Archicad Training Series Vol.3

ArchiCAD Training SeriesIntermediate ArchiCAD

Vol. 3

Credits

2

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Visit the GRAPHISOFT website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and product availability information.

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3(International English Metric Version)

Copyright 2014 by GRAPHISOFT, all rights reserved. Reproduction, paraphrasing or translation without express prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

TrademarksArchiCAD is a registered trademark of GRAPHISOFT. All other trademarks are the property

of their respective holders.

CreditsCourtesy of GRAPHISOFT

Contents

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CONTENTS

Introduction __________________________________________10ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Chapter 1 - Creating the Building Envelope ________________14Creating the Site __________________________________________ 17Importing Surveyor Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Creating a New Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Modeling the Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Creating Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Modeling Basic Building Structures __________________________ 29Creating Exterior Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Creating a Floor Slab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Creating Pavement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Creating a Curved Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Adding More External Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Creating New Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Creating a Single Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Trimming to a Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Creating a Veranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Creating Timber Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Placing Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Creating Rafters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Creating Collar Beams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Adding Terrace Slab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

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Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and Foundations _____________93Doors ____________________________________________________ 93Adding an Entrance Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Adding Sliding Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Multiplying Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Adding Internal Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Creating a New Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Creating the Floor Slab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Creating Partition Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Creating Internal doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Adding a Gallery Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Windows ________________________________________________ 118Adding Windows on the Ground Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Adding Windows on the Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Rectangular Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Modifying Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Changing Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Modifying Size in the 3D View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Resizing a Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Adding Skylights _________________________________________ 125Creating a Stair___________________________________________ 127Using Library Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Creating a Stair with StairMaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

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Foundation Structures ____________________________________ 137Creating Foundations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Creating Pad Foundations under the Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Chapter 3 - Creating Zones _____________________________144Zones ___________________________________________________ 144Zone Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Adding Automatic Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Adding a Manual Zone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Refining Zones in 3D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Changing Zone Appearance on Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Adding Zone Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Color Coding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Using Image Fills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Creating Image Fills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Changing Zone Stamp Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Chapter 4 - Adding Dimensions _________________________168Placing Dimensions on Floor Plan ___________________________ 168Automatic Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Editing Dimensions _______________________________________ 173Dimension Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Dragging Chains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Deleting a Full Chain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Adding Full Chains Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Adding Points Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Deleting Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

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Adding Radial Dimension__________________________________ 178Adding Level Dimensions __________________________________ 179On Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179On Section/Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Adding Dimension Points to a Level Dimension Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185Changing Markers In a Dimension Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Changing Dimension Text _________________________________ 187

Chapter 5 - Adding Accessory Elements __________________192Accessing Objects ________________________________________ 192Loading Objects and Libraries ______________________________ 193Adding a New Library to the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Adding Handrails _________________________________________ 194Placing External Handrails as Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Placing Internal Handrails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Creating Railing with Profiled Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Adding Furniture and Equipment ___________________________ 205Interior Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Exterior Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Chapter 6 - Details and Schedules _______________________214Cleaning Up Sections and Elevations ________________________ 214Solid Element Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Contents

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Adding Details ___________________________________________ 220Creating Linked Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Creating Unlinked Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Creating Schedules _______________________________________ 227ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Modifying an Existing Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Adding/Removing Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Changing an Element's Parameters from the List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Creating a New Element List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Creating a New Component List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Chapter 7 - Documentation ____________________________241Creating Views ___________________________________________ 242Creating a Folder in the View Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242Deleting a Folder in the View Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243View Settings ____________________________________________ 244Modify View Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245Element-level Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245View Dependent Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2463D Documents from Floor Plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Chapter 8 - Visualization _______________________________261Saving a View Directly in 3D________________________________ 261Creating Rendered Views __________________________________ 264CineRender Engine & White Model Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265Sketch Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

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Internal Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270CineRender Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274Refining Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282Adding Lights ___________________________________________ 287ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Chapter 9 - Sharing Your Design ________________________294Traditional (2D) Formats ___________________________________ 294Creating a Layout Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Changing Section/Elevation Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295Changing Drawing Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304Changing Master Layout of Existing Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307Creating New Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311Layout Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315Creating and Using a Custom Master Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Publishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326Publisher Set Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327Creating New Publisher Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

BIM-Based Documentation ________________________________ 331IFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Contents

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Chapter 10 - Revision Management _____________________339First Issue _______________________________________________ 339Creating Changes_________________________________________ 342Issuing __________________________________________________ 347Revision History __________________________________________ 353ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

New Issues_______________________________________________ 356

Introduction

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IntroductionWelcome to the ArchiCAD Training Series!

This Guide is part of the ArchiCAD Training Series, which currently includes the following materials:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Vol. 1, The ArchiCAD BIM Concept

Vol. 2, Basic ArchiCAD

Vol. 3, Intermediate ArchiCAD

Vol. 4, Advanced ArchiCAD

Vol. 5, Using Teamwork

You are now reading Vol. 3, Intermediate ArchiCAD a comprehensive hands-on training to familiarize you with the advanced modeling and documentation tools of ArchiCAD. This guide is meant for basic ArchiCAD users. We strongly recommend that you complete Training Series Vol. 1 and 2 before starting this one.

Contents of this guide:

Training guide e-book: The PDF guide includes detailed explanation of every step, with several screen shots.

ArchiCAD project file: The preset training file will help your learning process. Preset project views help you to navigate between different steps thus you can focus on the core knowledge.

Movie clips: Narrated movie clips are available on the YouTube channel for GRAPHISOFT ArchiCAD (www.youtube.com/user/Archicad) providing step-by-step instructions for each step of the training guide. The ArchiCAD YouTube Channel can also be accessed from the Help menu of ArchiCAD. Enter the name of this Training Guide in the search field to locate the related videos.

You must have ArchiCAD 18 installed on your computer to use this guide. This e-book and the movie clips were made with the English language version of ArchiCAD. For your convenience we recommend you to download and use the same version for practicing.

Introduction

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If you do not have ArchiCAD yet, please visit myarchicad.com to obtain a free ArchiCAD installer:

If you are a student, a teacher or a representative of a school, register and download a fully functional Education Version of ArchiCAD for Students and Teachers.

If you are a professional architect, register and download a fully functional 30-day trial version of ArchiCAD. Projects saved with this TRIAL version can be automatically upgraded to FULL versions upon purchase of a commercial license.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Please contact your local distributor for purchasing commercial ArchiCAD licenses: www.graphisoft.com/info/where_to_buy

How to use this training material?

Install the required ArchiCAD version.

Open the PDF Guide.

Open the related movie clips from the GRAPHISOFT ArchiCAD Youtube Channel.

Follow the instructions given in the PDF guide and the videos.

We hope you will find this training useful and wish you success with your future ArchiCAD projects!

Good Luck!

The GRAPHISOFT Team

Introduction

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Now, lets see the project we are going to create.

1 Double click the ArchiCAD application icon on your desktop to start ArchiCAD. The ArchiCAD splash screen and shortly after the Start ArchiCAD 18 dialog box will appear, providing various options.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Introduction

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2 In the Set up Work Environment pop-up list, select Standard Profile 18.

3 Select the Open a Project and Browse for a Solo Project options and then select the Browse button to open an ArchiCAD project file.

4 Select the TS03_complete.pla project file in the training project folder and click the Open button to open the file of the final project. When the Open Archive Project message prompts, choose Read elements directly from archive and click Open.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

In the Navigator, use the View Map to open some floor plans, sections and 3D views.

If you feel ready for the task ahead of us, move on to Chapter 1 to create the project from zero.

Chapter 1 - Creating the Building Envelope

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Chapter 1 - Creating the Building EnvelopeIn this chapter we will start the project using 2D site information and then model the basic ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

building envelope: e.g. creating a floor slab and adding some walls and columns to our project. While these are all really simple operations, they will underscore some important core design concepts:

All ArchiCAD building elements are real 3D objects: you might create a wall or slab in the floor plan view, but their 3D view is also at hand immediately and at any time. This enables users to view the project in its own 3D environment (instant, real-time 3D feedback) and to make better, more informed design decisions.

ArchiCAD enables the creation of a fully integrated project information database: design development can be done in any view - plan, 3D views, etc. - all other views will be automatically and immediately updated. No tedious, iterative process is required from the designer. This is the true power of the Virtual BuildingTM design concept.


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Create a new project by selecting the File > New > New command. In the appearing dialog, select Use a Template: ArchiCAD 18 Template, select the Standard Profile 18 and click the New button. Choose Don't save if the Save Changes dialog appears.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

A new project is created based on the standard template of ArchiCAD. This template already contains layers, fills, materials, and composites to help you from the very beginning. Later on, you may also create your own template to fit your own design and office standards.

Save the project to a location where you will easily find it later.

Lets change the default working units from millimeters to meters. This will not scale the model, but affects data input.


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1 Open Options > Project Preferences > Working UnitsArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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2 Set the Model Unit to meter and its Decimals to 2. Click OK.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Creating the Site

Importing Surveyor DataUsually, buildings are designed to physical locations, therefore orientation and geographical parameters provide the initial context of the design. ArchiCAD is capable of importing various data formats to enable the architects to use it as native building environment. For example point clouds, Google Earth terrain or simple DWG/DWF files.

In the exercise, we will follow the most typical workflow for how architects and surveyors work together - we will import a DWG file to model the site.


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Creating a New Worksheet

In ArchiCAD a dedicated workspace called Worksheet is available to manage all external 2D data.

1 Open Navigator - Project MapArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

and right-click on the Worksheets item. Select New Independent Worksheet...

and set ID as W-01 and name as Site. Click Create.


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The worksheet opens automatically. Now you can import the DWG data and place it into the project. There are two ways of using 2D data in the project depending on whether the data may change or not. If you expect that the data may change during the project, use the Xref method. This way, there is a living connection between the original external file and the ArchiCAD project, which ensures that in case the external file changes, you can simply update the content. If the data does not change during the full project lifecycle, you can also merge the content into the ArchiCAD project. In this case all elements will be converted into native ArchiCAD elements, and ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

can be edited in the future.

2 Now select File > External Content > Attach Xref


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3 In the appearing dialog, click Browse... on top to locate the W 01 Site.dwg file. Set the options as below:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

4 Click Attach and click Skip to select font files if prompted.


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5 Now place the drawing inside the project. Choose default origin point of ArchiCAD marked with an x sign as the deployment point of the Xref-ed dwg. In the upcoming DWG/DXF Partial Open dialog leave all layers checked and click OK.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Click any elements. The linework is selected with faded nodes. This means that it is not editable, because it is part of another file.

The status of the attached Xrefs can be monitored below File > External Content > Xref Manager.... If the original Xref changes you can update it by reloading it from this dialog.


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Modeling the TerrainWe will use the lines as base geometry for our terrain mesh.

Switch to Navigator - Project Map > 0. Ground Floor.

1 Right-click the W-01 Site worksheet in the Navigator and choose Show as Trace Reference to select it as a traced view.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 Click the arrow next to the Trace and Reference button in the toolbar and choose Trace & Reference from the bottom of the list to open the Trace & Reference palette.


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3 Open the settings of the Reference, check the All Types checkbox and click Apply Settings to all References to ensure that the trace will always behave the same way.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

4 Close the palette.

Note: If you still cannot see the lines, their layers may be hidden. Open the Layer Settings dialog by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+L, scroll down in the list of layers. The layers of the Xref are separated from the native ArchiCAD layers. Click the eye icons to make them visible. Click OK.


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Creating Mesh

1 Activate the Mesh tool (click the Mesh tool icon in the Toolbox so that it will be active) and double-click on its icon.

2 The Mesh Settings dialog opens. Set the mesh properties as follows:

Mesh Height: 2,00 metersArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Home Story to 0. Ground Floor and Elevation to Project Zero to -0,10

Select Solid Body as Structure

Set Soil as Building Material

Uncheck Cover Fills in the Floor Plan and Section panel

Override Top Surface with Grass - Green

Select All Ridges Sharp.

Tags and Categories: if you are going to communicate your design to any engineers who work with 3D applications, you have to fill in these fields, so the external application can recognize them properly. Set Structural Function as Non-Load-Bearing Element and Position as Exterior.


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Click OK.


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3 Select the Rectangular geometry method in the Info Box, and click the two opposite points of the site rectangle to create a mesh.

4 Select the mesh with Shift + click (activate the Mesh tool if deactivated).ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

5 Space + click (hold down the space bar on your keyboard and click with the mouse cursor) on the curved level lines one by one to add them to the mesh. Select Fit to User Ridges in the New Mesh Points dialog.


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6 To set the height of the points of the mesh that are on the same height level select the mesh and click on a node of the second line from the right (line in the middle):

When the Pet palette appears, click Elevate Mesh Point. Set Height to 0,50 and check the Apply to All checkbox, so that all nodes on this line will be elevated to the same height. Click OK.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Repeat this action with the line on the right and set the Elevate Mesh Point to 1,00.


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Now elevate the two corners on the right one by one. Click on the upper corner. Select Elevate Mesh Point again and set 1,00 as the Height but leave the Apply to All checkbox unchecked, otherwise all points of the rectangle would rise. Repeat this with the corner below. The result should look like this:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

With the mesh selected right-click, and select Show Selection/Marquee in 3D to check its shape. Click on the Fit in window button in the bottom of the screen if it is not fully visible.


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Go to View and click Editing Plane Display to turn off the editing plane if it is displayed.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Modeling Basic Building Structures

Creating Exterior WallsWalls can have multiple skins representing the real structure, including the load bearing structures, insulation, and finishing. Out of the box, ArchiCAD contains a set of fills and composites, but now we will create our own composite structure representing the exterior wall of the building. The needed skin order from outside to inside is:

10 cm white brick finish

10 cm rigid insulation

25 cm masonry block

2 cm plaster


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The white brick material does not exist by default, so we will have to create it ourselves.

1 Go to Options > Element Attributes > Building Materials....

In the upcoming dialog on the left you can see the list of the building materials used in the project. Each material is simulating a real material has a so-called intersection priority setting. These priority settings will control how our junctions will appear later when two constructions collide.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

The higher priority a material has, the more important it will be in a junction. On the right you can assign cut fills to the materials for 2D representation and surfaces for 3D. You can see a preview of these settings in front of the building material name in the list as well.

Select an existing material - Brick - Finish - and click New... in the bottom and duplicate the existing material.

In the upcoming dialog choose Duplicate and set a name - Brick - Finish (white) and click OK.

Change the Cut Fill Foreground Pen color to 161 and surface to Brick - White Natural.

Click OK to close the dialog.


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2 Open Options > Element Attributes > Composites....ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Select the composite, which fits the best to the needed skin structure: 215 Block Insulated Cavity Plastered.

Click Duplicate... and set a new descriptive name: Exterior Wall.

Select the Brick skin and change its building material to Brick - Finish (white), by pressing the arrow button next to the skin name and selecting it.

Delete the Air Space skin by selecting it and clicking on the Remove Skin button.

Change Insulation - Plastic Hard to Insulation - Mineral Hard and thickness to 0,10.

Change the Concrete Block - Structural skin to Masonry Block - Structural and its thickness to 0,25.

Change the thickness of the Plaster - Gypsum to 0,02.


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Composite skins may represent different structural functions, like load-bearing, finishing or others. You can set this up skin-by-skin in the Edit Skin and Line Structure panel.

Click OK.

Note: Composites can be also assigned to other structures, like slabs and shells. This particular structure is typical for walls, but by clicking on the Use With icons you can assign the composites to other building structures too. Later on, the composite structure will appear in the settings dialog of the assigned element types only.


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Now, lets define the walls settings.

1 Switch to Navigator - Project Map > 0. Ground Floor and deselect the mesh if still selected.

2 Activate the Wall tool and open its Settings dialog.

3 Set the Wall settings as follows:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Set the Wall Top linked to 2. Story and 1,00 as Top offset to Top Linked Story. This function will make sure that the wall height will automatically follow story height changes. The wall will model both the ground floor and the 1st floor walls.

Set the Bottom offset to Home Story to -0,10, because it will start on top of the foundation structure that we will model later.

With the Composite structure selected, choose the Exterior Wall composite.

Set the Reference Line to Core Inside.

In the Floor Plan and Section panel set Floor Plan Display as: All Relevant Stories, Projected with Overhead, Entire Element. This way the whole wall will be visible (even parts above floor plan cut plane) on all relevant stories.


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Open the Tags and Categories panel. Set the tags as Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Wall:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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We would like to add custom data and comply with standards when classifying our elements and use standard compliant terminology. There are many properties, but only a few visible in the Tags and Categories panel by default. The availability of these can be set by clicking Manage IFC Properties....

Note: If we would like to know which properties are necessary to be filled out for a specific standard, click Cancel and close the Wall Default Settings dialog by clicking ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

OK for now. Open File > File Special > IFC 2x3 > IFC Scheme Setup... to import a scheme that will contain the necessary properties. Click Import... and browse for the Concept Design BIM 2010.xml file. Click Open and Continue in the upcoming dialog. The properties visible in the element settings are all that need to be filled out for standard compliance.

Now we have to define the properties. Click Manage IFC Properties... in the Tags and Categories panel.

Click Apply Predefined Rule....


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Select OmniClass, Table 21 - Elements and type exterior wall in the search field and click the Search button. Select Exterior Walls in the result list and click Apply.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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The predefined values will appear in the Classification References and will contain several values that are necessary for compliance. You can check these by clicking the button next to the value field.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Click OK twice to close the dialogs.


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4 Select the Rectangular geometry method in the Info Box and click the two marked points to create the walls. For this action it is highly recommended to turn off the grid display by View > Grid Display, because the grid line and the dashed lines we need cover each other. Later we can turn the grid on again.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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5 Press Fn+F4 on MAC or Ctrl+F5 on Windows to show all in 3D.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Note: When drawing the line of a wall, after the first click a heavy black line follows the cursor like a rubber band. This line is the reference line of the wall and the width of the wall is measured from this reference line. The reference line connects walls smoothly and helps locating the walls with the cursor.


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Creating a Floor SlabFirst let's create a composite again, open Options > Element Attributes > Composites....

Select Concrete Floor Insulated with 10mm Tile and click Duplicate.

Add a name: Concrete Floor Insulated with 10mm Tile on Ground and click OK.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Change the thickness of the Concrete skin to 0,06, remove the bottom Plaster - Gypsum skin and click OK to close the dialog.


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Now we can create our slab, the walls define the size and shape of the slab.

1 Activate the Slab tool and open its settings.

2 Set its properties as follows:

Select Concrete Floor Insulated with 10mm Tile on Ground as composite structure cut fill.

Set Reference Plane to Top.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

On the Model panel activate Top Override Surface with Wood - Pine Grained Horizontal. Overriding surfaces is advantageous if we have the same structure with different appearance, for example walls with different paints. In this case it is not necessary to recreate the composite with different building materials, we can override the default surface.

Set the tags as Load-Bearing Element, Exterior and Slab. By default, slabs have FLOOR as PredefinedType (Attribute), which is good for us now. Click OK.


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3 Select the Rectangular geometry method in the Info Box.


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4 Hold the Space bar and move the cursor towards the bottom on the exterior side of the walls. This activates the Magic Wand feature that can recognize closed contours. Click when the plane indicator turns into a darker gray close to the bottom of the wall and the slab will immediately appear in the middle and at a correct elevation. Naturally, slabs can always be placed on the floor plan view.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Creating Pavement

We model the sidewalk area on the Floor plan with the Slab tool as well. Lets assume that the correct skin settings are not available in the current project, but we used the right composite in another project before. In this case, we can import existing composites from other files. Lets see an example.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Adding a composite from an existing project

1 Open Options > Element Attributes > Attribute Manager....


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In this dialog, on the left side you can review all attribute-like properties in one place, like layers, materials, composites, etc. The check mark next an attribute indicates if it is currently in use in the project. On the right side, you can open the attribute set of another project, browse, and add additional attributes to the current project. Open the Composites tab page of the dialog.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 Click the Open button and browse Existing Project.pln. Click Open: the composites appear on the right side.


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3 Select Exterior Pavement and uncheck All Associated Attributes checkbox - so only the composite will be created, but fills and surfaces linked to it will not be duplicated - and click 0. Ground Floor.

2 Activate the Slab tool and set the settings as follows:

Set 0. Ground Floor as Home Story and Offset to Home Story (as well Reference Plane Elevation to Project Zero) to -0,05.


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Choose the Exterior Pavement as cut composite fill.

Override the top and side materials and choose Pavement - Brick Moss and no override for the bottom surface.

Set the tags to Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Site Geometry.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Choose Site & Landscape - Terrain as layer.


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3 Click OK.

4 Select the Polygonal geometry method.

5 Click the marked linework intersection points to define the exterior pavement.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

6 Open the 3D window to see the result. Now we need a hole in the area of the building.

7 Select the pavement slab, and activate the Slab tool. Click on any edge to display the Pet palette. This palette contains all editing commands available for the selected element. Select the Subtract from Polygon command and the Rectangular geometry method in the Info Box.

8 Click on the outer corners on the top of the exterior walls.


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Note that even though you pick a point on the top of the wall, it is projected to the level of the slab automatically. Once you click the second point, a hole is created in the pavement slab.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Creating a Curved WallNow, we will create some more walls.

Using Favorites

Instead of setting all the parameters for the newly created elements all the time, you can also save and re-use parameters by defining Favorites. Similar to attributes, later on you can export and import the favorite settings between projects.

You can apply the favorite settings to existing elements, as well as using them as a basis for new elements.


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You can access the favorites using the Favorites palette.

1 Deselect all and choose Window > Palettes > Favorites.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 By default you can see some predefined favorites available. If a tool is activated, the list will show the relevant favorites only.

Lets assume that we want to use a Favorite we created in a former project. Next to the Name header, click the arrow icon to display the available options. Click the Load Favorites... item. Search and select the Existing Favorites.prf file.

3 Click Open. In the upcoming dialog click Merge to append the additional favorites to the current project. Select the Wall tool: the Exterior Wall (Slanted) will appear in the Favorites list. Close the Favorites palette.


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Creating a curved wall

1 Open the 0. Ground Floor plan.

2 Open the Wall Settings dialog. Click on the Favorites button at the top.

Select Exterior Wall (Slanted) and click Apply. Note that the parameter settings changed in the Settings dialog. This will be solid stone wall with one side slanted.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Set the Building Material to Stone - Structural and Show Projection to Entire Element on the Floor Plan and Section panel. Click OK.


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3 Select the Single geometry method and the reference line on the Outside Face in the Info Box. First, we create a straight segment 2 meters from the existing wall, then we will modify it. To find the precise locations, we will use guide lines.

4 Hover your cursor over the edge of the longer wall segment until an orange spot appears. Click on the spot and drag the line by the dot towards the pavement. Type 2, the value will appear in the Tracker. Press Enter. If not visible, the Tracker can be activated from the ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Standard Toolbar by pressing the Show/Hide Tracker button.


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5 Draw the wall between the intersection points of the guide line and the traced dashed lines starting from the left side.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

6 Select the slanted wall. Click on the right side endpoint.

7 Select the Stretch command in the Pet palette and move the endpoint downwards.

Hold down the Shift key while moving the cursor downwards and type d1 (release Shift when typing the numbers), to define the endpoint a meter below its original position. Press Enter.


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8 Now click on the reference line and select the Curve edge icon on the Pet palette. Move the cursor upwards, and type 30 in the Tracker as radius. Hit Enter.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Adding More External Walls

1 To pick up the parameters of elements and set them as default, activate the eyedropper button in the Standard Toolbar. The cursor will change to an eyedropper (you can also use the shortcut Alt + click to activate this option). Now pick up the settings of the closed external wall.

2 Move the eyedropper above the external wall, so that it will be highlighted and the Tracker will provide you with some brief details about the wall. Click on the wall. Note that the Wall tool will be activated in the Toolbox and the Info Box will also refer to the wall.

Note: In the case of multiple elements placed above each other, you can always switch between them with the Tab key. Make sure that you found the external wall with the eyedropper cursor.


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3 Open the wall settings and set:

Wall Top to 1. Story (Home + 1)

Top offset to Top Linked Story to 0,00.

Click OK.

4 Draw the front and the back walls of the entrance enclosure with the help of guide lines ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

created 1,8 meters from the outside edge of the wall. Use Core Inside reference line and draw the wall downwards on the left side and upwards on the right side. Make sure the new walls connect the existing reference lines.

Note: You can also create these walls at a specific distance from the corner without the guide lines. Move the cursor over the corner until it changes to a checkmark, then type x 1,8+. The tracker will appear and the cursor will jump on the X axis by 1,8 meters. Hit enter to place the first endpoint of the wall. Type x 1,8- for the other wall.


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Adjusting Skin Priorities

You can see that some skins of the multi-layer wall intersect the stone wall and some layers of the external wall do not intersect correctly. This is because the skin priorities are not set correctly. The bigger the priority number, the stronger the wall or wall skin will be when it comes to intersection with other walls. You can set the priority between 0 and 999.

You can set skin priorities by building materials.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

1 Select the brick wall and open Options > Element Attributes > Building Materials. The materials the composite uses will be highlighted in the list.

Select the Masonry block - Structural skin, and check its priority. It is 730, which means that the stone wall must have an equal or higher priority number to avoid unneeded intersections.

Set the priority of the Stone - Structural material up to at least 730.

Click OK.

Now the walls appear correctly.


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Creating New StoriesOur training project will have three stories: the existing Ground Floor on which weve already worked, a Gallery and a Foundation that we will create now and the Roof.

1 Open Design > Story Settings... dialog box.

By default ArchiCAD creates the project with 3 stories. Select the third story (No. 2.) and name ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

it Roof.

Lets rename the 1st to Gallery and enter 3,00 m as the Elevation Height and leave Height to Next to 3,20.

With the Ground Floor item selected, click the Insert Below button to insert a new story below the existing Ground Floor, type Foundation and enter -1,00 as Elevation.

Click OK.

Note: You can also access the Story Settings dialog box by right-clicking any of the stories in the Navigator - Project Map and selecting Story Settings from the context menu.


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Creating a Single RoofLets add now a semi-pitched roof to the building with wide overhangs supported by columns to create a veranda.

1 Open the 1. Gallery story.

2 Activate the Roof tool and adjust its settings as follows:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Pivot Height (Pivot Line Offset to Home Story): 1,00 m

Composite fill: Roof Aluminium

Select the Single-plane geometry method and set an angle of 18 degrees

Edge angle: Perpendicular

Floor Plan and Section: All Relevant Stories, Projected with Overhead and Entire Element

Top surface: Roof - Corrugated Sheet Matte, side and bottom: Wood - Pine Grained Horizontal

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Roof

Layer: Shell - Roof


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3 Click OK.

4 First construct a pitched roof by defining its pivot line by clicking on the internal corners of the masonry skin on the lower x directional exterior wall.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

5 Define the direction of the slope by clicking above the previously defined pivot line with the eye-shaped cursor.


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6 Draw the perimeter of the roof (which is its projection to the horizontal plane) using the external corners of the exterior wall.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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7 Click a corner hotspot of the selected roof and offset all edges, so that the corners hit the intersection point of the traced dashed lines.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Trimming to a Roof

Activate the 3D window view on the Navigator. You can see that the tops of the walls are not aligned to the roof. Now we will trim them to the right height.


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1 Select the walls by Shift + clicking on one of them. The walls are grouped, so if you have Suspend Groups off, which is a default setting (from the Standard Toolbar), one selection will select all four exterior walls.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 Right-click and select Connect > Trim Elements to Roof/Shell.

3 Click anywhere on the roof. The empty roof icon turns black if the program finds a selectable element.


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4 Click the side of the walls you want to keep.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

The walls are now associatively trimmed to the roof. If you change the roof geometry or sloping angle, the walls will be updated automatically.


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Note: Later on you can review and manage the connections between the elements very easily. If you select an element which has connections, an icon appears on its surface. Click on the icon to get a list of current connections. You can highlight the intended elements as well as delete the connections together or one by one.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Creating a Veranda

We would like to create a veranda at the back part of our building. To do so, we will have to offset the roof and the bottom slab as well.

We could perform these actions one-by-one, but instead we will exploit a smart ArchiCAD feature, the Multi-Element Editing.


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Simply select the roof and the external slab and click on an edge of the slab. Use the Offset Edge action on the Pet palette and simply modify both elements at the same step. Offset the edges, type 2,5 in the Tracker and hit Enter.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Note: Multi-Element Editing works with all polygon-based elements except Morph and Shell. This way you can easily cut holes through multiple slabs, roofs or even meshes, move adjacent edges of elements, resize windows, etc. in a single step. The elements can be of different types during editing.


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Creating Timber Structures

Placing Columns

Next we place four columns to create a veranda on the south side of the building. The first and the last column will align with the axis of the two walls and they will be equally distributed and parallel to the front wall.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

1 Switch to the 0. Ground Floor in the Navigator - Project Map.

2 Activate the Column tool.

3 Open the settings dialog and set parameters as follows:

Column Top: Not linked

Column Height: 3,15

Bottom Elevation to Project Zero: -0,05

Structure: Rectangular

Size 0,20x0,20

Building Material: Timber - Structural

Anchor Point of Core: Middle

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Column

Layer: Structural - Bearing


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Click OK.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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4 Place the column on the intersection point of the dashed lines.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

5 Select the column and multiply it by activating the Multiply command from the context menu: right-click and choose the Move > Multiply... command. Alternatively you can use the Edit > Move > Multiply... menu command.


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6 Choose Drag as the multiply action, and enter 3 for the number of copies. Now select the Distribute multiply method.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Click OK.


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7 Click the center point of the column, and with the Shift key pressed move the cursor to the intersection point on the opposite side. Click to place the 3 new columns.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

8 Hit Esc to deselect the columns. Check the result in 3D.


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Creating Rafters

Now lets continue with the rafters.

1 Switch back to the 0. Ground Floor.

2 Activate the Section tool in the Toolbox and draw a section line vertically, approximately in ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

the middle of the building. Click with the eye cursor to the left of the section line. The section automatically appears in the Section list of the Navigator.


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3 Double click on the section in the Navigator to open it. There is a problem now: the walls intersect with the roof. To solve this we have to change the priority of a roof skin. Select the roof and open Options > Element attributes > Building Materials... and set the priority of Air Space - Frame to 735 to make it higher than the building materials of the wall. This building material is the bottom layer of the roof composite.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

4 We will take advantage of the automatic surface recognition when placing the first rafter. Switch to the 3D window and select the roof and open its settings. Turn off surface override for the edge surfaces. Click OK. The skins of the roof are now visible.

5 Activate the Beam tool. Set its settings as follows:

Beam Height/Width: 0,20

Reference Axis Offset: 0,10

Inclined method, 18 degrees

Building Material: Timber - Structural

Floor Plan Display: Home Story Only, Projected with Overhead and Entire Element

Uncheck Show Reference Axis

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Beam


We have not set the elevation of the beam since we will leave automatic surface recognition do the job instead.


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Click OK.


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6 Select the Single geometry method in the Info Box, and place the beam along the top plane of the Air Space - Frame skin by clicking the bottom and top corners.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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7 Turn on surface override again for the roof when done.

8 Open the Gallery plan. Select the already drawn rafter, right-click on it and select Move > Multiply.

9 In the Multiply dialog, enter 12 for Number of copies, choose the Distribute method and click OK.

10 Click the top-left corner of the rafter. Then hold down the Shift key to constrain mouse movement horizontally and click the top-left corner of the roof.


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11 Click anywhere on the empty screen or press Esc to remove selection of newly created elements.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

12 Open the 3D window to see the result. Use the Orbit and Explore commands to navigate and check the section as well.


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Creating Collar Beams

We also need some horizontal beams.

1 Switch to the Gallery plan and activate the Beam tool.

2 The collar beams have similar parameters like the rafter, the only main difference is that these ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

are horizontal. Lets pick up the properties of the existing beams with the Pipette .

3 Now open the settings dialog and change the parameters as follows:

Horizontal

Reference Axis Offset: 0

Leave Height to Project Zero as for the rafters

Click OK.

4 Draw the beam on the floor plan from one side of the roof to the other on the dashed line - this is also the axis of the columns below.


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5 Open the section to check the result.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

The position of the beam and the rafters is OK now, so lets simply drag a copy of this beam in the section by using the context menu Move > Drag a Copy command. Drag the beam by its upper right corner and move it to the position as marked below.


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6 Drag another copy for the last beam as well. For precise placement create a Guide Line by hovering the cursor over the bottom edge of the rafters and click the orange dot. Move the copy of the beam to the following position.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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7 Switch back to 3D and check the result. The columns are still too high compared to the collar beam, so lets select them all and shorten them at the same time by using the Stretch height command of the Pet palette. Set the height to the bottom corner of the beam.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Note: If you turn off the display of Beams in the View > Elements in 3D view > Filter and Cut Elements in 3D dialog, you will see that the beams and walls are connected automatically and there are holes in the place of beams as the Timber - Structural building material has higher priority than the wall materials. These connections will be considered when creating bill of materials as well.


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Adding Terrace SlabNavigate to the terrace side of the building. There is a missing slab.

1 Open the 1. Gallery level in the Navigator - Project Map and activate the Slab tool. Set the settings as follows:

Offset to Home Story: 0,00ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Home Story: 1. Gallery

Composite: Flat Roof

Reference Plane: Top

Surfaces: Tiles - White Matte 1515, Brick - White Natural, Paint - Glossy White

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Slab



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Click OK.


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2 Select the Polygonal geometry method at the Info Box.

3 Activate 3D Cutaway on the Standard Toolbar.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Open the section and drag a horizontal 3D cutting plane from top and position it on the top-level of the short walls (+3,00).


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4 Change to 3D Window again and start to draw the terrace slab by clicking the exterior corners of the short wall segments. Click only the four corners of the slab, we will add the curve later. Make sure that the straight, longer side goes along the internal side of the core skin of the exterior wall (the reference line).ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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5 After clicking the fourth corner, select the slab and click the edge that needs to be curved.The pet palette appears, choose the Curve Edge button and click on the inner side of the curved stone wall.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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6 Further offset the curved edge of the slab towards to the Stone wall by 0,15.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

7 Switch off the 3D Cutting Plane by toggling on the Toolbar.

The result is almost OK, but the texture on the slab is rotated, lets make it aligned with the wall.


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8 Select the slab and open Design > Align 3D Texture > Reset.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Note that there are further options to position the texture in 3D.


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9 As a last step, select the slab, right-click and choose Edit Selected Composite.... In the Composite Structures dialog change the thickness of the Insulation - Fiber Hard to 0,20. Click OK to close the dialog.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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In This Chapter

You created the basic envelope of the building using:

External DWG data for the terrain.

Exterior walls with different construction methods.

Slab with Magic Wand.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Roof with associative connection to the exterior walls.

Wood structures with the use of guide lines to get special intersection points.

Slab tool for pavement and floor slabs.

Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and Foundations

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Chapter 2 - Openings, Stairs and FoundationsIts now time to further develop the design by adding openings to the building. Lets first add an external door to the project.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

ArchiCADs door, window and skylight objects are intelligent library parts; with a tremendous range of configuration and setting options due to their parametric behavior. This accelerates your work, makes the management of the project easier and allows you to design instead of drafting.

This means in practice for example that you do not need to delete and look for another window object if you want to change its size, sill height, adjust its frame, sash, oversize, board or casing properties. You can even specify shutter options using various shutters and glazing types, and choose from a variety of handles. All these are available and valid for the very same window object.

Doors

Adding an Entrance Door1 In the 3D view navigate to see the entrance area of the building.

2 Activate the Door tool, and open its Settings dialog by double-clicking on its icon on the Toolbox or Info box.

Doors are GDL objects and have parameters to control their appearance and behavior in the project. Open the Hinged Door Settings panel and use the arrow buttons to display the settings in thematically grouped format. These settings affect the 3D and 2D properties of the door.


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3 Type asymmetric in the search field at the top left of the dialog, to find all available asymmetric doors.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

4 Select the Double Door Asymmetric 18 door object in the result list.

5 Set parameters as follows:

Width: 1,50

Height: 2,40

Anchor: Sill to Story 0 to 0,00 (Select Relink Anchor Story from the roll down list and select 0. Ground Floor)

Anchor Point: Center


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Reveal to Wall Core: -0,10 (the thickness of the insulation). To change from Wall Face press the little arrow button on the right.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

On the Hinged Door Settings > General Settings page uncheck Casing Out and Casing In and choose Normal threshold.


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Set a value of 1,00 on the Shape page of the Hinged Door Settings panel.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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On the Door Leaf Type and Handle page select a leaf (Style 20).ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Select No mullions on the Side Panel page.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Tags and Categories: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Door.

Click OK.

6 With Special Snap Points > Half option selected, move the cursor over the wall segment.


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7 Click the appearing snap point at the bottom to place the door. The outline of the door appears in the wall. Now move the cursor to pick the external side and the right side (indicated with a dashed line).ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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The final door in the wall:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

You can also check the result on the floor plan. Select the door and click Flip on the Info Box, so that the door will open inwards.


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Adding Sliding DoorsWe need some additional doors facing the veranda.

1 Switch to the 0. Ground floor.

2 Open the Door settings and type sliding in the search field to find the sliding doors in the library.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

3 Select the Sliding Door 18 and set its settings:

Size: 3,00/2,40

Anchor: Side 2

Sill to Story 0: 0,00

Reveal to Wall Core: -0,10

No casing in the Sliding Door Settings > General Settings


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Click OK.


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4 Place doors on the left and right vertical walls starting right in the corner and one in the horizontal wall.

Place the sliding door into the vertical wall by clicking on the intersection point of the traced dashed line and the external surface of the wall. This defines the external side, now click on the upper left side of the door to define the opening direction.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Before placing the door into the horizontal wall, change the anchor to Side 1. Define the external side by clicking the intersection point of the dashed line and the wall face and click to the lower right side to define the opening direction.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Use this anchor to place the other vertical door, click the upper right corner for the correct opening direction.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Multiplying Doors1 Select the sliding door in the horizontal wall segment.

2 Click on its upper right corner to bring up the Pet palette.

3 Click the Multiply icon to bring up the dialog.


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4 Set 2 as number of copies and Distribute as method. Click OK.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

5 Click the same corner point of the door, then click the intersection of the traced dashed line and the wall face to distribute the sliding doors evenly.

6 Hit Esc to remove selection.


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Note: You can change the 3D opening angle independently to the 2D representation. This way you can use the same element for visualization purposes. Select a sliding door and grab the opening hotspot to define an opening width.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Check that there are no changes on floor plan.


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Adding Internal DoorsTo place internal doors, first we have to model some internal structures like the floor slab and partition walls.

Now we have too many structures visible, which results in overlapping on the Gallery level.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Creating a New Layer

1 Change to the 1. Gallery floor plan.

2 The roof and rafters hide a big part out of the walls. Lets open Document > Floor Plan Cut Plane and modify Cut Plane height to Current Story to 0,80 from 1,10.


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3 The terrace slab is visible above the stone wall. Select the wall, right-click and choose Display Order > Bring Forward.

Creating the Floor Slab

1 Activate the Slab tool and set the followings:

Offset to Home Story: 0,00

Home Story: 1. Gallery

Composite: Concrete Floor with Parquet

Reference Plane: Top

Surfaces: Floorboards - 03, Paint - Glossy White, Paint - Glossy White

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Slab


Click OK.


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2 We will place a slab which covers half of the space. Use the Rectangular geometry method and click the following points:

the external top left corner of the core skin in the exterior wall

the external halving point of the core on the right vertical wallArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

When finished select the new slab, right-click and select Display Order > Send to Back to hide the edges of the slab behind the wall structure.

3 Check the section to see the results.

4 Change the priority value of Insulation - Fiber Hard (insulation of the flat roof ) to 645 from 420 so it would go below the brick skin.


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Creating Partition Walls

We need some partition walls.

1 Open the 0. Ground floor.

2 Activate the Wall tool and set the settings as follows:

Wall Top linked to 1. Gallery (Home + 1)ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,46 - so the wall will end below the story level by the thickness of the slab.

Bottom Elevation (to Project Zero): -0,05

Reference Line Offset: 0,00

Home Story: 0. Ground Floor

Composite fill: Stud Partition

Floor Plan and Section: All Relevant Stories, Projected with Overhead, Entire Element

Override Outside and Inside Face Surfaces: Paint - Glossy White

Tags: Non-Load-Bearing, Interior, Wall, IFC property: Interior Partitions (Manage IFC Properties > Apply Predefined Rules > OmniClass > search Interior Partitions)

Layer: Interior - Partition

Click OK.


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3 Select the Single geometry method and Core Center reference line method and draw a Y-directional segment from the mid point of the stone wall. The wall will intersect with the stone wall as well, which is not correct so open the Composite Structures dialog again and replace the Air Space - Frame skin to Air Space.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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4 Select the wall, right-click and choose Move > Drag a Copy and move the wall 1,2 meters to the right. When finished, adjust the endpoint of the wall so that it touches the curved wall.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Creating Internal doors

First, we add a sliding door.

1 To have the right wall thickness for the door settings dialog, pick up the parameters of the load bearing wall with the Pick up tool (pipette).

2 Activate the Door tool and type pocket in the search field. Select Pocket Door 18. Set the door settings as follows:

Anchor Sill to Story 0 to 0,00.

Anchor: Side 2

General Settings tab page:

Pocket frame - on

Frame and Leaf tab page:

Centered Leaf off

Leaf Offset: 0,13

Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Door, IFC Interior Doors (Manage IFC Properties > Apply Predefined Rules > OmniClass >Interior Doors)

Click OK.


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3 Place the first door to the lower left corner of the entrance room. There are two walls meeting at that point: click into the corner.

4 Click the upper-right arrow for opening direction so that the leaf will open in the right direction and the pocket will be placed between the two walls (in the insulation skin).ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

5 You can see that the door is not in a convenient position to enter the interior space. Select it, press Ctrl/Cmd +D and drag it to the right. Type d0,6 into the Tracker to move the door by 60cms. Deselect the door.

Now, lets add some more doors to the future WC area.

1 Activate the Door tool and set the door as follows:

Type: Door 18 (Hinged Doors 18 folder)

Size: 0,75/2,10

Anchor: Sill to Story 0 to 0,00

Reveal to Wall Core: 0,00

Anchor: Side 1


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Hinged Door Settings panel > Door Leaf Type and Handle tab:

Door Leaf Type: Style 56

Click OK.

2 Place doors so you can enter all rooms:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Adding a Gallery DoorWe place a door into the external wall of the gallery, which is identical to the one at the entrance.

1 Open the 1. Gallery floor plan and choose the Ground Floor to be shown traced. Activate Transparent Fills and Zones from the Trace settings.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 We want to have exactly the same door as the entrance door. To have all settings and parameters, we use the pipette (Pick Up tool) again from the Standard toolbar.

3 Activate the Pick Up tool and move the cursor over the door on the trace reference until the info tag appears with basic information about the door. Click once. Notice that the Door tool is activated at the same time.

Note: If you have overlapping elements on the floor plan, you can hit the Tab key to switch between the elements.

4 Set the door anchor to Side 1.


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5 Place a door at the intersection point of the short vertical wall segment on the right and the horizontal wall. Click to the bottom right quarter to define the opening direction. Use a guide line if necessary.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Note: The outer wall side you pick when you place a door or window sets the direction of sill and board. If you want to change the opening direction use the Flip command, which has no effect on the wall side settings.


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WindowsNow well insert new windows in the building.

Adding Windows on the Ground Floor1 Open the 0. Ground Floor.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 Activate Window tool and open its settings. Choose Window 18 from the Basic Windows 18 folder.

Similar to doors, windows have endless variations of appearance thanks to the wide list of parameters. Use the tabs of the Basic Window Settings panel to check the available parameters in logical groups.


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Note that not only Custom Settings are available by default, but by clicking the corresponding button you can display all available parameters.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

3 Set the settings as follows:

Size: 0,60/0,60, Sill to Story 0: 1,80

Anchor Point: Center

Reveal to Wall Core: 0,15


Board on, Sill on

Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Window, IFC: Exterior Windows

Click OK.

4 We insert the first window with automatic snap points in the middle of the slanted wall in the entrance room.

Click the Special Snap Points options arrow and select Half and Between Intersection Points options. This way the program shows the snap points between point of intersections instead of the entire element.


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5 Place three windows randomly in the Stone wall, one for each room. We will organize the windows in the second step. Click the lower right arrows when defining the opening direction and choose external sides with the Sun cursor. When done, select the windows one-by-one and arrange them with the help of the special snap points. Select the middle hotspots on the external sides and move the windows until the snap points appear on the internal side of the ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

wall.

Adding Windows on the GalleryNow we add some windows on the gallery as well.

Rectangular Windows

1 Open the 1. Gallery floor plan.

2 Activate the Window tool and change the current settings:


Set the Anchor Point to Center.



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3 The new window goes right above the pocket door from the ground floor. Use the trace to place the window above the pocket door.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

4 Turn Trace and Reference off using the icon in the Standard Toolbar.

5 Select the window and click on any hotspots to display the Pet palette.

6 Select Multiply. Set 3 as the number of copies and the Distribute-1 method. Click OK.

7 Click on the top-left hotspot of the window as reference and click the top-left corner of the door as endpoint.


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8 Place two more windows at the midpoint of the gallery slab on both sides (use a guideline).ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Modifying Windows

Changing Type

Although window types are represented as objects, you can change the type of an already placed window any time.

1 Select the two windows placed on the side walls.

2 Open the settings dialog and select the Round Window 18 in the Special Windows 18 folder. Change some parameters:



Click OK.

3 The two windows change their type and size.


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4 Go to the 3D window to check the result.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Modifying Size in the 3D View

As you develop the building model, sometimes certain views are more helpful than others, as when changing the height or position of a window.


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Resizing a Window

First, we resize a window in the 3D view.

1 Select the right window in the curved wall in the 3D view. This is going to be the window of the entrance, so we have to make it bigger.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 Click on the lower left or right corner to display the Pet palette and activate the Stretch vertically command.

3 Drag the cursor downwards.

4 Turn the Tracker on if needed and type 1,5.

5 Hit Enter.


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Adding SkylightsSkylights are an integrated part of the BIM model. They are capable of recognizing the roof underneath and using important information from it, such as thickness or sloping angle.

1 Open the 1. Gallery floor plan.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 Use the Measure tool to check the distance between same points of two rafters. This will be the width of the Skylight.

3 Activate the Skylight tool and open its Settings dialog by double-clicking on its icon in the Toolbox or Info box. At the bottom left of the dialog you can see various skylight types available out of the box.

4 Choose Skylight Flat Panel 18 and set the settings as follows:

Width: 1,97 (as measured), Height: 3,00

Vertical Anchor: Story 1

Set the anchor point to the top right corner in the preview picture


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No. of Horizontal Frames: 2

Tags: Non-Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Window

IFC: Roof Windows and Skylights

Click OK.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

5 Click the intersection point of the gallery slab and the rafter midpoint to place three skylights to the roof. Please note that the skylights will automatically be placed into the roof.


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Go to the 3D window to check the result:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Creating a Stair

Using Library StairsLet's place a stair into the interior. As for other generic elements and objects, various parametric library types of stairs exist.

Activate the Stair tool and open its settings to see them.

On the left side, predefined GDL library stairs appear. These are highly customizable prototypes and can be set by modifying the default parameters. Instead of choosing a default type, let's build completely new, custom stairs.


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Creating a Stair with StairMaker1 Click on the Create Stair button above the preview area to open StairMaker.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

2 Select Single Winder at Lower End type and click OK.

3 Set the stair settings tab by tab:


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Geometry and Flight Settings

Set the values in the order as shown in the picture below and dont forget to lock the Total height, Upper part length and Number of risers of the lower side values:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Click the Check Stair button to check the geometry.


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Structure and Landing SettingsArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Tread SettingsArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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Railing SettingsArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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4 Click OK and save the Stair 1 to the embedded library. Click Save. The new stair is now saved in the embedded library. Later on you can use Stair Maker to edit this stair and save it by overwriting or with another name.

5 Open the 0. Ground floor.

6 Open the Stair Settings dialog again. Choose Stair 1 from the Embedded Library.

Choose the top left anchor point in the preview picture.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Set the Home Story to 0. Ground Floor.

Floor Plan and Section:

Show on Stories: Home & One Story Up - this will ensure that the stair will automatically appear on the Gallery level too.

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Interior, Stair, IFC Stairs

Layer: Structural - Combined


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Click OK.


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7 Place the stair 0,15 meters to the right from the door adjacent with the core skin of the wall, so that plastering and the edge of the stairs overlap.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Now we will cut a hole in the gallery slab. Open the 1. Gallery floor plan and select the slab.

8 Click on any edge of the slab to display the Pet palette and select Subtract from Polygon.


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9 Select the Polygonal geometry method and click on the corners of the stairs. Make sure you cut the slab not only around the stairs, but below the plaster skin of the exterior wall as well:ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

10 Go to the 3D Perspective to check the result.

We will finalize the surfaces later.


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Foundation StructuresThis building has some simple underground structures only. We will use the already created exterior walls as trace references to place the necessary foundations.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Creating Foundations1 Open the -1. Foundation floor plan view. The existing walls can be seen with dashed outlines

according to their Floor Plan and Section settings. Turn on Trace & Reference on the Toolbar to see the skins of wall composites, especially the load-bearing core structure.

2 Activate the Wall tool and set the settings as follows:

Wall Top: 0. Ground Floor (Home + 1)

Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,10

Bottom offset to Current Story: 0,0 (so that wall height is 0,90)

Home Story: -1. Foundation

Structure: Basic

Building Material: Reinforced Concrete - Structural

Thickness: 0,60

Reference Line: Inside Face

Reference Line Offset: 0,05

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Wall


Click OK.


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3 Draw the wall segments, so the reference line of the foundation meets the reference line of the walls above. You can turn on the View > On-Screen View Options > Walls & Beams Reference Lines option to better see the reference line of the placed walls and use Chained geometry method for faster placement. Follow the reference line direction of the existing walls when placing the foundations.


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4 Space + click the curved stone wall to place the foundations.

5 The thickness of the foundation under the stone wall is not wide enough. Select that segment and change its thickness to 0,80.

6 When finished stretch this foundation in both directions using Angular stretch. Raise the Chord value with 0,10 m in both directions.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

7 Zoom in to check the foundation intersections.


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Creating Pad Foundations under the ColumnsWe also need foundations under the wooden columns.

1 Activate the Column tool and use the following settings:

Column Top: 0. Ground Floor (Home + 1)ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Size: 0,50/0,50

Top offset to Top Linked Story: -0,17

Bottom Offset to Home Story: 0,00

Building Material: Reinforced Concrete - Structural

Tags: Load-Bearing Element, Exterior, Column


Click OK.


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2 Click the midpoints of the wooden columns to place the foundations.


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3 Turn off Walls & Beams Reference Lines and Trace & Reference (disable Transparent Fills & Zones as well) when done.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3


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In This Chapter

You set and placed entrance doors, internal doors, windows, and skylights into the building model with different snap options. Then, you modified the openings in 3D view.

You also added a stair, and discovered the wide range of options for both GDL and StairMaker stairs.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

Finally, you created the foundations to complete the load bearing structure of the building.

Chapter 3 - Creating Zones

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Chapter 3 - Creating ZonesIn this chapter you will place zones in the rooms and create dimensioned model views, which can be part of the documentation.

ArchiCAD incorporates a wide range of design documentation tools and techniques. Some of these tools will be briefly presented in this chapter.ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 3

ArchiCADs Zone tool helps to identify 3D spaces and stores multiple attributes and properties associated with them. Rooms and groups of spaces (for instance, departments or areas with similar functions) can be easily identified with the help of colored fills Zone identifiers - or space stamps - can be assigned to them with a single click.

ArchiCADs automatic and associative dimensions refer to project-specific locations. This means that you are free to develop and edit all the elements in your design project - the previously created associative dimension chain will always be automatically updated - without spending any extra time on dimensioning.

ArchiCADs detail drawing views are extremely helpful at the project documentation stage, since they allow you to reuse and further enhance your existing 2D details. These can

Archicad Training Series Vol.3

Documents

floor slab

floor plan

automatic dimensions

manual zone

zone properties

automatic zones

editing dimensions

level dimensions