-up:
Wall Edit mode, select the Curtain Wall and click the Edit
button. (If you select the Curtain Wall in the Floor Plan or
Section/Elevation, this is the “Edit in 3D” button.)
Draw Curtain Wall Boundary in the 3D Window
We start with the following building model. We will create a Curtain
Wall whose Boundary runs along the opening on the building’s
southern face. To do this, we will use the Boundary geometry method
in the 3D Window.

Note: The three icons in the Positioning part of the Place

Curtain Wall dialog box give you three different methods for
defining the Curtain Wall height.
For details, see “Place Curtain Wall Dialog Box: Floor Plan and 3D Window”
in ArchiCAD Help.

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In the 3D window, the default Curtain Wall input plane is the same as
the current 3D input plane. However, you can use a different Input
Plane to make input easier.
For more information, see “Define Curtain Wall Input Plane in 3D Window”
on page 278.
In this example, we will use the “Intelligent” Plane Input to define the
plane that is perpendicular to the slab.
With the Curtain Wall tool active, choose the Boundary geometry
method and the Intelligent Input Plane Method from the Info Box.

Now you must define the Input Plane by a series of clicks. Here, click
the slab edge with the Mercedes cursor (indicating an edge) to define
a line. As feedback, an input plane appears in the window, rotating (as
you move the cursor) around the line you clicked.
Now click to begin drawing the desired Curtain Wall Boundary on the
input plane, clicking at each node as when drawing any polyline.
Note: The Reference Line of this Curtain Wall is the first
Boundary segment you draw.
Double-click or click with the Hammer cursor to close the polygon.
When the “Sun” cursor appears, click on the polygon surface: the
outside of the Curtain Wall will face toward you.
View the result.

Next, click the upper corner of the building with the Arrow cursor to
define the input plane’s final position.

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To edit the Curtain Wall’s individual Members using Curtain

Wall Edit mode, select the Curtain Wall and click the Edit
button. (If you select the Curtain Wall in the Floor Plan or
Section/Elevation, this is the “Edit in 3D” button.)

Create a Half-Cylinder Curtain Wall in the 3D Window

We will place a half-cylinder Curtain Wall on a slab in the 3D window.
Now move the cursor to define the extruded length of the Curtain
Choose the Radius and Axis geometry method and the Horizontal Wall, then click to complete the Curtain Wall.
Input plane method

Click on the slab to place a corresponding horizontal input plane.

See the result in 3D.

Now locate the midpoint of the slab and click once: the axis of our
half-cylinder will run through this point.

Hold down the mouse button and drag the cursor to the far end of
the slab, then click to define the half-cylinder’s radius. The feedback
helps you visualize the structure.
Extrude Curtain Wall from a Slanted Input Plane
When creating a flat Curtain Wall, it is extruded from your input line
in a perpendicular direction. The input plane is ordinarily either
vertical or horizontal.
However, in the 3D Window, you can define any input plane.
See “Define Curtain Wall Input Plane in 3D Window” on page 278.

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Consider the following model in 3D: When you complete the normal vector, an input plane appears which
is perpendicular to it.

Suppose you want to draw the Curtain Wall so that it is extruded

perpendicularly to an input plane which corresponds to the shape of
the building. You need an input plane perpendicular to the building’s
slant, rather than to the ground.
To achieve this, activate the Curtain Wall tool and choose the Single Click anywhere to place the input plane: its angle will define the
geometry method combined with the Normal Vector input plane Curtain Wall’s extrusion from the input line.
method:
Now you are ready to draw the input line. The input line (as indicated
by the rubberband line) is constrained and is projected
perpendicularly to the input plane. Click at the two points where you
want the Curtain Wall to begin and end: in our case, at the two front
In the 3D window, draw a Normal Vector corresponding to the corners of any of the slabs.
slanted shape of the building (you want the input plane to be
perpendicular to this vector). Here, we draw the vector joining the
southwest corners of the top and bottom slabs:

The Sun cursor appears. Click below the input line to define the
outside of the Curtain Wall. The Place Curtain Wall dialog box
appears.

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Define the height of the Curtain Wall at its top and bottom. We enter
0 for the bottom and 6200 for the top height value. The reference
level is significant: if you would measure from the Reference Line, the
bottom of the Curtain Wall would coincide with the slanted input
plane, and both the bottom and top of the Curtain Wall would be
parallel to the input plane. This is not what we want.
Instead, choose Project Zero as the
reference level for the top and bottom
height values. This way, the Curtain Wall’s
top and bottom will both be parallel to
the horizontal plane at Project Zero.

Click on the items listed in the left-hand tree structure to open any of
the dialog box pages associated with Curtain Wall Settings.
Click Place. Use these dialog box pages to define general System (position,
display) preferences, as well as options for the Scheme, Frame,
Panel, Junction and Accessory members. (Each option is presented
in detail in Curtain Wall Settings in ArchiCAD Help.) Options set
here will define the structure and appearance of subsequently placed
Curtain Walls. (Once the Curtain Wall is placed, you can customize
individual members of a selected Curtain Wall, using Curtain Wall
Edit mode.)
Modifications to Curtain Wall System Selection Settings will modify
all affected parts of the selected Curtain Wall. For example, if you
modify a Mullion Frame’s material, the material of all the Mullion
Frames in the Curtain Wall will be changed when you click OK to
leave the dialog box. However, Custom Frames are not affected by
changes to the Mullion Frame settings.
System-Level Editing
• Note that Frame definition occurs on three different pages:
Use System-level editing to set up or edit the Curtain Wall element as Boundary, Mullion, Transom: this means that a single Curtain
a whole, using a single dialog box. Wall will have three different default Frame definitions (or
Open Curtain Wall Default Settings by double-clicking on the Curtain “classes”) at once.
Wall Tool. Or select the Curtain Wall you wish to edit, and open You can set all Frame classes to have the same settings if you
Curtain Wall Selection Settings. wish. After editing the System-level parameters of one of the
three Frame classes), click the Uniform Frame Classes button

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at the top of the Frame Settings dialog box of any of the three
frame classes.
• Note that Panel definition occurs on two separate pages: Main
and Distinct: this means that a single Curtain Wall will have two
default panel types (or “classes.”)
You can set both Panel classes to have the same settings if you
wish. After editing the System-level parameters of one of the Panel
classes, click the Uniform Panel Classes button at the Top of the
Panel Settings dialog box of either of the Panel classes.
When you have finished setting up the Curtain Wall System options,
use the Curtain Wall tool to place the Curtain Wall using any of the
geometry methods.
See “Create a Curtain Wall” on page 270.
A placed Curtain Wall can be edited as a whole, like any other
construction element, using graphical editing techniques and Edit
menu or pet palette commands.
Curtain Wall Display
Curtain Wall display in Floor Plan and Section views is defined in
Curtain Wall System Settings.
“Curtain Wall Settings: System Page: Floor Plan and Section Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Note that the Curtain Wall’s default Floor Plan Display option is
called “Symbolic with Overhead,” which is unique to Curtain Wall
Settings.
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In Symbolic with Overhead, Frame and Panel elements are depicted
using symbolic display. The Curtain Wall is displayed as cut at the
level of the Floor Plan Cut Plane, plus the Curtain Wall’s overhead
part (the part above the Floor Plan Cut Plane), and its uncut
(downward) part in 3D-like form.
In Symbolic with Overhead mode, Accessories and Junctions are not
shown at all on the Floor Plan, and only the Frame centerlines are
displayed.
The Symbolic or Symbolic with Overhead options are recommended
for regular, vertical Curtain Walls. For other geometries, the Projected
options will work better.
Model View Options for Curtain Walls
Go to Document > Set Model View > Model View Options. In the
Options for Construction Elements panel, choose one of the two
preferences for displaying Curtain Walls. These will affect the display
of Curtain Walls in the 3D, Section-type and 3D Document
windows only:
• Full: Panels and Frames are displayed in the Curtain Wall.
• Schematic: Only the Scheme (Gridlines, Boundary, Reference
Line) is displayed.
Curtain Wall Edit Mode
About Curtain Wall Edit Mode
Any placed Curtain Wall instance is defined by Curtain Wall System
Settings. However, you can use Edit mode and its dedicated
member-specific tools to access and change the individual members
of a selected Curtain Wall, or to add new custom members to it,
using the same input, selection and editing methods as in the normal
ArchiCAD workspace.
In Edit mode, each member (Scheme, Frame, Panel, Accessory,
Junction) has its own Settings dialog box and its own tool, enabling
you to change settings and place new Members in this Curtain Wall.
(You cannot create a new Curtain Wall in Edit mode; the purpose of
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Edit mode is to provide a deeper level access to the components of Panel Settings, System Level:
an existing, selected Curtain Wall.)
Once you change the parameters of any selected Curtain Wall
member in Edit mode, that member is no longer tied to Curtain Wall
System Settings; it is a Custom member, and its parameters are locally
defined, in its individual tool settings dialog box (e.g. Scheme, Frame,
Panel, Junction, and Accessory Settings). Custom parameters are set
in Edit mode only.
Please note that changing the settings of any selected Curtain Wall
member in Edit mode will NOT affect the Curtain Wall's System
Settings.

Curtain Wall Tool Settings in Edit Mode

Tools can be accessed in the familiar
way from the Curtain Wall Toolbox,
available in Edit mode only:
Each of these tools has its own
settings dialog, with the same Panel Selection Settings, Edit mode:
appearance and arrangement of
controls as the corresponding page
of the Curtain Wall Settings dialog.
See “Curtain Wall Settings” in
ArchiCAD Help.

The only difference is that member-specific Tool settings do not

display the navigation tree seen in Curtain Wall System Settings, and
they display a different header.

For each selected member in Curtain Wall Edit mode, Tool Selection
Settings displays the parameters of the currently selected member. If,

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for example, you have selected a panel of class “Main”, the top panel Enter Curtain Wall Edit Mode
displays, by default, “Class: Main Panel.” These parameters are those To enter Edit mode, first select the Curtain Wall. Then click the Edit
defined in the System Settings: Main Panels dialog box. (or Edit in 3D) button which appears on the selected Curtain Wall.
However, as soon as you change any parameter in this Selection Another way to enter Edit mode:
Settings dialog box, the top panel display changes to “Custom.” select the Curtain Wall, then the
Clicking OK will apply these Custom parameters to the selected Design > Curtain Wall > Edit
panel(s) only. System command.
Note: This only works if you
have selected a single Curtain
Wall. If the selection includes
several disparate Curtain
Walls, the Edit button will not
appear, and you cannot edit
individual members of any of them.
When in Curtain Wall editing mode, the model is shown in the 3D
window (even if the original Curtain Wall selection took place in a
Floor Plan or S/E/IE window). The rest of the building (the
“environment”) is shown in background mode.
Note: If the contents of the 3D window do not include the
Curtain Wall, you cannot use Curtain Wall edit mode. Make sure
A Custom member means that its link to the settings of the Curtain that the Curtain Wall can be seen in the 3D window before
Wall has been broken, and any changes to the Curtain Wall Settings entering Curtain Wall edit mode.
will not affect it.
You can always renew this link by changing the class field back to
System.
To edit the System-level Settings without leaving Edit mode, click the
System Settings command at the bottom of the Edit mode display
palette. (See “Edit Mode Display Palette” on page 288.)
When in Edit mode, you can save and load your Favorite settings
individually for each tool, as with any other ArchiCAD tool.
In the individual Tool Settings for Curtain Wall members in Edit Once you are in Curtain Wall Edit mode, the regular ArchiCAD
mode, layer assignment is displayed but cannot be edited. All toolbox is replaced by a special Curtain Wall toolbox.
curtain wall members will be placed on the layer determined by the To edit the System-level Settings without leaving Edit mode, click the
Curtain Wall Settings; layer assignment cannot be individually set for System Settings command at the bottom of the Edit mode display
its members. palette.

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When you have completed your modifications Select Curtain Wall Member in Edit Mode
to the selected Curtain Wall in Edit mode, click
Use the selection tools to select any member(s) of the Curtain Wall.
OK in the Edit mode Display palette to save
changes and return to the 3D window, or To select all instances of any of the members, activate the tool and
Cancel to discard changes. click Ctrl+A.
(The same commands are available from a For example, to select the Scheme, activate the Scheme tool and click
menu: Design > Curtain Wall > Finish Edit Ctrl+A: all parts of the Scheme (Grid lines, the Boundary and the
System or Cancel Edit System.) Reference Line) are now selected. If you also turn off the display of
Frames and Panels (by clicking the eye icons in the Edit Mode
While you are in Edit mode, each Undo
Display palette), the Scheme is now easy to edit.
command will discard only the last modification.
Right after you leave Edit mode, clicking Undo a single time will
discard all the changes you just made in Edit mode.
Edit Mode Display Palette
The Edit Mode Display palette appears automatically whenever you
enter Curtain Wall Edit mode.
To make editing easier, use the Edit mode display palette to
show/hide the Curtain Wall elements as needed (click the eye icons to
open or close them). You can click them on and off even during an
editing operation.
Note: The Edit mode display
palette is a display-only editing aid
and does not affect the
construction or the output of the
Curtain Wall element.
Note: In Curtain Wall Edit mode, you can use the Marquee to
“Environment,” in this display palette, limit the scope of the Find and Select function - to find certain
refers to the rest of the building model, Curtain Wall members either inside or outside the Marquee.
which you can show or hide as needed
to assist in editing. Preselection tags will See “Find & Select Palette” in ArchiCAD Help.
identify the Environment’s model
elements in dimmed form, but in Multiselection of Panels and Frames
Curtain Wall Edit mode, you can edit When you select a single Panel or Frame of a Curtain Wall in Edit
only Curtain Wall Members. mode, an editing aid called a “Grip” appears. The Grip appears at the
Note: If you have trouble identifying the edges of these model same time as the pre-selection Info Tag. The Grip gives you a
elements shown as the Environment, try switching on the Draft shortcut for selecting multiple Frames or panels, based on the Curtain
or Best Contours option in View > 3D View Mode > 3D Wall Grid.
Window Settings. When selecting a Frame, you can click one of two buttons on the
See “3D Window Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. Grip:
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• the button with the single line will select all
the Frames along the full gridline underlying the
selected Frame:
• the button displaying multiple parallel
lines will select all the Frames that are
parallel to the selected Frame segment.
When selecting a Panel, the “Grip”
selection shortcut enables you to select
all Panels along either the grid’s primary
direction or its secondary direction.
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Edit Grid
To edit a selected Curtain Wall Grid or individual Gridline, you must
use Curtain Wall Edit mode. Available operations include:
• Move or delete a selected Gridline
• Rotate all the Gridlines of one of the Grid directions
• Rotate or Move the Grid as a whole
Note: Rotate Grid is not available for cylinder-based or Chained
Curtain Walls.
• Add a new Gridline
Note that moving or rotating a Grid, or one or more Gridlines, means
that the Frame(s) assigned to that Grid or Gridline are moved or
rotated along with it.
Deleting a Gridline will delete the Frame on it. The Panel(s) will
change in size to conform to the resulting new Frame pattern.
To make editing the Grid easier in Edit mode, make sure that the
Scheme is visible (and turn off the other members’ visibility as
needed).
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Edit Grid Pattern and Position Move Grid

In Curtain Wall Edit mode, you can customize the Curtain Wall’s Grid To move an entire Grid orthogonally, select either a Gridline or the
Pattern by editing Scheme Settings. As soon as you edit any aspect of entire Grid and use the Move Grid command from the pet palette.
the Curtain Wall’s Scheme Settings, that Scheme becomes “Custom,”
rather than System-defined.
See “Curtain Wall Settings: Scheme Page: Grid Pattern and Preview Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
To edit a Curtain Wall grid pattern graphically, go into Curtain Wall Edit
mode. Make sure that Scheme display is On. (To make selection easier,
turn off the display of Frames, Panels, Junctions and Accessories.)
Select the Scheme, then double-click the Scheme Tool to access
Scheme Settings.
A Chained Curtain Wall has as many Schemes as it has segments: you
can select one Scheme at a time and customize each Scheme
separately.
See also “Create a Chained Curtain Wall on the Floor Plan” on page 277.
Make any changes in the Grid Pattern, or modify the Grid Pattern’s If you defined the Grid origin as a defined point (as opposed to
origin. The selected Scheme is now a Custom Scheme. Custom Origin) in Scheme Settings, then the Grid origin is locked,
and you can move the Grid only in its secondary direction.
Click OK to apply the changes.
See “Pattern position” in ArchiCAD Help.
Move Grid Line
To move an individual Gridline, select it with the Mercedes cursor Rotate Parallel Grid Lines
(clicking any node will select the entire Scheme). Choose the Move To rotate all the Gridlines of one direction (e.g. all the Secondary
Grid Line command from the appearing pet palette: Gridlines), select one of the Gridlines you want to rotate, then choose
the Rotate Parallel Grid Lines command from the pet palette.

Drag the Gridline to its new position (it will remain parallel to its
original position). Click to place.
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Note: If the Curtain Wall is Curved or Chained, you cannot
rotate the primary gridlines, just the secondary ones.
As with other rotation commands in ArchiCAD, draw a rotation
vector or enter a rotation angle in the Tracker. Click to complete the
transformation.
Click on the place at which you want to place a gridline. Move the
cursor around the point you clicked: use the feedback and click either
of the orthogonal gridlines to place it:

Rotate Entire Grid

To rotate the entire grid, select one Gridline or select the entire Grid.
Choose the Rotate Grid command from the pet palette.
Note: Rotate Grid is only available for Curtain Walls having an
infinite Base Surface (it is not available for cylinder-based or
chained Curtain Walls).

Edit Curtain Wall Boundary

To edit the Curtain Wall Boundary, select the Curtain Wall and enter
Curtain Wall Edit mode.

As with other rotation commands in ArchiCAD, draw a rotation

vector or enter a rotation angle in the Tracker. Click to complete the
transformation.

Delete a Gridline
You can delete an individual Gridline in Curtain Wall Edit mode:
Select the Gridline and press Delete.
You cannot delete the Grid as a whole.

Add a New Gridline

To add a new gridline, make sure the Scheme tool is active and you
are in Grid Input mode:

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Since the Boundary is part of the Scheme, make

sure that Scheme visibility in Edit mode is
switched to On. In this example, we have turned
the visibility of all other Curtain Wall
components Off, except for the Environment
(so that we can see the walls behind the Curtain
Wall).
Select the Scheme. Notice that the Boundary is
indicated by a heavier line, compared to the
gridlines. Alternatively, select the Boundary only (without the
Gridlines) by simply clicking anywhere on the Boundary with the
mercedes cursor.
Click along the Boundary to bring up the Pet Palette, with its polygon Additional Boundary-editing possibilities are available in the Section
or node editing commands. Window.
Edit the Boundary as needed. See “Edit Curtain Wall Boundary in Section” on page 292.
See “Reshaping Polygons and Chained Elements” on page 126.
Edit Curtain Wall Boundary in Section
In Section or Elevation, you cannot select or graphically edit the
Curtain Wall Boundary, but you can use a set of commands to edit the
shape of fills, then apply the edited fill shape to your Curtain Wall
Boundary.
These commands (Design > Curtain Wall > Boundary Editing in
Section) are available only in the Section, Elevation and Interior
Elevation windows:
• Extract Boundary to Fill
• Redefine Boundary from Fill
• Subtract Fill from Boundary
Switch on the Frames and Panels, and switch off • Add Fill to Boundary
the Scheme, to see the new shape of your Open an Elevation which displays an existing Curtain Wall. Select the
Curtain Wall. Curtain Wall.

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Now you can edit the Fill polygon using any of the applicable pet
palette commands. This Fill represents the desired shape of your
Curtain Wall Boundary.
Here we offset all edges of the fill by 350 millimeters, using the Offset
All Edges command (available from the pet palette reached by
clicking on the node of a selected polygon.)

Use Design > Curtain Wall > Boundary Editing in Section >
Extract Boundary to Fill. This will create a fill that is in the same
shape as the Curtain Wall Boundary. The fill will be in front in the
Display Order, so you cannot see the Curtain Wall for now.
After editing the fill polygon, use the Design > Curtain Wall
>Boundary Editing in Section > Redefine Boundary from Fill
command, then click on the Curtain Wall. The Curtain Wall Boundary is
redefined to match the Fill Boundary.
Delete the Fill and view your edited Curtain Wall.

Other Curtain Wall Editing Possibilities in Section

Window
Activate the Fill tool and draw any shape on the Curtain Wall surface.
Use Design > Curtain Wall > Boundary Editing in Section >
Subtract Fill from Boundary, or Add Fill to Boundary. The
Curtain Wall Boundary is modified accordingly.
See also “Adding and Subtracting Polygonal Shapes” on page 127.

Add Additional Curtain Wall Boundary

A single Curtain Wall can include several Boundaries. The advantage
is that you can create several separate shapes or sections within a
single Curtain Wall, yet use an identical Scheme for all of them.
In our example, we wish to place a Curtain Wall on the south facade
of this building: a single Curtain Wall, using uniform Scheme Settings,
but in two separate parts.

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4) Now start drawing a new Boundary. You are drawing on the Base
Surface of the currently edited Curtain Wall.
Note: Because the Base Surface of any Curtain Wall can be
infinite in one or more directions, you always have “space” to
draw any number of new Boundaries while still working on the
same single original Curtain Wall.
See “Base Surface” on page 268.

1) Draw a straight Curtain Wall on one of the surfaces using the

usual methods.

5) Complete the new Boundary.

6) View the result, with the Scheme displayed. Note that the
Scheme has been extended to accommodate the new Boundary.
2) Select the Curtain Wall and go into Edit mode. Make sure that
the Environment display option is switched On.
3) Select the Scheme tool and the Boundary Input method.

Now click on the desired Curtain Wall segment in which you wish to
draw. (This is relevant for Chained Curtain Walls, which have multiple
segments. In our example, there is only one Curtain Wall segment,
but you must click anyway.)

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7) Try editing a selected Grid line, or edit the Panel pattern. Note that The result:
both “parts” of the Curtain Wall are handled in sync, because they
are built upon a single Base Surface and a single Scheme.

Edit Curtain Wall Reference Line

To edit the Curtain Wall Reference Line, select the Curtain Wall and
enter Curtain Wall Edit mode.
Since the Reference Line is part of the Scheme, make sure that
Scheme visibility in Edit mode is switched to On.
Press Shift and move the cursor
to pre-select the Scheme.
Notice in our example that the
Curtain Wall Frames
Reference line is at the bottom
and offset from the Curtain Wall. About Curtain Wall Frames
Click the Reference Line to When ArchiCAD creates the Curtain Wall, it will place Frames at
select it. predefined locations.
Click to bring up the Pet Palette, You can define three types (“classes”) of Frames for any Curtain Wall:
with its line editing commands. Boundary Frame; Mullion Frame; Transom Frame. The properties of
Edit the Reference Line as needed. the Boundary, Mullion and Transom Frame classes are defined in the
For information on editing lines, see respective dialog boxes of Curtain Wall Settings. If you change any
“Lines” on page 378 and “Curve/Straighten Element Edge” on page 134. property of the Boundary, Mullion or Transom classes for a selected
Curtain Wall, then every Frame in that class will change to reflect
Editing the Reference Line will change the shape of the Curtain Wall these changed settings.
Base Surface. (Grid lines, Boundary, Panels and Frames will be
modified accordingly.) See “Curtain Wall Settings: Frame Pages (Boundary, Mullion, Transom)” in
ArchiCAD Help.
In our example, we
change our straight Frames are placed along the Grid when you create the Curtain Wall. If
Curtain Wall to a you move or delete a gridline, you move or delete the Frame. (In
curved one by editing Curtain Wall Edit mode, you can place additional Frames
the Reference Line: independent of the Grid.)
In a multi-segment (Chained) Curtain Wall, a Frame is always placed
at the place where two adjacent segments are joined. Such a Frame
cannot be deleted.
Boundary Frames are placed along the Curtain Wall Boundary.
Mullion and Transom Frames are placed along either the Primary
or Secondary gridlines.
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To define which gridlines (Primary or Secondary) the Mullion Frame
should follow, use the control in Curtain Wall System Settings:
Member Placement panel:
The Transom Frames will follow the other gridlines (in this case, the
Secondary Gridlines.)
For example, in this image, the Frames in
the Boundary class are red; the Frames in
the Mullion class (coinciding with the
Primary Gridlines) are blue; and the
Frames in the Transom class (coinciding
with the Secondary Gridlines) are green.
The Frames in each class are linked to
the settings for each class, defined in
Curtain Wall Settings. This allows you to
use Frame sets with varying
specifications appropriate Frames’
positions in the structure. Frame class
properties can be changed all at once,
using the Frame class settings pages. In
addition, when in Curtain Wall Edit
mode, you can reassign selected Frames to take on the properties of a
different class, or you can define custom properties for any number
of selected individual Frames.
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Thus, to modify all the Boundary Frames in the Curtain Wall at once,
just select the Curtain Wall, open the Boundary Frames page of
Curtain Wall Settings, and make any adjustments. Once you click OK
to leave the dialog box, all Frames belonging to the Boundary class
will be modified accordingly.
To determine whether a given Frame belongs to one of the Frame
classes or is a Custom Frame, open the Curtain Wall in Edit mode,
select the Frame in question, open Frame Settings, and view the
dropdown at the top of the dialog box:
Frame Types
Choose the Frame Type in the “Frame Type and Geometry” panel of
Curtain Wall Settings. Depending on the required level of detail,
choose an industry-standard parametric GDL Frame, or a simplified
built-in Frame prototype with rectangular cross-section.
The Invisible Frame exists as an object, but it is not visible. Use this
Frame if you want two neighboring panels to remain two distinct
panels without displaying a Frame between them.
Invisible Frames are also appropriate when you don't want to burden
the model with the Frame details, or when other structures (e.g.
junctions) are used to support the panel connections. A seamless
panel surface can be achieved if Frames are deleted from gridlines.
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Generic Frame: This is the most common type of Frame. A built-in

rectangular Frame type, with a rectangular profile. From the outside
of the wall, a "cap" is visible.
Butt-Glazed: A built-in rectangular profile, used for inner support of
a butt-glazed Curtain Wall surface. The panels will connect to each
other in the front of a butt-glazed Frame, so the Frame will not be
visible on that side (unless the panels are transparent or a gap is
specified.)

Customize an Individual Frame

When a Frame is selected in Edit mode, you can
• Open Frame Selection Settings and change them
• Drag, Mirror, Rotate or Multiply the Frame
• Delete the Frame
Note: Deleting a Frame is only possible if the two panels on Click OK to leave the dialog box and apply changes to the selected
either side of the Frame are both in the same plane. If the panels Frame(s).
are not in the same plane, you must first delete the gridline which
runs between them. On a non-planar Curtain Wall surface, For details on this dialog box, see “Curtain Wall Settings: Frame Pages
deleting the gridline modifies the Curtain Wall geometry so that (Boundary, Mullion, Transom)” in ArchiCAD Help.
the panels are now in the same plane, and the Frame is deleted
along with the gridline. Add New Frame to Curtain Wall
Set the visibility to make your work easier (for example, turn off the You can add an additional Frame to an existing Curtain Wall. Such a
visibility of everything except for Frames.) Frame can be independent of the Grid, but the new Frame must be
drawn so that its endpoints coincide with existing Frames.
Select the Frame(s) you want to edit.
To add an additional Frame, enter Curtain Wall Edit mode.
See also “Multiselection of Panels and Frames” on page 288.
Activate the Frame Tool. Use the Info Box to define the Frame type
Click the Frame tool to enter Frame Selection Settings. and the Frame class whose parameters it should use (e.g. Mullion).
Make the needed changes. Note that as soon as you make any
changes in this dialog box, the “Class” field at the top changes to
“Custom Frame.” This means you have broken the link between the
selected Frame(s) and the class to which it earlier belonged.
If you want the new Frame to use Custom parameters, open the
Frame Settings page and adjust the parameters as needed. The Info
Box will now reflect that the Frame Settings are Custom.

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Now draw a new Frame on the Curtain Wall in Edit mode. Copy Cell Pattern
To copy the Frame pattern of any cell in the grid to another cell, first
make sure you are in Curtain Wall Edit mode, with the Frames visible.
Then issue the Design > Curtain Wall > Copy Cell Pattern command.
Next, click in the cell whose Frame
pattern you wish to copy.
Finally, click in the cell to which to
copy the Frame pattern. The Frame
pattern is duplicated.
If you draw the Frame on a Grid line, then that Frame will be
attached to the Grid line. Moving the Grid will move the Frame.
If you draw a new Frame that crosses an existing Grid line, the Frame
will be segmented automatically where it crosses the Grid line.
To select the entire continuous line of the new Frame (not just one
segmented Frame at a time), use the grip to select new Frame
segments that fall into the same line:

Frame Intersections
When two Frames meet in a Curtain Wall, the Frame with the higher
priority will cut the other one.
Frame Priorities are predefined for each Frame class in Curtain Wall
Settings.
• Boundary Frames: Intersection level 15
• Mullion Frames: Intersection level 10
• Transom Frames: Intersection level 5
If you draw a pattern of additional Frames within a given cell of the
grid pattern, you can easily copy those Frames to any other cell: see
Copy Cell Pattern in the next section.

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View the results:

These values are not editable at the level of Frame classes. The slider
shows the intersection levels of the built-in Frames (left to right:
Transom - 5; Mullion - 10; Boundary - 15).
However, you can change the intersection priority of any single
selected Frame. In Curtain Wall Edit mode, select the Frame whose
intersection priority you want to change. Go to Frame Selection
Settings and adjust the slider to the desired level. Changing the
Frame’s intersection level - as when changing any other Frame Curtain Wall Panels
parameter - will result in a Custom Frame.
Panels are the flat surfaces - generally glazed - of the Curtain Wall.
Panels are automatically placed between Frames and onto the Base
Surface. When creating a Curtain Wall, you can define the parameters
for two predefined classes of panels in Curtain Wall Scheme
Settings.
Create Common Frame for Adjacent Curtain Walls The Curtain Wall’s two predefined classes of Panels are called Main
If two adjacent Curtain Walls’ Frames coincide and overlap, use this and Distinct. To define the arrangement of the different classes of
command to clean up the join. (One of the two overlapping Frames panels within your Curtain Wall, toggle them by clicking the panel
will be transformed into a corner-like Frame, and the other will be pattern in the Preview window of the Curtain Wall Scheme Settings
transformed into an Invisible Frame.) dialog box: click any panel to switch its class from Main (white) to
Distinct (grey) or vice-versa.
Select both Curtain Walls and use Design > Curtain Wall > Create
Common Frames.

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Click the Panel tool to enter Panel Selection Settings.

Make the needed changes. Note that as soon as you make any
changes in this dialog box, the “Class” field at the top changes to
“Custom Panel.” This means you have broken the link between the
selected Panel(s) and the class to which it earlier belonged.

See “Curtain Wall Settings: Scheme Page” in ArchiCAD Help.

The properties of the Main and Distinct classes of panels (type,
material, width) are defined in the respective dialog boxes of Curtain
Wall Settings. If you change any property of the Main or Distinct
Panel classes for a selected Curtain Wall, then every panel in that class
Click OK to leave the dialog box and apply changes to the selected
will change to reflect these changed settings.
Panel(s).
See “Curtain Wall Settings: Panel Settings (Main, Distinct)” in ArchiCAD For details on this dialog box, see “Curtain Wall Settings: Panel Settings (Main,
Help. Distinct)” in ArchiCAD Help
Most of your Curtain Wall panels will be “fixed” glazed surfaces.
However, you can insert object-type Panels which serve as Door or Place a Door- or Window-Type Panel
Window openings. You can place a GDL-based panel which behaves like a window or a
See “Place a Door- or Window-Type Panel” on page 300. door. Some of these are predefined in ArchiCAD 12 and are listed in
the Type pop-up list in the Panel Type and Geometry panel:
Customize an Individual Panel
When a Panel is selected in Edit mode, you can
• Open Panel Selection Settings and change them
• Delete the Panel
• Edit its parameters
Select the Panel(s) you want to edit.
See also “Multiselection of Panels and Frames” on page 288.

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For example, suppose you have a

Curtain Wall like the following
one, and wish to place a
door-type panel into it:
Select the Curtain Wall and go
into Edit mode.
Now select the existing panels
that you want to replace with a
door-type panel. (Only
rectangular panels will work.)

Then select the unneeded Frame which divides the two panels.
Delete this Frame. Turn the
panel display back on (click the
eye icon back open next to
“Panel” in the list controlling
Edit mode display) and notice
that the two panels selected
earlier have been merged into a
single panel. Now select this
panel.

However, since you want to replace the two selected panels with just
one door panel, first “merge” the selected panels by deleting the
Frame between them. In the Info Box, select cw door 2 12 as the Object Type.
To delete the Frame, turn off the panel display so that you can see the
Frames better.

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The selected panel is now replaced with a door-type panel, which you
can open and close like other GDL doors. This newly placed panel is
in neither the Main nor Distinct class; it is “custom.”
Note that this door-type Panel object has an editable parameter
called “Top Direction.” This lets you redefine the “top” of the
door by 90 degree increments in case you later free-rotate the
Curtain Wall and the “top” of the door changes its position.
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Curtain Wall Junctions
About Junctions
A Curtain Wall Junction is an optional structure that serves to
connect panels to each other in order to support or (more often) to
substitute for Frames, resulting in a seamless, more lightweight
structure than the traditional Framework. Junctions can only be
placed at either or both ends of gridlines.
In ArchiCAD, a Junction is a GDL object. Its geometry and display
attributes are all determined by their GDL parameters, which you can
find in the parameter list of the Junction Type tab page.
Additionally, placed Junctions can be flipped to the opposite side of
the Curtain Wall, and set up with a custom ID for listing and labeling.
Placement of Junctions
In ArchiCAD, Junctions can be placed either one by one or
automatically at every intersection. Choose either of these options in
the Member Placement Panel of the Curtain Wall System page.
See “Curtain Wall Settings: System Page: Member Placement Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
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When you choose At all Gridpoints, Junctions will be placed at every Junctions unnecessary and difficult to position. For this reason, when
grid point at creation of the Curtain Wall. Automatically placed you need to substitute a Frame with a Junction, first select Frames at a
junctions are linked to the settings defined in the Junctions page of desired panel connection point and switch them to “Invisible” type.
Curtain Wall Settings. (Use the Frame Type and Geometry panel of Frame Settings.)
See “Curtain Wall Settings: Junctions” in ArchiCAD Help.
Otherwise, the One by one option is applied: this means that no
Junctions will be placed automatically, but you can place them one by
one manually, using the Junction Tool and Junction Tool Settings
available in Curtain Wall Edit mode.
Manually placed Junctions can be configured individually with custom
properties in Junction Tool Settings, or else you can apply
System-level Junction settings (from the Junction page of Curtain Now click the hotspot in the middle of the connection.
Wall Settings) by setting their Class as System Junctions.
Junctions are placed on the inside of the Curtain Wall by default.
To determine whether a given Junction belongs to the System or is a
Custom Junction, open the Curtain Wall in Edit mode, select the
Junction in question, open Junction Settings, and view the dropdown
at the top of the dialog box:

Add New Junction to the Curtain Wall

To add an additional Junction to an existing Curtain Wall, enter
Curtain Wall Edit mode.
Activate the Junction Tool. If you want the new Junction to use
Custom parameters, open the Junction Settings page and adjust the
parameters as needed. The Info Box will now show that the Junction
Settings are Custom.
Junctions can only be placed at either or both ends of gridlines. Usually,
you will place a Junction to substitute for a Frame. However, in
ArchiCAD, panels can only connect at Frames. If there is no Frame, the
Panels will “melt” together to form a seamless surface, making
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Click to define which side of the curtain wall you want to place the
Junction. It will be placed at the nearest panel connection point to
your click.
Moving the Gridlines (and hence moving the visible or invisible
Frames) will also move the Junction. Only one Junction can be added
to each Frame gridpoint.
Customize an Individual Junction
When a Junction is selected in Edit mode, you can
• Open Junction Selection Settings and change them
• Drag the Junction to another panel connection point.
• Delete the Junction
• Flip the Junction to the opposite side of the Curtain Wall (use the
Flip button in Junction Tool Settings or Info Box):
Set the visibility to make your work easier (for example, turn off the
visibility of everything except for Junctions, Frames, and the Scheme).
Select the Junction(s) you want to edit.
Click the Junction tool to enter Junction Selection Settings.
Make the needed changes. Note that as soon as you make any
changes in this dialog box, the “Class” field at the top changes to
“Custom Junction.” This means you have broken the link between
the selected Junction(s) and the settings of the Curtain Wall.
Click OK to leave the dialog box and apply changes to the selected
Junction(s).
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Curtain Wall Accessories
A Curtain Wall Accessory is an optional non-load-bearing member -
such as a sun shade, a decoration strip or a canopy - attached to the
Curtain Wall at any Frames.
Accessory Placement
In ArchiCAD, accessories can be placed one by one, in Curtain Wall
Edit mode only, using the Accessory Tool. (There is no automatic
Accessory Placement method.) An Accessory can be configured in
Edit mode with custom properties, but you can also set Accessories
to use the System-level Accessory settings from Curtain Wall Settings.
See “Curtain Wall Settings: Accessory Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
To determine whether a given Accessory belongs to the System or is a
Custom Accessory, open the Curtain Wall in Edit mode, select the
Accessory in question, open Accessory Settings, and view the
dropdown at the top of the dialog box:
In ArchiCAD, an Accessory is a GDL object. Its geometry and
display attributes are all determined by its GDL parameters, which
you can find in the parameter list of the Accessory Type tab page.
An Accessory’s orientation upon placement is determined by the
Frames.
Add New Accessory to the Curtain Wall
To add an additional Accessory to an existing Curtain Wall, enter
Curtain Wall Edit mode.
Activate the Accessory Tool.
Use the Info Box to define the Accessory type and set Class to decide
whether the newly placed Accessory's properties should be linked to
the corresponding page of the Curtain Wall Settings (System
Accessory), or not (Custom).
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If you want the new Accessory to use Custom parameters, open the
Accessory Settings page and adjust the parameters as needed. The
Info Box will now reflect that the Accessory Settings are Custom.
Now place a new Accessory in Edit mode.
Click on a Frame or a Frame endpoint - the endpoint closest to your
click will be used as start of the Accessory.
Drag the cursor and click to determine the endpoint of the Accessory.
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Click with the eyeball cursor to determine the direction of the
Accessory: outside or inside the Curtain Wall.
Moving Gridlines or Frames will move the Accessory along with them.
Customize an Individual Accessory
When an Accessory is selected in Edit mode, you can
• Open Accessory Selection Settings and change them
• Drag the Accessory onto another Frame.
• Flip the Accessory to the opposite side of the Curtain Wall (Use
the “Flip” button in Accessory Tool Settings or the Info Box.)
• Delete the Accessory
Set the visibility to make your work easier (for example, turn off the
visibility of everything except for Accessories, Frames and the Scheme.)
Select the Accessory(s) you want to edit.
Click the Accessory tool to enter Accessory Selection Settings.
See “Curtain Wall Settings: Accessory Settings” in ArchiCAD Help
Make the needed changes. Note that as soon as you make any
changes in this dialog box, the “Class” field at the top changes to
“Custom Accessory.” This means you have broken the link between
the selected Accessory(s) and the settings of the Curtain Wall.
Click OK to leave the dialog box and apply changes to the selected
Accessory(s).
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Curtain Walls and Other Elements
Connect Wall to Curtain Wall
A Curtain Wall may be connected to one or more walls. Once
connected, the wall is trimmed to the Curtain Wall. If you move or
free-rotate the Curtain Wall, then the connected wall will stretch
accordingly.
Connecting a Curtain Wall to a wall can be helpful in adjusting wall
geometry to a slanted Curtain Wall.
See “Connect Wall to Curtain Wall” on page 306.
To connect a wall to a Curtain Wall, select the wall(s) and the Curtain
Wall. (You may select any number of walls, but only a single Curtain
Wall.)
Use the Connect wall... command from the window’s context menu,
or the Design > Curtain Wall > Connect wall command.
The Connect Wall to Curtain Wall dialog box appears. Each time
you connect one or more walls to the selected Curtain Wall, use this
dialog box to specify the exact connection point of the wall(s) to the
Curtain Wall.
The Outside value: this defines the point at which walls coming from
the “Outside” direction of the Curtain Wall will connect to this
Curtain Wall.
The Inside value: this defines the point at which walls coming from
the “Inside” direction of the Curtain Wall will connect to this Curtain
Wall.
306
Both the Inside and Outside wall
connection points are expressed as
offsets from the Base Surface, as shown in
the “Connect Wall to Curtain Wall”
dialog box.
• The Default option is Curtain
Wall thickness. This is likely to
be your most frequent choice.
By default, these Inside and
Outside offset values total the Curtain Wall’s Nominal Thickness,
as defined in Curtain Wall System Settings Positioning Panel. In
our example, the Nominal Thickness is set to 400.
For the purposes of offsetting connecting walls from this Curtain
Wall, the “Inside” portion of this Nominal Thickness is equal to the
Panel offset from the Reference Surface (in our example, 250); the
“Outside” portion is what remains of the Nominal Thickness (in our
example, 150).
So, by default, Outside connecting walls will stop 150 mm from the
Curtain Wall’s Base Surface; Inside connecting walls will stop 250 mm
from the Curtain Wall’s Base Surface.
• If you want connecting walls to stop at points other than at the
Curtain Wall’s nominal thickness, then click Custom offset.
Then enter values for the offset from the Curtain Wall’s Base Surface
to the Outside and Inside wall connection points.
Click Connect.
The eyeball cursor appears: click to define which end of the wall you
want to connect to the Curtain Wall. As you move the cursor to either
end of the wall, a double-arrow appears on the wall, to indicate that
this is the end that will be connected if you click now.
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A wall connected to a Curtain Wall associates itself to the place at

which its connecting end intersects the Curtain Wall surface.
To redefine the offset for an already connected wall, connect it again.

Disconnect Walls from Curtain Walls

To eliminate the connections between walls and Curtain Walls, do one
of the following:
Select any Curtain Wall, any wall, or any combination of these
elements.
Curtain Walls and Adjacent Zones
Use the Design > Curtain Wall > Disconnect all Elements
command. All connections of the selected wall(s) and all connections Adjacent Zones extend up to the Curtain Wall’s Nominal Thickness,
of the selected Curtain Wall(s) are now broken. as defined in the Nominal Thickness field of Curtain Wall System
Settings (Positioning Panel).
To break a particular wall connection to a particular Curtain Wall: Select
the connected wall and select the Curtain Wall it is connected to.
Use the Design > Curtain Wall > Break Connection command.
The wall’s connection to the selected Curtain Wall is broken. (If the
wall is also connected to another Curtain Wall, which was not
selected, that connection will remain intact. The same is true for
Curtain Walls: it remains connected to any additional walls that were
not selected.)
To break the connection between a particular Curtain Wall and all the As with walls and columns, you have several options for defining how
walls it is connected to: to calculate Curtain Walls which are bounded by Zones or which
serve as a Zone boundary. Use the Relation to Zones pop-up in
Select the Curtain Wall, and do one of the following: Curtain Wall Settings (Listing and Labeling Panel) to define how to
• Use the Design > Curtain Wall > Disconnect All Elements calculate these Zones.
command; or For details, see “Curtain Wall Settings: System Page: Listing and Labeling
• Click the Undo Connections button in the Model panel of Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Curtain Wall System Settings.
To break the connection between a particular wall and all the Curtain
Split Intersecting Curtain Walls
Walls it is connected to: One way to precisely connect two Curtain Walls is to make them
intersect, then split off the “extra” parts, using the Design > Curtain
Select the wall, and do one of the following: Wall > Split Curtain Wall command.
• Use the Design > Curtain Wall > Disconnect All Elements This command works only for splitting one or more Curtain Walls
command; or with another Curtain Wall. It is available in any model window (but
• Click the Disconnect All Curtain Walls button in the Model not in Curtain Wall Edit mode). It is analogous to the Edit > Reshape
panel of Wall Settings. >Split command, which works on other ArchiCAD elements.

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In this example, the two Curtain Walls intersect on the Floor Plan. The curved Curtain Wall has been split into two separate Curtain
Walls.

Now you can delete the one you don’t need, and the remaining
Curtain Walls are joined exactly.
Repeat the process to split off, then delete the protruding part of the
Select the curved Curtain Wall. straight Curtain Wall.
Use Design > Curtain Wall > Split Curtain Wall, or the same
command from the context menu.

The result on the Floor Plan, and in 3D:

Click on the other Curtain Wall.

The eyeball cursor appears. Click either side of the curved Curtain
Wall to define which part will remain selected after the Split takes
place.
In such a case, the two adjoining Curtain Walls’ Frames may overlap.
To remedy this, create a common Frame for both of them.
See “Create Common Frame for Adjacent Curtain Walls” on page 299.

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Example: Connect Slanted Curtain Wall to Side Walls The Connect Wall to Curtain
Wall dialog box appears.
In this example, we have a slanted Curtain Wall placed between two
straight walls, which overhang the Curtain Wall. The default connection values
assume that you want the walls
to connect at the Curtain Wall’s
nominal thickness.
See “Connect Wall to Curtain Wall”
on page 306.
So let’s try that: Leave the values
as they are and click Connect.
Then click with the eye cursor
at the near end of either of the
walls (this is the wall end to
which you want to connect the
Curtain Wall). (The temporary
double-arrow helps you
identify the correct wall end.)
To trim the walls to the Curtain Wall so that the wall ends are parallel The wall connection takes
to the Curtain Wall, , we will use the Connect Wall command. place. The walls are trimmed
Select the Curtain Wall and the two walls to connect it to. along the inside of the Curtain
Wall, at the default location (in
Use the Design > Curtain Wall > Connect Curtain Wall our case, offset from the Base
command, or the same command from the context menu. Surface by 250 mm in the
“inside” direction.)

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View the connection point up close: the wall meets the inside of the Click Connect. View the result in 3D. Now
Curtain Wall at its nominal thickness: exactly where the Boundary the connecting wall is aligned with the
Frame begins. outside face of the Curtain Wall.
You may want a different geometry for this wall connection. Suppose
you want the wall to connect at the outside limit of the Curtain Wall.
You must re-do the Curtain Wall connection.
Select the walls and Curtain Wall again.
Use the Design > Curtain Wall > Connect wall command again to
bring up the Connect Wall to Curtain Wall dialog box, where you
can adjust the connection offset to a custom value:
Since the wall is coming from the inside of the Curtain Wall, it is the
Inside value which you will adjust:
Free-Rotate Curtain Wall
You can free-rotate a selected
Curtain Wall. It is easiest to select
the Curtain Wall in 3D and use the
Free Rotate command from the
pet palette. (The command is also
available from Design > Curtain
Wall > Free Rotate.)
First click and drag the cursor to
define a line as the rotation axis.
Then click to define the point from
which you wish to begin rotating.

The “Inside” value measures the distance between the wall

connection point and the Base Surface, in the “inside” direction. If
you want the wall to go past the Base Surface, as in this situation, enter
a negative number. Here, we will use -50, so that the wall coming
from the inside will cross the Base Surface (at 0) and keep going
another 50 mm, stopping exactly at the Curtain Wall’s width thickness Click to complete.
on the far side (the outside).
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Attach Labels to Curtain Wall Members
There are two ways to attach labels to Curtain Wall Members.
1) Use the Label Tool’s “Member Label” type to create an
associative label for any clicked Curtain Wall Member, in a
Section-type window.
Use this method if you need labels on a few particular Curtain
Wall Members only.
See “Placing Member Labels on Curtain Walls” on page 419.
2) Use the Design > Curtain Wall > Label All Members
command.
Use this method if you need labels on all Members, or all of a
certain class of Members.
To use this command, select the Curtain Wall in the
Section/Elevation/IE window. Click Design > Curtain Wall >
Label All Members to bring up the all Members dialog box:
Check the boxes of all the Member types to which you would like to
attach a Label. The Labels will be associative; if you have defined a
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default content for any of the Member tools (e.g. Junction, Frame),
then these definitions will be used in the Label.
Click Label to place the labels.
Parametric Objects
About Parametric Objects
An integral part of the ArchiCAD design process is placing objects
into the plan. For example, Doors and Windows inserted into a wall
are objects, as are Stairs and Lamps. Markers, Labels and Zone
Stamps are also objects. Many of these objects are accessible when
using their dedicated tool. You can access many other items through
the Object tool, such trees and cars, office equipment and sanitary
ware.
Objects are parametric. This means that you can freely configure the
placed instance, using the Object Settings dialog box, or the dialog
boxes associated with the object-type tools, without actually
modifying the external file.
For more information, see “Object/Lamp Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
When you place an Object (as opposed to other elements in
ArchiCAD), you are placing an instance of an external file located in
an object library. ArchiCAD is shipped with a standard object library
containing hundreds of preconfigured, editable objects (also known
as GDL objects or Library parts). For the most part, you will use
ArchiCAD tools to place objects from this standard library.
Depending on their subtype, the tool that recognizes and places them
can be either the Object tool or a dedicated tool, for example the Stair
or Skylight tool.
If you open a Project and the
Library Loading Report palette
informs you that placed objects
are missing from the Active
Library, those items cannot be
displayed on the plan. (The
place of missing library parts is indicated by nondescript spots on the
plan.)
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You will find most of the objects you need for your project in the
ArchiCAD Library - the factory-shipped library of standard objects.
The objects are organized into folders and sub-folders to make it easy
to locate what you need. The ArchiCAD Library is comprehensive,
although localized versions of ArchiCAD libraries will contain special
objects which are localized for the standards of particular countries.
When you activate a tool that is dedicated to a particular Object
subtype (i.e. Stair, Door), the Settings Dialog box accesses only the
relevant part of the ArchiCAD Library. For example, activating the
Window Tool gives you access to all the Windows in the ArchiCAD
Library, but not Doors or Mechanical Objects.
See also “About GDL Object Subtypes” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Object Tool (chair icon) accesses a wide variety of objects that
are not part of a dedicated subtype. These objects are divided into
three main folders: Basic Library; Visualization Objects; and Add-On
Library, and several sub-folders. As you can see by the folder names, Double-click the splitter bar between the two panels to open/close
the Basic Library contains all kinds of Furnishings (Beds; Chairs; the browser area (or click the black arrow at the top of the splitter
bar). If you have stretched the dialog box horizontally, you can move
Office Equipment, etc.); Decorations (such as clocks and vases);
the splitter bar horizontally to rearrange the dialog box.
Health/Recreation items (such as a piano, a billiard table, a TV).
Additional folders contain Building Structures (such as fences and If you select an object (not a folder) in the browser area, its settings
moldings); Special Constructions (such as fireplaces and shutters); appear on the right-hand side of the dialog box.
Mechanical Elements (such as air conditioners and elevators); and 2D That object’s settings will remain in the right side of the dialog box
Elements (such as electric and graphic symbols.) even if you use the browser to look through library objects on the
left. To again return the browser to the status in which it shows
The Visualization folder contains Site improvements (e.g. trees) and currently selected object’s place in the library hierarchy, click the
objects depicting People and Vehicles. Show in library command, accessible by clicking the black arrow
next to the object name in the Preview and Positioning Panel.
Object Settings of Library Part
Elements
The Object Settings dialog boxes of Library Part type elements
consist of two parts:
The right-hand side of the dialog box contains settings panels.
On the left, the browser area allows you to locate single library parts
corresponding to the active tool in the loaded libraries, either by
browsing or by entering search terms to find a library part by name.

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In the Preview and Positioning Panel (as in the Info Box), simple
navigation controls allowing you to go the previous and next element
in the active library set without having to use the browser area.
As for all other GDL Object type element, the Custom Settings
panel is only active if the chosen object contains a user interface
script.
For descriptions of each control in this dialog box, see “Object/Lamp Tool
Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Where to Find Objects for Use in
ArchiCAD
• The standard ArchiCAD library, shipped as part of your
program, contains hundreds of predefined standard objects.
• Using ArchiCAD’s flexible Library Manager, you can load
additional libraries or individual library parts at any time.
Graphisoft publishes several specialized complementary libraries.
Consult your dealer for more information
For more information, see “Libraries” on page 41.
• On the Internet, you will find a growing number of websites
dedicated to GDL Objects, such as the Object Depository
(ArchiCAD-talk.graphisoft.com/object_depository.php) or
ObjectsOnLine (www.objectsonline.com). The Graphisoft website
(www.graphisoft.com) contains a directory of such locations. In
addition, the GDL Web Control Add-On
(www.graphisoft.com/products/ArchiCAD/object_technology/downloads)
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allows you to visualize GDL Objects in your web browser and
download them directly into your ArchiCAD Project.
• A number of third party programs or Add-Ons let you create or
edit GDL Objects. These objects contain GDL scripts as well as
other, application dependent data. Consult your dealer for
availability information.
• DXF libraries are widespread in the CAD world and cover
almost every area of engineering and design. Many manufacturers
offer symbols or models of their products in DXF format.
ArchiCAD can easily import these libraries.
• You can use existing elements within ArchiCAD to create and
save custom objects.
For more information, see “Graphic Creation of Custom Objects” on page 319.
• If you have very specific needs and no preconfigured library part
will do, ArchiCAD provides a unique solution with its
Geometric Description Language (GDL). Using this very
simple programming environment, you can potentially script any
building element in the form of library parts.
For more information, see “Scripting Custom Objects” on page 323.
• You can sculpt in other 3D applications. ArchiCAD can import
any 3D model you create, such as MaxonForm and those using
Zoom or Alias Wavefront. These applications are multipurpose
3D modelers allowing shapes of free geometry.
For more information, see the MaxonForm documentation in the Graphisoft
Documentation folder.
Locating a Library Part
Use the browser section of the Object Settings dialog box to locate
the library part you need. (This function is available in the Settings
dialog box of any object-type element: Window, Door, Skylight, etc.)
The Settings dialog boxes of Library Part type elements consist of
two parts:
• On the left, the browser area allows you to locate single library
parts corresponding to the active tool in the loaded libraries,
either by browsing or by entering search terms to find a library
part by name.
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Note: By clicking the down-arrow in the center column of the • Choose Subtype View to browse by object subtype.
settings dialog box, you can hide the browser area. This way, the For information about Subtypes, see “About GDL Object Subtypes” in
dialog box takes up less space. ArchiCAD Help.
• The right-hand side of the dialog box contains settings panels. You can unfold library or subtype folders by clicking the plus sign (or,
in MacOS, the arrow) next to their names in the browser panel.
• Choose the Find Library Parts option to locate library parts by
name using keywords in a search engine.
Find Library Part Search Engine
1) Enter a keyword in the text field.
Wildcard search characters may be used in the keyword field:
• Use “?” (question mark) to denote any one character
• Use “*” (asterisk) to denote any string of characters
Note: Library part names often include a number. You can use
these numbers as part of your keyword search.
2) Refine the search by choosing an option from the drop-down list:
Find all file names which:
• match keyword
If you select an element (not a folder) in the browser area, its settings
appear on the right-hand side of the dialog box. • contain keyword
A pop-up control in the top left corner of the • begin with keyword
settings dialog box allows you to arrange the browser • end with keyword
area panels vertically or horizontally.
3) Choose a library or set of libraries in the Search in list.
Three buttons representing different icon sizes allow you
to display the contents of the browsed folder as large icons, as small For example, if you want to find
icons or as a plain alphabetical list that always shows the full names of the set of available bottom hung
the elements. windows, just type in the phrase
“bottom hung” into the Keyword
The browser area includes the libraries loaded with ArchiCAD. field.
In the Object Settings dialog box, use 4) Press the Find button or Enter
the drop-down list to choose a way to to execute the search.
look for a particular library part:
5) View search results.
• Choose Folder View to browse
by library folder.

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In our example, the following
bottom hung windows will be
displayed:
Search results are displayed in the
Library Parts found window.
Choose a format icon to
arrange search results in one of
three formats as described for the
browser area.
Click on any library part icon in the Library Parts found window to
view or edit its object settings at right. The library part’s file path, in
both its Library Folder and its subtype folder, are indicated at the
bottom of the window. If you switch back to Folder or Subtype view
after completing a search and selecting/editing an object, the same
object will remain selected in those views.
Placing an Object
Typically, you will follow these steps when placing an object:
1) Select the corresponding tool in the Toolbox and open its
settings dialog box by double-clicking the tool’s icon.
2) Browse for the appropriate element in the available library
folders.
3) Adjust the default settings default to suit your particular situation
or purpose. The external file is not affected in any way by the
changes you make in the Object (Lamp, Door, etc.) Settings
dialog box.
4) Click at the desired location and place the customized instance of
the object.
Placement Anchor
The primary hotspot (object’s placement anchor) can be defined on
the Preview and Positioning panel of the Object Settings dialog box.
Before placing the Object or Lamp, make sure that you have selected
the appropriate hotspot to serve as the anchor.
For more information, see “Object/Lamp Preview and Positioning Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
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Placement Aids
When the Object or Lamp tool is active and
you place your cursor inside a construction
window, the ghost bounding box of the
element is shown and it follows the
movements of the cursor. This also allows
you to check the active hotspot used for
positioning the Object or Lamp. You can switch this ghost box
feature off in Options > Work Environment > More Options.
When positioning the Object or Lamp, you can use numerical input,
gravitation, mouse constraints or the grids. This allows you to fit
fixtures or furniture to corners, specific positions, or to each other
with great accuracy.
Geometry Methods
Four geometry methods are available in the Info Box for placing
Object and Lamp type Library Parts.
• The Orthogonal method automatically places Library Parts in
alignment with the normal grid lines unless you specify a rotation
angle in the Settings dialog box before placement.
• To place a Rotated Library Part, first define a reference point by
clicking any point Use the resulting rubberband line to place the
rotation vector. This rubberband line can be constrained using
any of the drafting modifiers or enabled Mouse Constraint
angles.
• The Diagonal input method works like the rectangle geometry
method used for polygonal elements.
• The Rotated diagonal input method works like the rotated
rectangle method used for walls, slabs, etc.
The last two methods let you define the A and B parameters of the
Object or Lamp graphically. (For most objects, these parameters
represent the Length and Width of the object on the Floor Plan.)
Note that they are only available if the GDL Object can be freely
stretched; some Objects may have fixed or proportionally set
dimension parameters.
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The result of this technique also depends on the primary hotspot and side, front and/or rear views for Sections/Elevations. A switch in
(anchor). As a rule of thumb, if a hotspot at the corner of the object is the Parameter list allows you to choose between them.
selected, you can define both the A and B parameters graphically. If The counterparts of these elements in the Visualization folder are full
the hotspot is along a side of the object, you can only define one of 3D representations meant to appear in the 3D Window and especially
the parameters graphically and the other parameter will be taken from in PhotoRendered pictures. The Visualization folder also contains a
the Settings dialog box. When choosing a hotspot within the couple of Picture elements used for texture mapping. They are
bounding box of the symbol, none of the parameters can be set displayed as simple fills in shaded views and only appear in
graphically and the element will be placed as if using the simple photo-renderings. If you place and activate a Camera, the picture will
orthogonal or rotated methods. always face this camera to avoid distortion.
View-Dependent Display of Objects
You can place Objects in both the Floor Plan and the 3D Window. It
Selecting a Placed Object
is also possible to place the 2D Symbol of Objects in a Unlike with walls or other elements constructed on the fly, the cursor
Section/Elevation/IE or a Detail Drawing window. Note that many can only snap to predefined hotspots of the object symbol. Objects
2D only elements have specific 2D Symbols for use in Floor Plan and can be placed, selected, and fitted to other elements by these
Elevation view. hotspots. (You can also quick-select an object by clicking in its area,
provided that Quick Selection is enabled in the Arrow Tool’s Info
Many objects can have a different appearance in 2D and 3D views. In
Box.)
Floor Plan view, the degree of detail is scale-sensitive and depends on
the setting in Document > Floor Plan Scale.
Choose the appropriate view in the Preview and Positioning panel Stretching Objects
before placing the Object. Some complex elements may take a long Objects, including Doors and Windows, can be stretched by their
time to display in fully detailed 3D. A good example for this is realistic hotspots, provided that they have been appropriately defined, that is,
trees and other plants that consist of a very large number of polygons. on the nodes and edges of their 2D Symbol. Other hotspots cannot
In the default ArchiCAD Library, you can find different be used for stretching/shrinking.
representations for the same type of Object according to usage.
To check this, select the Object to display its hotspots.
In the Object Settings Floor Plan and Section panel, the “Show on
Story” control (where available) lets you control the stories on which
objects will be displayed: on its home story only, or in outline form
on other stories as well.
For more information, see “Control Element Display by Story (Show On
Stories)” on page 162.
Plants, People and Vehicles can be found both in the 2D Elements
and the Visualization folders. The People and Plants in the 2D
Elements folder are shown in elevation view and are meant to be
placed in Section/Elevation/IE windows. Using these simple
representations saves time. Vehicles are also 2D only elements, but
they have two or more representations, a top view for the Floor Plan
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You can either use the Stretch command or the pet palette’s
appropriate icon to stretch/shrink the Object by a node or an edge.

Note that you stretch the A and B parameters of the symbol, and not
of its bounding box. Using parametric 2D scripts, you can easily
create objects whose symbol size will not match the A and B
parameters. If you make such a symbol, make sure that you define
hotspots at the corner of an A*B sized rectangle. These will enable
you to stretch that symbol.
See also “Graphical Editing Using Editable Hotspots” on page 318.
You will notice that some parameters interact with each other.
In the example of the elliptical table, you cannot change the number
of its legs, which will always be 4. The Leg Number parameter field
is greyed.
On the other hand, if the table is round, the Leg Number parameter
becomes active, and you can choose to have a table with one, three or
four legs.

Customizing Object Parameters

One common characteristic of Object Type tools (Door, Window, The number of legs can have an effect on the available leg types.
Object, Wall End, Skylight, Lamp and Stair) is that their Settings These can either be set with a pop-up in the Parameter list, or picked
dialog box includes a Parameters panel. You can customize many from the Custom Settings panel of the object.
parameters in the settings dialog box before placing the Object.
Placed Objects can also be selected and their parameters modified.
For information on transferring modified parameters from one object to another,
see “Parameter Transfer Between Objects” on page 318.
Any Object’s basic parameters are its Length and Width dimensions,
called A and B in the parameter list. For example, if you set different
values for A and B for a Round Table, you will get an elliptic table. While most of the parameter changes are most spectacular in the 3D
You can customize other dimension parameters. In the case of the view of the GDL Object, there are some special cases which affect
table, these include the overall height, the thickness of the table top, the plan view only.
or the height or thickness of the frame below the table top.
The Minimal Space checkbox (included with many Objects from
the default ArchiCAD Library) adds a hatching to the element’s Plan
Symbol. This represents the area that you want to keep free.

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Even the smaller details of Objects can be customized. For example
the W1 Casement window element, you can experiment with different
internal division numbers.
Parameter Transfer Between Objects
If you edit an object’s parameters in the Parameters panel - for
example, changing the width and height of a window opening - those
modifications will be in effect when you press OK to close the dialog
box. Then you can place the object with its modified parameters.
Once you select a different object - for example, changing from a
Casement Window to a Sliding Window - any parameter changes you
made to the Casement Window will be lost, and that window’s
settings will return to their default values. However, there is a way to
transfer your parameter changes to a newly selected object: when you
switch to a different library part, press Ctrl+Alt (MacOS: Cmd+Opt)
while clicking on the new object.
318
The cursor will change to a syringe shape, indicating that the current
object’s parameters will be transferred to the identical parameters of
the newly activated object.
Graphical Editing Using Editable
Hotspots
Depending on their programming, GDL Objects can have smart
editable hotspots (selection dots). You can recognize an editable
GDL hotspot by its diamond shape. If you select such an object, click
an editable hotspot and choose the stretch or Move Node icon in the
pet palette (whichever is appropriate). Clicking an editable GDL
hotspot produces the Tracker displaying the editable parameter. Click
Tab to enter a value for the GDL parameter.
The color of editable GDL hotspots can be set in Options > Work
Environment > Selection and Element information.
The diamond-shaped hotspot serves to alert you that in addition to
graphical editing, direct numerical editing through the Tracker (for
example, setting a window’s sash-opening width by typing it in) is also
available through that hotspot (provided that the applicable pet
palette option has been selected). In the image below, the Tracker
pops up showing the “Sash Opening Width” parameter if the Stretch
icon is chosen from the pet palette.
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The diamond-shaped hotspot If you check the Place Patch Now checkbox, you can place the
and associated editing palette is created element immediately after it has been saved.
also available in the 3D window. Note: Objects created this way will be enhanced with parametric
In the image below, you must behavior, specified by a special template in the ArchiCAD
choose Move Node from the pet Library. If this template is missing from the loaded libraries you
palette to activate the Sash will still be able to save patches, but they will be plain stickers
Opening Width parameter. with no special intelligence. If ArchiCAD fails to locate the Patch
Note: The diamond-shaped Template, it will notify you, and you will have the option to
hotspot appears only for editing options that produce a specific either proceed or cancel the operation.
parameter editing possibility in the Tracker. No other type of
function is necessarily associated with this type of hotspot.

Create Patch Object

With the Document > Document Extras > Create Patch
command, you can save the area enclosed by the 2D Marquee as a
parametric 2D Library element. You can later use this to “sticker”
your plans in order to provide the necessary detail in Floor Plan and
Section views while saving time on modeling.
To create a Patch, define a marquee area in the plan window, then
select Document > Document Extras > Create Patch. The dialog
box that appears will let you specify the location and name of the
created element.

Graphic Creation of Custom Objects

If you cannot find the library part you need, you can create your own
GDL object. You need not do any programming; a few techniques
using familiar ArchiCAD tools lets you draw and save a customized
object easily, using elements as custom building blocks (regardless of
their originally intended purpose).

Tracery of a Gothic window modeled with slabs and roofs

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Saving Library Parts from the Project File

2D drawings and 3D models
made on the project file with
ArchiCAD tools can be saved as
library parts. ArchiCAD users • Place it with the Object tool. Note that the created object is
don’t need to have any GDL stretchable, but will be distorted after stretching since it was not
knowledge to make such scripted using parametrics.
elements. Objects generated
• If you want to make further modifications to the object, select
with this method can be stored
in “Editable GDL Script” or in and open it with the File > Libraries and Objects > Open
“Non-editable binary 3D data” object command.
format.
Users can modify the scripts of
editable objects and they can even add new functions or parameters
to them by GDL scripting. Each ArchiCAD tool has an equivalent
GDL command that will be used in the 2D and the 3D scripts of the
generated object.
Project files can be saved as objects, doors or windows. Consequently
the generated library parts will be available from the Object, Door or
Window setting dialogs.
See the next two sections for details on how to save library parts: “Saving 2D
Symbols as Library Parts” on page 320; and “Saving 3D Models as Objects” on
page 320.

Saving 2D Symbols as Library Parts

• Draw the desired 2D symbol in the project using 2D tools (line, Saving 3D Models as Objects
text, fill etc.). Try to draw it close to the origin of the coordinate Create the desired 3D model within the
system if possible. project using ArchiCAD construction
• Put hotspots on each point where you want the cursor to find the tools (slab, wall, mesh, roof etc.). For
object. example, you can create a table whose
• Select the desired drawing elements. tabletop is made from a slab and legs are
made with the column tool. Try to draw
• Save the object with the File > Libraries and Objects > Save it close to the origin of the coordinate
Selection as command. You have to specify a name and a path system if possible.
for the generated library part.
• Select the desired model elements
(Use the Go to Library control as a quick way to identify the and open the 3D window.
library to which you want to save the object. If no object libraries
are loaded, this control is empty.)
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• In the View > 3D View Mode > 3D Projection Settings • Place the library part with the
dialog box, set the 3D view so that it will be the top view of the Object tool. Note that the created
generated library part. ArchiCAD will automatically rotate the object is stretchable, but will be
library part according to this setting. If your model is standing on distorted after stretching since it was
the plan (as in the illustration of the table), use the following not scripted parametric.
settings: top view, azimuth=270°. If your model is lying on its • If you want to make further
side (see the chair object below) set the following: side view, modifications on the object, select
azimuth=90°. and open it with the File >
• If you do not want to show all the lines of the model in the 2D Libraries and Objects > Open
symbol, select the hidden line or the shading representation. object command.

• Save the object with the File > Libraries and Objects > Save
3D Model as command. You have to specify a name and a path
for the created library part.
• In the Save as Library Part dialog which appears, set the desired
save options. Select the Save as Object option. If you do not
want to include the redundant lines in the 2D symbol, check the Saving Rectangular Doors and Windows
Remove redundant lines from symbol option. If you want to
make further modifications on the library part, select the from the Project File
Editable GDL Script format.
• Create the desired 3D model of the door or window in the
project using ArchiCAD construction tools (slab, wall, mesh,
roof etc.). The model must be lying at the zero level. The bottom
surface of it (at the zero level) will be the exterior side of the
window or the door. ArchiCAD will automatically rotate the

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generated object with 90° and create a rectangular hole around it Saving Custom Shape Doors and Windows
in the wall. For example, the bottom of the slab (at the zero level)
will become the outside surface of the window frame that fits to from the Project File
the exterior of the wall, and the thickness of the slab represents
the frame. This method is very similar to the one used for saving rectangular
doors and windows; the only difference is at the first step when you
For more information, see the “Doors and Windows” section of the GDL define the model on the plan:
Reference Guide (a PDF document in the ArchiCAD > Documentation folder
or in the ArchiCAD Help menu). • Create the 3D model of your custom shape window or door on
the floor plan as described at the previous section.
• Select the desired model elements and open the 3D window. You
• Place a slab or a roof that has a contour of the desired wall hole
can use any 3D projection settings.
or wall niche.
• Save the object with the File > Libraries and Objects > Save
• Select this slab or roof and open its settings dialog.
3D Model as command. You have to specify a name and a path
for the created library part. • Go to the Listing a Labeling panel and change the ID field to
Wallhole if you want to make a hole and Wallniche if you want
• In the Save as Library Part dialog box which appears, you can
to make a niche in the wall.
set the desired save options. Select the Save as Window or the
Save as Door option. If you do not want to include the
redundant lines in the 2D symbol check the Remove redundant
lines from symbol option. If you want to make further
modifications on the library part select the Editable GDL
Script format.
• Place it with the Window or the Door tool. Note that the created
object is stretchable, but will be distorted after stretching since it
was not scripted parametrically.
• If you want to make further modifications on the object, select
and open it with the File > Libraries and Objects > Open
object command.

From this point follow the instructions given at the previous section.
You can create a custom shape hole in the wall from a slab or a roof
that has an ID of Wallhole or Wallniche. Slabs and roofs bearing
these IDs will not be displayed as door or window objects in 3D, but
rather as a hole or a niche in the wall. (Wallhole and Wallniche are
GDL commands used to create holes or niches in walls.)

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You can combine multiple slabs or roofs to create complex holes or
niches. Since you can define inclination angle for the roofs, you can
even cut non-perpendicular holes in walls.
Note: If you use a single slab as a wallhole or wallniche, make
sure that it falls above the zero level. (By default, the top of a slab
is at the zero level, which means it will not cut into the wall.)
For Further Information
“Introduction to Object Making”, written by leading GDL expert David
Nicholson-Cole and published by Graphisoft, provides an easy to follow
introduction into Library Part creation with and without GDL.
Scripting Custom Objects
If you want to go beyond all of the above possibilities, or if you need
Library Parts for which the shape can be controlled with
user-definable parameters, your next option is to use GDL and the
scripting environment offered by ArchiCAD.
When editing object parameters, you may wish to activate the Edit
GDL Library Parts toolbar (Window > Toolbars > Edit GDL
Library Parts) for quick access to frequently used commands. You can
add it to your ArchiCAD menu structure using the Work
Environment dialog box.
generated from the 3D script that takes into account the parameter
choices made by the user.
Scripting in GDL is not limited to geometry; you can create elements
with many useful attributes, including cost, availability, and texture.
For information on how ArchiCAD projects handle custom attributes of imported
GDL objects, see “Custom Attributes of GDL Objects” on page 40.
Some GDL Objects do not contain any geometric data. For example,
macros can be text-only files that other Objects can refer to, without
needing to include the same script in all of these Object files, while
Property Objects contain descriptive data only that is used to
calculate element quantities.
To modify an object already placed in your plan, select it, then choose
File > Libraries and Objects > Open Object. The GDL Object
Master Window appears.
To modify a GDL Object chosen from a library, choose File >
Libraries and Objects > Open Object and select the GDL Object
you wish to edit in the directory dialog box.

The creation of new Objects and the modification of existing ones is

handled in a single environment: the GDL Object Master Window.
In this window, you can add or edit the Parameters, Components,
Descriptors, Scripts and the 2D Symbol of the GDL Object.
For more information, see “GDL Master Window” in ArchiCAD Help.
Each GDL Object can include a scale-sensitive symbol representing it
in floor plan view, a set of parameters defining the possible variations
of the product family and a 3D script describing the complex To show only the elements of one of your loaded libraries in the
geometry of the element. The 3D view of the GDL Object is directory dialog box, click the arrow next to the Go to Library

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control and choose one of your current libraries. (If no object

libraries are loaded, this control is empty.)
Use the Files of type field to display GDL Objects by file format.
Select a file and click the Open button. The GDL Object Master
Window appears for that object.
To modify the opened object, use the editing controls of the GDL
Object Master Window. In this case, you will be working on the
external file itself, not on a placed instance, which means that the
changes you make to the external file will affect all of the placed
instances of the given GDL Object except parameter values.
Choosing Save when a GDL Object window is active will save the
Object; the Project remains unaffected.
1) Using ArchiCAD Construction Elements (such as
For Further Information Slabs), create the Door Panel on the Floor Plan.
The “GDL Reference Guide” (see its PDF version in the ArchiCAD > In case of Door/Window custom panels, what
Documentation folder or in the ArchiCAD Help menu) will help you learn to you draw in the X-Y plane of the Floor Plan
apply ArchiCAD’s powerful Geometric Description Language for Window will be ‘stood upright’ in the
dressing up your Project with objects, ornaments and other details of Window/Door library part (rotated 90 degrees
around the X axis – as described in the GDL
your own design.
Reference Guide). For other custom component
types, this condition does not apply.
Custom Components
In ArchiCAD, it is possible to save elements created on the Floor
Plan as GDL files, so that they become custom components of 2) Select the drawn
existing GDL Library Parts. For example, to create a customized door element(s) and choose
panel as a Custom Component, you can create a Slab which can then the File > Libraries and
be saved as a custom Door Panel. All Doors that use Door Panel Objects > Save Custom
types (which have such parameters in their Parameter List) will be Components command.
able to use this newly created custom Door Panel.
You can create custom components for all types of GDL elements
(Windows/Doors/Objects etc.) This enables you to expand the
number of options available in your libraries in case default options
do not meet your specific requirements.
Let us say you have a usual Door in your Library (“D1 12.gsm” in the
example) and you wish to create a new custom Door Panel for that
Door. Follow these steps:
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3) If you have no 6) The saved object will be loaded as part of available Libraries. It
elements selected, the will become available as a Custom Panel Type for Doors once
command will give you you have reloaded the library.
an alert to do so.
Note: If you have saved the Custom Component to the
ArchiCAD 12 library, you need not reload the library for the
4) A Dialog comes up object to become available.
where you can specify the type
of Custom Component you
want to save it to.
In addition to the Custom Door
Panel and Custom Window Panel
options, you might choose:
• Custom DW Hardw Component, for a custom door knob.
• Custom Object Component, for a custom door of a kitchen
cabinet.
• Custom CW Panel, for a custom panel inserted into a Curtain
Wall.
5) Then specify a Location and File Name for the newly created file.

Note that if you save it as a type other than Custom Door Panel,
the saved object will not be available here, but in its appropriate
location (defined by the type it was saved as).
7) In the Door Settings Dialog, set the Custom Panel Name
parameter to the desired value (if there is only one custom
component defined, the parameter will be automatically set to
that value). Set the Door Panel Style parameter to Custom Panel.
Then press OK to accept changes.

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Notes:
• Ι t does not matter where the element from which you create the
Custom Component is located spatially on the Floor Plan.
ArchiCAD will automatically place it to their appropriate location
in the library object.
• When applying the custom component, ArchiCAD will
automatically resize it, if necessary. For example, you may create a
Door Panel-type Custom Component that is 1000 by 2000 mm
in size. If you have a Door that is 800 by 2000 mm in size, with
its Trim Width 50 mm on all sides, the Door Panel will be resized
to 700 by 1950 mm. The program will stretch/shrink all parts of
the Door Panel Custom Component proportionately to fit this
size.
• You should set the attributes (Pen, Material etc.) values of the
Custom Component to the desired values prior to saving it. These
values will be applied to the component when it is actually used
later in the Project.

Dedicated Object Tools:

The newly created Door Panel is applied to your Door.
Doors, Windows, Skylights,
Wall Ends, Stairs
Doors/Windows
The handling and behavior of Windows and Doors are quite similar,
therefore they will be described together.
In ArchiCAD, Doors and Windows simulate the look and behavior of
real-life Windows and Doors. They are always placed into walls.

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Doors and Windows cut real, see-through openings into the wall, so
that 3D visualizations are more accurate and lifelike. However, glass
panes are represented as solid shapes, allowing opaque openings for
standard elevations. The glass material lets light in and you can look
through the Windows and glass Doors in PhotoRendered views.
The geometry of the Window or the Door is defined by the
information included in the Library Part. While some generic
elements allow a large amount of freedom in modifying the size and
shape of the Window or Door before or after placing it in the project,
more specific designs corresponding to real-life manufacturer catalog
items can only be placed as defined, with restricted variation
possibilities.
Floor Plan Display of Doors/Windows
On the Floor Plan, Doors and Windows are, by default, represented
by standard symbols.
Attributes for the display of Doors/Windows can be set in the Floor
Plan and Section tab page of Door/Window Settings.
See “Door/Window Floor Plan and Section Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
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The Floor Plan Display pop-up has two symbol options: Symbolic and
Overhead All.
• Symbolic: This is the chosen object’s standard symbol.
• Overhead All: the entire element’s outline is shown with its
overhead attributes.
In case of a slanted wall, however, you might prefer a more realistic
display of the cut window: choose either Projected or Projected with
Overhead to see all parts of the window in a slanted wall.
• Projected: shows cut part of element, plus its uncut (downward)
part in 3D-like form
• Projected with Overhead: shows cut part of element, plus the
element's overhead part (i.e. the part of the element that is above
the Floor Plan Cut Plane.
Depending on the scripting of the Library Part (see the Options
parameter), different levels of detail can be displayed depending on
the Floor Plan scale.
The Door Options and Window Options settings in Document >
Set Model View > Model View Options allow you to show Doors
and Windows on the Floor Plan in full, with contours only, or as
empty openings, or to show or hide their dimensions or markers.
For more information, see “Model View Options for Construction Elements” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Setting the Window/Door Plane in Slanted or
Complex Walls
Windows and Doors can be placed in any type of wall, including
polygonal, slanted and complex shapes. They can be fitted to slanted
wall surfaces using the control in the Parameters Panel of
Door/Window Settings.
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If your project contains slanted walls, use the
Door/Window Opening Plane pop-up
(Preview and Positioning tab page) to make
the plane of your openings either associated
to the wall plane or remain vertical.
See “Door/Window Preview and Positioning Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
• Associated to Wall: the slant of the Window/Wall will be
associated to the Wall into which they are placed. In slanted
Walls, the Window/Door slants at the same angle as the Wall. In
Double Slanted Walls, the Window/Door slants at the same
angle as the side of the Wall into which the Window/Door was
placed. Thus, if you move the Window/Door to the other side of
the Wall, its slope will change accordingly.
• Vertical: the Window/Door will be vertical regardless of the
type of Wall it is placed into.
In Complex Profile Walls, the slant of the Window/Door is
determined in the Profile Manager: use the Opening Reference
Layer in the Design Layers panel to define the slant of
Windows/Doors set into the Complex Wall.
For more information, see “Place a Wall/Column/Beam with a Complex
Profile” on page 237.
Anchoring Sill or Header Heights
Use the Preview and Positioning tab page to set the height and
width of a door/window.
See “Door/Window Preview and Positioning Panel”
in ArchiCAD Help.
Every time you change a window/door height,
the change will affect either the sill (the
328
distance from the floor to the bottom of the window/door) or the
header (the distance from the floor to the top.) “Floor” can be
(depending on your choice) either the bottom of the wall, or a given
story height.
In the Preview and Positioning tab page, the Anchor pop-up lets
you choose any one of these constraints, to provide a point of
reference for the height position of the Window/Door in the wall.
• Sill to Wall Base: this is the default method.
• Sill to Story 0 (Current Story): the height of the Sill will be
measured relative to the level of the Current Story. To choose a
different Story, click the Select Story option and choose a story
from the dialog box.
• Header to Wall Base: same method as the Sill to Wall Base
options, but you must provide the Header height.
• Header to Story 0 (Current Story): same method as the Sill to
Story 0 options, but you must provide the Header height.
• Select Story: If you choose this option (select the Story name
from the list in the appearing dialog box), the chosen story’s
Floor Level will serve as the Anchor from which the
Window/Door should be measured. This option may be used,
for example, when a Glass Curtain Wall is created and all
individual panes must have their heights set to a common height.
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Sill Height Using Subfloor Thickness
Use this control, in the Dimension Marker Panel of Door/Window
Settings, to fine-tune the display of your sill height value if your floor
level takes into account carpeting or parquet flooring, and your wall
base is not at this floor level.
ArchiCAD measures the height of a door/window sill from the wall
base. But if you want the Floor Plan display of this value to reflect the
real floor level, enter the thickness of this additional layer (the
Subfloor Thickness) value in the Subfloor Thickness field.
ArchiCAD will still measure the sill value from the wall base, but the
door/window marker will show a sill height value that subtracts the
subfloor thickness from the entered sill value.
For example, say the Wall Base is at -100 mm below Floor Level
(Subfloor Thickness is 100 mm). The window sill (parapet) height is
1000 mm, but your effective Sill Height, for the purposes of
construction documentation, is really 900 mm from the floor. So the
window’s sill height, as displayed in the Floor Plan marker, will show
900 mm.
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Note: Entering a value into the Subfloor Thickness field does
not affect the actual positioning of the door/window within the
wall; it is merely an alternate way to display sill/header height in
the door/window marker.
Note: Sill height markers use
dimension units set specifically
for this type of value: go to
Options > Project Preferences >
Dimensions, and choose Sill Height Dimension.
Placing Doors or Windows
Placement methods are defined in the Preview and Positioning tab
page of the Door/Window Settings dialog boxes. The Anchor Point
setting decides whether you will place the Window or Door by its
centerpoint or its side.
When you are satisfied with the choices made in the Window or Door
Settings dialog box, you can start placing openings.
Insertion Points for Doors or Windows
Windows and Doors can only be inserted into Walls; they cannot be
placed independently in the project.
In the Floor Plan, you can place a Window or Door opening at any
Checkmark or Mercedes cursor position on a wall.
• To place a window, click at the desired wall edge,
then click a second time with the eyeball cursor
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to define the external side of the Window. Sill depth is always
measured from this side.
• To place a door, click at the desired wall edge, then click a second
time to define the swing direction of the door. For doors without
a German type reveal, sill depth will be measured from this side.
For doors with a German reveal, sill depth will be measured from
the opposite side.
In 3D, you can place a Window or Door anywhere along the length of
the Wall. In Section/Elevation/IE windows, you can create new
Windows or Doors only by duplicating existing ones using the
Multiply or Drag a Copy functions.
If you attempt to place a Window or Door near the end or top of a
Wall, where there is not enough room to accommodate it, a dialog
box will be displayed to warn you and give you the option of
discarding the opening. However, you can still choose to place it.
Moving Wall Openings
Use the Drag, Rotate, Mirror and Elevate commands to move wall
openings (i.e. Doors and Windows). All these operations are available
in the Floor Plan, Section/Elevation/IE windows and the 3D
Window, for slanted and straight Walls only.
Door/Windows do not need to be dragged by their hotspots. After
selecting the Window/Door, choose the drag, move or multiply
command, then click anywhere in the view to define the starting and
ending points of the operation’s vector.

Creating an Empty Opening

To create a simple opening without placing a library part type Door
or Window, click the Empty Opening button in the Preview and
Positioning panel of the Door or Window Settings dialog box.
See “Door/Window Preview and Positioning Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Then go to the Empty Door (or Window) panel and enter the height
and width of the hole. Click along either side of an existing wall.
Windows/Doors may be dragged/moved/copied along with other
Element types in one step. In the following image you can see that
the Column is dragged. The Windows, selected together with the
column, will also be dragged within their Wall by a distance that
equals the component of the Drag vector.

You can obtain special 3D

wall shapes by adding several
empty openings to it, or by
using Solid Element
Operations.
See “Solid Element Operations”
on page 352.

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Windows/Doors may be moved across multiple Wall elements. You Dragging a Window or Door
can drag or copy a Window from one Wall and end up in another If you want to drag a Door or a Window within the Wall that contains
Wall element. it without moving the Wall itself, select the opening individually.

Rotating a Window or Door

To rotate Doors and Windows, select the opening and click the
Rotate command (from Edit menu or pet palette).The selected
Moving an opening across multiple elements works only if the Wall opening will rotate by 180 degrees around its center (there is no need
elements involved have their reference-side wall planes all in the same to draw any vector). Any number of openings can be rotated at the
plane. If there are two vertical Walls involved, their Reference Lines same time.
must be aligned in a single vertical plane. If they are slanted Walls, their
Reference Wall sides must align in a single slanted plane. The
thicknesses and other attributes of these Walls, however, do not need to
be identical; the Walls involved do not even need to be connected to
each other. Also, when you stretch a Wall with the Marquee, the
Windows/Doors included in the Marquee will also be dragged/copied,
so they retain their position relative to the end of the Wall.

Note: Rotated text blocks, labels, dimensions and fill polygon

area labels are always readable from the bottom and the right side
of the drawing.

Mirroring a Window or Door

To mirror a Door or Window, select the opening and click the Mirror
command (from Edit menu or pet palette, or use Ctrl+M). The pencil
cursor appears. Click either on an edge of the host wall or outside the
wall. The Door/Window will be mirrored (with its opening direction
flipped laterally) along the axis where you click. If you click outside
the host Wall, the mirroring axis is the line perpendicular to the Wall
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at the clicked point. (With trapezoidal walls, the mirroring axis is
perpendicular to the reference axis.)
• Mirroring can create an opening that falls entirely beyond the end
of the wall. You can then select and move it in the same plane as
the original host wall.
Stretching Doors and Windows
When stretching Doors & Windows, you can use reference points
outside the host wall. The endpoint of the stretch vector will be
projected perpendicularly or orthogonally to the wall (according to
the current Cursor Snap Variant in the Control Box) to define the
new opening edge. This allows you to position a Door or Window
with respect to an element within a room, or in another room, as
shown below.
Corner Windows
ArchiCAD has a separate Corner Window tool.
The Corner Window Settings dialog box is similar to the Door and
Window Settings dialog boxes. There is no separate object type
associated with the tool; most of the windows in the standard
ArchiCAD library can be placed using the Corner Window tool.
Corner Windows are placed at straight wall corners.
332
When you wish to place a Corner
Window at a wall corner, you can click
anywhere on the wall: ArchiCAD will
automatically snap the window to the
nearest corner of the wall and create a
mirrored copy of it on the adjoining wall.
The second window’s parameters and
properties are identical to the first’s. Their
angle and position are automatically
adjusted.
• You can only place one pair of corner
windows at any given corner.
• The angle between the two walls cannot be equal to either 0 or
180 degrees.
• The placed windows can be stretched manually and individually
without breaking the link between the two windows.
Corner Windows turn into simple Windows if:
• You drag away, mirror or rotate any of the two placed Windows.
• The angle between the two Walls is changed to 0 or 180 degrees.
• One of the Walls is elevated (since Windows are part of the host
Walls, the two Windows’ elevations become different).
• One of the connecting Walls is deleted or dragged away.
For more information, see “Door/Window Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Skylights
Skylights are smart GDL Object type elements that can be
intelligently placed in Roof type elements. Use one of the four
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

geometry methods in the Info Box (Orthogonal, Rotated, Diagonal,
Rotated Diagonal) to place the Skylight.
The Skylight Object placed on top of a roof will be automatically
inserted in the roof and adjusted to the correct roof slope angle, at
the appropriate elevation, rotated to the correct angle (parallel with
the roof ’s reference line). A hole will be cut in the roof.
Note: The skylight must fit into a single roof plane.
Skylight Objects are stored in the “Dormers and Skylights” folder of
the standard ArchiCAD library and can be activated with the Skylight
tool.
The panels of the Skylight Tool Settings dialog box are similar to
those of the Window/Door, Object and Lamp tools.
For more information, see “Skylight Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Placing a Skylight
Skylights can be inserted into Roofs in either the Floor Plan or in 3D
view.
• In Floor Plan view, you place the skylight inside the outline of the
roof.
• In 3D view, click on the roof plane - ArchiCAD will detect the
location of the mouse-click and place the skylight on the roof
plane.
Skylights placed in Roofs behave quite similarly to windows placed in
walls. For instance, when moving the skylight, its movements are
restricted to the roof plane. If you modify the roof plane, for example
by changing its pitch, the skylight object will follow suit.
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Wall Ends
The Wall End tool allows you to create a correct wall end profile with
a single click. Wall Ends can be placed at the hotspots at either end of
a wall.
Wall Ends are parametric GDL objects,
similar to window and door objects. Wall
End parameters (such as width and height)
can be customized using the Wall End
Settings dialog box.
For more information, see “Wall End Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Wall Ends are counted as objects in list schedules. Depending on its
type, a wall end might reduce the wall’s surface or volume, but does
not add to it. During a Trim to Roof operation, Wall Ends are
handled as part of the wall, just like windows. Wall Ends also remain
in place if a Stretch, Drag or Split command is executed.
Stairs (Predefined Stair Objects)
Use the functions of the Stair Settings dialog box to create and place a
predefined stair object.
Note: If you want to create and place a customized stair, use
“Custom Stairs with StairMaker” on page 335.
The ArchiCAD Library includes a number of parametric GDL stair
objects accessible from the Stair Settings dialog box, which function
largely like other objects.
Choose the Stair Tool and open the Stair Tool settings dialog box.
Browse the loaded libraries for the predefined stair that suits your
project requirement; place it as you would any other object.
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Displaying Stairs on the Floor Plan

On the Floor Plan, Stairs are displayed as 2D symbols using standard
architectural conventions.
Stairs can be visible across multiple stories: Use the Show On Stories
control in the Floor Plan and Section panel to set the stories on which
stories the Stair should be displayed.

Use the Parameters and 2D Symbol, Arrowhead, Flight, Tread

and Railing Types panels of Stair Settings to define the appearance
of each Stair object symbol on the Floor Plan.
These settings are described in “Stair Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Note the following special parameters:

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2D Detail Level
If you choose Scale Sensitive, then the amount of detail shown in
the 2D symbol is scale-dependent. Here, the same scale-sensitive stair
is shown at 1:50 and at 1:200 scales:
• Show or Hide the Walking Line as needed. The Walking Line
ends with an Arrowhead: choose an Arrowhead style with the
help of previews shown in the 2D Symbol, Arrowhead, Flight,
Tread and Railing Types panel just below the Parameters
panel. Similarly, you have several choices for the Walking Line’s
Start Point.
• Optional text items for the Stair symbol include Numbering of
treads, Rise and Run text, and UP and DOWN signs.

Story Sensitive Display

The Story Sensitive control (On or Off) is relevant if you are showing
the Stair on stories above its Home Story (use the Show On Stories
control in the Floor Plan and Section panel to set the stories on which
stories the Stair should be displayed).
If you turn Story Sensitive On,
then a new set of parameters called
2D Above Home Story appears
in the Parameter list:
If you choose Custom, then the Stair symbol remains the same Use these controls if you want the
regardless of window scale. In this case, you have additional symbol Stair to appear differently on
choices in 2D Symbol Type (see below). stories above the Home Story.
“Lower” and “upper” part refer to
2D Symbol Type the parts of the symbol above and below the Breakline.
Use this control to choose a Symbol Type for the stair on the Floor The options you set here apply only to the Stair symbol shown on
Plan. Previews of each Symbol Type are shown in the 2D Symbol, stories above the Home Story.
Arrowhead, Flight, Tread and Railing Types panel just below the
Parameters panel. The selection of available symbols here can vary
depending on whether you have chosen “Scale Sensitive” or
Custom Stairs with
“Custom” in the 2D Detail Level control. StairMaker
Use the parameters under 2D Symbol Type to fine-tune symbol
display. Note the following: StairMaker Add-On
• Each Stair symbol has a Breakline which acts as a symbol
cutting plane. Set the vertical position of the Breakline using the StairMaker is an Add-On installed with your ArchiCAD program.
“Breakline Position Height” control. There are two ways to create new stairs in ArchiCAD with
StairMaker:
• Visible and Invisible structures refer to the parts of the symbol
that fall below and above the Breakline, respectively: you can set “Custom Stair Based on a Standard Stair Type” on page 336,
separate line types and pens for each type of structure. “Custom Stair Based on Manually Drawn Elements” on page 348.
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Note: To use StairMaker, it must be placed in ArchiCAD’s will automatically turn into symbols of slope; all the other buttons
Add-Ons folder that is located either in the same folder as become grey.
ArchiCAD, or in the System Folder (MacOS) or at the location
defined in the Windows Registry (Windows).
In both cases, you will be prompted to save the new object which will
then be available for use.
Since Stairs are typically specific to a Project, it is recommended not
to save them in a common library folder, but rather set up a folder for
Project-specific items and save your Stairs there.

Custom Stair Based on a Standard

Stair Type
You create a new stair based on a predefined geometry type by editing
its parameters to suit your needs. There are 21 basic types built into
the StairMaker application, which cover almost every standard
situation, from straight runs to winders with or without landing and
to spiral and circular stairs
To design a new stair based on a standard type, activate the Stair tool,
open the Stair Settings Dialog Box, and click the Create Stair button.

The dialog box shows the standard stair types you can create with
StairMaker. (The last button represents a Custom Stair you design
manually with ArchiCAD’s drawing tools, and is always grey when
creating a standard stair.)
Choose the desired Stair/Slope type and click OK.
The StairMaker editing dialog box appears, allowing you to edit the
chosen stair type. This dialog box consists of six tab pages, accessed
by clicking the appropriate large button on the left of this wizard-type
window. Any modification you make on any of the tab pages also
affects the other five.
In the appearing dialog box, use the two top buttons to choose
whether to build a stair or a slope. If you choose Slope, the symbols
of those stair types whose geometry can be transformed into slopes

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For detailed information on each control in this tab page, see “Stair/Slope
Geometry and Flight Settings Tab Page” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Geometry and Flight Settings editing window contains preset
values for the available parameters and a preview of the floor plan
symbol on the right. The changes that you make on the geometry
parameters are reflected on this symbol.
Note that several controls on this tab page have lock/unlock icons.
You should set the desired geometry and flight settings here, and then
lock them. If you do not lock them, modifications on subsequent tab
pages may cause StairMaker to automatically recalculate these values.
If they are locked, then StairMaker will ensure that subsequent
options you set are compatible with this basic geometry.
In the picture below, for example, we have locked the height of the
stair at 2800 mm and the number of steps at 16. These will never be
changed, no matter what other settings you make on this or the other
tab pages.
Geometry and Flight Settings (StairMaker)
Note: This tab page is part of the StairMaker editing window. To
access it, activate the ArchiCAD Stair tool, open Stair Tool
Settings, and click the Create Stair or Edit this Stair command.
Choose a standard stair type. From the appearing stair editing
window, click the Geometry and Flight Settings (top) button
from the six buttons at the left.

Set Stair Geometry

On this page, you set the main geometric parameters of the stair: the
total height, the horizontal bounding parameters, the flight width, the
length, the length of the walking line, as well as the number of risers,
the form and the number of the treads in the winder range, the
dimensions of the landings, the value of the arrival offset, and the
closing angle of the flights. The available fields change according to
the type of stair.

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You can add an optional top tread to the stair in the bottom section
of this tab page: click the button on the right to add a top tread to the
stair at top floor level as shown below.
It may either have the same depth as the
stair’s other treads, or you can customize the
depth of the extra tread by entering a value in
the editable field.
If you leave the extra tread depth field’s value
at zero, the top tread at floor level will have
the same depth as the other treads. To change
the top tread’s depth, enter a positive value.
Define Tread Settings
Bottom right in the dialog box, Tread Settings are shown. By setting
these parameters, you can define the geometry of the Treads or the
angle of the Slope, based on the same geometry. To the right of these
fields, the longitudinal section of the stair is shown, giving you instant
feedback on your changes.
It is easier and more comfortable to climb the stairs if the sum of
twice the riser and the run (2*Riser + Run parameter) is within the
range of 60 to 63 cm, or 24 to 25 inches. To ensure this condition,
you can define a range of values for the (2*Riser) + Run parameter in
the Tread Settings section.
The last parameter is not editable. It only
shows the current value of the (2*Riser) +
Run parameter.
Note: Stair geometry definition is based
on the (2*Riser) + Run rule. Every time you modify a parameter,
StairMaker checks that the (2*Riser) + Run parameter is still in
the appropriate range. In addition to this hierarchy, you may lock
one or more parameters by clicking on the lock button. Locked
parameters will not be modified. If parameters need changing,
338
StairMaker will skip locked parameters and look for the next
value in the hierarchy. If editing is not possible without changing
a locked parameter or if too many parameters are locked, an alert
will appear.
Break Line in Stair Symbol
Usually, only the lower part of a stair is
displayed in full on the floor plan, on its
home story. There is a double break line on
the 2D Symbol of the stair showing where
the stair is cut.
Note: The break line used for GDL Stair symbols is conceptually
similar to the Floor Plan Cut Plane used for ArchiCAD
construction elements, but the break line is unrelated to the cut
plane.
In the Preview picture in the Geometry and
Flight Settings editing window, the endpoints
of the two break lines can be dragged along
the stair outline while the lines remain parallel.
If the whole stair will be displayed on the
floor plan, moving the break line will have no effect.
Editing the “U-Return Winder” Stair
Some of the available stair types have one or two winders. In the
following example using the stair type called “U-Return Winder”, we
will see how winders are handled.
Note: Some other Winder-type Stairs available from StairMaker
use a different parameter logic.
As you can see in the Preview, a part of the stair is highlighted and all
treads in the highlighted area are skewed. The highlighted section is
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the winder range for the stair. If the entire run is highlighted, then all
treads are skewed with respect to the line of travel.
Tread edges outside the winder range are perpendicular to the line of
travel. (For a comfortable stair, the winder range usually includes at
least the entire curved portion of the line of travel, so that
non-skewed treads are all in the straight run section.)

You can see that the treads shown in white are no

longer skewed. You can also change the skewed state
of a single tread by clicking.

For example, to make the nose of the bottom tread

straight, simply click on the second tread. The first
tread turns white.
The winder section is “fixed” on the middle tread of
the curve, i.e., you cannot shorten either end of the
You can change the extent of the winder section winder range beyond this tread.
with the mouse. First move the pointer onto the
stair (the pointer takes a form that may remind you
of a spreadsheet editor).Press and hold the mouse
button while moving it along the stair. Some treads If you shorten both ends of the
turn white as you make the winder section shorter winder range until the middle tread,
at the end. Release the mouse button, and you will see something like the
StairMaker will show the new outline of the stair. illustration.
Make sure that you define a winder section
In StairMaker, the tread edges before
without overly skewed treads.
the beginning and after the end of the
winder range are perpendicular to the
line of travel. These two edges define
a line of travel segment and an inside
segment.

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The location and the offset are displayed with

dashed lines. If the corner is chamfered or filleted,
the offset is still measured from the imaginary
corner. The offset at custom angled stairs looks like
this.
If you choose a U-Return Winder stair,
StairMaker will automatically set the
Enter a dimension for the narrowest tread at radial winder midpoint to the midpoint
the stair’s inside segment (“s” in the of the arced line of trave.
illustration below) using the parameter field in the Flight Settings
section.
StairMaker will divide the stair’s
inside segment into treads as If you choose a “Straight Run with
shown. winder at both ends”, you can define the upper
This value will be assigned to and lower extra length along the side of the
the middle tread of the stair run stair. The angles of the first and the last edge
(or to the two middle treads, if of the stair depend on this offset.
the number of treads in the Note: You cannot define radial winders for this stair type.
winder range is even). Stair types with winders let you
As an alternative to the chamfer or fillet the corners of the
standard winder, you can create run. To do this, move the pointer to a
a radial winder. When using this corner until it takes the form of a
method, the edges of the treads perpendicular sign.
in the winder range meet in a Click on one of the stair’s corner
single point. You can select this points to open a dialog box offering
method by clicking the Radial the three corner shapes available.
Winder button.
You can change the location of the centerpoint by clicking on it. A
dialog box will then prompt you to enter numeric values for the
offset.

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The Plain corner is the “normal” corner Structure and Landing (StairMaker)
shape. When you start editing a new stair,
all corners are plain. Note: This tab page is part of the
StairMaker editing window. To access
Choose the Chamfer radio button from it, activate the ArchiCAD Stair tool,
the dialog box. Editable text fields appear open Stair Tool Settings, and click
where you can edit the chamfer length. Enter a value and click OK.
the Create Stair or Edit this Stair
command. Choose a standard stair
type. From the appearing stair editing
window, click the Stair Structure
button (second from top) from
among the six buttons at the left.
For detailed information on each control in this
tab page, see “Stair Structure & Landing Tab
Page” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Stair Structure is set on the second tab page of the stair editing
window. The content of this tab page changes according to the
Now fillet the other corner. construction type of the stair.
In the Structure section, you can
choose among five ways to model the
stair in 3D and edit the related
parameters.
The following 3D alternatives are offered:
• Solid Stair with Treads:

You can change the corner

shape at any time. If you move
the pointer to a chamfered or
filleted corner it will again show
the perpendicular sign.

See also “Stair/Slope Geometry and Flight Settings Tab Page” in ArchiCAD
Help.

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• Stair with Carriages: • Treads only:

• Solid Stair:

• Stair with Stringers:

The upper and lower slabs

should be set to exactly join
the Floor Plan Symbol within
ArchiCAD, no matter which
3D alternative is selected in
StairMaker, and even if a top
tread at floor level is added to
the stair.
Note: When the stair construction is changed, the fields for
treads and nosing may change as well, according to the current
construction options.

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The parameters of the stair’s structure vary according to the selected

type. These changes will also appear in the stair geometry tab page
and in the parameters of the stair.
In the bottom left section of the window,
you can customize both the upper and
lower structural and subfloor + finish
thicknesses.

StairMaker cleans up these intersections by changing the thickness

values of either the landing or the run. Select the desired option in the
dialog box.
Using the other set of radio buttons, you can choose whether the
length of the landing is modified along the upper or the lower run.
StairMaker recalculates the parameters with the new values, and the
2D symbol of the stair will be updated.
If the stair type has two landings, your options affect the lower landing
and StairMaker will apply them automatically on the upper one.
In the Attributes section of the Structure tab page, you can define
the pencolor used for the Stair’s contour and the Materials of each of
the Stair’s sides in the 3D Window and PhotoRendering.
StairMaker automatically adjusts the stair parameters to these slab
specifications.
Tread Settings (StairMaker)
StairMaker automatically adjusts the stair height by referring to the
top elevation of the connecting bottom floor slab as zero. If you use a Note: This tab page is part of the StairMaker
separate slab for modeling the subfloor + finish in ArchiCAD, you editing window. To access it, activate the
only need to enter the thickness of this slab in the corresponding ArchiCAD Stair tool, open Stair Tool Settings,
fields. When you place the stair in ArchiCAD, the positioning height and click the Create Stair or Edit this Stair
in the Object Settings dialog box can be set to zero. command. Choose a standard stair type. From
the appearing stair editing window, click the
If you do not use any separate slab for subfloor + finish in your
Tread Parameters button (third from top) from
design, set the subfloor + finish thickness to zero.
among the six buttons at the left.
You can set up the landing thickness of those stairs that have one or
For detailed information on each control in this tab page, see
more landings in the editable text fields in the Landing section of the
“Tread Settings Tab Page” in ArchiCAD Help.
Structure tab page.
The properties of the individual treads of the stair
StairMaker makes clean intersections at the bottom of the stair
are set on the third tab page of the Stair editing
between the runs and landings if you click the Clean Intersections
window accessed by clicking the third button from
button at the bottom of the Landing section. The following dialog
the top on the left.
box will appear:
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The content of the Tread Settings tab page changes according to the (All Stair-Rail mode), one side of the entire stair (One Side mode), or
current stair Structure settings. a selected segment (One Segment mode). Selection of the segments is
Note: This option is not available if the stair structure has been indicated by a red line in the preview area. The mode chosen here is
set to Solid Stair or Solid Slope on the previous tab page. also in effect when setting the post.

In the Tread section of the tab page you can set up the exact
parameters of the stair’s tread:
• define the thickness of the tread
• define the nosing on the front and on the sides
• define the thickness of the front of the risers Clicking the first icon selects all the segments in the preview of the
In the Attributes section of the tab page, the Pen Color and Material stair. Parameter settings will affect the whole of the stairs. A single
pop-ups allow you to define the 3D appearance of the treads. You can railing type will be used for the whole stair with the same offset and
assign different materials for each side of the treads. parameter value for each segment. With regard to the offset value, the
program automatically ensures the integrity of the railing, which
Railings (StairMaker) means that the segments will intersect accordingly.
Note: This tab page is part of the StairMaker
editing window. To access it, activate the
ArchiCAD Stair tool, open Stair Tool Settings,
and click the Create Stair or Edit this Stair
command. Choose a standard stair type. From
the appearing stair editing window, click the
Railings button (fourth from top) from among
the six buttons at the left.
For detailed information on each control in this tab page, see When switching to this mode from either of the other two (One Side
“Railing Settings Tab Page” in ArchiCAD Help. mode or One Segment mode) each flight inherits the stair-rail and
You set up the railings of the stair or the slope on post settings of the lower starting flight’s first left-hand segment.
the fourth tab page of the stair editing window. After clicking the second icon, the left and right stair-rails can be set
Here you will again see a preview of the symbol of independently. The left stair-rail is selected by default as displayed in
the stair showing the current choices for railings. the preview of the stairs. To switch to the right stair-rail, move the
Using the three buttons on the top of the tab page you can define cursor to the other side of the stairs until it takes the form of a
whether the railing settings should affect both sides of the entire stair stair-rail, then click it.
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The settings displayed on the screen are always those relevant to the
selected railing, and any changes in the values of the parameters will
affect only the selected railing. In this mode, the program uses single
railing types for both sides of the stairs.
When switching to this mode from All Stair-Rail mode, both sides
inherit the settings chosen in the previous mode. When switching to
this mode from One Segment mode, the whole flight inherits the
settings of the lower starting segment.
Clicking the third icon allows you to define a railing for each flight
(segment) independently. By default, the first segment of the left
railing is selected, as shown in the preview of the stairs. To select
another segment, simply click it.
Different offset values can be used for each segment. In this case, the
elements of the stair-rail belonging to different segments will not fit
each other automatically. Positive or negative upper and lower
overhang can be defined manually for each railing segment.
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When switching to this mode from either of the other two (All
Stair-Rail mode or One Side mode), all stair-rails inherit the previous
settings. The overhang values of the stair-rails will be identical to
those calculated automatically in the previous mode.
In the preview area that displays the floor plan of the stairs, each
segment of the railing is represented by a line that shows where the
centerline of the railing lies. To switch off a railing, first select it, then
choose the No Railing option from the Railing type pop-up. A thin
line will indicate the place of the stair-rail.
The types and parameters of the selected railing are set in the Railing
Setting section. The available railing types are listed in the pop-up
menu placed at the top of the dialog box. The content of the pop-up
window depends on the available definitions. In the railing preview
area (above the stair-rail type pop-up) you can see the small image of
the selected railing type.
The editable parameters under the pop-up window are generally valid
regardless of the railing type. They define the position of the railing as
related to the sideline of the stairs, the height of the posts and the
baluster as related to the stairs, and the overhang values. In One
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Segment mode, the lower and upper overhang relates to the current
segment, while in the other two modes they concern the lower
overhang of the bottom segment and the upper overhang of the top
segment.
The parameters of the railing types will be displayed in the list of
additional parameters in the Stair Settings dialog box.
The settings and
placement of the
posts of the railing are
defined in the Post
Setting section.
If the selected type
does not contain
posts, this section will
be dimmed.
The position of the posts relative to the centerline of the stair-rail can
be defined with the radio buttons and the parameter field. The rule
according to which the posts are to be placed along the selected
segments of the railings is defined with the radio buttons. Symbol Settings (StairMaker)
The placement of the posts can be defined by: Note: This tab page is part of the StairMaker
• setting up an approximate distance between the neighboring editing window. To access it, activate the
posts (the posts are placed alongside the flight or the segment at ArchiCAD Stair tool, open Stair Tool Settings,
a given distance from one another) and click the Create Stair or Edit this Stair
• placing a post on every tread (on landings, an approximate command. Choose a standard stair type. From
distance will be used), or the appearing stair editing window, click the
Symbol Settings button from among the six
• setting the number of the posts. buttons at the left.
Using the Snap to Corner checkbox, the program automatically Use these controls to define and edit the 2D
places posts to the segment ends and places additional posts on the appearance of your custom StairMaker stairs. For
segments according to the rule defined above. detailed information on each control in this tab
The position of the posts placed automatically page, see “Symbol Settings Tab Page” in ArchiCAD
by the program can be modified one by one Help.
by double clicking on the post on the selected The controls in the 2D Detail Level section give you graphical
stair-rail segment. A dialog box appears, where feedback on symbol choices for the 2D symbols of the stair, its
the position of the post can be set up walking line, and its railing.
numerically. Some of the available railing types
are illustrated below.

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Once you have created and saved a StairMaker stair, you can edit
these same parameters directly from the Stair Settings dialog box.

For details, see “Stair 2D Symbol and 3D Attributes Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.

Listing Settings (StairMaker)

Attributes shows all parameters in logical groups: 2D Symbol Type,
Walking line Settings, Text Display, Rail Display on Symbol, Carriage
Display on Symbol, Story Sensitive Settings, 2D above Home Story.
Note: This tab page is part of the StairMaker
editing window. To access it, activate the
ArchiCAD Stair tool, open Stair Tool Settings,
and click the Create Stair or Edit this Stair
command. Choose a standard stair type. From
the appearing stair editing window, click the
Listing Settings button (last button) from among
the six buttons at the left.

Each element and property of the stair can be listed with the
Document > Schedules and Lists menu commands. Stairs will be
listed as library parts. The list can be set up individually in ArchiCAD;
however, if you wish to list a part of the stair, be sure that the box
beside it (in this tab page) is checked.

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Custom Stair Based on Manually

For more information, see Calculation.
Check and Save Stair
From the bottom of any of the tab
pages, you can click Check Stair to run a
check on the stair geometry you have set up.
ArchiCAD will let you know whether the stair is okay, or whether its
geometry is incompatible:
Drawn Elements
Custom stairs can be generated from a set of manually drawn elements
using the Line, Arc and Fill tools. Design > Create Stair Using
Selection command launches the StairMaker add-on to allow you to
add the necessary options and details of the custom-made geometry.
With the Create Stair Using Selection tool (Design menu), you can
create custom stairs from a stair contour and a line of travel designed
with ArchiCAD’s 2D drawing tools.
Standard Stair types work with fixed geometrical data. If you cannot
find the stair type you want among the predefined templates that
cover most of the common stair forms, you can define the geometry
of your Stair within your ArchiCAD project.
1) Draw the exact contour of the
stair with the Fill tool. The fill
that defines the stair cannot
contain any holes.

2) Define the line of travel by using

connected Lines and Arcs inside
the fill polygon. The segments of
the line of travel need to be
If you are satisfied with your stair type, click Save As to navigate to a connected properly, i.e., they
location of your choice and to name the stair. cannot cross each other or the
sides of the fill. It has to be a
continuous chain of lines. Begin
drawing the arcs and lines from
the starting edge of the stair to
define the appropriate direction
of the line of travel.

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Notes: The endpoints of the line of travel must snap exactly to 6) Select the required Stair type and click the OK button.
the sides of the fill polygon but cannot connect adjacent edges or StairMaker then displays the stair editing window. For custom
nodes of the fill polygon. Corners within the line of travel define stairs, some of the basic geometry parameters are not available
landings. If the connection of two segments of the line of travel and story height is locked by default:
is not tangential, it will define a landing.
You can still customize:
3) Select the fill polygon and all segments of the line of travel
• stair shape parameters
• the number of treads
• inclination angle (parameters of the riser and the run)
When finished, click the OK button to automatically create the stair
at the location defined in ArchiCAD. You will also be prompted at
the same time to save and name your stair.
You will then see the new stair displayed on the Floor Plan and can
4) Choose the Design > Create also view it in 3D. The original 2D elements are not deleted
Stair Using Selection automatically.
command in order to
transform these floor plan
symbols into a stair object.
5) The Stair Type dialog box
appears. StairMaker
automatically finds possible
stair types for your draft. If
none of the predefined Stair
Types match the sketch, you
can only define a Custom
Stair.
Note: If the defined
geometry cannot be Element Extras
interpreted by StairMaker,
you will receive a warning This section contains advanced functions which give you great leeway
message describing the in designing and manipulating standard elements. These include:
problem. Make the necessary • TrussMaker, used to create girder and truss objects
changes according to the rules
of the stair definition, and try • Solid Element Operations
again. • Interior Elevation, a tool used to create Interior Elevations of
Zones

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TrussMaker The new truss appears on the Floor Plan on the baseline of the
contour. Go to the 3D window to visualize it, and then drag it into its
TrussMaker is a built-in tool allowing you to create girder and truss final location.
objects for visualization purposes. It is accessed from the Design >
Design Extras menu. Technically, TrussMaker is an ArchiCAD
Add-On and is loaded with ArchiCAD on startup.

Creating Trusses in the Floor Plan

Start by drawing the framework of the truss in the Floor Plan window
with the Line and Arc/Circle tools. Use different pen colors for the
different parts of the truss, as seen below. Pen thicknesses have been
exaggerated for clarity.

When you are satisfied with your design, select the
lines making up the truss and choose the Create
Truss command from the TrussMaker
hierarchical menu.
The TrussMaker Settings dialog box appears, allowing you to
choose a shape and define options for creating the truss.
For more information, see “TrussMaker Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
When you have finished customizing your truss, click the Save button
at the bottom right of the dialog box. You will then be prompted to
name the new truss object and place it in your active library.
350
Editing Trusses
The framework drawn on the Floor Plan is not associated to the truss
after it has been created and placed (and can only be used to create
new trusses). Modifying this outline has no effect on placed trusses.
TrussMaker offers you an additional method for editing placed
trusses.
Select a truss and choose the Edit Truss command from the
TrussMaker menu or the TrussMaker palette.
An alert will appear, prompting you to create a new Section window.
Draw a simple section line with the Section/Elevation/IE tools, open
the new Section/Elevation/IE window and then choose Continue
Editing from the TrussMaker menu or palette. The original
framework will appear in the window and you will be able to edit it.
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When you have finished making your changes, choose the Create 3) Fit the framework of the
Truss command again. truss to the roof. Draw the
The TrussMaker Settings dialog box outline with lines as you
will appear, with the same options as would on the Floor Plan.
seen above. The only difference is that in addition to the Save button, 4) Select the framework’s
a Save as button appears. elements and choose
• If you click Save, TrussMaker will display a warning telling you Create Truss from the
that you are about to save a library part under an existing name. TrussMaker hierarchical
Clicking Overwrite will replace the previous truss, while clicking menu. (Design > Design
Cancel will abort the whole process. Extras > TrussMaker)
• If you click Save as, a new truss object will be created. 5) Make the appropriate settings in the TrussMaker Settings dialog
TrussMaker will prompt you to name this object and find a place box and save the object.
for it in the library. An alert will be displayed, informing you that the new truss object has
been created on the Floor Plan. The truss is placed on the same line
Creating Trusses in Section/Elevation/IE as the section line and will therefore appear in the
Section/Elevation/IE window as an element that was cut on its edge.
Windows
You can create a truss in a Section/Elevation/IE window:
1) Draw a Roof on the Floor Plan and add a Section Line.

6) Display the new truss with the roof in 3D or in another Section

window.

2) Open the corresponding Section/Elevation/IE window.

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Solid Element Operations
About Solid Element Operations
Solid Element Operations allow you to create complex shapes using
Boolean operations, including subtraction, addition and intersection.
The result is associative: if you modify the location or the attributes of
the elements that participate in the operation, the linked elements will
be updated accordingly.
Solid Operations can be performed on elements in any model
window by choosing Design > Solid Element Operations.
For more information, see “Edit Targets and Operators (Solid Element
Operations)” in ArchiCAD Help.
Solid Element Operations distinguish two roles:
• A Target is an element whose geometry will be modified by the
solid operation.
• An Operator is an element that affects the geometry of the
element it is linked to.
The operation does not modify or delete the Operator element. You
can hide the layers of the Operator elements after the operation has
been performed without resetting the modified shape. You can also
set the Operator’s layer to be shown as Wireframe, which allows you
to still see the Operator element’s contour and adjust it as necessary.
In the illustration below, a Target Wall’s shape was modified by
subtracting a Roof type Operator shape. On the left, both elements
352
are shown; in the middle, the Roof ’s layer has been hidden; on the
right, the Roof ’s layer has been set to Wireframe.
An Operator can work on multiple Targets, and a Target can be
affected by multiple Operators. Each element can be a Target and an
Operator at the same time, which permits nested Solid Element
Operations. The operation remains in effect as long as the involved
elements are present. If you wish to keep the obtained shape
permanently, save it as a GDL Object from the 3D Window.
Restrictions and Remarks
Roofs participating in Solid Operations will behave as any other
elements, unlike when trimming elements to Roofs.
Bypass automatic intersections: Solid Operations do not affect the
results of automatic intersections, for example those created with
Walls and/or Columns, if they are included in the same Layer
intersection group. Before performing a Solid Operation on such
elements, change the Layer intersection number of one of them.
Beams: If you intend to apply an operation between Beams, the
Operator must have at least the same 3D Intersection Priority
number as the Target. If the Target’s priority number is higher, the
operation will appear to have no effect.
Nested operations: If the desired shape can be only be obtained
through a number of nested operations, pay attention to the order in
which you apply them. For example, an Operator element may affect
a Target that is also an Operator affecting another Target, and so on.
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Solid Operation Types
Five types of operations can be performed. The illustration below
shows the effect of each: the starting Wall shape is shown at far left,
followed by each of the five operations. The Operator element is
shown in Wireframe mode.
• Subtraction cuts out the shape of the Operator from Target.
• Subtraction with upward extrusion cuts out both the shape of
the Operator from the Target and its vertical projection from the
bottom of the Operator shape to the top of the Target.
• Subtraction with downward extrusion cuts out both the shape
of the Operator from the Target and its vertical projection from
the top of the Operator shape to the bottom of the Target.
• Intersection keeps only the common part of the Target and the
Operator.
• Addition adds the shape of the Target to the shape of the Operator.
Solid Operations: Element Display and
Calculation
The solid operation affects the model shape, that is, the 3D view and
the generated Section/Elevation/IE model and Detail Drawing view.
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Below is the Section view of the elements shown above. The
Operators are shown in Wireframe, above, and their layers are
hidden, below.
The Floor Plan view of both Target and Operator elements is
unaffected. Putting the Operator element on a Wireframe layer does
not affect its display. If the Operators’ layer is hidden, then they will
not appear in the Floor Plan, but you will not be able to edit them
until you make the layer visible again.
Note: If you select only the Target on the Floor Plan and display
the selection in 3D view, the modified shape will be shown, but
without displaying the Operator, even if it is on a visible or a
Wireframe layer.
If you perform a Solid Operation on a Section/Elevation/IE view,
you need to rebuild the window’s contents to see the results.
All listing commands will be performed on the modified shapes.
Solid Operation Example
In this example, we have created a complex stair footing shape for a
spiral staircase, quickly and easily, using a Solid Element Operation.
1) Place the Stair Spiral in the plan using the Stair Tool
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2) Create a curved wall to encompass the spiral stair.

5) Click Get Target Elements.

6) Select operator element: the spiral stair.

3) Open the dialog box using the Design > Solid Element
Operations command.
4) Select target element: the curved wall.

7) Click Get Operator Elements.

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8) Choose an operation type: Model View Options do not affect the display or output of the 3D
Subtraction with upwards window.
extrusion.
Exception: The two Model View Options for the Curtain Wall
9) Click Execute. The Solid Element (Full and Schematic) affect the display and output of Curtain
Operation is complete. Walls in the 3D and 3D Document window only (including
10) Click in an empty space to deselect Curtain Wall Edit mode).
the stair.
Model View Options (and saved MVO Combinations) are applied
11) View the result in 3D. globally to your current model.

Set Model View Options

Use the dialog box at Document > Set Model View > Model View
Options to set the following options (divided into separate panels):
1) Options for Construction Elements: Show/Hide and other
options affecting the display and output of Beams, Column
Symbols, Doors, Windows, Section Markers, Curtain Walls and
Mark-up items.
For more information, see “Model View Options for Construction Elements” in
ArchiCAD Help.
2) Override Fill Display: Fill and zone backgrounds and patterns.
For more information, see “Model View Options Override Fill Display” in
ArchiCAD Help.
3) Options for GDL Objects: Switches the 2D display preferences
for certain GDL objects (e.g. ceiling lamps, air diffuser, smoke
detector) between “Floor Plan” and “Ceiling Plan.” Use these
options if you want to change the display and output of all

Model View Options
The display and output of Model View elements can be set globally in
Document > Set Model View > Model View Options.
Model View Options affect the on-screen and output display of
construction elements, fills and zones, and certain GDL objects
throughout the project.
relevant GDL objects in the project. (You can also set these
display options for each object individually, using the parameters
in the Object Settings dialog box.) The following images show
these three objects with Model View Options set to Floor Plan
(on the left) and Ceiling Plan (on the right.)
Clicking OK will close the dialog box and apply your chosen display
options to all affected elements in the project.

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Organizer’s Project Map (View Settings and Storing Options) and in

the Quick Options Palette.
Apply a Model View Options Combination to the
Project
To apply a saved Model View Options Combination to the current
model, do one of the following:
• use the Document > Set Model View menu to choose a Model
View Options Combination
• open Document > Set Model View > Model View Options
and choose one of the defined Model View Options
Combinations from the top panel. Check the settings in the rest
of the panels to see what will happen if this Model View Options
Combination is applied.
Model View Options Combinations
• use the appropriate pop-up in the Quick Options Palette to
After customizing one or more sets of Model View Options, you can choose a Model View Options Combination
save them as Model View Options Combinations, using the controls See “Quick Options Palette” on page 74.
at the top section of the dialog box. Several Model View Options
Combinations are predefined for your convenience; you can modify • use the appropriate
and save these under new names, if desired. pop-up at the bottom of
the Organizer’s Project
Model View Option Combinations can be saved and easily applied to Map (View Settings and
individual views depending on their purpose (for example, for use as Storing Options) to
Drafting plans or Site plans): different views can be displayed using choose a Model View
different model view options. Options Combination.
If you do not save the customized configuration, it is called “Custom”,
an unsaved collection which reflects the current state of the Model
View options. These custom settings can remain in effect even after
you close the dialog box, but they are not saved under that name.
Once you are satisfied with your set of options, you should save it
under a new name using the Store As button in the Model View
Options Combinations panel of the dialog box.
For more information, see “Model View Options Combinations Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
The active Model View Options Combination is displayed in the
Properties section of the Navigator Project Map, View Map and
Publisher Sets. It is accessible and editable at the bottom of the

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Apply a Model View Options Combination to a
Saved View
When saving a view from any model window, the view’s current
Model View Options Combination is also saved along with the view.
To apply a different Model View Options Combination to any single
view, use its View Settings dialog box.
For more information, see “Saving a View” on page 73.
On-Screen View Options
The View > On-Screen View Options command produces a list of
items (generally aids in editing) that can be shown or hidden on
screen, depending on your preferences. Other items in this list let you
toggle between line weight options and vectorial vs. bitmap display of
fills. Click any item to toggle its status.
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This status has no effect on whether the item will be displayed on
your output; it affects only on-screen display.
For a quick way to access these commands, activate the Window >
Toolbars > On-Screen View Options toolbar.
On-Screen View Options Commands
Use the View > On-Screen View Options command to access
these options (for a quick way to access these commands, activate the
Window > Toolbars > On-Screen View Options toolbar).
• Clean Wall & Beam Intersections: Toggles the clean wall and
beam intersection mode on and off.
• Walls & Beams Reference Lines: Use this option to toggle
between displaying walls and beams with their reference lines and
their contour lines.
• Roof pivot Lines: Use this option to specify whether Roof pivot
lines are displayed on the floor plan.
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• True Weight: Use this option to toggle the True Weight display
of Lines on or off. If it is off, lines will be displayed in Hairline,
and the following option (Bold Cut Lines) is not applicable.
Note: The Hairline option in On-Screen View Options affects
on-screen display only. For hairline output, use the Hairline
checkbox in the Print or Plot dialog box.
• Bold Cut Lines: Use this option to specify whether
Construction Elements are displayed with bold cut lines.
• Marker Range: Use this option to toggle the on-screen display
of Marker Range items on or off. These items are: Section and
Elevation depth lines and distant lines; Elevation/Interior
Elevation lines and limit lines; input polygons defining Detail and
Worksheet area.
• Highlight Source Markers: Use this option to toggle the
on-screen display of source marker highlights on and off. Source
markers are those which create a viewpoint when you place
them. The color of source marker highlights is set in Options >
Work Environment > More Options.
• Vectorial Hatching: Use this option to turn Vectorial Hatching
display on or off. If it is off, then fills will be displayed in their
bitmap patterns. This control affects on-screen display only for
all Fills (regardless of fill type).
• Drawing Frames: Use this option to show/hide Drawing
Frames on the layout.
• Master Items on Layout: Use this option to specify whether
Master Items are displayed on the layout.
• Show/Hide Drafting & Editing Aids: Use this option to show
or hide all available drafting aids. Drafting aids include Fill
Handles, Figure Handles, Text Boxes, and Bézier Spline handles.
Use the next four toggles to show or hide each of these drafting aids
individually.
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Partial Structure Display
About Partial Structure Display
The Partial Structure Display function allows you to display and
output composite and complex elements in simplified form.
See “Composite Structures” on page 31 and “Place a Wall/Column/Beam with
a Complex Profile” on page 237.
For example, when collaborating with other designers or with
engineers, you may prefer to publish a Structural Plan that shows
complex and composite elements only partially: displaying their core
only, or displaying them without finishes.
Use Document > Partial Structure Display to set these display
preferences. Partial Structure Display settings affect composite and
complex structures only.
Unlike Model View Options, which affect 2D windows only, Partial
Structure Display affects the display of elements in 2D and 3D
windows alike.
You can assign a different Partial Structure Display for each window
(e.g. Floor Plan, 3D). For a quick way to assign Partial Structure
Display to the current window, use the Partial Structure pop-up in the
Quick Options Palette.
See “Quick Options Palette” on page 74.
You can save different Partial Structure Display settings on a
view-by-view basis.
Choose Partial Structure Display Preferences
Use the Document >
Partial Structure Display
dialog box to choose your
preferred display.
• Entire Structure: this
is the default setting.
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• Core Only: Only those structures defined as “Core” will be

displayed.

• Without Finishes: The entire structure, except for

skins/components defined as “Finish,” is displayed.

Partial Structure Display Settings in

ArchiCAD Windows
Partial Structure Display settings can be assigned in the following
window types:
• Floor Plan (a single Partial Structure setting is in effect for every
Floor Plan window)
• 3D Window (one setting for the 3D window)
• Section/Elevation/Interior Elevation/3D Document: Each
instance of these window types can have its own Partial Structure
Display setting (i.e. you can have three Section windows with
three different Partial Structure settings).
Exception: You cannot set a Partial Structure Display setting for
a Drawing-type Section or Elevation, or for any Independent
viewpoint.

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• Worksheet and Detail: If the source viewpoint is in the Floor

Plan or is an Auto-update viewpoint, then you can set Partial
Structure Display settings for Worksheets and Details (separate
ones for each window, if needed.)
See also “Partial Structure Display Settings in Windows Based on a Source
Marker” on page 364.

Save Partial Structure Settings by View

The Partial Structure Display setting is saved with the view.

How to Define Skins of a Composite

This means you can save different Partial Display Settings for each
view: for example, you can save two different views of the same
Section, each having a different Partial Structure Display.
The Properties section of the Organizer Project Map and Organizer
View Map provides feedback on the selected item’s Partial Structure
settings.
Structure as “Core” or “Finish”
For composite elements (Wall, Slab, Roof): skins can be checkmarked
“Core” in Options > Element Attributes > Composite
Structures. You can check multiple skins as “Core,” but these skins
must be adjacent to each other.

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How to Define Components of Complex

(Profile) Elements as “Core” or “Finish”
For Profile elements (Wall, Beam,
Column): Components can be
checkmarked “Core” or “Finish” in
Design > Profile Manager.
If you wish, a skin can be neither
Core nor Finish (leave both
checkboxes unchecked).

For composite elements: skins can be defined as “Finish” in Options

> Element Attributes > Composite Structures.
Visualizing the Entire Structure
Even if you are using a Partial Display option, ArchiCAD gives you
several types of feedback to help you identify the entire original
structure if needed.
You can always choose the Entire Original Structure option for
your Trace Reference:
1) Activate the Trace function.
2) From the Trace drop-down menu, use Choose Reference, and
select Entire Structure as the Trace Reference.

You can define multiple adjacent skins as “Finish,” but they must
include one or both of the outermost skins.
A skin cannot be both “Finish” and “Core.”
If you wish, a skin can be neither Core nor Finish (leave both
checkboxes unchecked).

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In this Section, the composite walls are displayed with Core-Only

settings, but the “Entire Structure Display” reference (in red)
indicates the full wall structure.

Columns In Partial Structure Display

Although regular Columns have a “Core” and a veneer, they are not
considered composite elements for the purposes of Partial Structure
Display. Regular columns will always display both the Core and the
Veneer regardless of the Partial Structure Display setting.
To display a column without its veneer, create a Complex column and
set the veneer component as a “Finish”. Then switch Partial Structure
Display to “Without Finishes.”

When selecting a partially displayed element, hotspots will appear at

their original location. The selection highlight, however, is shown
only on the displayed parts of the elements.

Preselection feedback will also help you identify the entire as well as
the partially displayed parts of the elements. The preselection
highlight is shown only on the displayed components, but the cursor
recognizes the reference line even if it is not on a displayed part of the
element - as shown by the bold Mercedes cursor in this image.

The Info Tag displays the Thickness of the original, entire element,
even if it is currently only in Partial Display:

For Columns “wrapped” by walls: No wrapping occurs if you are

using Core only display.
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Zones and Partial Structure Display

Regardless of which Partial Display option is in effect, zones are not
affected: zones that extend to an “Inner Edge” are calculated to
include the “finish” component of a surrounding structure, even if
the finishes are hidden according to the current Partial Structure
Display Setting.

Floor Plan Cover Fills in Partial Structure

Display
If you have assigned a Cover Fill to any composite or complex
element (this might be a Roof, Slab, or Mesh), then the Cover Fill will
appear regardless of the Partial Display option that is in effect.
To override Cover Fill display settings, use the Override Fill Display If you now switch the display setting to Entire Structure, the
panel in Document > Set Model View > Model View Options. dimension shown in Core Only disappears, and the other dimension -
the one previously created with the Entire Structure display setting -
Dimensions in Partial Structure Display appears.

Dimensions are connected to the Partial Structure display setting:

each Partial Display mode has its own set of dimensions: you can
have a set of dimensions in your Core Only view, and other sets of
dimensions in your Entire Structure and Without Finishes views. If
you switch between Partial Structure Display settings, the
dimensions associated with the earlier Display setting will not
be visible. To see the Dimensions again, switch back to the Partial
Structure Display setting in which the Dimensions were placed.
This wall is displayed with the Core Only display setting:

You can copy-paste

dimensioned elements
between two views whose
Partial Structure Display
settings are dissimilar.
However, if you try to paste

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dimensioned elements that do NOT appear in the given Partial that the views deriving from this source - even if you’ve already
Structure display, those dimensions will be lost after you paste. If you created these views - will, when rebuilt, change their Partial Display
are copy-pasting dimensioned elements between two views whose settings to match those of the source viewpoint.
Partial Structure Display settings differ, a warning appears:
If you do change the Partial Structure Display settings of a source
Partial Structure Display Settings in viewpoint which is of Manual Rebuild type (even though its derived
Windows Based on a Source Marker views are based on an Auto-Rebuild source), ArchiCAD warns you of
the consequences for the derived views: the views’ Partial Structure
Often, you will be working in a model view (Section, Elevation, Display Settings might change:
Interior Elevation, Detail or Worksheet) in which the elements have
their source in a different model window.
However, if a your source viewpoint is a Manual-Rebuild or
Drawing-type view/viewpoint, you would run into problems if you
tried to change the derived view’s Partial Structure Display Settings,
because the source viewpoint might not be in updated condition.
Therefore, ArchiCAD does not let you change the Partial Structure
Display settings for views derived from Manual-Rebuild or
Drawing-type sources.
The following view settings belong to a view whose source is a
Manual-Rebuild model; the Partial Structure Display settings cannot
be changed.
You can go ahead and continue Rebuild, or you can cancel the
process. Again, the solution is to go back to the source view (or make
a copy of it with the Partial Display Structure settings you need) and
change its update type to Auto-update.
When you do rebuild such a view - one whose source has changed
from Auto-Rebuild to Manual Rebuild - you are again warned that
your view’s Partial Structure settings will change:

The solution: go back to the source view (or make a copy of it) and
change its update type to Auto-update.
In the opposite case: Suppose you have an Auto-update viewpoint
with several views derived from it. Then you change the viewpoint to
“Manual Update” or “Drawing type.” This is possible, but be aware
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Intersections of Partially Displayed Elements

Intersections will behave just as they do when the entire structure is
displayed: No further skin intersections will be cleaned up as a result
of changing to partial display.
Exception: Complex (Profile) Elements that are set to Partial
Display may end up with cleaned-up intersections in some cases.

Doors and Windows in Partial Structure

Display
The 2D display of Doors and Windows should clean up as a result of
changing to partial structure display. The Door/Window objects in
the ArchiCAD 12 Library have been reprogrammed to show
correctly in Partial Structure Display.
However, if you are migrating earlier-version ArchiCAD projects to
ArchiCAD 12, you should keep the following tips in mind:
1) If you want to keep the old library objects, but also use the new
library objects, do the following:
• load the AC 12 library .lcf file
• load the subset libraries from ArchiCAD 10 and 11
This way, the compatible “old” elements will be automatically
replaced by ArchiCAD 12 library elements. The incompatible “old”
elements will remain in place, and will not conflict with the
ArchiCAD 12 objects.
2) If you want to continue working on your project using the new
objects:
• Load the AC 12 library .lcf file
• The non-compatible elements in your migrated project will be
shown as Missing library parts; you must replace them one by
one (and reset their parameters). The compatible elements will be
automatically replaced by AC 12 library parts.

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DOCUMENTATION
To complement the modeling functions with which you build up your
Virtual Building, ArchiCAD includes a complete set of drafting and
dimensioning tools.
In current practice, architects are still expected to deliver interim and
final drawings on paper. To help you create this documentation with
maximum efficiency, ArchiCAD’s package includes a built-in
layouting function optimized to prepare a documentation set using
the views generated in ArchiCAD.
Layouting is an integral part of ArchiCAD. Using the Layout Window,
you directly access the views of the Virtual Building, then compile a
complete Layout Book: a virtual representation of your paper
documentation. Changes in your ArchiCAD model are instantly
updated in the Layout Book.
The Publisher function is a handy concept dedicated to the
architectural design workflow: Here you set up and save publishing
preferences for any number of publisher sets: you define whether to
print, plot, upload them to a server or save them to disk. Once a
publisher set is defined, you can output or republish it at any time,
using the same properties, at the push of a button.
ArchiCAD provides a professional interface with your
plotting/printing devices. Plotters (which are usually large-format
devices) process output information on a vector basis, while printers
(of any size) are raster-based devices. Ideally, the end results of both
processes are identical. Graphisoft provides dedicated plotter drivers
for most plotters; for printing, you must use printer drivers provided
by the vendor.
The Calculation function is one way to create list outputs in ArchiCAD.
The Calculation process is summarized at the end of this chapter.
Drafting
Drafting Elements are strictly two-dimensional: they include Fills,
Lines, Hotspots, Figures and Drawings. With the exception of Fills
and Drawings, they do not appear in list views.
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Drafting elements have various uses:
• Details that you did not wish to model fully with construction
tools.
• Positioning and drawing aids for the placement of construction
elements.
• Their outlines can be used to generate complex 3D shapes using
the Magic Wand tool.
• Decoration purposes or elaborating on details, especially in the
Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document windows or on Details
and Worksheets.
The Floor Plan and Section/Elevation/Interior Elevation and 3D
Document display of drafting elements depends on the attribute
choices made for them in their respective Tool Settings dialog boxes.
Attribute sets for Drafting Elements (pencolors, line types, fill types)
are managed from the dialog boxes in Options > Element
Attributes. For faster display or output, the 2D appearance of some
of the attributes can be modified by the View > On-Screen View
Options commands.
For more information, see “On-Screen View Options Commands” on page 357.
The typical steps in creating a drafting element are the following:
1) Select the corresponding tool in the Toolbox and open its
settings dialog box.
2) Adjust the settings to suit your particular situation or purpose, or
click the Favorites button on top of the palette to select a
predefined element configuration. Click OK to confirm the
settings.
3) Choose a Geometry Method in the Info Box allowing you to
create plain, curved, chained, rotated or polygonal variations of
the elements, where applicable.
4) In the 2D window, define the location or the length of the
drafting elements.
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Fills
About Fills
Fills are geometric 2D hatching patterns that help you distinguish and
decorate the elements of your project.
Fills can either be
• assigned to construction elements (Walls, Columns, Beams, Slabs, As vectorial hatching, fills can also be used to embellish materials in
Meshes, Roofs, Zones, parts of Objects) the 3D Window and the 3D Document.
• or used as purely drafting elements, placed with the Fill tool.
These Fill elements are useful to represent areas that you do not
want to render in 3D, to add shadows or other graphic touches,
or to measure the area of polygons.

Similarly to 3D construction elements, 2D Fills can appear in

Fills assigned to construction elements can be displayed in the Floor
Plan, Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, and Detail/Worksheet
windows.
For most elements, you can select a Cut Fill (for example, for surfaces
cut by a Section or the Floor Plan Cut Plane) and a separate Cover fill
(in which to display uncut surfaces, such as the top of a slab on the
Floor Plan.)
368
calculations with associated properties, descriptions and components.
ArchiCAD includes a predefined set of default fill patterns, or fill
types. Each fill type has a “background” and a “foreground” whose
colors and patterns you can set separately.
You can access them from the Options > Element Attributes >
Fill Types dialog box where you can define, edit, duplicate, rename
or delete them.
Fill Categories
There are three Fill Categories with their default uses:
• Cut Fills: Hatching displayed on the cut parts of construction
elements on the Floor Plan, Sections/Elevations/Interior
Elevations, 3D Document, or Details/Worksheets, wherever a
construction-type element is cut so that its section is visible.
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• Cover Fills: Hatching on Slabs, Roofs, Meshes and Zones on the
Floor Plan.
• Drafting Fills: Simple 2D Fills drawn by hand in any model
window. They do not have any relationship with construction
elements such as Walls, Slabs or Roofs.
Every fill type is assigned to one or several of these categories. The
fill category determines which element the fill can be assigned to. For
example, a Fill Type must be set to “Cover Fill” if you want it to be
available as a Cover Fill choice in Mesh/Zone/Roof/Slab settings.
To assign Fill Categories, open the Options > Element Attributes
> Fill Types dialog box and check one or more boxes in the
Availability and Bitmap panel.
Notes: When assigning a 3D Vectorial Hatching in the Materials
dialog box, you can use only Cover Fills.
Fill Category: Advanced Settings for a Freehand Fill
When drawing a freehand fill with the Fill Tool, you can specify to
which Fill Category the Fill should belong, using the Advanced
Settings panel of Fill Settings.
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This can be handy for purposes of Model View Options or their
classification when saving as DXF/DWG.
See also “Fill-Hatch Conversion Table” in ArchiCAD Help.
For example: if you have a Wall in a Section, and you unlink it from
the model, Fills generated from the section of the Wall will belong to
the Cut Fill category. If you draw additional Fills in the Section
window, you can set these fills to be in the Cut Fill category, so that
they will be treated the same as the cut fills coming from the
construction element.
Assign a Fill to a Construction Element
To define a default fill type for a construction element, or change the
fill of a placed element:
1) Activate the element’s tool; or select the placed element.
2) Go to the Floor Plan and Section panel of its Settings (or click
Floor Plan and Section button in the Info Box.)
3) For the listed Cut Fill and Cover Fill parameters, click the fill
name or icon to access the list of available fill types.
4) Choose the desired Fill Type from the pop-up list.
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Assigning a Cover Fill Draw a Freehand Fill

If an element is not cut on the Floor Plan - typically Slabs, Zones,
Meshes and Roofs - it will not display the cut fill here, but can display
a cover fill if you assign one.
• For Slabs, Meshes and Roofs, check the “Cover Fill” box in Floor
Plan and Section.
When drawing a 2D fill, first activate the Fill tool in
the Toolbox and choose one of the three Geometry
Methods from the Info Box.
Drawing Fills with either the Polygon, the Rectangle or the Rotated
Rectangle method is similar to the process for drawing walls.
For an illustration of this process, see “Create a Chain of Walls” on page 222
and “Create a Rectangle of Walls” on page 223.
When creating a freehand fill with the Fill Tool, you can specify to
which Fill Category the Fill should belong.
For more information, see “Fill Category: Advanced Settings for a Freehand
Fill” on page 369.

Defining Fill Types

ArchiCAD includes a predefined set of default fill patterns, or fill
types. These include Solid Fills, Vectorial Fills, Symbol Fills, Gradient
Fills, and Image Fills.

• For Zones, activate the “Cover Fill” button in the Floor Plan
Panel of Zone Settings.

You can access them from the Options > Element Attributes >
Fill Types dialog box where you can define, edit, duplicate, rename
Notes: When assigning a 3D Vectorial Hatching in the Materials or delete them.
dialog box, you can use only Cover Fills. For more information, see “Fill Types Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

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You can modify this set manually or by importing items with the
Attribute Manager. You can also combine several fill types to create
composite structure attributes for Walls, Slabs and Roofs.
Solid Fills include:
• the Foreground Fill: You see only the Foreground, because it
covers up the Background.
• the Background fill: You see only the Background, because the
Foreground is set to zero.
• Three fills whose foregrounds are of predefined Translucence
(25%, 50%, 75%).
These percentages can be adjusted by hand in Options > Element
Attributes > Fill Types:
In the Fill Appearance Panel of the Fill Types dialog box, set the
Translucency percentage (in this case, 65). The new Fill Type will
henceforth appear in the fill pop-up.

Vectorial Fills can be assigned to construction elements in 2D

In addition, you can create a new solid fill type with any translucence windows. You can also assign Vectorial Fills to Materials, which are
value you wish: click New, and choose Solid fill from the Add New displayed in the 3D window.
Fill dialog box. See “Display of Vectorial Hatching” on page 372.

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Some properties of vectorial patterns can be adjusted, including their Settings. If these Materials include a Vectorial Hatching, this Hatching
scale, angle, spacing, availability and associated screen-only bitmap will be visible in the 3D Window only if you switch the Vectorial 3D
display. Hatching control to “On” in View > 3D View Mode > 3D Window
See “Fill Edit Vectorial Pattern Panel” in ArchiCAD Help. Settings dialog box, and only if you are using the Internal 3D
Engine.
Symbol Fills can be assigned to construction elements. You can edit
the symbol pattern of an existing fill, or draw a new symbol fill entirely. For more information, see “3D Window Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
See “Create New Symbol Fill” on page 375.
Gradient Fills and Image Fills are Drafting fills only, and thus are
available only from the Fill Tool’s pop-up. (Drafting fills are drawn by
hand, using the Fill Tool.)
See “Gradient Fills” on page 376 and “Image Fills” on page 376.

Fill Display Mode: Vectorial vs. Bitmap

Each fill type has two faces or display modes: vectorial and bitmap.
By default, all fills in your project are set to be displayed as Vectorial
Hatching in View > On-Screen View Options. If you turn this
control off, fills will be displayed on screen in bitmap mode. When
printing or plotting fills, the vectorial face will be used even if the
on-screen display is set to bitmap.
See also “Assign a Vectorial Hatching to a Material” on page 40.
For more information, see “On-Screen View Options Commands” on page 357.
The bitmap versions of all predefined fill patterns approximate their In the Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document Windows
vectorial equivalents. If you change a vectorial pattern or generate a
new symbol type pattern, you will need to create its bitmap version Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document windows will display
manually. vectorial hatching only if you have checked the Vectorial 3D
hatching box in the Model Display panel of the Settings dialog box.
Display of Vectorial Hatching For more information, see Section Model Display Panel (for Source Section
markers only) and “3D Document Model Display Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
On the Floor Plan Vectorial hatching settings have no effect in rendered views.
Elements will display the hatching of a vectorial fill on the Floor Plan
only if you have activated View > On-Screen View Options > Set Orientation of Vectorial Hatching
Vectorial Hatching.
You can manually define or change the orientation of a fill pattern’s
In the 3D Window vectorial hatching.
Construction elements in the 3D Window are displayed using the • For a Fill drawn manually with the Fill tool, use the controls in
Materials assigned to them in the Model panel of the element’s the General Settings panel of Fill Settings.

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• For Cover Fills assigned to a Mesh, Slab, Roof, or Zone, use the
controls under Cover Fill in the Settings dialog box.
The orientation of the fill pattern is indicated by its handles. Fill
handles appear only if you enable Fill Handles (Drafting and Editing
Aids) in View > On-Screen View Options.
Link to Project Origin
If you choose Link to Project Origin, the orientation of the
hatching will always be orthogonal independently of the
transformations made on the element.
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Link to Fill Origin
If you choose Link to Fill Origin, a single handle appears on the
placed fill to define and show a visual feedback of the orientation of
the fill. In this case, the fill pattern starts at the origin of the fill
element.
When creating a new fill using the Link to Fill Origin option, you will
enter the vector after placing the fill polygon. The cursor changes to
the shape of a fill handle arrow.
Click twice to define the origin and direction of the fill pattern. Your
first click will determine the Fill’s origin and the second one the
endpoint of the orientation vector.
Note that the handle does not necessarily have to be located inside
the Fill. You can even drag the handle out of the body of the fill after
placing it. Clicking on the handle selects the entire Fill; selecting the
Fill also selects the fill handle.
To change the fill orientation vector later, select the Fill, click the
endpoint of the fill handle arrow and rotate it. Make sure the Move
Sub-Element icon is active on the pet palette.
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Use Distorted Fill
A third option (available in Fill Tool Settings/Fill Info Box and Slab
Tool Settings only) allows you to Use Distorted Fills. This means
that instead of a single handle showing the orientation vector, two
handles will appear at the origin of the fill and you will be able to
manipulate the hatching pattern by modifying the length of either
handle and the angle closed by the two handles. Note that (if Guide
Lines are active) a Guide Circle appears when you take hold of either
handle, so that if you start distorting the fill but then decide to return
to its original orientation, you can pull the handle back to its original
location on the Guide Circle.
distort the pattern of a cover fill, you can set the Distort with Slope
control in the Roof Settings dialog box to automatically distort its
cover fill to follow its slope.
To do this, select the roof and open its Roof Settings dialog box.
Make sure that the Cover Fills checkbox is active in the Floor Plan
and Section panel and enable both the Align with Slope and Distort
with Slope controls.
For more information, see “Roof Floor Plan and Section Panel” in ArchiCAD
Help.

There are two special uses for distorted fills that can greatly enhance Compare the two sets of roofs below, with distortion disabled on the
the realism of your design. left and enabled on the right.
In Drawing-type Sections, construction elements are exploded into
lines and fills. If you select those fills and enable the Use Distorted
Fills radio button in their settings, they will be displayed according to
their real geometric position. Compare the two pictures below: Fills
are linked to the project origin on the left and distorted on the right.

Cover fills of Roofs can also be represented according to their real

geometric positions with this feature. While you cannot manually

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Model View Options: Global Settings for Fill
Display
By default, fills are displayed according to the options set in their
individual element settings dialog boxes. However, you can use Model
View Options’ Override Fill Display panel to assign a uniform logic
to the display of all the fills in your project in Document > Set
Model View > Model View Options.
For more information, see “Model View Options Override Fill Display” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Create New Symbol Fill
Symbol fills can be created by the user from a sketch drawn in any
model window, with the following steps:
1) Draw a pattern using Lines, Arcs and
Hotspots. Make the pattern fit into a
rectangle shape. Make sure the top, bottom,
left and right sides of the pattern are in
continuation with each other.
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2) Select all the components of the pattern and choose Edit >
Copy.
3) Choose Options > Element Attributes > Fill Types. Click the
New. button, enter a name for the new fill and select the Symbol
fill radio button, then click OK to set the name and type.
4) In the Edit Symbol Pattern panel, click the Paste button above
the Preview window. The pattern appears in the Preview window.
Check the Show Pattern Unit box to highlight a single unit of
the pattern in the preview window of this dialog box.
Note: If the selection of copied components includes splines,
fills, text or other elements, these will not be pasted into the Fill
Types dialog box.
5) Use the controls in the Edit Symbol Pattern panel to set the size,
pattern and rotation angle for the symbol fill.
See “Fill Edit Symbol Pattern Panel” in ArchiCAD Help
6) Click OK to exit the dialog box and save changes.
Note: The fill’s screen-only bitmap pattern must be edited
manually in the Availability and Screen-Only Pattern panel of the
Fill Types dialog box.
See “Fill Availability and Screen-Only Pattern Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
If you wish to change a symbol fill after the original components have
been deleted from the window you copied them from, you must first
choose the symbol to be edited within the Fill Types dialog box, and
press the Copy button. By pasting the symbol fill back into the
window, it becomes editable once more.
Adding Area Text to a Fill
If the Show Area Text checkbox has been marked in the General
Settings panel of the Fill Settings dialog box, the Hammer cursor
will appear when you finish drawing the Fill, prompting you to
position the text with a click.
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When placing the Fill, you will see that the pattern is a mix of the two
colors with a transition area between them.

The text block is created by calculating the area of the Fill. The text The location, angle and the size of the transition area can be modified
settings will be the same as the default values of Dimension texts. with the fill handle provided that you enable Fill Handles (Drafting
Note: If the fill contains holes, they are subtracted from the fill and Editing Aids) in View > On-Screen View Options.
area.
To modify the font settings or even the content of the area text, select
the text only (not the Fill itself) and edit the Dimension Text Settings
(in this case, the last command of the Edit menu changes to The other type of the gradient fill is of radial, that is, of basically
Dimension Text Settings). circular shape. In this case, the two pen colors (foreground and
For more information, see “Dimension Text Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. background) define respectively the inner (next to the core) and outer
colors of the gradient fill.
The measurement unit and accuracy of the area value are defined in
Options > Project Preferences > Dimensions. With the fill handle, you can modify the origin of the gradient fill and
the extent of both colors as well as that of the transition area.
For more information, see “Dimensions Preferences” in ArchiCAD Help.
Area value labels are always readable from the bottom or from the
right after a rotation or a mirroring.

Gradient Fills
The purpose of Gradient Fills is to enhance architectural graphics;
they do not indicate any physical properties, and so they are available
for 2D fills created with the Fill tool (Drafting fills) only. Gradient
Fills are not available for the surfaces of construction elements (Cut Note: When moving the fill handle, make sure you select the
Fills and Cover Fills). Move Sub-element icon on the pet palette.
To get a linear gradient fill, choose two different pen colors
(foreground and background) on the General Settings panel of Fill
Image Fills
Settings. The Image fill lets you use images as the foreground part of Drafting
For more information, see “Fill Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. fills.

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Important note: Image fills are available only as Drafting-type

fills. Thus, image fills can be applied only to fills drawn with the
Fill tool; they cannot be applied to construction elements.
By default, ArchiCAD 12 provides two Image fills as Attributes, but
you can define your own.

Use the Image Size controls to fine-tune the size and pattern of your
Image fill.
To create a new Image fill, go to Options > Element Attributes >
Fill Types. Click New.
In the Add New Fill dialog box,
choose Image fill.
In the appearing Fill Types
dialog box, note (in the
Availability and Screen only
Pattern Panel) that this Image fill
is a Drafting fill. Image fills can
be Drafting-type fills only - that
is, 2D fills drawn by hand using the Fill tool. (Image fills are not be
available to apply to construction elements).
For Image fills, the second panel is called Fill Texture.
For more details, see “Fill Texture Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Click the Load Image button to bring up a library directory dialog Note that the “Mirroring” controls give you different options for
box. Browse for the desired image and click OK to load it. setting up the repeating patterns within your Image fill.

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Click OK to save the newly created fill as a project attribute.
Lines
The following straight and curved line elements can be created in
ArchiCAD using the different Line tools and geometry methods.
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• Single straight line segments, series of Chained straight and
Curved line segments, Rectangles and Rotated Rectangles.
• Circular Arcs and full Circles
• Elliptical Arcs and full Ellipses
• Straight or Curved Polylines
• Natural Splines, Bézier curves and Freehand curves
Double-clicking any of the Line type tools
will open a dialog box in which you can adjust
the settings of the given tool.
In each of these dialog boxes, the Uniform Settings for Line Tools
checkbox allows you to apply the settings made in this dialog box to
all line-type tools: Line, Arc/Circle, Spline, Polyline.
For more information, see Line Tool Settings, Arc/Circle Tool Settings, Spline
Tool Settings and “Polyline Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Line Categories in ArchiCAD
ArchiCAD allows you to assign categories to your lines. (Use the
Advanced Settings panel of the Line Settings dialog box.) You can
then use line categories to fine-tune model view options and export
settings for lines depending on their category.
ArchiCAD has three line categories:
• Drafting line: Simple 2D drafting line. Lines drawn with the
Line tool will be in this category by default.
• Cut line: Contour line of a 3D element on a cutting plane.
Note: You can choose to display lines in the Cut line category in
boldface: In View > On-Screen View Options, choose Bold
Cut Lines.
• Skin Separator Line: Separator line between skins of composite
structures, including walls, columns, slabs and roofs.
Line categories can be useful if, for example, you have exploded a
composite wall into its constituent lines and fills. By default, in the
Line Tool’s Advanced Settings Panel, all the contour lines are put into
the “Cut line” category, while all the skin separator lines are put into
the “Skin Separator” category.
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All other lines are placed into the Drafting category by default.
However, if you draw lines by hand into a Detail Window, Worksheet,
Patch, Section/Elevation/IE or 3D Document window, you can
assign categories to these lines according to their function in the plan.
This way, when assigning a model view option, even hand-drawn lines
can be considered Cut lines or Skin Separator lines.
Assigning line categories can also be useful if you save your file in
DXF/DWG format: the DXF/DWG Translation Setup dialog box
allows you to define a separate layer onto which Skin Separator lines
can be exported.
Drawing a Single Straight Line Segment
To draw a single straight Line segment, choose the Line tool in the
Toolbox and the Single Line geometry method in the Info Box.
The Line segment is defined by clicking at its two endpoints.
Note: This CAD-like drawing method is the default method for
drawing segments in ArchiCAD, but you can change it in
Options > Work Environment > Mouse Constraints &
Methods.
Stretching or Shrinking Lines
To stretch/shrink a straight line with the menu command:
1) Select a line.
2) Choose the Edit > Reshape > Stretch command.
3) Click an endpoint of the selected line and move it.
4) Click again to either define the new endpoint as an extension (or
reduction) of the previous length. The line is stretched or shrunk
and, if needed, rotated according to the new endpoint. The other
endpoint will remain at its original position.
Note: Multiple Lines with overlapping endpoints can all be
stretched at the same time using the Stretch menu command or
with the Marquee tool.
For more information, see “Stretching with the Marquee Tool” on page 128.
When using the pet palette:
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1) Select a line.
2) Click one of the line’s endpoints. The pet palette appears. Choose
the stretch icon:
Click to define the new endpoint.
Drawing Circular Arcs and Full Circles
To draw a circular arc or a full circle, choose the
Arc/Circle tool in the Toolbox and one of the
Geometry Methods offered by the first icon in
the Info Box (Centerpoint, Three Points or
Tangent Point).
Note: These methods are identical for drawing curved walls.
See “Create a Curved Wall” on page 220.
These methods differ in the basic points they define.
• The first option defines the centerpoint and radius of the arc or
circle. Your first click defines the centerpoint. A ghost contour
follows your cursor until you click a second time to define the
radius. After that, only a partial ghost curved segment is shown,
until you click a third time to define the length of the arc. If you
need a full circle, double-click when defining its radius. When all
three points are defined, the ghost contour is replaced by the
fully displayed circle.
• The second option defines the circle by three points on the arc’s
circumference. The first two clicks define two points that you
will probably locate on points connecting other elements, grid
intersections or special snap points. After that, a ghost circle
follows the cursor until you click a third time to define the third
point. A fourth click is needed to define the length of the arc
segment.
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Note: Unlike circular Walls, Circles can be fully closed. You will
obtain a single element, not two half-circles.

Stretching Curves
You can modify the circumference or radius of Curved Walls, Arcs
• The third option only defines full circular shapes based on three and Circles with either the Stretch command or the pet palette icon.
tangential edges or points. In this process, you select three
initial points: these can be a tangent edge (indicated by the Angular Stretch
Mercedes cursor), a node (indicated by the Checkmark cursor), • Use the Angular Stretch
or a free-floating point (indicated by the Crosshair cursor.) An icon to change the
endpoint cannot qualify as a tangent edge when using this element’s arc length by
method, so a maximum of two endpoints are allowed. If more dragging its endpoint (or
than two are selected, the process will revert to the second reference line endpoint, in
method described above. Only linear tangency is allowed: all case of a curved wall) along
tangent points must be on the straight edges of Slabs, Lines, the curve.
Walls, etc. If you click a radial edge with the Mercedes cursor, the
resulting Circle will pass through that point rather than being a
• Alternatively, transform an
tangent to the curve.
Arc into a full Circle or the other
way around.
Note: A curved Wall stretched
into a full circle will be
transformed into two
half-circular elements.

Radial Stretch
Use the Radial Stretch icon
to increase or decrease
the element’s radius by
The next step depends on the geometric situation. dragging its edge or
reference line.
• If there is only one solution, the circle is automatically drawn.
• If there are two or four solutions, the Eyeball cursor appears and
the ghost contour of the Wall flips from one position to the other
as you move the cursor around. Click when it is at the right place
to complete the circle. Stretch Ellipse
• If there is no solution (for example, if you define three parallel You can modify the shape of a closed ellipse or full circle by
edges for tangency), no circle will be made. stretching it.

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• Select the ellipse or circle.
• Click on a node to bring up the pet
palette.
• Choose the Stretch Ellipse icon.
• Drag the cursor to stretch the ellipse
along its axis or stretch the circle into an
ellipse.
• Click to complete.
Editing an Arc Using its Tangent
Edit an arc from any point along its edge using the tangent to the
nearest arc endpoint.
• Click on the edge of any arc and
choose the Edit segment using
tangent icon from the pet palette.
• The tangent to the nearest arc
endpoint appears on the plan. Move
the cursor to edit the tangent line by
choosing a new tangent endpoint. A
rubberband line indicates the shape of
the resulting new arc. Click to place.
Drawing Elliptical Arcs and Full Ellipses
To draw an elliptical arc or a full ellipse, choose
the Arc/Circle tool in the Toolbox and one of
the Geometry Methods offered by the second
icon in the Info Box (Diagonal Ellipse,
Semi-Diagonal Ellipse, Ellipse Radii).
The Diagonal Ellipse method creates an Ellipse
constrained into a rectangle.
This method stretches the ellipse of an invisible
rectangle held by the two points of its diagonal.
1) Click the starting point of the imaginary rectangle.
2) By stretching the imaginary diagonal, you get
ellipses of different sizes drawn into the invisible
rectangle.
3) With the second click you choose the ellipse of the appropriate
size.
The Semi-Diagonal Ellipse method works in the same
way as the Diagonal method but here you define the
imaginary rectangle by its centerpoint and the endpoint
of its semi-diagonal.
The Ellipse Radii method defines an elliptical arc by
the major and another radius of an ellipse and the angle
of the arc.

1) Click the centerpoint of the ellipse.

2) Choose the orientation of the major radius, by clicking again.

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3) You get the rubberband line of the second radius, which you can
stretch to different sizes and angles. Notice the accompanying
ellipse that fits the length of the two radii. If you stretch the
minor radius too far away or right in line with the major radius,
you cannot draw the ellipse.
4) In the final phase, ArchiCAD holds the ellipse while you define
the side angle of the arc. First, you use a rubberband line to
define the side where the angle starts from. Then you define a
different side that closes the angle, while ArchiCAD follows the
angle with the Elliptical Arc. Neither side of the angle remains
visible when the final arc is drawn.
Convert Ellipse to Circle
To convert an ellipse to a circle:
• Select the ellipse.
• Choose one of its nodes to bring up the pet palette.
• Choose the Convert Ellipse to
Circle icon.
The ellipse will be transformed into a
circle, whose radius is equal to that of
the ellipse at the clicked node.
Drawing Splines
To draw a natural Spline or a Bézier curve,
choose the Spline tool in the Toolbox and the
first (natural spline) or the second (Bézier
curve) Geometry Method icon in the Info Box.
Natural splines can be defined by placing
nodes, which the program automatically connects, thereby generating
a smooth custom curve. The angle of the tangent and the shape of
the spline generated with it is affected by each subsequent node
defined. You can conclude this operation by double-clicking on the
last node or by clicking the OK button in the Control Box. Clicking
OK always results in a closed spline.
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Bézier splines are somewhat more complex in nature, but they allow
more accurate reproduction of specific custom shapes. Bézier splines
are defined by nodes, just like natural splines, but they also have
editable tangent handles on either side of these nodes, plus one
tangent handle at each end (if it is an open spline). The shape of the
Bézier spline is affected by the direction of the tangent and the length
of each tangent handle.
When defining Bézier splines, click once to place a node, and keep the
mouse button depressed. By moving away from the node in any
direction, you are in effect defining the initial tangent, and the length
of the handle that defines the curvature. If you release the mouse
button, ArchiCAD will assume that you wish to jump to the
definition of the next node with your next click. Keep the mouse
button depressed, and then define the next tangent and node as
above. You can conclude this operation by double-clicking the last
node or by clicking the OK button in the Control Box. Clicking OK
always results in a closed spline.
You can edit Bézier splines by varying the
length of each handle separately: use the pet
palette command for Move tangent handle.
Note that there is only one angle associated
with both handles of a node, but the length of each handle may be
different. The longer the editing handle, the smoother the curve will
be at the control point. You can pull out the handles from sharp
nodes to turn them into curved ones.
Note: The visibility of the editing
handles of Bézier splines depends
on the status of the View >
On-Screen View Options >
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Spline Handles toggle. If this toggle is set to “Show,” then all
editing handles are visible on the Floor Plan. If the toggle is set to
“Hide”, then only the editing handles of the spline last selected
will be visible; if the selection is removed, no editing handles will
be visible.
For more information, see “On-Screen View Options Commands” on page 357.
Editing Splines
When the Spline tool is selected in the Toolbox,
you can freely edit selected splines in the
following ways.
• Insert new node: Click a spline with the
Mercedes cursor; then use the Add new node to Spline
command from the pet palette.
• Delete a node: Choose the Modify Spline
path command from the pet palette, then drag
a node onto its neighbor to delete it, thereby
modifying the shape of the spline.
• Move a node: Choose Modify Spline path from the pet palette,
then drag a node to move it without changing its handles.
To unify a series of connected splines:
• Select the splines.
• Choose the Edit > Reshape > Unify command.
Drawing Freehand Curves
To draw a freehand curve, choose the Spline
tool in the Toolbox and the third Geometry
Method icon in the Info Box.
This method is particularly useful to mark up
documents. When you start marking-up,
ArchiCAD automatically activates the Spline tool with the Freehand
geometry method.
For more information, see “Project Mark-Up” on page 508.
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The Freehand method always creates
natural Splines.
Drawing Polylines and Chained Lines
By combining the capabilities of the various line type tools, you can
create a series of chained straight and curved line segments using the
Polyline tool or the Chained geometry method of the Line tool.
The difference between the two options is the result they produce.
• Polylines are single elements drawn using the Polyline tool.
• Chained lines are a set of connected line segments drawn with
the Line tool. Each line segment is a separate element, although
they can be grouped before or after they are created. To group a
chained line, activate the Edit > Grouping > Autogroup
command before you start to draw Chained lines, or select the set
of Chained lines you have drawn and activate the Edit >
Grouping > Group command.
To draw a Polyline, choose
a geometry method for the
Polyline tool: Polyline
method, Rectangle method or Rotated Rectangle method.
To draw a Chained
line, choose a
geometry method
for the Line tool: Chained method, Rectangle method, or Rotated
Rectangle method.
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With either method (Polyline or Chained Line) you produce a series With the Rotated Rectangle method, you first define a rotation
of straight or curved line segments joined at their endpoints. vector for the rectangle’s reference line. The rotation vector also
• Draw a line segment and click to complete the segment. defines the length of the two segments parallel to it. By hitting the
Shift key once, you can unlock the length component constraint and
• As you click to complete one segment, you simultaneously begin use only the rotation angle component of the rotation vector.
the next one.
• Click the OK button in the Control Box or double-click the last Decompose a Polyline
endpoint to complete the polyline or chained line.
For an illustration of this process, see “Create a Chain of Walls” on page 222. To decompose a Polyline:
• To cancel the last-drawn segment of a polyline or chained line, • Select the Polyline.
use the Backspace key. • Choose Edit > Reshape > Explode into Current View.
Continue a Polyline You will then obtain a series of Lines and Arcs.
You can extend a completed Polyline from either end: Note: If the Edit > Grouping > Autogroup command is
• Select the existing polyline. active, the result will be grouped.
• Click on either endpoint of the
polyline. Unify Drafting Elements into Polyline
Connected Lines, Arcs, and Polylines can be transformed into a single
Polyline.
• Choose the Continue Polyline • Select all connecting elements
icon from the appearing pet • Choose the Edit > Reshapes > Unify command.
palette.
The attributes of the last selected element will be applied to the
unified set of elements.
You can unify multiple sets of selected, connected items with a single
• Draw additional line segments, Unify command.
then double-click (or click OK in Note: To unify items that are Grouped, you must first Suspend
the Control box) to complete the Groups.
polyline. For more information, see “Grouping Elements” on page 140.
Note: When extending the
original polyline, you can Open a Closed Polyline
backspace to delete the last drawn segments, but you cannot
To open a closed polyline by deleting one of its segments:
delete segments of the original polyline.
• Activate the Arrow tool.
Create Rectangles with Line or Polyline Tool
Using the Rectangle method with the Line tool will produce four • Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) the line segment you wish to delete.
individual Line segments, grouped by default. Using the Rectangle Note: Use the same method to cut a polyline having at least 3
method with the Polyline tool will produce a single Rectangle. segments into two independent polylines.
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Hotspots
Hotspots are simple points indicated by a small cross. Their main role
is to help position elements in 2D views. Hotspots do not appear on
printed and plotted outputs and can be deleted when they are not
needed anymore.
For more information, see “Hotspot Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

Placing Hotspots Note: Ctrl/Cmd-clicking the edge of a Roof while another one is
When you have made your Pen Color and Layer choice in the selected will fit the clicked edge to the common ridge (if any) of
Hotspot settings dialog box, you are ready to place Hotspots. Just the two roof planes. With the Wall or Line tool active, selected
click at the desired location. In some situations, you may need to Walls or Lines will be extended to meet the intersection point
continue construction starting exactly on a given point of an element with the clicked edge.
at a location where it has no hotspot or special point. The solution is
To place a Hotspot at a remote tangential point, select the arc(s) and
to generate hotspots that will allow you to snap to this point.
Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) with the Checkmark cursor on any element
Note: Starting with ArchiCAD 10, the Guide Line function is (hotspot or node).
also available for locating intersection points and other useful
Tangential hotspots will be generated on the imaginary extensions of
snap points.
arcs or curved edges.
For more information, see “Guide Lines” on page 97.
It is also possible to add Hotspots with a Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) to:
You can automatically generate Hotspots at intersection points on the
• A parallel projection of a wall, a line or the edge of a roof, a fill or
imaginary extensions of elements.
a slab from a selected hotspot.
The Hotspot tool must be active.
1) Select a line, edge or arc and place the cursor on top of another
(the cursor will be in the Mercedes form).
2) Ctrl-click (Cmd-click) to generate a hotspot.
• A perpendicular projection from any element hotspot
(Checkmark cursor location) or any empty space (Crosshair
cursor location) to a selected wall, slab, roof, fill edge or line.

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Figures Placing Figures

When you have made your choices in the Figure Settings dialog
Figures are image files imported and then embedded into the box, just click with the cursor to place the Figure. If the result does
ArchiCAD project file. They can be inserted in any of the 2D not satisfy you (for example, the image is too small or too large), open
windows (Floor Plan, Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document the Figure Settings dialog box again, and adjust the size, resolution or
window, Detail, Worksheet, Layout). Figures are placed and other settings before placing the Figure again.
manipulated by the dedicated Figure tool. For more information, see “Figure Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
For more information, see “Figure Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. You can also stretch the placed Figure, using the Shift key to
A placed Figure can serve as a background image to the ArchiCAD constrain the diagonal and keep the image’s proportions. If desired,
model by using the Align View function. however, you can stretch the Figure’s X and Y dimensions
independently.
For more information, see “Align View” on page 529.
Before you place the Figure, its
You can also place the cropped content of an ArchiCAD window in ghost contour follows the
the plan as a figure. movements of your cursor
For more information, see “Copy Cropped Image File with Marquee Tool” on showing its proportional size. The
page 88. ghost contour’s anchor point is
sensitive to element nodes and
Note: Drawings, in contrast to Figures, are assigned ID numbers edges. To make this option
and (optionally) titles. Their frames can be cropped. Unlike inactive, go to Options > Work
Figures, Drawings represent linked files that can be updated. Environment > More Options
For more information, see “Drawings in Model Views” on page 386. > Show Ghost Bounding Box
of Objects, Columns, Figures
Figures can be displayed either with or without handles or as simple and Drawings.
placeholders. This setting is global, that is, it affects all placed Figures.
The choice can be made using the Figure Handle toggle under View You can also place Figures in ArchiCAD directly, without using the
> On-Screen View Options > Show/Hide Drafting and Editing Figure tool, by pasting bitmaps originating either from another
Aids. ArchiCAD window (for example a PhotoRendered Model picture) or
another image-processing software. The pasted element will be
handled as a Figure by ArchiCAD.
Note: Images imported by this method are always pasted pixel
by pixel in the current zoom.

Drawings in Model Views

Note: Regardless of the import method, the images of Figure Drawings are ArchiCAD views and external files that have been
type elements are embedded in the Project and can make the file placed into the project. You can customize the size, title and framing
quite large. Use sizes and resolutions only as needed to prevent options for your drawings. (Figures, in contrast, do not have these
overloading the Project. features.) Unlike Figures, imported drawings can be updated

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automatically to reflect all changes in the source file, or you can opt to
update them manually.
Drawings can be placed into either Model views or Layouts.
Drawings placed into Model views are external files (such as DWG,
PDF files and image files). They cannot include ArchiCAD views.
Drawings placed onto Layouts, however, include ArchiCAD views
(from the current project file and other project files), as well as all
other external files available to ArchiCAD.
For information on Drawings in the Layout Book, see “Drawings in the Layout
Book” on page 427.
The Drawing Tool allows you to place Drawings into your project
and to access and define the Drawing’s settings. You can customize
some options by default before actually placing a drawing.
For more information, see “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Deleting a Drawing
To delete a drawing, select it and delete it like any other ArchiCAD
element. Note that deleting a drawing is not undoable EXCEPT if the
active window is the same type (e.g. Floor Plan or Layout window) as
the window which contained the deleted drawing.
Drawings placed into a model view (as opposed to onto a Layout) are
scale-independent.
To place a Drawing into a Model window:
• Activate the Drawing Tool.
• Click in the model window where you want to place the Drawing.
• The Link to directory dialog box opens. Browse for the desired
file, select it and click Open.
Note: If you are importing a multi-page PDF document, a dialog
box prompts you to choose which of the pages you wish to
place.
• The Drawing is placed by the anchor point that you selected in
Drawing Settings (by default, its centerpoint).
Alternatively, use the File > External Content > Place External
Drawing command to access the same dialog box.

Placing Drawings into a Model window

Drawings can be placed into any model view except a 3D Window or
a Schedule view. Placing a Drawing into a model can be useful if, for
example, you receive a standard roof structure detail drawing from a
manufacturer in PDF format. You can place this PDF document as a
Drawing into your Detail window, add your own alterations or
markups as needed, then place it as a modified detail onto a Layout.
Similarly, an external DWG file can be placed as a Drawing into your
model as a vectorial drawing. This is a simpler solution for accessing
DWG files in ArchiCAD, as opposed to the more complex method of
attaching the DWG file as an XREF.
You can change the settings of placed Drawings in the Drawing
Images placed with the Drawing tool in a Model view can be
Settings dialog box.
preferable to placing images with the Figure tool, since such a
Drawing retains its source file information and can be updated. For more information, see “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

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Drawings placed in Model Views are listed in the Drawing Manager, and You can apply a dimensioning standard or customize it for the
can be updated and managed the same way as those placed on Layouts. current project in Options > Project Preferences > Dimensions.
For details, see “Managing and Updating Placed Drawings” on page 433. For more information, see “Dimension Units” on page 23.
For a quick way to change the
Annotation dimension units of your project,
use the Dimensions pop-up in the
Annotation Elements display numeric or textual data in 2D views, Quick Options Palette.
either about the elements they refer to or as standalone informative See “Quick Options Palette” on page 74.
elements. Dimensions can be placed in the
• Dimensions are added to construction elements and drafting Floor Plan, the
elements in the Floor Plan and the Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Section/Elevation/IE, the 3D
Document, and Worksheet/Detail windows using Dimension tools. Document, and the Detail and
• The Grid Tool allows you to place Grid elements individually or Worksheet windows.
in a Grid System. Grid elements are part of the model and serve The 3D Document window has
as an editable framework for placing multiple elements or for some unique dimensioning options.
identifying locations in the model. See “Linear Dimensions in the 3D Document Window” on page 393.
• Texts are inserted using the Text tool, in text blocks The following dimensioning construction options are available:
accompanied by a flexible formatting options.
• Linear Dimensions display element lengths, both curved
• Autotext is a text element containing a definition filled in and straight.
automatically by the program. Autotext can be placed in both
Model Views and Layouts. • Elevation Dimensions (a construction method of the
Linear Dimension tool) display height values in
• Labels allow you to link text information or a symbol to construction Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document views.
elements and 2D Fills. Freestanding Labels are also available.
• Level Dimensions display height values on the Floor
Plan.
Dimensioning • Radial Dimensions display the radius of curved
ArchiCAD’s dimensioning tools give you great flexibility in elements.
annotating the Virtual Building with your choice of measurement • Angle Dimensions display the angle in degrees between
units and standards. pairs of lines or edges.
Dimensions are associative, which means that dimension values will
be updated automatically if the element they are associated to is Placing Dimensions
modified.
The general process for dimensioning is as follows:
Exception: Dimensions you set to be “static” are not associative.
1) Select the appropriate dimensioning tool; choose settings,
See “Static Dimensions” on page 390. construction and geometry methods.
ArchiCAD supports the use of different Dimensioning Standards. For more information, see “Dimension Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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2) As applicable, click along the element you want to dimension; Reference points are temporary; they disappear after
these clicks create temporary reference points that indicate you click to place the dimension chain.
exactly where dimension units should begin and end. As you
click on the element to be dimensioned, the element will be
highlighted, as an aid to help you identify which element you are
working on.
Note: This highlight functions if the “Highlight contours of
related element(s)” checkbox is active in Options > Work
Environment > Selection and Element Information.
3) Double-click after placing the final reference point.
The Dimension Chain Dimension chain
4) Click the black hammer cursor where you want the dimension appears after you click the
chain to appear.
hammer cursor at the end of
• For some dimension types, a rubberband line follows your cursor the dimensioning process. A
to help you choose the correct dimension direction. dimension chain, for Linear
• Linear Dimensions dimensions offer additional options Dimensions, consists of
(involving additional clicks) for determining the dimension line • a dimension line along
location. the length of the element;
See “Linear Dimension Line Placement Options” on page 390. • witness lines (perpendicular to the dimension line), if
• You can revoke any marked Reference Point by clicking it again. Dimension Settings are set to display them;
• dimension points (where the dimension line intersects with the
Glossary of Dimensioning Terms witness lines).
• Reference points are temporary nodes Reference points Dimension points
that you create on ArchiCAD elements
during the dimensioning process.
If you place a reference point at an Dimension line
ineligible location (or in empty space),
the cursor shows a rectangular Witness line
reference point (as shown in the image below) instead of the
regular circular one. This means that the reference point will be a A dimension unit connects
static one and will not follow suit when the dimensioned Dimension units
two adjacent dimension
elements are stretched or dragged. points and includes the
See also “Static Dimensions” on page 390. written dimension values.

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Static Dimensions
Static Dimensions are an exception to the general rule that
dimensions in ArchiCAD are associative. You can opt to make any
linear or level dimension a static dimension, by enabling the Static
Dimension checkbox in Dimension Settings.
The dimension line of a static dimension will not follow any
modifications to model elements.
Once a dimension has been made static, it cannot be made associative
again. If none of a dimension chain’s markers are attached to
construction nodes, the dimension chain will become static.
Static dimensions behave like other dimensions in two ways:
1) If rotated or mirrored, the value is always turned so that you can
read it from the bottom.
2) If the Dimension Unit is modified in Options > Project
Preferences > Dimensions, all values will be updated.
For more information, see “Dimensions Preferences” in ArchiCAD Help.
Linear Dimensions
Linear Dimensions measure linear distances along an element, either
straight or curved. Four construction methods are available in both
the Info Box and the Dimension Settings dialog box.
See “Linear Dimension Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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• With the Linear method , distances between two adjacent
Reference Points are measured and displayed.
• With the Cumulative method , the first Reference Point is
considered the zero point of the dimension chain. All dimension
values of the chain will give you the distance between any
Reference Point and the zero point.
• With the Base-line method , measuring the dimensioning
distances is the same as with the Cumulative method, but the
zero point is not marked.
• With the fourth icon , you create Elevation Dimensions.
For more information, see “Elevation Dimensions” on page 394.
Geometry Methods for Linear Dimensions are set in
the Info Box.
• The default Any Direction method enables
you to create dimension chains at a variety of positions relative to
the element’s position: either parallel to the first two reference
points placed, or horizontal/vertical, or parallel to another
edge/surface of your choice.
• The X-Y Only method restricts the dimension line zones
to horizontal and vertical only, relative to the screen.
• The Arc Length method allows you to dimension curved
elements.
The Geometry Method you choose applies to the entire dimension
chain, and cannot be set unit by unit.
Note: There are additional Geometry Methods for use in the 3D
Document window. See “Linear Dimensions in the 3D Document
Window” on page 393.
Linear Dimension Line Placement Options
To dimension a straight element, place a series of dimension points
along the element, then double-click.
The next step is to move the hammer cursor to the position where
you want to place the dimension line.
When dimensioning a straight vertical or horizontal edge, a
rubberband line provides feedback when placing the dimension line:
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Alternatively, by moving the hammer cursor to another “zone”, you

can choose a horizontal or vertical dimension instead:

However, dimensioning an element in any other position - and if you

are using the default Any Direction geometry method - will give you
three dimension line options (“zones”): vertical, horizontal, or
parallel to the first two dimension points in the chain. Move the
cursor around to get feedback on the possibilities.
An additional dimension line vector is also available: After the black
hammer cursor appears, you can move this cursor to any straight
line/edge in the project.
Note: In the 3D Document window, you must align the
dimension to the edge of a construction element - line segments
do not work.
In the following image, we have dimensioned the slanted roof and the
black hammer cursor appears, and the standard three dimension line
directions (horizontal, vertical, parallel to roof) are available.

For example, when dimensioning the slanted roof in the Section

below with the Any Direction method, use the parallel option to
place the dimension line parallel to the roof:

Suppose you want to dimension the roof using the vector parallel to
the diagonal, instead of parallel to the roof. Move the cursor over the
diagonal. The cursor then changes to the “Mercedes + parallel

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dimension” cursor shape, to indicate that it has found an edge, to • Click with the Mercedes cursor on a circular arc or a curved edge
which the dimension line can be parallel: - you don’t have to find the end points, you can click anywhere
on the curve.

• ArchiCAD automatically marks the end points of the arc or the

edge. This is the edge that arc length will be measured on. You may
Click now to constrain the dimension line to be parallel to this click any other points you want to add to the dimension chain.
line/edge.
• Double-click anywhere in the workspace with the Empty Pencil
Now drag the dimension line to its final position and click with the cursor or click the OK button in the Control Box to finish
black hammer to place the dimension chain. selecting arc points for dimensioning.
• The Hammer cursor appears, prompting you to place the
dimension chain. Click to place the dimension chain.

Linear Dimensioning of Curved Elements Note: The Arc Length geometry method cannot be used for
The Arc Length geometry method measures the length of a curved elliptical arcs and splines, Curtain Walls, or for (closed) circles.
line or wall. To achieve an approximate dimensioning of an elliptical arc or
spline, first select it and turn it into a series of arcs using the
With the Linear Dimension tool active, choose the Arc Length Magic Wand tool, then use the Arc Length geometry method to
Geometry Method from the Info Box. dimension the arcs.
For more information, see “Magic Wand” on page 143.

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Linear Dimensions in the 3D Document Window

In the 3D Document window, use the Linear Dimension tool to place
dimensions as needed. All the options for Linear Dimensions are
available except Arc Length.
As in 2D windows, you can limit the options to the
X-Y Only constraint, or use Any Direction to place the
line parallel to the first two clicked points.
Furthermore, as in 2D windows, the Any Direction option lets you
constrain the dimension line by clicking with the mercedes+parallel
dimension cursor on any other line/edge.
In the 3D Document window only:
You can constrain the plane in which the dimension line is to be placed.
Next, choose the plane in
To choose a plane constraint for linear which you wish to measure
dimensions in the 3D Document window, the dimension. Move the
choose among the options in the Linear cursor onto the roof. The
Dimension Tool Info Box: magnet+dimension line
• the horizontal plane cursor appears, indicating
that you will select a surface
• the vertical plane as the dimension plane.
• any other plane Click to measure the dimension along this plane.
The default is the “Any Plane” option, which gives you the most freedom. Now the cursor will move only in this defined plane. Click one more
time to place the dimension line at the desired location.
Choose Dimension Plane in 3D Document Window
When placing a linear dimension in the 3D Document window with
the “Any Plane” or the Vertical geometry method, you can choose
the dimension plane.
Suppose we wish to dimension the width of the roof in a 3D
Document.
Activate the Linear Dimension tool. Select the “Any Plane” geometry
method in the Info Box, as well as the “Any Direction” option.

As usual, click at both ends of the roof, then double-click. The black
hammer cursor appears.

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Offset Dimension Plane (Another way to select one of several

Once you have placed a dimension line in the 3D Document window, overlapping elements is to pre-select
you can offset it within its current plane. This option is available for one of them, then click TAB until the
dimensions in the 3D Document only: Info Tag indicates that the required
element is ready to be selected.)
To activate/deactivate element
detection, go to Options > Work
Environment > Selection and Element Information, and
activate/deactivate this checkbox: Highlight contours of related
element(s) when placing or editing element.
You can set a unique color for this highlight.

The usual dimension line editing options are also available from the pet
palette (insert/merge dimension point, drag or align dimension line.)
See “Editing a Dimension Chain” on page 398. Elevation Dimensions
Dimensioning Overlapping Elements A special case of the linear Dimension tool is the Elevation
You may have to dimension elements that overlap with each other. Dimensioning construction method. Elevation Dimensions
The “element detection” feature makes it easy to know which allow you to place height markers in Section/Elevation/IE and 3D
element you are associating your dimension to. Document windows.
By default, element detection is activated in ArchiCAD. During You can also use Elevation Dimensions on the Floor Plan, but there
dimensioning or parameter transfer operations, the contours of they only measure the Floor Plan’s Y-axis from the current
related elements will be highlighted to help you identify which Project/User Origin.
element you are working on. Elevation Dimensioning is
In the following image, the element calculated based on the Dimension
detection highlight tells you that the Origin, which you can set as
linear dimension you are placing will be needed in the Dimension Settings
associated to the highlighted column, not to the wall. dialog box.
If you’d rather associate the dimension See details in “Elevation Dimensioning
to the wall, move the cursor until the Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
wall is highlighted, then place the
dimension.

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A series of Elevation Dimensions behaves
as an associative dimension chain. You can
select and edit the whole series by clicking
on the invisible axis of the chain (where
the cursor changes to Mercedes with
Arrow) with the Arrow tool, or
Shift-clicking with another tool active.
Individual markers in the chain cannot be
edited.
Place individual markers by clicking the
point you want to dimension, then
double-click, or click OK in the Control
Box. Use the Hammer cursor to position
the marker.
To place a chain of Elevation markers,
click multiple points, then double-click (or click OK in the Control
Box) and use the Hammer cursor to place the chain.
Note: Hotlinked Modules placed in the Project may contain
Elevation Dimensions that refer to a User Origin. In this case,
the dimension values will be the same as in the source Project.
Different rules apply if you move the Elevation Dimensions in
the host Project:
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• If you select and move all elements related to an Elevation
Dimension without selecting the dimension chain itself, the
dimension chain will move with them. The origin of the
dimension values will keep its position, which means that the
numbers will change.
• If you select and drag elements together with the Elevation
Dimension they relate to, and the dimension chain has a custom
origin, the origin will move with the dimensions, which means
that the numbers will keep their values.
Dimensioning Wall Thickness
In the Floor Plan, you can dimension wall thickness in a single click
by clicking on the wall’s Reference Line. (The wall should be a regular
or slanted straight wall.)
In this example, with the Linear Dimension tool active, move the
cursor to the wall’s Reference Line. (It is indicated by a bold
Mercedes.)
See “Wall Reference Lines” on page 219.
Click once on the Reference Line. Two dimension points appear.
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Double-click to complete the dimension chain and
place it with the Hammer cursor.
If you place a series of wall-thickness dimension
markers along a chained wall, only the dimension
points located on walls perpendicular to the
dimension chain will be displayed.
Radial Dimensions
Radial Dimensions display the value of the radius of
a curved element. Radial dimensions have two main
parts: the Dimension Line and the Label.
• Click on a point of the curved element.
• Draw the dimension line, either toward the
centerpoint of the curve or in the opposite
direction. The radial dimension must always originate from a
curved element.
• Click again to place the label, which shows the value of the radius.
Label orientation can be selected in the Radial Dimensioning dialog
box.
Stretching and Moving Radial Dimensions
You can adjust a placed radial dimension with the aid of the pet palette:
Use the Stretch Radial Dimension icon to
stretch the dimension.
Note: Deleting the dimensioned element will also delete any
Radial Dimensions associated with it.
Level Dimensions
Level Dimensions are point-level elevation markers common to
architecture and site planning. They measure the element’s vertical
height along the Z-axis. They are available in the Floor Plan and in
Worksheet/Detail windows. They are not available in the
Section/Elevation/IE window or 3D Document.
Note: You can place Elevation Dimensions in a
Section/Elevation/IE window.
See “Elevation Dimensions” on page 394.
To place a level dimension in your Project, select the Level
Dimension tool, then click anywhere in the window. The elevation
of the active story is immediately displayed along with a standard level
dimension marker.
The Level Dimension Marker style can be chosen from the pop-up in
the Level Dimensions Info box:
The units used by the Level Dimensions are a project-wide preference
set in Options > Project Preferences > Dimensions. Click the Level
Dimension icon and choose your preferred measurement unit.

Use the Move Radial Dimension

icon to move it.
For more information, see “Radial Dimension
Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

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Level Dimensions placed with Gravity On on top of Slabs, Roofs or
Meshes are associated to them.
For more information, see “Gravity” on page 110.
You can edit the level dimension text separately as well as drag, rotate,
and otherwise modify the text independently of the marker. The
Level Dimension markers are individual elements, and each one can
be individually edited. They can be dragged, rotated and mirrored,
with or without copies, as any other element.
If multiplied together with the reference element, the copies of the
markers will be associated with the copies of the elements. If you
multiply only the Level Dimension, the copies will be associative with
the same element (or the story level) as the original.
Associated Level Dimensions remain linked to the elements they
were placed on top of, even if they are no longer inside the contour of
these elements. If a Level Dimension falls outside the contour of the
element it is associated to, its value changes according to the
following rules:
• With Slabs, there is no change: the value is the same as if the
Level Dimension were still inside the Slab’s contour.
• With Roofs, the value displayed is calculated by a projected
extension of the roof (that is, what the value would be).
• With Meshes, it is the Story’s height that will be displayed (but
the Level Dimension remains associated to the Mesh).
For more information, see “Level Dimension Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD
Help.
To dimension an angle, first define the pair of lines or edges by
choosing exactly four reference points. These four points will
determine two infinite lines that ArchiCAD will use to calculate the
angle dimension.
Choose reference points in one of the following ways:
• Click any existing line or edge (wall,
slab, roof, mesh, fill). This will
immediately place two reference points
on the clicked line/edge.
• Click the hotspots of existing elements.
• Click anywhere on the plan or on
a Guide Line (in this case, the
angular dimensions will not be
associative).
Now you have defined two infinite
reference lines, which divide the space
into four quadrants.
With the reference points defined, the Hammer cursor appears. Click
to place the angle dimension. The arc of the angle dimension will pass
through the point you click.
The Angle Dimension Info Box offers two construction methods:

Angle Dimensions
Angle Dimensions display angle values between a pair of lines or • With the Inner Dimension (acute) construction method, only
linear edges. An angle dimension can be either acute or obtuse the quadrant of the space in which you click with the Hammer
; you choose this geometry method from the Angle Dimension cursor will be dimensioned.
Settings dialog box or the Info Box.
For more information, see “Angle Dimension Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Note: Angle dimensions not available in the 3D Document
Window.

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• With the Outer Dimension (obtuse) construction method,
ArchiCAD will calculate the angle of the clicked quadrant, plus
the two adjacent quadrants.
Placing Angle Dimensions on Curves
Select the Angle Dimensioning tool in the Toolbox, then click the
bent polygon edge or circular arc you wish to dimension. The two
endpoints of the arc will be automatically marked.
Finally, place the dimension line with the Hammer cursor.
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Note: It is always the arc side of the angle that will be
dimensioned, regardless of the geometry method you choose, or
which side you click to.
Editing a Dimension Chain
• If you transform all of the elements a dimension chain refers to,
the chain will be transformed along with the elements.
• If only some of the elements are edited, the Dimension Line will
keep its place and angle, and only the markers, witness lines and
values involved will change.
• If dimensioned elements are multiplied, you must also select the
dimensions. The copies of the dimensions will be associative to
the copies of the elements.
Note: You can drag or rotate a dimension chain as a whole.
Units or points cannot be dragged, rotated or mirrored away
from the parent dimension chain.
Select Part of the Dimension Chain
• Select the whole dimension chain by clicking at a “free spot”
on the dimension line with the Checkmark with Mercedes cursor.
• Select a Dimension Unit by clicking its midpoint with the
Checkmark with Arrow cursor.
• Select the Dimension Text by using the Quick Selection cursor.
Or click on the lower left corner of the text with the Checkmark
with Arrow cursor. When one or more dimension chains are
selected, double-clicking the Text tool’s icon in the Toolbox
opens Dimension Text Settings.
For more information, see “Dimension Text Content Panel” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Insert New Dimension Points
You can insert any number of new dimension points into the chain.
First, select the chain. Then, with the Dimension Tool selected,
Ctrl/Cmd-click on the desired new Reference Point. The new point
can be located between existing chain points or anywhere outside the
dimension chain.
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The existing dimension units will be divided into the necessary
number of units.
Another way to insert a dimension point is to use the pet palette.
Select the dimension chain. Click on the dimension line to bring up
the pet palette. Choose the Insert/Merge Dimension Point
command.
Click on the element whose dimension you want to add, or click
anywhere on the dimension line to place a dimension there.
The dimension chain becomes longer as needed. You cannot insert
points by selecting the dimension units directly; you must select the
entire chain.
Note: You can insert one reference point at a time into a single
dimension chain.
Delete a Dimension Point
If you select and delete a dimension point in the middle of a chain,
the adjoining two dimension units are merged.
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If the deleted point was at the end of the chain, the last unit
disappears and the chain becomes shorter.
Delete a Dimension Unit or Chain
If you select and delete a dimension unit in the middle of a dimension
chain, the chain will be broken into two separate parts.
You can eliminate an entire dimension chain by selecting and deleting
it.
Merge Dimension Chains
Separate dimension chains can be merged by selecting one of the
chains and Ctrl/Cmd-clicking on the other one.
Another way is to use the Insert/Merge Dimension Point
command from the Pet Palette: select one dimension chain, bring up
the pet palette and click the command, then click on the other
dimension chain to merge it.
The second chain will be deleted and its Reference Points added to,
and dimensioned by, the first (selected) chain.
You can use this technique even with dimension chains that are not
parallel with one another and/or have no overlapping parts at all.
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Drag a Dimension Chain
Dimension chains can be dragged to a new location: use the Drag
command from the pet palette of a selected Dimension chain.
Note that associative Dimension chains can only be dragged along
the direction of their witness lines. You can move the cursor
anywhere when dragging, but only the perpendicular component of
the movement will be applied to the chain.
You cannot drag a Radial Dimension away from the element it
dimensions; you can only move it to another location along the
element’s curve.
Align Dimension Line to an Edge
If you want to line up a dimension line with another existing line or edge
in the window, use the pet palette’s Align dimension line command.
First, select the Dimension chain. Choose Align dimension line
from the pet palette.
Click with the cursor on a straight edge or line. The selected
Dimension chain will align itself with the clicked element.
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Rotate Dimensions
You can use rotation to change the orientation of a
Dimension chain after it is completed: use the
Rotate Dimension command in the pet palette of
a selected Dimension chain.
Rotated Dimension Chains will remain associated to the same nodes,
so you will see the length and the values change along with the
witness lines.
After a rotation, all the reference points will automatically be
redimensioned and projected along the new direction, with the
original hierarchy maintained. Dimension lines will always be kept
right side up; if you rotate them upside down, the numbers will move
to the opposite side.
Mirror Dimensions
Dimension chains can be moved to the opposite side of a Wall by
mirroring. Choose the Mirror Dimension command from the pet
palette of a selected Dimension chain.
As when mirroring any other element, click twice to define the
mirroring vector and place the Dimension chain in its new position.
For more information, see “Mirroring Elements” on page 116.
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The value positions are always automatically recalculated by

ArchiCAD so that you can read them from the bottom or from the
right.

Modify the Witness Line

Witness line styles (e.g., None, Fixed, Custom, or Dynamic) are Move the cursor to the place where you want the witness line to end.
chosen in the Type and Font and the Marker and Witness Line (The Tracker’s Distance field shows the length of the witness line
Options panels of Dimension Settings. measured from the Dimension line.) Click to define the new witness
line length for all the witness lines in this Dimension chain.

Dynamic witness lines will never extend beyond the reference node
of the dimensioned element.

Dimension Text Options

Use the options in the Type and Font Panel of Linear Dimension
Settings to set options for displaying Dimension Text in Linear
Dimensions.

See “Linear Dimension Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

You can edit the length of custom and dynamic witness lines on
screen for one or both witness lines of a dimension unit, or for all the
witness lines in the chain: select the witness line(s) you want to edit,
and drag.
To edit all the witness lines, select the Dimension chain and choose Note the Horizontal checkbox: it is available if you choose the
the Edit Length of Witness Line command from the pet palette. second, “Interrupt” option to display dimension text. Check the

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Horizontal box if you wish to display dimensions horizontally, rather
than in the same direction as the dimension line.
When the 3D Document is active, the Horizontal option is checked
by default.
See also “Dimension Type and Font Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
• click the Edit > Dimension Text Settings command. (This
command is only available when a Dimension Text is selected.)
Use Dimension Text Settings to set a custom value for the selected
dimension, if needed. Once you set a custom value, this dimension is
no longer associative.

Move or Edit Dimension Text

Dimension Text items are individually editable. You must first select
the Dimension Text item (not the entire Dimension line).

To Edit Dimension Text items graphically:

Once you select a dimension text item, you can change its position
and/or orientation using Edit functions (e.g., Drag, Rotate).

To undo the position changes of all modified dimension text items,

open the Options > Project Preferences > Dimensions dialog
box. and check the Revert All Dimension Text to Automatic
Position checkbox.
To reset the position of a selected custom text item, check the Revert
to Automatic Position box at the bottom of the Dimension Text
Settings.
To Edit Dimension Text Settings:
Select the Dimension Text, then do one of the following:
• click the Text icon in the Info Box
• double-click the Dimension Tool icon in the Toolbox
For more information, see “Dimension Text Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Associative Dimensions in
Sections/Elevations/IE and 3D Document
Dimensions in the Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document
windows are associative, meaning that every dimension point you
create adheres to its reference point. For instance, when you stretch
the Window in the wall, it will cause the entire dimension chain to be
automatically updated.

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Use the Document > Document Extras > Secondary

Dimensions > Convert Dimensions dialog box to set the unit and
the number of decimals of the converted dimension value.
Click OK, and the
secondary values will
appear on the opposite
side of the dimension
line.
Elevation Dimensions and Angle Dimensions are also associative.
The new values will be
placed as a text block,
and can be edited as
any other text block.
• If nothing is selected on the
Floor Plan, all placed
dimensions will be
converted.
• If there are selected
• When a Model type Section is turned dimensions, only their
into a Drawing type Section, hotspots values will be converted.
are generated on the elements to mark Changes made to dimensioned elements do not automatically update
the associated dimension points. the converted dimensions.
For more information, see “Assign Section Choose Document > Document Extras > Secondary
Status” on page 178. Dimensions > Refresh converted dimensions to update both the
• When the Drawing type Section is value and the location of the dimension. Again, this command will
updated from the model, the dimensions associated to the work on either all dimensions (if nothing is selected) or selected ones.
hotspots will be regenerated to reflect the changes to the model. If you do not need equivalents any more, simply choose Remove
For more information, see “Updating Sections” on page 182. converted dimensions from the Secondary Dimensions menu.

Secondary Dimensions (Add-On) Automatic Exterior Dimensioning

You can add automatic associative linear Dimensions to selected
The Secondary Dimensions function allows you to add metric unit elements with Automatic Dimensioning functions. First, select
equivalents to dimension values displayed in feet and inches, and vice elements on the Floor Plan (or even the entire Floor Plan).
versa. The Secondary Dimensions hierarchical menu is located in the
Document > Document Extras hierarchical menu. Choose the Document >
Document Extras >
Note: If your program does not display the Secondary Automatic Dimensioning >
Dimensions menu, you can add it to your work environment. Exterior Dimensioning command and set the options in the dialog
For more information, see “Menu Customization Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help. box as desired.
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Next, define the direction of the dimension lines. Do this in one of The Automatic Interior
two ways: Dimensioning dialog box contains
• Click the side edge of any element (the dimension direction will options for dimensioning Columns
follow the element direction); or and composite or profile (complex)
elements.
• Click in an empty area, then click a second time to define the
dimension direction. Choose preferred dimensioning
options.
Finally, click with the hammer cursor to place the dimension line (the
one nearest to the selected elements). If you choose to place detailsYou then have to draw a line
dimensions on all four sides, this distance also marks the overall across the selected elements. Walls,
distance between the nearest dimension lines and the bounding box Columns, Beams, and Slab, Roof and Mesh edges perpendicular to or
of the selected elements. crossing the drawn line will be dimensioned. The line can consist of
several segments. Double-click to finish drawing the line. An
additional click is needed to determine the place of the dimension
line. After placing the dimensions, the crossing line disappears.

The Grid Tool

Exterior Dimensioning takes walls and openings into consideration. About the Grid Tool
Up to four dimension lines are placed automatically: the opening
The Grid Tool allows you to place Grid elements
dimensions, the dimensioning of the interior walls, the facade
individually or in a Grid System; it is a regular tool
dimensions and the overall dimension. If any of these dimension lines
in the ArchiCAD Toolbox.
is unnecessary (e.g., there are no openings, or the facade is straight), it
is discarded. Grid elements are part of the model and serve as an
editable framework for placing multiple elements or
Automatic Interior Dimensioning for identifying locations in the model.
The Document > While the Construction and Snap Grid (set in the
Document Extras > View > Grid Options > Grids and Background) is
Interior Dimensioning a global, equally distributed net covering the whole 2D window, and is
hierarchical menu allows you to add associative interior dimensions to used as an input and editing aid, the Grid Tool creates a custom local
selected elements. structural grid. The grid created by this tool is interactive, so you can
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edit grid elements even after placing them. Grid elements can be
edited using the Grid Tool Settings dialog box.
See “Grid Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Grid elements can be placed in either the Floor Plan or the 3D
window, but they can be displayed in Sections, Elevations, Interior
Elevations and the 3D Document as well.
A Grid element marks a vertical location in the model. Like other
model elements, Grid elements are saved along with views.
Grid element on the Floor Plan:
Grid element in the 3D window:
To place a whole scheme of horizontal and vertical gridlines in one
step, use the Design > Grid System command. The follow-up Grid
System Settings dialog allows you to configure the system of Grid
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Elements and to place dimensions, beams, columns or optional
library parts at the grid intersection points.
See “Grid System Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
This image shows a Grid System in 3D with Beams and Columns
placed at intersections:
Components of a Grid Element
A Grid Element has two main components: Grid Marker and Grid Line.
The Grid line can be displayed in three different formats to suit your
documentation needs.
Grid Markers can be switched on and off
optionally at both ends of the Grid Line.
See “Grid Tool Floor Plan Panel” in ArchiCAD
Help.
You can stagger grid markers away from the
Grid line graphically, using a pet palette
command. (See “Editing a Grid Element” on
page 408.)
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When you stagger the grid markers sideways, a certain line segment
will be staggered together with the markers. The length of this line
segment is the Staggering value.
The default Staggering length for any Grid element can be set in both
the Floor Plan and Section/Elevation panels of Grid Tool Settings.

Visibility of a Grid Element See “Section Grid Tool Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
Provided that their layer is visible, Grid elements are visible on: • 3D window and 3D
• the Floor Plan, on any or all stories: Use the Show on Story Documents, if the Grid
pop-up in the Floor Plan panel of Grid Tool Settings. element is set to appear in
3D: Use the Display in 3D
view checkbox in the 3D
View panel of Grid Tool
Settings.
Detail and Worksheet windows
will not display the grid
elements, just their exploded
views.
By default, Grid elements are
See “Grid Tool Floor Plan Panel” in ArchiCAD Help. displayed in 3D as lines only, and
• the Section/Elevation windows, if the Section or Elevation are not displayed in renderings.
settings allow: Use the Show Grid Elements checkbox on the However, you can choose to
Grid Tool Panel of Section/Elevation Settings. display Grid elements as model
There are two sets of filtering criteria for display of Grid elements in 3D so that they
elements on this Section: You can filter by Grid element Story, appear in renderings, with a
and/or you can filter by Grid element Name. cross-section and materials: to do
so, adjust the options in the 3D
View panel of Grid Element
Settings.
See “Grid Tool 3D View Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Creating a Straight Grid Element

Grid elements can be created in the Floor Plan or 3D window. The
Straight Grid Element method produces one straight Grid Element at
a time.

After setting up the element settings or choosing a Favorite, select the

Grid Tool. Choose the Straight Grid Element geometry method from
the Info Box. Click to place the endpoints and to define the length of
Grid Element.
The moment you start drawing the Grid Element , a ghost contour
appears and it follows the cursor until you click at the second
endpoint.
The second option defines the curved Grid by three points on the
arc's circumference. You will probably place first two points so that
they connect other elements, grid intersections or special snap points.
Next, a ghost circle follows the cursor until you click a third time to
define the third point.

Creating a Curved Grid Element

After setting up the element settings or choosing a Favorite, select the
Grid Tool. Choose one of the two Curved Grid Element Geometry
methods from the Info Box.

The first option defines the curved Grid by the arc's centerpoint and
radius. Your first click defines the centerpoint.
A ghost contour of the circular grid follows your cursor until you
click a second to time to define the radius. After that, only a partial
ghost curved segment is shown, until you click a third time to define A fourth click is needed to define the length of the arc segment. The
the length of the arc grid ’s circumference. When all three points are ghost arc is now replaced by the fully displayed Grid Element.
defined, the ghost contour is replaced by the fully displayed Grid
Element.

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Editing a Grid Element
Edit Length of Grid Line
Any Grid elements can be stretched with Pet palette commands:
select the Grid Element, then choose the Stretch icon.
Stagger Markers Away from Grid Line
Select a Grid element. Click on the editing hotspot which represents
the staggered part of the Grid marker, and then drag the Marker,
together with the staggering length, to a new position.
Edit Grid Position
The horizontal position of a grid element can be edited on the Floor
plan and 3D window only. Select the Grid Element and use the
familiar pet palette commands and shortcuts to Drag, Mirror or
Rotate the Grid element, or copies of it.
The vertical position (Z-value) of a grid element can be edited in the
3D window or through the Grid Element settings dialog/Info box.
See “Grid Tool 3D View Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
408
Place a Grid System
To lay out a complete orthogonal or curved grid mesh, use the Grid
System function. The Grid System command can save you a lots of
time by automating the task of placing multiple Grid Elements in one
step, following a defined scheme, and even placing elements on
dedicated positions. You can also place dimensions throughout the
Grid system in one step.
A Grid System is a collection of Grid Elements; each Grid element
continues to act as a distinct element, even though they are placed as
part of a system.
Select Design > Grid System. Adjust the settings.
See “Grid System Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
The number of horizontal and vertical grid lines to be placed in this
Grid System depends on what you set in the Grid Positions panel:
click the plus and minus signs to add or remove individual Grid lines
from the Grid System.
The number of Grid lines is shown in the “axes” field below.
Click in the Distance field of any Grid
line to define its distance from the
previous Grid line:
If you do not know the distance you
will need between your Grid lines,
check the Distribute box for either or
both Grid line directions (i.e.
horizontal and/or vertical grid lines).
This will enable you, when you place
the Grid system, to set the beginning
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and endpoints of the Grid system in the given direction, divided into
the number of Grid lines defined in the list.
When you are satisfied with Grid System Settings, click OK.
You will see a ghost grid system at the cursor, which you can place
with two to four clicks:
• the first click defines the location of the anchor point you
selected in the settings
• the second click defines the rotation of the grid system
• if you selected the Distribute function as well, then one or two
additional clicks are required to define the full distances for
distribution in one or both directions, depending whether you
checked Distribute for one or both directions.

Note: You can select and edit all or selected elements of a placed
grid system by selecting them using any of the ArchiCAD
selection methods.
See also “Selecting a Grid System” on page 410.

Place Object, Column or Beams with Grid System

Use the General Settings panel of Grid System Settings to place an
Object or Column automatically at every Grid intersection point; or
to place a Beam along every Grid line of the Grid System.
The Settings button next to each checkbox will take you to the
relevant Tool Settings dialog box (Column, Object, Beam).
For details on these controls, see “Grid System General Settings Panel” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Although these checkboxes mean that Beams, Columns or objects are
placed at each Grid intersection, these elements are independent of

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the Grid and will not be moved or rotated along with the Grid
System.
Dimension Grid System
Two additional checkboxes in the General Settings panel of Grid
System Settings enable you to automatically dimension each Grid line
segment in the system, and/or to place a single total dimension for
each Grid line.
These dimensions are associated to the Grid system.
The Settings button to the right of the Dimension checkboxes take
you to Dimension Default Settings, where you can set the options for
the chosen Dimension type for your Grid System. For example, you
can set all of the individual Grid line dimension text to be displayed in
italic, while the Total Dimension values are displayed in bold type.
Note that if you would like to use uniform Dimension settings for
both dimension lines, then you can use the Chain button to link them
together, in the General Settings panel of Grid System Settings.
410
Selecting a Grid System
You cannot select a Grid System as a whole with a single click, but
you can select any of its components. ArchiCAD will recognize them
as part of an existing or potential Grid System if the selected Grid
Elements are:
• straight Grid Elements at right angles to each other
• straight Grid Elements parallel to each other, and which are both
crossed by another straight Grid Element at a right angle
• curved Grid Elements which have the same arc angles
If your selection meets any of these criteria, it is possible to open the
Grid System dialog on this selection and modify the settings.
If not (for example, you select several straight parallel Grid Elements
which have no perpendicular gridline), you will be advised:
Text Blocks
Using the Text tool, you can create multiline texts with full-scale
font options, multiple styles and alignment in any direction. Text
blocks can be created in the Floor Plan, in Section/Elevation/IE and
3D Documents, and in Detail and Worksheet windows, and on
Layouts. You can format the content of text blocks as a whole (using
Tool Settings or Info Box), and you can also individually format
characters within the text block (using the Text Editor).
Text blocks are always readable from left to right even after a
mirroring.
The advantages of freely editable text elements are available for the
Label tool as well as the Text tool. (Rich text functions are not
available for other textual items in ArchiCAD.)
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Depending on the state of the Textbox Handles toggle in View > Note: The style and formatting of a newly placed Text Block
On-Screen View Options > Show/Hide Drafting and Editing depend on the settings in the Text Settings dialog box and Info Box.
Aids, all text blocks can be framed with brackets at each corner handle. If you want different style or formatting for particular characters or
This makes text blocks easy to locate and edit, while keeping the text paragraphs you are typing, use the Formatting Palette.
readable. • In addition to typing in text, you can use the controls of the Text
Editor to add the following predefined items to the text block
Placing Text Blocks - Autotext
For details, see “Autotext” on page 413.
Before starting to type into a text block, you can determine whether it - Symbols
will be a “breaking” or “non-breaking” text block.
- Favorites
A breaking text block’s width remains fixed, with the line of text For more information on Symbols and Text Favorites, see “Formatting Palette
“breaking” automatically to the next line when it reaches the limit
and Text Editor Controls” in ArchiCAD Help.
during input. A “non-breaking” text block’s width depends on how
much text you enter; you can type as many characters in the same line • Once you reach the end of the text block, additional text will be
as you wish. Use a non-breaking text block if you are not sure in automatically entered on the next line.
advance how long the text will be.
To place a “breaking text” block:
1) Choose the Text tool.
2) Draw a rubberband rectangle to
define its corners on the worksheet.
This rectangle defines the text block
width. • You can start a new line at any time by hitting the Return key on
your keyboard.
A Text Editor window and a
Formatting Palette appear on the • Click Cancel (Control Box) to cancel the text editing operation.
screen. 4) When you are finished, click OK in the Control Box; or click on
For more information, see “Formatting Palette and Text Editor Controls” in an empty space on the worksheet; or press Ctrl-Enter
ArchiCAD Help. (Cmd-Enter).
To place a “non-breaking” text block:
1) Choose the Text tool.
Formatting 2) Double-click on the worksheet. An editing window and a
Palette formatting palette appear on the screen.

Text Editor

3) Type the desired text into the Text Editor. A flashing text cursor
indicates your position in the text block.

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3) Type the desired text into the Text Editor. The editing window
(and the resulting text block) will extend indefinitely as long as
you keep typing or until you hit Enter. The width of the text
block will be determined by the width of the longest line of the
block. A flashing text cursor indicates your position in the text
block.
To stretch a Text Block, select it and reshape it using any of its corner
nodes. A rubberband box provides feedback as you stretch; the text
in the block will automatically rearrange itself according to the new
outline.
Resizing Text Graphically
You can change the size of the text inside the text block using a Stretch
technique. Select the text block and stretch it with either the Stretch
menu command or the pet palette. Move the cursor along the text
block’s diagonal, and press the Shift key to constrain it to the diagonal.

• You can start a new line at any time by pressing Enter.

• Click Cancel (Control Box) to cancel the text editing operation.
4) When you are finished, click OK; or click on an empty space on
the worksheet; or press Ctrl-Enter (Cmd-Enter). With Shift still pressed, click to define the new size. The font size will
The Formatting Palette appears: grow or shrink proportionally.
• when you are entering text into the Text Editor
• by double-clicking inside an existing text block with the Arrow
tool in Quick Selection mode
• by selecting an existing text block (with the Text tool active) and
clicking inside the text
Applying Favorite Text Settings
Formatting Text Blocks As a Whole
To apply Favorite settings to the entire text block, select the text
Use the Text Settings and Info box to format the Text Block as a block, switch to a Favorite in the Text Settings dialog box, and click
whole. OK (or double-click the desired Favorite from the Favorites palette).
Double-click the Text tool to open the Text Settings dialog box, For more information, see “Favorites” on page 46.
which has two panels:
• The Text Style panel settings apply to the appearance of your
Formatting Individual Components of Text
text characters. Blocks
• The Text Block Formatting panel settings apply to the shape
To format individual characters, lines and paragraphs that have been
and appearance of the text block.
typed into your text block, or to switch styles while typing, use the
For more information, see “Text Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. Formatting Palette and the indent/tab controls of the Text Editor.

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The Text Editor and Formatting Palette appear as soon as you click The Preview area will either display
on the Floor Plan (with the Text tool active) and begin typing into the the relevant value of the chosen
text box. Autotext definition, or else a
The controls of the Formatting Palette and Text Editor apply only to placeholder text plus ‘#’. This means
the text you are entering in the Text Editor, or to selections inside the either that the information is not
Text Editor. available yet (for example, the
‘#Client Name’ has not yet been filled
For more information, see “Formatting Palette and Text Editor Controls” in in the File > Info > Project Info
ArchiCAD Help. dialog box) or that it cannot be
processed for some other reason (for
Autotext example, because the view has not
been placed onto a Layout).
An Autotext is a text element containing a definition filled in
The other way to insert Autotext:
automatically by the program. After you insert an Autotext definition,
the program will fill in the data that apply in the current context. . • Right-click at the insertion point in
This data - which can be text or a numerical value - is automatically the Text Editor and choose the
updated in accordance with the changes made to the model, layout or appropriate command from the Insert Autotext hierarchical
drawing. menu.
You can add Autotext to any window where the Text tool is active
(Floor Plan, Section/Elevation/IE, 3D Document, Detail,
Worksheet, 2D Symbol of GDL Object, Layout, Master Layout).
Autotext is also available as part of the ID’s of Interior Elevations.
The style of the Autotext can be formatted the same way as for any
manually typed text.

How to Insert Autotext

1) Activate the Text tool
2) Click on screen. The Formatting Palette and Text Editor appear.
Use one of the following ways to insert Autotext:
• Click the button in the
Formatting Palette to display a
dialog box listing the possible
Autotext choices.
You can pick among Autotext in several categories, or choose
the All category to see them all. The “Recent” category will list
recently inserted Autotext choices.

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If the information is already available, the appropriate text will appear
in the Text Editor after you have selected it.
If the referenced information is not available, you will see a
placeholder text.
When the missing information becomes available, the placeholder
text is immediately updated with the relevant data.
You can add any number of Autotexts, and type additional static text,
in the same text block.
The current Text Settings will be applied. To format individual characters
or parts of text within a text block, use the Formatting Palette.
For more information, see “Formatting Palette and Text Editor Controls” in
ArchiCAD Help.
414
Autotext Sources
There are several sources of “Autotext”
• Project-specific information such as the name of the project (not
necessarily the same as the file name), the name of the architect,
the date of issue or any other piece of information entered in the
File > Info > Project Info dialog box.
For more information, see “Project Info” in ArchiCAD Help.
• Layout-specific information such as the name or ID of the
layout, the name or ID of the subset, the number of layouts in
the layout book.
• Drawing-specific information including the name, drawing scale
and magnification factor of the drawing.
• Information that comes from a specified drawing (one which you
define as an Autotext Reference.)
For more information, see “Autotext Reference Drawing” on page 414.
• System-dependent information (file name, path, date of creation
and modification, etc.).
Adding Autotext to GDL Objects
You can use Autotext when scripting GDL objects.
For example, if you use a GDL object-type Title block placed on a
Master Layout, you can script the Title block to show the Project
Name.
In a GDL script window, the Text Editor interface (with its lists of
Autotext entries) is not available, so you must use the corresponding
formatting codes.
For a list of Autotext codes for use in GDL scripts, see “Autotext Keywords” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Autotext Reference Drawing
ArchiCAD lets you set a particular drawing as an Autotext reference.
This means that your Autotext does not necessarily have to refer to
the view or layout onto which you are placing the text.
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To set a drawing as Autotext Once defined as an Autotext Reference,

reference, select a drawing in this drawing will appear as a choice in
the Navigator or Organizer or the Insert Autotext dialog box.
on the layout, then right-click The Autotext entries that use the
to display a context menu and Reference as source will then show
choose the Set as Autotext values based on the reference drawing.
Reference command. (The
same command is also If you later define a different drawing
available from the Drawing as Autotext Reference, earlier
Manager.) Autotexts referring to the original
drawing will remain unchanged.
Autotext Keywords
The following Autotext Keywords are available when using the
Autotext commands.
Use the keywords in the right-hand column to insert Autotext items
into GDL scripts.
To show this Autotext Type this What it looks like if Autotext is Undefined
Project Info
Client <CLIENT> #Client
Project Name <PROJECTNAME> #Project Name
Project Number <PROJECTNUMBER> #Pln
Company <COMPANY> #Company
Street <STREET> #Street
City <CITY> #City
State/Country <COUNTRY> #State/Country
Postal Code <CODE> #Post
Architect <ARCHITECT> #Architect
CAD Technician <DRAFTSMEN> #CAD Technician
Project Status <PROJECTSTATUS> #Project Status
Date of Issue <DATEOFISSUE> ##/##/####
Keywords <KEYWORDS> #Keywords
Notes <NOTES> #Notes
Custom 1 <CUSTOM1> #Custom 1
Custom 2 <CUSTOM2> #Custom 2

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Custom 3 <CUSTOM3> #Custom 3

System autotexts These autotexts are system-generated and always show the correct value if you have
already saved your project file at least once.
Short Date <SHORTDATE> 11/20/2007
Long Date <LONGDATE> Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Time <TIME> 3:54 PM

System autotexts These system autotexts will be undefined until you save your project file at least once.
(File-dependent)
File Name <FILENAME> #File Name
File Path <FILEPATH> #File Path
Last saved at <LASTSAVEDAT> ##/##/####
Last saved by <LASTSAVEDBY> #Last saved by

Layout autotexts
Layout Name <LAYOUTNAME> #Layout Name
Layout ID <LAYOUTID> #LayID
Subset Name <SUBSETNAME> #Subset Name
Subset ID <SUBSETID> #SubID
Layout Number <LAYOUTNUMBER> #LayNo1
Number of Layouts <NUMOFLAYOUTS> #Drawing Name

Drawing autotexts
Drawing Name <DRAWINGNAME> #Drawing Name
Drawing ID <DRAWINGID> #DrgID
Drawing Scale <DRAWINGSCALE> 1:######
Original Scale <ORIGINALSCALE> 1:######
Magnification <MAGNIFICATION> ###%

Note: Your Drawing Scale, if you customize it in Drawing

Settings, is distinct from its Original Scale (the scale of the
Drawing’s source view).

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Labels
Labels are text blocks or symbols optionally linked to construction
elements and 2D fills. Labels allow you to identify or comment
elements or parts of your design.
Labels can be framed or unframed, with leader and arrowhead. They
can contain custom text specification, predefined automatic texts, or
a symbol.
See “Label Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
There are three kinds of labels:
• Independent labels are manually placed in the Floor Plan or in a
Section/Elevation/IE or 3D Document window using the Label
tool. Typically, you will use an independent label to display At the top of the Content and Preview panel, click the button at
information that does not come from the model (“install snow upper right of this panel to choose the type of independent label:
picks here”). • If you choose Text, then click OK to close the dialog box, use
• Associative labels can be added to placed elements or assigned the Label Tool to place a predefined default text or a custom text
automatically when the element is created. Typically, you will use in the Label’s Text Box as described below.
associative labels to identify model elements and their The predefined default text is whatever you type into the Text
parameters. Label panel.
• Member labels can be added, in Section/Elevation windows • If you choose any of the symbol-style labels, ArchiCAD will
only, to any individual Curtain Wall member. insert this symbol object - a predefined GDL object - when you
place the independent Label. When such a symbol Label is
Placing Independent Labels placed as an Independent Label, it is not associated to any
element in the plan.
Independent Labels can only be placed manually. First, set the Label
With the Label Tool active, click anywhere in the workspace to start
Tool’s default Type to “Independent” by doing one of the following drawing an independent label. Two additional mouse clicks define the
• Choose Independent Label from the pop-up options in the Label direction and end of the pointer line.
Info Box:
• If the label content is Text, but no default text has been
defined in Label Default Settings: draw a rubberband box
after the third mouse-click to define the width of the label text
box. If you do not want to predefine the text box width, simply
• Or go to the Label Settings Content and Preview Panel and select click again at the end of the pointer line.
Independent Label at the top of the list:

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As with the Text tool, the Text Editor and Formatting Palette
will appear. Type any length of text in the text box and click OK
in the Control Box to complete the label.
To format individual characters, lines and paragraphs that have been
typed into your label text block, or to insert text symbols, use the
Formatting Palette and the indent/tab controls of the Text Editor as
described for the Text Tool.
See “Formatting Palette and Text Editor Controls” in ArchiCAD Help. To add an associative label to an element each time you place it:
• If the label content is Text, and a default text has been Open the element’s Default Settings dialog box. Go to the Listing
defined in Label Default Settings: the label is completed after and Labeling panel.
the third mouse-click. Now activate the Label (element type) checkbox. (To define or
change the content of the Label, you can access Label Settings here.)
See Tool-Specific Default Labels, below.

• If the label content is a Symbol: the label is completed after

the third mouse-click. ArchiCAD will insert this symbol object -
a predefined GDL object - when you place the Label.

Placing Associative Labels A Label will be appended every time you place an element of that
Associative Labels can be added to selected placed elements, or they type.
can placed automatically at the same time the element is created.
Tool-Specific Default Labels
Associative labels, unlike independent labels, remain attached to the
element even when you move the element. If you delete the element, You can assign a default Label type to each ArchiCAD tool
its associated labels are also deleted. individually using the Content and Preview Panel of Label Settings.
For example, here the Wall label default is the Label object “Wall
To add an associative label to a placed element: Label 12.”
Do one of the following:
• Select the element, then activate the Label (element type)
checkbox in its Settings; or
Activate the Label Tool, set its type to Associative in the Info Box,
then click the element to place its label. The Tool-specific default
label, if any, is placed. (See Tool-Specific Default Labels, below.)

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The Member Label works just like the Associative Label type. It will
automatically append an associative label to the Member you click. If
you have defined default text or other default label content for the
Curtain Wall Member tools in Label Settings (Curtain Wall Junction,
Frame, Panel or Accessory), then this default content will appear in
the associative Member Label.

Every time you click a Wall to place an associative Label, or every

time you automatically label a Wall when placing it, ArchiCAD will
place the Wall Label 12.
In addition to Symbol labels, the default Label for any Tool can also
be any Text, its ID, or a Unique ID.

Placing Member Labels on Curtain Walls

To place a Member Label, open a Section/Elevation/IE window
A special kind of Associative Label is the Member Label. It is
which displays the Curtain Wall with the member you wish to label.
available only in a Section/Elevation/IE window, and only for With the Label Tool active, select the Member Label type from the
Curtain Wall members. Info Box.
Note: To attach an associative Label to the Curtain Wall element
as a whole (as opposed to any of its component Members), use
the Associative Label type as described above.

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Click on the Curtain Wall Member (e.g. Accessory) to which you wish Symbol Labels
to attach a Label. The Label is placed.
Symbol Labels are GDL
Define Default Text Content of Labels Objects. They can be scripted
and/or graphically defined and
The default text content of Independent, Associative and Member can even include bitmaps. They
Labels are defined in Label Settings (Text Label Panel). The Default can display all kinds of element
Text field is only available if you have chosen a Text-type Label on the information on the drawing,
Content and Preview panel. for example the skins of a
See “Label Text Label Panel” in ArchiCAD Help. composite Wall.
You can create your own Symbol Labels as you would any other GDL
Object by choosing the File > Libraries and Objects > New
Object command.
For more information, see “Scripting Custom Objects” on page 323.

Text Editing in ArchiCAD

For information on placing and editing Text Blocks using ArchiCAD’s dedicated
Text tool, see “Text Blocks” on page 410.

Search and Replace Text

The Search and Replace Text function is available for the following
text-type elements in ArchiCAD:
• Text blocks placed with the Text tool
• Labels
• Dimensions
• Zone Stamps
• Parameters of GDL Objects
The Edit > Search and Replace Text command opens the Search
& Replace dialog box. This function lets you search texts in all eligible
element types. It works on the Floor Plan and in
Section/Elevation/IE, and Detail and Worksheet windows. It does
NOT work for Autotext items.
Note: The Search and Replace text function is not available for
text-type windows. (Text-type windows include all Listing

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windows created with the Calculation function, GDL script
windows, Project Notes, and Report windows.) In text type
Windows, the Find & Replace command offers similar functions.
For more information, see “Editing Commands in Text-Type Windows” on page
421.
Spell Checker
The Document > Spell Checker command allows you to check the
spelling of your ArchiCAD project. The available features are similar
to those used by Microsoft Word.
Note: Spell Checker is not available for text-type windows.
Use Spell Checker Preferences (Filters) to define which parts of the
ArchiCAD project you want to spell-check.
• Choose to search on either All Stories or Current Stories.
• Check the boxes of the element types you wish to include in the
Spell Checker process. Spell Checker can work on Text blocks,
Zones, Labels, custom text entered into Dimension labels, and
on Door, Window, Object and Lamp parameters.
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Spell Checker uses Microsoft Word’s Spelling Check, which means
that you must have Microsoft Word installed on your computer
together with the dictionary of the language you are using.
In Microsoft Word, use Tools > Options > Spelling and Grammar to
set your desired preferences. ArchiCAD’s Spell Checker will also use
these preferences.
In addition, on the MacOS only, several freeware and shareware
applications are available that take advantage of the Word Services
spell checker suite.
Warning: Spell Checker relies on Microsoft technology.
ArchiCAD can only locate Word’s Spell Checker if its pointer is
correctly written in the Windows Registry. If you have properly
installed Microsoft Office, Spell Checker will work without any
problem. If you have manually modified the location of
Microsoft Word, ArchiCAD will not be able to use its spell
checking features. Moreover, the Spelling commands must be
installed with Word.
Editing Commands in Text-Type Windows
Text-type windows include all Listing windows created with the
Calculation function, GDL script windows, Project Notes, and
Report windows.
Only a single editing step can be undone/redone in a text-type
window.
When a text-type Window is active, most of the Edit menu
commands change in order to provide you with basic word
processing features.
Note: Search/Replace Text and Spell-check do not work for
text-type windows.
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The Text Style command opens a For more information, see “Text Editing Commands in GDL Script Windows”
dialog box determining how your text in ArchiCAD Help.
will look both on screen and for
printing.
The Layout Book
One of the most important contributions of computer-aided design to
architecture is that it facilitates parallel planning and documentation
processes. With ArchiCAD, it is possible to work on several project
phases, both design and documentation, simultaneously.
The output of architectural drawings on plotted layouts, to be
Choosing the Find & Replace submitted to clients, contractors and building authorities, is traditionally
command opens the Text Window considered the final phase in the work of the architectural team. With
Find dialog box which offers the ArchiCAD, the creation of the construction documentation really
searching options used in most word becomes an integrated part of your design work.
processing applications:
Layouts contain all the drawings and images that compose the
architectural documentation of your project – views, external
drawings, List views, Element Schedules, Project Indexes.
The layouts that you create can include views from both the currently
open project file and from other ArchiCAD projects, as well as
external drawing and picture files.
Every Layout is associated with a Master Layout that defines its size
and some other attributes. This helps automate such tasks as the
The Find Selection command searches for the selected string in the inclusion of a company logo.
text according to the direction set in the Text Window Find dialog In ArchiCAD, layouts are part of the project. Each ArchiCAD project
box. (The default Find Selection shortcut is Ctrl+H; to Find file includes a Layout Book whose content is displayed in the
Selection Backwards, use Ctrl+Shift+H.) The Find Again and Navigator.
Replace Again commands repeat the last find or replace operation
in the direction set in the Text Window Find dialog box.
The Go To Line command allows
Layouting Work Environment
you to go to the desired line by ArchiCAD allows you to fit your work environment to the tasks and
simply entering a number in the edit skills required for the current phase of the project development. This
box. This feature is especially useful means that you can choose a dedicated Work Environment Profile
when editing or checking GDL (Layouting), which concentrates only on the features that you
scripts. currently need for constructing the layout book.
The last six commands apply to GDL scripts, and are active only if a When a Layout window is active, only the relevant menu commands
GDL script window is active. and tools are available.

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Note for earlier users: Earlier versions of ArchiCAD included
PlotMaker as a stand-alone application to handle layouting and
documentation. As of ArchiCAD 10, these functions are all
integrated into ArchiCAD. For tips on adapting your workflow
to this integrated environment, see the ArchiCAD 12 New
Features Guide, available from ArchiCAD’s Help menu or the
ArchiCAD > Documentation folder.
You may wish to activate the Layouts and Drawings toolbar (from
Window > Toolbars) to have quick access to frequently used commands.
When the Layout Book is active, you can assign a separate pen set
applicable to the Layout Book only. When defining these attributes,
the Options > Pens and Colors command indicates that these
attributes apply to elements placed on layouts in the Layout Book,
rather than for the project’s Model Views.
There is a single Layer set for the entire Virtual Building, but you can
define separate layer settings for the Layout Book and for Model
views.
Note: Layer settings for the Layout Book serve to show/hide
elements directly placed on layouts, such as lines, texts and
drawings as a whole. Layout Book layers do not affect the
drawing content, which is determined by the layers of its
associated view.
Layout Book Components
About the Layout Book
At the core of the ArchiCAD
layouting concept is the Layout
Book that includes all the
layouts defined for the project,
optionally organized into subsets
(represented by folders). The Layout Book tree structure can be
accessed in the Navigator and Organizer.
Although it is possible to use a flat structure in your Layout Book,
Layouts are ideally organized in “chapters”, that is, folders known in
ArchiCAD as subsets. This is especially useful when working on
larger projects requiring many drawings.
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A pop-up button at top left of the Layout Book map allows you to
view the components of your Layout Book according to the current
view, that is, Tree by Subsets or Tree by Masters.
• Tree by Subsets groups your Layouts according to Subsets and
shows the names of the drawings that belong to each. In Tree by
Subsets, Drawings are accompanied by icons that correspond to
the file type.
• Tree by Masters lists your Layouts according to the Master
Layouts they are assigned to.
You can move and rearrange elements using the drag and drop
technique to:
• Create hierarchical Subsets
• Move a Layout from one Subset to another
• Apply a Master Layout to a Layout
• Move a Drawing from one Layout to another Layout
Note: In this case, the proportionate distance of the Drawing
from the Layout origin remains unchanged.
While you are editing the elements of your Layout Book, the
Navigator or Organizer palette keeps track of which element you are
working on.
• Elements selected within the Navigator will be highlighted.
• When you move over and work in the Layout window, the
highlight changes to a box.
Important: Operations involving Navigator/Organizer items
(such as drag and drop between Navigator maps, deleting items
from a map, or adding items to the Publisher set) are not added
to the undo queue, and are not undoable.
For more information, see “Navigator Layout Book” on page 74.
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The easiest way to access the settings of any item of the Layout Book • The context menu opened by right-clicking an item in the tree
is to select it in the Organizer or Navigator palette, then click the view of the Navigator or Organizer palette
Settings button at the bottom of the Properties section. Or use the • The commands of the Document > Layout Book menu
commands of the context menu of the selected item in the list, or the
commands of the Document > Layout Book menu.
Note: Another way to gain an overview of Layouts or Drawings
in your project, or to sort them by criteria, is the Project Index
function.
For more information, see “Project Indexes” on page 217.

When you start a new project, the ArchiCAD Layout Book contains a
number of predefined layouts and master layouts that correspond to
the needs of your national version.
All or some of the layout management functions are available from
various locations in the ArchiCAD interface:
• The icons at the bottom of the Navigator palette
• The set of icons of the Organizer palette’s Layout Editor view
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Layouts The displayed size and the margins of the Layout are defined by the
Master Layout. When printing the Layout, you can fit it to the actual
To open a particular layout in the Layout paper size used by the device, with the Fit to Page control of the
Window, double-click its name from the Print dialog box.
Navigator’s Layout Book or the Organizer
palette’s Layout Editor. You can also choose For more information, see “Print Layout” in ArchiCAD Help.
its name from the Window menu or use the You can place, arrange and transform drawings in the Layout window,
Open Layout dialog box that is available and manually add 2D elements as well as Autotext items.
from the Toolbar. Here you can activate the
corresponding Layout window. (To open a Layout in a new, separate For more information, see “Drawings in the Layout Book” on page 427.
window, select the Layout in the Navigator and choose Open in New
Window from the context menu.) Create New Layout
To navigate sequentially To create a new Layout, choose the Document >
among Layouts in the Layout Layout Book > New Layout command; or click
Book, click the navigation the New Layout icon in the Navigator or the
arrows at the bottom of the Organizer; or use the New Layout command from the context menu
window to move to the of any Layout Book item in the Navigator.
previous, next, first or last
Layout in the Layout Book. Once you create a new Layout or Subset, the Navigator’s Tree by
Click the button showing the Subsets view will list it directly underneath the currently highlighted
current Layout number to element. If the Layout window is currently open, the new Layout will
access the Go to Layout command. replace it by default.
The contents of the layout windows are saved with the project. If a Subset is currently highlighted in the Navigator palette, the New
• The white area represents the usable print area of the paper Layout command will place a new Layout as the last element inside
delimited by a blue frame. the Subset folder.
• The gray area represents the non-printing area (margins) of the You can also create new Layouts automatically when placing and
paper. importing drawings.
You can delete any Layout in the Layout Book except the last one: the
Layout Book must always contain at least one Layout.

Master Layouts
The Master Layout defines the size of the Layouts (pages) of the
Layout Book. The graphic and text items that you place on the
Master Layout will appear on every Layout that uses it as a template.
Note: You can choose to hide the on-screen display of these
elements on all Layouts (but not on individual ones) by turning
off View > On-Screen View Options > Master Items on
Layout. This option also affects Master items on Layouts used as
Traces.
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A Layout Book typically includes multiple Master Layouts, but each
layout is assigned to a single Master Layout.
ArchiCAD includes several Master Layout templates. You can use
one of the predefined Master Layouts, or customize your own.
The Master Layout templates include commonly used title blocks
which are composed of 2D drawing elements and text items,
including Autotext. Autotext consists of special predefined automatic
text items that are generated by the program.
For more information, see “Autotext” on page 413.
For example, the Title Blocks of the
Master Layout template pictured below
includes Autotext items for the Project
Name, Drawing Name, Project Status
and Layout ID, among others, as well
as text items and a logo. You can edit a
title block by opening the Master
Layout and using the 2D editing and
text tools to modify it.
For more information, see “Master Layout
Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
The Master Layout can also contain a
Grid for Drawing IDs and other
master items, such as Autotext, that
will appear on all of the Layouts
assigned to it.
Note: If you show a Layout as
Trace, all Master Layout items will
be shown as part of the Trace.
The color of Master items on the
Layout, and whether they should be
displayed below or above the Layout,
are configurable in Options > Project
Preferences > Layouts.
The Master Layout can be accessed by
double-clicking its name in the Layout
Book. This will open or activate the corresponding Master Layout. By
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default, all Layouts and Master Layouts open in the same window, but
you can also choose to open a new window for each one of them.
Master Layouts are placed in the Masters folder of the Layout Book
and can be given distinctive names.
One of the Master Layouts will be applied by default to
newly created Layouts. The default Master Layout is
shown as earmarked.
To choose a different Master Layout that should be used
by default, select it in the Navigator or Organizer palette
and use the context menu, or check the Set as Default for New
Layouts box in its Master Layout Settings dialog box. To apply
another Master Layout to a Layout
• Drag and drop any Master Layout onto the selected Layout
• Drag and drop a Layout onto any Master Layout
• Select a Layout, then choose
another Master Layout from
the pop-up menu at the bottom
of the Navigator Palette or in
the Settings dialog box of the
selected Layout.
The same options are available for creating Master Layouts as for
simple Layouts.
For more information, see “Layouts” on page 425.
Subsets
A subset is a folder inside the Layout Book. Subsets allow you to
easily organize your layouts and to define numbering rules for them.
When working in the Navigator or Organizer, you can place any
Layout into a Subset simply by dragging and dropping it into place.
If you create a new layout in the Organizer
palette when right-clicking the name of a
subset, it will be placed automatically in this
subset. A Subset folder is indicated by an
folder icon with a small number 1.
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Subsets are not required; you can place a Layout into the Layout book
without placing it into a Subset. However, subsets are useful in
organizing large-scale projects with multiple sets of documentation.
When assigning IDs to Layouts, you can reflect the subset hierarchy
as part of the Layout ID system, to make it easier to find the right
Layout when needed.
Subsets can be named upon creation and renamed in the Navigator
palette Properties section.
For more information on IDs, see “Layout and Drawing IDs” on page 434.
When setting up the contents of a Publisher Set, you can add a
shortcut to any Layout Book Subset: this means Publisher Set items
are created which are linked to the Subset folder and to its contents.
This means that any changes to the contents of the Subset in the
Layout Book are also reflected in the contents of the Publisher Set.
See “Defining a Publisher Set” on page 443.
Placing Drawings Onto the Layout
Drawings can be placed on layouts separately or collectively in the
following ways.
When a model view window is active:
Choose Document > Save view and place on Layout, or
right-click anywhere in the window and choose the command of the
same name from the appearing context menu.
The layout window will become active and a placeholder symbol with
a double arrow representing the drawing will be displayed. Move it
with the cursor and click to place it. During drawing placement,
ArchiCAD will use the Drawing’s Anchor Point as set in Drawing
Default Settings. The same Anchor Point will anchor the drawing in
case its source view is later modified and the drawing updated.
For more information, see “Drawing Properties Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.

Drawings in the Layout Book

Drawings are ArchiCAD views and external files that have been
placed onto a Layout.
The Layout can include views from the current project file and other
ArchiCAD project files. External drawing and picture files as well as
PDF files can also be placed on the layout. From the layouting point
of view, all these are collectively called Drawings.
Note: Drawings can also be placed into Model Views.
See “Drawings in Model Views” on page 386.
You can arrange and manipulate placed Drawings on the Layout as
needed. (Although you can place any number of ArchiCAD views on
a Layout, you cannot embed views within each other.)
You can customize the size, scale, title and framing options for your
drawings in the Drawing Settings dialog box.
For more information, see “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Imported drawings can be updated automatically to reflect all
changes in the source file, or you can opt to update them manually.

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With a Layout window active:

Go to the Navigator or
Organizer palette and
drag and drop one or
several items
(viewpoints, views or
views originating from
external ArchiCAD files)
directly onto the layout.
When added to a Layout,
viewpoints are converted
to Views with their
current settings. The newly created view is added to the View Map as
well as to the Layout Book.

Using the Layout Editor of the Organizer:

In the Organizer’s Layout Editor, drag and drop viewpoints, views
and external files from the appropriate hierarchy list on the left side
into the Layout Book on the right side. (Or use the Place Drawing
command on the left side of the Organizer.)
Note: When placing several items from the
Navigator/Organizer simultaneously onto a Layout, the
placement obeys the rules (such as “Auto Arrange”) set in the
drawing Placement panel of Master Layout Settings.
See “Arranging Multiple Drawings on the Layout” on page 429.
Using the Drawing Tool:
With a Layout window active, choose the Drawing tool from the
Toolbox, then click in the layout and use the appearing Place
Drawing dialog box to choose a Drawing linked either to an external
source (click Browse for a directory dialog box) or to a view of the
current project (select a view, then click Place).
The placement of the drawings obeys the following rules:
• If you drop an item on the name of an existing layout, the
drawing will be added to that layout.
• If you drop an item on the name of a subset or the Layout Book
itself, the drawing will be placed on a new layout created
automatically inside the subset (or at the topmost level of the
Layout Book.
By default, when placing model views onto a Layout, its drawing
frame will be adjusted to show only the zoomed area of the model.
(This default setting can be changed in Options > Project
Preferences > Layouts.) Once the zoomed view is placed, you can
later opt to readjust the frame to fit other parts of the model view,
either manually using pet palette commands, or using the Fit Frame
to Drawing radio button in Drawing Settings.
For more information, see “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

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To place a drawing from an external application:
Use the File > External Content > Place External Drawing
command, then select files from the file system. (The PDF format, many
image formats, DXF and DWG are among the available formats.)
See also “Importing PDF Files As Drawings” on page 429.
To import a Drawing from another ArchiCAD project file:
Use the File > External Content > Place External Drawing
command, then select the PLN file you need. The Import
Drawing/Layout dialog box will display the view list of the file and
you will then be able to pick views to place on the layouts.
Placing a view from another ArchiCAD project file will launch
another instance of ArchiCAD.
Note: If you do not wish to launch ArchiCAD with each view
placement, go to Options > Work Environment > More
Options and check “Do not launch new instance of ArchiCAD.”
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Once you have placed a view from an external ArchiCAD project file
into the current one, the view map and Layout Book structure of this
source file will be at your disposal in the Project Chooser, and you
will be able to place additional drawings easily into the current
project’s Layout Book.
See “External Projects in the Navigator” on page 76.
For more information, see “Import Drawing/Layout from ArchiCAD Project”
in ArchiCAD Help.
Arranging Multiple Drawings on the Layout
When placing multiple Drawings onto a layout, the Drawings will
arrange themselves according to the Drawing Placement logic defined
in Master Layout Settings.
If the layout is defined (in Master Layout Settings) as using the Auto
Arrange feature, the drawings will be placed according to these
definitions in Master Layout Settings.
Note: The default logic is “Auto Arrange.” If you are placing
only a single drawing on the Layout, it will be placed in the center
of the Layout.
For more information, see “Auto Arrange New Drawings” in ArchiCAD Help.
If the layout onto which you are placing the drawings uses a Grid for
Drawing IDs, the drawings will be placed in the appropriate cells.
For more information, see “Align and Assign Drawings to a Grid” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Importing PDF Files As Drawings
As when importing any other external file, use the File > External
Content > Place External Drawing command. If the PDF file
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being imported is password-protected, you will have to provide a
password when prompted.
If you are importing a multi-page PDF document, a dialog box
prompts you to choose which of the pages you wish to place.
You can also place PDFs into ArchiCAD 2D windows through
drag-and-drop. In the case of multi-page PDFs, the dialog box that
prompts you to choose a page will also appear.
A PDF file placed on the Layout, like any other item, becomes a
Drawing. The Drawing name consists of the PDF file name. The
page numbering is displayed in the Source View field of the drawing.
Like any other external linked drawing, placed PDFs can be
automatically or manually updated in ArchiCAD.
Modifying Drawings on the Layout
While the modifications made on drawings placed on the Layout are
performed in their original views, there are a number of special
functions available in the Layout window.
The operations performed on drawings in the Layout window are not
reflected in the original view.
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A Drawing placed on the Layout can be stretched by dragging one of
its boundary hotspots after selecting it with the Arrow tool.
You can also drag or rotate placed drawings or their copies.
With the Edit > Move > Multiply command, you can create
multiple copies of the same Drawing and then customize each copy.
The Layout and Model can refer to different pen tables. This means
that you can define a separate set of pens to use on Layouts for the
best printing and plotting results.
Note: The Layout’s Pen Set affects elements placed directly on
the Layout (such as Master Layout items like the Title Block).
The Drawing’s pen set affects the content of placed drawings and
is assigned in Drawing Settings.
For more information, see “Pens & Colors/Pen Sets” on page 33.
By default, drawings are displayed using the pen sets defined in their
source views.
The View Drawing’s own Pen Set button lets you access, edit, and
rename this pen set, if desired.
Alternatively, use the Pen Set drop-down in Drawing Settings to
choose any other pen set from the project’s pen sets.
For more information, see “Pen Set” in ArchiCAD Help.
Selecting the Edit > Explode into Current View command will
deconstruct selected elements into drawing primitives (points, lines
and fills). The appearing dialog box gives you the choice to keep the
original elements along with the primitives, or replace the original
elements with the drawing primitives. In the latter case, the placed
drawing will be deleted.
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Drawing Titles
Each Drawing placed on a Layout can have
a title containing graphic elements and
information referring to the drawing data,
such as Drawing ID, Name, and Scale.
Note: Drawings placed in Model
Views do not have Titles.

For more information, see “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.

Create a New Title Type

The actual drawing title is based on a Title Type. Title Types are GDL
Objects that can be assigned to Drawings by default (automatically)
or assigned manually to selected Drawings.
To assign a title to a Drawing, select the Drawing and open the
Drawing Settings dialog box. In the Title panel, select a Title type
from the pop-up menu.
To assign a title by default to each newly placed Drawing, open
Drawing Default Settings (the Default settings come up if no
Drawing is selected) and choose a Drawing title.
Drawing Titles are laid out automatically with the associated drawing.
A Drawing Title is a sub-element of the drawing. Using the Title
panel of the Drawing Settings dialog box, you can define, assign and
format Title Types according to your preferences and create new ones
as Library Parts.
In the Layout window, use the available 2D tools (e.g. lines, text
blocks) to design a Title Type to fit your needs. Select the
components of this new Title Type. Use File > Libraries and
Objects > Save as Title Type to save this object. Once saved, your
Title Type is available from the pop-up the Title panel of Drawing
Settings.
Once saved, you can subsequently edit this custom-created Title Type
graphically: Use File > Libraries and Objects > Open Object.
From the directory dialog box, select the Title Type you want to edit.
Click “2D Symbol” to access the graphical editing window for this
object. Make your changes using 2D tools.
Note: Make sure the scale of the GDL 2D symbol window is set
to 1:1, to make editing easier.
Drawing Title Reference to Drawing Source (“Back
Reference” to Layout Containing Source Marker)
The Title panel of Drawing Settings gives you access to the Back
Reference function.
Back Reference allows you to add Layout ID information to the
Drawing Title: specifically, the ID of one or more Layouts that

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contain a Drawing that shows the source marker of the current
Drawing. Thus, the Back Reference function is useful if the current
Drawing is based on a Section, Elevation, Interior Elevation, Detail
or Worksheet.
available if you want the Drawing Title to display the ID’s of all
Layouts listed here.)
Click OK to close the dialog box and return to Drawing Settings.
The Drawing Title Preview shows an Autotext in the place where the
Drawing Title will contain the Layout ID information.
In this example, if you have checked “Select All available,” the final
Drawing title looks like this:

Click Back Reference to bring up the dialog box of the same name.

Note: Make sure that the parameters of the Drawing Title object
you are using have enabled the Back Reference function:

This dialog box lists every Layout that displays the source marker of
the current drawing. (Or which would display the source marker if the
Drawing Frame hadn’t been manually altered.)
First check the Enable Back Reference box, then select one or
more of the Layouts whose ID you wish to display. (Check Select All

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Managing and Updating Placed Drawings icon in the Navigator or Organizer palette and choosing the
Show Drawing Manager command.
All drawings placed in the ArchiCAD project belong to one of the This will display a dialog box that lists all the Drawings you have
two following types: placed in the Project (both Layout Book and Model views), including
• Automatic update. This means that the drawing placed on the those referring to external projects and external drawings such as
layout will be updated automatically when the layout is activated PDF files. The Drawing(s) contained in the active window are listed
(brought to front or selected for output). Automatic updates also in boldface.
occur before publishing. If a drawing comes from a different By selecting any drawing in a list, you can use its context menu to
source than the currently opened project file, then ArchiCAD access the most important drawing-related commands, such as
will check whether it requires updating or not, and perform an Drawing Settings and Open Source View.
update if necessary.
Note: You cannot edit a selected drawing’s parameters directly
• Manual update. This means that the drawing is frozen in the in the Drawing Manager. To edit drawing parameters, use
state its source view or file was in when placed on the layout or Drawing Settings.
updated. This can be useful if you wish to keep the drawings By default, the Type, ID, Name,
untouched until they are approved or you are ready to move on Status, Layout (Placed to), Source
to the next stage in your work. View and Path are shown for each
You can override the default update type setting for selected placed drawing. You can sort items by any of
drawings in their Drawing Settings dialog boxes. these properties by clicking on its
column header. You can then perform
For more information, see “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
a secondary sorting function: clicking
The Drawing Manager palette is the place where you can check the a second column header will further
status of the placed drawings, modify their update type, reestablish, sort within the hierarchy obtained by
repair or change links. the first sorting. To customize the list
columns, right-click any column
header to bring up a list of available
columns. Toggle these on and off as
needed.The column widths can be
graphically resized.
Note: If you enable the “Cut
Plane” column, it will display the
Cut Plane height of the Drawing’s
source, when applicable. This
field will display “N/A” (not
applicable) if the drawing is not
For more information, see “Drawing Manager” in ArchiCAD Help.
based on a Floor Plan viewpoint,
The Drawing Manager can be accessed from the Window > Palettes and/or if the drawing was created in an earlier version of
menu. You can also access Drawing Manager by clicking the top left ArchiCAD that does not use Cut Planes.

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The Status field indicates the status of the placed Drawing in the If the Layout Book contains Drawings whose source is a linked PMK
Layout. file (created in the Publisher out of an ArchiCAD model view), you
• OK status means the Drawing is updated. can re-link all these PMK-based drawings back to their original model
view. Select the PMK files in the Drawing Manager (multiselection is
• Modified means that the source file has been modified and the available) and use the following command from the context menu:
placed Drawing requires an update in order to reflect the latest Link to original Model View.
status of the source file.
• Embedded: This Drawing has no link and cannot be updated.
(If it once had a link which has since been broken, the Drawing
manager displays its former source view for information
purposes only.)
• Unavailable: The source of the linked drawing cannot be found.
• To be Updated: Temporary status of a drawing included in the
set of Drawings to be updated, but the update process has not
affected this drawing yet.
• Updating: Temporary status of a drawing currently being
updated.
• Needs Checking: ArchiCAD’s automated background
quick-check function cannot determine definitively whether the
drawing needs an update or not. If this status appears, you can See the workflow description at “Larger Projects” on page 438.
either: When opening a project that includes drawings whose source views
- click the Check Status button to see whether the drawing is or files have been modified, the Update Drawings dialog box is
either OK or Modified. In the latter case, if the drawing’s update displayed. You can then either choose to ignore this warning, update
method is Manual, you can decide whether to update it or not. (A all drawing links or go the Drawing Manager and decide to only
Drawing set to Automatic update will be updated as soon as you update selected ones.
activate its Layout.)
- click the Update button to achieve an updated status. Deleting a Drawing
To update linked Drawings if its source file has been modified: To delete a drawing, select it and delete it like any other ArchiCAD
• In the Drawing Manager, select one or more Drawings from the element. Note that deleting a drawing is not undoable EXCEPT if the
list, then click the Update button, or active window is the same type (e.g. Floor Plan or Layout window) as
the window which contained the deleted drawing.
• In the Navigator or Organizer Layout Map
view, select a Drawing from the tree view,
then click the Update button or right-click Layout and Drawing IDs
and choose the Update command from the context menu. Both Layouts and Drawings have IDs assigned to them, as an aid in
You can also update all drawings at the same time if nothing is organizing, navigating and outputting your project. The primary use
selected in the Navigator or Organizer’s Layout Map view. of assigning Layout IDs is to achieve the automatic numbering of the

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Layout Book. While an automatic logic can be applied to the whole
Layout Book, ArchiCAD provides maximum flexibility in
customizing the assignment of IDs to meet your preferences.
Simple Layout Numbering
The simplest way to number your Layouts is to number each layout
sequentially, like the pages in a book. To do this, you do not need to
consider Layout IDs; just place an Autotext for “Layout Number” in
the Master Layout. The Layout Number is a number assigned to each
layout in the order it is created; it is shown at the bottom of your
Layout Window. Through the Autotext, this number will appear on
each Layout.
However, if you want to use a “smart” numbering system that
accounts for adding and removing Layouts in the Layout Book
hierarchy, you should use the Automatic Layout ID assignment logic.
Automatic Layout ID Assignment
Due to the complexity of most architectural projects, and to enable
you to retain the desired numbering sequence even after Layouts are
added and removed from the Layout Book, most users will prefer to
use an automated method which assigns an ID to each layout. The
smart ID assignment system automatically adjusts itself whenever the
Layout Book is changed (for example by the addition of new Layouts,
changes in the Layout order or in the document structure).
“Layout ID” is available as an Autotext entry, so if you add the Layout
ID Autotext to the Master Layout’s Title block, then each Layout will
be numbered with this ID.
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For more information, see “Autotext” on page 413.
Go to Document > Layout Book > Book Settings. Choose your
preferred method for assigning Layout IDs:
• Use Hierarchy (Tree view by subset): Use this method if you
want your Layout IDs to reflect the Layout’s location in a
particular subset. IDs will reflect the tree structure hierarchy:
Layout IDs will “inherit” the IDs of the subsets in which they are
located - as in the illustration below.
Both the prefix and the style (1-2-3, A-B-C, etc.) of the layout/subset
ID can be customized. The resulting layout ID is usually a
letter-number combination, such as A-03/a.
See also “Book Settings Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: At any level of ID assignment (Book Settings, Layout
Settings or Subset Settings), you can choose a style of “No ID”.
As part of the automated ID system, every sub-item in that
group (e.g. every layout in that subset) will be assigned an
“empty” ID, which is like no ID at all.
• Use Flat Layout Order: This method will assign an ID to
Layouts only (not taking subsets into account), from top to
bottom in the Navigator Layout Book. Layouts will receive
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sequential IDs regardless of their hierarchical position - as in the
illustration below. If you change the order of Navigator items,
their IDs will change accordingly.
Custom Layout/Subset IDs
Even if you use the Automatic ID assignment logic defined in Book
Settings, you can still assign a custom ID to any Layout or Subset.
In Layout or Subset Settings, assign a custom ID to the selected
layout or subset. The Layout/Subset will still “count” as part of the
ID sequence (e.g., if the previous Layout is A-01, the custom Layout
might be Suppl.-01, and the following Layout will be A-03.)
• If you do not want the custom ID to be counted in the automatic
ID sequence, check the “Do not include this Layout (Subset) in
ID sequence” box.
Once you have customized a Subset ID, you then have the further
choice of making the IDs of Layouts in this subset either follow the
new logic (incorporating the subset’s custom ID), or else retaining the
ID logic of the overall Layout Book structure irrespective of the
customized subset ID.
For more information, see “Layout Settings” in ArchiCAD Help and “Pens &
Colors/Pen Sets” on page 33.
436
Another way to assign a custom
Layout or Subset ID is by typing it
directly into the Properties panel of
the selected Layout (Subset) in the
Navigator Layout Book.
For details, see “Book Settings Dialog
Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
Drawing IDs
Each drawing placed onto a layout is automatically assigned a
Drawing ID. The Drawing ID appears in front of the Drawing
Name in the Navigator and the Organizer palette. The method of ID
assignment is defined in Drawing Settings. Note that the Drawing
Name and the Drawing ID are defined separately.
For more information, see “Drawing Identification Panel” in ArchiCAD Help.
In the Identification panel of Drawing Settings, choose one of these
options for defining the Drawing’s ID:
• By View ID: The Drawing will have the same ID as its source
view. This option is often the most useful if your Layouts contain
one Drawing each. (This option is only available if the Drawing’s
source is an ArchiCAD view.)
• By Layout: The Drawing will get an ID based on its “Parent”
Layout: the Drawing ID will have the Prefix/Style you define in
Layout Settings, in the “IDs of Drawings on this Layout” panel.
This option is most useful if your Layouts contain multiple
Drawings.
For more information, see “Layout Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
• Custom: Assign any custom ID to this Drawing.
You can also use the Grid for Drawing IDs feature of your Master
Layout to automatically place drawings in cells and assign IDs in a
matrix or a flat structure.
For more information, see “Master Layout Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Layouting Workflow Schemes
ArchiCAD’s Integrated Workflow Control ensures optimal workflow
for projects of any size, complexity and type (single-user or shared
project). The following outline introduces some workflow models
you might use in various situations, and covers the topic of layouting
in a TeamWork environment.
Smaller Projects
Smaller projects typically mean smaller design teams (or solo
practices) and smaller drawing sets. Smaller practices tend to be less
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structured, and more often than not the same architect takes care of
the entire design process, including layouting.
In such cases, the project usually consists of a single file which
contains all the drawings that make up the documentation, with the
possible exception of a number of external files such as pictures, PDF
format tables and descriptions, and standard details.
When using the single-file model, you can build up the structure of
your layout book by defining the necessary number of subset folders
and adding to them the viewpoints and views set up previously in the
project file.
If the placed drawings are defined as
automatically updated, the layout
book will be continuously in synch
with the design work. The activated
layout will reflect the latest changes
made on the plans, sections and other
drawings.
Mid-Size Projects
Projects of somewhat larger size or complexity usually require a team
of architects who will divide the work among themselves using
ArchiCAD’s TeamWork functionality, without breaking down the
project into several files. The layouting is best handled by a dedicated
team member who, when signing in to the project, will skip all other
workspace options and reserve all the layouts instead. This person
can also use a special Work Environment scheme defined especially
for layouting and plotting purposes. In this scenario, the person
responsible for layouting will work basically the same way as in the
case above. Updating the layouts will then be connected to the
sending and receiving processes of the other team members.
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Multiple Project Files, with Separate File for Layout Book

Only
If there are many project files of about the same size and complexity,
it may make sense to create an additional project file that does not
contain any construction elements, just the Layout Book. You can
then open the other files one by one and add their views to the
Layout Map, possibly by creating a subset folder for each of them or
by defining another custom hierarchical structure.
When a layout is activated in the multiple file model, ArchiCAD
checks whether it contains drawings that originate from project files
other than the active one. If there are, it will then start updating those
drawings that are set to be updated automatically. If the file
containing the given drawing is open in another ArchiCAD session,
the update occurs instantly. If the file containing the given drawing is
Larger Projects not currently open, then another ArchiCAD session will be launched
to open it.
In larger architectural practices which handle large, multi-building
projects, it may be more practical to break down the large project into
smaller entities. Each of these subordinate entities (for example,
buildings located on the same site) will then constitute a project file,
which can still refer to a single set of templates, modules and libraries.
However, the documentation will probably extend to the entire
project, taking drawings from all the project files.
In this case, it makes sense to define a single Layout Book that will
accommodate views and files originating from all of the project files
that make up the project.
There are basically three solutions:

Single File Containing Model and Layout Book

If there is a large main file in the project with one or two smaller
additional files, you can opt to build up the structure of the layout
book in the larger file as you would in the single file model above, and
then also open the smaller files, locate their views in the Organizer,
and add them to the Layout Book.
See: “To import a Drawing from another ArchiCAD project file:” on page 429.
See also “External Projects in the Navigator” on page 76.

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Multiple Project Files, Separate Layout Book, Separate If necessary, you can break the Drawing’s link to the PMK file and
Drawings (PMK Files) re-link the Drawing to its original model view. To do this, select the
PMK file(s) in the Drawing Manager (multiselection is available) and
This workflow can be appropriate if several individuals are working
concurrently on the model and documentation through a network. use the following command from the context menu: Link to original
Model View.
In this workflow, as in the previous one, the model is located in one
or more project files, and the Layout Book in a separate project file.
The Layouting procedure, however, is different: Layouts will contain
Drawings whose source is in an external file, rather than directly
linked to project views.
The model designer will create views as usual in the ArchiCAD file.
Instead of placing these views directly onto the Layout, s/he will use
the Publisher function to save or upload the views in PMK format, a
native ArchiCAD drawing format which takes up relatively less hard
drive space than many other formats.
See “Defining Output Format” on page 444.
The architect responsible for the Layout Book will then place these
PMK drawings on the Layout, using the Drawing Tool and the Place
Drawing dialog box, or the File > External Content > Place External
Drawing command.
See “Using the Drawing Tool:” on page 428. Layouting in Teamwork
These placed Drawings, like any other Drawing, are either
Auto-update or Manual-update. Their source is the PMK file. For more information, see “Working Inside the Reserved Area” on page 463.
Consequently, it is the model designer’s responsibility to ensure that When working in a team scenario, layouting is often entrusted to one
every time an ArchiCAD view is modified, the PMK file created from or more dedicated members of the design team.
that view is also replaced, so that the Drawings linked to these PMK
When signing in to the shared project as teammates, these members
files can be updated.
will skip the first screens of the sign-in wizard and go directly to the
Advantages of this workflow: Layouts (the one displayed after Details).
• Updating documentation may be quicker, because it involves Only entire layouts can be reserved. Newly added layouts
updating a single, small-sized drawing file at a time. automatically belong to the teammate who has created them.
• Opening the Layout Book might take less time, since the PMK However, any Team Member can place items onto any Layout, even
files serving as the Drawing sources are located outside the Layouts he/she does not own.
project file. Placed drawings cannot be reserved separately. Drawings can be
• If the PMK-based Drawings are set to Auto-update, then they added to any layout by any user, and the owner of the drawing is the
will be automatically updated when the Layout is published. person who placed it and who manipulates it on the layout. (Each

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Drawing’s Navigator icon will indicate whether it belongs to you or to
another Teammate.)
Note: Upon sending and receiving changes, the user will be
prompted to hand over the control over of placed drawings or
other layout items to the person who owns the layout.
The basic components of the Layout Book (the structure of the Layout
Map, the Subsets, the Master Layouts) belong to the Team Leader, and
teammates cannot modify them. The owner of the layout can define its
settings, modify the elements of the layout and even delete the layout.
All other members of the team can view reserved layouts.
Publishing
Outputs are the end result of the architectural design workflow;
ArchiCAD gives you a high degree of flexibility in printing, plotting,
and electronic publishing.
For quick outputs of the current on-screen view, the Print and Plot
commands are available directly from ArchiCAD’s file menu; the
Print and Plot dialog boxes contain familiar options.
You will normally use printing for creating fast outputs on which you
can check various aspects of your design and plotting for creating the
final documentation that will be submitted and sent to the client, the
building authorities and the subcontractors.
440
For large-scale, planned outputs of one or more publisher sets, the
Publisher function is a handy concept dedicated to the architectural
design workflow. Using the Publisher palette, you set up and save
preferences for any number of publisher sets: you define whether to
print, plot, upload them to a server or save them to disk. Once a
publisher set is defined, you can publish or republish it at any time,
using the same properties, at the push of a button.
Print
The File > Print command will bring up a Print dialog box which varies
slightly depending on the view you are printing: Layout, 2D or 3D.
For more information, see Print 2D Document and “Print Layout” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Note: The following descriptions are based on the Windows
interface.
For a discussion of the print/plot features unique to MacOS, see “Printer/Plotter
Settings for MacOS” in ArchiCAD Help.
Items to be Printed
The Print command enables you to print the current view, or just a
particular Print Area of the view, as set in the Print dialog box. From
the Layout Window, you can print just the Layouts which are selected
in the Navigator.
Items that cannot be printed include Hotspots, selection dots,
Section depth lines, Roof pivot lines, Cameras and their paths.
The lines of the Construction Grid can be optionally printed from
the 2D windows by checking the Print Grid checkbox. Note that you
can only print the grid if Grid Display is ON.
Items on a Trace view can also be printed.
Note: Elements that are located on remote stories but
individually set to display on the current story will always appear
on the output.
Use the Document > Set Model View > Model View Options
dialog box to specify the display of model items on the Floor Plan,
and thereby the printed output.
For more information, see “Model View Options” on page 355.
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Header/Footer
When printing from ArchiCAD’s 2D or 3D window or Layout
window, you have the option to place a Header or Footer on the
printed page. You set the content of the Header/Footer in
Header/Footer Settings.
For more information, see “Header/Footer Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Output Color
If you are using a printer that supports color or grayscale output, the
color of the printed elements is defined by:
1) The setting made in the Print dialog box. Checking the Black and
White box will print all colors in black independently of any
other setting.
For more information, see “Print 2D Document” in ArchiCAD Help.
2) The setting made on the Properties panel of the Drawing
Settings dialog box for each individual drawing placed on the
layout.
For more information, see “Drawing Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: In the Drawing Settings Properties panel, the Pen Set
pop-up allows you to choose a pen set for the drawing; the
Colors pop-up allows you to choose the colors that will be used
for printing it. Since the color and grayscale pensets are not
connected, it is not indifferent whether you first choose the
Color pen set and then choose to display the drawing in grayscale
or the other way round. The two results can be entirely different
as shown below.
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Plot
The File > Plot command brings up the Plot 2D document dialog
box.
For more information, see “Plot 2D Document” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: The following descriptions are based on the Windows
interface.
For a discussion of the print/plot features unique to MacOS, see “Printer/Plotter
Settings for MacOS” in ArchiCAD Help.
Plotter drivers shipped with ArchiCAD all use the HPGL
vector-graphic language. We refer to any printing device that supports
HPGL as a 'plotter'. Graphisoft provides dedicated plotter drivers for
most plotters; for printing, you must use printer drivers provided by
the vendor.
Note: Many current large-format output devices come with
printer drivers which make the device function as a system
printer. If the device is also HPGL compatible, you can use the
dedicated plotter drivers provided by Graphisoft.
Plotter Setup
When outputting documents to a plotter, you first need to set up the
plotter for ArchiCAD. The communication with the plotter device is
ensured by specific plotter drivers stored in the PlotWare folder
located by default in the same directory as ArchiCAD.
Choose File > Plot Setup to open the Plot Setup dialog box.
For more information, see “Plot Setup” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: The ReadMe file also contains extensive information on
issues related to plotting, such as recommendations on the
choice of drivers and cables, and network plotting.
When first using a plotter with ArchiCAD, you need to connect to it
by clicking the Setup button in the Connection area.
You can only plot graphic data from ArchiCAD. If a text window is in
front, both the Plot Setup and Plot commands appear in gray in the
File menu.
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Plot versus Print Each Publisher item refers directly to a View or to a

Layout. The View or Layout settings of the item are
Some of the basic differences with printing: displayed at the bottom of the Publisher, but are not
• You cannot define a plot range; the entire contents of the active editable. The only additional settings controlled in
window will be plotted. From a Layout Window, you can choose the Publisher are the output format and related
to plot the Layouts selected in the Navigator. options (these are accessible in the Format tab page at the bottom of
the Publisher). The icon of each Publisher item corresponds to its
• You can choose a color for the lines of the window grid, if you output format. In the image here, each of the Floor Plans is set to a
wish to plot it from a 2D window. different output format: DWG, DXF and PDF.
• Elements in a Trace view cannot be plotted. Publisher Sets are stored with the project, so you can access them any
time, adjust settings if needed, and re-publish them.
You may prefer Plotting to Printing in these cases: By clicking the Publish button, you can publish a single set or all
• Spool Folder: You can output a print/plot job into a file in both defined publishing sets or even selected views.
Printing and Plotting. However, if you need to collect your The Publisher function is controlled by the Publisher map of the
output jobs into a spool folder (so PlotFlow can take the plot Navigator or the Organizer. You can also access the Publisher from
jobs from the Spool Folder and send them to the plotter), use the the Document > Publisher > Publish menu command.
Plotting function. Set the location of the Spool Folder in the Plot
Setup dialog box.
• Grayscale Output Color: When Plotting, you have the option
to select the color choice of the output: Color, Grayscale and
Black and White are the available options. The Print dialog box
lets you mark the Black and White checkbox if you prefer
Black/White to color. (You can, however, also achieve grayscale
output when printing: use grayscale Pen Sets for Model Views, or
set grayscale display for Drawings placed on Layouts.)
• Speed: Plotting is generally faster than Printing, so if you have a
high-volume output job, you should consider Plotting.

Publisher Function
ArchiCAD’s Publisher feature automates and simplifies the repeated
and consistent output of a larger number of documents (Publisher
items). You set up Publisher Sets, predefine some options and
properties and then can publish them at any time and any number of
times by simply clicking a button. This function is vitally important in
the documentation phase but it also comes in handy when preparing
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Planning to Publish
While Publisher automates and simplifies the publishing process,
publishing all or part of a project can be a major task. All of the views
to be published must be generated or updated, which can require
considerable computer time.
When planning to publish via the Internet, you should give some
thought to the files you are going to send. For example, if you publish
extensive 3D views of a Project, this could create very large files,
which not only could take a long time to send but might be too large
to be easily downloaded by your target users.
In general, plan your publication carefully, making sure that you
publish all that is required but nothing that is unnecessary.
Note: When you use the Publish function to output a publisher
set, previously saved or uploaded files of the same name will be
overwritten without warning.
If you have finished setting up the publication but do not want to
actually start publishing, you can simply close the palette without
clicking the Publish button. All Publisher settings are preserved with
the project. • click the Add Shortcut command at the bottom of the View
Map/Layout Map.
Defining a Publisher Set • drag and drop the selected items into the Publisher set
Note: If you select a Subset from the Layout Book or a View
To define a Publisher set Map folder, the Add Shortcut button will create a shortcut
in the Publisher tree linking the selected Subset/folder to a corresponding folder in
structure, choose New the Publisher Set at the right. Any changes to the contents of the
Publisher Set from the Subset will also take place in the linked Publisher Set folder
pop-up menu at the top (similar to a cloned view map folder). In contrast, if you drag and
of the Publisher, then drop a Subset or folder into the Publishing Set, a corresponding
give it a name. Named folder is created, but it is not linked and does not follow any
Publisher sets are listed subsequent modifications to the Subset/folder contents.
at the bottom of this pop-up menu (in this image, the Publisher sets In this image, the first Publisher Set item was created by selecting a
are called “1-Views” and “2-Layouts.”) Subset in the Layout Book and clicking the Create Shortcut button.
Next, add any combination of Layouts and Views to the Publisher Similar to a cloned folder in the View Map, it is a shortcut to the
set. Select the desired items from the View Map or Layout Map on Layout Book Subset: all modifications to the Subset contents will be
the left side of the Organizer, then do one of the following: reflected in the Publisher Set item. Use Create Shortcut to ensure
that Subsets and View Map folders are recreated in updated form in
the Publisher Set.

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The second Publisher Set item was created using drag and drop. It is You have four options here:
not a shortcut, just a one-time copy of the Subset folder. • Print
• Save files
• Upload to Internet
• Plot
Depending on your format
choice, you will set specific
output options.
For details, see “Publisher Set Properties Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.

Defining Output Format

If you choose Print or Plot in Publishing Properties, the Format tab
page lets you choose the device to send the files to, directly access the
Page Setup/Plot Setup dialog boxes, and configure some of the
output options without having to exit the function. The Publisher is
the optimal tool for batch printing and plotting large numbers of files.
If you choose Save or Upload to Internet, use
the Format tab page to choose an image format
for outputting the file. Files can be saved or
uploaded in a large variety of formats including all
Once the Publisher set is assembled, you can click on any of the standard image formats and CAD exchange
Publisher items (i.e. views or layouts in the Publisher set) to view its formats. You can choose file formats for the
Properties in the Properties panel below. These properties are contents of a folder or individually for each view.
view-only and not editable.
As of ArchiCAD 12, the PMK format is available
For more information, see “Publisher Controls” in ArchiCAD Help. for saving views in the Publisher. This is a native
ArchiCAD drawing format which takes up relatively
Defining Output Method less hard drive space than many other formats.
Saving views in PMK format can be a good
Use the Publishing Set Properties dialog box to choose an output workflow if your project is divided among multiple
format for the Publisher Set. files (e.g. Model pln and Documentation pln).
• Click the Publishing Properties button in the Organizer; or See the layouting workflow descriptions at “Larger
• Choose Publishing Projects” on page 438.
Properties from the Note: If you are working in AutoCAD and
pop-up menu in the open a DWG that was originally saved from
Navigator Publisher ArchiCAD, an Alert may appear. However,
Set. you should go ahead and work with the saved
DWG in AutoCAD - no stability problems
should result.
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For some formats, a variety of options are available - in these cases, be viewed through the Internet or an intranet with the Java-based
an Options button is displayed, and you can choose among Project Reviewer web environment by anyone who can access the
compression settings, color depths, and other options depending on files’ location via a LAN or an FTP connection, without having to
the chosen format. install or even be familiar with ArchiCAD. Colleagues, contractors,
If you choose PDF format, the Format options change significantly. subcontractors or clients can view the design in a web browser
application, add their remarks by redlining it, and send back their
For more information, see “PDF Output” on page 446. corrections or suggestions to the author of the project. Project
If the selection contains several Reviewer can be included with the published file set.
files with different file formats, For more information, see “Project Reviewer” on page 503.
the Format field displays
“Various.” When uploading Redlined DWF files can be incorporated in the ArchiCAD file by
files, enter the host or FTP using Project Mark-Up.
server name, your user name For more information, see “Project Mark-Up” on page 508.
and password. You can also See also “Publisher Set Properties Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
type the explicit server address
in the Path field.
Publishing Process
You can also send an email
message to one or several Use the scroll-down list at the bottom
recipients of the uploaded file, of the Publisher to choose which
or even attach the files item(s) to output:
themselves to the e-mail. First, • If you choose this set, the entire
enable the “Send an email” active publication set will be published.
checkbox.
• If you choose selected items, only the items currently selected
Note: You must first define your own email options in Options in the active publication set will be published.
> Work Environment > Publisher.
• If you choose all the sets, all currently defined sets will be
In the appearing E-mail dialog box, enter the recipient information published.
and set other options as desired.
Click the Publish button at the bottom of the Publisher to begin the
Recipients can be typed in, or accessed using your own customized publishing process.
Contacts list (Document > Publisher > Contacts).
The icons next to the view names inform you whether the job is
Note: The email will not be sent if the publishing process fails. completed, under way or failed. You can also click Stop, which will
end the whole publishing procedure, or Pause, which will cause
Viewing and Redlining DWF Files publication to pause, and change the Stop button to read Continue,
allowing you to continue publication later.
When planning to save files for review by a contractor or a client who
does not have ArchiCAD installed but wish to have a feedback from
them, your best choice is the DWF file format with the Project
Reviewer web environment. In DWF format, the published files can

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3) In the Format section of the Publisher, set

Format to “PDF.”
4) Click Page Options to set the Paper Size
and Orientation of the resulting PDF
Document.

A log file containing information on each publishing process is saved 5) Click Document Options to define your
to the location you specify in Options > Work Environment > preferred settings for the content of the
Publisher (“Publisher log location”). resulting PDF Document.

PDF Output
On the MacOS, PDF output is integrated with the System software.
The interface described in the sections below is used with Windows
only.

Create PDF Output Using the Publisher

From the Publisher, you can save or upload one or more views in
Acrobat PDF (Portable Document Format). (Views listed as
Publisher items in the Publisher are set to PDF format by default.)
1) Open the desired Publisher Set in the Organizer’s Publisher.
Make sure that either “Save” or “Upload” is selected from
“Publishing Properties.”
2) Choose Publisher item(s) from the Publisher Set.

6) At the bottom left of the Document Options dialog box, click

PDF Options to create an optional password.

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Click Page Options to set the Paper Size and Orientation of the
resulting PDF Document.

Note: The Arc resolution setting reflects the fact that the PDF
format does not recognize arcs/circles and must approximate
them by converting them to polygons. The Arc resolution setting
defines the accuracy of these polygons. Click Document Options to define your preferred settings for the
7) Publish the selected item(s) as usual. content of the resulting PDF Document.
PDFs created with ArchiCAD can include standard PDF features At the bottom left of the Document Options dialog box, click PDF
such as thumbnails and bookmarks. Options to create an optional password.

Save Document in PDF Format

To save the contents of the currently active window as a PDF file, go
to File > Save As, and choose PDF as the file format.

Note: The Arc resolution setting reflects the fact that the PDF
format does not recognize arcs/circles and must approximate
them by converting them to polygons. The Arc resolution setting
defines the accuracy of these polygons.
Document Options will vary depending on the type of the active
window you are saving from.
• For a 2D or 3D document, Document Options are similar to
the options in the Print 2D/Print 3D dialog boxes.
For more information, see “Print 2D Document” in ArchiCAD Help.
When saving to PDF, you can save the contents in Color, Black
& White, or Grayscale.

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• For a Layout, you can choose to output multiple Layouts into a
PDF files, or else just the current Layout (at its current zoom or
in its entirety), just as when printing a Layout. (No Page Options
button is available when saving to PDF from a Layout window.)
• For a formatted list, you have Scaling options and the ability to
place each zone or page of the list onto a new sheet. (No
Document Options button is available when saving to PDF from
a formatted list window.)
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3D Content in PDF (WIN only)
When creating a PDF, ArchiCAD allows you to take advantage of the
U3D file format (in Windows only).
When publishing a PDF document from ArchiCAD, you can embed
a U3D file into the PDF, then “navigate” the view within the PDF as
if it were a 3D model.
1) From the 3D window, save the desired model view as a file using
the “Save as” command. Choose the “U3D file” format from the
list of available formats. It is recommended to clear unnecessary
detail from the 3D model as much as possible, in order to
optimize the navigation speed in the resulting PDF document.
2) In the Navigator or Organizer Palette, save the desired model as
a 3D view. If you prefer, add the 3D view to a Layout.
3) Next, add the 3D view (either on its own or as part of a Layout)
to a Publisher set. Select the 3D view (or Layout) in the Publisher
Set.
4) Set the Publisher Set Properties to PDF format. (This is the
default publishing format.)
5) In the Format tab page at the bottom of the Publisher palette,
choose Document Options, then PDF Options.
6) Check the “Embed 3D content” checkbox.
7) Click the “Browse” button to select the file you saved in U3D
format (in Step 1 above).
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8) If you are publishing a Layout, select the 3D view on the layout
into which you want to embed the U3D file. (If you are
publishing a view, the U3D will be embedded into that view.)
9) Click OK.
10) In the Publisher, select the desired publisher item and publish it
in PDF format.
The resulting PDF file will contain an embedded, navigable U3D file.
The U3D model embedded in the PDF can be navigated only by
using Adobe Reader 7.0 or later.
Calculation
ArchiCAD’s integrated database of construction elements can be
used to display, in list format, the number, quantities and components
of elements in a project and the elements’ spatial disposition (zones).
The following chapter sums up the basic concepts involved in the
calculation process and enumerates the list types that can be obtained.
The report-generation process described in this section is a simple
output function; use predefined list templates to generate simple lists.
Advanced users may wish to use customized formatting and define
customized filtering properties.
The entire process is described in detail in the ArchiCAD 12/Graphisoft
Documentation/“Calculation Guide.pdf ”, also available from the ArchiCAD
Help menu.
Some of the commands referenced in this section are not visible in
ArchiCAD 12’s default work environment profiles. If you plan to
configure lists (recommended for advanced users only), first use
Options > Work Environment > Menus to add the following
commands to an existing menu (i.e. Document > Schedules & Lists):
• Set up List Schemes
• Edit Database
• New Properties
• Edit Properties
• Last Selection’s Properties
• Link Properties to Criteria
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However, most users will prefer ArchiCAD’s Interactive Schedule
function. Interactive Schedules are part of the Project Map, and the
schedules produced can be saved as views and output on layouts. As
its name indicates, an Interactive Schedule is a two-way editable item
which is linked to the project elements that it contains.
For more information, see “Interactive Schedule” on page 209.
Calculation Sources
When performing calculations, ArchiCAD can take raw information
from the following sources:
• The construction elements placed in the project. Construction
element information includes the size, surface, volume, ID
number, and the attributes and parameters defined for the
elements in their settings dialog boxes or through graphic input.
• Property Objects assigned to construction elements. Property
Objects are special GDL Object-type files without a 3D Script or
a 3D view. Property Objects can include references to databases
as well as Component and Descriptor data explicitly defined for
that individual item. Property Objects are generally used to
describe specific structures for the purposes of calculation: for
example, the quantities and the detailed description of reinforced
concrete beams used in the project.
• Calculation Databases organized by Keys and containing
Components, Descriptors and measurement Units.
Construction elements refer to these data directly, through
Property Objects. Property Objects may be assigned to
construction elements. Afterwards, Components and
Descriptors created within the assigned Property Objects can
be linked directly to database items, hence the connection
between a construction element and a database entry.
• Components can either be the material ingredients (steel,
concrete, etc.) of a structure, or anything (price, man hours, etc.)
that can be measured in proportion to elements of the structure
type. Each Component has a name, a code, a quantity definition,
a unit and a reference to its proportion to related construction
elements.
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• Descriptors are text elements related to structure types, e.g., 1) Defining a Component/Descriptor that is linked to a Database
finishing, security, shipping, assembly or handling information. item.
Descriptors are simply displayed in reports: they are not used in Component definition. All fields (DBSet, Key, Code, Name etc.) of
calculations and are not linked to components or element the Component come from a Database.
parameters. Each Descriptor has a name (also called short text), a
code and the full description (long text).
Properties can be associated with construction elements either
through criteria or individually. Each Property Object can be linked
to a unique combination of element selection criteria, e.g., the
Property Object called “Concrete Wall” can be associated with all
walls of concrete block fill that are drawn in pen No.12 and placed on
the “Exterior Walls” layer. When this option is active, ArchiCAD
filters the project’s construction elements and automatically links the
Property Object in question to all elements matching the given
Criteria. Criteria sets are saved within the active Library so that they
can be used in multiple projects. 2) Defining a Component/Descriptor that exists only in that
Property Object, and is not linked to a Database item.
You can create criteria in the Link Properties to Criteria dialog box.
Component definition. Code, Name and Quantity do not come from a Database,
Property Objects available in loaded libraries may be linked to criteria
they may be set by the user freely.
or you may create your own Property Objects and link those.
You can also choose to assign Property data directly, individually for
each element. In this case the link is established manually item by
item in the Listing and Labeling panel of each eligible element’s
Settings dialog box.

3) Defining a Local Component/Descriptor using the Property

Script of the Property Objects that is linked to a Database item.
Component is defined locally in Property Script. Number of parameters show that
it is linked to a Database item. Components defined outside of the Property Script
will not be listed.
A Construction element (Wall, Column, Beam, Slab, Roof, Mesh, plus
Fill) can be assigned a Property Object. A Component in a Property
Object can be defined in four different ways:

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4) Defining a Local Component/Descriptor using the Property
Script of the Property Objects that is not linked to a Database
item.
Component is defined locally in Property Script. Number of parameters show that
it is NOT linked to a Database item. Components defined outside of the Property
Script will not be listed.
When at least one Local Component/Descriptor is defined in the
Property Script, Components and Descriptors created elsewhere in
the Property Object are ignored and will not be listed. Either write a
Property Script, or define Components/Descriptors. Do not mix the
two kinds, as only one kind will be listed always. A Library Part-type
element (Wall End, Window, Door, Corner Window, Skylight, Object,
Lamp, Zone) can have a Property Object assigned to them with
Components defined in one or more of the above 4 ways, or
Components/Descriptors can be defined using the Library Part’s
own Component/Descriptor area or Property Script. So in the case
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of a Library Part, there are 8 possible ways to define
Components/Descriptors. Property Object mainly exist because
Construction elements do not have their own GDL Scripts where
Component/Descriptors can be defined, hence the need for Property
Objects.
Calculation Setup
The sorting and analyzing of data, the calculation of required results
and the formatting of reports are all done in accordance with the
configuration of the selected List Scheme. List Schemes are
predefined sets of instructions on how the ArchiCAD listing engine
should process project information to present the required results.
List Scheme formats can be of two types:
• Plain Text reports display calculation results in editable
tabulated text format. The reports appear in text windows and
can be saved as plain text files, tabbed text files for use in
spreadsheets or tables in HTML files.
• Graphic outputs allow for both alphanumeric and image
information, including element symbol drawings, logos and other
bitmaps. Graphic output reports can be saved as RTF List files,
or ArchiCAD Project files. It is also possible to copy all or part
of these lists into an ArchiCAD plan.
Though the contents of each language version are different, some
predefined list schemes are embedded in ArchiCAD and available
even if ArchiCAD is running without an active Library.
If you need to define custom data or assignments, read the detailed instructions in
the ArchiCAD 12/Graphisoft Documentation/“Calculation Guide.pdf ”.
List Types
ArchiCAD can generate three types of calculation reports: Element
Lists, Component Lists and Zone Lists.
Element Lists are best used when creating schedules and
inventories, and to display the parameters of construction elements in
a project. To generate Element Lists, ArchiCAD filters the project or
the selection set for construction elements according to the
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configuration of the selected List Scheme. Elements matching the
filter settings will be listed together with element Parameters,
Components and Descriptors, if so defined in the List Scheme.
Zone Lists are generally used to create room schedules and finish
schedules. Zone Lists can include parameters of Zones and related
construction elements. When related construction items are listed,
the report is in fact an Element List where the range of calculated
elements is limited by the Zones they belong to.

Component Lists are generated when bills of materials, quantity

takeoffs or price lists are required. These reports typically sum up and
display component type properties; however, certain element
parameters can also be listed.
Depending on what you want to appear listed in your list, you may
choose the type of List you need to use. Some common examples are:
You want construction elements listed with basic data Element
and parameters about them listed: List
You want parameters specific to construction Element
elements (such as: Door Sill Height, Number of holes List
in Slab) listed:
You want to create Door/Window schedules Element
List
You want quantities of components associated with Component
construction elements listed: List
You want descriptors associated with construction Component
elements listed List
You want to create room schedules Zone List

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You want Zones or detailed Zone parameters (such as: Zone List
Zone Extracted Area, Zone Area Reduction) to be
listed:
You want main Zone parameters (such as: Zone Element
Name, Zone Number) listed for Zones where listed List
construction element is located:
• If you choose the Show Alert option, a warning of conflict will
appear. You will then be able to choose between the two options
described above.
Example:

Displaying Lists
The range of elements that will be used in calculation depends on the
current selection made on the Floor Plan.
• If there is no selection made, all elements will be used and
filtered by the listing command’s List Scheme by type or other
criteria;
• If there is a selection made, only selected elements will be used.
For more specific element ranges, use the Setup List Schemes
command and define filters.
When you activate a list type window while elements are selected in
the project, there may be a conflict between the listing command’s
criteria and the selection. (For instance, if you choose a Window If we have a basic text list scheme
schedule when the current selection also contains Walls and Doors.) that will list walls, their layer and
User ID, the result would be the
In Options > Work Environment > Imaging and Calculation, following.
the Selected Elements to be Calculated pop-up menu offers three
options for managing this situation. However, if you make the above
selection with the Marquee and
list it, the following alert appears
(if that was your choice in
Options > Work Environment > Imaging and Calculation).

• If you choose the List All option, all the selected elements will
be calculated in the list, even though they do not correspond to
the filtering criteria.
• If you choose the Use Filters option, the filters defined for the
list scheme will be applied to the selected elements; elements that
do not correspond to these criteria will be ignored.

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If you choose Use Filters, The six buttons display, from left to right:
ArchiCAD takes all elements of • ID, Layer and Linked Property information
the selection, and lists only those
among them that fulfill the
listing criteria (list Walls), so the
result is the following.

In case you choose List All, all

elements falling into the current
selection (2 Walls, 1 Window and
2 Doors) will be listed regardless
of the filter with the below
result.
• Length, circumference and thickness values
Note: The multi-story
selection method (thick
Marquee) works here as
well. With the thick marquee, all elements within the Marquee
will be included in the selection and the resulting list.

Element Information
The Element Information
Palette displays information about
the dimensions of element(s) • Area values
selected on the Floor Plan. (Use
Window > Palettes > Element
Information to display it.) With
this feature, you can get instant
feedback on some simple
quantities that do not appear in the elements’ settings dialog boxes,
without having to use any listing commands.
The Information Content buttons in the top section of the palette
define what information will be shown. If none of the buttons is
active, only the number and type of the selected elements is displayed.

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• Height values

See also “Element Information Highlight” on page 80 and “Element

• Surface values Information Pop-up (Info Tags)” on page 81.

ID Management
The ID field is located on the Listing and Labeling panel of all
construction element type tools as well as the Fill and Zone tools.

• Volume values

You can combine these pieces of information and save and print
them by choosing from the pop-up menu commands in the top right
corner of the palette.
The ID serves to identify and group elements in list views. You can
also use the ID in the Label associated to elements.
The text string within the ID field cannot exceed 15 characters. Any
character can be used.
Note: All construction elements also have a unique,
automatically generated, unique ID (GUID) which is conserved
throughout the life of the Project. You can also use this identifier
for labeling or in lists.
Filtering or grouping elements by their IDs is used by many List
Schemes. Totals obtained in calculations can refer to elements that

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have the same ID. Therefore, the content of the ID may be The dialog box includes two tab pages: Sort Elements for defining
significant. attribute choices, and ID Format for defining custom ID sets.
• If a number is included anywhere in the ID field, drawing
successive elements will add one to this number for each new
element, provided that the Auto ID Increase checkbox is
enabled the Options > Project Preferences > Miscellaneous
dialog box. If there is no number in the ID field, each new
element of the given type will have the same ID.
• If elements are duplicated or multiplied, the IDs of the replicas
will remain the same as those of the originals.
• If you paste elements into a Project, you may have elements with
conflicting IDs.
• When working on a shared Project (Teamwork), Teammates
working in different workspaces may also generate dissimilar
elements with the same ID.
• The Element ID Manager in the Document > Schedules
and Lists menu allows you to set the ID numbers of the When the Sort Elements tab is active, the pop-up under the tabs
project’s elements based on their characteristics (attributes). You allows you to choose an element (Tool) type. In the top right corner
can also use it to modify automatically generated ID numbers. of the dialog box, the figures show how many of the Project elements
Settings can be saved and stored for future use. belong to the active element type.
The configurations you create and save with the Element ID • If any elements are selected on the Floor
Manager help you prepare Project elements for a clearer reading of Plan, Element ID Manager works on selected
quantity takeoffs. elements only. In this case, two figures are displayed: the number
Note: This command is only available when viewing the Floor of selected elements and the number of elements of the active
Plan Worksheet. type.
When you choose Document > Schedules and Lists > Element • If nothing is selected on the Floor Plan, the command works on
ID Manager, a dialog box appears. all placed and visible (not on hidden layers) elements.
At the top of the dialog box, a pop-up menu lists the different The list on the left contains the criteria that can be chosen for the
settings you saved for the different element types. You can define given element type. This list is the same as the one used by the Edit >
several settings for any element type, or simply work on the current Find & Select command.
element choice. The Edit Settings pop-up allows you to save, Select the criteria you need in the list and click the Add button. This
rename and delete settings. will place the selected criteria in the list on the right.
Note: To change a saved setting, select and edit it, then save it
again under the same name.

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For any of the parts, you can type plain text, a counter or
a story number into the ID Components field. You can
also opt not to use one or more of the four parts.
• When choosing the Text type, you can type custom
text up to the number of characters defined.
• When choosing the Counter type, you can type either numerals
or letters such as “aa” that will change incrementally in the ID.
• When choosing the Story No. type, you cannot enter custom
text; the ordinal number of the story will be used.
Note: Story No. is only available as a type if you’ve selected
“Story” as a Grouping criterion.
When you have finished
configuring the settings
and ID formats, click the
Elements that have the same grouping criteria will get the same ID. Change ID's button in
When you’re finished choosing criteria, click to open the ID Format the bottom right corner
tab page, which allows you to define custom ID Formats. of the dialog box. The
Element ID List dialog
box appears.
You can validate the
changes made by clicking
OK or return to the
configuration dialog box by clicking Cancel and make further
adjustments.
You can save your settings using the Edit Settings pop-up menu on
top of the dialog box.

The name of the saved set then appears in the Settings field and can
be accessed at any time from that pop-up menu. These settings are
ID’s can contain up to 15 characters or numerals. Element ID saved by ArchiCAD in a separate file and can be reused for further
Manager allows you to subdivide the ID into four parts. Projects, even after choosing New and Reset.

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COLLABORATION
Architects often need to work together with each other and with
professionals of other disciplines who use other software. Moreover,
interactive communication with clients is also a growing concern.
ArchiCAD offers a solution to all of the above by allowing teams of
architects to work simultaneously on the same project, by automating
the inclusion of repetitive structures that may originate from different
compatible programs, by implementing an intelligent import-export
and merge process, and by supporting an on-line redlining process
that does not even require the installation of ArchiCAD.
This chapter describes these collaborative functions of ArchiCAD:
Teamwork; Hotlinks; Data Exchange; and Consultation.
Teamwork
With ArchiCAD’s Teamwork functionality, several members of a
team of architects or related professionals can work simultaneously
on various aspects or parts of the same project.
Project Setup in Teamwork
To use Teamwork, you first need to set up a shared ArchiCAD
project. Although it is possible to start a Team Project from scratch
and use the default settings provided by ArchiCAD, it is
recommended to first define a number of basic criteria before sharing
the Project, since changing them when there are already several
people working on it is more difficult. These settings include:
• Project Scale and Measurement Units
• Stories and Layers
• Attributes (Pen Colors, Line and Fill Types, Composites,
Materials)
• Grids and Display Options
• Active Libraries
For details on these attributes and settings, see “Configuration” on page 15.
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When this is done, the project Administrator can Share the project
(using the Teamwork > Share this Project command) and the
members of the ArchiCAD team can Sign In to it. (Teamwork >
Sign in).
The sign-in process is detailed at “Sign in” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: Once a project has been shared, the file will have the
extension .plp. However, no teammate can open the .plp file
directly. To work on a Teamwork project, you must use the
Teamwork > Sign In command.
For more information on file types in Teamwork, see “Teamwork Files” on page
473.
Team Roles
The team using the Teamwork functionality can be organized along a
wide variety of principles. The flexibility of the software makes it
equally possible to use rigorous sets of house rules by defining strict
hierarchical access privileges in larger offices, and to leave a large
amount of freedom in smaller practices, where the people working on
the same project are in face-to-face contact.
There are five possible roles in Teamwork: Administrator, Team
Leader, Teammate, Mark-Up and View Only. The first two have
to be defined in advance by the person sharing the project, who can
either allow free access by any teammate or set up a strict cast of
members who may access the project with centrally set passwords.
Role definition takes place during the project sharing process.
See “Sharing the Project” on page 460.
The Administrator is the person who coordinates the team and
first shares the project. It is his sole privilege to:
• Allow the signing in of other Team Members
• Disconnect Team Members
• Alter other Team Members’ passwords
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• Handle the Administrator and Team Leader passwords
• Define or modify backup options
The Administrator can alter Project Sharing parameters using
Teamwork > Project Sharing Setup.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
There can only be one Administrator for a project, but he or she can
reach the project from any computer, provided that the proper name
and password is used.
Important: When signed in as the Administrator, it is not
possible to work on the project or reserve areas.
The Team Leader is the person responsible for the project. It can
either be a physical person (a given member of the team or even the
same person as the Administrator provided that he/she is also
registered as a team member), or a fictitious person identified by a
password only. In practice, this means that any member of the team
can assume the role and acquire the rights of the Team Leader when
using the latter’s unique password.
The Team Leader has exclusive rights to:
• Modify and delete Layers
• Modify and delete Layer Combinations
• Create, modify and delete Stories
• Modify and delete Pen Color, Material, Fill Type, Line Type,
Zone Category or Composite attributes
• Define or modify measurement Units and methods
• Create or modify the structure and the basic components of the
Layout Book, including Subsets and Master Layouts
• Reassign abandoned Mark-Up Entries
• Modify the loaded Library set used by the Team
There can only be one person signed in as Team Leader at a time.
Some attribute modifications are permitted only with exclusive access
to the Project, which means that nobody else can be signed in at that
moment and that the Team Leader reserves the entire project.
A Teammate is any team member working on any part of the
shared project. When signing in to the shared project, the Teammate
is prompted to reserve a part of it by making the appropriate choices
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in the Sign In Wizard windows. The part of the shared project
reserved by a Teammate is called a “Workspace”.
For more information, see “Teamwork” in ArchiCAD Help.
The following options are available for making reservations:
• Working on any or all stories
• Working on any or all layers
• Working on any or all sections/elevations
• Working on any or all detail drawings
• Working on any or all camera/animation paths
• Working on any or all layouts
• Working on a physical area defined by a rectangular or polygonal
marquee
• Any combination of the above
Teammates can either be defined by the Administrator or
self-registered.
Registered Team members can also sign in to the project in the
special Mark-Up role. In this case, they cannot create any new
elements, only add corrections or highlight elements that need to be
checked or modified by other Teammates. Note that Teammates and
the Team Leader can also use Mark-Up tools; this special role
prevents any accidental modification of the Project.
For more information, see “Teamwork and Project Mark-Up” on page 510.
Viewers (using the View Only option), that is, anyone able to
access the shared project through the network, can open a copy of
the project, save it in Single-user project format to his own computer
and work on this copy. Modifications made to this copy by the
Viewer do not appear in the Team Project.
Sharing the Project
The project is shared by its Administrator after the basic settings have
been defined. This means that a plain solo project has been prepared
with all scale, unit, story, layer, attribute, grid and display options and
libraries. The project may or may not already contain a certain
number of basic structures.
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Careful preparation is of the utmost importance, since changing the
basic settings requires that all currently signed in users stop their work
in progress.
When the Administrator is satisfied that the prepared plan or
template file is ready, he or she opens it in ArchiCAD, chooses the
Teamwork > Share this Project command and sets up the project
in the dialog box that opens.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Setup” in ArchiCAD Help.
All teammates can view project sharing information in Teamwork >
Project Sharing Info.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Info” in ArchiCAD Help.
Security Options and Local Drafts
There are two security options available when sharing a project:
‘Open Access’ and ‘Registered Members only’. Generally, open access
is more than adequate on most small projects. However, for larger
projects, the Administrator might want to limit the access to the file
to selected members only. It is also possible that the project leader
signs in with the name of the teammates and he or she saves a series
of local draft files. In this case, the teammates do not have to sign in,
they just open and work on the respective draft files. At specified
intervals, the project leader can review their work and send the
approved changes back to the main Teamwork file using Teamwork
> Send and Receive Changes.
The local drafts can also be created so that they relate to a particular
discipline.
For example, anyone who wishes to work on the structure can open
the Structure.PLC and start working. This local-draft method also
makes it much faster to change workspaces. It is faster (and more
reliable) to open a PLC file and start working than to Sign in to a
particular workspace. The PLC option for a controlled sign-in also
works faster, allowing many users to start work at the same time
without having to wait to sign in sequentially.
If the sign-ins are set up for layers and stories, control over sign-ins
related to Hotlinked Modules is much easier to maintain, as the user
cannot place items outside his workspace. This avoids any change in
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sign-in ID that would result from placing elements in someone else's
workspace.
On larger projects, it is worth considering a Login related to
discipline. These logins can be preset by the CAD Manager (or the
project architect) who would create the logins. The Local Draft file
could then be saved under the combined names of the Project and
the Discipline.
For example: the project entitled ‘myproject’ with discipline
‘structure’ would be saved as ‘myprojectStructure.plc’.
Passwords
Teamwork provides the opportunity to protect both user logins and
the Administrator and Team Leader logins. Password definition takes
place during the Project Sharing process.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Setup” in ArchiCAD Help.
Administrator and Team Leader passwords are mandatory. The
Administrator must be named. The Team Leader can be any user
logged in with the Team Leader password.
For small, straightforward Teamwork projects, you can set all the
mandatory names and passwords to ‘admin’ and avoid having to
remember passwords.
User passwords are generally unnecessary. Individual users do not
have to have a password; they need not be named prior to sharing the
project.
On larger, more complex projects involving contractors, it may be
critical to password-protect the various user logins. In this case, one
person (usually the CAD Manager) should be made responsible for
managing ALL user logins and passwords and keep these
documented in a secure place.
For information on handling lost or forgotten passwords, see “Human Errors” on
page 474.
Reservation
Team members need to reserve a part of the project when signing in.
They will have the exclusive right to work on this part of the project
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as long they keep this reservation. Every single element of the project Modifying Attributes in a Teamwork Project
either belongs to a specific teammate or to none of them. Every teammate signed in to a
The reservation is performed by choosing the Teamwork > Sign In shared project is able to view
command and by making the appropriate choices in the dialog box the project’s current attribute
that appears. sets in Options > Element
For more information, see “Sign in” in ArchiCAD Help. Attributes, but these attributes
are not editable. Only the Team
All along the sign-in process, the Teammate is informed about the Leader can modify individual
options that are not available to him or her (that is, stories, layers, attributes or (using exclusive
sections, etc. that have already been reserved by another Teammate). access) delete them.
Views cannot be reserved as part of the sign-in process. The However, any team member can
teammate who reserves a particular viewpoint (such as a Story) as create a new attribute and edit it
part of the Sign-in process will also own the view created from that freely before executing a Send & Receive Changes command. At this
viewpoint. stage, the newly created attribute is shown as underlined in its dialog
See also “View Maps and Publisher Sets in Teamwork” on page 464. box as in the image below.
After Send & Receive Changes, however, the new attribute becomes a
Navigator Feedback on Reserved Items project attribute and is no longer editable by anyone except the Team
Icons of Navigator items in a shared project give you feedback on the Leader. (And it is no longer displayed as underlined.)
items’ status:
• The teammate icon indicates a Navigator item that does Changing Workspace
not belong to you (e.g. belongs to another teammate or is Once you are signed into a Teamwork project, you can reconfigure
unassigned). your reserved workspace by using the Teamwork > Change My
• A green icon indicates a Navigator item that you have created Workspace command. The Sign in palette appears, allowing you to
but have not yet shared with the other teammates by sending and redefine your workspace.
receiving changes. Until you do so, the other teammates cannot Notes: Before changing your workspace, you must first send
see it. recent changes from the current draft.
• All other Navigator items (without the teammate icon and which Changing your workspace will make all your other draft files (if
are not green) belong to you. any) obsolete, and you will not be able to send any changes from
Note: Layers are not listed in the Navigator, but Layers reserved them.
by other teammates are also marked with the teammate icon in If you want to change your workspace without sending changes,
Layer Settings. first sign out, then sign in again with a different workspace
For more information, see “Navigator Color Codes” on page 68. reservation.

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Working Inside the Reserved Area
Story or Layer
Reserving a Story or Layer means that you reserve all the elements on
that story/layer; you will have the exclusive right to place or edit
elements on the reserved story or layer. (Exception: Any Teammate
can create elements on the ArchiCAD layer without reserving the
entire Layer.)
If you choose to limit the reserved area to the marquee area, your
name will appear on the Floor Plan with a green boundary showing
the size of the reserved area. Areas reserved by other teammates
appear inside a red boundary.
You cannot create elements outside your reserved workspace, with
this exception: when working on a reserved story limited by a
marquee and in a reserved layer, you can still create elements outside
the physical boundary of the marquee.
All elements that have at least one hotspot inside or on the boundary
of the area reserved with the marquee are considered to be inside the
reserved area. If an element has hotspots in two or more workspaces,
that element belongs to the person who first reserved it.
Elements partially included in different workspace marquees can only
be edited by one Teammate at a time. To hand over these elements,
select them and choose Teamwork > Send & Receive Changes.
You will be prompted to release these elements as in the previous
case.
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Detail
If you are the owner of a Detail, this means that you have the
exclusive right to modify the detail drawing (e.g. add new elements
and modify existing elements), and to update the drawing. The Detail
marker, however, belongs to the teammate who owns the Floor Plan
or Section on which it is located. That teammate can make changes to
the detail content, but changes will not be reflected in the detail
window until you (the Detail owner) issue an update.
Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document
If you are the owner of a Section (or Elevation/IE/3D Document),
this means that you have the exclusive right to modify the Section
marker, and to place new elements into the Section window. Other
teammates can open the Section window and access/modify those
elements which belong to their workspace.
Layouts
Layout settings are managed by the Layout’s owner, but other
Teammates can place drawings and other elements (and move them
and crop them) on a Layout owned by a different Teammate. Layouts
can be deleted by the Layout owners (or by the Team Leader with
exclusive access).
Note: Drawings themselves cannot be reserved as part of the
Sign-In process.
For more information, see “Layouting in Teamwork” on page 439.
Master Layouts and Layout Book
Any team member can create a Master Layout, but following a Send
& Receive Changes command, the Master Layouts will be owned by
the Team Leader, who can access and modify Master Layout Settings.
Any Team Member, however, is free to place any item onto a Master
Layout.
The Team Leader must use exclusive access to make structural
changes, such as the place of layouts within the Layout Book and
deleting a Master Layout. (Layout Settings, however, are controlled by
the owner of the individual layout.)
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Note: Master Layouts in Teamwork behave similarly to
Attributes in Teamwork: any team member can create a new one;
following Send & Receive, the new item is henceforth owned by
the Team Leader, who must use exclusive access to delete it.
Mark-up
Any teammate can use the Mark-up feature to add Mark-up items to
any part of the shared project, regardless of its reservation status.
For more information, see “Teamwork and Project Mark-Up” on page 510.
Hotlinked Modules
Using Hotlinked Modules can be combined with the Teamwork
functionality for working on complex projects shared by several
architects.
Modules can be reserved by Story, Layer and Area.
For more information, see “Hotlinked Modules and Teamwork” on page 492.
Additional Information
• Elements that are locked (whether reserved by others or not
reserved at all) cannot be modified, but can be viewed in all
window types (Floor Plan, 3D Window, Sections/Elevations,
lists). These elements can be selected, their settings dialog boxes
can be viewed, their parameters can be copied from there or
picked up by using the Edit > Element Settings > Pick Up
Parameters command or the corresponding shortcut (Alt-click
on the element in Windows, Cmd-click on the element in
MacOS).
• The owner of a Drawing, Detail or Section (Manual-rebuild and
Drawing-type) has the exclusive right to update these elements.
• When updating the Team Project, you have the option of either
releasing the elements created outside your area for use by other
Teammates or keeping them reserved.
• If somebody else has created an element in your reserved area
and has released it for your use, you can choose either to keep it
or to discard it.
For more information, see “Send & Receive Changes” in ArchiCAD Help.
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View Maps and Publisher Sets in Teamwork
Managing View Maps in Teamwork
Each Teammate and the Team Leader has access to the project’s View
Map through the Navigator/Organizer.
For more information on the Navigator/Organizer maps, see “The Navigator
Palette” on page 65.
In a shared Teamwork project, the
View Map has two parts: the
“Public Views” and “My Views”.
The pop-up menu on top of the
Navigator allows you to switch
from one to the other.
Each teammate and the Team Leader has his/her own My Views,
whose views can be seen and managed only by that teammate. Views
from My Views can be added (using drag and drop) to the Public
Views of a shared project, to his/her own unshared Publisher Set, or
to the Layout Map. (Drawings placed into the Layout Book which
originate from My Views lose their linked status.)
Views in Public Views are visible to all teammates, but the Public
View Map’s structure is managed by the Team Leader only, and only
the Team Leader (using exclusive access) can adjust view settings and
clone folder settings and delete views. In the Public Views, all
teammates can navigate among the views, duplicate them, and use
them in any Publisher set. Any teammate can create a new view or
folder in the Public View Map, but these will not be visible to other
teammates until the Send & Receive Changes command is executed.
Until then, the icon of the newly created view is shown in green, and
the teammate who created it can adjust its settings and its place in the
View Map structure as needed. After Send & Receive, these new
views and folders are henceforth owned by the Team Leader (and no
longer green).
Elements in the view map created prior to sharing the project will
automatically become part of the public view map and owned by the
team leader. That is, only the team leader can modify and delete these
views.
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The view map that will form the basis for the documentation should
be created either by the team leader or by the documenting team. A
possible workflow: the documenting team signs into the Team
Project without reserving any workspace other than the layouts. This
way they will not interrupt the work of the architects, and will still be
able to create views.
Publisher Sets in Teamwork
Each Teammate can create any
number of Publisher Sets,
which can be shared. To share
or unshare a Publisher Set, use
the pop-up menu at the top of
the Navigator. A shared
Publisher Set is indicated by an
open-hand icon.
A shared publisher set is accessible by all Teammates, who can make
use of the publisher items, but cannot adjust any of the
format/output settings of those items. If a publisher item in a shared
Publisher set is linked to a view that the Team Leader subsequently
deletes, the owner of the Publisher set receives a notification.
An unshared Publisher set is not visible or accessible to other
Teammates. It can include any view from either My Views or Public
Views, or a Layout from the Layout Book. If your unshared Publisher
Set contains a link to a view from My Views, however, you cannot
share that Publisher Set.
You can publish all shared sets, even if they contain views that are not
in your workspace. When saving or uploading files, the location
defined by the author of the set will be used. To save or upload them
to a different location, select and duplicate the set.
The Team Leader can modify Master Layout Settings and Master
Layout elements. Layout Settings, however, are controlled by the
owner of the individual layout.
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View Sets of Teamwork Projects from ArchiCAD 9 and
Earlier
View sets in teamwork projects created with ArchiCAD 9 are
combined into a single View Map starting with ArchiCAD 10, with
each former view set placed into a separate folder of the View Map.
An equal number of Publisher Sets will be created, whose format
options will reflect the output options of the former view sets.
• Shared view sets from ArchiCAD 9 will be combined into the
Public View Map (owned by the Team Leader), and will also be
converted as a shared Publisher Set (owned by the original view
set owner).
• Unshared view sets from ArchiCAD 9 will be part of the new My
Views (of the original view set owner), with a corresponding
number of unshared Publisher Sets (owned by the original view
set owner).
Workflow in Teamwork
The following sections describe the functions and features specific to
the work on a shared project.
Sending and Receiving Changes
Changes made by any team member are sent to the shared Team
Project by choosing Teamwork > Send & Receive Changes, or
(optionally) when signing out.
Changes sent to the Team Project do not appear automatically in
other Teammates’ copies. In order to see changes made by another
Teammate, they too have to choose Receive Changes.
For more information, see “Send & Receive Changes” in ArchiCAD Help.
Working on a Local Copy
Relying continuously on the network may sometimes be troublesome,
since the more people use the network simultaneously, the more it
may slow down all of them. Moreover, some team members may
need to work at home or in a remote location. You may also want to
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save changes in a state of the Project that is not yet ready for sending
and receiving changes and made visible to other Teammates. In this
case, the solution is to make a local Draft copy of the Shared Project,
preserving the Sign-In reservations made.
To create a local Draft copy of the Shared Project, choose the File >
Save command.
The created file can be opened similarly to a Solo Project, by
choosing File > Open and the ArchiCAD Teamwork Draft format
option. This file contains all the relevant data about the Team Project,
including the reservations made by the Teammate.
Note: Sending in changes to the Shared Project does not mean
that your local copy is also saved at the same time. However,
sending changes does trigger an Autosave, which will allow you
to reopen the Draft in case of any error during the send-receive
process.
Since the Draft contains all the information available at the time of its
creation, you can continue working on it as you normally would if you
were still connected to the network.
Of course, changes can only be sent in once you are reconnected to
the network, and the same applies for updating changes made by
other team members.
This way, subcontractors and consultants can also be made part of
the team by incorporating them as off-line team members with
reserved workspaces.
If you save multiple Drafts with variations of the design, you can send
changes from any of them. You cannot continue to work on changes
made to different Drafts with this option.
Signing Out
Choosing the Teamwork > Sign Out command breaks contact with
the Team Project and releases your reserved workspace for other
teammates who may wish to sign in to it.
If you have made any changes, you are prompted to send them in.
Choosing No in this dialog box means that your changes will be lost.
Note: If you have saved a Local Draft copy of the project and
then signed out without sending in your changes, they will not be
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copied back to the central project and will be lost. You can
however still include these changes later by choosing the File >
File Special > Merge command.
ArchiCAD will remember your last Workspace reservation and, when
you next Sign In, offer you the same options by default.
Teamwork Techniques
Workspace allocation is the first crucial point of working in a team. It
is crucial that the right person reserve, at the right time, the
appropriate areas, layers, stories or sections/elevations. The
importance of timing may not be so obvious at the moment of the
Sign In, nevertheless, it must be carefully weighed and managed.
Timing has the most significance when using Marquee selection on
long or extensive elements. The reason is that all elements having at
least one selection point inside or touching the area reserved with
Marquee will be allocated to the user making the selection first. For
instance, if a long wall has one selection dot - that is, five centimeters
- inside the Marquee and 15 meters outside, it will still belong to the
team member defining the Marquee area (unless another teammate
signed in and reserved the other part of that wall earlier).
Grouped elements are also
individually reserved. If any part
of the group is not in the
workspace of a teammate, he or
she will not be able to edit the
group as a whole. The group
must be suspended to be able to
edit the individual elements that
are included in the workspace.
The risks of careless workspace
reservation are more obvious:
unnecessary monopolization of
entire stories or layers can be a nuisance in the design process, whose
correction may delay the work of the entire team, especially when
working off-line.
Note: If the team chooses to use the marquee to define
workspaces, the team leader can define the workspaces with draft
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lines prior to sharing the project. When the teammates first sign
in, they can use the magic wand ('space'-click) to select a
predefined workspace. This is very helpful when the geometry of
the building requires arched workspace boundaries.
Naturally, the correction of already allocated workspaces or the exchange
of elements might also be necessary simply because of the modification
of the project, which is the very nature of architectural work.
If you plan to place elements at a considerable distance from the
Project Origin (e.g. you are working in real-world coordinates), you
should make some preparations your plan before sharing the project.
In case of an empty plan, place at least one distant element before
sharing the project. In case of an existing project, place an element at
the desired distance, then save it, open it and save it again before
sharing the project. (This is necessary to allow ArchiCAD to perform
a background algorithm that improves the accuracy of large-scale
projects.)
Both the correction of mistakes and modifications can be carried out
in various ways, some more sophisticated than others. We detail these
methods in the following examples.
Extending Workspace
User ‘A’ has a wall entirely inside his marquee-defined Area, on which ‘B’ should
work from now on. ‘A’ would like to reallocate this element by releasing it. At this
moment, ‘A’ cannot put the wall onto a layer belonging to ‘B’, since the layers
reserved by others are inaccessible for him or her. Similarly, ‘B’ cannot do anything
at all with the elements in the Area of ‘A’.
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Sign Out - Sign In
‘A’ creates a new layer and places the wall onto it. He then signs out by
sending his changes when prompted to do so and informs ‘B’ about
this change. ‘B’ sends and receives changes, then signs in to the same
project under the same name. Teamwork will ask ‘B’ whether to
discard the previous (and still active) Sign In and, when it is accepted,
offers the previous workspace settings. ‘B’ adds the new layer created
by ‘A’ to his or her own reservation list. When ‘B’ has communicated
his or her action, ‘A’ signs in again under his/her old user name.
Advantages: Because of the built-in automatism of Teamwork,
this solution is fast, easy-to-remember and definitely works with
all kind of elements.
Drawbacks: Since Teammates cannot delete layers, this method
can result in a remarkably high number of unnecessary layers in
the Team Project (although any two users can use the same single
layer for exchanging elements.) The element will be placed on a
different layer, which may cause problems during the breakdown
(visualization) of the project. The Sign Out-Sign In process
creates a new Sign In ID.
See also “Human Errors” on page 474.
Dragging the Element
‘A’ selects and drags the element from inside his or her Area into the
Area of ‘B’ with a given vector, then sends changes. When the dialog
box warns about elements outside his or her area, ‘A’ releases them.
Then ‘A’ informs ‘B’ about the value of the vector, so that, after
getting changes and reserving the offered elements released in his or
her area, ‘B’ can drag the wall back to its original position. After this,
the wall will belong to ‘B’, although it is placed in the Area of ‘A’.
Advantages: No superfluous auxiliary layers, no need to sign out
and sign in again, moreover the element remains on the same
layer.
Drawbacks: Especially good communication is needed between
the team members to avoid inaccurate placement. This method
might take long and is prone to mistakes. It also assumes that the
layer on which the element is placed has been reserved by both
users.
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wall, it is reserved by ‘B’. ‘B’ sends and receives changes in order to

see only one wall in that position belonging to him or her.
Advantages: Fast and efficient, no auxiliary layers, no need to
sign out and sign in again, no chance of misplacement, and the
element remains on the same layer. It works with any kind of
element.
Drawbacks: Risk of creating unintended duplicates, which can
alter calculations, resulting in false values in the call-offs.
Taking Over Workspace
The basic situation is quite similar to the previous one, but now the wall is in both
Areas, though reserved by ‘A’ because ‘A’ signed in earlier. Again, ‘B’ would like
to work on the element from now on.

Copy and Paste

‘B’ selects the wall - which, since it belongs to ‘A’, will have gray
selection dots - and simply copies it by using the Edit > Copy
command, then pastes it to the Floor Plan with the Paste command.
Since elements are pasted exactly to the same spot in ArchiCAD, now
you have two walls sharing the same physical space. These elements
are identical in all respects, except that one of them belongs to ‘A’
while the other belongs to ‘B’.

Note: All the solutions described above can be used.

Cutting the Element
‘A’ selects the element and with the Edit > Reshape > Split
command, simply cuts it just outside his or her Area. ‘A’ sends and
receives changes and releases the element “created” outside the
marquee area. ‘B’ receives changes and reserves the offered free
element in his or her Area.

‘B’ tells ‘A’ to delete the wall. After doing so, ‘A’ sends and receives
changes and now sees that the wall is in its place again, with no
apparent change to the original situation. However, if ‘A’ selects the

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Advantages: Very simple, fast and efficient, no auxiliary layers,
no need to sign out and sign in again, no chance of
misplacement, and the element remains on the same layer. In
addition, both team members can work on the element.
Drawbacks: Needs extremely good communication in order to
avoid different modifications of the “same” element. (For
instance, A and B should not set different colors, hatches, height
etc. for the two halves of the wall.) Cannot be used with all
element types, at least not easily. For instance, in the case of
roofs, fills or slabs, cutting an element results in a border line
displayed along the cutting line, which can spoil the drawing.
With walls, the only problem is placing an opening to that spot.
Releasing the Element
‘A’ selects the given wall and sends and receives changes. In the
appearing dialog box, he is prompted to release the selected elements
for the other teammate. After ‘A’ has released the element, ‘B’ chooses
Teamwork > Send & Receive Changes. In the appearing dialog
box, he is informed about the existence of released elements inside
his area. By clicking the Include in My Workspace button, he now
becomes the owner of these elements.
For more information, see “Send & Receive Changes” in ArchiCAD Help.
Advantages: Fast and efficient, no superfluous auxiliary layers,
no need to sign out and sign in again, no chance of misplacement
and the element remains on the same layer.
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Drawbacks: Needs very good communication between team
members. Only works with elements that are inside the Marquee
reservation areas of both teammates.
Area Modification
During the design and drafting process, it might be necessary for
team members to change their workspace allocation (either the
Marquee Area or the layer-story settings, or both). However, this
change is often temporary and the user needs to return to the
originally reserved workspace.
Situation 1
‘A’ needs to temporarily work on some additional layers and on a separate area,
outside the Marquee Area allocated to him or her. The needed workspace is
entirely free (no one has reserved it).
‘A’ does not sign out. He or she saves a Draft and signs in to the same
project under a different, yet typical name (for instance ‘A1’)
reserving the necessary workspace. This way ‘A’ can keep his or her
original workspace setup untouched; moreover, the temporarily
occupied area can be freed by ‘A1’ simply signing out.
Situation 2
‘A’ needs to temporarily work on some additional layers and on a separate area,
outside the Marquee Area allocated to him or her. The needed workspace is not
free; it is entirely or partly in the workspace of ‘B’. This means that ‘A’ will have
to temporarily take over a segment of the area of ‘B’, who needs to continue
working in the remaining space.
‘B’ signs out. He or she then signs in for the remaining part under a
different, yet typical name (for example ‘B1’). ‘A’ also signs out, then
signs in to the same project under a different, but typical name (for
example ‘A1’), reserving the necessary workspace. Alternatively, ‘A’
does not sign out, instead saves the Draft and signs in to the same
project under a different, but typical name (for example ‘A1’),
reserving only the extra workspace necessary. This way, both ‘A’ and
‘B’ can keep their original workspace setups untouched, which means
that signing in under the old user name (‘A’ or ‘B’) can be done right
away. Moreover, the temporarily occupied area can be freed when ‘A1’
signs out.
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Working Off-Line
During a longer period of off-line work, many Draft copies of the
Draft might be saved for safety reasons. The appropriate
management of these files can save time and unnecessary work, and
prevent data loss. Organizing the files is tricky and must be done
according to your individual needs. When saving a Draft file, it will
contain all the information of the Team Project at the moment of last
choosing the Teamwork > Send & Receive Changes or Receive
Changes command. From that point on, the teammate can work on
this Draft as on a Solo Project. This means that the work might be
continued on a different (usually remote) computer onto which the
file can be transferred via any portable data storage device. Though
this is similar to the single-user ArchiCAD environment, there are a
few important issues worth mentioning.
Off-Line Libraries
Depending on the library management solution used in the office and
to the data storage device available, the library can be any of the types
detailed in the Techniques section.
For more information, see “Libraries” on page 41.
Copy of the Central Library
Requires a high capacity data storage device onto which the Central
Library can be copied. On reestablishing the network, the library
parts modified or created during the off-line work must be copied
manually into the Central Library.
Copy of the Satellite Library
Requires a high capacity data storage device onto which the Satellite
Library can be copied. On reestablishing the network, you must
overwrite the old Satellite Library with the new one, or manually copy
into the old Satellite Library all the library parts modified or created
during the off-line work.
Important: In the latter case, you must also copy the manually
the “Dates” catalogue file that contains the information about
the modifications, which will be used for synchronizing the
Satellite Library with the Central Library.
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Copy of the Local Library
This is merely a relocation of the library.
Archive File
In any of the previous cases, an archive file can be saved by using the
File > Save As command. Before returning to the office, a new
archive should be saved, which, on opening, will recreate the archive
library on the local computer. The new or modified elements must be
copied manually to their source library, according to the library
management method employed.
Library Management in Teamwork
Proper management of Library Parts, those indispensable elements of
the day-to-day work with ArchiCAD, is significant when working in a
team. In general, when managing libraries, keep everything as simple
as possible. The following recommendations will help you avoid
problems.
For more information, see “Libraries” on page 41
• Avoid overloading the network.
• Keep the paths to the Libraries standard on each project.
• New, project-based library parts should be saved in the project
library.
• Always retain the Standard ArchiCAD libraries (provided as part
of the ArchiCAD package) in their original installation location
(in the ArchiCAD folder). Remove the Custom Text Folder from
the ArchiCAD Standard library and place it in your Project
directory template.
• Establish and adhere to an office rule that the libraries as
installed must NOT be moved or modified.
• Locate the Project Library on the Server Machine in the
appropriate Project Directory.
• Locate any Add-On Libraries on the Server Machine.
• On MacOS: if you are moving from 10.2.xx to 10.3.xx, save and
reshare your Project after first reloaded the libraries as a PLN.
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The Project directory on the Server should look like this:

The sections below describe three ways to address library

management, depending on the type and speed of the computers and
the network being used.
Central Library
With fast and efficient networks only.
All teammates use the Central library on the server via network.
When working with a Central Library, new elements created by any
user can be immediately used by the other teammates after reloading
the libraries, while modifications of the library parts can be seen after Local Cache Library
pressing Option/Alt while choosing View > Refresh > Rebuild in With any kind of network.
Floor Plan view.
All teammates have their own local copy of the Central Library on
Advantages: There is only one copy of all elements; easier to their own computers. On the very last screen of the Sign In Wizard,
administer; changes are more apparent because of the live users must choose the Create LAN > Local Cache Library option and
connection. then use the Browse button to indicate its location on the local
Drawbacks: It can increase the communication time. computer. In the designated folder, an exact replica of the Central
Library will be created and a link between the libraries established.

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If there is a live connection to the network, newly created or modified
and saved library parts will appear in the Central Library immediately.
If there is no live network connection, the new or altered elements
will only be copied into the Central Library after choosing Send &
Receive Changes, Sign In or after reloading the library with File >
Libraries and Objects > Library Manager.
For more information, see “Library Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Other teammates using their own Satellite Libraries can see the
changed or newly created library parts after choosing the Send &
Receive Changes, Receive Changes, Sign In or after reloading the
library with Library Manager.
However, if any additional library is loaded next to the originally
generated Satellite Library folder, the elements in this library will not
be transferred to the Central Library automatically. This either has to
be done manually (see “Separate Libraries” on page 472), or the library
part should be opened with the File > Libraries and Objects >
Open Object command and saved into the Satellite Library folder.
If a library part is deleted from a central library, a warning appears. It
is possible to either delete the part from the local cache, keep it in the
local cache, or copy the part from the local cache back to the central
library.
Advantages: Easy-to-use, can be used in a mixed computer
platform environment, supports off-line work, does not put an
extra burden on the network
Drawbacks: The preparation takes longer, it needs local
computers with large hard disk capacity - every library for every
project must be on every computer during the projects’ life-span.
Separate Libraries
The traditional method, works with any kind of network (or even
without a permanent network).
The Central Library is copied onto the local computer manually
before signing in. During the first sign-in, the local library has to be
specified in the Library Manager. (If Library Manager does not
appear during the sign-in process, it has to be manually opened and
the loaded libraries checked.) After selecting the local Library, the
Draft will have no link to the Central Library, which means that all
changes must be followed up and administered by the user, manually
copying the modified and new library parts from the local computer
to the Central Library and vice versa.
Advantages: Does not put an extra burden on the network and
can be used in a network-down situation. Modifications are easier
to monitor and manage. This is the traditional ArchiCAD
method and thus more familiar to users.
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Drawbacks: The preparation takes longer; requires local
computers with very large hard disk capacity; requires disciplined
workflow.
Changing the Default Library
The names and locations of the original libraries (active when sharing
the file) are stored with the Team Project. When signing in to the
project, the user gets the file with these libraries loaded by default.
Nevertheless, new libraries can be added to this list by using the File
> Libraries and Objects > Library Manager command. On saving
the client file, this new list will be saved, but only locally. The next
time the same teammate signs in on the same computer, this same list
will be offered. However, if he or she signs in on a different machine,
only the Central Library will be loaded. Changing the library list
locally has no effect whatsoever on the Team Project. It can only be
modified by the Team Leader and only in exclusive access mode.
To change the Central Library, all the Teammates have to sign out and
then the Team Leader signs in with full access. The change in the set
of loaded libraries takes effect after sending and receiving the
changes.
Teamwork Files
When you set up a Teamwork project and work with it, the following
files are created and used.
• <Project>.plp is the Teamwork file.
• <Project>.plc is a local draft of the signed-in user.
• <Project>.bpc is the backup of local draft.
• <Project>.pca is a local draft archive.
• <Project>.lck is the lock file. It appears when a teammate starts
a Teamwork process (sign in, send, receive, sign out) and
prohibits other teammates from accessing the plp file. It
disappears after the process is finished. If such a file does not
disappear after the teamwork process is finished, administrator
should delete it manually.
• <project>.txt is the log file recording teamwork processes.
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• ACScratch.tmp is a temporary file during the save process
which contains the same data as the plp. If this file is renamed to
<project>.plp, there is a good chance that it will fully recover an
up-to-date version of the lost plp file.
• orig_########## is a temporary file during the save
process which contains the same data as the previous version of
the plp. If this file is renamed to <project>.plp, there is a good
chance that it will fully recover the previous state of the lost plp
file.
• <user project>.prf is the Teamwork preferences file specific to
the user and the project.
When you send and receive changes or connect to the central project
file (plp) for any other action, Teamwork goes through the following
steps.
1) <project>.lck is created.
2) A scratch file for the project file is created (ACScratch.tmp).
3) Information is saved into ACScratch.TMP and
Scratch_##########.
4) The old <project>.plp is renamed to orig_######.
5) ACScratch.TMP is renamed to <project>.plp.
6) If the renaming is successful, orig_###### is moved to the
backup folder and renamed to <project>.plp.
7) <project>.lck is removed.
Troubleshooting in Teamwork
When working with Teamwork you have to take care of proper
workflow organization and administration. In the Human Errors
section we cover the most typical user errors. Since working with
Teamwork also involves network operations, the possibility of
computer errors is more significant than in single computer
environments. The Hardware/Software Problems section deals with
the most typical computer errors.
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Compatibility Note
You cannot work with different versions of ArchiCAD on the same
Team Project.
This means that you should only start using Teamwork with a Team
Project when all of the potential Team Members have been equipped
with the same version of the program.
To use an earlier version Team Project with a more recent version of
ArchiCAD, the Team Leader must sign in with exclusive access.
Before the sign-in process, ArchiCAD will warn the Team Leader that
the Team Project will become inaccessible to users of previous
versions.
After this, the Team Leader should sign out. The Team Project is now
updated and ready to be used by all Team Members. It cannot be
accessed any more with an earlier version of the program.
The last used workspaces of the Team Members are preserved in the
process. After the Team Leader has finished, all Team Members can
sign in again with ArchiCAD to their workspace as it was.
Human Errors
Users can make errors when they do not perfectly understand
processes and rules in Teamwork, or when they make simple errors
such as forgetting a password. The following section lists the most
common user errors.
Unnecessary Sign Out
The urge of signing out at the end of the day is the most common
misunderstanding of the Teamwork process. There is no online
connection in Teamwork when you are signed in. Thus if you want to
proceed on your work at home there is no need to sign out. Moreover
it is prohibited since you will lose your Sign In ID and won’t be able
to send your work into the central project file anymore. Even if you
do not proceed with your work at home it is an unnecessary circle to
sign out in the evening and sign in again next morning. On larger
projects, that can result in very inefficient way of working because of
the long sign in/out times.
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Forgotten Passwords and User Names
This is the problem most likely to happen in day-to-day work. The
general rule is that with the Administrator password you can recover
any situation. On the other hand, the Administrator password cannot
be replaced by anything else.
Nevertheless, since passwords are meant to provide security and
monitoring, losing track of them can under no circumstances lead to
data loss.
Forgotten Teammate/Team Leader Password when
Signing In
The Administrator can assign a new password in Teamwork >
Project Sharing Setup.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Forgotten Teammate/Team Leader Password when
Opening a Draft
Open the file with the Administrator password. Later, the
Administrator can assign a new password in Teamwork > Project
Sharing Setup.
Forgotten User Names
Anyone can look up the user names in Teamwork > Project
Sharing Info, or in the <project>.txt file.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Info” in ArchiCAD Help.
Forgotten Administrator Name
Anyone can look up the Administrator’s user name in Teamwork >
Project Sharing Info.
Forgotten Administrator Password
All team members have to send their changes, then sign out. The
Administrator signs in View Only mode and saves the file as a solo
project. After sharing this file, the team can be set up again.
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Version Problems
During teamwork, unwanted data might be transferred due to
opening a new file, or, as quite often happens in architectural work,
users might realize that an earlier version of the file contains a better
solution to a given problem. Unfortunately, going back to previous
versions is sometimes very difficult, if not impossible.
The basic rule is that every user has a Sign In ID. This is an integer
which increases with every subsequent Sign In. Once you signed in
again to the same project under the same user name, the data from
the previous Sign In can no longer be transferred to the Team
Project. (In other words, data from a Draft with a smaller Sign In ID
cannot be sent to the Team Project.)
This is because a smaller Sign In means that you have previously
discarded your reservations by signing out. After this, any other
teammate was free to make reservations in the same area. Using the
Sign In ID of an outdated Draft could create conflicts in some items
of this area.
Nevertheless, data from files with the same Sign In ID might be sent
to the Team Project, although ArchiCAD keeps track of the
modifications via the Send Changes ID. This is another integer which
gets a higher value after each Teamwork > Send & Receive
Changes command. If sending data from a file with a smaller Send
Changes ID (that is, from an earlier phase of your work), the program
will prompt you to validate the overwriting of the newer data and ID.
Note: You can find the Sign In ID of the file either in the Get
Info (MacOS)/Properties (Windows) window, in the Project
Sharing Info dialog box, in the Preview part of the File > Open
dialog box, or in the <project>.txt file.
Sending Unwanted Changes
Close the Draft without saving it (or save it under a different name),
then open the file at its original state (that is, before the unnecessary
modifications were made). Choose Teamwork > Send & Receive
Changes. The program will ask you whether to overwrite the
changes made with a more recent ID with the changes of a previous
one.
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Returning to Previous Sign In
It might become necessary to return to the design phase of your
previous Sign In. Open the current Draft (the one with an active link
to the Team Project), and save it under a different name as a solo
project for safety reasons. Delete everything from this file, then
merge the earlier Draft into the current one. After this, send the
changes to the Team Project.
Hardware/Software Problems
Most computer errors come from unstable computer networks
resulting in interrupted Sign In, Sign Out and Send & Receive
Changes processes. We give you solutions to the most common
computer errors in the next section.
No Network or the Network is Down
In the case of a partial network or if there is no network at all,
everyone has to sign in on the same (say master) computer, where the
sharing takes place. Local Drafts can then be saved to any portable
data storage device and transferred to the individual teammates’
computers. When any of the teammates wants to send and receive
changes, he or she has to save a Draft at the given stage, copy it to a
data storage device, open it on the master computer and then choose
Teamwork > Send & Receive Changes. Since the same tedious
process must be repeated with every Send & Receive Changes, the
workflow should be carefully organized by creating Design Leveling
Points, when everyone copies their local Drafts on the master
computer.
Attention: All Teammates, with the exception of the last one,
will have to send and receive changes twice in order to see
everyone else’s work.
Note: Although you might find that it is an acceptable way of
using Teamwork, bear in mind that this is only a stopgap solution
and not, by any means, the equivalent of a working network.
Locked Project File
Network errors may cause the Project file to become locked.
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If you try to send your changes then, a message will appear stating
that you cannot sign in, sign out or send changes because such an
action is under way by another user.
Check in your computer’s file system whether the Project file is
locked. If it is, unlock it, and try sending in your changes again.
“Cannot create backup!” Warning When Sending
Changes
This reflects an error during the backup process. This means that the
old .plp file could not be moved to the backup folder; however this
does not mean that the Send/Receive process was unsuccessful.
Check that user privileges set for the project and backup folder are
sufficient to create and delete files and folders. (Privileges should be
set to ‘read, write, delete and rename’.)
Make sure that the full path of the files in the bottom folder does not
exceed 256 characters.
“Cannot write Teamwork Notes” Warning
Indicates that the <project>.txt file cannot be created. Check that
privileges are sufficient to create/modify this file.
“Cannot write plan file!” Warning When Sending
Changes
Indicates that a problem occurred in the I/O process.
Check if ACScratch.TMP has been created. If it has, it can be
renamed to <project>.plp. This will recover the teamwork project file
including all the modifications. If no ACScratch.TMP file is available,
but orig_########## exists, it can be renamed to <project>.plp.
This too will recover the teamwork project file, but without the latest
modifications.
Corrupted Draft
Open the last Backup copy of the current Draft. Team Project
backup copies are stored in the Backup folder next to the Team
Project. Do not open the backup file from the Backup folder directly;
you should first copy it to another location, then open it.
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If there is no Backup copy available, then the latest of the previous
versions of the file – with the same Sign In ID - should be used. You
can find the Sign In ID of the file either in the Get Info
(MacOS)/Properties (Windows) window or in the Project Sharing
Setup dialog box.
Note: Data from a Draft with a smaller Sign In ID cannot be
sent to the Team Project.
If there is neither a Backup copy nor a previous file with the right ID,
all changes since the last one will be lost. In this case, you can either
sign in again with the same name and password and discard your
previous connection, or the Administrator can clear your signing in
by choosing the Force Sign Out option in the Project Sharing
Setup dialog box.
Corrupted Team Project
If you suspect an error, or experience abnormal behavior in the
Teamwork file (crashes when sending changes, etc.), the administrator
should cancel all signed-in teammates and the team leader should sign
in the project with exclusive access. He or she should try to attempt a
‘send changes’, and sign out. This is similar to re-sharing, and might
help to recover the file.
If this does not help, replace the corrupted Team, Admin and .txt file
with the last Backup copies. Team Project backup copies are stored in
the Backup folder next to the Team Project. Do not open the backup
file from the Backup folder directly; you should first copy it to
another location, then open it.
If the Sign-In ID of a teammate is the same in this backup copy as in
the corrupted Team Project, the backup version can be brought to
the same level as the crashed one by choosing Teamwork > Send &
Receive Changes. Those teammates whose Sign In ID is newer than
the one stored in the backup version can only merge or copy their
work.
If there is no Backup copy of the Team Project, Teamwork cannot be
continued. All teammates have to choose Show My Workspace Only,
then save their Drafts as Solo Projects; then these files can be merged
together by using File > File Special > Merge. When all files have
been merged, the newly created project can be shared again.
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Important: Use this method only if all project elements have
been reserved to someone’s workspace, because any unreserved
elements will be lost.
Teamwork Strategies
Architectural firms of different sizes may have different concerns
when working on a shared project. The sections below detail possible
solutions for small, medium and large firms.
Small Firms
The office is too small to have a CAD Manager, the network is a
simple workgroup solution, connecting 2 to 7 machines, or there is
no coherent network at all. Every employee is responsible for the
maintenance of his or her own computer and software. The projects
are small or medium sized and, if teamwork is necessary, all the
architects work on the same project during a given period. Everyone
knows about the others’ work, colleagues are in close contact, in most
cases they are in the same room. There is usually only one or two
senior architect(s); the other architects are at the same level, and
responsibility is shared.
The Team
The Administrator is a fictional person, in fact a name and a
password only. Since security is not an issue, both should be very
simple and easy-to-remember and might be known to everyone.
Anyone can assume the role of the Administrator, if necessary. The
password is stored in a safe and accessible place and under normal
circumstances is not used.
The Team Leader is probably the senior architect of the office, at
least at the early design stage. He or she develops the design to its
conceptual phase, then shares it with the others. Later, someone else
can take over this role, if needed. Since communication is easy within
the team, and off-line work is improbable, good pre-sharing file
preparation is important but not vital.
Should the teammates have any problem with the settings and
options, a general Sign Out and a new Sign In can be organized easily,
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during which someone signed in as Team Leader with full access can
correct the error.
All other employees are Teammates. At this office size, labor
management is flexible, so access should be open for any colleague to
sign in.
Note: If for some reason you feel that the controllable
Registered Members Only access is necessary, you can modify
the list of users at any time by signing in as Administrator and
choosing the Teamwork > Project Sharing Setup command.
Sign In
As in all cases, the Sign In must be coordinated, since only one
person can sign in at a time. Obviously, in such a small office with
good communication among the staff, coordination should not be a
problem.
The design and drawing parts are assigned to the architects and
draftsmen after previous discussions. However, they can sign up and
arrange the final details of the sharing together, thus diminishing the
chances of bad workspace allocation. Even so, should correction be
needed, workspace reservations can easily be changed here at any
time by signing out and signing in again with modified workspace
parameters. All the teammates involved in this process can be
informed without too much trouble.
Network
With such a limited number of computers, there is no server machine
and the Team Project is usually stored on the computer from where it
was shared. In fact, it can be stored on any of the computers,
provided that it can be accessed by the other machines. (A server, if
one exists, is the best location.)
Libraries and Templates
The Team Library should be placed next to the Team project, on the
same computer. This means that the Team Library should be placed
on the server (if there is one), or else on the machine on which the
Team Project is stored. Small practices often work on very similar
projects or for the same client, so they can use the same custom
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library parts many times. These items should be in a custom library
on the master computer, where Satellite Libraries can be created.
The network may not be fast enough to use a Central Library. In this
situation, either Satellite Libraries or local Libraries extracted from
Draft Archives should be used.
The basic parameters (preferences) of similar projects are often
identical (materials, layers and layer combinations, dimension settings,
etc.). For these projects, preset but empty files may be created and
saved under typical names, for example Supermarket, Cottage,
Garage, etc. These files are called Project Templates. When preparing
a Team Project, you can simply open such a Template file and save it
under the actual name of the project.
Third Parties
The consultant partners are usually small offices or even one-man
bands working manually or with specific CAD systems. ArchiCAD
can flawlessly read and write DXF and DWG files, the most widely
used CAD file formats. Assuming that the software used by the
consultant is also capable of reading/writing DXF or DWG files,
their work can be incorporated into the team project.
During the Sign In session, sign in for the consultant (under his/her
or a fictional name), reserving certain layer(s). Save a Draft, from
which DXF/DWG files can be saved for the consultant partner. His
or her changes can simply be merged or copied back to this file, then
be communicated to the others by choosing Teamwork > Send &
Receive Changes.
Medium Size Firms
The office probably does not have a CAD Manager. The network is a
workgroup style solution, but more complex: a server connects 10-20
machines, and the printers and plotters are shared. Every employee is
responsible for maintaining his or her own computer and software.
The projects are medium-size or large, architects work in teams on
the same project during a given period. There is a two-level hierarchy,
with a few teams each working on a different project and led by a
senior architect. Everyone knows about the work of the other teams;
the colleagues are usually in close contact, often in the same room,
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but off-line work may occur. The senior architect is in charge of the
actual project and takes responsibility for it.
The Team
The Administrator is the Senior Architect. Security is an important
issue since the Senior Architect takes full responsibility for the
project; he needs to be in full control of the basic changes. The
password is stored in a safe place and under normal circumstances is
rarely used.
The Team Leader is again the Senior Architect. He develops the
design to its conceptual phase then shares it with some of the other
architects of the team. The Sharing may be multilevel (see later under
Sign In). Later, other architects and draftsmen can join the project.
Communication is easy within the teams; however, if there is off-line
work, good pre-sharing file preparation is very important. Should the
teammates have any problem with the settings and options, a general
Sign out and a New Sign In can be carefully organized, during which
the Senior Architect as Team Leader with full access can correct the
error.
Note: Do not Force Sign Out Teammates when working
off-line. Generally speaking, use Force Sign Out only as a last
resort for disconnecting “illegal” users or for avoiding duplicates.
All other employees are Teammates. Depending on the project size
and on the number of projects running simultaneously, access might
be Registered Members Only but usually (and preferably) Open
Access. The Open Access mode is better since the senior architect
is not a proper Administrator, so correcting the user list would mean
an unnecessary task when the workspace allocation could be easier
controlled personally.
Note: If for some reason you feel that the more official
Registered Members Only access is necessary, you can modify
the list of users at any time during the teamwork session by
signing in as Administrator and choosing the Teamwork >
Share this Project command.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Setup” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Sign In
The Sign In, as in all cases, must be coordinated, since only one
person can sign in to the same project at a time. Obviously, when
working in small teams with good communication among the team
members, coordination should not be a problem. In case of larger
projects, multilevel sharing is recommended. In this case, the Team
Leader (senior architect) prepares and then shares the project, with
only a few senior office members signing in. They take the design
further until it reaches a point at which more colleagues need to join.
At this point they have to sign out and a new Sign In session can take
place. This process is repeated as many times as necessary until the
whole team can work on the project. At each level of sharing, it is
advisable to make a thorough check of the design. This way the
complete design process is better controlled. The design and drawing
parts are assigned to the architects and draftsmen after preliminary
discussions. Should correction be needed, workspace reservation can
easily be changed any time by signing out and signing in again with
modified workspace parameters.
Note: If you would like to reassign some elements to your
teammate without having to change the workspace, or to sign
out, please refer to the section “Teamwork Techniques” on page 466
for additional information.
Network
There is a server machine. The Team Project can be prepared and
shared on any of the computers, then saved to the server. For
integrity reasons, it is strongly recommended that all local Drafts (of
all currently signed in users) be saved to the server into a separate
folder at certain design stages. This way, a sort of “history” of the
design can be created, which can help correcting any errors. The
server is used only for storing the Team Project file, so it does not
require a copy of ArchiCAD. The server must be accessible at all
times from all the computers of the team (or even the entire office).
Libraries and Templates
The Team Library should be placed next to the Team Project on the
server. As architectural practices often work on very similar projects
or for the same client, they can use the same custom library parts
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many times. These items should be in a custom library on the server,
where Satellite Libraries can be created.
The network may not be fast enough to use a Central Library. In this
situation, either Satellite Libraries or local Libraries extracted from
Draft Archives should be used.
The basic parameters (preferences) of similar projects are often
identical (materials, layers and layer combinations, dimension settings,
etc.). For these projects, pre-set but empty files may be created and
saved under typical names, for example Supermarket, Cottage,
Garage, etc. These files are called Project Templates. When preparing
a Team Project, you can simply open such a Template file and save it
under the actual name of the project.
For more information on template files, see “Template Files” on page 17.
Third Parties
The consultant partners are small offices or independent contractors,
usually working with specific CAD systems. ArchiCAD can flawlessly
read and write DXF and DWG files, the most widely used CAD file
formats. Assuming that the software used by the consultant is also
capable of reading/writing DXF or DWG files, his/her work can be
incorporated into the team project.
During the Sign In session, sign in for the consultant (under his/her
or a fictional name), reserving certain layer(s). Save a local Draft,
from which DXF/DWG files can be saved for the consultant partner.
His or her changes can simply be merged or copied back to this file,
then be communicated to the others by choosing Teamwork > Send
& Receive Changes.
Large Practices
There is a CAD Manager responsible for the proper operation of the
CAD systems used at the office and for the seamless management of
the connections and the files created. The computers, other software
and the network are maintained by the technical group. The network
is a client/server solution with a high capacity remote server, or
servers, connecting all the machines, which may even be in different
locations. There are several different size teams organized in a
multilevel hierarchy, all led by a senior architect, who is personally
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responsible for the work of the team. The teams are in separate zones
of the network with preset access privileges. The senior architects
report to the partners and managers of the office. The CAD Manager
organizes the work of all the teams and is in close contact with the
senior architects. The projects are usually large, the architects in each
team work on the same project during a given period, though many
teams may work on the single, large project. The employees in the
team do not necessarily know about the work of the others, and
off-line work is frequent.
The Team
The CAD Manager is the Administrator of all teams. The CAD
Manager shares the projects prepared by the Team Leader, creates the
necessary space on the server, establishes the links, makes sure that
the Loaded Libraries are saved to the right location, and sets the
necessary file and operating system access rights.
Note: If there is only one server for the entire office (for all the
teams) and the work does not involve multiple teams, then the
Project File and the Library may be saved instead to a computer
belonging to the given team.
Security is an issue of utmost importance since it is the key to
comprehensive job allocation. The CAD Manager (with the help of
the Team Leader) creates the team list using the Registered Users
Only access option and giving passwords to each Teammate. The
password is known only to the Administrator and stored in a safe
place. The Administrator plays a vital role during the Sign In session.
The Team Leader is the Senior Architect of the team or, in case of
multi-team work, one of the senior architects as Deputy Project
Architect. He or she develops the design to its conceptual phase, then
shares it with other architects of the team. The Sharing may be
multilevel. Later, other architects and draftsmen can join the project.
Because of the large number of participants, communication inside
the team is not always simple. This is why thorough and well
thought-out file preparation is particularly important. Should the
teammates have any problem with the settings and options, a general
Sign Out and a new Sign In with the help of the Administrator can be
carefully organized, during which the Senior Architect as Team
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Leader with full access can correct the error. The Team Leader also
has an important role during the Sign In session.
Note: Do not Force Sign Out Teammates when working
off-line. Generally speaking, use Force Sign Out only as a last
resort for disconnecting “illegal” users or for avoiding duplicates.
All the other employees are Teammates. Because of the project size
and the number of projects running simultaneously, access is
Registered Users Only. Teammates work with ArchiCAD as single
users, using only the Teamwork > Send & Receive Changes and
Receive Changes commands. All crucial actions like Sign In or Sign
Out are performed by or with the help of the Administrator. Because
of this, Teammates also have and use their own passwords.
For more information, see “Project Sharing Setup” in ArchiCAD Help.
Sign In
The coordination of Sign Ins at this office and team size can be
difficult and prone to errors. Not only do Teammates have to select
the appropriate layers, stories, sections/elevations and areas, but they
also have to do it at the right time. In addition, the Administrator and
the Team Leader have to keep track of workspace allocations since
they take all the responsibility for the project.
The best solution for avoiding these conflicts is that the
Administrator and the Team Leader handle signing in for all
Teammates. After preparing the Project file, the Team Leader copies
it onto the computer of the Administrator with the list of architects
and draftsmen he or she would like to involve in the project. The
Administrator then shares the project with the Registered Members
Only access option and signs in under the name of each user onto the
arranged workspace in the right sequence. After each Sign In, the
Administrator saves a local Draft (or Draft Archive) onto the actual
user’s machine, then gives the Teammates their passwords.
In case of these large projects, multilevel sharing is almost inevitable.
This means that the Administrator, after the preparations made by
the Team Leader, shares the project and signs in for a few senior
office members only. They take the design further until it reaches a
point at which more colleagues need to join. At this point they have
to sign out and a new Administrator Sign In session can take place.
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This process is repeated as many times as necessary until the whole
team can work on the project. At each level of sharing, the Team
Leader should make a thorough check of the design. This way the
complete design process is better controlled.
Should correction of the work allocation be needed, workspace
reservations can easily be changed any time by signing out and signing
in again with modified workspace parameters.
Network
Selecting the computer to house the Team Project, Libraries and
backup copies is the task of the Administrator. The Team Project can
be prepared and shared on any of the computers, then saved to this
machine (usually the server). For integrity reasons, it is strongly
recommended that all Drafts (of all currently signed in users) be
saved to the server into a separate folder at certain design stages. This
way, a sort of “history” of the design can be created, which can help
correcting any errors. The chosen computer is used only for storing
the Team Project file, so no copy of ArchiCAD is necessary. This
machine must be accessible at all times from all the computers of the
team (or even the entire office).
Libraries and Templates
The Team Library should be placed next to the Team Project on the
master computer. Large architectural practices and construction
companies often have typical elements used in most of the buildings
they design (curtain walls, cladding panels, openings, etc.). In addition,
these companies tend to be specialized, which means that similar
problems might occur needing more or less similar solutions. These
oft-used elements should be stored in custom libraries on the server
where Satellite Libraries can be created.
The network is probably fast enough to serve all teammates at the
same time, so a Central Library can be used. Nevertheless,
appropriate access privileges should be set to avoid deleting or
modifying library parts.
The basic parameters (preferences) of similar projects are often
identical (materials, layers and layer combinations, dimension settings,
zone stamps, zone categories, etc.). For these projects, the CAD
Manager or the Team Leader can create preset but empty files and
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save them under typical names, for example Commercial, Office,
Hospital, etc. These files are called Project Templates. When
preparing a Team Project, the CAD Manager or the Team Leader can
simply open such a Template file and save it under the actual name of
the project. Using Templates can significantly reduce the risk of
making mistakes.
Hotlinked Modules
Modules are useful for very large projects. Such projects can be
divided into modules, for example by wings or by stages of design
development. Each module is considered a shared Team Project. The
Team Leader is responsible for managing the central host project and
the sharing of the modules.
For more information, see “Hotlinked Modules and Teamwork” on page 492.
Third Parties
The consultant partners are usually large offices themselves, working
with specific CAD systems. ArchiCAD can flawlessly read and write
DXF and DWG files, the most widely used common CAD file
formats. Assuming that the software used by the consultant is also
capable of reading/writing DXF or DWG files, their work can be
incorporated into the team project. In addition, ArchiCAD can
interpret AutoCAD’s XREF files, meaning that if the members of the
consultant company work in a group, their referenced file can be read
into ArchiCAD without losing its link.
During the Sign In session, sign in for the consultant partners (under
their or a fictional name) reserving certain layer(s). Save a local Draft,
from which DXF/DWG files can be saved for the consultant partner.
His or her changes can simply be merged or copied back to this file,
then be communicated to the others by choosing Teamwork > Send
& Receive Changes.
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Hotlinked Modules For details on converting legacy hotlinks, see the Migration Guide for ArchiCAD
12 in the Getting Started booklet.
• The host file can include any number of Hotlinks.
About Hotlinked Modules • The Modules’ content can be updated upon command if the
hotlinked source file changes.
Hotlinked Modules allow you to insert the contents of external
ArchiCAD files (sources) into the currently open Project (host). • The elements of a hotlinked module are included in the host
Project, which means that even if the hotlinked source file is not
A Hotlink is a logical pointer to an external source file.
currently available, the Module is still present and visible, but
A Module is a set of construction elements can’t be updated as long as the referred source file is absent.
placed on the Floor Plan using a Hotlink.
• Elements belonging to a selected Module have hollow square
Hotlinked Modules can be used, for example, to marks on their hotspots. If several Modules are selected, their
manage the repetitive structures of buildings selection dots will have different colors to help you distinguish
such as hotels or offices with a large number of them.
identical rooms: if rooms are placed as a
hotlinked module file, you can modify all the
rooms in one step, by just updating the module’s source file.
Moreover, the same structures can be used in multiple projects. This
is also a good way to subdivide large projects into easier-to-handle
smaller files.

• Multiple instances of the same Hotlink can be placed, each

instance being a separate Module. The placement parameters of
each instance can be different even though they share the same
Hotlink.
• The Module can only be edited as an entity (similarly to Library
Parts or Groups). They cannot be ungrouped and their elements
cannot be edited as long as they remain part of a placed Module.
• You can use the Find & Select command to locate Module
elements by Hotlink.

• The source file of a Module can be a Solo Project, a Team Project

or a Module-type file from ArchiCAD 12. If you would like to
use an older-version file as a hotlink source, you must first open
and save the source file in ArchiCAD 12.
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For more information, see “Find and Select Elements by Criteria” on page 84.
• Managing (modifying, updating, breaking, deleting) a Hotlink will
have an effect on all of its placed Modules.
There is a difference between Modules “placed” in Projects and
Module “type files”.
Modules placed in Projects are sets of elements coming from Solo
Project, Team Project or Module type files.
Module type files are a simplified type of ArchiCAD file (with
extension .mod). They contain no Section/Elevation/IE or 3D
Document data, active Library or preferences information and only
refer to attributes actually used by their elements. Module-type files
can either be placed as Modules or merged into a project through the
File > File Special > Merge command. Merged elements cannot be
updated from the source file.
For more information, see “Merging Files” on page 20.
Source File Data Interpretation
The Hotlinked Modules feature is strictly a Floor Plan to Floor Plan
communication, which means that only elements appearing on the
source file’s Floor Plan will appear in the host file.
• Source file elements keep their story-relative elevation values.
• Section/Elevation/IE markers and the contents of
Section/Elevation/IE and 3D Document windows as well as
Cameras of any type are skipped when placing the Module.
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• Library Parts: Placing a Module does not import any of the
Library Parts it refers to. Make sure that the Library Parts used by
the source are also available to the host, by either using the same
Libraries for both source and host, activating the source’s
Libraries in host file or putting an alias/shortcut to the source’s
Libraries into the host’s Libraries.
• Stories: When you create a Module that contains multi-story
elements, or which includes several stories, you have the option
of including all stories or selected stories as part of the module.
For more information, see “Modules Involving Multiple Stories” on page 486.
• Pen Colors: The settings of the current Project will be applied to
the Module.
• Materials, Line Types, Fill Types and Composites: If the
elements of the Hotlinked Module use attributes that have the
same names as those of the current Project, they will use the
attributes of the host file. If no material, line type, fill type or
composite of that name exists, new attributes will be added to the
host file. However, once an attribute is part of the host file, that
attribute will not be updated by any modifications to the same
attribute in the Hotlinked Module file.
Note: Attributes imported with the Hotlinked Modules are
added permanently to the Project, i.e., they will not be removed
when deleting Hotlinks or Modules.
Legacy Hotlinks from Older ArchiCAD Versions
When opening a project
which contains hotlinked
modules from older-version
source files, ArchiCAD will
display a warning about
legacy files, with instructions
for how to make the
modules updateable in
ArchiCAD 12:
For details on converting
legacy hotlinks, see the Migration Guide for ArchiCAD 12 in the
Getting Started Booklet.
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Create Module
There are two ways to create a module: to save a module-type file, and
to save selected elements as a module file.
Save a File as a Module
On the Floor Plan, create the set of elements you want to use as a
module.
Use File > Save As, and choose the .mod file format.
Note: If you are creating a module that involves multiple stories,
you can set the range of stories to include in the file.
For more information, see “Modules Involving Multiple Stories” on page 486.
Click OK to create the module file and close the dialog box. You can
then place this module file into your project.
See “Place Module” on page 484.
Save Selected Elements as Module
1) Draw some elements in the Floor Plan and select them. You can
select elements from several stories by using the Marquee tool’s
multistory option.
2) Go to File > External Content > Save Selection as Module. A
directory dialog box will appear, prompting you to save the
selected elements as a module file.
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• By checking the Replace selection with this hotlinked
module file, you can immediately replace the selected elements
with the module file.
• If you have selected certain elements and copied them to the
clipboard, you can save a module that will include those elements
only: use File > Save As, then choose the Module File from
Clipboard file format.
Note: If the selection contains elements that cannot be modified
(e.g. they are locked, located on a locked layer or reserved by
another Teammate), an alert will warn you. You will then have
the choice of either creating the module with the editable
elements only, or canceling the operation altogether.
The Apply offset/rotation of most recently broken hotlinked
module checkbox is only available in this dialog box if a hotlinked file
has been broken; otherwise it is gray.
See “Apply Offset and Rotation of Edited Module” on page 487.
Place Module
To place a module, choose File > External Content > Place
Hotlinked Module. The dialog box allows you to choose a hotlink
and edit its placement settings (e.g. layer, orientation, mirror effect,
elevation), then place the module.
For more information, see “Place Module Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
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The controls in this dialog box apply to the currently chosen Hotlink,
as displayed in the “Hotlinked to” field in the bottom half of the
dialog box. To choose a different hotlink, click the Choose Hotlink
button to open the corresponding dialog box.
For more information, see “Choose Hotlink” in ArchiCAD Help.
If the desired Hotlink does not exist yet, click the New Hotlink
button to add a new file to the list.
A directory type dialog box will appear. Choose the desired file to use
as the hotlink, then click Place Module to place it in the project.
If the desired hotlink’s source file is in an older version of ArchiCAD,
you will be directed to open and save that file in ArchiCAD 12 before
using it as a hotlink source.
Modules are placed in grouped mode. They cannot be ungrouped,
and their elements cannot be edited individually.
Module Master Layer
The whole module is placed on a Master Layer, which you can check
or change in the Place Module or Module Settings dialog box.
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The elements of the module keep their element-specific layer
assignment and are placed on the corresponding layers of the current
Project, if layers with these names exist. If necessary, new layers will
be created.
The Master Layer controls the visibility and locking of a module as an
entity. This Master Layer is an ordinary layer of the host file and can
include any other elements.
• Different instances of the same module can be assigned to
different Master Layers.
• Element-specific layers control the visibility of the elements
within the module.
• Locking a Master Layer has priority over the Delete and Break
Hotlink commands in the Hotlink Manager dialog box. These
commands only act on modules with an unlocked Master Layer.
For more information, see “Hotlink Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD
Help.
• Layer Combinations of the source file are not imported with the
modules.
Note: For best results, use the same layer structure in both the
source and the host file.
Edit Parameters of Placed Module
To edit the placement parameters of a placed module, select it, then
use File > External Content > Hotlinked Module Settings.
For more information, see “Module Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
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Modules Involving Multiple Stories Note: If you try to place a multistory module into a project that
contains fewer stories than the module you are placing, a warning
When saving a project file as a module file, and if the project contains will appear. The module stories which do not “fit” in the host
multi-story elements or several stories, ArchiCAD will, by default, project will not be placed.
save all of the stories as part of the module.
Place Single Story of a Multistory Module
Save Particular Stories in Module You can place just a single story from a multistory module:
Alternatively, you can save only certain After selecting the module’s file name from the New Hotlink
stories in the module: when you save directory dialog box, you can decide to place only a single story of the
the module using File > Save As, click multistory module: check Open in single story mode, then choose a
the Options button in the Save As single story of the saved module (including all elements that are
dialog box to bring up Save Options. entirely or partly present on that story) from the Choose Story dialog
The default choice is All Stories, but box.
you can choose just the current Story,
or a specified range of stories to
include in the module file. Any element that falls within this range will
be included in the module.
To place such a multistory module file for the first time, use the Place
Module dialog box. (File > External Content > Place Hotlinked
Module), then click New Hotlink to add the multistory module’s
hotlink to the list of available hotlinks.
When you place this module, the “Match Stories” dialog box appears.

Editing Module Content

Here, type in the story number of the module which you want to
place on the current story in the host project. The rest of the stories
of the module will be placed accordingly (i.e. on stories above and
below the selected story).
Two workflows for editing modules are described here:
Edit Hotlink Source in Separate ArchiCAD
To edit the elements of all the instances of a placed module, the
easiest way is to edit the Hotlink Source file.

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In Hotlink Manager (File > External Content > Hotlink Manager),

choose the desired source file from the Hotlink Sources list. Then
click “Open in Separate ArchiCAD.”
Another ArchiCAD opens on your machine, with the source file. Edit
the file as needed, then save it.
Hint: If you want to see the Floor Plan context of the placed
module while editing its source in the second ArchiCAD, use the
“Trace” function: save the Floor Plan (in the first ArchiCAD) as
a view and place it onto a Layout. In the second ArchiCAD, use
the Organizer to access the first ArchiCAD and copy this Layout
into the second ArchiCAD. Select this Layout in the second
ArchiCAD’s tree structure and choose “Show as Trace” from its
context menu.
Return to the first (host) project. Go to File > External Content >
Hotlink Manager. In the Hotlink Source list, note that the Status of
the edited module’s Hotlink Source now reads Modified. (If needed,
click Refresh Status to get the latest status messages.) 4) Edit the elements as needed. (Use Edit > Grouping > Suspend
Click Update to update the hotlink. This action is carried out once Groups to enable editing.)
you click OK to close the Hotlink Manager dialog box. 5) Select the elements again and choose File > External Content >
Save Selection as Module.
Edit Module: Break Link, Edit Elements, 6) Give the new module file a unique name.
Replace Hotlink Note: If you choose the old name of the module file, you will
overwrite the previous source file and thereby overwrite all
Another way to edit a module is to break its hotlink, then edit it, and placed instances of the module file, not just the selected module.
replace the previous hotlink with the newly edited module.
7) Click Save. The new, edited Hotlinked module is placed.
1) Select the module to edit on the Floor Plan.
2) Choose File > External Content > Hotlinked Module Settings. Apply Offset and Rotation of Edited Module
For more information, see “Module Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. When several instances of a module have been placed with different
rotation and offset values, and you edit the source file after breaking
3) Check the Break Hotlink of Selected Modules box, and click OK its hotlink, a relocation effect occurs when you save the modified
to close the dialog box.
source file.

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To correct this:
Follow the steps listed above to break the hotlink and edit it.
When saving the edited selection as a module in the Save Selection as
Module dialog box (see step 5 above):
Check both the Replace selection with this hotlinked module file
and Apply offset/rotation of most recently broken hotlinked
module boxes. Click the Save button.
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The placed module instances keep their relative locations.
Managing Hotlinks
Use the Hotlink Manager (File > External Content > Hotlink
Manager) to gain an overview of and manage all the modules in your
project.
See “Hotlink Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help for a description of
each control.
The “Hotlinked Modules” list (in the top half of the dialog box)
displays the hierarchy of modules hotlinked into the current project.
Each module listed here represents a vertical “slice” (that is, one or
more stories) of its source file.
The list is hierarchical, indicating any nested modules at a lower level
in the tree structure.
The following image shows three single-story modules placed from
source file A.pln, and a multistory module (from B.pln) which also
contains the nested module C.mod.
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Nested Modules
It is possible to have several levels of hotlinked modules nested into
each other. Nested Modules are listed in the Hotlink Manager’s
Module list according to their location in the module hierarchy.
If you do not want to include elements from nested modules in your
project, you may choose to skip the nested modules by checking the
corresponding box in the Hotlink Manager dialog box.

In this case, the elements coming from nested modules will be

excluded from the instances placed on the Floor Plan (but will, of
Select any module in this list to view the hotlink type (single- or course, still be present in the source file).
multistory), the names and numbers of the story it contains, and the
If you select such a nested module in the Hotlinked Modules list, you
number of placed instances of this module in the project. Hovering
cannot change or break the hotlink (these commands and the module
your cursor over any hotlink displays an information tag with the
name itself are greyed), but you can save it as a new file.
module’s location in the host file.
You can also open or update the nested hotlink’s source file in just
Note that selecting a module in this list also highlights the name of its
one step, by clicking the Update button in the “Hotlink Sources”
source file in the “Hotlink Sources” list further down in this dialog
section below. However, the Relink command is available only for the
box.
source files of modules at the top of the hierarchy, not for nested
The “Hotlink Sources” list displays the source files of the hotlinked modules.
modules, together with the status of each of these files.
Use the buttons at the right of the Hotlinked Modules list and the
Hotlink Sources list to manage the modules, their links and their
source files.

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If two files refer to each other (for example, each containing one of
the wings of a two-wing building), the Skip Nested Modules
checkbox in the Hotlink Manager dialog box is checked
automatically, in order to avoid recursion resulting in the duplication
of elements.
It is also possible to hotlink a file to itself. Here again, the Skip
Nested Modules box will be checked.
Note: Since this method will also ignore all other nested
modules, use it only with files that do not contain any other
placed module.
Deleting Modules from the Floor Plan
To delete a module placed on the Floor Plan, select it and press
Backspace or Delete. (To select it, Suspend Groups should be
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disabled; that is, the module should be in grouped mode.) All the
elements making up the module will be cleared from your Project.
If you want to clear all the instances of the same Hotlinked Module,
you can go to the Hotlink Manager dialog box, select a Hotlink’s
name and click the Delete button.
Breaking Hotlinks
To break the hotlinks and preserve the elements of ALL instances of
one or more modules, select the module in the Hotlinked Modules
list in the Hotlink Manager dialog box (File > External Content >
Hotlink Manager). Then click the Break Hotlink button. The result:
the elements contained in the module are now regular editable
ArchiCAD elements, no longer part of a module and no longer linked
to any other source file.
To break the hotlink of any single instance of a placed module, select the
module and use the Break Hotlink of Selected Module in File >
External Content > Hotlinked Module Settings.
Once the hotlink is broken, the placed elements can be edited.
See “Edit Module: Break Link, Edit Elements, Replace Hotlink” on page 487.
After you break the Hotlink of a placed Module, the elements will be
automatically grouped. However, restrictions on grouping will be
valid (e.g., Dimension Chains will not be included in the group).
Updating Hotlinks
If the source file of a hotlinked module is changed, the placed
instance of the module will be updated only if you use the Update
command in Hotlink Manager. (File > External Content > Hotlink
Manager.) The Hotlink Sources list indicates which source files, if any,
have been “Modified” and thus are out of date. Select the file and
press Update.
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Once you press OK to close the dialog box, the module instances
originated with this source file will be updated in your project.
If you click the Update, Relink or Relocate commands for selected
Hotlink Source files, these scheduled actions are noted in the files’
status column with a yellow triangle (at this point, you can still cancel
the operation). The actions are not carried out until you press OK to
close the Hotlink Manager dialog box.
Warning: Carrying out these actions means that your ArchiCAD
project’s entire Undo queue will be cleared!
When pasting or merging data containing placed modules into a file
containing instances of the same Hotlinks but with different update
times, it is always the more recent module content that will be used,
forcing the updating of the older instances.
Warning: After this operation, the Hotlink may still be outdated.
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To set update preferences when opening a file containing hotlinks, go
to Options > Work Environment > Data Safety > Hotlink
Update.
For more information, see “Hotlink Update” in ArchiCAD Help.
Restoring Missing Hotlinks
The elements making up the module are actual elements, not just
references to items. This means that when you save the Project file
containing the hotlinked module, all the data you need is saved, even
if the source files are not available anymore. You can work with a
Project file containing modules whose source is not available just like
with any other modules, except that the modules cannot be updated.
To recreate a live Hotlink to a module whose source is lost or not
available:
1) Choose File > External Content > Hotlink Manager.
2) In the list of Hotlinked Modules, select the name of the hotlink
which needs a new source file.
3) Click the Save as file... button and name the newly created file (it
will be a module-type file with extension .mod).
To redefine the location of a Hotlink Source listed as “Missing” in
Hotlink Manager:
Click Relink and use the appearing “New Hotlink” directory dialog
box to provide the location of the Hotlink Source (which is probably
missing because it was moved to a new location.) As long as a
Hotlinked Source is missing, ArchiCAD cannot update its module
instances.
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Note: Relink is available only for source files of top-level
hotlinked modules; you cannot relink the source file of a nested
hotlink. If the source of a nested hotlink is shown as “Missing,”
open the file into which the nested hotlink is placed, and relink
the source file.
Replacing Hotlinks
To replace an existing hotlink with a different hotlinked module,
select the hotlink from the Hotlinked Modules list at the top of the
Hotlink Manager, and click Change Hotlink. From the appearing
dialog box, choose another hotlinked module from this project, or
click New Hotlink to create a new one.
You can also replace a Hotlink Source file with another one: in the
Hotlink Sources list in Hotlink Manager, select the source file to
replace and click Relink. All module instances based on the original
source will now be replaced by modules based on the new source you
relinked here.
If the new source file has a different story structure than the host file,
you will be warned that some dimensions may be lost if you continue
the relink process:
You can replace multiple source files with a different set of source
files if the replacement files are all in the same folder: select the files
in Hotlink Manager, then click Relocate. In the directory dialog box,
define the location of the folder containing the new source files.
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The Relocate command is available only if you have selected multiple
Hotlink Source files.
Modules: Multiplatform Issues
Host files located on either MacOS or Windows based computers can
accommodate modules created on the other platform.
However, moving the host file to the other platform will require that
you manually select the appropriate file for each hotlink by clicking
the Change Hotlink button in Hotlink Manager. (File > External
Content > Hotlink Manager). After this, the host file will store
hotlink path names according to both platform standards. If you then
change any Hotlink to point to another file, the path name for the
other platform will be cleared.
For more information, see “Hotlink Manager Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Note: There is an exception to this rule. If this file has the same
name as the one the Hotlink previously pointed to, the path
name for the other platform will be preserved.
Although it is possible to use Hotlinks having the same file name but
placed at a different location as long as you’re working on either
MacOS or Windows, moving the file to the other platform will merge
these different path names. Therefore, it is recommended to use
different file names for different module content even if you’re
working in a single-platform context.
Hotlinked Modules and Teamwork
Using Hotlinked Modules can be combined with the Teamwork
functionality for working on complex projects shared by several
architects.
For information on reserving your workspace in Teamwork, see “Reservation” on
page 461.
Modules can be reserved by Story, Layer and Area.
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• When reserving a module by Layer, you must select the Master
Layer of the module, not the layers of the elements making up
the module.
Teammates can manage the module instances inside their own
workspaces.
• You can Delete and Break Hotlinks to your reserved instances.
Note that the Hotlinks dialog box will show that all instances
have been changed, not just yours. Click OK and open the
Hotlinks dialog box again to see the real situation.
• You can update every instance of placed modules, both those
reserved by you and by other Teammates. If you choose
Teamwork > Send & Receive Changes or Receive Changes,
ArchiCAD will update all instances with the newer versions.
Note that your update can only act on the Team Project if your
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• When reserving a Marquee area, each module that has at least
one element inside your workspace will be entirely reserved by
you.
Workspace actually did include such a module. Otherwise, all
modifications will revert if you choose Send & Receive
Changes.
• You can change the Hotlink of your instances of placed modules.
When you then choose Send & Receive Changes, you will see
that only your own instances will actually change, while those
reserved by other Teammates will revert to the original Hotlink
(resulting in more Hotlinks).
Important: To avoid confusion, it is recommended that
Hotlinks be changed in Exclusive Access mode by the Team
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Leader. If this is not feasible, all teammates should change to the
same hotlink independently of each other.
• Choosing Check and update Hotlinks automatically from the
Hotlink Update choices in Options > Work Environment >
Data Safety is not effective when choosing Sign In > Sign Out
or Send & Receive Changes. On the other hand, it will be
effective when opening Draft Copies.
For more information, see “Hotlink Update” in ArchiCAD Help.
XREFs
External reference files (XREF) are similar to Hotlinked Modules,
except that they are DXF or DWG files and not ArchiCAD files.
External referencing is a way of saving disk space and work. You can
attach a DWG or DXF file to your drawing, which will be loaded into
the Project and displayed. You can, for example, snap to all drawing
elements within the XREF and print or plot them. A common use for
XREFs is to draw elements that are common to several kinds of
drawings within a Project (e.g., the outlines of exterior and interior
walls). If you have a file containing this data, you can attach it to other
drawings that can use the geometric information contained in the
XREF file without the Project file actually having to contain the data.
Also, if the source of the data in the external reference (the DWG or
DXF) is changed, then these changes can be updated immediately so
the latest data is always available.
XREF is available in both ArchiCAD and AutoCAD - both
applications can detect circular references.
In ArchiCAD, external reference files work much as they do in
AutoCAD. ArchiCAD XREFs can display 2D elements from DWG
files, but three-dimensional AutoCAD elements (such as Solid
elements) are not visible in ArchiCAD’s 3D window.
You can attach and detach XREF files in ArchiCAD, unload and
reload them, bind them to the project file and view information about
them. These functions are available from the File menu under the
External Content > XREF Manager and Attach XREF
commands.
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For more information, see XREF Management Dialog Box and “Attach
XREF” in ArchiCAD Help.
The XREF Management dialog box displays information about the
attached files, including the name of the reference (usually the same
as the attached file), its status (Loaded, Detached, Reloaded,
Unloaded or Bound), size, type (Attach or Overlay), Date and the
number of instances.
Note: If any of the functions described in this chapter do not
work properly, the DXF/DWG Add-On may be missing, or the
DXF/DWG Translator is not set. You can check this easily by
choosing File > Open and looking for the appropriate file types
in the Files of type field. The missing Add-On can be loaded with
the Add-On Manager command in the Options menu.
XREFs and the Layer Structure
When you attach an external reference file to an ArchiCAD Project, a
layer will be created for it. The resulting layer names will have the
following format:
‘XREF_NAME | LAYER_NAME’.
For example, the PEN_56 layer of a DWG file that was attached to
the project with the XREF name 3D_STUFF will become the layer
3D_STUFF|PEN_56.
In Layer Settings, the layers of any attached XREFs are listed
separately, at the bottom of the layer list.
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XREF layers are not available from layer selection pop-ups in other
parts of the user interface (e.g. Tool Settings dialog boxes and Info
Box). However, if an XREF element is included in the last selection,
its XREF layer does appear - for information purposes only (in
italics) - in the Layer chooser pop-up.
If you want to do not want to import unused attributes of the XREF:
click the Settings button in the Attach Xref dialog. In the appearing
Settings dialog, check the Purge all unused Attributes box on the
Miscellaneous page of the Settings of the Selected Translator.

Using XREFs in Round-Trip

Communication
In this Teamwork scenario, you are assigned to work on one part of a
larger project. You get the whole project (or the part of it relevant to
your job), extend it with your part and send it back. In this case we
recommend that you use the XREF (External Reference) model.
Using this model you can see all parts of the project, but modify only
the part assigned to you.
Layers of XREF projects cannot be unlocked, but you can show or The XREF model is based on a “master” AutoCAD file containing
hide these layers. When the XREF is detached, a dialog lets you general information (e.g. a site map).
choose between retaining or removing the detached XREF’s
attributes, including layers, linetypes and fills. • First, attach this “master” file as an XREF to your ArchiCAD
plan to see the current state of the project.
• Detail plans, including your file, are added as XREF’s. Make your
modifications in your external file, using ArchiCAD. You will be
able to modify only your file.
• Meanwhile, other members of the project team are working on
their files in parallel. To receive the changes made by the others,
reload the “master” file. The updated file contains all the
modifications submitted by the other parties.
If you do not want XREF
• If you want the others to see the work you have done so far, you
layers to appear in Layer
can send your changes by exporting your work in AutoCAD
Settings, use the display
format.
filter pop-up at the top right
of the dialog box and The XREF model preserves the “master” AutoCAD file: each team
choose “Hide Xref layers”. member works only on his/her own part without being able to

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modify others’ work, because externally referenced files don’t have to
be sent back to their original sources.
Due to essential differences between ArchiCAD and AutoCAD,
perfect round-trips are not possible. (For example, if you import and
then export something, polylines and structures are lost.) In practice,
however, you can rely on the suggested XREFs, which do not involve
overwriting the other party’s original file, so that you don’t need to
rely on a perfect round-trip. If you work in round-trip
communication, your file never gets overwritten. The specialist gets
new DXF/DWG files from you from time to time, which contain
imperfect reproductions of his modifications. You can avoid these
imperfections if you keep his additions in a separate XREF file,
attached as an external reference to the file you send back to him.
Data Exchange
ArchiCAD is fully prepared to work in collaboration with users of
other CAD systems, especially those supporting AutoCAD’s native
DWG and the industrial standard DXF formats.
The DXF/DWG Add-On is installed together with the ArchiCAD
package and is smoothly integrated in the ArchiCAD user interface. It
allows you to:
• Open AutoCAD drawings as ArchiCAD Projects or ArchiCAD
Library Parts.
• Merge AutoCAD drawings with your ArchiCAD Project file.
• Place AutoCAD drawings as ArchiCAD Drawings to Layouts or
Model Views.
• Add AutoCAD drawings as external references (XREFs) to the
ArchiCAD Project.
• Import BLOCKs from an AutoCAD drawing and create
ArchiCAD Library Parts out of them within their own newly
created Library.
• Save your ArchiCAD Floor Plans, Sections/Elevations, Detail
Drawings and 3D Views in AutoCAD formats.
• Save your ArchiCAD Layouts in AutoCAD formats.
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• Set up Translators to make it easier to apply a customized set of
conversion rules to the equivalent elements and functions of
ArchiCAD and DXF/DWG files.
Opening DWG/DXF Files
You can open DXF and DWG format files in ArchiCAD as
Drawings or Layouts. Choose File > Open and then select the file
you need in the directory dialog box.
Conversion rules for data exchange between ArchiCAD and
AutoCAD can be stored in a file called a Translator (extension XML).
To use the default translator, just choose the Open command, and the
selected file will be opened in ArchiCAD. The default translator of
ArchiCAD is set up in a way that the translation gives correct results
in most of the cases.
At the same time, because of the differences between AutoCAD and
ArchiCAD correct translation requires custom set up in certain cases.
To switch translators or adjust settings before opening the file,
choose Settings to open the DXF/DWG Translation Setup dialog
box.
This dialog box is accessible:
• when you begin a data transfer operation, by pressing the
Settings button in the Save, Open or Merge directory dialog box
or the Attach XREF dialog box, if the import/export file format
is DXF/DWG
• directly with the File > File Special > DXF-DWG Translation
Setup command
• when opening a DXF/DWG file through the File > Libraries
and Objects > Open Objects command
• through the File > Libraries and Objects > Import Blocks
from DXF/DWG command
You can perform translator management every time the Translator
dialog appears – whether during data exchange (open and save) or
through translation setup.
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Note for Teamwork users: Using common Translators ensures
that all team members have access to the same conversion
options. It is therefore recommended that the CAD Manager (or
a person filling the same type of role in your office) manage the
set of Translators and place them on a server. To use the
translators, each team member must first introduce them into
their list of Translators.
For more information on Translator settings, see “DXF/DWG Translation
Setup” in ArchiCAD Help.
Opening as Library Part
You can also open a DXF/DWG file as a Library Part by choosing
the File > Libraries and Objects > Open Object command. This
will open the Library Part master window where you can configure
the new object obtained from the entire file.
For more information, see “GDL Master Window” in ArchiCAD Help.
Opening with Drag-and-Drop
You can also import DXF/DWG drawings using Drag-and-Drop:
Left-click the AutoCAD drawing, dragging it over the desired
location and dropping it. The file will be opened using the last-used
DXF/DWG Translator. With this method, the DWG/DXF file is
simply merged into the ArchiCAD Project file. The 3D content of
the file is not imported, only its 2D appearance.
If several DXF/DWG files are drag-and-dropped, only one of them
will be dropped; since you cannot control which file will be dropped,
it is recommended to drag-and-drop only one such file at a time
There are several ways to use Drag-and-Drop techniques while
opening/merging AutoCAD drawings:
• Drag-and-dropping a DXF/DWG file onto the background of
the ArchiCAD application window, the ArchiCAD menu bar or
the ArchiCAD icon will result in opening the file.
• Drag-and-dropping a DXF/DWG file onto the ArchiCAD Floor
Plan, Section/Elevation/IE or 3D Document window or
Detail/Worksheet window will place the file as a Drawing.
• Drag-and-dropping a DXF/DWG file onto a Layout will place
the Drawing onto the Layout.
Opening with i-Drop® (Windows Only)
‘i-Drop®’ is a technology by Autodesk that is freely available. It
allows users to download DWG/DXF objects from the web and
drop them directly into their CAD software of choice. ArchiCAD
now supports this functionality. The needed software (which is an
Internet Explorer extension) may be downloaded from Autodesk.
Web pages usually contain a
preview of how the object
looks. When dragging the
cursor over the object
preview picture, it changes
into an “I-Drop Indicator”
cursor form, which shows it
is an object that may be
drag-and-dropped into your
CAD application.
To use such an object in
ArchiCAD, press the left
mouse button while your
cursor is over the preview
picture of the object. Drag it over the ArchiCAD Window (Floor
Plan, Section/Elevation/IE or 3D Document Window or
Detail/Worksheet Window) and release the mouse button.
ArchiCAD will download the object from the web. During the
process, a process indicator may appear showing the current stage of
the download.
Each such object may consist of two files: the DWG/DXF file and a
preview picture file. ArchiCAD will download both, if they are
available. The preview picture may or may not be available, or it may
not be the same image file that is shown on the web page as a
preview. ArchiCAD saves the downloaded files into the folder
defined in Options > Work Environment > Web Objects.

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The default location of this folder on Windows is:
C:\Documents and Settings\<USER>\My
Documents\Graphisoft\Dropped Objects
Opening Password-Protected Files
In AutoCAD 2004 and later versions, it is possible to protect
drawings with a password.
When importing or opening such a file, you may encounter such a
situation.
Currently, on the MacOS platform it is not possible to open
password-protected AutoCAD 2004 and later DXF/DWG files
because the operating system does not support the encryption
method used by these password mechanisms. In such a case an alert
will come up on your MacOS.
On Windows the operating system may be such that it does not
support the password decoding routine. In this case you will be
alerted that the file cannot be opened.
If the system supports the decoding routine, a dialog appears where
you can enter the password you received from the person sending you
the file.
For XREF files, the program will require the password the first time
the XREF is reloaded in ArchiCAD. If several XREF files are being
reloaded, only the password-protected file will not be reloaded if its
password is not entered correctly.
Opening Blocks as Library Parts
The closest analogy of an AutoCAD block is an ArchiCAD Library
Part. Block references (insert entities) match the library part
instances. The difference: while a library part is a separate file, the
block is stored within the AutoCAD file itself.
Converting blocks into library parts is the only way to preserve the
blocks’ 3D structure. However, it may be more efficient (use less
storage space) to explode relatively complex blocks (e.g. if you
explode 100 instances of a block containing 100 lines you end up with
10000 lines).
Drawbacks of converting blocks into library parts:
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• You must regularly weed through the object libraries created
during DXF/DWG import, to eliminate duplicate and
unnecessary items
• Some editing functions available for details stored in blocks will
not be available for the library part instance
ACIS Import
A new function allows you to convert AutoCAD 3D Solids, Regions
and Bodies into GDL Objects. Opening or merging such objects
brings up a Browse dialog box, where you choose the folder to which
to save the GDL objects you will create.
Saving DWG/DXF Files
You can save a project view or layout in ArchiCAD in DXF and
DWG formats. (No DWG save is possible from a schedule, index or
list view.)
Note: If you are working in AutoCAD and open a DWG that
was originally saved from ArchiCAD, an Alert may appear.
However, you should go ahead and work with the saved DWG in
AutoCAD - no stability problems should result.
When the Save directory dialog box is displayed, choose the format
you need (DXF or DWG) and enter the name under which you wish
to save the file. The Translator field in the Save dialog box lists default
translators you will use in most cases (such as “for as is output”). If
you don’t know which default translator to use, choose Settings to
open the DXF-DWG Translation Setup dialog box. Each default
translator listed at the top is briefly described in the Description field.
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For more information, see “DXF/DWG Translation Setup” in ArchiCAD
Help.
Entity Conversion
Simple ArchiCAD elements get converted into the corresponding
AutoCAD entities:
• Hotspots to points
• Lines (without arrowheads) to lines
• Circles to circles
• Arcs (without arrowheads) to arcs
• Ellipses to ellipses
• Elliptic arcs (without arrowheads) to elliptic arcs
• Texts to multiline texts.
• Fills to hatches.
Note: fills in walls, columns and library parts are treated the
same way.
• Pictures to images
• Dimensions (all kinds) to dimensions
Note: ArchiCAD and AutoCAD dimensions have different
aspects of appearance to be configured, so your dimensions will
often appear differently. The possible locations of the dimension
text relative to the dimension line is the most apparent
difference.
Arrowheads make these elements (the lines and arcs) “complex
elements”.
Complex elements: their drawing details are made up of more than
one AutoCAD entity. Unless you choose “Explode complex
ArchiCAD Elements,” they are drawn into a block each and an insert
is placed into the entity section.
• Walls: they are drawn into blocks named WALL_<n> where n is
the index of the wall element. The block contains visible contour
lines, fills (see notes to the polygon fills), block references to
windows and doors and an attached label. The window and door
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references may be followed by their window dimension block
references and attached label references if they have any.
Note: the contours of an arc wall aren't arcs, but polylines made
up of straight segments.
• Columns are drawn in blocks named COLUMN_<n> where n
is the index of the column element. The block contains the
visible contour lines, the fills (see notes to the polygon fills) and
the block references to the attached label.
• Windows are drawn in blocks named WINDOW_<n> where n
is the index of the window element.
• Doors are drawn in blocks named DOOR_<n> where n is the
index of the door element.
• Objects are drawn in blocks named OBJECT_<n> where n is
the index of the object element.
• Lights are drawn in blocks named LIGHT_<n> where n is the
index of the light element.
Note on windows, doors, objects and lights: when the library
part doesn't have any 2D script, it may have up to 8 different
looks depending on “Use Symbol Colors,” “Use Symbol
Linetypes” and the possible mirrored state. So one library part of
this kind cannot have more than 8 blocks exported. Others (with
2D scripts) may have any number of different looks and they will
have exactly as many blocks as looks occur on the exported floor.
Since more than one instance may share the same detail block, the
attached labels cannot be put into these blocks – they follow the
block references.
• Slabs are drawn in blocks named SLAB_<n> where n is the
index of the slab element. The block contains the contour and
hole polygons and the block reference to the attached label.
• Roofs are drawn in blocks named ROOF_<n> where n is the
index of the roof element. The block contains the contour and
hole polygons and the block reference to the attached label.
• Beams are drawn in blocks named BEAM_<n> where n is the
index of the beam element. The block contains the contour and
hole polygons and the block reference to the attached label.
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• Meshes are drawn in blocks named MESH_<n> where n is the
index of the mesh element. The block contains the contour and
hole polygons, the mesh level lines and the block reference to the
attached label.
• Zones are drawn in blocks named ZONE_<n> where n is the
index of the zone element. The block contains the solid fill, the
zone stamp and the block reference to the attached label.
Note: since the default zone-fill colors are light pastel colors and
the AutoCAD color set does not contain an equivalent, they all
will be RGB-matched to a light gray. If you prefer, pick a
saturated color (e.g. red or yellow) for zone fill color and blue or
black for zone stamp color.
• Cameras and camera sets are not exported.
Using SHX Fonts in the Conversion Process
The DXF-DWG Add-On relies on the availability of AutoCAD fonts
– including the SHX fonts. The Add-On will display a message asking
for these fonts during the course of a conversion.
If you do not have these fonts available, you can expect problems in
text formatting (such as incorrect line breaks). It is recommended
that you acquire the SHX font files, which are part of the AutoCAD
package, from an AutoCAD user. (Although the fonts are not
available with ArchiCAD for proprietary reasons, AutoCAD users are
allowed, even encouraged, to distribute them.) True-type version of
all SHX fonts are also available in the AutoCAD package.
Once you get the fonts, create a separate folder for them. When the
Add-On asks for an SHX font file, select it from this collection. If
you don’t have the requested one, you may select another one. (In this
case the conversion results may differ.) Once you have shown the
folder to the Add-On, it will henceforth automatically search in that
folder (but not in any newly created sub-folders) for the required
SHX font files.
Note on TrueType fonts: You can use TrueType fonts in
ArchiCAD without any problem on either Windows or MacOS.
(MacOS users should copy the TrueType font files into the
system drive’s Library/Font folder.)
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Note on Fonts vs. Shapes: AutoCAD uses SHX files not only
as fonts but for other purposes as well. Complex line types insert
shapes into their patterns. The shapes may be added to the
drawings as simple symbols. It may cause problems if you select
an SHX of this kind instead of a font – so when the Add-On
requests you to locate an SHX file, use the “Skip” option if you
are not sure an SHX file you found is the right kind. The
requested filename should give you a clue about which kind is
needed – font or shape.
Attribute Purge
When saving an ArchiCAD file as DWG, only those ArchiCAD
attributes will be included which are actually used in the project. This
is an automatic process, reducing file size.
You can opt to purge further attributes: the checkbox in DXF-DWG
Translation Settings (Miscellaneous) enables you to Purge all
unused attributes that originate in the DWG template file.
Merge a DXF/DWG File
You can merge DXF and DWG format files into the currently open
ArchiCAD Project. Use File > File Special > Merge, and choose
the DXF/DWG file you want to merge.
The Merge DXF-DWG
dialog box appears. You have
the option of merging the
content of Model Space into
the current View, or to Merge
(Append) Paper Spaces to the
Layout Book of the Project.
For more information, see “Merge
DXF-DWG Dialog Box” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Round-Trip Conversion (Smart Merge)
Use Smart Merge (round-trip conversion) if you are merging the
DXF or DWG file back into the same ArchiCAD file from which you
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saved it. Smart Merge allows you to work at the same time on the
same project in ArchiCAD and AutoCAD and exchange the
additional information with minimal loss and interference.
Smart Merge allow you to deal with:
• New elements added in ArchiCAD or AutoCAD.
• Elements created in ArchiCAD or AutoCAD and modified
(stretched, dragged, rotated, mirrored) in the other application or
both applications.
• Elements created in ArchiCAD or AutoCAD and deleted in
either or both applications.
If you cooperate with someone using AutoCAD (or any other CAD
program that can communicate via DXF or DWG format), the
process will be something like this:
1) You work out the architectural aspects of the whole plan to a
point where it can present an overall layout for your partner to
add details (at this point, you need not be completely finished
with your part).
2) Then you save a DXF or DWG file for your partner with
ArchiCAD-specific info to support merging. You can merge the
Note: You must first save your ArchiCAD Project (save a PLN)
DXF or DWG file back into the same ArchiCAD file from which
so that it contains the necessary information for the merge
you saved it:
process. If there is no Merge information in a DWG/DXF file,
• Use File > Save as, then click the Settings button to access the you won’t be able to rebuild ArchiCAD model elements, only
DXF-DWG Translation Setup dialog box. simple AutoCAD-native data. In case the ArchiCAD file was not
• In the Settings in Selected Translator panel, use the Saving Floor saved before, this option is grayed.
Plan option: Prepare File for Smart Merge. For more information, see DXF/DWG Translation Setup > Save Options >
“Saving Floor Plan” in ArchiCAD Help.
3) You continue your work on the original plan, while he works on
the DXF/DWG file. That is, while you are elaborating the
architecture, he adds his own details (e.g. electric, plumbing etc.);
but he may find it necessary to change something you created.
For example, he may move a wall or duplicate an object.
4) Now the time has come to bring your separately made additions
together. Activate the File > File Special > Merge command and
select the appropriate DXF/DWG file. If you have saved an
ArchiCAD file as dxf/dwg format in the right way (step 2), you

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can merge it into the same ArchiCAD file using the Smart Merge
Options:
• File > File Special > Merge > Open
• From the Merge DXF-DWG dialog box, choose the Merge
Content of Model Space into Current View option
• From the DXF/DWG Merge dialog box, choose Merge
Options.

• The Smart Merge Options dialog box appears, allowing you to

modify the Smart Merge configuration file and the translator
options (if desired).
Note: You can also set up these options in advance with the File
> File Special > Smart Merge Options command which
opens the same configuration dialog box.
For more information, see “Smart Merge Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
5) Repeat from step (2) as many times as necessary.

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Consultation Project Reviewer

ArchiCAD includes two sophisticated features that allows architects Project Reviewer is a Java applet that lets you view DWF, JPG, GIF,
to take into consideration remarks and suggestions made by other and TXT files saved in ArchiCAD using the Project Publisher
members of the design team or even customers who can only view command. It also allows you to add redline information to DWF files.
the plans without running ArchiCAD.

This is an extremely convenient way of communicating with clients Project Reviewer Example
and decision-makers without forcing them to learn to use ArchiCAD
or even having to install the program. Reviewer runs in an internet Let us say a Drafter is working on an Apartment building. The
browser environment and displays the views that you published. Architect wants to review an apartment (e.g. Apartment B26) and
For more information, see “Project Reviewer Environment” in ArchiCAD Help. make design modifications to it, if necessary.
Comments, corrections and other information added with the tools
of the Redlining palette can be incorporated in your design by
importing them with the Project Mark-Up feature described below.

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2) The Drafter then publishes this set or drawing.

1) The Architect asks the Drafter to send him drawings to review.

The Drafter goes to Publisher in ArchiCAD. Here he selects the
2nd Story for Publishing in DWF format. The DWF file is part
of the 'Apartment B26 Review' Publisher Set. He sets the path
for the saved files in the Publisher Set Properties Dialog. Also
here, he checks the 'Include Project Reviewer web environment'
checkbox so the necessary Java application is included with the
saved files.

3) He then finds the saved files on his computer, compresses them

into one file (ZIP for example) if necessary, and sends them over
to the Architect via e-mail or by uploading the files to an FTP site
from which the Architect can download them. It may be

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advisable for the Drafter to open the saved HTML file before
sending it to ensure everything is OK and data were saved
correctly.

4) The Architect receives the files. He double-clicks the HTML file

to start the Project Reviewer web environment.

Here he might have several thing he wants to check. For example, he

may check, using the Tape Measure Tool of the Surveyor Toolbar to
see whether the Bath is wide enough or the Living is wide enough.

5) He moves in on the area in question and begins to review it.

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6) Then he can start making Redlining entries to give instructions to
the Drafter on what to change. For example, he might want a
design option for the Apartment in which the wall between the
Kitchen and the Living is removed, enabling him to rearrange the
placement of the Kitchen counter and the Dining table. Also he
wants the wall between the Living and the Vestibule to be moved
downward to increase the Living area. He marks all these changes
using the various Redlining tools of Project Reviewer, such as the
Ellipse Tool, the Freehand Polyline Tool, the Arrow Tool or the
Text Tool.
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7) After this step he can Upload the redlining data to the file, save
his modifications, then go to the E-mail Tab Page of Reviewer
and send the modified DWF containing the Redline file to the
Drafter. Reviewer automatically attaches to uploaded DWF
redline files to the mail sent. He may also attach any other files to
the e-mail he sends to the Drafter. Also, it is not necessary -
although handy - to use Project Reviewer to send the e-mail. The
Architect may send it from his e-mail program, but in that case
he needs to manually locate and attach the Redlining DWF files
to his mail.
8) After the Drafter receives the mail, he saves the attached
Redlining DWF files to his hard drive. Then he opens the
Mark-Up Palette, and creates a new Mark-Up entry. He chooses
the DWF file from which to import these Mark-Up entries. This
will be the file or files the Architect sent him.
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9) The Redlining information appears on the ArchiCAD Floor

Plan. These entries are imported to the ‘Redline’ Layer.

10) Now that all needed modifications are visible to him, the Drafter
makes the necessary modifications. After he is finished, the cycle
begins anew. After he is finished with the modifications, he again
sends the file to the Architect who ensures that all modifications
were done as requested. If not, or if new modifications are
necessary, he sends another Redlining DWF file. They do this
until all modifications are correctly carried out to the Architect's
specifications.

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Project Mark-Up
About Project Mark-Up
The Mark-Up features facilitates communication between designers
during a Project. It allows you to point out problematic elements with
a color highlight or to add new elements. You may wish to mark up a
design for many reasons - for example to correct and manage a
colleague’s errors or deviations from a project’s guidelines, or to make
alternative design suggestions.

More than one person can mark up a drawing. Project Mark-Up

supports several different commentaries by allowing the use of
different colors for each separate redline.

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When Project Mark-Up is switched on (Document > Mark-Up or she assigns all the mark-up entries to the senior architect who is in
Tools), you can use any tool from the Toolbox to redline your control of the project. The project leader still does not have to
drawing. reserve workspace. He or she signs in as Mark-Up user and gets the
Mark-Up entries assigned to him/her. After the final decision is
For more information, see “Mark-Up Tools Palette” in ArchiCAD Help.
made, the project leader changes the style of the chosen version to
There are also special redlining objects provided in the ArchiCAD “approved” and assigns the entry back to the teammate who created
Library. that. The teammate can turn the approved set into final elements. The
When using Teamwork, you can add corrections and suggestions to discarded versions can be deleted or marked as “rejected” and kept as
the workspace of other members of the design team who can then hidden mark-up entries for later use.
check them and, if appropriate, incorporate them into their part of
the design. You can also import redline data created in Project
Reviewer as additions to your published project and incorporate them
into your design.
Mark-Up Entries are view-specific. They cannot contain elements
belonging to several different Stories, Section/Elevation/IE or 3D
Document windows or Detail/Worksheet windows.
Mark-Up Entries can be shown or hidden one by one in the Mark-Up
palette or globally with the corresponding control of the Document
> Set Model View > Model View Options dialog box.
If an Entry is hidden, the applied corrections will disappear and
highlighted elements will appear with their real pen color and line
type.
Note: Single Mark-Up Entries can be shown or hidden in the
Mark-Up palette.
Mark-up tools are useful for large teams where face-to-face
discussions are not always possible, or when architects working on
the project are remotely located and the teamwork is based on
exchanging local draft files.

Version Management with Mark-Up

The Mark-up tool can also be used to compare several design
proposals to each other. In this scenario, architects create corrections
elements organized in Mark-Up entries. Each Mark-up entry
represents a version. To view one proposal, the corresponding
Mark-up entry has to be set visible, while the other entries have to be
hidden. When the architect is ready to present the different ideas, he

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Mark-Up Concepts
A Mark-Up Entry is composed of a logically related set of
Corrections, Highlights and Tags placed on the plan, and a discussion
consisting of comments made by one or several users.
Mark-Up Styles define the appearance of Corrections or
Highlighted elements with Pen Color attributes. Each Mark-Up Entry
can use only one Mark-Up Style. These styles can indicate the status
of the Entry, for example “Drafting Errors,” “Fixing in Progress” or
510
“Fixed.” You can draw Corrections marked by different style
appearances to suggest the proper arrangement of Project elements
or to add any kind of 2D graphics or text as annotations.
Mark-up Styles are project attributes, which can be defined and edited
in Options > Attributes > Mark-Up Styles.
For more information, see “Mark-Up Styles Dialog Box” in ArchiCAD Help.
You can Highlight any existing element to call attention to it,
without actually modifying it. Highlighting is like applying a special
skin of marking attributes to elements without altering their original
ones.
Publishing and Retrieving Mark-Up
Information
You can publish your marked up Project using the Publisher
function.
For more information, see “Publisher Function” on page 442.
Publisher will remember the Display Options set for Mark-Ups, that
is, whether they are shown or hidden in general (in View >
On-Screen View Options). However, it will not store which Entries
were visible when the View was created. When publishing, the
current visibility status of each Entry will be active.
Provided that the published files are saved in DWF format,
non-ArchiCAD users can add further redlining with Project
Reviewer. Redlined DWF format files can be sent to you by the
reviewer. You can import these DWF files as a new Mark-Up Entry.
See “Project Reviewer” on page 503.
Teamwork and Project Mark-Up
Any registered team member can add Mark-Up entries to the
workspace of any Teammate, either when signed in as another
Teammate or in special Mark-Up mode. In the latter case, you cannot
create, edit or delete any elements, only mark them or add
corrections. Every team member can see the Mark-Ups of others, but
they can only edit the ones that they themselves created or that have
been reassigned to them.
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Reassigning a Mark-Up Entry can happen in two ways:
• By the Teammate who created the Mark-Up Entry, if he or she
has made suggestions in another person’s workspace: in this case,
this Teammate will activate the Mark-Up palette, select the
corresponding Entry on the Mark-Up Entries panel, and
choose the other person’s name in the Assigned to pop-up
menu in the Teamwork panel. Reassignment is actually
performed when next sending and receiving changes.
If your Mark-Up Entry contains not only highlighted elements,
but also new, correction elements in the other person’s
workspace, you will be warned about this.
In this case, sending changes requires that you get a new Sign-In
ID. After this, any local drafts you created of this Project will be
outdated. Save a new draft and continue working on that one.
• By the Team Leader, if there are Mark-Up Entries abandoned
by their owner. This can happen, for example, if a Teammate has
been removed from the Team by the Administrator in Project
Sharing Setup. In this case, on signing in, the Team Leader is
automatically offered the list of entries without an owner, and he
or she can choose among the registered Teammates the one who
will receive this information.
If there are Mark-Up Entries reassigned to you (by either of the above
ways), you will be informed of this on signing in or when receiving
changes.
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Collaboration
When offered the Get Mark-Up Entries panel, both the Team
Leader and the Teammate can either choose to accept the reassigned
entries immediately or to postpone this until later. In the latter case,
the dialog box will reappear when they next sign in or choose to
receive changes.
Mark-Up Example in Teamwork
“A” creates a new Mark-Up entry. “A” selects the wall and turns it into
Corrections. In the Tag and Discussion section “A” can add comments
or place a tag on the floor plan next to the wall to give instructions to
teammate “B”. “A” then assigns the Mark-up entry to “B”.
When “A” sends changes, a warning will appear that a new Sign-In ID
will be created for teammate “A”. After sending changes, the wall will
not be in “A” s workplace anymore. When Teammate “B” receives
changes, he or she will be notified about the new Mark-Up entries
assigned to him/her.
Getting an entry also
means a new Sign-In ID
for teammate “B”. Once
“B” receives the mark-up
entry, he/she can review
the Markup discussion and
edit the elements accordingly.
By removing Corrections from the wall, it becomes a regular drawing
element owned by teammate “B”. When “B” sends changes, he or
she will be given the option to release elements outside the boundary
of his/her Workspace.
Advantages: The elements can be assigned back and forth
without signing in and out. The element stays in the same
position, on the same layer, without the risk of making a
duplicate. Excellent communication is possible via tags and
notes, which are logged in the Markup Discussion window. The
history of the design can be preserved with hierarchical Mark-Up
entries.
Drawbacks: The Mark-up entries must be managed to avoid
overcomplicated Mark-up hierarchy. Unused Mark-up entries
must be deleted.
For more information, see “Mark-Up Tools Palette” in ArchiCAD Help.
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 Visualization

VISUALIZATION
Visualization in ArchiCAD encompasses all the tools and techniques With ArchiCAD 12, multi-core processors are recommended to
that allow you to display and present your architectural design to your support 3D navigation and 3D model generation.
customer even at an early stage of your work. Presentations can be of
various types (photorendered still images, animation, virtual reality)
and may serve different purposes. Cameras
You can visualize your entire project or parts of it using numerous You can place any number of Cameras in the Floor Plan for
built-in views or by adding dedicated cameras to the floor plan and generating perspective views in still image or animation (fly-through)
then viewing the data from that vantage point. Some of the special format as well as Virtual Reality panoramic scenes, a path for VR
views (for example virtual reality scenes) require the use of dedicated scenes, and navigable VR object movies.
tools.
There are three types of Cameras available from either
ArchiCAD’s default 3D perspective and parallel (or axonometric) the Camera Settings dialog box or the Info Box:
views can be activated and customized with menu commands and by
Perspective Cameras, VR Objects, and VR Scenes.
using the Navigator palette.
Cameras and their settings play a key role in the definition of the For more information, see “VR Objects” on page 526 and “VR Scenes” on page
different visualization modes and views. 527 and “Camera/VR Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Although the built-in visualization possibilities of ArchiCAD are Perspective Cameras allow you to view and edit the entire project
quite extensive, you may want to further improve on the output or a selected part of it in the 3D Window and to create renderings
images or insert them into foreign environments. that represent a snapshot of the current state of the project. They are
defined by a viewpoint, a target point and an opening angle.
ArchiCAD offers various options for exporting the entire model into
a number of common file formats used by professional rendering
software.
• Art•lantis is a cutting-edge rendering solution developed by
Graphisoft’s French distribution partner, Abvent SA. It can
handle still images, animations and VR Scenes exported directly
from ArchiCAD by choosing the appropriate file format.
Moreover, an intelligent link is established between the original
model and the Art•lantis file.
• You can also export the floor plan or 3D view into a variety of
applications such as Piranesi, 3D Studio or Photoshop for
fine-tuning it or adding special effects.
The most commonly used commands related to Visualization
techniques can be found on the predefined 3D Visualization
toolbar. Choose Window > Toolbars > 3D Visualization to display
this toolbar as needed. (This toolbar also contains 3D Window
display and 3D Navigation commands.)
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Visualization
On the Floor Plan, all Cameras are shown with their target points and
paths, and the handles that can be used to manipulate them. Only one
camera is active at a time, as indicated by the sun and view angle
markers.
Camera Path Options
The Display Options of perspective Cameras can be set with a
pop-up menu in the Path Options dialog box accessed from
Camera Settings. You can hide the Cameras altogether, show the
Cameras with or without the Path line and with or without the
in-between frames.
For more information, see “Path Options” in ArchiCAD Help.
When the 3D Window is active, you can modify Cameras with the
Navigator and Navigator Preview palettes (click the desired
Camera from the list in the Navigator, then modify it in the Navigator
Preview). You can also modify the settings of placed cameras by
changing the 3D view with the navigation commands, then using the
3D Navigation Extras commands to adjust the placed cameras to the
new viewpoints.
For more information, see “3D Navigation Extras” on page 174.
Note: Only one type of Camera can be displayed at a time. If you
switch to another type in the Info Box, the Camera Settings
palette or the Navigator palette automatically hides all the
Cameras of the other two types.
When you have made your choices in the Camera Settings dialog
box, you are ready to place Cameras on the Floor Plan.
Your first click on the Floor Plan defines the location of the Camera
itself. Draw a rubberband line to set the view direction, and click
again to define the target’s horizontal position. When the operation is
completed, the sun icon appears with default settings.
You can check the view of the camera by selecting it and activating
the 3D Window. When you do this, the parameters of the perspective
defined by the camera are copied into the 3D Projection Settings
dialog box and the Navigator and Navigator Preview palettes.
514
PhotoRendering
The ArchiCAD PhotoRendering feature allows you to create
photorealistic images of the model as a snapshot of the current state
of the project.
PhotoRendering allows you to go far beyond the possibilities offered
by the views created in the 3D Window. This feature includes
sophisticated effects that give you photorealistic or stylized images of
the entire project or a selected part of it.
Photorealistic images are an ideal presentation and communication
tool of architects and contractors; these images are the most
understandable for customers and show an accurate, life-like view of
the final building.
PhotoRendered images (or Model Pictures) are generated in a
separate PhotoRendering window and cannot be edited. To keep
them, you need to save them as separate files, independent from the
model. Choosing Save when a PhotoRendering window is active will
save the image file; the Project remains unaffected. Closing the
PhotoRendering window without saving it discards the rendered
image.
Important: PhotoRendered Model Pictures are not saved with
your Project. If you wish to keep them, you have to save them
manually. Closing a Model Picture Window that you haven’t
saved means you won’t be able to access this image again.
Model Pictures are listed in the Window menu. You can keep
several pictures open at the same time and compare them. You can
also use the Marquee tool to select and copy parts of Model Pictures.
For more information, see “Copy Cropped Image File with Marquee Tool” on
page 88.
Various types of picture files can be opened as model pictures: all
QuickTime based image files and a number of additional formats are
available.
ArchiCAD includes several engines that create different styles of
photorendered pictures. The preferred engine can be selected in the
pop-up menu on top of dialog box opened with Document >
Creative Imaging > PhotoRendering Settings.
For more information, see “PhotoRendering Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
Note: It is possible to use a different rendering engine for
different parts of the project view - one engine for the top half of
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

the window, another for the bottom half - and then splice the
resulting images together in a photo editing program.
To create a rendered image, choose the Document > Creative
Imaging > PhotoRender Projection command. This will instruct
ArchiCAD to make a photorealistic picture of the current projection
according to the settings defined in the PhotoRendering Settings
dialog box. The rendering engines are:
• LightWorks Rendering Engine: This engine allows the most
sophisticated rendered views, even if you rely only on the preset
settings. LightWorks offers ray-tracing, soft-shadows, reflection
features and complex shader editing capabilities. This engine
creates expert renderings of the best quality available in
ArchiCAD. LightWorks takes advantage of multi-processor
systems and is thus generally faster than the other engines.
For more information, see “LightWorks Rendering Engine (Add-On)” in
ArchiCAD Help.
• Internal Rendering Engine: The Internal Engine is suitable for
producing draft-quality or simple renderings offering shaded
surfaces, simple shadows and transparencies.
For more information, see “Internal Rendering Engine” in ArchiCAD Help.
• Z-buffer Rendering Engine: This engine is similar to the
Internal Engine but can work faster if the model is large and the
shadow effect is switched on. However, a large amount of
physical memory is recommended.
• Sketch: This produces non-photorealistic renderings that
replicate sketched lines - best suited for draft views in the early
project stages. Effects include felt tip, pencil, graphite and
marker. Files used for sketch rendering are placed in the
Add-Ons folder inside the ArchiCAD folder. In the
SketchTextures subfolder, you can find the predefined style file
named SketchPreset.txt as well as the line texture files, each
placed in a separate subfolder of SketchTextures.
Below, the same building rendered with two different Sketch
styles.
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For more information, see “Sketch Rendering Engine” in ArchiCAD Help.
Basic LightWorks Options
The LightWorks Rendering Engine, built into the ArchiCAD
PhotoRendering interface, gives you the power to create high-quality
photorealistic images that can be published as ArchiCAD views.
LightWorks offers ray-tracing, soft-shadow and reflection features
and complex shader editing capabilities, yet its interface is compatible
with ArchiCAD’s own elements.
For examples of LightWorks images, see “Exterior LightWorks Example” on
page 520 and “Interior LightWorks Example” on page 523.
Basic LightWorks functions include predefined shaders that you can
use with their default settings. Expert options allow you to edit those
shaders and to use special unique light objects that can greatly
enhance renderings by simulating ambient lighting.
LightWorks introduces ray tracing to ArchiCAD. Ray tracing works
by casting rays from the point being shaded towards each light source,
thus establishing whether or not there is a direct line of sight from the
point of the light source. By this it is possible to determine whether a
surface point is lit or in shadow from a light source.
The simplest way to start working with LightWorks is to open an
ArchiCAD Project and switch to the LightWorks Rendering Engine
in the Document > Creative Imaging > PhotoRendering
Settings dialog box. The LightWorks Engine will understand
ArchiCAD materials and convert their Transparency, Emission,
Reflection and Glowing values to its own format. The following
picture was taken with the Internal Rendering Engine.
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When working with LightWorks, the usual procedure after building

the 3D model is to define materials, then load and modify shaders
connected with these materials using the LightWorks Shader Settings
panel in the Options > Element Attributes > Materials dialog box.
For more information, “LightWorks Shader Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
There are archive files storing hundreds of predefined shaders. Most
of the time you can find the shader you like among the predefined
ones.
LightWorks shaders can have textures like the ones used with the
ArchiCAD Internal Rendering Engine. Another feature is the use of
so-called ‘procedural’ shaders in which patterns are defined by a set of
parameters.
• Image-based shaders can easily exhibit tiling when patterns are
repeated across a surface, lose their definition when viewed close
up, and can use up large amounts of memory.
• LightWorks procedural shaders do not exhibit tiling, give a
The same Project rendered with the LightWorks Rendering Engine unique appearance at each point of the surface, are more
appears below. Thanks to ray tracing, you can see reflective glass memory efficient, and offer more flexibility because of their
surfaces and nicer shadows in this rendering. adjustable parameters.
Important notes for users of Projects created in ArchiCAD
8.1 or earlier: Although ArchiCAD materials all have Reflection
values defined for them, rendering engines in earlier versions did
not use these values. Since the LightWorks Rendering Engine
understands and uses these values, this might lead to unexpected
results if these values are not adjusted. So you might have a
material named Concrete that is very shiny with a lot of diffuse
light around it. This can come from those Ambient, Diffuse and
Shininess values. In such a case, adjust these values until they
give a satisfactory result.
Also, ArchiCAD materials can have a texture assigned to them as
well as a LightWorks shader (which is also, in effect, a texture).
The ArchiCAD texture will be displayed in the 3D Window
when OpenGL is being used as the 3D Engine, and in
PhotoRendering when the ArchiCAD Internal Engine or the
Z-Buffer Engine is being used. But if you use OpenGL in the 3D
Window and LightWorks Rendering Engine in PhotoRendering,
the textures might look completely different, which can be

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misleading. There are two solutions to this if you plan to create The Latitude Resolution and
your PhotoRenderings with the LightWorks Rendering Engine. Longitude Resolution parameters
The first one is not to use the OpenGL engine in 3D so it will along with Light Intensity will
not mislead you as to how it will look like in PhotoRendering. define how many lights will be
The second is to remove ArchiCAD textures from any materials distributed evenly on the surface of
to which LightWorks shaders are assigned. Then these materials a hemisphere. This object is
will not display any texture in 3D even with the OpenGL engine, basically a hemisphere with a radius
and misleading preview images are thereby avoided. large enough so it is larger than the
whole 3D Model.
Expert LightWorks Options The Number of Light Sources
field shows how many lights will
The LightWorks Library contains some unique light objects that can be generated based on the above
enhance your renderings: although they are lamps, they simulate values. There are parameters for
ambient lighting. These objects are placed using ArchiCAD’s Lamp turning Shadow Casting and
tool: to find them, open the Lamp Settings dialog box and the Soft Shadow on. You can also
LightWorks Lights sub-folder from Libraries and are called set Shadow Quality and a
SkyObject, SunObject and WindowLight. Contour Pen for display in 2D.
You can adjust the intensity level of these lights in their respective These shadow-related
settings dialog boxes. However, the “Ambient” checkbox and its parameters will only affect
associated intensity value, in the LightWorks Effects Panel of shadows created by the light
PhotoRendering Settings, will also affect these objects’ lighting sources coming from this lamp
effects. object. To use this object, just place one copy anywhere in your
Project.
As with all lights, you can turn them ON or OFF, and set their Light
Intensity and Color. Note: LightWorks Rendering doesn’t produce proper image
quality if the 3D data structure is generated from a selection (e.g.
For more information, see “Object/Lamp Tool Settings” in ArchiCAD Help.
with the Arrow tool or with the Marquee tool) and if this
selection does not contain the SkyObject (or other) lamp
SkyObject object(s).
SkyObject simulates the diffuse light effect of the sky (in the form of
In the following picture you can see Soft Shadows. See how fine the
a large half-dome with a number of individual distant light sources)
for a “daylight” effect without having to add artificial lighting transition of the shadow is on the floor of the corridor. This effect is
manually. Its effect is so expansive that it doesn’t matter where you possible because the SkyObject contains many lamps, with the result
that the lighting is diffuse, creating soft shadows, rather than
place it on the plan. This object takes into account the sun direction
as set in general rendering settings, so you need not define this concentrating the entire light source at a single location, which would
create hard shadows.
separately.

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These two methods have different effects. The major difference is

that the light intensity of the SunObject lamp can be varied in a
much larger range. Although both can be used at the same time, it is
advisable to use only one of them at a time so it is easier to identify
their effect on the rendering.

WindowLight
While the SkyObject and SunObject lamps are used to simulate
exterior light, WindowLight simulates diffuse light in interior rooms
that are generated by incoming light. WindowLight comes close to
simulating a radiosity effect.
This type of lamp must be placed on the inner side of any Window or
Door. You can do this in 2D or 3D. The width and height of the
WindowLight lamp object should be the same as those of the
Door/Window it is linked to. Make sure that the arrow representing
the sun direction points into the building. The object will be shown
on both the Floor Plan and in 3D.

SunObject
Another lamp used to simulate exterior light is the SunObject lamp.
It can be placed anywhere on the Floor Plan, just like the SkyObject
lamp. This lamp is used to simulate the effect of the Sun in the
rendering. In the case of this lamp, the light is coming from a distant
source.
Its use is also very similar to the SkyObject lamp. You can set light
intensity, the color of its light, shadow quality and make it cast Soft
Shadows as well. Unlike in the SkyObject lamp, where the program
automatically calculates the number of light sources from the
longitude and latitude resolutions you entered, here you can directly
specify the Number of Light Sources.
As you can see, with LightWorks, you can simulate the effects of the
Sun in two ways:
1) by checking the Sun checkbox as a light source in the
LightWorks Effects panel of the PhotoRendering Settings
dialog box, or
WindowLight also has the Cast Shadow, Shadow is Soft and
2) by placing a SunObject lamp anywhere on the Floor Plan. Shadow Quality parameters to control how shadows created by this
518 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

light source are generated. The Rotation Angle parameter is used
when the object is placed next to a Skylight object in a Roof. See the
effect of the Shadow Quality parameter below. On the image on the
left, Shadow Quality = 1. See the crude graduation of shadows on
the wall on the left and on the ceiling. In the image on the right,
Shadow Quality = 3. See how much smoother shadow tones are on
the wall and ceiling.
In the following picture you can see effects created by the SunObject
and WindowLight lamp objects. See the light areas on the ceiling of
the corridor and the room close to the outside windows, which is
caused by the light generated by these lamp objects.
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Visualization
Editing Shaders
You can also enhance your images by editing the applied shaders.
Shader editing is possible both for the entire image and for individual
materials. Shader parameter controls can be of various types: color
tables, sliders, text and numeric fields, buttons or menus.
• You can apply and modify shaders for the Sun, the Foreground
and the Background of the image on the LightWorks
Environment panel of the PhotoRendering Settings dialog
box. These shaders include parameters that affect the aspects of
the shadows cast by the sun and the appearance of elements in
the foreground or the background.
• To modify the appearance and behavior of a given material,
activate the Options > Element Attributes > Materials dialog
box. Each material can have up to six shaders associated to it that
will define its Color, Reflectance, Transparency,
Displacement (or bumping), Texture Space and Pipeline (or
emission) attribute. You can also load predefined settings from a
large number of archive files that replicate real-life materials such
as stretcher bricks, polished plastic, galvanized metal or mown
grass.
For more details on shader editing, see “Exterior LightWorks Example” on page
520.
LightWorks Tips
Since the LightWorks Rendering Engine is both hardware and
memory-intensive, here follow some suggestions for speeding up
your work while using it.
• Uncheck the Reflection checkbox in the Effects field of the
LightWorks Effects panel of the PhotoRendering Settings
dialog box. Reflection is probably the one factor increasing
rendering time the most. If you turn Reflection off, you will still
be able to set lighting correctly, yet generate faster renderings.
• Choose the Off checkbox in the Antialiasing field of the
LightWorks Effects panel of the PhotoRendering Settings
dialog box. This will also decrease rendering time while showing
the effects of lights correctly.
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Visualization

• When setting lights and materials select a small model piece with
the thick (multi-story) marquee and experiment with that. Then,
when all is set, you can render the whole model.
• The SkyObject and SunObject lamps work quite well even
when the number of light sources is set to low numbers (even as
low as 4). At the same time, setting them to such low values will
substantially decrease their memory requirements and increase
rendering speed.
• You can experiment with your setting choosing hard shadows.
This will increase speed over using soft shadows while the
character of the rendering will not change markedly.
• You can check the settings of your picture on a smaller rendering,
thereby saving time. You may want your final rendering to be
1600x1200 pixels, but you can check and set your settings on a
400x300 pixel rendering as well. You can also zoom on details
and create small detail renderings of those.
Besides a good camera position, a good rendering requires good
lights and good material shaders. You should set lighting on a small
model or partial model without Reflection and Antialiasing, few Here we have some textures and shadows, but we would like
light sources and Hard Shadows. Setting materials can also be done reflections, better shadows coming from ambient and diffuse light
on a partial model. Then, when all is set, Reflection, Antialiasing sources and procedural shaders.
and Soft Shadows can be turned on a full model. Let us start with the materials. We can select the material of wooden
frames and work on that.
Exterior LightWorks Example In Options > Element Attributes > Materials, you can choose a
shader in the Color category or load one from hundreds of
After building your model in ArchiCAD, you need to create good predefined shaders located in the Archives. We used the Oak shader
camera positions, apply shaders to your materials, place light objects, and modified it a bit.
set rendering parameters and create a test rendering. From the test
result, you can identify any needed adjustments to materials, lighting For more information, see “Materials” on page 36.
etc. It may be useful to create a Wall in your project and then assign your
Let us start with the following exterior detail of a residential building currently edited material to it. Then you can create renderings of only
rendered with ArchiCAD’s internal rendering engine. this one Wall while modifying the material shader, thereby saving
rendering time in this phase.

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Let us say we have the following shader displayed on the side surface
of our wall:
The above ‘Wood’ shader is a procedural shader. The surface created
by the shader will be unique, calculated from a set of parameters
which provide great variability and ensure that the surface will not
show a tiled effect (a tiled effect means that, if the surface is large
enough compared to the texture size, you can see where the pattern
ends and then is repeated).
In the above wood shader the wood is too ‘curvy’, which we want to
make more realistic. The Gnarl parameter defines this curviness.
After reducing its value, the texture will look like this:
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Visualization
We can make it a bit denser by reducing the RingWidth parameter
and also reduce its relative size by lowering the value of the Scale
parameter.
When you are satisfied with the result you can go on to the next
material. Of course you may set other shaders as well, such as
Reflectance or Transparency to produce a more sophisticated
texture.
Next we can place light sources on the Floor Plan. You can simulate
the Sun by either checking the Sun checkbox under LightWorks
Effects in the PhotoRendering Settings dialog box or placing a
SunObject lamp on the Floor Plan. These two light sources achieve
different effects and have different sets of parameters. We chose the
SunObject lamp for this example, as it has a much wider range of
light intensity that can be influenced by its Light Intensity slider or
its Number of Light Sources parameter. This produces better-lit
surfaces and better shadows.
Ambient lighting coming from the environment can be turned on
with the Ambient checkbox in the PhotoRendering Settings dialog
box. Diffuse light effect coming from the sky can be achieved using
the SkyObject lamp. Check the Lamps checkbox in the
PhotoRendering Settings dialog box for the SunObject and
SkyObject to have an effect on the rendering.
You may also enable Camera lighting and place additional individual
lamps and light sources. In this example, a SkyObject and a
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Visualization

SunObject lamp was placed, plus Ambient light was used for
renderings.
There is great variability using these two lamps objects. Both can have
different strengths of light, the color of their light may be defined,
shadow quality and softness may be set. Both can cast shadows as
well. In the illustration below, the color of the SkyObject lamp was
set to light yellow (similar to the color of the Sun).

After the general scene is done,

you can check where you want to
improve your image. For example,
you may not like the brick texture:
It could have a little more depth or
roughness or bumpiness added to
it. You can use the Rough Scale,
Rough Amplitude and Fuzz
Then the color of the SkyObject lamp was set to light blue (similar
parameters to make it more so.
to the color of the sky). Compare the two images to see the difference
this one setting makes in the result. Alternately, you can use the
Wrapped Bump Map shader
of the Displacement shader
group. With it you can select
an image file which will
become a map for defining the
bumpiness of the surface just
like alpha-channels in
ArchiCAD textures. In our
example, we used the image
shown below as a bump map.

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After applying this map, the Brick

wall looks rougher, as if it really
Interior LightWorks Example
had those inequalities on its This example uses a Japanese house.
surface.
While trying to improve the image,
you may also encounter the case
where certain areas of your image
are too dark (underexposed) or
too light (overexposed). You can either change ambient and diffuse
light (SkyObject lamp) settings to lower or higher strengths, or you
can edit your materials, especially their Reflectance shader’s
Ambient Factor and Diffuse Factor parameters. In the example
below, the Diffuse Factor parameter is set to 1,00, meaning all light is
reflected back from the surface as diffuse light. Surfaces can become
overexposed this way.
In such a case, decrease the value of the Diffuse Factor parameter.
When you are finished with your adjustments, you can generate your
final rendering with the LightWorks Rendering Engine.

A SkyObject and SunObject are both placed on the Floor Plan for
exterior lighting. The way their parameters are set is very similar to
the Exterior example. Also, material shader definitions are done the
same way.
Since the rendering will show the interior corridor of the house, we
placed two WindowLight lamps on the two large window panes
separating the inside corridor from the exterior space.
Their purpose is to simulate the diffuse light coming through the
window panes.

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Make the WindowLight lamp’s Width and Height the same size as
the Window it is placed for. Place the WindowLight lamp in front of
the Window frame so it is closer to the interior than the Window.
If you look at it in 3D, you can see the small spheres that show the
individual light sources of the WindowLight lamp. Their number is
524
automatically calculated and is influenced by the Light Intensity and
Light Resolution parameters of the lamp.
Note: these light source spheres are visible in 3D only if the 3D
Engine is set to OpenGL Engine.
The purpose of this rendering was to create fine soft shadows. The
final settings of the WindowLight lamp for this particular scene
include Shadow Quality set to 4, which is almost the maximum
value.
The next image shows the final rendering. Note the fine reflections
on the ceiling of the corridor. Also, see the softness of the shadow
cast by the divider column between the two Windows. See how the
shadow is harder close to the column and softer toward the inner side
of the corridor as more and more diffuse light from other areas of the
windows reaches it. We needed the SunObject lamp placed to
achieve this since Ambient and Camera lights do not cast shadow,
and the SkyObject lamp casts shadow from various points on a
hemisphere. The SunObject provided the necessary amount of
concentrated light to achieve this effect.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

Visualization Extras
You can enhance your visualization output with dynamic content
such as fly-throughs or virtual reality. This section is devoted to these
“extras.”
Fly-Through
Creating a movie of the project allows you to present your final
design to your clients under a variety of angles. This ArchiCAD
feature is called a Fly-Through.
To create this animated view of your project, you place a series of
Cameras that define a path along which images will be recorded. At
each camera point (or key frame) a snapshot is taken. The series of
pictures is then merged into an animated movie file by adding a
number of extrapolated views (or in-between frames).
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Visualization
If you save the Fly-Through as an external file, you can even show it
on a computer on which ArchiCAD is not installed.
Note: A large number of frames means a smoother movie but
also a much larger file.
Choosing Document > Creative Imaging > Create Fly-Through
creates a series of simple 3D or PhotoRendered pictures defined by
the parallel projection set or the current camera path. You can either
show the resulting animation immediately on screen, or save these
pictures in the desired file format and show them later using a movie
viewing utility.
The Create Fly-Through command will only be active if you have at
least one Preset Parallel Projection or an animation path with at least
two Cameras. The name of this command changes according to the
type of camera currently selected in the Camera > VR Settings
dialog box (Camera, VR Object, VR Scene).
For more information, see Create Fly-Through and “Camera/VR Tool Settings”
in ArchiCAD Help.
Defining Fly-Throughs
Placing several Cameras defines a Fly-Through path whose
parameters you can adjust in the Path Options dialog box (opened
from the Camera Settings dialog box or the context menu of the Path
item in the Navigator’s Project Map.)
For more information, see Camera/VR Tool Settings > “Path Options” in
ArchiCAD Help.
Only one camera will be active at a time. This is the only camera
displayed with its sun and view angle markers. The active camera is
always the one that was last placed, unless you select another one.
Any cameras placed on the Floor Plan will be attached to the current
Fly-Through path after the active camera.
525
Visualization

panoramic views allows you to step from one location to

another, as if you were walking from room to room in a building.
For more information, see “VR Scenes” on page 527.
Note: These commands are located in the Document > Creative
Imaging hierarchical menu. They appear only after you have
selected the VR Object or VR Scene tab page in the Camera/VR
Settings dialog box.
VR Objects take advantage of Apple’s QTVR (Quick Time Virtual
Reality) technology. They are defined by a spherical path along which
the viewpoint can be positioned and navigated. This viewpoint is
represented by a view cone. The navigable object can be viewed in
Apple’s QTVR Player application.

Note: Collections of 3D parallel projections can also be linked to

create a Fly-Through, but these are handled differently from
perspectives. Only a single set of parallel projections can exist,
and you edit it in the View > 3D View Mode> 3D Projection
Settings > Parallel Projections > Pre-Sets dialog box, and
not through the Camera Settings. Also, since the viewpoint
distance is infinite for parallel projections, you cannot display
them on the Floor Plan worksheet.

VR Objects
Virtual Reality in ArchiCAD encompasses two functions: VR Objects
and VR Scenes.
• With the VR Object function you create a navigable view of an
model object and examine it from any angle. This is best used for To define a VR Object and create a VR Object Movie:
exterior views of an entire building or site.
Select the Camera Tool. Choose the VR Object option (either open
• With the VR Scene function you essentially place yourself inside the VR Object tab of the Camera Settings dialog box, or choose VR
the project and can look around in this space. Linking various Object from the Camera’s Info Box.)

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VR Scenes
Panoramic cameras define navigable VR Scenes using Apple QTVR
or RealSpace technology. You place one or a series of cylindrical
For more information, see “VR Object Settings” in ArchiCAD Help. panoramas to be viewed in the corresponding player application.
With a single click on the Floor Plan you can place a VR Object For information on VR Scenes settings, see “VR Scene Settings” in ArchiCAD
camera with default parameters. Further clicks on the Floor Plan will Help.
not create new cameras; you can only have one camera active at a
time.
If the VR Object is
selected and you go to the
3D Window, you can
check its perspective
elevation view from the
viewpoint indicated by the
view cone. To modify the
location of the view cone,
select it with the Camera
tool active, then use the
Move Sub-Element
command of the pet
palette to drag its node and position it onto another node of the
object.
Choosing Create VR Object from the Document > Creative Note: RealSpace works with VR Scenes only and does not
support VR Objects. VR Scenes created with RealSpace share the
Imaging hierarchical menu will open the Create VR Object dialog
features of QuickTime VR Scenes. To take advantage of the
box where you can set a few options for creating a navigable object.
RealSpace features, you need to have a player installed on your
For more information, see “Create VR Object” in ArchiCAD Help. computer or a plug-in for your favorite web browser.
Clicking Save in the dialog box will prompt you to name your The first click on the floor plan places a panoramic
navigable object file. All the 3D data you need will be exported into camera for the VR Scene. Draw a rubberband line and
this new format. You can view the result by launching QTVR Player. click again to define the view direction. This is your
To change the position of the placed VR Object, use the cursor or the initial camera, which defines your starting position and view direction
Drag, Mirror or Rotate commands in the Edit menu. If the in the VR Scene. The initial camera is distinguishable from
Camera tool is active, you can reposition any of the selection nodes subsequent cameras by its double-circle icon.
to change the object’s 2D position. The sun and the camera can be Every time you place a panoramic camera, the
repositioned by their respective selection nodes. panorama name and the sun icon appear with default
settings. The panorama name takes the form of
Panorama-x (x is the camera’s sequence number) by

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Visualization
default. (The name can be changed in the Panorama name field in
the middle section of the Camera /VR Settings dialog box.)
If you do not add additional cameras to the current scene, you can
generate a single node QTVR Scene.
To define a multi-node VR Scene, place a sequence of panoramic
cameras. One camera, the one displayed with its sun marker, will be
active at a time. The active camera is always the one which was last
placed, until you select another one.
Each position has to be connected to at least one other, otherwise a
warning will prompt you to do so when you try to generate the VR
Scene using the Create VR Scene command in the Document >
Creative Imaging hierarchical menu. The connections will define
how you can change your position in the final VR Scene.
The connecting line between two positions can be drawn either when
placing a panoramic camera or after unconnected cameras have
already been placed. To place a new camera connected to a placed
camera, first click the center node of the placed camera, then pull the
cursor to draw the connecting line and click a second time to place
the new camera.
You can insert a detour in a connection line by pulling its center node
with the Checkmark cursor when the Camera tool is active.
This allows you to define a
connection that makes sense
between two positions, for
instance on opposite sides of a
wall. Instead of jumping through
the wall, you can go through a
door before reaching the next
position, without having to place an extra Camera at the door
opening.
528
Any connection can be cleared by selecting and deleting the
connection line’s center node.
The view direction and the sun position can be changed by moving
their nodes with the Checkmark cursor while the Camera tool is
selected.
To define another camera as the initial one, select the current initial
camera (with the Camera tool active) and drag the circle representing
the starting position onto another camera’s centerpoint.
If the VR Scene tab page is selected in the Camera Settings dialog
box, the Create VR Scene command is added to the Document >
Creative Imaging menu.
Note: If the Camera/VR Settings is switched to VR Scenes, no
placed Cameras or VR Objects will be visible on the Floor Plan.
Choose the appropriate camera mode from Camera/VR Settings
to make theses visible again.
Choosing Document > Creative Imaging > Create VR Scene will
open the Create VR Scene dialog box where you can set a few options
for creating panoramas or pictures that you can then view in the
appropriate player applications.
For more information, see “Create VR Scene” in ArchiCAD Help.
You can also set the image height and length as well as the Window
size in QTVR Player.
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 Visualization

Sun Study
Sun Studies allow you to view an entire project or a selected part of it
in a real-life situation by choosing a geographic location and defining
the time period over which you wish to examine lighting and shadow
casting.
What you actually see is a series of simple or photorendered 3D
pictures defined by the current 3D Projection Settings, the current
3D Window Settings or PhotoRendering Settings and the Sun
position settings defined in the Create Sun Study dialog box. Align View
For more information, see “Create Sun Study” in ArchiCAD Help.
When using a scanned photograph as the background of your
The geographic location of your project can be chosen from a preset rendering, you may want to fit your ArchiCAD model into the
list of cities in View > 3D View Mode > 3D Projection Settings > photograph’s environment. In the photorendering made from the
More Sun > Set City or by defining a new one with the appropriate Camera placed by the Document > Creative Imaging > Align
latitude and longitude values. In the Sun dialog box, you can also View command, the perspective of your building in ArchiCAD will
redefine the orientation of your project by modifying the project match the perspective of the background.
North which points by default to the top of your window.
For more information, see “PhotoRendering” on page 514.
You can either have the resulting animation shown immediately on
For this feature, you need to select two clearly visible vertical
the screen, or save these pictures in the desired file format and show
segments on the photograph (e.g., the sides of a door or a window,
them in the future using a movie viewing utility.
two vertical edges of a wall, or two flagpoles), and connect them with
The pictures below show the same detail of a building at the same their exact position in the virtual model or its environment. This is
location at sunrise, one hour later, two hours later and in the done by connecting each of four points on the placed photograph
afternoon. (the tops and bottoms of the two vertical segments) with their
position on the Floor Plan, and then entering their Z coordinates in
the Align View dialog box.
Note: This function is mainly useful in refurbishing, when a
photograph of the existing environment is available.

Align View: Interior Example

Using the Figure tool, place the scanned image on the Floor Plan at
any size or resolution.
For more information, see “Figures” on page 386.
You then have two possibilities for aligning the camera view to the
photograph: you can either use existing lines or can manually draw
lines between the corresponding points of the Floor Plan and the
photograph.

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Visualization

To draw the connection lines automatically:

1) Select the placed photo.
2) Choose the Document > Creative Imaging > Align View
command. ArchiCAD will prompt you to make six clicks on the
Floor Plan with the Pencil cursor, identifying the corresponding
points between the picture and the plan. The connection lines are
drawn automatically.
3) The Align View dialog box appears, prompting you to enter the
height values for the four points.
4) Click OK. The camera will be placed on the Floor Plan on a new
path.
To draw the connection lines manually:
1) Using the Line tool, connect the tops and bottoms of two
vertical lines visible on the photograph with their location on the
Floor Plan (e.g., the sides of a door or a window, two vertical
edges of a wall, or two flagpoles). This will give you four lines,
each extending from a floor plan location to a point on the
photograph, with the two line pairs connecting where they meet
on the Floor Plan.
2) Select the photo and the four lines. Note: For greater precision, you can enter the horizon of the
3) Choose the Align View command. The photograph by simply rotating the picture on the Floor Plan so
dialog box appears, prompting you to that the horizon is exactly parallel to the unskewed x-axis
enter the height values for the four (otherwise the command will calculate the horizon for you). The
points. precision of the result depends largely on that of the entered
4) Click OK to close the Align View points, but even very careful preparation may result in a Camera
dialog box. The camera will be placed that is slightly off position. In this case, set the photograph as the
on the Floor Plan, on a new Path. background of your 3D window, and fine-tune the Camera’s
position in Wireframe or Hidden Line mode using ArchiCAD's
Select the elements you wish to display 3D navigation tools.
on the image, then select the Camera,
and choose the Document > Creative Align View: Exterior Example
Imaging > PhotoRender Projection. Let’s say you have a photograph of a building and its plan as an
In the picture below, only the Object ArchiCAD file. Place the original photo on the Floor Plan of the
type elements have been selected on building. If the picture is placed without any rotation then the
the Floor Plan and they appear against horizon is calculated automatically as horizontal. You can, of course,
the backdrop of the scanned override this horizon calculation manually, and enter the horizon
photograph.
angle yourself; this is done by rotating the picture on the floor plan.
When the picture is rotated with an angle other than 90º (or 180º or
270º) on the floor plan, then Align View calculates the horizon by
530 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

itself, otherwise the horizon is assumed to be horizontal. You need to
know the height values of two vertical lines (four points in all) on the
building and their locations on the photo.
Two black hotspots on the Floor Plan and the heights of two distinct
points of the building below each are shown on the illustration.
Zoom in on the photo and place four hotspots at the locations of the
four points with known height values.
Select the photo and choose Document > Creative Imaging >
Align View.
To link the hotspots, click first on the point on the Floor Plan that
corresponds to hotspots on the photo. (In the above example, the
side of the window on the left where you see the black hotspot with
two heights, +2.64 and -2.21.) Now click the pair of hotspots on the
photo, one after the other. Repeat this operation with the other point
on the plan and the corresponding pair of hotspots. It does not
matter which point on the Floor Plan you start with. In addition, after
marking a point on the Floor Plan, you can select the two
corresponding points on the photo in either order.
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
Visualization
When correctly done, the result will look as shown above, and the
Align View dialog will appear.
Type the height of the hotspots in the appropriate fields in the dialog
box. The upper points are located along the same vertical line as the
lower points. In this example, these will be 2.64 and -2.21 meters (left
upper and lower) and 3.08 and -3.40 meters (right upper and lower).
After you click OK, a new camera will be placed on the Floor Plan.
Select the original scanned photo to be the background picture in the
PhotoRendering Settings dialog box. Make sure the width-height
ratio of the resulting PhotoRendering is the same as that of the
original photo. You can also modify the size of the photo to suit the
size of your PhotoRendering window.
Note: You cannot crop the photo. If you must, crop it in a way
that the original proportions of the photo stay the same (i.e.
cover a part of the photo with a solid white fill), because Align
View needs the original proportions of the picture to locate the
531
Visualization

original target point of the photo. The view will not be aligned
precisely if the proportions of the photo have been changed.
For example, if you have a scanned picture of 1200 x 900 and you
want a 3D window or PhotoRendering window image of 600 x 450,
you would reduce the size of the background photo to 50 percent in
the PhotoRendering Settings dialog box. (You can choose this same
background in the View > 3D View Mode > 3D Window Settings
dialog box: click the “Background: As in PhotoRendering” radio
button.) By selecting the created camera and generating a 3D View or
a photorendering, you will see the result - the building is accurately
placed in the existing environment.

532 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

INDEX
3D “Cutaway” Sections 174 source of 3D Document 194 Art•lantis 513
3D Cutting Planes 174 Stories to Show in ~ 170 At all Grid points 303
3D Document 192 Trim Elements to Story 158 Attribute Manager 40
Create 193 3D Zone Shape 261 Attributes 25
Dimensions 393 3Dconnexion Enabler 65 Composite Structures 31
Model Display 198 Fill Types 31
Redefine 194 A Layers 26
3D Engines Line Types 30
Absolute Display Limit 165
Internal 3D engine 170 Materials 36
Add bounded area 191
OpenGL engine 171 Pens & Colors 33
Add Fill to Boundary 292
3D Navigation 62 Attributes of GDL Objects 40
Add New Fill 371
3D Navigation Extras 174 Auto ID Increase 456
Add Shortcut 68, 443
Add current projection 174 Autogroup 140
Add to Polygon 127
Edit pre-set projections 174 Auto-Hide Navigator/Organizer 67
Add-On Manager 21
Go to the previous/Go to the next 174 Automatic Dimensioning 403
Add-Ons 21
Horizontal View 174 Exterior 403
anchor point in ArchiCAD menus 21
Insert a new camera after the selected one 174 Interior 404
Adjust 131
Look to 174 Automatic Pen Color Visibility Adjustment 36
Align 3D Texture 38
perpendicular 174 Autosave 113
Align dimension line 400
Modify the selected 174 Autotext 413, 426
Align Elements 118
Put a camera into the path 174 Keywords 415
Align to Surface 105
Reset Roll Angle 174 Reference Drawing 414
Align View 529
Revert view to the selected 174 Auxiliary Grid 96
Align with Slope 374
3D Projections 172 Anchor Point
axonometric 172 for Doors/Windows 329 B
parallel 172 Angle Bisector Constraint 103 Back Reference 431
perspectives 172 Angle Dimensions 397 Background fill 371
3D View Modes 172 Annotation 388 Background images 41
Hidden Line 172 Autotext 388 Backspace Key 111
Shading 172 Dimensions 388 Backup
Wireframe 172 Labels 388 Files 18
3D Visualization toolbar 513 Texts 388 Beam 233
3D Window 167 The Grid Tool 388 Complex Profiles 237
3D Navigation Extras 174 Any Direction 390, 393 Display on Floor Plan 233
3D Navigator Preview Palette 173 Any Plane 393 modifying holes 235
3D Projections 172 Apply to All Corners 132 Priority 233, 236
3D View Modes 172 Arc Length 390 Reference Axis 233
Commands Related to ~ 167 Archive By Limit Lines 190
Filter Elements to Show in ~ 169 Files 18
Open the ~ 167 Arcs 379, 381 C
Projections 172 editing ~ 381
Show All in ~ 168 Calculation 449
Area Text 375
Components 449
Show Previous Selection/Marquee in 3D 168 Arrow tool 77, 78
Show Selection in ~ 168 Descriptors 450

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Index

Displaying Lists 453 Columns 230 Label all Members 311

List Types 451 Curtain Wall 266 Member Labels 419
Properties 450 Mesh 257 Members 268
Property Objects 449 Roof 240 Model View Options 285
Setup 451 Slab 255 Multiselect Panels and Frames 288
Sources 449 Wall 219 Overview 266
Camera mode 65 Zone 259 Panel 269
Cameras 513 Construction Grid 95 Panel classes 299
~ Path Options 514 Continue a Polyline 384 Position in Section 272, 276
Fly-Through 525 Control Box 50 Reference Line 268
Perspective ~ 513 Convert Dimensions 403 Reference Surface 268
VR Objects 526 Coordinates Palette 50 Scheme 269
VR Scenes 527 Copy 112 Selection Grip 288
Cancel Edit System 288 Copy Cell Pattern 298 Slanted 271
Cancel Operations 111 Core 32 Tool Settings 286
Capture element’s profile 238 Corner Windows 332 Curtain Wall Reference Line 295
Capture Window for 3D Document 193 Create Common Frames 299 Custom Components 324
chain icon 37 Create Patch 319 Custom Settings 313
Chamfer 132 Create Stair 336 Cut 112
Change Hotlink 492 Cursor 82 Cut line 378
Check Markers Palette 207 Projection Mode of ~ 102
Circles 379 Cursor Snap Range 108 D
Cities 529 Cursor Snap Variants 102 Data Exchange 496
Clone Folder 71 Curtain Wall 266 Decompose Polyline 384
Column 3D Input Plane 278 Delete 113
and Other Elements 233 Accessories 270
Descriptors
and Wall relationship 233 Add a New Gridline 291
~ in Calculation functions 450
Complex Profiles 237 Add Boundary 293
Deselecting Elements 84
creating 232 and Zones 307
Details 198
in 3D 231 Base Surface 268
Boundary 201
in composite Walls 231, 232 Boundary 268
Contents of ~ Window 199
modifying slanted 124 Chained 271
Define Reference for Linked Marker 181
Priority 233 Commands 267
Define Reference for Source Marker 177
Unwrapped 230 Create 270
Icons in the Navigator 201
Wrapped 231 curved 271
Independent 200
Command Layout Schemes 54 Cylindrical 278
Linked Detail Marker 200
Company Standard Schemes 54 Display 279
Marker 198
Compatibility Edit Boundary 291
Unlinked Marker 181
~ in Teamwork with older versions 474 Edit Grid 289
updating 201
Complex Profiles Edit Mode 285
Viewpoint 199
see Profiles 237 Edit Mode Display Palette 288
Dimension Chain 389
Component Lists (Interactive Schedule) 210 Edit Reference Line 295
Dimension Grid System 410
Components Frame 269
Dimension Text 401
Custom 324 Frame classes 295, 296
Horizontal 402
for Calculation 449 Frame Intersections 298
Dimension Units 23
Composite Structures 31 Free Rotate 310
Dimensioning Standards 388
Construction Elements Grid 268
Dimensions
Beam 233 Junction 269
~ of Curved Elements 392

534 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

 Index

3D Document 393 Drawing Manager 433 Elevation Tool 184

Angle 397 Drawing Scale 25 Ellipses 381
associative ~ in Sections/Elevations 402 Drawing Title Reference 431 convert to Circle 382
Automatic Exterior ~ 403 Duplicating Elements 135 Email
Automatic Interior ~ 404 DWF files 445 sending from Publisher 445
Elevation 394 DXF/DWG Add-On 496 Enable all informational messages 63
Level 396 DXF/DWG Conversion 496 Enable Back Reference 432
Linear 390 Entity Conversion 499 Entire Original Structure 361
reference points 389 Opening Blocks as Library Parts 498 Entire Structure Display
Secondary (Add-On) 403 Opening DWG/DXF Files 496 149
Static 390 DXF/DWG Translation Setup 496 Esc Key 111
Witness Line 401 Exclude View Blocking Walls 192
Display in 3D view 406 E Explode into Current View 135, 430
Display Order 141 Edge Explore Model 62
Custom Stacking Order 142 Curve/Straighten 134 Extract Boundary to Fill 292
Distort with Slope 374 Edit Menu
Distribute 408, 409 in Text windows 421 F
Distribute Elements 121 Edit Selection Set 84 Favorite Text Settings 412
Documentation 367 Edit Story Levels 159 Favorites 46
Doors and Windows Edit System 287 in Tool Settings 46
in Polygonal/Complex/Slanted Walls 327 Element Attributes Load ~ 46
placing 329 see Attributes 25 Preferences 46
saving custom shapes from the Project File 322 Element ID Manager 456 Figure Handle 386
saving rectangular shapes from the Project File Element Information Highlight 80 Figures 386
321 Element Information Palette 454 placing ~ 386
Drafting Elements 367
Element Information Pop-up 81 File > Close 16
Arcs, Circles 379
Element Lists (Interactive Schedule) 210 File > New 15
Elliptical Arcs, Ellipses 381
Element Snap 106 File Compression 17
Fills 368
Elevate command 117 File Types Recognized by ArchiCAD 16
Line Type Elements 378
Elevation 109 Fill Categories 368
Drafting line 378
create ~ Viewpoint 176 Cover Fill 369
Drag & Drop 138
Create Independent ~ Viewpoint 182 Cut Fill 368
Drawings 138
Define Reference for Linked Marker 181 Drafting Fill 369
DWG/DXF Objects 139
Define Reference for Source Marker 177 Fill Consolidation 154
Floor Plan Elements 138
Display of Elements 179 Fill Types 31
GDL Object Files 138
Display of Lines and Markers 184 Defining 370
Pictures 138
Distant Area 177 Fillet/Chamfer 132
Text 138
Horizontal/Vertical Range 177 Fills 368
Dragging Elements 115
moving Marker 185 Display Modes 372
Drag a Copy 136
Place a Linked ~ Marker 180 fill handle arrow 373
Drawing
Unlinked Marker 181 freehand 370
IDs 436
window status 178 Gradient 376
Scale 416
Elevation Dimensions 390 Show Area Text 375
Status 434
~ and Hotlinked Modules 395 Translucence 371
Title 431
Elevation of Elements Filter Elements in 3D 169
Title Type 431
and Gravity 110 Find & Replace in Text type windows 422
Updating 433
and Reference Levels 110 Find & Select 84
Drawing and Layout IDs 434
and Stories 111 Find Library Part 314

ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide 535

Index

Find Linked Markers 207 rotated 96 Create Single ~ Viewpoint 186

Find Selection 422 Snap 95 Define Reference for Source Marker 177
Finish 32 Grouping 140 Display of Elements 192
Finish Edit System 288 Suspend Groups 140 Editing ~ Limit Line 190
Fit in Window 60 Ungroup 140 Editing ~ viewpoints 189
Flip 304, 305 Groups and Layers 141 Horizontal and Vertical Range 190
Floor Plan Cut Plane 160 Groups and Teamwork 141 IDs and Names 188
Floor Plan Display 163 GUID 45 updating 182
Floor Plan Display pop-up 163 Guide Lines 97 window status 178
Floor Plan Window 156 Lock to 103 Internal Rendering Engine 515
Fly-Through 525 Intersection
Foreground Fill 371 H Auto ~ 228
Frame classes 269 Hide Cut Elements 192 of Walls 226
Free Rotate 310 Hide Zone Stamp 260 Two Elements 131
Full Screen 156 horizontal range 190
& Hide All Palettes 156 Hotlink 482 L
Hotlinked Modules Label All Members 311
G see Modules 482 Labels 417
Gable Walls 226 Hotspots 385 associative 417
GDL Objects independent 417
Custom Attributes 40 I member 419
Drag & Drop 138 Symbol 417
ID Management 455
Model View Options 355 Layer Combinations 28
ID Numbers
see also Parametric Objects 311 Layer Intersection Group 29
changing 456
GDL Web Control 313 Layers 26
customizing format 457
Global Unique Identifier (GUID) 45 internal unique ~ 455 ~ Combinations 28
Go to Layout 425 IE ~ Intersection Group 29
Go to Library 320, 323 see Interior Elevation 185 lock/unlock 27
Go To Line 422 Image Fills 376 Quick Layers 27
Go To Story 157 Import Drawing/Layout 429 show/hide 27
Goodies 22 Importing PDF files 429 Layout 425
Gradient Fills 376 Independent Details 200 Create New 425
Graphic Reports (Calculation) 451 Independent Elevation 182 Flat Layout Order 435
Gravity 110 Independent Section 182 IDs 434
Grid 268 Independent Worksheet 204 Importing PDF files 429
Grid Marker 405 Info Box 48 Master Layouts 425
Grid Snap 97 Info Tag 81 Modifying Drawings 430
Grid System 405, 408 Inject Parameters 139 Multiple Drawings 429
Dimension 410 Insert/Merge Dimension Point 399 Numbering 435
Place object/column/beam 409 Interactive Schedule 209 Placing Drawings 427
Grid Tool 404 Define 212 Use Hierarchy 435
edit Grid Element 408 Editing and Updating 211 Layout Book 74, 423
Grid Element components 405 Format 214 Components 423
Stagger Markers 408 Restructure to Fit Layout 215 Drawings in 427
Visibility 406 Sort Fields 213 Publisher 442
Grids 95 Interior Elevation (IE) 185 Tree by Masters 423
Construction 95 ~ and Zone Shape 191 Tree by Subsets 423, 425
printing 440 Create Multiple ~ Viewpoints 187

536 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

 Index

Layouting 422 Use a Template 15 Model View Options 355

in TeamWork 439 Use Latest Project Settings 16 Combinations 356
Work Environment 422 Marker Range (On-Screen View Option) 358 Fill Display 355
Level Dimensions 396 Markers 204 for Construction Elements 355
editing text 397 Find Linked 207 for GDL Objects 355
Library 41 Managing 204 Model View Options for Curtain Walls 285
~ Loading Report 45 Navigation 206 Model Views 155
Container (.lcf) 42 Range Lines 205 Modify Wall 229
loading 44 Source ~ Highlight 205 Modifying Element Sizes 123
Startup 42 Mark-Up 508 Module 482
Library Manager 44 ~ Styles 510 and Multiple Stories 486
Library Parts and Teamwork 510 Apply offset/rotation of most recently broken
duplicates 45 concepts 510 hotlinked ~ 488
locating 313 Publishing and Retrieving 510 Break Link, Edit Elements, Replace Hotlink 487
missing 45 show/hide Entry 509 Breaking Hotlinks 490
see also Parametric Objects 311 Marquee 85 Deleting Modules from the Floor Plan 490
LightWorks Area Definition Options 86 Edit in Separate ArchiCAD 486
Options 515, 517 Copy Cropped Image with 88 Edit Parameters of Placed 485
Shaders 516, 519 Geometry methods 86 File from Clipboard format 484
LightWorks Rendering Engine 515 removing 88 Master Layer 485
Line Types 30 stretching elements with 128 multiplatform issues 492
Line Types of Construction Elements Displayed Across Master Layout 425 Nested 489
Stories 163 apply to Layout 426 Place ~ 484
Line Weight 30 Grid for Drawing IDs 436 Place Single Story 486
Linear Dimensions 390 Set as Default 426 Replace selection with this hotlinked module file
Lines 378 title blocks 426 488
categories 378 Materials 36 restoring missing Hotlinks 491
chained 383 Assign 37 Save File as 484
Line Weight Display 30 create or modify 40 Save Selected Elements as 484
Polylines 383 display in 3D 38 updating 490
Line-type elements 378 display in Renderings 39 Modules
Unify 384 display in Section/Elevation/3DD windows 38 Source File Data Interpretation 483
Linework Consolidation 153 Measure Tool 94 Mouse Constraints 101
Link Materials 37 Member Labels 419 Move Polygon Node 126
Link to Fill Origin 373 Member labels 417 Moving Elements 113
Listing Templates 41 Menus 49 Multiplying Elements 136
Locking Elements 141 Merge
Log Wall 225 a DXF/DWG file 500 N
ArchiCAD files 20
Navigation 59
M dimension chains 399
Among ArchiCAD Windows 59
Mesh 257
Magic Wand 143 inside the Active Window 59
create a hole 259
Magnet 83 Pan 61
Geometry 257
Make Backup Copy 18 Navigation in 3D 62
Mesh Point Height dialog box 258
Managing Projects 15 Commands 62
Mini-Navigator 59
Archive Files 18 Explore Model 62
Mirror Dimension 400
Merging Files 20 Orbit 63
Mirroring Elements 116
Opening Projects through a Network 19 Navigator 65
Mirror a Copy 136
Template Files 17 Color Codes 68
Model Pictures 514
ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide 537
Index

display of ~ 66 Orbit (3D Navigation) 63 Pens & Colors 33

Layout Book 423 Organizer Palette 67 Pet Palettes 111
opening windows from 66 Original Scale 25, 416 PhotoRendering 514
Organizer Palette 67 Origins 90 Internal Rendering Engine 515
Project Map 69 Edit 90 LightWorks Rendering Engine 515
Project Workflow 66 Project ~ 90 Pick Up Parameters 139
View Map 71 User ~ 90 Place Curtain Wall 271, 272, 275, 277
Navigator Preview (2D) 61 Outlines Only 164 Place Curtain Wall on Section 276
Navigator Preview (3D) 64 Output Color 441 Place Drawing 68
Network Overhead All 164 Place External Drawing 387, 429
opening projects from 19 Override Zone Fills 260 Plot 441
New PlotWare 441
Create new project 15 P PMK 439, 444
New 3D Document 193 Palette Schemes 54 Polygons
New and Reset All 16 Palettes 50 adding shapes to 127
Nodes 133 Docking ~ 51 Move Node 126
Editing 134 Palette group 51 Offset Edges 127
North 529 Palette Schemes 50 Reshape 126
Nudge 96 Snapping ~ (MacOS Only) 52 subtracting ~ shapes 127
Pan 61 Polylines 383
O Panel and Chained Lines 383
Object Depository 313 fixed 300 Continue 384
Object mode 65 Panel classes 269 Decompose a 384
Object Settings of Library Part Elements 312 Parameter Transfer 139 Open closed 384
Objects between Objects 318 Unify into ~ 384
PolyWall Corners 228
see Parametric Objects 311 Parametric Objects 311
Preferences
Objects On Line 313 Corner Windows 332
see Project Preferences 22
Offset and Multiple Offset 104 Custom Components 324
Print 440
Offset Dimension Plane 394 Doors and Windows 326
Profiles (Complex Elements) 237
One by one 303 Parameter Transfer Between Objects 318
Creating or Editing 238
On-Screen View Options 357 placing 315
Merge Parallel Elements 240
Bold Cut Lines 358 Saving 2D Symbols as Library Parts 320
Store or Apply 239
Clean Wall & Beam Intersections 357 saving 3D Models as objects 320
Profiles (Work Environment) 56
Drawing Frames (Show/Hide) 358 Saving Custom Shape Doors and Windows from
Apply a Profile 57
Highlight Source Markers 358 the Project File 322
Default ~ in ArchiCAD 11 57
Marker Range 358 Saving Library Parts from the Project File 320
Project Chooser 67, 76
Master Items on Layout (Show/Hide) 358 Saving Rectangular Doors and Windows from the
Project Indexes 217
Roof Pivot Lines 357 Project File 321
Project Map 69
Show/Hide Drafting & Editing Aids 358 Scripting Custom Objects 323
Project Mark-Up
True Weight/Hairline 358 Skylights 332
see Mark-Up 508
Vectorial Hatching 358 Stairs 333
Project Notes 70
Walls & Beams Reference Lines 357 stretching 316
Project Origin 90
Open Wall Ends 333
Project Preferences 22
Archive Project 19 Partial Structure Display 358
Dimension Units 23
through a Network 19 Paste 112
Working Units & Levels 22
Operators Patch Object 319
Project Reviewer 503
in Solid Operations 352 PDF Output 446
~ & Mark-Up 510
Pen Sets 33

538 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

 Index

~ Environment 503 Barrel-Vaulted 243 Area Shape Options for ~ Rectangle/Polygon 78

Projected with Overhead 163 Create Hole 246 Highlight 80
Projections Dome-Shaped 243 Marquee ~ and Stories 86
in 3D 172 drawing in 3D 242 of multiple elements using polygon 78
Property Objects 450 Geometry 241 of Overlapping Elements 79
Publisher 442 Level Lines 247 Quick ~ 77
and Mark-Up 510 Trim Element to 248 Select All 77, 85
and Project Reviewer 445 Roof Wizard 255 using Marquee 85
in Teamwork 465 RoofMaker 251 Selections Palette 85
Viewing and Redlining DWF files 445 ~ Toolbox 252 Shortcuts 50
Publisher Set Rotating Elements 116 Schemes 54
defining 443 Rotate a Copy 136 Show Grid Elements 406
Publishing Properties 444 Round-Trip Conversion (Smart Merge) 500 Show on Stories 162
Purge all unused Attributes 495 Show Pattern Unit 375
Purge all unused attributes 500 S Show Selection/Marquee in 3D 87, 168
Save as SHX Fonts 500
Q DWG/DXF Files 498 Sketch Rendering Engine 515
QTVR Player 527 Save view 67 Skin Separator Line 378
Quick Layers Palette 27 Save view and place on Layout 427 Skylights 332
Quick Options 24, 28, 74 Scale 24 SkyObject 517
Quick Selection 77 Scaled vs. Fixed Elements 24 Slab 255
Click and Drag with ~ 78 Schedules 70 creating 256
Schematic 285 holes 256
Smart Merge 500
R Scheme 269
Snap Grid 95
Scheme (Work Environment)
Railings (StairMaker) 344 Snapping to Existing Elements 106
Rebuild Apply ~ 56
Solid Element Operations 352
summary of ~ commands 183 Search and Replace Text 420
Solid Fill 371
Redefine Boundary from Fill 292 Secondary Dimensions 403
Sort Elements 456
Redefine the 3D Document 194 Section
Source Markers
Reference adjusting or breaking ~ lines 184
see also Create a Section Viewpoint 176
See Trace Reference 145 create ~ Viewpoint 176
Show/Hide Highlight 358
Reference Levels 110 Create Independent ~ Viewpoint 182
Special Align 120
Reference Line Define Reference for Linked Marker 181
Special Distribute 122
of Wall 219 Define Reference for Source Marker 177
Special Snap Points 106
Reference Surface 268 Depth and Distant Area Limit 177
Spell Checker 421
Refresh 183 Display of Elements 179
Splines
Relation to Zones 264, 307 Display of Lines and Markers 184
Add new node to ~ 383
Relative Coordinates in Tracker 92 Distant Area 177
Bézier 382
Relative Floor Plan Range 164 Horizontal/Vertical Range 177
drawing 382
Relink 492 Place a Linked ~ Marker 180
editing 383
Relocate 492 Unlinked Marker 181
freehand geometry method 383
Report Window 70 updating 182
Modify ~ Path 383
Reset Texture 38 window status 178
Move tangent handle 382
Resize (Enlarge or Reduce) Elements 129 Select in 3D 211
Natural 382
Revert to Automatic Position 402 Select on Floor Plan 211
natural 382
Roof 240 Selection
unify 383
~ Pivot Lines (Show/Hide) 357 ~ Dots 79
Split Curtain Wall 307
Add Elements to ~ 78

ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide 539

Index

Split Drawing into Multiple Layouts 216 T title blocks 426

Splitting Elements 130 Tool Schemes 54
Teamwork
Split and Adjust Shortcut 131 Toolbars 49
~ Techniques 466
Stacking Order 142 Toolbox 47
~ Workflow 465
Bring Forward 142 customize 47
Administrator 459
Bring to Front 142 Top Direction 302
Archive file 470
Reset Default Order 142 Trace
Change My Workspace 462
Send Backward 142 Choose 148
Cutting the Element 468
Send to Back 142 Color/Visibility Options 149
Exclusive Access 460
Staggering 406 Compare with Active 151
Library Management 470
Stair Displace 153
My Views 464
Scale Sensitive 335 Display Order 152
Project Setup 459
StairMaker 335 Intensity 152
Public Views 464
Stairs 333 Make Fills and Zones Transparent 151
Security Options 461
based on Manually Drawn Elements 336 Move 149
Sending and Receiving Changes 465
Create New Stair 336 printing 440
Signing Out 466
Create Stair Using Selection 348 Related Commands 147
Strategies 477
Custom using Standard Stair Type 336 Show/Hide 147
Troubleshooting 473
Custom with StairMaker 335 Splitter 152
View Maps in ~ 464
displaying 334 Switch ~ with Active 150
View Only mode 460
Stories 157 Update 150
Working Inside the Reserved Area 463
Create a New Story 158 Trace & Reference Palette 147
Working Off-Line 470
Display in 3D 158 Trace Options 147
Working on a Local Copy 465
Display in Section/Elevation/IE 158 Tracker 91
Template Files 17
Navigate Among ~ 157 Coordinate Input 93
Text
Story Level Lines 159 Defining Tracker Coordinates 92
~ Editor 411
Story Editing Mode palette 160 Expert Options 94
Drag & Drop ~ 138
Stretch Parameters 92
see also Text Blocks 410
angular 380 Translucency 371
Text Blocks 410
Beams 125 Transparency in Shading 172
Applying Favorite Text Settings 412
Ellipse 380 Trim to Roof 249
breaking ~ 411
Height 129 Trim Zone 263
Formatting 412
Lines or Arcs 379 Trimming Elements 133
non-breaking ~ 411
Objects 316 TrussMaker 350
placing ~ 411
radial 380 editing trusses 350
Resizing Text 412
Slanted Columns 124 in Section/Elevation Windows 351
Text Formatting
Slanted Walls 124 on the Floor Plan 350
~ of Individual characters and paragraphs 412
Walls 123
~ Palette 411, 418
with Marquee 128
of Text Block Components 412
U
Stretch Trapezoid Wall 124
Text Window Find dialog box 422 Undo/Redo 113
Subsets 426
Textbox Handles 411 Uniform Frame Classes 284
Subtract Fill from Boundary 292
Text-Type Windows 421 Uniform Panel Classes 285
Subtract from Polygon 128
Textures 40 Unify Line-type elements 384
Sun cursor 84
3D Alignment 38 Unlock 141
Sun Study 529
Title Update Zones 265
SunObject 518
block 426 Dialog Box 265
Symbol Fills 31, 372
Drawing 431 Upload to Internet 444
Symbolic Cut 164
Type 431 User Preference Schemes 54
Symbolic with Overhead 164, 285
540 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide
 Index

V W
Vectorial Fill 31, 371
Vectorial Hatching 372
vertical range 190
View 71
modify ~ settings 74
save 73
Settings 73
View Map 71
Clone Folder 71
in Teamwork 464
Virtual Building 155
Virtual Reality 526
Virtual Trace 145
Visualization 513
Visualization Extras 525
VR Objects 526
VR Scenes 527
X
Wall 219 XREFs 494
chained 222 and Layer Structure 494
Complex Profiles 237 in Round-Trip Communication 495
curved 220 X-Y Only 390, 393
direction 219
Display 220 Z
Gable 226
Z-Buffer Rendering Engine 515
Intersections 226
Zone Area 264
Log 225
Zone Lists 452
Modify Wall 219
Zones 259
modifying slanted ~ 124
creating 261
Polygon 224
displaying in 3D 261
Priority 226
Trim to Another Element 263
rectangular 223
updating 265
Reference Lines 219
Zone Boundary 264
Slanted 225
Zone Categories 259
Trapezoid 223
Zone Stamp 260
Wall Ends 333
Zone Volume 264
WindowLight 518
Zoom 59
Windows
see Doors and Windows 326
Witness Line 389
modifying 401
Work Environment 53
~ Dialog Box 53
Apply a Scheme 56
Creating an Office-Standard ~ 56
Profiles 56
store customized Scheme 56
Working Inside the Reserved Area 463
Working Units & Levels 22
Worksheet 202
Boundary 201
Contents 203
Create ~ with Model Source 202
Define Reference for Linked Marker 181
Define Reference for Source Marker 177
Independent 204
Unlinked Marker 181
vs. Detail 202

ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide 541

Index

542 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide

 Index

ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide 543

Index

544 ArchiCAD 12 Reference Guide