archicad 18 training vol.1

The ArchiCAD BIM Concept

ArchiCAD Training SeriesVol. 1

Credits

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

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 1The ArchiCAD BIM Concept

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.

CreditsThe following ArchiCAD project is used in this training material:

NHS Office Complex, Los Angeles, California, USArchitect: PAAstudio, US

ArchiCAD Training Series Vol. 12

http://www.graphisoft.com

Contents


CONTENTS

Introduction ___________________________________________ 4

The ArchiCAD Interface __________________________________ 6

Navigate Around the Floor Plan _________________________ 12

Navigate in 3D ________________________________________ 14

The Virtual Building Concept ____________________________ 18

The Documentation Workflow ___________________________ 39

Introduction

IntroductionWelcome to the ArchiCAD Training Series!

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

• 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. 1, ‘The ArchiCAD BIM Concept’ a hands-on training to familiarize you with the modeling and documentation concepts of ArchiCAD. This guide is meant for new ArchiCAD users and prospects as well as students and teachers.

This guide is also suitable for using as BIM Curriculum ‘Exercises’ - for Hands-on Practice in universities where ArchiCAD is taught to students. Lecturers who would like to use this guide as a BIM Curriculum should visit the educational sites of the GRAPHISOFT website (http://www.graphisoft.com/learning/education/) where, after registration, they will be entitled to obtain a full set of training materials suitable for seminar lectures.

Contents of this guide:

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

ArchiCAD project file: The pre-set training file will help your learning process. Pre-set 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.


http://www.graphisoft.com/learning/education/

www.youtube.com/user/Archicad

Introduction

You must have ArchiCAD 18 or later version 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 conveniance we recommend you to download and use the same version for practicing.

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.

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


https://myarchicad.com/

http://www.graphisoft.com/info/where_to_buy

The ArchiCAD Interface

The ArchiCAD InterfacePlease extract the INT_AC_Training_Series_Vol_1_v18.zip archive file into your computer.

To start exploring ArchiCAD we will open an example file first. Let’s start ArchiCAD by clicking on the application icon. First we encounter a dialog box, in which we can choose between creating a new project or working on an existing one.



We’ll do the latter, so we click on the Open a Project radio button. Then in the second section of the dialog box we select Browse for a Solo Project. Choose Standard Profile 18 for the Work Environment and click on Browse. In the browser dialog box, we locate and open the NHS Office 18_metric.pla or NHS Office 18_imperial.pla project file (depending on the system of units of your location) from the extracted training project folder.

If you are running ArchiCAD 18 Student version, a message appears warning you that you have to convert the project into Education format.

Click on the Convert to Education button. Since we are opening a so-called archive project that contains all the external elements used in creating the project, we are asked how we wish to



handle these elements. For the time being we ignore this and keep all the project elements in the archive file; so without changing the radio buttons simply click Open.



The project file opens. Let's take a closer look at the ArchiCAD interface. This application was designed by architects for architects. The easy to understand graphical interface and the visual feedback will help you to quickly get familiar with the program's capabilities.

The central part of the interface shows the floor plan of our project. At the bottom of the screen, a set of icons help to navigate in this view, and set the drawing scale and zoom factor.

To the left, the Toolbox contains all the tools necessary to build the 3D model and complete the documentation.

To the right, the Navigator lists all aspects of the project – here we can jump from story to story or to different 3D views, sections, elevations and details.

At the very top, the Menubar lists all the available commands, logically grouped. Commands for File operations, Editing and Viewing functions can be selected from the corresponding menus. Since Design and Documentation are separate processes in architectural practice, tools and commands supporting these processes are also located in separate menus. Commands in the Options menu



regulate basic settings and the Work Environment. The Teamwork menu supports collaborative work, and the Window menu sets the visibility of the toolbars and palettes.



The Standard Toolbar contains some of the commands and functions available from the menus. It can be found right below the Menubar and can be fully customized. (The whole user interface can be arranged into so-called schemes to fast-track repetitive work, but this is outside the scope of this training guide).

The Info Box shows the current settings of the selected tool or the characteristics of the selected element. (Try it by selecting different tools from the Toolbox. Look at the changes in the Info Box.) Changes in the Info Box are immediately reflected in current settings or the attributes of the selected element. The Info Box can be resized (similarly to all boxes and palettes) to reveal more information than in the basic settings.


Navigate Around the Floor Plan

Navigate Around the Floor PlanLet’s take a closer look at the floor plan. From the icons at the bottom of the floor plan, let’s select the Increase Zoom icon.

The cursor changes to a magnifying glass. Let’s draw two corners of a rectangle around the upper right entrance area of the building. After the second click, you will see a zoomed-in view of the floor plan in the main window.


Navigate Around the Floor Plan

Try the other icons for Panning, Reducing Zoom, Fitting in Window the contents of the floor plan, or switching between Previous and Next Views.

There is an even faster way to navigate in all views. With the cursor in the main window, press the mouse scroll button to pan around the floor plan in real-time. Remember to keep the scroll button pressed!

Rolling the scroll button away from you will zoom in and rolling it toward you will zoom out in real-time. In these cases, the cursor position will act as the center point of the projection.

This technique will let you move from one location of the floor plan to another very quickly.


Navigate in 3D

Navigate in 3DIn ArchiCAD, every building element is instantly represented in 3D as well. Naturally this sample project includes not only the 2D documentation but the entire 3D building model as well. So what does our sample project look like in 3D?

The 3D model can be shown in an axonometric or a perspective view. We’ll try an axonometric view first. To access the 3D representation of our building, go to the 3D section in the Project Map of the Navigator and double-click on Generic Axonometry (as shown below).


Navigate in 3D

As a result you will see something like this:

Within the 3D view, the real-time navigational tools (Zoom-In, Zoom-Out, Pan) function exactly as on the floor plan. Use the scroll button of the mouse to move from one part of the image to the other.

Select a view where the building more or less fills the main window. There are two fundamentally different ways of navigating in a model ArchiCAD: Orbit and Walk. Let's see how they work. From the bottom Toolbar select the Orbit icon.

The cursor changes to a little orbit sign. Click and keep the left mouse button pressed and move the mouse around to view the building from all sides.

While in Orbit mode, real-time Zoom and Pan can still be used. Try them both to explore the whole model. To get out of Orbit mode, press ESC.


Navigate in 3D

There is an even more exciting way of getting around the building. In order to see this, let’s double-click Generic Perspective from the 3D section of the Navigator. The result is something like this:

In this view Orbit, real-time Zoom and Pan work as we have seen already. The only difference is that here they affect the camera position rather than the projected image. Let’s try and move around a little.

For a different way of exploration, let’s get into ‘first-person shooter’ mode by selecting the Explore icon at the bottom toolbar.


Navigate in 3D

The appearing dialog box explains how movement can be controlled (very similarly to FPS computer games).

If you are sure you have the controls right, click 3D Explore and start flying inside the building and navigating around.

Walls will not stop you in this “game”, but to get the hang of it you should try to use the doors.

To get out of Explore mode, just click into the 3D view.


The Virtual Building Concept

The Virtual Building ConceptSo how is it possible that we’ve seen a single floor plan, yet we could explore the whole building right away? To explain, let’s see a short introduction of GRAPHISOFT’s Virtual Building Concept also known as Building Information Modeling or BIM.

Let’s double-click on 0.1 floor in the Stories section of the Navigator. Instantly we get back to the initial floor plan. You can adjust the content to the floor plan window if it is necessary by clicking Fit in Window.

One fundamental concept of BIM is that the 3D model is made of real building components like walls, beams or slabs. Let's take a closer look at the ArchiCAD walls as an example.



Let’s double-click on the Wall tool in the Toolbox. The dialog box for the Wall settings appears.

In the first section we can specify the geometry of the wall, including height and shape information as well as its vertical position.

In the second section we can set how the wall will be represented in 2D view such as the floor plan or a section. We can set the attributes of the wall (or rather its representative symbol) to control its display. Here the structure of a composite wall or other view-dependent characteristics can be selected.

In the next section we can determine how the wall should look in 3D views. Surface materials and textures can be specified here.



In the last section we can link different properties that are necessary to build bills of material for this type of wall. In list type views, the wall behaves as a group of basic building components that forms this composite structure.

The point is that the wall we either draw on the floor plan or place in 3D in a perspective view is not merely a 2D symbol or a collection of parallel lines or just a 3D shape. It is all that and much more: it is an environment-sensitive building block of the Virtual Building that knows how to present itself within the different aspects of architectural documentation.

What does that mean in practice? Let’s make some changes in our Virtual Building and see what happens. First of all let’s change the current Wall settings to this:



Set the wall height to 13'-1” (3990 mm) under Geometry and Positioning. For the Composite Type (which is going to be the representation of the composite wall structure on floor plans and sections) let’s select the Wall Conc. Stone Tile structure. To do this click on the Composite button and from the appearing dialog choose the required composite type.



In the Model panel let’s click on the little chain icon on the right. Click on Override Surface button. The list of available surface materials comes up. Select Brick-Common Bond from the list. All three surface material settings (wall exterior, interior and edge) will be updated.



After changing the settings, let’s click on OK.

Back on the floor plan let’s zoom in to the wall on the right side of the lobby area and select the Inject Parameters tool from the Standard Toolbar.

The cursor changes to a little syringe. This tool injects the current settings of the active design or documentation tool to existing elements.

When we move the cursor above the wall we zoomed in on, the wall will be highlighted, showing that it is selected for the injection. Let’s click anywhere inside the wall body.



The wall changes instantly, showing the composite structure we selected in the Wall dialog box.

Now let’s see what happened in other views of the Virtual Building.



First, let’s select and double-click 04 D_D Section from the Sections/Elevations part of the Navigator.

The section opens instantly. On the right side of the Lobby’s first floor we see the wall we have just modified. It shows the structure we have just selected for it.



Now let’s select Generic Axonometry or General Perspective from the Navigator and using the previously described navigation techniques go to that part of the project, which includes the modified wall.

As you can see, the wall now shows the surface material that has been set in the dialog box.

One of the major advantages of the BIM concept is that non graphical-information, such as quantities, element inventories and schedules, can be automatically extracted from the 3D



model. Let’s check if all aspects of the Virtual Building really are covered: double-click Wall List in the Element Schedules section of the Navigator.

Instantly, an interactive list appears of all the walls placed in the project so far. We can quickly find the wall on the first floor that we have just modified. Here some parameters (like the height or the



composite structure of the wall) can be changed again. These changes will be reflected in all views (floor plans, sections/elevations or in 3D).

Let’s get back to the initial floor plan again (double-click 1 Floor in the Navigator). Zoom out in order to see the entire floor plan.

Having a Virtual Building also means that we don’t have to set up complicated layer sets for the different stories within the project. Stories, sections and elevations are just separate views of the virtual building model. In ArchiCAD, the Navigator window makes it easy to toggle between different views and representations of the BIM model.



In the Navigator, double-click on the different stories (2 Floor, 3 Floor, etc. in the Stories section) and on the different sections in the Sections/Elevations section or in the Details section.



All these views are merely derivatives of the Virtual Building. Any number of them can be generated and they are all linked together, so if anything changes in one view, not only is that particular view modified, but the changes are also reflected in all the views throughout the entire project. This is a huge advantage compared to the traditional 2D drawing based documentation method where coordination of the drawings had to be done manually. It is not just more productive but also more reliable, as it reduces the risk of coordination issues to the minimum.

Let's see how we can work with the different views linked to each other. The revolutionary Virtual Trace technology in ArchiCAD allows you to see and compare two different views of the BIM model. Return to the floor plan of the 0.1 floor. Right-click on 06 East Elevation in the Navigator and choose Show as Trace Reference from the context menu.



The elevation appears on the referred side of the building floor plan.

The Trace icon becomes active in the Standard toolbar. Click on the small arrow next to the Trace icon and choose Drag Reference from the menu.



Drag the elevation view to the right.



Arrange the floor plan so that the windows on the first floor of the building become clearly visible next to the floor plan view.



Now zoom in at the right side, to have a closer look at the windows.



Select one of the windows on the floor plan.

Change its size to 7'x11' (2000x3000 mm) in the Info Box.



Click on the Rebuild Reference command in the Trace menu.

Now you can see how the elevation follows the changes.



Now select Switch reference with Active command in the Trace menu

Now click Fit in window.



As you can see, the layout changes automatically according to the active view.

Zoom in to the area of the modified window, select it on the elevation view and reset the size to 5'x8' (1520x2440 mm). Choose the Switch reference with Active command again to return to the floor plan. Press the ESC button to deselect the window and finally switch off tracing with the Trace toggle button.


The Documentation Workflow

The Documentation WorkflowOf course the job is far from done, even if a substantial amount of information can be entered and stored within the Virtual Building. Architectural documentation, however, includes many interpretations of the same view of the building. For example, for a given story of the building, we’ll have to generate one construction plan, one reflected ceiling plan, one plan for the floor finishes, one structural plan, one plan for the furniture, and so on.

Not to mention all the communication with all the professions we will have to collaborate with: the structural engineer, the electrical engineer, HVAC, plumbing, etc. all need different documents from us. ArchiCAD supports the documentation workflow with so-called views.

So far we have only utilized one part of the Navigator, the Project Map part.

Let’s click on the icon to the right of the Project Map. This is the View Map part of the Navigator.

As you can see, this part lists plans instead of stories. Of course a plan can show a floor or a section or a detail. Double-click on 1 Floor in the RCP folder of the Construction Documentation section of the View Map.



The Reflected Ceiling Plan of the ground floor is shown instantly.

How is this plan different from the floor plan we have worked with up till now? One difference is obvious: we see the tiles of the reflected ceiling and the lighting elements. These must have been on a layer that was switched on when changing to the views of the RCP folder. (Layers are like vellums of old times, layered on top of each other. If we pull one out of the stack, it will be invisible. Elements that have common characteristics – like exterior walls, interior walls, furniture, etc. – should be placed on a common layer, so that their visibility can be regulated together.)



The other significant difference is only visible if we zoom in to the interior of the building. Doors are shown with their openings only (as is usual on a reflected ceiling plan).

There are six differentiating factors for a view.

• One is the Layer Combination, which determines which layers must be switched on or off for that particular view. Here, layer combinations were set up and named in advance. The one that is used here is aptly named “Reflected Ceiling Plan”.

• The other factor is the Scale of the drawing. For instance, plans that are submitted to the municipality for approval have a smaller scale than construction documentation. In ArchiCAD, objects like doors, windows or other custom elements are scale–sensitive, that is, their 2D representation depends on the current scale of the drawing.

• The third factor is the Structure Display. This function allows us to display construction elements in various ways depending how we define the components of elements. We can choose one of these options:

Entire Model

Without Finishes



Core Only

Core of Load-Bearing Elements Only

• The fourth factor is the Pen Set. We can define different line weight to the different colors.

• The following factor is the so-called Model View Options Combination. These settings control the behavior of ArchiCAD elements beyond merely toggling visibility on and off. These combinations were also set up and named in advance. The one for reflected ceiling plans can be viewed when selecting Document/Set Model View/Model View Options from the menu.



• The last factor is the Renovation Filter. We can provide visual feedback on the status of each element at a particular stage of a renovation project.

A view is defined by these factors, plus the current zoom and the dimensions, as shown in the Properties panel underneath the Navigator.

In the Quick Options part just below it, you can change these settings for the current project representation. In order to activate the Quick Options palette click on the Window/Palettes/Quick Options command.



Click on any of the buttons and see what changes occur on the floor plan when the settings are changed.

Note that the current quick option settings are not saved to the views automatically. For this you have to open the view settings dialog and there launch the Get Current Window’s Settings command.



Congratulations!

You have successfully completed this Training Guide! We hope that you have learned many new and exciting things about the possibilities of BIM and understood how ArchiCAD supports the architectural design workflow. Please check the other volumes of this training series for more details about ArchiCAD.

Should you have any questions regarding ArchiCAD or other GRAPHISOFT products, please visit Graphisoft Help Center, our online knowledge base: helpcenter.graphisoft.com.

Please feel free to contact GRAPHISOFT and its worldwide partners with further questions at www.graphisoft.com. We look forward to seeing you in the ArchiCAD user community.

The GRAPHISOFT Team


http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/

www.graphisoft.com

archicad 18 training vol.1

Documents

graphisoft archicad

basic archicad

intermediate archicad

advanced archicad

archicad interface

archicad bim conceptcopyright

archicad project file

archicad youtube channel