Each month there are one or more coaching calls; this is a recording of the session on November 20, 2012July – December 2012
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – December 11, 2012
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ArchiCAD Training Session Notes
| QUESTION | ANSWER SUMMARY AND NOTES | START TIME |
| How the renovation palette would work with a loft conversion. And an explanation of “dimensions” and “working units”. | Eric shows how to change the working units from imperial to metric – options>project preferences>working units, and he also explains the difference between “dimensions” and “working units” dimensions is what you require to be seen when you make a dimension and working units is to do with what the tracker shows. The caller was doing his construction drawings at 1:50, but he was saving his work as pdf at 1:100, therefore when he brought the pdf back into an ArchiCAD project it was half the size it needed to be. Eric said when this happens you can rescale it, but to save time just change the ArchiCAD scale to 1:100. Eric draws the existing loft roof extension and brings out the renovation palette. Eric then draws the proposed roof loft extension, and he marks the existing and proposed using the renovation palette. This tutorial is useful for people wondering how to manipulate the roof using the roof settings (i.e. learning how to draw existing and proposed roofs in the same position and then designating them), and also for people who need training on how the renovation palette works. | 0:07:16 |
| Explanation of the zone tool, and how to find volumes of rooms. | Eric goes through the zone tool and settings. The caller also wanted to know how to find the volume of the building using the zone tool. First you place a zone, then switch to the 3d window, then to make the zone show in the 3d window go to – view>elements in 3d>filter elements in 3d, from here click the zone checkmark. If necessary you can trim the zone using solid element operations, and then you bring out the “element information” palette at – window>palette>element information. This palette is used to get construction information (size,volume etc) on any element that you click on. | 0:40:30 |
| Creating a schedule for zones | How to set up a schedule for zones. If anybody needs further information on this topic (this is for zones not schedules), Eric has produced some tutorials. Click on the link on the right | 0:50:00 |
| Printing out Zones | Eric goes through the options for printing out zones i.e. what to show and not show. Zones can be saved in views and printed out in layouts | 0:54:40 |
| How to make an exterior corner trim | Eric makes the trim using the beam tool. The trim cuts into the wall, and Eric achieves the cutting effect by increasing the beam’s priority number – open floor plan and section settings>structure>beam priority. The beam priority works by if the beam priority numbers is less than the walls priority number then the beam will be cut by the wall, and vice versa. A valid point Eric brings up is that ArchiCAD looks for the beam priority number before it looks at solid element operations, and this can confuse people because they they can’t understand why their walls aren’t trimming properly under solid element operations (if they had used solid element operations to trim the beam into the wall). | 1:01:55 |
| How to move the reference line on the beam (this is done with a setting in the info box). The reference line was originally in the centre of the beam, and Eric moved it to the inside edge of the beam so that he could more easily manipulate the beam’s position. | 1:09:40 | |
| The exterior trim can be also be made with the wall and slab tools. But beware if you make the trim with the wall tool that it can cofuse ArchiCAD particulary on cleaning up issues. Eric advises that it is a good idea to put the (wall) trim on its on own layer with a different priority number (don’t leave it on the exterior wall layer) this helps ArchiCAD understand what needs to be done. | 1:12:29 | |
| How to slope the previously created external wall trim so water drains off it | Eric did a capture right mouse click capture profile of selection to the previously created external trim, and in the profile manager he re-worked the shape of the previously created external trim until it had a sloped top. He then shows the procedure for putting the newly created trim into a drawing. The morph tool is another option for creating a sloped external trim (Eric doesn’t show how to do this with the morph tool) | 1:24:00 |
| Adjusting a straight curtain wall to fit up to its sloping curtain wall roof | 1:29:55 | |
| Changing the spacing on stair balusters | Each ArchiCAD stair object appears to have different settings (some appear to have baluster spacing controls and some don’t), so if you change the stair type you can on some of the stairs change the spacing between balusters – open the stair settings>parameters>click on either the right or left rail balustrade>app. distance between balusters. If there isn’t enough choice here you can go into stair maker – open up stair selction settings>preview and positioning>create stair | 1:44:00 |
| The stair balusters settings in stairmaker | 1:49:30 | |
| Question on schedules | The caller’s window sizes are often at a sixteenth of an inch, but his plan was in quarters of an inch. The caller wanted to know how he could get both in one plan set. | 1:53:36 |
| Changing the amount ArchiCAD rounds off to in dimensions | Eric shows where to go to change the amount ArchiCAD rounds off to in ArchiCAD – options>project preferences>dimensions. Each view has its own specific setting for rounding off numbers and Eric shows how to change the settings for each view – view settings>2d/3d documents>dimensions. Note: the answer to the above caller’s question was to change the (rounding off) settings, once he had opened up the scheme settings for his window schedule (time 2:00:05). | 1:55:25 |
ArchiCAD Training – Coaching Call – December 11, 2012
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