Book Image

A BIM Professional's Guide to Learning Archicad

By : Stefan Boeykens, Ruben Van de Walle
Book Image

A BIM Professional's Guide to Learning Archicad

By: Stefan Boeykens, Ruben Van de Walle

Overview of this book

A BIM Professional’s Guide to Learning Archicad is a comprehensive introduction to all that Archicad has to offer for creating 3D models, 2D document extracts, and related outputs. This book is not a click-by-click series of recipes, but rather focuses on helping you understand why and how Archicad works by providing realistic examples and expert tips. The book gradually introduces you to Archicad tools using ample examples. It then helps you master its complexity through clear modules, allowing you to start your first project quickly, gain useful skills in subsequent projects, and keep using the book as a source for insights into the software. You’ll start with the basic modeling of construction elements and then move on to adding roofs, stairs, and objects to the project. Next, you’ll dive into basic drafting and 2D views for creating 2D output, and grasp how to use attributes and more advanced modeling tools for designing curtain walls and sites. The concluding chapters will show you how to extract and visualize your data and automate the publishing of your extracts and 2D documents into a variety of output formats. By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a solid understanding of Archicad, how to implement it efficiently in your architectural projects, and how BIM can improve your overall design workflow.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Getting Started with Archicad – Project Setup and Essential Modeling Tools for Your First Residential Project
9
Part 2: Becoming an Archicad Professional – Learn About Archicad Tools and Settings to Create and Publish Any Type of Project in Full Detail

Creating Parametric Complex Profiles and using Geometry Modifiers

Many of the objects in Archicad are set up as either line-based (walls, beams, and columns) or contour-based (slabs, roofs, and mesh). Contour-based geometry is refined with a handy set of Pet Palette commands.

For line-based elements, we have already looked at the homogeneous and the composite structures, using layers of materials. However, their core shape is always rectangular. When you need to refine the section of the object, you can switch to a so-called Complex Profile. This allows you to define the shape of the object from a 2D section, consisting of fills, just like you would in 2D detail drawings.

With a Parametric Complex Profile, you effectively get a 2D editing environment where you can add one or more fills. Each fill will then be extruded along the Reference Line, giving you a 3D shape from the profile. This method works very well for any object with a complex cross-section, such as steel profiles...