Your whole experience of creating an architectural design and conveying that design via construction documents can be a fun, challenging, aggravating, or an enlightening experience. Many factors come into play to determine the success of your project, such as the people involved and the established procedures used, but the design tools you use in the process can greatly affect your success.
Graphisoft introduced their true 3D design software for a personal computer at the Hanover Fair in Germany back in 1984. By 1986, the program was named ArchiCAD (Version 2.0) for the Apple Macintosh operating system. The first Windows version of ArchiCAD was released in 1993 for Version 4.16. Since then, ArchiCAD has been available for both the Macintosh and Windows operating systems. ArchiCAD 19, released in 2015, is the culmination of the industry's evolving technology, new features, improved process workflow, and a graphic user interface that has been evolving ever since that first unveiling in 1984.
Learning a new software program can be enjoyable if the program is fun to use and somewhat intuitive. Experienced CAD users that start using a BIM (Building Information Modeling) program such as ArchiCAD enjoy the intelligent interaction between elements and the 3D model environment.
If you are a 2D CAD user, you will appreciate ArchiCAD's ability to keep everything in one file, instead of needing to have separate files for each floor (story). Modeling tools generate 3D elements by default, even when you draw within a 2D view. Elements such as doors and windows clean up automatically when moved along a wall. Changes made to the elements in a plan view will update automatically in the corresponding section and the elevation views. You are going to love it! This reason is enough to stop using your CAD program and move to ArchiCAD.
You will need to draw your major design elements only once, because the virtual model drives the documentations. You will learn that this is all a part of the virtual building environment inside ArchiCAD.
If you are already a BIM user with an understanding of all the abilities mentioned here, you will learn about the unique features that ArchiCAD offers. These features include special ways to control your viewing environment, numerous selection modes, flexible element filtering, and robust modeling tools.
Chapter 1, Project Setup and Modeling a Residential Project, helps you to get started using ArchiCAD by creating your first project. You will get an introduction to the ArchiCAD graphic user interface (GUI), as you learn about project settings and how they drive your project environment. Then, you will see how easy it is to model walls, doors, windows, and a roof for your new house!
Chapter 2, Objects, Drafting, and Annotation – A Residential Project, will teach you how to create your own custom objects to add to your new house. This chapter will introduce you to the tools used for text creation and 2D line work. You will feel right at home with the tools in this chapter, because they are very similar to all the basic tools in any standard CAD program.
Chapter 3, Documentation – A Residential Project, will get into forming the finished look of your project. You will learn about views, how to manipulate what is displayed on your drawings, and how to control the way it is graphically displayed. Then, you will learn about creating sheets and the super easy way to put views on them.
Chapter 4, Project Setup and Modeling Part I – A Healthcare Building Project, will help you set up what will be used as the shell and core model for your commercial building. In this chapter, you will dig a little deeper into ArchiCAD's project environment settings, and learn to use more advanced modeling tools. This will provide the framework for your new building.
Chapter 5, Project Setup and Modeling Part II – A Healthcare Building Project, will cover creating the interiors model to be used together with the shell and core model created in the previous chapter. You will get the project settings put in place, and link the shell and core model in. Then, you will model all the interior walls, and have fun inserting furniture, casework, and appliances.
Chapter 6, Objects, Drafting, and Annotation – A Healthcare Building Project, will dig deeper into making your own custom objects. You may find that creating your own custom objects it a lot of fun, and your favorite thing to do. In this chapter, you will also learn about the other annotation tools available in ArchiCAD, as well as advanced detail creation.
Chapter 7, Documentation – A Commercial Project, will teach you more about view creation, view management, sheet creation, and drawing management. This chapter will help ensure that you fully understand how to control the look and feel of your drawings. You may not realize it at first, but this knowledge is essential to a successful project.
Chapter 8, Work Sharing with ArchiCAD, will teach you about data extraction, and the many different ways to incorporate different types of drawing formats into your projects. Also, it will teach you how to export your work into multiple different file formats for other parties to utilize in their work. You will find that ArchiCAD is second to none in this category.
Chapter 9, Visualization and Model Management, will be fun when learning about rendering, animations, and virtual environment fly-through models. We end the book with model management and best practices. Model management may sound boring, but it will help you keep your project in good shape.
A basic understanding of architecture and to be proficient with a 2D CAD software program, such as AutoCAD Lite, or exposure to a BIM program, such as Revit.
This book is for architects, architectural technicians, and construction professionals who are familiar with 2D CAD, such as AutoCAD Lite, or have some exposure to a 3D BIM package, such as Revit. No experience with ArchiCAD is required. If you want to learn the skills needed for architectural drawing production in the real world, then this book is for you.
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