Each month there are one or more coaching calls; this is a recording of the session on October 17, 2012July – December 2012
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – October 17, 2012
| Thank you for visiting the Best Practices Course website. The video lessons are available for members only. If you are an active member and would like to watch the ArchiCAD training video on this page, please login to the website. If you are not currently a member, please visit the following pages for more information and to sign up for the Best Practices Course, the QuickStart Course or for the Best Practices ArchiCAD Coaching Program. Eric Bobrow, Creator of the Best Practices Course |
ArchiCAD Training Session Notes
| QUESTION | ANSWER SUMMARY AND NOTES | START TIME |
| Can the renovation filter be used when generating 3d? | The renovation filters are recorded in the view, in a project usually there are many different views, with different settings for each particular view. To set the renovation filter, select a particular view, and open its view settings, from here you can set the renovation filter. This works in 2d and 3d, in fact any view can be set up with the renovation filter, only the schedule doesn’t allow this, but even here you can still filter using “criteria”. | 0:00:00 |
| Is it possible to show the text and information from zones in section views? And also is it possible when using the massing tool to show something representing color in the section view? | If you want to show text (information) from zones in section views there is an add-on available from a website called “simpleaddon”, (see link on right). This website publishes this addon and many others that are all bundled together for $20. You can even download the addons for free, but there are some restrictions on what features you are able to use. | 0:07:20 |
| Eric briefly demonstrates zones and massing. If the massing is not showing up in 3d, then follow this procedure: view>elements in 3d view>filter elements in 3d, and in the dialog box make sure that zones is checked. Eric says unfortunately he thinks it is not possible to get the massing tool to show something representing color in section view. The addon previously mentioned may be able to do this, but Eric doubts that it can. Eric advises the caller to contact the makers of the addon, and ask if it is possible to make changes to the addon to enable this. Most companies welcome such feedback, if it is not too difficult they may make the changes you need. | 0:07:20 | |
| How to show the first floor plan on the site plan | Eric opens the view settings of the site plan, and clicks on floor plan cut plane settings, from here he advises, change the “cut plane height to current story”, or change the “relative floor plan range”. Be warned that in order to see the walls, you must also set the wall selection settings floor plan display to show all relevant stories (Eric demonstrates how to do this) | 0:19:10 |
| How to download a map from Google Maps and put it into a drawing as a location map. And how to open multiple layouts and flip inbetween them | If you want to be able to open multiple layouts or sections/elevations and flip inbetween them – then follow this procedure options>work environment>more options>when opening view or layout from a menu or by double clicking on navigator>prefer to open in a new window. Eric then goes onto Google maps and saves a location as a pdf. and he then puts the pdf. into a layout using “file>external content>place external drawing”. Eric then shows how to crop and rescale the pdf. and change the title style if required. | 0:28:30 |
| How to remove site contours from the floor plan only | The contours were showing as a spline, and Eric advised that the contours be put on their own layer so they can be controlled (on/off). Another way to control the contours is to open the mesh selection settings and use the “floor plan display” to select what story’s are to be shown (Eric demonstrates what to do). | 0:34:46 |
| The caller was using the same layer combination for floor plans and 3d, and Eric advises him that this is bad practice and he needs to be using separate layer combinations for both of these. So that he has more control on what is seen and not seen in the different views. Eric then shows how to put a cover up fill in the 2d floor plan (over the building). This is used to stop the contour lines showing through the building. Finally, Eric talks about how solid element operations can also be used to achieve this effect in the 3d window (see link on right for explanation on how to do this). | ||
| Eric discusses layers and stories, and talks about best practice issues | Eric discusses best practice and also talks about how to change the line type (e.g. full, dotted, dashed) in plan view – go to – options>project preferences>construction elements. Eric also describes how to edit how fills are shown in different story’s (e.g. roof) – select a roof>open its selection settings>floor plan and section>floor plan display>show on stories>edit custom>show fill on | 0:52:05 |
| Discussion on using templates in worksheets – e.g. using a template of electrical symbols and eyedropping them into a project | Eric discusses the benefits of making a template and he also discusses his own “master template” and how it works. | 0:59:30 |
| If anybody needs to send a large file (up to 50mb) “yousendit.com” will do this for you for free. And they will also allow you to send files above 50mb for a small fee | 1:14:14 | |
| How do you create stairs? | A lady caller finds that ArchiCAD stairs don’t satisfy her needs and wants to create her own stairs. Eric demonstrates what to do. In this case, Eric needs to bring in a dwg. file into ArchiCAD to get the stair measurements, so he can begin designing the stair. Eric brings in the dwg. file with the “place external drawing”, option and before he does anything else, he checks the drawings measurements using the “measure tool”. This is very important because sometimes when a drawing is brought in it can be the wrong size and need rescaling/resizing. The lady had drawn the entire house in dwg. 2d format; because, of this Eric advised her that it might now be faster to trace over the dwg. in ArchiCAD (see link on right for tutorial showing how to do this.) | 1:15:50 |
| Eric demonstrates using slabs to model the stairs | 1:24:10 | |
| Eric says another option is to visit the cadimage website if you’re willing to pay and want more advanced stair options. | 1:26:18 | |
| Creating a stair using selection. Eric creates a stair on plan using the fill and line tools and then selects the stair using – design>create stair using selection option. | 1:29:45 | |
| Making a stair using custom profiles – this way you would make the stair by drawing it in section. An advantage of drawing a stair this way is you can give the tread a bullnose, and you also have more control what the stringer looks like in section – and if say there is a beam at the bottom of the landing, you could put that in your profile and it will show up in section. | 1:34:03 | |
| A person on YouTube has made a video on how the morph tool in ArchiCAD 16 can improve and clean up stairs. (see link on right – there is actually 2 videos, so when the link finishes playing click on the next video in the sequence) |
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – October 17, 2012
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