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ArchiCAD 6.0

David Sutherland

ArchiCAD 6.0 is CAD software for use by architects and building designers. David Sutherland examines how ArchiCAD 6.0 might be used to assist in the design and documentation of a typical building project through a practical example. Building up an ArchiCAD model of the building, the tools and processes used are described. It is important to note that this document ignores or touches only lightly on many of the capabilities of ArchiCAD.

Part I

When reviewing technical software, we are faced with inherent dilemmas on several levels. Do we approach the software in a manner that assesses its capabilities without reference to the environment in which it would normally be used? Or is our review informed by the commercial imperatives that drive us to purchase the software? Do we merely describe the tools provided by the software, or do we demonstrate the manner with which the software will be used?

The method of constructing the computer model mimics that of the design and documentation process. We build up our information through many iterations, or ‘design passes’. Through those iterations, the initial, broad but critical information is reinforced, amended, added to and informed by subsequent, more detailed analyses and responses.

Concept Design Phase

Plans

Start with the rough building form
Before we start drawing, it is best if we set up the vertical structure of the building model, using the Stories settings. We describe the number of stories in our building and note the floor-to-floor heights.

Commencing at the lowest storey, the Wall tool allows us to set out the overall building form. We start with the critical elements, like structure and bounding walls. When we select the wall tool, we are able to describe the characteristics of the wall we wish to draw. This can be done in terms of thickness, height, elevation, construction, materials, and hatching pattern, amongst others. Typically, the parameters are quickly selected, and easily changed at a later time.

Add in internal structure, cores and walls
After a preliminary check of the overall building form, we add further internal detail, such as service cores, dividing walls and corridor walls. This can be done using the elevations and 3D tools described below. The software enables us to easily change wall thicknesses and constructional representations. Any dimensions related to those elements are automatically updated when the elements are changed.

Add the floors
Using the Slab tool, we trace around the wall outline to create the floor slab. Like the walls, the slabs can be copied from one storey to another. Modifying the slab outlines can be carried out on the fly using sophisticated editing tools.

ArchiCAD 6.0 screen showing an apartment with exterior and interior walls drawn.
Inset is an example of design data calculated from the model database.

Extracting information
It is now a good time for us to extract some of the information that describes our building. We will start with the Zone tool. If we click with this tool in the middle of one of our apartments, it will create a ‘zone’ which expands until it meets the bounding walls. If we later move the bounding walls, we can select the Update Zones command. The zones will then look for, and expand or contract to, their bounding walls.

The zones provide on-screen confirmation of the area of, and other dimensional data related to, the zoned space. That information also goes into the database that underlies the graphic component of the software. If we go to the database, we can see a summary of each of our apartment areas. When we adjust wall locations, the database will automatically reflect those changes.

In ArchiCAD, dimensions are fully associative, flexible and easy to use. As a result, we can perform initial dimensioning very early in a project. As more detail is filled in, we are able to easily update those dimensions.

Selecting the Level tool, we click on the floor slab to automatically notate the floor level. These levels are associative; if you change the height of the floor slab, the level shown will alter accordingly.

Fill in broad external detail
In our work up to this point, we have accomplished several things. We have set out the broad parameters of the building: the walls and slabs describing the overall form of the building, and the internal core and dividing walls which describe the apartment outlines. We have also quantitatively described our concept, using horizontal dimensions, vertical levels, and area measurements through the database.

Having established that our building is, at the level of precision required at this phase of the process, more or less what we want, it is time to fill in the canvas a little. Let's start by adding further detail to the external building envelope.

We will add some windows to our external walls. We are, by now, aware that our building elements in ArchiCAD are parametric. By altering various parameters that describe those elements, we are able to change them. Windows are no exception. At this early stage of our project, we will avoid too much fenestration detail because we wish to assess the building form mainly in terms of solid and void. One way of doing that is to use the ArchiCAD ‘empty opening’ window type. Another method, which we will use, is the ‘ribbon window’ library object. We will click the Window tool, select the ribbon window, and adjust the parameters to our liking. In this case, we will set our window so that it has a single pane only, 100 x 40mm box section aluminium framing, and glazing material of glass. Using this tool, we click at the wall on the desired location of the window. The window now becomes a part of the wall and the wall hatching automatically breaks around the window. If we move the window along the wall, the hatching adjusts itself accordingly. If we move or rotate the wall, the window moves or rotates with it.

We will now perform a similar operation with the Door tool. Doors behave in a similar manner to windows.

For some further external touches, we will add balcony balustrades. There are several ways to do this. We will use a library object we have created in GDL, a scripting language that underlies the parametric elements in ArchiCAD. On top of that solid half-height balustrade, we will place another library object: pipe handrails.

Create elevations

Using the section/ elevation tool
At any time we may construct elevations of, and sections through, the building. To do so, we use the Section/Elevation tool. Locating the section/elevation lines on the plan automatically creates those sections and elevations. We will set these so that the section lines may be seen on the plans, but elevation lines will not.

We are able to change our building model in the elevation windows. Those changes will be reflected in the plans (just as changes we make in the plans will be reflected in the elevations).

Further information may be added to the elevations or sections using the 2D graphic and dimensioning tools.

The 3D window

Choosing an isometric or perspective view
We now wish to see our building in three-dimensional views. ArchiCAD allows us to see our building in isometric projection, or in perspective views. As with the sections and elevations, we are able to edit our building model in the 3D windows and those changes are reflected in the plans. As our plan dimensions are fully associative, they, too, will update as we edit our building in perspective view.

Presentation of the project

Having successfully completed the early stages of our design, we wish to present it to others. This can be done by printing or plotting the plans we have created, and the elevations and sections that have been generated. We also have the ability to make use of the 3D capabilities of the software for presentations.

Printing from the 3D window produces solid color isometric or perspective views of our building. We may have shadow casting on if we wish, and we may show transparency in materials. For most purposes this is perfectly adequate.

If we wish to make our building appear more lifelike, we can render our building in ArchiCAD. In rendering views, we can select background images and effects, such as fog. Lights, which ArchiCAD includes as part of its standard library, can be shown illuminated. The textures of materials are shown.

A camera flight path links the cameras we have placed around the building. We are therefore able to create a number of flypast movies, which we are able to save in a number of different movie formats.

A 3D view shows the broad form of the building.

VRs
In addition, we are able to construct VR views of our building, both hemispherical and cylindrical by using the appropriate camera types in ArchiCAD.

Shadows on elevation
As purely architectural software, ArchiCAD is responsive to the way we work. The ability to place shadows onto our elevations for presentation purposes is a good illustration. We are able to cast the shadows on our 3D orthogonal views, copy those shadows and paste them onto our 2D elevations. The shadows are automatically placed at the right size and in the correct location on the elevations.

Shadow studies
Of critical importance in the town planning approval of most developments is the demonstration of the shadows cast by the proposed buildings. Using ArchiCAD we are able to produce those shadow diagrams automatically.

Part II >>

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