Step 0 : Introduction to Graphisoft ArchiCAD
ArchiCAD and the Virtual Building
The ArchiCAD application is a cross-platform commercial application for Building Information Modeling, created and developed by
the Hungarian firm Graphisoft, since 1983. Initially a Macintosh-only application, it currently supports Windows (XP and Vista) and
Mac OSX (Tiger and Leopard, for PPC and Intel-based Macs).
In ArchiCAD a "Virtual Building" (the term from Graphisoft) is created, which forms the basis for all drawings, sections, elevations,
perspective views, renderings, animations and listings. Changes in the building model are reflected in all output documents, allowing
the user to concentrate on the building structure and let the software worry about the synchronization of all other representations.
Explaining the Virtual Building, as Graphisoft calls their implementation of BIM.
The application is quite extensive and to master all the functionality can take a considerable amount of time, but to learn the
ArchiCAD basics is quite straightforward, thanks to the user-friendly interface and the large amount of graphical hints in the user
interface.
The ArchiCAD Interface
The main menubar contains the regular menu and the main tools for the management of files, editing and viewing and design and
documentation settings.
The Toolbox contains three zones: selection tools, design tools (modeling of the Virtual Building) and documentation tools
(the annotation and drafting tools).
The Info box displays settings for whatever tool is activated.
The Navigator organizes the different views and sheets in the project.
The rest of the view is the drawing or modeling space.
Main Navigation
There are many tools to navigate around the project data, such as panning and zooming, some which you might allready know
from other CAD software. The quickest way, however, is using the middle mouse button: scroll to zoom and drag it to pan around.
The 2D Window has tiny buttons to activate panning (the hand) and zooming (the magnifying glass), along with other tools.
When you are in the 3D Window (Window > 3D Window or press F3) you can also pan and zoom, but you can also activate the
orbit mode (View > Orbit or press "o", not zero) to drag the scene around and the explore mode (View > Explore) to walk around.
The buttons at the bottom of the 3D Window can also be used: the round arrow is the orbit button and the small figure is the explore
mode.
The main ArchiCAD workflow
In ArchiCAD you primarily work in a floor plan representation, where you draw parametric building objects in a 2D Window, floor by
floor, but at the same time the full 3D model is constructed alongside. At any time you can switch to the 3D Window and continue to
work in a perspective or axonometric view. Press F3 to open the 3D Window and F2 to return to the 2D window.
Although ArchiCAD provides drawing tools which are similar to the common drawing commands from an application such as
AutoCAD, the focus lies on creating a 3D building model. This is done by providing an extensive set of parametric architectural
objects, such as walls, floor, doors and windows.
The construction of the building model is the topic of step1 in these pages.
In step 2, the building model is annotated and data is extracted. The Virtual Building is used to derive other documents, such as
sections, elevations, but also 3D views. The plan views are annotated, leading to technical blueprints, which is still one of the
primary goals of any CAD application. The building model also allows the extraction of listings, such as the list of room areas and a
listing of all doors and windows.
What is most important is that you don't draw a section or an elevation as a separate drawing, nor do you have to create your own
listing in a spreadsheet program. All this output documents are derived from the same model and changes to the model are reflected
in all related documents.
If you move the position of a door or when you delete a window, all other views will reflect this change. You can do this in the plan
view, but also in the 3D window or in a section. Some modifications can even be executed from inside a generated listing.
Finally, the whole annotated building model has to be published, which is the topic of step 3.
Starting from the building model, views are created, which can be collected in a layout sheet. Finally, a set of these layout sheets
can be exported in different forms. You can plot or print a set of building documentation, you can publish the set as electronic
documents, such as PDF, DWF or DWG files and you even export the set in a format suitable for publication on a website.
And whenever the design changes, the whole set of publishing documents can be updated automatically and republished, reflecting
the current state of the design process.
There is more functionality then what is covered here, such as rendering and animation, the creation of custom libraries and
collaborative design, with the Teamwork module, but it can not be treated in this limited overview.
Extending ArchiCAD...
While ArchiCAD is a complete solution out-of-the-box, it can be extended. There are additional libraries and add-ons (modules that
integrate inside ArchiCAD).
Goodies are add-ons, provided freely by Graphisoft to add new features to ArchiCAD. They are less documented and not
supported, but there are many fine features that they provide:
3D Studio In = import 3ds files into ArchiCAD
Accessories = slab and roof accessories (required complementary accessories library)
Check Duplicates = remove doubles
Construction Simulation = assign elements to tasks and create an animation of the construction sequence
IFC2x2
Interior Wizard =helps in generating an elevation of the interior of a room
Intersection in Combos
Mesh to Roof Tool = transform a mesh to a roof, when the roof tool is not suitable for modeling
Polygon Counting Tool = count the amount of polygons in the ArchiCAD project
Profiler = additional 3D modeling tools
RAL Color System
Different companies create (commercial or free) add-ons to extend ArchiCAD.
Cigraph has a long list of ArchiCAD Add-ons (they are serialized against an ArchiCAD dongle/hardware lock, so they
will probably not work with the student version)
ArchiTerra = terrain modeling
ArchiForma = modeling GDL objects without writing code
ArchiRuler = 2D drafting extension
ArchiFacade = rectification of photographs inside ArchiCAD
ArchiTiles = creation, calculation and placement of Tiles
ArchiTabula = spreadsheet and graphs for ArchiCAD
ArchiSketchy = hand drawn effects
ArchiTime = tracking working time
ArchiWall = free wall shapes
ArchiStair = stair design (meant to replace StairMaker)
ArchiPanel = false ceilings and raised floors
ArchiMap = surveying interiors
Abvent provides exporters for Artlantis and ZOOM GDL 3D Modeller
Check Objects Online for other solutions (libraries and add-ons), both commercial and free
What we will show you and what you can learn at your own pace...
With your ArchiCAD installation, you receive a full set of PDF documentation, an HTML based reference manual, links to several
online information resources, such as the ArchiCADWiki, the official ArchiCAD-talk user forum and the education community pages.
When you open the integrated documentation on Windows, you might have to enable "active content" to enable the documentation.
Here you can press yes, as no harm is done by the documentation.
Now you have a fully indexed documentation set, where you can search for help within the complete ArchiCAD documentation. It
does help to know the terms that are used, as with all help documents for computer applications, but it is structured thematically, so
you can dig in knowing only the basics.
Graphisoft has recently revived their educational offerings, including free student and school versions of ArchiCAD and additional
learning resources. For students, you can learn ArchiCAD with the "Interactive Training Guide", which is a combination of PDF
documents and Quicktime movies, which can be shown directly inside ArchiCAD (provided you install the free ArchiCAD Movie
Player plugin). Since this is such an extended amount of learning material at your disposal, it doesn't make sense to include all of
this in our own syllabus. We have rather chosen to limit these pages to the essence of creating a building model with ArchiCAD and
to leave out the details.
We hope that you have enough resources at your disposal to start your first full ArchiCAD project.
The Helicopter Game
If you thought that ArchiCAD is a very serious and boring application, think again: programmers need to have fun from time to time.
And then they create games.
1. Set the tracker to "On demand" in Project Preferences
2. Put in the first node of a straight wall in plan
3. Type "a" then input 12.345 then type another "a", without touching the mouse or any other key. Do not press the "Enter" key.
4. Wait for about 10 seconds, watching the tracker box. It should move to the centre, top third of the plan view. Read the
information in it, giving you a countdown to the start of the game.
5. Use the cursor keys to gently lower the helicopter; you may need to start with the up arrow depending on which direction it
starts moving at the start of the game, and simultaneously the side arrows to get it to land vertically and not crash at an
angle.
Combined with the First Person Shooter (holding down F+P+S) in the Explore mode of the 3D window, it clear to see that they do
have a laugh!
Tips & Tricks
Some nice examples of advanced use of ArchiCAD:
Freeform Modeling with double curved surfaces: http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=17882
Good luck!