Each month there are one or more coaching calls; this is a recording of the session on August 21, 2012July – December 2012
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – August 21, 2012
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ArchiCAD Training Session Notes
| QUESTION | ANSWER SUMMARY AND NOTES | START TIME |
| Problems with lighting in 3d views | The caller was having problems because his 3d view was too dark in parts and he found that he kept having to move the sun around in the 3d projection settings. Eric demonstrates how to create and save multiple views and in each particular view that he creates he changes the sun’s position. The reason Eric did this was because now everytime he clicks on a view the sun’s position is remembered from when it was saved and therefore time is saved in having to keep repositioning the sun. In the 3d projection settings there is also an option for, “more sun”. When you click on this button you can alter how the light is being visualized (e.g. how much shadow is being created) and you can also change the location, season and time of day. | 0:01:08 |
| Eric looks at increasing light in the rendering settings (he looks at how to use the sun and ambient in lightworks). He then goes on to describe how lamps can be used in a view to brighten it up. Eric has a tip that he shows and he calls it the undersun which he uses for lighting dark corners such as the underside of soffits. | 0:12:00 | |
| In internal camera views it can appear dark because of shadows being cast. To turn off shadows in lightworks go to document>creative imaging>photorendering settings>shadow casting>off. This will give a subtle lightening effect. Eric then demontrates how to put a general light in the room for increased lighting. | 0:25:20 | |
| Fills dramatically increasing the file size of pdf’s and exported dwg’s | When exported out, fills become dots and lines and therefore if exported to a programme such as AutoCAD the file size will balloon. Fill types with more dots and lines e.g. plaster will cause the most problems. Eric says changing the fills to a colour/color may be an albeit unsatisfactory compromise to keep the file size managable. If you have to email out some pdf’s it may be a good idea to turn off the fill layer, or go to document>set model view>model view options>override fill display. A caller who has Adobe acrobat professional says that there is a way to reduce the file size using acrobat. After he has created a pdf of his work in ArchiCAD he then opens up the pdf in acrobat and in the file menu there is a function that allows you to reduce the file size and apparently it reduces the file down to about a tenth of its previous size. | 0:35:32 |
| To finish off Eric goes over how to create transparent, opaque or colours/colors that can be put used in place of a fill. | 0:49:39 | |
| Questioner asks how to create a pdf publisher set, and wants to know is the set static, or will it change as the model changes? | Eric explains the publishing settings. | 0:53:45 |
| Eric explains how to create a publisher set. The set is static, but you can easily re-publish, so this is not a problem. | 1:01:45 | |
| What is the difference between real folder structure and flat file structure | This option is found in the publishing set properties dialog box. Real folder creates folders and a hierarchy, whilst flat just publishes the pdf’s at the same level. | 1:16:56 |
| How do you transfer composite walls in a file or an old template to a new template | One way to do this is to copy the composite wall from the old template into the new template of ArchiCAD. The other way that you can do global management is options>element attributes>attribute manager and you can bring them in from here (Eric demonstrates the full procedure). | 1:21:29 |
| Wall end tool (found under more in the tool box) | The caller wanted the wall to finish by wrapping around. Eric shows how to do this, and goes through this tools settings. A limitation with this tool is that it only works on the ends of walls,and therefore can’t be used on openings in walls. There is a possible workaround here – if you choose a door and then go into its general settings and find the door panel option in here choose empty. This will show the opening cased, but without the door, and Eric finishes off this description by telling you how to turn the door marker off. | 1:27:45 |
| Eric explains what multi-plane roofs can and can’t do | 1:34:48 | |
| How to create a recess in a wall with an arched top, without letting it cut itself right through the wall | The caller wanted to create a fireplace. Eric explains that a good way to do this is the niche tool.This tool is found in the window tool, just open the window settings and type in the folder search “niche” (problem with this in that the niche tool leaves a curved back wall). Another option would be to stay in the window tool and search for a folder called openings, and in this folder find arched top window opening. The arched top window opening cuts a hole right through the wall, therefore you would have to put a thin wall make-up piece at the back of the opening and cut it to the shape using solid element operations (Eric demonstrates the full procedure including how to create a patch to clean up the floor plan where the recessed feature is). | 1:42:51 |
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – August 21, 2012
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